I would have to say that this episode which was just shown the other night is a one of the better Brady's from the fifth season and my favorite featuring Cousin Oliver. Looks like Mike Lookinland in the scenes where he is playing pool with Thurston Howell really knew what he was doing.

Jim Backus (Thurston Howell) was brilliant in this episode. No one else I know could have played a boss quite as well as he did in this one. There was true comedy in this episode. It's one of the all time best.

Bobby's "abilities" in this episode were more the result of his acting, to his credit, more than his pool playing. If you looked closely, all the shots that they actually showed him making were very easy and set-up. Otherwise there was lots of fancy camera work, with the shots done by out of camera professional pool players.

I have also found this particular episode one of the better ones in the shows entire run. It's an episode without the usual silliness. Lookinland and Backus work very well together.

I saw this episode awhile back and from what I can remember it was pretty good!

see comment below

I, too thought that this was perhaps the best of the "Oliver" episodes.

But have you ever noticed that in the scenes shot of the boys playing pool early in the episode (Greg & Peter are playing, and Bobby comes along and sinks a fancy shot) that their voices echo when they talk? I don't know what they did to that episode when they finally came out with the finished product, but that sound work was pretty sloppy...that's the only episode I've seen that has this problem (heavy echoes of conversations in the garage).

P.S. I just looked up the "Oliver" episodes in "Bradymania", and this was in fact, the only decent Oliver episode...

Jim Baccus also played a mean game of pool in an "I Dream of Jeannie" episode.

Kind of an interesting fact: the show either directly before or after this show "The Snooperstar" (Cindy as the new Shirley Temple) guest starred Jim Baccus' TV wife from Gilligan's Island, Natalie Schaeffer. Kinda neat!

By the way, am I the only person on the planet who actually LIKES Oliver? I thought he was so cute! The last 6 shows were cool!

Elizabeth B.

I liked Oliver too. I thought he was funny and fit in naturally.

His mass unpopularity - I think it's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. With Oliver also came the show's demise. But it had nothing to do with him.

I like Oliver, too.

There are several episodes in the last season where the voices echo.

Another good episode with Oliver is the one where Oliver & Bobby think that Sam the Butcher is a double agent.

I also like Oliver.

Originally posted by CHUCK T
I would have to say that this episode which was just shown the other night is a one of the better Brady's from the fifth season and my favorite featuring Cousin Oliver. Looks like Mike Lookinland in the scenes where he is playing pool with Thurston Howell really knew what he was doing.


One of my favorite episodes from the series. Funny, I didn't see the name Thurston Howell in the credits.

I always wondered, why did the truck back into the Brady's driveway to deliver a box of chewing gum?

Funny, I didn't see the name Thurston Howell in the credits.

Well, that's because the actor's real name is Jim Baccus!:)