36-09-09 Rush Hits the Books

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

• Vic visits Rush in his room. He's surrounded by new textbooks, papers, and writing materials.  Vic is reluctant to disturb him, but Rush explains he's spent the past hour "in a state of deep reflection."
• Rush asks if Vic's noticed that he has matured.  He explains he plans to make a quick, solid impression on his teachers. Rush elaborates that at his time of life a person can't afford to coast.  He's got to put aside childish affairs. 
• Mr. Chinbunny pointed out that sophomores must be done with pranks and kiddishness because pretty soon they'd be running the world.  Vic asks how the sophomores reacted.  Rush: "We took ‘em right to heart. ‘Course George Wilson went to sleep an' Skinny Fatler threw spit-balls, but that's what ya hafta expect outta clucks like that."
• Rush intends to double-up his work-load till the first report cards come out, and then he'll taper off a little. Sade cautions that overwork could hurt his health.  She once knew someone who tore down their health that way.  Rush says it might be a good thing if he did hurt his health a little – nothing serious – just pale and wan enough to indicate a brilliant mind.
• Rooster Davis telephones. His neighbor has a bunch of Boston Bull pups, and Rush is going over to see them.  As he leaves, Sade asks when he'll be back.  Rush: "I don't know. Rooster said somethin' about a free show down by the courthouse."  Vic: (to Sade) "Look at that monstrous pile of books that boy's going to read tonight."  Sade: "Did he open any of ‘em?"  Vic: (negative) "Uh-uh"
• (Barbara Schwarz notes: "No closing remarks – summary taken from Paul Rhymer carbon copy.  Such closing commentaries only found on The NBC completed script copies by this time.  Think it was interesting to note Vic's reference to Rush as a baby.  Obviously it was decided that not enough people had heard the program from the very beginning to remember that Rush was adopted.") - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason

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It looks like as of this episode, Mr. Chinbunny is the school principal (recall he was the "superintendent.")

Mr. Chinbunny is obviously taking his job  as principal to heart; giving speeches on maturity, etc.  All the while of course, he is shaving the top of his head to look older and later would take lessons on how to smoke cigars from Vic.

As we can see the future, we know that Rush is generally a slacker when it comes to his studies - or at the most, I would call him "average."  He at least seems to have a fairly short attention span and likes to goof around with friends more than studying.
 
As far as the baby comment in the last paragraph above, I kind of shrugged off the whole Rush as a baby thing when I first listened to this episode, where Rush has eating utensils from when he was a baby.  We know he was adopted at age 9.