43-06-04 Helping Russell Adjust

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND DAVID WHITEHOUSE 

Sade and Vic discuss Russell, his 'far-away looks' and how he's adjusting to his new life after his parents have died.

SEE THE SCRIPT (part 1) (part 2)

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David Whitehouse

A serious script, especially the first half, before Russell joins the conversation with Sade and Vic. The couple, notably, the more-vocal Sade, reveal their empathy and genuine care (worry/fear?) for the grieving boy's well-being.

Although the script lacks the punch of memorable lines and witty rapport, it strikes me as one of the stronger scripts I have read. While Sade is more expressive about her thoughts on how Russell is coping with his grief, Vic quietly does the same, even suggesting they all go see Gloria Golden (whom Vic doesn't like), obviously thinking that a film might help the youngster escape for an hour or so.

Coping with death is something we have not encountered on the show (unless you count Mr. Gumpox's horses), so these character insights are interesting to explore.

This tender side of Paul Rhymer's writing makes one thoughtful... however, one thing that strikes me immediately after reading the script is the couple think it might be for the best if Russell let go of his feelings, yet, later, how Vic and Sade both cut off Russell at different times when he tries to bring up specific memories of his parents. The 'talking out' of those memories is all a part of the grieving process. In a show known for it's interruption of speech (usually in a humorous way), it doesn't waver here either, as it appears the couple is either trying to protect Russell from his own words or to protect themselves from having to deal with an unfamiliar, uncomfortable situation.

Vic and Sade are loving, caring, nurturing parents, but the fact that Russell is not their own flesh and blood seems to present a wall. Sade badly describes the grief as 'home sickness'

'Home sickness' is a term Rhymer used several times in scripts, early on with Rush and later with the visiting Leland Richards and in-between, with other, minor characters.  Someone should explore the subject more deeply.  I think there's something important Rhymer is trying to tell us that we haven't figured out yet.  It may have something to do with males who cry, a characteristic found in various men around town (Brickmush Man, Gumpox and Mr. Sludge, just to name three).  I'm afraid if we were to probe, we might find Rhymer (or perhaps his father, or both) was completely dominated by some ditzy, irritating female, probably his mother...

40-xx-xx Uncle Fletcher, from Dixon, is a House Guest

STARRING: BERNARDINE FLYNN, BILL IDELSON AND CLARENCE HARTZELL

Uncle Fletcher - a guest at the Gook house - has made himself at home.  He's gotten to know the neighbors and yells at them out the window (probably disturbing Mr. Donahue), he's made a very large number sign for the house (only he's painted the wrong address on it) and he's clumsily nailed himself to a chair.  He gets up at 5am and talks to himself.   He's also sent away for his rocking chair so that he can be more comfy.

This distresses Sade.  She is very mindful of Mr. Donahue's sleep and how her house looks.

She tries to get Rush to talk to Uncle Fletcher - to make him understand he needs to chill out.

SEE THE SCRIPT

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I get the feeling that Rush does not worry about this as much as Sade is does. Rush sounds a bit like Vic here.

All these things that worry Sade, won't hold a candle to all kinds of crazy things he will do the rest of his Vic and Sade life.  After all, he just got to (*the town Vic and Sade live in.*)

And while there are many things about Uncle Fletcher to worry about, the only real thing that will really bother her in the future will be his comings and goings around the railroad and streetcar tracks (although a close second might be the the way  that he emotionally blackmails her at times - but that's for another episode.)

37-07-07 Smelly’s Tonsil Operation

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

In an episode that's very related to the previous one, Smelly Clark is in the hospital about to have a tosilectomy.

Rush, Rooster Davis, LeRoy Snow, Mildred Tisdel and Milton Welch will all be on hand to watch the operation. So, it's a big day for everyone.

SEE THE SCRIPT

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Another great script by writer Paul Rhymer. Smelly is at the mercy of his chums (especially Rush and Mildred) who take his caramels, flowers and virtually triumph in his pain.

It seems though that Smelly is more brave than the other kids, and they will have a tough time trying to take him down a notch.

The script will probably remind you of your childhood and the anticipation of the very simple surgery. [My tonsils grew back and I had to have them out a second time!]

Sade mentions three alarm clocks that Vic had broken.  That's at least six of the alarm clock-variety of clock we know he broke in the show's history.

In a previous episode, Dr. Doud was an eye doctor (or at least one would suspect so.)  It could be that back in the day, family physicians did all kinds of things, including prescribe glasses, pull teeth, etc.

