Episode Reviews: “Manager of The Baseball Team” (’52) & "Vacation At Fred's Landing":

[Frank Gannucci]

Episode Reviews: “Manager of The Baseball Team” (’52 version) & “Vacation Plans” (aka “Vacation At Fred’s Landing”):

Episode #15
TV: Hasn’t been seen on TV since its original airdate.
DVD: Hasn’t been released.

Nobody knows for sure if this episode ever aired on TV or not. In the early 2010s, it was revealed that this as long as some other sketches were rumored to have been shown on TV. I am going to assume that the script for this one and this one are on and the same.

Before I start this review, let me say this. MPI has received a lot of complaints about accidently attaching the 1953 version to "Hero" (where on the box, it advertises the 1957 version). They also have gotten a lot of complaints when they accidently attached the 1953 episode to the DVD release that has "Teamwork Beats The Clock", "Quiz Show" & "The Wit & Wisdom of Ed Norton" (where once again on the box, it advertises the 1957 version.) MPI probably did it by mistake since the both versions of this episode are very much alike. In 2002, I managed to get the MPI cassette Vol. 28 that has the 1957 version of this episode (even though some versions of Vol. 28 have the '53 version on it.)

The episode opens up with Alice worrying about where Ralph is. Ed and Trixie come down. Alice says that she is worried about Ralph. He was supposed to come home a while ago. So, Trixie asks Ed to go outside and come back when he comes home. Ed says no because what's going to happen if he is in the hospital, he would have stayed out for nothing. Ed also says that because Ralph is married, he probably ran away. Ha! That's a very nice thing to say. Ed brings up a story about what happened to a person he knew. That person ran away and when the cops asked him questions, he didn't know anything. He was 3 years old. Ha!

Ralph comes home and has champagne for everyone. In fact, in the 1953 version of this episode, Ralph tires to open the bottle, but has a hard time doing so. That wasn't supposed to happen, so to cover it up, he says: "We will be drinking champagne if I can ever get this bottle open." He does. Ralph says that he is now the new manager of the Gotham Bus Depot. He always knew that he had the right qualifications. Yeah, sure he did. When Alice asks Ralph, how he found out, Ralph says he heard it while walking by the president of the bus company's office. He later hears that a telegram will come tonight to confirm the whole thing. Ralph mentions that with him becoming the manager, he might even become the president. When he does become president, he's going to make some changes like having pretty stewardess on each bus and to make sure that those people who happened to miss the bus by one minute; he's going to make sure every bus starts a minute late. Question: Wouldn't that rule make some people a little angry that they might be one minute late to go to whatever they are going to? Just a thought. Ralph says that the salary he gets for being a manager is big. He says that with the money, he and Alice are going to go on a second honeymoon with Ed and Trixie and that Alice is going to get that bunion removed off her foot. Ralph also says that now that he's in the money, should he and Alice move out of this joint. He later says no. That place has been awful lucky to them. Yeah, sure it has.

After Ralph leaves, the telegram arrives saying that Ralph has become the manager all right. The manager of the Gotham City Baseball Team. Alice, Ed, and Trixie are all upset thinking that Ralph was becoming manager of the company and that all the plans that Ralph had for becoming president were not going to come to fruition for a while.

Ralph comes home and mentions about the respect Alice will get when she goes down to the store Ralph was just at. Ralph says with the money he's going to get, since it gets hot in the summertime, he's going to buy a mattress for this place. Yeah, Jackie made a blooper when he said that. Alice presents Ralph with the telegram and when Ralph reads it he's disappointed and apologizes to Alice. Alice says that Ralph is the most important thing in her life. They hug and kiss.

When I rented the video entitled: "Cupid/Manager of The Baseball Team (1953 version)" in 1996, I originally thought I was going to get a thirty-minute episode of Ralph being the baseball manager. (Imagine how funny that would be.) You can imagine my disappointment when I found out that the episode was less than fifteen minutes long.

Episode #16
TV: Hasn’t been seen on TV since its original airdate.
DVD: Hasn’t been released.

Nobody knows for sure if this episode ever aired on TV or not. In the early 2010s, it was revealed that this as long as some other sketches were rumored to have been shown on TV. I am going to assume that the script for this one and this one are on and the same.

Alice comes home and Trixie follows her home. Alice says she had a rough day. She couldn't get the key to her apartment so she put down the groceries that she had in her hand and went down to the landlord and landlady. She complained about how her husband doesn't pick up the garbage that she usually puts by her front door. The landlord who just came in says: "What are you talking about? I picked up your garbage (Alice's groceries) right now." Alice had to run down to the garbage truck to get her groceries. What humiliation!

