33-11-02 Heart of the Shopping District

Vic, Sade and Rush take a trip downtown to purchase a new coat for Rush.

They meet so many people on the way and take so much time socializing, that by the time they get to Yamilton's, that the store is closed!

Trivia:

+ The heart of the shopping district is across from the courthouse and on Washington Street.

NOTE: This episode seems to take place right near Yamilton's...

The title is one I have given purely for identification purposes.

[The gist of this episode is revealed in the book, Vic and Sade on the Radio: A Cultural History of Paul Rhymer's Daytime Series.  The title is one I have given the show purely for identification purposes only.]

41-xx-xx Sade and Ruthie Mail Each Other Five Dollars

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY AND BERNARDINE FLYNN 

There's deep confusion between Sade and Ruthie Stembottom over their recent muddled shopping money.

Ruthie, feeling bad about the whole thing and in order to set confusion aside and make things right between the ladies, mails Sade a five dollar bill.  She spends the episode explaining the money confusion to Vic (who acts like he cares but we know he could really care less) and explaining to him that she also sent Ruthie five dollars in the mail.

SEE THE SCRIPT

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Vic has the solution for the ladies but they never take his advice: use your own money to pay for your own items.  As simple as this sounds, the ladies simply cannot resist doing otherwise.

The ladies (plus Mis' Trogle) bought gum drops, a spool of thread and weighed themselves on the penny weighing machine.

+ Rush is at the YMCA watching the fat men play handball.

+ Raymond Belcher Beirman is mentioned again here but Vic uses his name as a figure of speech rather than referring to a real person.  Beirman must be a very mystical figure if we take him literally.

43-12-07 Uncle Fletcher – Veteran Man-hole Man

STARRING: DAVID WHITEHOUSE AND CLARENCE HARTZELL

• Russell has been having a dull chat on the phone with Oyster Krecker:  "I've had a good many dull telephone conversations during the course of my career, but I believe this one takes the cake for being the dullest. Yeah. Beg pardon?  Repeat that dull remark, please, Oyster, I didn't quite catch it. It looked like rain yesterday?  Say, I believe that's the dullest remark you've made yet.  Let's hang up, Oyster.  Huh?  Draw a merciful curtain over this dull, sick telephone call."
• Fletcher: I expect you know what and where Detroit, Michigan are.
• Fletcher cautions Russell not to play with the telephone because he might get electrocuted.  "A little lad about your age living in Detroit, Michigan succumbed to temptation one afternoon when his mama was away from home, and he commenced to play with the telephone and what do you think happened?  Russell: (bluntly) "He got electrocuted".  Fletcher: (gently) "Yes. And all they ever found of him was one of his little patent leather booties with the tosil singed at the bottom."
• Fletcher mentions he's due at the corner of Main and Washington Streets at 4:30.
• He's carrying a red flag under his arm.  Russell thinks he's got the job of substituting for the watchman on the street gang.  Russell has jumped to an incorrect conclusion.
• Fletcher: "Art McWhinniman is going to be working in a man-hole at Washington and Main and I will serve as man-hole guard."  
• When city hall asked Fletcher to do the job, he wanted to know who'd be in the man-hole. That's important because of the need for teamwork.  He begins to explain using the example of a horse standing in the road.  
• He and Russell bicker a little over the horse's name.  Phone rings.  Fletcher insists on answering it. Russell: "Yeah, I guess you better.  I certainly don't want to get electrocuted."  Russell recognizes the voice on the phone is that of Mis' Trogle. But Fletcher, as he's inexplicably prone to do, tells her she's got the wrong number and hangs up, goes back to talking about his man-hole job, explaining he's an old hand at this business.  Why put a rookie on the job? "I'll be as cool-headed at Washington and Main as I'd be at the corner of Virginia and Kelsey in this quiet neighborhood." - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason
  

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It appears that Russell was snarky on the telephone.  As I've mentioned before, it's my opinion that Russell is as his best when he's being a jerk.

It's a known fact that people can get electrocuted through the telephone during a lightning storm; although on average, only one person is killed this way each year.

Why is it that Uncle Fletcher hangs up the phone of Sade's lady friends when they call?  You wonder if he ever answers the phone at his landlady's house and if so, does he do the same thing there to her lady friends?

33-04-26 Vic Fixes Sade's Iron

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNADINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

• Sade's after Vic to fix her iron.  She thinks Rush plays with it because it's shiny and it's electric.  "Anything that runs by electricity just gets Rush.  The other day he was foolin' around the wash-machine and…"

• Sade explains to Vic: It turns on all right.  That's what's broke about it. When you turn it on, it shoots out electricity. 

  Vic: G'wan.  

  Sade: It does.  A blue puff of ‘lectricity.  Goes whoosh.

  Vic: Don't worry about me.  I usta give Thomas A. Edison lessons about electricity.

• Vic is surprised that Sade's description of the iron's behavior is accurate.
• (Sade refers to Rush being over in Franklin Park with Freeman, refers to Miller's Department store bargain sale, refers to Mis' Fisher seeing a fella on Washington Street.)
• Sade continues to do the dishes, notices the lights are out over on Mason Street.
• (Sade refers to Celia's husband working at the power plant, refers to Sara Kephart.)
• Rush arrives and begins to assist Vic.  Sade won't even touch one of the washers Vic's removed from the iron, fearing she'll get a shock.  Vic and Rush see this as comical.  Sade notices Rush has torn his pants.  He had a coaster-wagon accident and his bottom is scratched up.  Sade sets about to apply first-aid.
• Vic tells of J. K. Hodburner: "fell off a bobsled and skinned himself. Couldn't sit down.  That happened twenty-seven years ago, The eleventh of this coming May, an' he's been standing up ever since. He was too proud to lay down." 
• Vic reassembles the iron, turns it on and blows a fuse.  - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason

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Since we can "see" into the future, we know Vic is pathetic at fixing anything electrical or mechanical.  Perhaps this is the episode where Sade begins to also see this and wises up to the fact that Vic should not be fixing things.

