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42-10-20 Fred's Concrete Floor

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY AND BERNARDINE FLYNN

Under the guise of a game of "500" and using such amenities as warm lemonade and the fun of bossing around youngsters, Fred Stembottom tries to trick Vic into helping him lay down a fresh concrete floor in his garage.
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When Vic finds out what Fred is up to, he will have none of it. After all, Fred has pulled similar tricks in the past.

Trivia:

+ In the past, Fred has tried to trick Vic into changing all of his tires (a non-surviving episode) and to "Tear down a solid oak partition in his basement" - according to Vic. But Vic's memory must be playing tricks on him because in the episode 41-07-xx Fred's Concrete Partition it clearly was a concrete partition and not one of solid oak.

+ Vic had mentioned that when he was on his long business trip, he was subjected to warm lemonade in Dubuque, Iowa. Fred clearly misunderstood Vic's sarcasm and had promised "Gallons of warm lemonade" for helping with the concrete floor.

+ Living next door to the Stembottoms are the Jordle family. Two boys live there, Marvin (age 8) and Carolyn (age 11.) They were to help Fred and Vic and Fred even said Vic could boss them around: {{{HEAR}}}

+ Oddly, Rush is not in this episode and neither Fred nor Vic mention him as a possible helper.

+ To get out of doing the work (and the game of "500") Vic calls Fred up and says he is going to take some trained rattlesnakes to Seattle overnight; he will return via a high-powered motorcycle...

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42-10-01 Cherry Phosphates

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY,  BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Rotten Davis, the 19 year-old neighborhood showoff, has found a friend in Rush and Vernon Peggles when he buys a 50 gallon barrel of cherry syrup that is to be kept hooked-up at The Greek's confectionery counter.

Rotten is giving away cherry phosphates to one and all as many as you can drink. Rush and Vic figure that the 50 gallon barrel of syrup will make a stomach-turning 12,000 drinks!
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A fun episode that finds Vic (in particular) in a very cheery (no pun intended) mood. His mood and Rush sounding like the 1938-9 variety, makes for some great entertainment.

Trivia:

+ Vic is reading from Volume 7 of his lodge library when the episode begins.

+ Rush and Vernon were at the YMCA earlier in the evening watching the fat men play handball -- but they left when the thin fellows started playing.

+ The 50 gallon barrel of cherry syrup was acquired from The Greek (who had gotten it by mistake) for an undisclosed amount of money.

+ Both Rush and Vernon drink 5 cherry phosphates each.

+ The Greek's confectionery has a screen door.

Vic's not joking... {{{HEAR}}}

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42-09-15 The Silent March

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY,  BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Vic gets a letter in the mail from his lodge buddy, H.K. Fleeber.

Since the last time we heard about the All-Star Marching Team, there appears to be a bit of a turnover. Gone are I. Edson Box and Harry Fie; they have been replaced by E. Tyson Stoogie and Hermie Wermie!

Can the disintegrated Marching Team make a comeback?  Fleeber has some new ideas...
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It's hard to believe that I. Edson Box and Harry Fie were replaced. I suppose we'll never know why for sure.

Trivia:

+ Roughly the first minute and a half of the episode is missing. In this missing time I'm pretty sure that Rush has been asked by Vic to name off all the members of the All-Star Marching Team.

+ Two new people were mentioned but no explanation of why or who they are: Mis' Moorehouse and Harry Winnie.

+ H.K. Fleeber's personal stationary letterhead has changed since we last heard about it. In addition to the misleading, "Grovelman, South Carolina - the geographic center of the United States" banner, the new letterhead claims that Fleeber is the "First white child born in Grovelman, South Carolina."

Mysteriously, the Fleeber letterhead also contains a depiction of a volcano!

+ The letter from H.K. Fleeber describes both E. Tyson Stoogie and Hermie Wermie as "hearty, intelligent and resourceful."

+ We find out in this episode that J.J.J.J. Stunbolt and Y.Y. Flirch live in a tent (presumably, the same tent) on a vacant lot.

+ This is not the first letter than Vic has gotten from H.K. Fleeber.

+ The episode has "sound bleed" from the tape it was transferred from. It's annoying but it's not so horrible that you can't enjoy the episode, which has nice sound otherwise.

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42-09-14 Sade and Ruthie Come Out Even

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY,  BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Sade excitedly comes home from shopping claiming that for once, she and Ruthie Stembottom came out even with their change.

This seems most improbable when she reveals she bought a bunch of items and still has the same amount of money in her pocket as when she left the house. When Rush brings this point out, Sade begins to realize she was wrong and starts jumping on the men for thinking she is helpless when it comes to keeping track of her change.
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Other than the plot, not much of a subplot - although Vic and Rush are playing Gin Rummy and Vic always taunts Rush when he's ahead in on the scorepad.

