Orchids and Violets - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Jim Asher · 06-05-2007, 11:17 AM

Been going through the Mill Creek set. (BTW, exactly half of the Shout! set is duplicated on MC[12 eps]. However, the 12 which are duplicated are all superior on MC, more complete and with commercials.)

Just wanted to highlight "Orchids and Violets", which IMHO is one of the great half-hours of comedy TV I've ever seen. (And it is uncut on the MC set, 28 minutes.)

What a show! Just a brief synop:

Ozzie and the boys welcome Spring by playing some baseball in the front yard. (A BIG front yard!) Ozzie gets all muddy, so Harriet won't let him in the house. Strangely enough, this triggers an idea in Ozzie's head to go downtown to get some violets for his wife. At the flower shop -- ORVILLE THE FLORIST

--, Orville decides that Ozzie, because of his muddy old clothes and because he only seems to have some nickels and dimes in his pockets, is on his way (or maybe already there) to the poor house. In a gesture of good will, Orville sends ahead a couple of orchids to Harriet instead of the violets, causing Ozzie to believe that his shipment never arrrived, and that some old beau (Cranston Poole) is once again after Harriet.

The absolute insanity of this episode is hard to describe. (A far more genuine example of TV surrealism than anything from that fount of Attitude, "Seinfeld".) The scene in the flower shop is amazing. Not only do we have Orville mistaking Ozzie as a homeless man -- maybe the best moment is when he hesitates to give Ozzie the address form, thinking Ozzie cannot write or read --, but after Ozzie leaves, the sparks really fly. The florist's wife is played by the great Wellesian and Shakespearean actress Jeannette Nolan, and poor poor Orville. She starts screaming at him for sending the orchids, and then she starts screaming at him because she is sick of flowers. "Flowers! Flowers! Flowers! That's all we ever get around here!!"

Back at the house, Ozzie learns of the orchid delivery and decides that Cranston Poole -- after 20 years -- has sent them. This causes a major depression for Oz, and he and Thorny sit down at the kitchen table, to drown their sorrows -- with big glasses of milk! The scene at the kitchen table is one of those rare moments when the line between TV and life just dissolves. We really seem to be just listening in on two guys talking, the story stops, nothing happens. But then, as so often during the 1950s version of O&H, everything is happening.

Sorry to gush, but this episode is a masterpiece.

TeeVeeCloset · 06-05-2007, 11:34 AM

Too bad David Nelson (the trustee of the nelson estate) doesn't care as much as we do, he is listed as the producer of the recently poorly put together shout set! Thanks for the heads up about orchids & violets...I've been watching alot of ozzie lately...btw...I just noticed that the 12 disc MC set is actually in chronological air order.

gidgetgrape · 07-01-2007, 04:35 PM

I watched this episode last night and I thought Ozzie being mistaken as a bum in the flower shop was hilarious.

Lonely Summer · 07-10-2007, 09:14 PM

I laughed out loud at the milk drinking scene! There's another ep where Ozzie walks into the malt shop and Jack says "the usual, Oz?" and Ozzie replies "make it a double!" I think it's in the ep about hairstyles, can't remember the name right now.

gidgetgrape · 07-10-2007, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lonely Summer

I laughed out loud at the milk drinking scene! There's another ep where Ozzie walks into the malt shop and Jack says "the usual, Oz?" and Ozzie replies "make it a double!" I think it's in the ep about hairstyles, can't remember the name right now.

I like in the hairstyles ep (A Hairstyle For Harriet) when Ozzie almost falls getting out of his chair in the malt shop. Jack asks him if he needs a cab.

Goldilocks · 09-08-2008, 03:31 PM

Oh, this undoubtedly is one of the greatest episodes!

My favorite scene is the end when Oz, still fearing Cranston Poole sent the orchids, calls the flower shop to inquire on the physical description of the man, and the woman @ the flower shop, basically describes the guy as some "bum"!

Then, when Harriet reveals that she knew Oz sent the orchids and that she called the flower shop earlier to get a description of the man, Oz asked her how the woman at the flower shop described him, Harriet goes on to say that the woman said he had "dashing blue eyes" and "scruffy good looks". After a brief pause, Ozzie says, "You know Harriet, I just realized how smart you really are!" to which she responds:

"I don't mess around, boy!"

