STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON
- Vic arrives home to find Rush on the back porch. Sade has company, so they'd rather stay outside. Vic thinks Rush looks dismal. In spite of his tough demeanor, Rush denies this, saying he's "shakin' with inward laughter." Why? "Nicer Scott got his head shaved an' he's the most comical spectacle ya ever saw in your life."
- Last night Rush was wanting to get his head shaved for summer. Mom put her foot down and ended it. "Now Nicer Scott looks like a peeled onion while I still got a fine head of wavy hair."
- Sade wants Vic to come in and say hello to Mis' Applerot.
Vic: "Why don't I just stay where I am? That woman talks the arm off a fella." - Rush claims he's grateful his mother refused to let him go along with the crowd and have his head shaved. Vic senses sour grapes. Rush: "An' the funniest part of it is, to see Nicer you'd think he was proud of his appearance. Struts around like the People's Bank Building." It's like the fox who lost his tail in a trap. He knows it won't grow back so he tries to convince the rest of the pack they'd be better off without the nuisance of having a tail. Rush: "I shake with inward merriment."
- Rush points out that Nicer's hat won't fit now – flops right down over his eyes. He has to have a safety pin to hold his hat on. Rush: "An' you know what I do?" Vic: "No. What do you do?" Rush: "I curl my lip." Vic: "Whatcha do that for?" Rush: "To show him I'm shakin' with inward laughter. I done that about sixty times a school today." Nicer accused Rush of being jealous.
- Rush: "There's a million disadvantages to havin' your head shaved. Besides makin' your hat so big it won't fit ya, ya also run a dangerous risk of catchin' a horrible sunburn. Vic: "That so?" Rush: "Sure. See, a person's wavy head of full hair makes a protection. When your head is shaved down to the bone ya got no protection. The sun gets a straight shot at your skull an' pretty soon your brains melt down to a low gravy where ya finally don't know what one plus one is."
- Sade joins the boys; Rush thanks her. She giggles because Mis' Scott told her all the positive effects of having Nicer's head shaved for the summer. Rush asks if Sade will allow him to have his head shaved now. She says okay. Rush asks Vic for six bits. Rush: "Give me seventy-five cents. I'll beat it to the barber shop right now. Quick. Before Mom changes her mind." - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason
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The episodes are few and far between when either 'the boys' (plus Russell) can trick Sade. This one counts as one and the time they shocked her with the washing machine would be two. I can't think of another time.A head shave costing 75 cents is a bit amazing; I would have guessed 50 cents at the most. This website about Portsmouth, Massachusetts says that a shave and a haircut cost 35 cents in 1940.
Mis' Appelrot and Sade appear to be friends in this episode. It comes and goes. Remember, in 1937, Sade took a car ride to Dwight with Mis' Appelrot, so they weren't always enemies.
Up to 1937 it seems they were not friendly. In 1937 and 1938 they were friendly. From 1939-1943 they were unfriendly. In 1944 and beyond they were friendly.
Writer Paul Rhymer used the word "gravy" again when talking about 'melting.' He also did this in a September 1937 episode.
Dunno if Sade was fooled by the synopsis. Maybe she saw the sense of a short Summer haircut. These days, they're still around for boys.. Rush is pretty transparent in many episodes. Seventy-five cents is way too much for a quick haircut back then.
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