34-09-28 Rush Choreograph's Principal's Visit

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND  BILL IDELSON

Rush's Junior High Principal, Mr. Cullender, is about to make a call on the Gooks, so he can meet the family; he's making the rounds of all the students and their parents.  So Rush gets a big idea that he will choreograph every word and move Vic and Sade will make when the Principal arrives, so they will make Rush look good.

As far as I can tell (in my opinion) this is the first time that Vic really throws on the humor.  This script is loaded with funny Vic lines.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

SCRIPT (page 1) (page 2)

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TRIVIA:

+ Mr. Chinbunny, the High School Principal, will make at least two trips in the future to the Gook home (Rush and Russell each have Vic trying to teach him how to smoke cigars).

 + Vic was wearing suspenders in this episode; Sade mentions the odd design - which was cows jumping over moons...

+ I believe this is the first episode that we know about where Sade comments on items that passers-by carry.

+ Rush describes Mr. Cullender as "a little guy".

39-12-25 Sorting Christmas Cards

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

• Vic is asleep on the davenport, and Rush insists Vic's only pretending to sleep.  Rush and Sade are sorting the family's Christmas cards: close friends in one heap, Vic's business acquaintances in another, and relatives in still another.
• Rush has re-arranged them according to size, which Sade rejects as unreasonable.
• There are cards from:  Elrod W. Floppman, kitchenware gink (Consolidated Kitchenware, Plant #7, Independence, Missouri): It's addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Victor Gook and son, Gush.
• E. Flyman Sweel sent a card.
• Aunt Ella and Uncle Arch: addressed to Mr. & Mrs. V.R. Gook and son, Roast.  Rush is angry about that: relations should know better.
• Rush tries to provoke Vic to speak, and Sade asks him to get up in case they get unexpected callers.  Vic ignores them.
• Another card:  addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Victor R. Gook and son Hash.  From Mr. and Mrs. F. G. Tisdel.  Rush insists Mildred addressed the card on purpose:  "I'd recognize her handwriting if I was sewed up in a sack."  It was no mistake because she wrote it on the card and the envelope.
• More cards:  I.K. Breep goes to the kitchenware stack; Sade can't get Vic to confirm Breep is one of Vic's business acquaintances.
• Howard C. Clutts of Vandalia, Illinois – they think he works at plant #24, but still can't get an answer out of Vic.
• H.G. Whife, director of the Sewage Disposal Workers' Semi-Classical Silver Cornet Band: Rush is pleased his name is spelled correctly.  Sade points out the last name is spelled "Goocke".  they put his card in a "miscellaneous" pile.
• Whaddams S. Heemslotch goes in the kitchenware stack. Rush believes he's with Consolidated Kitchenware Plant #10 in Mena, Arkansas.
• Vic refuses to be baited until they whisper again with a hint of someone dying.  Rush returns to the cards and finds: Alfred an' Myrna Wheester extend best wishes of the season to Mr. an' Mrs. Victor Gook an' son, Slush.  Rush: "What's the matter with the human race anymore?"
• Phone rings – Vic jumps to it, thinking it's Mr. Buller.  Mis' Applerot has phoned to tell Sade she's on some Thimble Club committee.
• Rush says: "Goin' back to sleep, Gov?"  Vic says to Rush: "Later on in the evening I hope to find time to break your arm." (This is the only line that Vic says in the whole episode.)
• Vic goes back to sleep and Rush muses, "When an individual lies down on the davenport an' closes their eyes, they feel like they got to pretend they're dead to the world."
• Sade reads another card: "Mr. and Mrs. Q. B. Sleetch extend wishes for a Merry Christmas an' a Happy New Year to Mr. and Mrs. Victor Gook and son, Fish." - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason

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See the short script/synopsis
 
Christmas cards - people selling them, bad poetry and Rush's mangled names - were, of course, favorite subjects of writer Paul Rhymer.

For those keeping score at home, the different names for Rush on the Christmas cards in this episode: Gush, Roast, Hash, Slush and Fish.

The Consolidated Kitchenware plant in Mena, Arkansas is another link to Lum and Abner.  Mena was the hometown of Norris Goff and Chester Lauck, Lum and Abner.