06-05-2007, 11:17 AM	#1
Jim Asher Banned Banned!! Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 17, 2006 Posts: 40	Orchids and Violets Been going through the Mill Creek set. (BTW, exactly half of the Shout! set is duplicated on MC[12 eps]. However, the 12 which are duplicated are all superior on MC, more complete and with commercials.) Just wanted to highlight "Orchids and Violets", which IMHO is one of the great half-hours of comedy TV I've ever seen. (And it is uncut on the MC set, 28 minutes.) What a show! Just a brief synop: Ozzie and the boys welcome Spring by playing some baseball in the front yard. (A BIG front yard!) Ozzie gets all muddy, so Harriet won't let him in the house. Strangely enough, this triggers an idea in Ozzie's head to go downtown to get some violets for his wife. At the flower shop -- ORVILLE THE FLORIST --, Orville decides that Ozzie, because of his muddy old clothes and because he only seems to have some nickels and dimes in his pockets, is on his way (or maybe already there) to the poor house. In a gesture of good will, Orville sends ahead a couple of orchids to Harriet instead of the violets, causing Ozzie to believe that his shipment never arrrived, and that some old beau (Cranston Poole) is once again after Harriet. The absolute insanity of this episode is hard to describe. (A far more genuine example of TV surrealism than anything from that fount of Attitude, "Seinfeld".) The scene in the flower shop is amazing. Not only do we have Orville mistaking Ozzie as a homeless man -- maybe the best moment is when he hesitates to give Ozzie the address form, thinking Ozzie cannot write or read --, but after Ozzie leaves, the sparks really fly. The florist's wife is played by the great Wellesian and Shakespearean actress Jeannette Nolan, and poor poor Orville. She starts screaming at him for sending the orchids, and then she starts screaming at him because she is sick of flowers. "Flowers! Flowers! Flowers! That's all we ever get around here!!" Back at the house, Ozzie learns of the orchid delivery and decides that Cranston Poole -- after 20 years -- has sent them. This causes a major depression for Oz, and he and Thorny sit down at the kitchen table, to drown their sorrows -- with big glasses of milk! The scene at the kitchen table is one of those rare moments when the line between TV and life just dissolves. We really seem to be just listening in on two guys talking, the story stops, nothing happens. But then, as so often during the 1950s version of O&H, everything is happening. Sorry to gush, but this episode is a masterpiece.

07-10-2007, 09:14 PM	#4
Lonely Summer Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 01, 2006 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 49	Orchids I laughed out loud at the milk drinking scene! There's another ep where Ozzie walks into the malt shop and Jack says "the usual, Oz?" and Ozzie replies "make it a double!" I think it's in the ep about hairstyles, can't remember the name right now.

09-08-2008, 03:31 PM	#6
Goldilocks Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 08, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 693	LOVE this episode!! Oh, this undoubtedly is one of the greatest episodes! My favorite scene is the end when Oz, still fearing Cranston Poole sent the orchids, calls the flower shop to inquire on the physical description of the man, and the woman @ the flower shop, basically describes the guy as some "bum"! Then, when Harriet reveals that she knew Oz sent the orchids and that she called the flower shop earlier to get a description of the man, Oz asked her how the woman at the flower shop described him, Harriet goes on to say that the woman said he had "dashing blue eyes" and "scruffy good looks". After a brief pause, Ozzie says, "You know Harriet, I just realized how smart you really are!" to which she responds: "I don't mess around, boy!"
	Last edited by Goldilocks; 09-08-2008 at 04:29 PM.

06-05-2007, 11:34 AM	#2
TeeVeeCloset Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 25, 2003 Posts: 1,873	Too bad David Nelson (the trustee of the nelson estate) doesn't care as much as we do, he is listed as the producer of the recently poorly put together shout set! Thanks for the heads up about orchids & violets...I've been watching alot of ozzie lately...btw...I just noticed that the 12 disc MC set is actually in chronological air order.

07-01-2007, 04:35 PM	#3
gidgetgrape Forever Gidget Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 20, 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 3,502	I watched this episode last night and I thought Ozzie being mistaken as a bum in the flower shop was hilarious.