32-08-01 Rush Comes Home

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

• It's 3 am.  Rush hasn't yet come home. Vic and Sade are beside themselves with worry. Optimism rises and falls. In exhaustion, Sade drops off to sleep.
• Rush slips in the door. Vic chastises him for causing Sade so much worry.  Rush had gone for a long walk, and finally, thinking about how much he cares for Vic and Sade and his fear of the dark, he ran home six miles from near Mr. Call's farm.
• Vic says Rush needs no further punishment than looking at the worry he's caused Sade. He says they'll probably never again mention his having run away.
• Rush had bought some chocolate for Sade at a hot dog stand and cigars for Vic. He fell and dropped them in the mud and tried to wipe them off.
• Rush wakes Sade with kisses. - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason

See the partial script + notes

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A continuation of the previous episode.

Here we have the sweet side of Rush.

It seems this episode may have bit more like a soap opera than the previous episodes.

We know Mr. Call lives across the street from the Gooks but it appears as if he runs a farm 6 miles from his house as well.

See the complete notes

45-11-21 Jimmy Custard, City Callestorker

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

Confused Jimmy Custard, the town's calistoker, comes to visit the Gooks and take statistics just as they are about to leave the house. Sade's patience finally runs out (ish!) and they leave the disoriented statistician to Uncle Fletcher as they depart.

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The term calistoker/calistorker doesn't seem to be defined on the internet but there is/was obviously a common municipal job known as the calistoker. It seems to be much more than a census taker but how much more can only be known by doing research that I can't find.

There's an interesting book online called, Tales from the City Calistoker; in it's very first paragraph in chapter one and in many more after that, it refers to Jimmy Custard but not in a Paul Rhymer or Vic and Sade way. What I get is that either Rhymer used the name "Jimmy Custard" in his plays as a joke about calistokers or calistokers became known as "Jimmy Custards" after Vic and Sade.  And I really don't know which one is true - but I suspect one or the other must be true.

Unfortunately, not much else can be found on the internet concerning the subject but I do find it most interesting.

At any rate, the Jimmy Custard in this episode is far crazier than Uncle Fletcher and when the two are compared, you realize that Fletcher isn't crazy at all.

Trivia:

+ The episode begins with Rush reading from a Third Lieutenant Stanley novel. Of course, he's being harassed by six counterfeiters.

+ The Gooks destination is the Stembottom home; we can assume they are going to play "500."

+ Sade notices that Mis' Donahue has now put up a curtain and a light in her attic and vows to ask her "what's going on?" Recall the earlier episode where Mis' Harris was alerted to strange activitity in the Donahue attic.

+ Someone calls the house for Fat Jackson and accuses Sade of being "Adeline."

+ When Jimmy Custard arrives, the Gooks and Uncle Fletcher are all in the living room; Custard simply walks in without knocking.

+ Custard confuses Rush with "Mr. Gook" on two occasions.

+ Custard is wearing another person's hat as there was a mix-up at the Bijou between a man and a woman and himself. Each got the wrong hat.

+ Earlier in the day, Mis' Harris refused to allow Custard entrance into her home because she didn't believe who he was.

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40-02-02 Mr. Donahue Gets a Promotion

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON 

Sade is very excited for Mr. and Mis' Donahue; Mr. Donahue has been promoted to the more prestigious job of Traveling Inspector of Locomotives.

The Gooks gaze out the window to see Mr. Donahue wearing nice clothes for a change, as he prepares to tackle his new job on the freight line.  His first trip is to Kansas City.

MIS' CROWE SAYS:
Mr. Donahue gets a much-deserved promotion to Traveling Inspector of Locomotives.

We so often hear about the bad side of small-town gossip — backbiting and public shaming and libel. But Paul Rhymer shows that there’s a good side, too. Neighbors share in each other’s good fortune and experience it as if it were their own. Mr. Donahue is moving from blue-collar to white-collar, from the overalls class to the derby hat class. He’s achieved the American dream, and in the time of the Depression and World War II, it’s a nice reminder for Sade and others that that Puritan work ethic of theirs really does pay off.
This episode exemplifies “Vic and Sade” as the original show-about-nothing. A neighbor got a promotion. Sade talks about how she’s really happy for him. That’s it. That’s all there is for ten minutes. No conflict. No resolution. And yet it’s STILL entertaining and funny. 

 SEE THE SCRIPT (transcribed by Lydia Crowe)

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Why is Sade so excited?  I've always thought it was because the Donahues had a "dream realized" - something the Gooks actually never seem to have happen to them.  So in a way, Sade is living vicariously through Mis' Donahue.

That's not to say that Vic isn't successful - we know that he is; he's the chief accountant at Consolidated Kitchenware Plant #14 and he is a most prominent member of the Drowsy Venus Chapter of his lodge; he is often written up in magazine features of both places.

However, the rewards Vic reaps seem silly to Sade (i.e. the lodge is silly.)  Plus, whatever leftover income Vic receives seems to be blown on lodge schemes or lodge frivolity.

Trivia:

+ There's a washrag sale at Yamilton's.

+ We can assume that Mis' Elders lives across the street as well (also the first time mentioned in surviving audio.)

+ Mr. Husher is mentioned for the first time in the surviving audio.

