41-03-18 After Dinner Talk

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN, BILL IDELSON AND CLARENCE HARTZELL

Uncle Fletcher is over at the Gooks for supper and afterwards, he asks Sade if she would invite his lonely landlady, Mis' Keller, to a Thimble Club meeting.

This is a great act of thoughtfulness by Fletcher, who has shown us many times already that he is sensitive to the needs of others and that even though he's a bit loony, he and people like him can still be a valuable part of our communities and lives.

WHAT MIS' CROWE SAYS:
Uncle Fletcher has a certain matter to discuss with Sade.

Mrs. Keller is supposed to be taking care of Uncle Fletcher, but he ends up taking care of her! It’s funny how delicately he treats this. Most people would say “Hey, you should invite my landlady to your Thimble Club sometime! I know she’d like it.” But Fletcher is so reluctant to tread on anybody’s social toes , he is almost apologetic in the way he approaches Sade, and he begs her not to tell Mrs. Keller anything about his involvement because “she’d skin me alive” (I doubt this is true!). And, of course, he insists that proper application paperwork be completed for Mrs. Keller – paperwork that doesn’t exist. The rules of social conduct change with each generation, and Uncle Fletcher probably comes from a politer time than Sade – heck, his heyday would have been in the buttoned-down Victorian era – so it’s not too surprising that he behaves this way. Sade and Vic, as always, are happy to humor him.

SEE THE SCRIPT (transcribed bu Lydia Crowe)

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If you aren't touched by Fletcher's various acts of kindnesses, I say you have no soul. It is imperative that we realize the fact that Fletcher, though his mind is not all there and can't remember a lot of things correctly - is still, somehow, EXTREMELY THOUGHTFUL. Recall that he's already stayed up late in order to do a favor for both Alvy Trogel and his wife. And it was also assumed earlier that Fletcher had bought a $1000 harness for Mr. Gumpox and garbage wagon horse, simply because he saw a need.

Though somewhat humorous, I think this shows us yet another side of Paul Rhymer's writing; that he would include such incredible, touching irony in a character like Uncle Fletcher.

Think about this too: Uncle Fletcher with full wits, must have been one incredible human being.

Trivia:

+ The first few seconds of the introduction is missing. Also, the episode is about a minute shorter than usual, although it doesn't appear to be missing any other parts.

+ Uncle Fletcher refers to a man he knew that really liked popcorn: Albert Morton.  Morton supposedly had popcorn eating habits that were very much like another man he mentioned in episode 41-02-24 Uncle Fletcher To Meet 1 AM Train, Ed Niarbarque.  I could not guess whether they are one in the same or completely different people.

+ Even after being told a few times that there's no need to fill out an application blank in order for Mis' Keller to join the Thimble Club, Fletcher is so insistant on filling one out that Rush is forced to make one for him.

+ As of this episode, Mrs. Keller was 56 years old and weighed 165 pounds, according to Fletcher.

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