Howard the Swinger

[MichaelKeith]

Hahaha, this was a funny episode! And kudos to Jack Dodson for really doing a good job acting in this episode. I'm glad it ended well. I was so hoping that Howard would not hurt that tall girl's feelings.

[stevea]

You're nearly to the end of the series. I just re-watched the one where they explore the caves, which is a few episodes later.

[MichaelKeith]

You're right, I'm almost done and I'm going to miss this show. I know I can re-watch it whenever I want with the DVDs, but I wish it had run another season at least. I enjoy the characters and Alice Ghostley does a good job as cousin Alice. I've been watching two each evening.

Also, I kind of like the switch to the Warner Bros. studio lot as opposed to the original Paramount lot at which the first two seasons and TAGS was filmed. I like the old studio lot, but the new Warner Bros. lot makes the town look a lot nicer and more modern.

[stevea]

I've since watched the next episode with Ruta Lee as the guest. I thought it was a little odd to see Alice sitting in a town council meeting, considering she had just moved to Mayberry a few months back.

I suppose we could say Sam appointed her to fill a vacancy when someone moved out of town.

[Duster76]

The show was never allowed to grow into its own show starting life as a clone of the final three TAGS seasons, replacing Andy, Opie, and Helen with Sam, Mike and Millie. There was talent there, Berry was adapt at physical comedy, and Golonka was a much better actress than Corsaut (talk about an upgrade), Dobson had a very eccentric look and delivery, he could get you laughing. The show lived in the shadow of TAGS and the producers unfortunately didn't see the need to allow the show to grow into its own show. I thought Sam and Millie could have been a middle America Rob and Laura, Goober and Howard made great contrasting characters and with the addition of Alice Ghostley a great comedic talent, the potential for a very funny comedy show was right in front of everyone. The show actually came close to getting a fourth season it came down to RFD or Arnie. The business manager for RFD, The Jim Nabors Show and The New Andy Griffith Show flew to New York to plead the case but in the end the network went with Arnie.

I believe the series would have found itself if it had been renewed, coming so close to being cancelled would have forced the series producers to take stock of the situation. The talent was there, move away from the final three TAGS seasons and allow the series to grow.

[MichaelKeith]

I like Ruta Lee. Didn't know she was a guest star in this show! Big mistake on CBS's part going with "Arnie". Never heard of it then nor since. Of course, I was just six years old in 1971 and my parents did not watch Arnie back then so I never saw it.

I'll tell you who I also thought would make a nice TV couple. That's Ken Berry and Sandy Duncan. Back in the early 70s Sandy was becoming popular and she was very cute. Seems like a lot of talent existed back then but the networks weren't necessarily striving for quality shows, but "commercial" shows and that was the problem.

[Duster76]

Arnie lasted two seasons on CBS it starred the very talented Hershel Bernardi, Sue Ann Langdon played his wife (she won a golden globe for the part). The premise, a factory worker is promoted to the executive staff of the company he works for. CBS liked it, the critics liked it, but it just wasn't funny although there was a lot of talent there. I actually can understand renewing it, what I don't understand, CBS scheduled a new series in the fall of 71 called The Chicago Teddy Bears a comedy set in Prohibition era Chicago that had bomb written all over it. That series which lasted half a season should never have seen the light of day. CBS could have had both Arnie and Mayberry RFD.

Back to Arnie for a second, starring as Arnie's boss was Roger Bowen, he played Henry Blake in the film MASH, the fact that Arnie got renewed for a second season made him unavailable for the series so that role went to Mclean Stevenson. One other piece of trivia, Stevenson died 2/15/96, Bowen 2/16/96, just one day later.

