46-10-10 Mr. Z - Handyman

STARRING ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Mr. Z, a newcomer to the neighborhood, is now living in Mis' Kessler's basement.  (He may in some ways remind you of Uncle Fletcher.)

While he's a nice, kind, polite considerate older gentleman, (he fixed the paw of little Charlie Husher's dog) Vic proposes the idea that he might be an escapee from a Holtmanville - a nearby mental institution.

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An interesting Vic and Sade episode that may or may not be "based" on the January 1945 Suspense play called, "To Find Help" -- but when I first heard it, I immediately associated it with the play.

Mr. Z, like Frank Sinatra in the Suspense play, is a handyman. (See Christine Miller's great synopsis of the play.)

Though it's never said Mr. Z is an escapee from an institution, Vic (and Mis' Kessler - on her own volition) seems to think he could be, but are roundly poo-pooed for this by Sade.

This very well could be the last Vic and Sade episode in the series but I have no confirmation on that.

Trivia:

+ Mr. Z had offered to clean up the Kessler's lawn for 75 cents. You'd be lucky in 2012 if you can get that done for $50.00.

+ Mis' Kessler has a daughter named Geraldine, who lived in the basement priot to Mr. Zee.

+ Without being prompted, Mis' Kessler called Holtmanville to see if he was an escapee from the mental institution.

+ Orville Wheenie now seems to know what a pompadour is supposed to do/be.  Whoopee.

+ Cliff Soubier played the part of Mr. Zee.

REAL INSIGHT

This episode is as close to real suspense as I have ever heard in the Vic and Sade series. But, just as Jane Austen's /Northanger Abbey/ serves to remind readers that gothic adventure is reserved mainly for thrillers, and that suspicious conduct generally has an innocent explanation, the escaped madman is merely a pleasant eccentric.

But this type of episode also suggests that the network didn't "get" the humor of Vic and Sade. It had been a glorification of the ordinary: a show where nothing happened, but did so in amusing ways. Introducing even the hint of a genuine threat seems to dim the perpetual sunlight of Virginia Avenue. Until now, the characters may have felt intimidated, but never threatened. This episode was part of the show's last season. It's just as well: I doubt the program could have lasted much longer now that its haven of security had been breached.  - Sarah Cole

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46-09-26 August Invoices

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

Vic is all alone at home and settled down to do some office work. He has two hours to complete it. A nearby street has been shut down (actually 2 of them, making the traffic lighter in front of his house), Sade's away on a car trip with Ruthie Stembottom to Towanda and Rush is at school.

He calls his secretary, Miss Hamersweet and instructs her to hold all of his calls. Peace and quiet.

But things go downhill the moment he hangs up the phone. First, Rush comes home and he does so with a yell.

Instead of being upset, Vic gets Rush to read him off some figures and he imagines this will make his job easier.

But wait! Sade comes home unexpectedly.

After Sade breaks a large gravy boat in the kitchen and Rush falls off of his chair, Uncle Fletcher arrives.

Then the telephone and front door bell ring at the same time.

Just when you think matters can't get worse for Vic, Uncle Fletcher has brought walnuts over and plans to crack them.

Then, Mis' Kessler lets herself in the back door.   She wants to go to Mis' Call's house but a coal truck has stalled out between the Gook and Donahue house and Mis' Kessler can't go that way and Mr. Erickson is putting in a new sidewalk(!) on the other side of the house and there are wooden horses everywhere.  Mis' Kessler eventually asks to go through the Gook living room, disturbing Vic even more.

Uncle Fletcher goes out back to crack nuts.

As soon as the Gooks get rid of Mis' Kessler, Orville Wheenie arrives.  He too wants to get to Virginia Avenue (from the alley) and asks to come through the house.

As soon as Wheenie exits, Mr. Sprawl comes in the back door.

Mis' Kessler has returned the mop she borrowed from Mis' Call and now must re-enter the Gook home to exit out to University Avenue.

As soon as she leaves, Mr. Sprawl then returns looking for a penny he forgot.  He finds it in his mitten.

And as Mr. Sprawl is leaving, Uncle Fletcher returns.  He wants to go out front.  

As soon as he leaves, Sade returns, apologizing for disturbing Vic.  Then a complete stranger shows up and goes right through the house!

Then a woman walks through the house, asking the Gooks for directions to the underwear department.

Then, a strange man whom knows Uncle Fletcher (calls him 'Fletch') and Mis' Kessler  knows wanders in to use the telephone.  Later it is found out that he's Mr. Thompson.  He and Mis' Kessler have a very, very strange conversation.

Then... Uncle Fletcher shows up and almost immediately leaves.

After Mr. Thomspon leaves, another strange man enters the house and then another guy...  After they leave, in comes Mis Kessler again.

Then... Mr. Sprawl shows up again.

And so goes Vic's day.

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Not a bad episode, despite all the real characters, of which there are many.  The only thing is : I have a hard time imagining that Mr. Erickson would spend the money to put in a sidewalk. 

Trivia:

+ While he is the school principal, Rush has always referred to Mr. Chinbunny simply as, "Mr. Chinbunny" - until this episode, where he calls him "Principal Chinbunny."

+ Sade said Ruthie's car wouldn't "begin" because the propeller was broke.

+ Sade drops a gravy boat in the kitchen and smashes it. It was a Christmas gift to her from Charlie and Irene (first time either has been mentioned, unless she was referring to the Razorscums; but that's only a guess.)