32-07-11 Vic's In Line for a New Position

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY AND BERNARDINE FLYNN

• Vic arrives home in high spirits, as he's in line to take over as Chief Accountant at Consolidated Kitchenware, Plant #14 from Frank Whitson, who's going to Plant #5.
• Sade wonders if Charley Kilgore, a college man, doesn't have the edge, but "Rubbish" (Mr. Ruebush) winked at Vic so he's sure he'll get the job.
• Vic calls to invite Fred & Ruthie Stembottom to play rummy.  This is their first mention.
• Vic admits today's good news overshadows yesterday's bad news –  their oil bonds defaulted, and they're broke. Now he talks of moving to a better home – the 1200 block of East Washington Street.
• Mr. Ruebush calls and asks Vic what he thinks of Kilgore; naturally Vic thinks Kilgore has the edge now.
• Vic and Sade are terrified. the bonds are gone, the boy's coming, and the new job ain't a sure thing; they cancel the rummy game.
• Sade says in no uncertain terms that they're still going to take the boy in.
• Kilgore phones to let Vic know Ruebush called him to ask   about Vic's character.  They wonder what the boss has up his sleeve.  Vic wishes him good luck.- compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason

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I can understand now why Vic and Sade was classified (at one time anyway) a soap opera. This script seems in no way funny; as a matter of fact, this seems like a totally serious script and in some ways down-heartening: the Gooks losing all of their bonds; an opening for Vic at the plant (the job was made for him) and him maybe not getting it; and the perils and worries of adopting the son at the same time!

As we know, the show did change a lot from these first few episodes. As a matter of fact, the addition of Rush will cause an almost immediate change. Paul Rhymer took the smart route of making the stories ridiculous - because I certainly wouldn't be following the people had they kept the same road.  Perhaps he had this in mind from the very beginning?

It also seems that Vic does not have a college degree - as a matter of fact, may not even be college educated at all.  I lean this way, since this seems to be inferred by the notes from Barbara Schwarz.

39-12-xx Sade Volunteers Rush for Pageant

STARRING: BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON  

read Jimbo's alternate commentary

It's late at night, Vic has gone to bed, the furnace has been extinguished - but Rush comes downstairs to confront Sade. She volunteered him for a pageant that will be occurring in a week or so.

Rush is not happy and though Sade admits she did this without Rush's permission (even though he was there when it happened!) she admits no guilt in the matter, even upon pressure and confrontation.

MIS' CROWE SAYS:
Rush has a stern talk with Sade about the matter of a pageant she has volunteered him for.

Rush, like any teenager, has a tendency to be sulky and childish when he is upset with his mother, so I really admire his calm, maturity, and thoughtfulness in this episode. He is becoming an adult, and he shows that he can resolve a conflict like an adult — by clearly and concisely stating his feelings without attacking Sade or emotionally manipulating her (not that Sade can be manipulated). He deserves especial kudos for maintaining this kind of calm under these circumstances…this play he’s been roped into sounds completely dopey.

This part, especially, shows that Rush is a cut above most boys his age:

RUSH: …I don’t give a darn about missing out on the football. I can play football anytime. And I don’t care about bein’ in this crazy, dumb play of Mis’ Gissing’s, either. I’d do it if she asked me to. I’d do it for the fun of it. After all, nobody’s gonna see me with rosebuds on my head and stardust in my hair except a buncha ladies.

He’s able to see past the mortification of prancing around with flowers on his head and reciting insipid monologues because, doggone it, these things are fun. What he objects to is not being treated like a grown human being who can make his own decisions, and at least in this episode, he proves that he deserves to be treated as such.

How much of this got through to Sade? It’s hard to say! She certainly seems taken aback by the end, though. I think that she starts out playing innocent just to save face, but by the end of this episode, she realizes that young Rush is growing up, and she’s not sure how she feels about it.

SEE THE SCRIPT (transcribed by Lydia Crowe)

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Haven't we all experienced the same kind of stuff from our moms or dads? I remember being volunteered to do things for the neighbors that I wanted no part of.

This experience though is worse than anything my parents ever volunteered me for. Rush will have to wear flowers on his head and be "sprinkled with stardust" - which I assume is glitter.

This episode is missing Vic but if he were around you can imagine he would take Sade's side on this one. Though she admits no guilt, she acts guilty and takes no pleasure in the confrontation. At one time she even seems to get halfway serious:

(((HEAR)))

Trivia:

+ Mis' Gissing (and also her husband, Mr. Gissing) is mentioned for the first time. It is her play that Rush will have to participate in.

+ Sade doesn't like Mis' Gissing. Rush has heard Sade tell Ruthie that "She talks behind people's backs."

+ The name of the play seems to be, "Sweet Flowers of April."

+ LeRoy Snow is exactly Rush's age and is already shaving.

+ Mis' Johnson (barely mentioned) lives on East Washington Street.

+ Rush says, "It's no flash off your foot."

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