[MichaelKeith]

I like both Bernardi and Langdon as actors but never saw this show. Never heard of the "Chicago Teddy Bears" and sounds like a dumb premise for a series.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Duster76

The show was never allowed to grow into its own show starting life as a clone of the final three TAGS seasons, replacing Andy, Opie, and Helen with Sam, Mike and Millie. There was talent there, Berry was adapt at physical comedy, and Golonka was a much better actress than Corsaut (talk about an upgrade), Dobson had a very eccentric look and delivery, he could get you laughing. The show lived in the shadow of TAGS and the producers unfortunately didn't see the need to allow the show to grow into its own show. I thought Sam and Millie could have been a middle America Rob and Laura, Goober and Howard made great contrasting characters and with the addition of Alice Ghostley a great comedic talent, the potential for a very funny comedy show was right in front of everyone. The show actually came close to getting a fourth season it came down to RFD or Arnie. The business manager for RFD, The Jim Nabors Show and The New Andy Griffith Show flew to New York to plead the case but in the end the network went with Arnie.

I believe the series would have found itself if it had been renewed, coming so close to being cancelled would have forced the series producers to take stock of the situation. The talent was there, move away from the final three TAGS seasons and allow the series to grow.

Although ratings were never an issue (I don't think, too lazy to check) but the series improved season to season. Although I think Frances Bavier was an adequate performer on the show, she missed a lot of time in season two, and Alice Ghostley was a great replacement.

To me a key episode was "The Health Fund." In this episode, Howard takes advantage of the lodge medical plan right after its adoption, to get his deviated septum corrected. The comedy never stoped, with Goober and Emmett going after him nonstop. This trio are really funny, as the writers demonstrated earlier in one of the Palm Springs episodes. So we go on to hilarious episodes in season 3, such as "Community Spirit" and "Howard the Dream Spinner."

So, yes, I'd like to have seen a fourth season. It probably would have topped the third. (I did notice when looking up episode titles, the ratings slipped slightly in the third season.)

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by stevea

Although ratings were never an issue (I don't think, too lazy to check) but the series improved season to season. Although I think Frances Bavier was an adequate performer on the show, she missed a lot of time in season two, and Alice Ghostley was a great replacement.

To me a key episode was "The Health Fund." In this episode, Howard takes advantage of the lodge medical plan right after its adoption, to get his deviated septum corrected. The comedy never stoped, with Goober and Emmett going after him nonstop. This trio are really funny, as the writers demonstrated earlier in one of the Palm Springs episodes. So we go on to hilarious episodes in season 3, such as "Community Spirit" and "Howard the Dream Spinner."

So, yes, I'd like to have seen a fourth season. It probably would have topped the third. (I did notice when looking up episode titles, the ratings slipped slightly in the third season.)

The ratings in season 3 issue is an interesting point because TV history was being made on ABC during the 1970-71 season, Monday Night Football first hit the airwaves. Up against much stronger competition than in previous seasons the show dropped a bit as did the series that followed RFD (The Doris Day Show and The Carol Burnett Show), in fact the three shows lost just about the same level of audience.

[MichaelKeith]

Originally Posted by Duster76

The ratings in season 3 issue is an interesting point because TV history was being made on ABC during the 1970-71 season, Monday Night Football first hit the airwaves. Up against much stronger competition than in previous seasons the show dropped a bit as did the series that followed RFD (The Doris Day Show and The Carol Burnett Show), in fact the three shows lost just about the same level of audience.

And yet both Doris Day and Carol Burnett shows continued on past this. I guess that's because both were such big stars that they had the clout to remain on the air. And of course, the Carol Burnett show was a good one! Loved it. As for the Doris Day show, I liked S1 -S3 but to me after that it wasn't as good.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by MichaelKeith

You're right, I'm almost done and I'm going to miss this show. I know I can re-watch it whenever I want with the DVDs, but I wish it had run another season at least. I enjoy the characters and Alice Ghostley does a good job as cousin Alice. I've been watching two each evening.

Also, I kind of like the switch to the Warner Bros. studio lot as opposed to the original Paramount lot at which the first two seasons and TAGS was filmed. I like the old studio lot, but the new Warner Bros. lot makes the town look a lot nicer and more modern.

I haven't seen Mayberry RFD since the first run, over fifty years ago.

Looking forward to seeing it soon, but I'm not sure I'll agree with replacing the Forty Acres set with a different Mayberry.