Sade imitates Mr. Donahue (edited): {{{HEAR}}}

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39-08-30 Rush Mad at Pre-selected School Clothes

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON 

Rush is upset and what 14 year-old boy could blame him?  Sade has gone
and picked out all of his school clothes at the various department stores around town.  All Rush has to do is go in and they will fit him to the right size.

Being 14 years old, he feels he is too old for such stuff.  Sade is afraid he would pick out crazy clothes.

Vic and Sade feel that Rush should just be happy his parents can afford clothes for him and not sulk.

MIS' CROWE SAYS:
Sade has selected Rush’s school clothes in advance and Rush is terribly unhappy about it.

Whenever Rush wants to do something grown up, Sade reminds him that he’s a “little boy.” Whenever Rush does something childish, Sade chides him for being a “big, monstrous, grown-up high school gentleman.” The poor guy just can’t win!

Sade is worried about Rush picking out “loud, crashy” clothing, but so what? He is a teenager, after all. But Sade has always been concerned about appearances. She badly wants to be accepted by her community, and she’s a little overly-conscious of what others will think. It extends to her husband, too — particularly in the area of headwear. She wants a good social standing among her friends and neighbors, and she isn’t going to let anything stand in the way of that.

Such customer service in those days, though! Sade’s request would be too extreme for most stores in today’s world (especially if she were shopping for school clothes at a big-box store, like most parents do nowadays). But it’s no trouble for the fine professionals at Yamilton’s, Kleeburger’s, and Emson’s.

Rush is such a teenager in this episode. The potential for embarrassment is everywhere, his parents are unbelievably cruel and unfair, and everything is a gigantic disaster. He’s suitably overdramatic about the situation and Bill Idelson really gets to shine.

SEE THE SCRIPT (transcribed by Lydia Crowe)

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Not a very memorable episode.  Rush is whiny and sulky and mad at Sade.

Trivia:

+ In a previous episode, Mis' Harris was not a member of the Thimble Club but in this episode, Rush relays a message from her to Sade, "That she will not be at the Thimble meeting."

+ Sade pre-bought Rush a blue serge suit, a pair of reddish brown shoes and a  plaid cap.

+ At Yamilton's, Rush is to ask for Mr. Richards.  At Kleeburgers, he is to ask for Mr. White (a young fellow with nose glasses) and at Emson's Shoes, he is to see Mr. Finn (he's bald and probably has an artificial leg).

+ Mr. Call is mentioned.  We can assume this is Heinie Call's father.

TWO SIDES...

JIMBO: This episode and a later one (42-08-24 Rush's New School Clothes) seems to show that Sade doesn't trust Rush when it comes to buying clothes. We also know she doesn't trust her husband when he buys clothes either (a suit and numerous hats.)

I say this is because Sade is all hung up on controlling the family but I have a feeling (from other conversations we have had and writings you have submitted) that you will say that Sade is only being prudent and that their clothes' selection reflect on her.

That might be, but why does Ruthie and the other ladies have to come along? Rush doesn't want to be embarrassed and she doesn't seem to care if he's put into that situation.

SARAH COLE: One of the keys to understanding the relationship between Sade and Rush is that Sade can't get used to the idea that Rush is nearly an adult. A mother can take a child shopping with her friends -- she had probably done it plenty of times when Rush was a little boy. Rush, however, is no longer a child. Although Sade may still think of him as the eight-year-old the Gooks adopted, he is approaching a man's estate, and expects to be treated with adult respect.

In Sade's defense, it has just occurred to me that she has probably never seen a healthy adult parent/child relationship modeled. She had left school to marry, her father was seldom (if ever) mentioned, and her mother died when she was still fairly young. The only behavior she has ever seen is that of adults governing their inexperienced offspring. Discovering that, eventually children expect to govern themselves is a disagreeable surprise to her.

The issue is not that Sade won't let Rush pick his own school clothes (for, no matter what he may think, he is inexperienced in the selection of smart, yet durable attire), but that she treats the process so casually that it is incidental to her real motivation: an afternoon socializing with her friends while shopping. Eventually, the social circle expands to the point where even Sade sees Rush's embarrassing position, though pride, perhaps, keeps her from altering her plans.

Another issue that would influence her decisions is the Depression. In 1939, the country was beginning to emerge from the second dip of the Great Depression (see Amity Shlaes' history of The Forgotten Man). Frugality had been a crucial virtue, and Sade is domestically virtuous! The fact that Vic presumably makes a good salary as head bookkeeper, and that the economy is starting to improve have not occurred to her. Even at the expense of Rush's self-respect, a sale is an opportunity not to be missed.

An ideal solution to the situations in both of these episodes would have been for Sade and Rush to go together to pick out his clothes, with Sade acting as adviser, rather It would have provided a fine opportunity for mother/son bonding. But Sade still has a lot to learn about being a mother; just as Rush has a lot to learn about being a son.

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