Season 8 "The Chameleon" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Kasey · 03-25-2018, 09:45 AM

I've been watching my homemade set and screened this episode last night. What a strange plotline for this normally straight-laced show. Many sitcoms did episodes where the tomboy gets a makeover into a girly-girl to land the boy, but no 1960s show did an episode where a child was misgendered. I thought it was pretty bold and unique of the producers to do such a story in 1967 considering how relevant and controversial this topic is in 2018!

biffbronson · 03-25-2018, 10:00 AM

Some random thoughts on this particular episode:

Stan Livingston's acting is a little stiff when he tells Mike she'll have to leave, after breaking the bottle.

The bedroom scene with Tina Cole is well-done and does a good job of showing that Mike has lacked a female presence in her life.

Well-cast; "Mike's" acting is good. The girl's longish hair by boys' standards is appropriate, and reminds me of how Ramades Pera looked in some of his work prior to or after Kung Fu. (I'm a '70s guy but I think for a lot of boys back then as well, their parents were leaving longer length -- especially when school was out. I had longish bangs much of the time.)

stevea · 03-25-2018, 02:01 PM

Yeah the scene with Katie and Mike (Michelle) was well-written.

Her father sure was a clueless piece of work.

Hazel Anyday · 03-25-2018, 10:16 PM

This show had nothing to do with "transgender" crapola, it was about a girl raised by a father who didn't or wasn't able to teach her how to act like a girl. Moreover she wanted to impress her father or please him, whatever, that she acted like a boy to make him happy. She wasn't a "boy trapped in a girl's body"

or any of that modern psycho-babble baloney. She was a Tomboy and this was one of those "ugly girl" who usually wears glasses with her hair up then takes her hair down the glasses off and she's suddenly hot as heck. Of course these "ugly" girls always have hot bodys and are supposedly ignored by boys because of their glasses and hair. Sure.

Anyway this show was like that only she was a Tomboy rather than "ugly". Notice though her "boy" looks went away with a change of wardrobe and a little makeup. Who would have thunk it?

Kasey · 03-26-2018, 01:03 PM

None of the characters knew she wasn't a boy. And neither did I, until she said so. It was unique for the time and quite different from the "plain-Jane-becomes-a-knockout" plots done on everything from Donna Reed to The Brady Bunch and beyond. Ernie was hanging out with her in thinking he was being friends with a boy. It was about misgendering, not Mike being transgender--two totally different things.

03-25-2018, 09:45 AM	#1
Kasey Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 22, 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,143	Season 8 "The Chameleon" I've been watching my homemade set and screened this episode last night. What a strange plotline for this normally straight-laced show. Many sitcoms did episodes where the tomboy gets a makeover into a girly-girl to land the boy, but no 1960s show did an episode where a child was misgendered. I thought it was pretty bold and unique of the producers to do such a story in 1967 considering how relevant and controversial this topic is in 2018!

03-25-2018, 10:16 PM	#4
Hazel Anyday Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 12, 2002 Posts: 2,135	Let's Not Get Too Modern Day Psycho This show had nothing to do with "transgender" crapola, it was about a girl raised by a father who didn't or wasn't able to teach her how to act like a girl. Moreover she wanted to impress her father or please him, whatever, that she acted like a boy to make him happy. She wasn't a "boy trapped in a girl's body" or any of that modern psycho-babble baloney. She was a Tomboy and this was one of those "ugly girl" who usually wears glasses with her hair up then takes her hair down the glasses off and she's suddenly hot as heck. Of course these "ugly" girls always have hot bodys and are supposedly ignored by boys because of their glasses and hair. Sure. Anyway this show was like that only she was a Tomboy rather than "ugly". Notice though her "boy" looks went away with a change of wardrobe and a little makeup. Who would have thunk it?
	__________________ Haaazeelll!!

03-25-2018, 10:00 AM	#2
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,493	Some random thoughts on this particular episode: Stan Livingston's acting is a little stiff when he tells Mike she'll have to leave, after breaking the bottle. The bedroom scene with Tina Cole is well-done and does a good job of showing that Mike has lacked a female presence in her life. Well-cast; "Mike's" acting is good. The girl's longish hair by boys' standards is appropriate, and reminds me of how Ramades Pera looked in some of his work prior to or after Kung Fu. (I'm a '70s guy but I think for a lot of boys back then as well, their parents were leaving longer length -- especially when school was out. I had longish bangs much of the time.)

03-25-2018, 02:01 PM	#3
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,663	Yeah the scene with Katie and Mike (Michelle) was well-written. Her father sure was a clueless piece of work.

03-26-2018, 01:03 PM	#5
Kasey Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 22, 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,143	None of the characters knew she wasn't a boy. And neither did I, until she said so. It was unique for the time and quite different from the "plain-Jane-becomes-a-knockout" plots done on everything from Donna Reed to The Brady Bunch and beyond. Ernie was hanging out with her in thinking he was being friends with a boy. It was about misgendering, not Mike being transgender--two totally different things.