Trivia:

+ The episode has no opening and is a bit a short, perhaps missing the first minute or so.

+ In the opening minutes of the show, Sade and Vic pull of a Vic and Sade exaggeration de jour: {{{HEAR}}}

+ Sade used the word, "spondulicks" again; it's the 3rd time she's done so in the surviving series.

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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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42-08-20 Telephone Call From the Hinks

STARRING: BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Sade and Rush must field a most unusual telephone call from Robert and Slobert Hink and their odd wives, their brothers and their girlfriends.

SEE THE SCRIPT
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A terrific and very funny episode, especially the first time you hear it but still laugh-out-loud funny the next few times as well. If the wacky names in the phone conversation won't get you rolling on the floor, the fact that everyone on the telephone thinks Rush is a girl and wants to know how much "she" weighs naked will.

I rank this as one of the funniest episodes; perhaps the best of the lot.

Trivia:

+ Smelly Clark is standing on his head when he calls Rush.

+ The following new characters are introduced in this episode: Bertie and Dirty Hink (younger brothers of Robert and Slobert and just initiated into the Sacred Stars of the Milky Way in Hoopston, Illinois), Bessie and Messy Hink (wives of Robert and Slobert) and Cupid and Stupid Golfbake.

+ This is not the first time the Hinks have called and talked to just Sade and Rush.  There is at least another episode, prior to this one where nearly the same events occurred - but it's one of the missing episodes.

+ Everyone in the Hink household who talks to Rush seem to think he's a girl named, "Ruth." Recall that H.K. Fleeber also thinks Rush is a girl.

+ Sade and Rush feel as though the Hinks must be rich as they can make long-distance telephone calls, send long telegrams and have a lawnmower costing $300.

+ According to Rush, Vic is away on a long business trip. This was during the time Art Van Harvey was missing from the show for a long while because of a heart ailment of some sort.

+ Sade reveals to Bessie that she has blue eyes. We knew this already. She also says she weighs 127 pounds.

+ Rush reveals his eyes are either blue or hazel and weighs 118 pounds stripped.

Rush and Sade discuss the living arrangements at the Hink household: {{{HEAR}}}

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42-08-18 Attic Cleaning

STARRING: BERNARDINE FLYNN, BILL IDELSON AND CLARENCE HARTZELL
Sade finally has Rush corralled and is determined to get him to help her clean out the attic before his Summer vacation is over.

Rush, feeling the effects of the hot attic, is in a disagreeable mood and seeks to find a way out of cleaning the hot attic. His Uncle Fletcher arrives... Once he's there, Sade gives up the assignment until a better day - without Uncle Fletcher hanging around.

SEE THE SCRIPT
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An episode without a lot of substance but it still remains fun, with great sound quality.  There are some funny moments and though Uncle Fletcher only provides one story, it's a memorable one.

Trivia:

+ One of the funnier moments in Vic and Sade history is Rush yelling out the window to Blue Tooth Johnson... {{{HEAR}}}

+ Uncle Fletcher tells the story of Erma Flokesee from Belvidere. She later moved to Dubuque, Missouri. Married a man 36 years old. Later died. She had the habit of slapping her husband's face in public. It got so bad, he'd hide his face from her every time he said something.

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42-08-09 Thimble Club Plans Visits

STARRING: BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Since Vic is away, the Thimble Club has arranged surprise visits by members and their husbands to Sade's house so that she won't get lonely; this breaks up Rush and Sade going to the Bijou to see a Gloria Golden - Four-Fisted Frank Fuddleman picture.
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Not the funniest episode in the series but with almost flawless sound. This episode might sound better than any to be found, especially after I did some minor work on it.

Trivia:

+ The movie at the Bijou is I Place My Heart in Your Hands, Part-time Freight Agent Lewis.

+ We find out in this episode that Mis' Cheevers, Mis' Trogle and Mis' Feeby are all members of the Thimble Club.

+ Rush states that Smelly Clark's Uncle Strap has more coincidence happen to him than anyone on the face of the earth.

+ Schedule of people who are coming by to visit Sade:
  • 7:30 - 8:00 - Mis' Cheevers and her husband, who works at the People Bank.
  • 8:15 - 9:00 - Mis' Trogle and her husband, Alvy.
  • 9:15 - 10:00 - Mis' Feeby and her husband; they live on the 800 block of West Elm
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42-08-06 Christmas Cards C.O.D.

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY,  BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Sade - always on her toes to deflect Christmas card salesmen (especially during the summer months) is tricked into purchasing a set of cards from her niece, Euncie Helfer, who has deviously(?) mailed the package C.O.D.
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Sade doesn't really know if she was intentionally tricked or not. One might say then that if this really was a trick by Euncie, it worked perfectly.