H.G. Whife is mentioned as the director of the Sewage Disposal Workers' Semi-Classical Silver Cornet Band.  He would not hold that position much longer.  In 1940, Ed Whinnie would become the band leader.

It's quite possible that Art Van Harvey was not in this episode and the line he "spoke" might have been from a transcription disc.  It was during this time that Van Harvey was ill with heart problems and it is unknown (by me anyway) exactly when he returned.  See this for further details.

40-06-05 Professor Rush - Tutor

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

We are privy to the audio of 44-06-12 Professor Russell - Tutor; this appears to be the same script (or nearly the same) except, Bill Idelson plays Rush rather than David Whitehouse as Russell.

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This seems a bit unusual for the fact that Russell excels in algebra and Rush does not excel in algebra.  As a matter of fact, he doesn't even like algebra.

However, it seems he like Mildred Tisdel - as does Russell.

44-06-12 Professor Russell - Tutor

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND DAVID WHITEHOUSE

Russell comes home (late for supper) with news that he's been asked by Mis' Tisdel to tutor her daughter Mildred algebra over the summer, three afternoons a week.

He plans to ask for big money to do this; he plans on making Margaret address him as, "Professor"... and plans on getting a switch from the pear tree in her backyard to inflict pain upon her in case she doesn't obey his rules.

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Russell (David Whitehouse) does a fine job with this episode but it's hard not to imagine Bill Idelson as Rush doing the same episode and this being a Vic and Sade classic; still, props to Whitehouse on the job he did here.

This script is a re-used from 1940.

Anyway you slice it, this is a fun episode.

Trivia:

+ Dr. Nixon, from San Antonio, was mentioned by Vic. By the way he and Sade talk, it appears as though Dr. Nixon played a large part in one or more episode that we missed out on due to the stupidty of Proctor and Gamble destroying Vic and Sade episodes.

+ We find out in this episode that the Tisdels live on Kelsey Street.

+ Mis' Wyckle was mentioned for the first time. Her first name is Bertha and she is Margaret's algebra teacher. She mentioned to Mis' Tisdale that Russell would make a good algebra tutor.

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42-11-20 Smelly Cuts Rush's Hair

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY AND BILL IDELSON

Rush foolishly lets Smelly Clark cut his hair, since he has a job at a babrber shop and tries to find someone to make it even.

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Rush seems pretty diplomatic about the whole episode. I'm surprised he didn't want to paste one on Smelly across the snoot.

Trivia:

+ When Rush called the Tisdel house, Mildred was taking a music lesson.

+ Smelly Clark works every weekend at his uncle's barbershop in Towanda. (Add another barber to the many barbers mentioned on the show.)

+ Rush says he generally patronizes the Butler House Hotel barbershop. Vic does also. Rush did not mention which particular barber there was his.

+ Smelly attempted to give Rush the "Feather Flow Sheik Dip" haircut, which is modeled after the 1942 airplanes!

+ Vic tries to quote P.T. Barnum ('There's one born every minute') but attributes the quote to Thomas Edison.

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42-08-24 Rush's New School Clothes

STARRING: BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Sade wants Rush to meet her downtown in the afternoon so she can purchase school clothes for him while they are on sale.

We already know that Rush hates having his mom pick out school clothes and Rush also knows that enemy-friend-enemy Nicer Scott is going to be shopping for his own school clothes by himself this same afternoon, ready to razz him for having his "mommy" pick out his school clothes for him.

It gets worse as Rush finds out a myriad of Sade's lady friends are also going with them plus Mildred Tisdale.

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Middle-of-the road episode with not much going on. The episode, however, features great sound.

Trivia:

+ Rush had been playing baseball before he came home. This time, he was playing left field. In previous episodes he has played pitcher, 1st base and 3rd base.

+ Rogers department store was mentioned for the first time.

+ Mr. Scott, Mis' Goffers and Mis' Tisdale were mentioned for the first time. Little was said of them although Mis' Goffers and Mis' Tisdale (Margaret's mother) were to go on the shopping trip and Mr. Scott is Nicer's dad.

+ For the first time in the surviving episodes (I think) Sade calls Rush, "Dr. Sleech."

+ As of this episode we learn that Mildred is 13 years old.

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