Alice and Trixie talk about the fun time they are going to have in Atlantic City and what things that they are going to do. Ralph comes home with stuff for the trip. Trixie leaves just as Ralph reveals his new fishing attire. Why? Because Ralph reveals that they are going to Fred's Landing. A place that is right near Lake Pookamoonshine (sp?). Alice wants to go to Atlantic City. Ralph: "Atlantic City? What type of place is that for a vacation?" Let's see. Atlantic City is a very popular and great place in southern New Jersey where there are a lot of hotels, casinos and beaches. A place where people can have a whole lot of fun. Fred's Landing is a place where people camp and fish and that's it. If I was a fisherman or not, I would go to Atlantic City not Fred's Landing. Ralph reveals the "great romantic story" that Fred's Landing is attached to. A boy and a woman loved each other but they were on enemy teams. They both got killed and got buried with their arms around each other.

Alice wants to go to Atlantic City. She says she has had enough hard work to do around the house (cooking, cleaning etc.) She needs a vacation. Ralph says he has worked hard in his life too. He drives a bus all day and sees things like Central Park every day. He needs a vacation.

Ed Norton comes down in his sewer attire and says he is ready for the trip. Ralph says that he is ready for wading in the water. Ed says that he does that every day in the sewer so it won't be new to him. He reveals a very funny story about one time when he went fishing but he couldn't catch anything because since it was dark out, he didn't know he was fishing in a place that didn't even have water and fish. Ha! Ed plans on telling Trixie that they are going to Fred's Landing because he will say that Atlantic City is closed for the summer. Oh boy! Can you imagine how much money Atlantic City would lose if they closed for the summer? What a dumb move that would be. Ed leaves. Alice says that she doesn't want to go to Fred's Landing. Ralph: "All right. Stay home." Alice: "I wouldn't give you the satisfaction!"

On Vacation Day 1, Ralph and Ed have to push the car because the car is having engine trouble. The background in this scene is so not real. You can tell it's a fake background. Ralph and Ed try to fix the car by Ed getting behind the driver seat while Ralph fumbles with the engine. This is a funny scene as Ed accidentally "electrocutes" Ralph. After a number of mishaps, Ralph starts yelling at Ed. Ralph: "You were just trying to help me? You almost electrocuted me. Why don't you help me out some more? Why don't you run me over with the car?" Ed: "The car won't start." Ha! Everyone thinks that they are lost. Ed says no. Ed: "You see this black dot here? That's New York City. That is where we started from. Then we go through the Lincoln Tunnel. This black dot here is Jersey City. This black dot is Bayonne" Ralph: "Bayonne is moving and that's an ant." Ed: "Well, let's follow the ant. He looks like he knows where he is going." They eventually met a man who helps out by fixing the car. He fixes the engine. Then he leaves. Ralph and Ed go back in the car to start up the engine. The engine isn't fixed at all. Ralph and E wind up having to push the car again as Ed starts to sing: "Give me the road to..." Ralph (yells to Ed): "SHUT UP!"

At Fred's Landing, Trixie and Alice are very tired of having to cook and do all the other things that Ralph and Ed tell them to do while they go out fishing. I would love to see a fishing scene with Ralph and Ed. Ralph and Ed come back with this "big" catch that Ralph had a tug-of-war with. The "big" fish is very small. Ralph: "He lost weight during the fight." Sure Ralph. Ralph and Ed want to get some sleep before dinner. Ralph (to the girls): "You don't know how hard it is to fish. That's work. You two are lucky to have nothing to do around here." Ralph and Ed go into their respective tents which are very small. Alice (to Ralph): "One of these days, pow right in the kisser." Ralph: "What did you say Alice?" Alice: "Nothing." Question: How could Ralph not hear Alice when Alice is a few feet from him? Alice and Trixie cook up a plan to get Ralph and Ed to leave here. Another question: How could Ralph an Ed not hear of Alice and Trixie's plan when they are a few feet from them? Ralph and Ed must go to sleep very fast. Alice blows smoke in Ralph's tent. Ralph wakes up. Alice says to Ralph that she is cooking. Ralph: "Watch out! I'm not on the menu." Alice "falls" over Ralph's feet and in the process pours water over Ralph's legs. That doesn't work. Alice: "Look out Trixie! There's a snake!" Ralph wakes up. Alice: "You must have scared the snake away. They would make another reference to Fred's Landing and a snake being in a tent in "The Worry Wart." Ralph: "First you try to drown me, then cook me, now you want me to go back in there with a snake?" Boy, Ralph is overreacting. Alice: "We are living like the Indians did." Ralph: "Well, if this is how the Indians lived, now wonder they are the vanishing race." Ha!

Alice and Trixie leave as Ralph and Ed say they are miserable here too. Ed: "Let's leave before the girls get back." Ralph concocts a plan to get them to leave here. There is a bear skin rug in the lodge that Ralph will use to scare the girls into leaving.

A "bear" comes near Ed and Ed thinks that it is Ralph. It is so obvious that the "bear" is not a real one. Ralph is behind Ed and sees the bear. Ralph tells Ed that he is not the bear that is in front of him. Ed is afraid. The girls see the "bear" and get scared. Ralph says that they are leaving and apologizes to Alice for dragging her here. Alice says: "We still have a lot of time to see Atlantic City!" They hug and kiss.