Don't put it past Euncie to be devious. Recall in an earlier episode she put a nix to the letter-writing that Sade and her mother kept backing her into a corner -- by writing letters at an alarming rate.

Trivia:

+ Despite the fact that a set of the Toldeo, Ohio Christmas cards have always been ten dollars, Sade only had to pay $2.46 for her set from Euncie. Is that just the postage? We'll never know.

+ Sade received all the free gifts that come with a purchase of the Christmas card sets: a coupon entitling your initials to be pasted inside one of your hats, a coupon for one hour's worth of free parking in Toledo, Ohio and a coupon for three free handshakes from anyone you choose out of the telephone book of the St. Paul, Minnesota telephone directory.

+ Since the last episode about the selling of Christmas cards, the following people have taken up the job: Euncie, the Brick Mush man and Beulah Feeple.

+ Sade was wanting to put the Christmas cards away in the bottom buffet bureau drawer. Recall that the drawer has been relegated to a lot of items precious to Sade but also a lot of junk in the past.

+ Before she can put the cards up though, Rush wants to purchase them and give them to his friends.

+ Sade and Rush discuss the fact that "Sade is not a comical person."

+ Vic is away on an inspection tour for Consolidated Kitchenware.

+ The show's original ending has the organist playing Christmas music (this is an August episode.)

Rush and Sade read off some of the new '42 cards (edited): {{{HEAR}}}
CHRISTMAS CARDS
Before the advent of email and animated websites, people used to celebrate important occasions by using the postal service to send each other decorated pieces of sturdy paper, often featuring some sort of encouraging or celebratory verse. These notes were called "greeting cards." Do you remember them? Electronic communication has made them less prevalent, though they can still be purchased if one knows where to shop. They provided the recipient with a token of good wishes more permanent than a telephone call, or an email. Back when Vic and Sade was being produced, greeting cards were a principal way to commemorate important occasions.

Of course, I'm being facetious. Even today, the greeting card industry is far from dead. At one time, though, greeting cards were such an important part of life that they were available, not only in shops, but from enterprising friends and neighbors. A reader could hardly open a magazine without seeing advertisements for sales kits from greeting card companies. On Virginia Avenue, greeting cards – or more specifically, their sales agents – regularly figured in the adventures at the Gook home. Those magazine ads for greeting card salesmen must have been especially effective in that town. At least five of the neighbors compete for Christmas card sales, and at least five surviving episodes describe their attempts to sell cards to Sade. She is a reluctant customer, partly because she doesn't like to be coerced into a purchase, and partly because of the social politics that would be involved (after all, if she buys from one neighbor, she could offend the other ones.) She also objects to the idea of buying Christmas cards in the summer, which is when the sales pitches begin. But, most of all, Sade has no use for the absurd sentiments the cards express. They range from the insipid ("Give me a kiss and make me feel fine / This is Christmas Nineteen Thirty-Nine") to the offensive (". . .The Christmas season's here again / If I had a club, I'd smash your shin.") Even the premiums are no inducement. No one in the family has any use for an hour's worth of free parking in Toledo, Ohio; or has a desire to shake hands with any three inhabitants of St. Paul, Minnesota, listed in the telephone book. Though it's a great strain on Sade, she is able to resist the sales agents' overtures.

That is, until her young niece Euncie pulls a fast one. Maybe it was youthful naïveté, or a calculated ploy to unload her stock, but her method was to send her unsuspecting aunt a package, cash on delivery. When Sade pays the fee, she finds she has bought a box of Christmas cards. Naturally, this selection of cards has the most awful mottoes of any of them, including such warmhearted expressions as "You're ugly and stupid and mean as a fox / I wonder what old Santy will dump in your socks." Sade would never use greeting cards like these.

Now, I've always enjoyed this episode, for the observation Paul Rhymer makes, through the voice of Rush, about how men communicate. Rush points out that, when men want to show affection for each other, they do it through insults. Even Vic and his close friends frequently refer to each other as "horse thieves." The harsh expressions in these cards are, in fact, masculine endearments. To me, this was a revelation! For years, I had been troubled by the nasty things men say to each other. Even upstanding churchmen will jokingly impugn each other's intellect or character. I won't say I entirely approve of such conduct, but at least the reason for it is now clear. It really is a guy thing!. Rush then proves he is on the right path to manhood: he arranged to buy then from Sade, for use with his own circle of friends.