+ The person ringing the doorbell was a stranger who wanted to know where the Burtons lived. Rush directed him across the street. The Burtons haven't been mentioned before.

+ It's Emerson Avenue (first time mentioned) and Oak streets that are shutdown. Virgina Avenue sits between the two streets, probably one east and one west.

+ Unlike in this episode, Mis' Kessler has no problem in remembering Orville's name.

+ A strange man came inside to use the phone.  Uncle Fletcher and Mis' Kessler both knew him as Mr. Thompson.  He calls his daughter on the telephone.

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46-09-19 Uncle Fletcher Farmed Out

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

Uncle Fletcher's landlady, Mis' Keller, plans to spend the winter in Ohio. How will Uncle Fletcher get fed? He fears she will stack up his meals in advance: one on top of the other ad infinitum.

Fletcher Rush (Clarence Hartzell)

However, that's not actually going to be the case. Mis' Keller has planned ahead and made a schedule: what will happen is that every three to four days Fletcher will go to a different neighbor's to stay and eat. First is Mis' Donahue's, then to Mis' Johnson's, etc.

But Uncle Fletcher isn't too happy about it all. He claims she has him staying with people he doesn't know and even claims that she has him taking a train out of state to eat!

Meanwhile, Mis' Kessler comes over and offers to let Uncle Fletcher spend the winter at her house and Sade counters by saying he can spend the winter with the Gooks.  This show of caring by the ladries makes Uncle Fletcher cry.

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This episode aired about three weeks later than the previous surviving episode... and the two episodes are coincidentally very much related.

Trivia:

+ Sade mentioned a Reverend Harold Kidneyslide. He got caught between two cyclones on Sept. 19 and ended up in Tazewell County; rolled up in the shape of a hoop at 50 miles an hour and passed away.

Recall that Uncle Fletcher's friend Andreson L. McFlutcher was also killed by getting stuck between two cyclones.

+ Mis' Kessler comes to the Gook house, returning Sade's "wringer." I suspect this refers to a laundry wringer. But she never actually borrowed Sade's wringer and she didn't bring the wringer over anyway; she brought over a fly swatter!

+ Mis' Kessler also seems to be having the darndest time remembering Orville Wheeney's first name.

When inviting Fletcher to spend the whole winter at her house, she says she has a balloonascope (like a telescope), a broken cornet, a parrot and seashells (hold them up to your ears and it sounds like Lake Eerie.)

+ Mis' Keller is planning on visiting her brother in Dismal Seepage, Ohio. He has 5 girls.

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46-08-22 Sade and Mis' Kessler Fight

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

Sade, having gone over to Mis' Kessler's home to borrow an egg beater, comes home all in a dither because the two had a "monstrous" quarrel over Mis' Trogle's shoe size!

Then Mis' Kessler comes over and the argument continues but it's far from being "monstrous."

And when the argument can't be settled, Vic has a simple solution to ending it.

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One of the better episodes in "Series 3" but that's not saying much.

Gone are the card games, the talk of Rush's daily activities and the thousand other little things that make Vic and Sade special.  "Series 3" continues on as if it's a different show altogether.

Trivia:

+ The episode begins with Rush reading from a Third Lieutenant Stanley novel. The enemy he faces is a counterfeiting clarinet virtuoso.

The book tells of the Lieutenant waving a crimson pennant. When asked by Vic why the Lieutenant would do this, Rush states that it's done by the Lieutenant to show he liked the kisses from Lady Margaret. If he doesn't enjoy the kisses, he "whips out a green pennant and waves it." He also has a brown pennant he waves if he enjoys a hug she gives him and a purple pennant if he doesn't enjoy the hug. He also has a grey pennant if he enjoyed the kiss but not the hug. There's also a burnt orange pennant to wave if he enjoyed the hug but not the kiss. If he enjoyed both the hug and the kiss, there's a maroon pennant to wave. There's also a striped pennant... but we never find out what that's for - and it might be a good thing we don't know.

+ Sade says Mis' Trogle wears size 5½ shoe, Mis' Kessler says 4½.

+ Mis' Kessler is a member of the Thimble Club.

+ Mis' Watson was mentioned for the first time; she lives on Chestnut Street. She likes Sade's peanut brittle and is a member of the Thimble Club.

+ Mis' Armbruster was mentioned also for the first time. She is an 87 year-old member of the Thimble Club. She has been known to be somewhat confused as she told the ladies her son was a balloonist (he might actually be a balloonist, yet the ladies still think she's confused.) She also thought Mis' Trogle wore size 4½ shoe.

+ Rogers' shoe store was mentioned for the first time. It's owned by (drum roll) Mr. Rogers who also makes his V&S debut.

+ Mis' Trogle's daughter is Margaret who is about 11 years old.  She talks to Vic on the phone and tells him that her mother wears 2 different shoe sizes.

+ Uncle Fletcher tells the story of Larry Wayne from Dismal Seepage, Ohio; he founded the city of Blue Grove, Minnesota and named every street in the city "Alvira Jordle."  He married a woman aged 36 - he was also 36

+ Uncle Fletcher tells the story of Verly W. Rozstingy who tried to get the Southeastern part of North Dakota to succeed from the union.  Married a woman 19 years old and hit her on the head with a coal scuttle immediately after the wedding ceremony so there wouldn't be any doubt in her mind who was boss.

+ The part of Mis' Kessler was played by veteran actress Viola Berwick.

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