So, thanks to Rush, we learn that cutting cruelty can sometimes be rough kindness. In that spirit, I extend to you, at Christmas and always, this heartfelt wish:
I wouldn't' trust a rattlesnake like you any further than I can throw a rock.
Still and all, however, I hope you find two dollars, or its equivalent, in the toe of your shabby, worn-out sock! 
-  Sarah Cole 
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42-07-xx Thunderstorm

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY AND BERNARDINE FLYNN

Vic and Sade sit out on the front porch, talk about life and await a loud thunderstorm.
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Exceptional sound upgrade
There are generally two kinds of Vic and Sade episodes; the outrageous and the home spun; this happens to be the latter. It happens to be one of the very best episodes not only for the fact that it is really acted well (perhaps the best-acted episode of the series) but it feels towards the end that you are actually on the front porch with them. The timing by Bernadine Flynn and Art Van Harvey here is impeccable.

Also, the episode is crammed full of information that we hadn't had until now, making this an episode that the avid fan will soak up with delight.

Trivia:

+ Mis' Elder's father is visiting her for a couple of weeks. A former school teacher, Mis' Elder refers to him as "The Professor" and he has the odd habits of waving to the Gooks every couple of minutes and "hanging his legs over the swing."

The reference to "hanging his legs over the swing" seems to be a most important one - albeit only for the advanced Vic and Sade fan: both Vic and Sade refer to this habit of The Professor (across the street.)  However, it seems to me that "hanging his legs over the swing" is actually the proper way to sit in a porch swing, Doesn't this then lead us to believe the reason the Gooks have so much trouble fitting 3 people on the porch swing (in almost every episode where they are on the porch) is that whichever Gook is in the swing tends to curl their legs up under themselves while sitting in the porch swing? I think it may be the Gooks who are unusual, not the visiting neighbor across the street!

+ After months of wondering what exactly is the relationship between the high school principal Mr. Chinbunny and Freda Call, we find out they are married. It was said in an earlier episode that she was married but she was always referred to as Freda Call. We can assume this is because the Call family live across the street and the family (especially Rush) just got used to calling her by that name, even after she married Mr. Chinbunny.

[We know from the notes received from Barbara Schwarz that Freda Call and Mr. Chinbunny were romantically involved as early as 1936.]

+ Mis' Hawkins is mentioned for the first time. Ruthie Stembottom and Sade ran into her in the underwear department of Yamilton's. Her husband is a telegrapher at the C and A Depot. This is the first time the C and A Depot has been mentioned.

+ Mis' Montgomery is mentioned for the first time and she lives on East Walnut Street. Her husband doesn't work and he plays the cornet for the Sewage Disposal Worker's Band.

There is a Mr. Montgomery who lives at the Bright Kentucky Hotel - but we can assume the man referred to above is not him, since the guy at the hotel is completely deaf and in my experience, deaf people rarely play the cornet.

+ Sade confesses that when she was little, she was scared of the thunder and lightning. And her mother was always scared of it.

+ Vic says he loves to sleep while it's raining: {{{HEAR}}}

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42-07-16 A Gross of Gravels

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY,  BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON 

Sade: 144 gravels... Gravels don't wear out!

Sade finds out that Fred Stembottom is making her a gross (144) of gavels for Christmas (to use at the Thimble Club) and wants Vic to talk to Fred about the idiocy of such a thing.
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Sade calls the gavels, "gravels" and no matter how often she is told she has it wrong, she just keeps trudging on and using that word.

The underlying joke is that she calls Fred "obstinate" and "stubborn" when she is acting the same way about the word, "gravel!"

Trivia:

+ Harry McWilliams is mentioned. He owns a wood shop on the west side of town. He is friends with Fred and gave him the scrap wood to make the gavels from.

+ Rush mentions some sort of lodge punishment ritual that can be found in Volume 7 of Vic's lodge library. However, it's impossible to tell if he is joking or not and Vic is no help helping us decide. I'm going to assume Rush was kidding and won't include it (for now) in the lodge section of the blog.

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42-06-08 A Letter from Bess (Sleepy)

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY,  BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

Sade pressures Vic into reading another boring letter from her sister Bess. He doesn't want to do it.  To make things worse, he fall asleep.
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Seems as though every other week there is a letter or postal card from Bess. It wouldn't be so bad if there was some exciting news in there but the best that Bess can do is tell stories of Euncie's piano practicing and tidbits about her neighbors.

Trivia:

+ Euncie is learning to play a new song - Little Redskin Comanche Sweetheart of Mine. During the song she gets to hammer on top of the piano with her fists and also lets out an Indian war hoot. When she does this, it scares Walter.

+ Euncie's piano teacher is now Mis' Snell; in the letter from 1937 that Vic has stashed away in his checkred suit, Euncie's teacher was Agnes Peterson.

+ Mrs. Guffer is mentioned in the letter from Bess. She lives across the street from the Helfer family. She wore/broke in Bess' shoes over a weekend in Freeport.

+ Mis' Frostscum is mentioned. She's another neighbor of the Helfer's who thought Vic was distinguished-looking when she saw him on the Gook's last visit through Carberry.

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