Obscure episodes you love

I've always enjoyed "The Return Of Edwin Carp" myself - I think primarily because it's such a thoughtful answer to a very simple question: "Hell, what are we going to do for a show this week?" 

For me I guess it works because I grew up around folks who remembered radio and would talk occasionally about shows, characters and whatnot.

From the many possibles, I will give you three that are to me among the series best--yet do not get mentioned as much as the ones about the birth of Richie, Danny Thomas and the Walnuts, the "Haunted" cabin, Rob's new car, or when Laura goes on TV and reveals Alan's big secret.

Young Man with a Shoehorn. Rob and Buddy become partners in a discount shoe store. I loved lines like when Buddy says he sold four cans of oxblood shoe polish, and called to the back room to an imaginary person, "Hey Irving...go kill another ox." or when Rob, rattled at the beautiful customer, exclaims, "Lady I can't wait on you...I'm a married man."

Bad Reception in Albany Rob tries hard to watch a singer on a TV show, as ordered by Alan, while in Albany for a relatives wedding. The hotel's TV repairman is a scream. What I liked was all the events that combined to prevent Rob from seeing the show.

Great Petrie Fortune Rob inherits a desk from a wealthy uncle and he and Laura had quite an adventure trying to find whatever valuables might be inside. When they find a photo of Abraham Lincoln, Rob, referring to a hit movie identifies him as "the real Raymond Massey."

With a few exceptions, almost all the episodes we don't consider nearly the best rank above the funniest episodes of most TV sitcoms--and I mean other series that we think are well worth watching.

I never got into the Edwin Carp episode but I'll have to give it another try. When they talked about bringing radio stars back I thought they were gonna bring in George Burns, Orson Welles, etc. but I guess they wanted to showcase people who were only known for being in radio.

I love "Young Man with a Shoehorn" too!! So many funny parts like previously mentioned. I love when Sally is looking at a pair of heels and holds them up to show them to Buddy and asks how they look. "It's novel, but really, you should wear gloves!"

Another one I don't hear about very much is "Romance, Roses, and Rye Bread" from Season 4. It's one of the very, very few episodes that ends on a bittersweet note instead of the usual happy ending. I love the character development the writers give Sally, which was so unusual for shows at the time. Even though she talked all the time about being desperate and marrying the first guy she meets, Sally knew she felt nothing for Sid Melton's character and never would. I felt so bad for Bert too, since you knew he had nothing else going for him and was hoping that maybe there was a chance Sally would be lonely enough to marry him. Comparing that to how happy Rob and Laura's marriage was, I wish Sally could have ended up with someone by the end of the series, but that probably would've changed the dynamic of the show too much. She definitely deserved much better than "skim milk, body temperature" Herman Glimpshire!!

Two of my favs:
"a Nice Friendly Game of Cards" from season 3-- Rob is caught "accidentally cheating " with a marked deck playing with new neighbors. I love Millie & Jerry episodes that also have Buddy & Sally.

"Obnoxious, Offensive Egomaniac etc" season 5. Hilarious episode trying to get back a script full of insults aimed at Alan Brady involving breaking into his offic and ultimately his house. Watch the reactions at the reveal when they find the script- priceless.

Seeing this post is still getting attention, I thought I'd add three more favorites that don't get mentioned too often:

Brother Can You Spare $2500? Rob loses a script in Grand Central Station and when the bum who finds it wants a few bucks for returning it, Rob is so excited to be able to get it back he tells the bum how important it is with so much enthusiasm, the bum decides to hold it for ransom. Two scenes: Rob at the park (the drop site) trying to get a drink with an annoying kid beating him to the drinking fountain, and at the lost and found where the clerk there tells Rob how fascinating it would be to have a TV series based on the life of someone who works at the lost and found desk.

There's No Sale Like Wholesale: Rob tries to get a bargain on a fur coat for Laura. All the subterfuge Buddy takes him through, pretending to be a buyer for a store when at the warehouse, then the scene where Laura and Millie go to pick up the coat. Millie loves the assumed names and decides she always wanted to be called Maria. But when she meets the first person, right after saying her name is Maria, she quickly says, "But my friends call me Millie," thus precluding any chance of being called Maria.

and my favorite of this bunch, one of my all-time favorites: The Case of the Pillow. Rob and Laura sue a salesman for his foul-smelling pillows they bought and that he wouldn't refund their money. Rob tried to be like every film/TV attorney he ever saw, driving the judge--Ed Begley--nuts. I still laugh when he calls for a recess, saying, "I'm going to my chambers to take a few minutes to decide this case. Then I'm going to take a few more minutes to decide if I still want to be a judge." I also loved the goofy salesman, played by Alvy Moore--famous as Mr. Kimble on Green Acres.


As soon as there's no football to fill my free time, I think I'm going to watch some DVD episodes from my DVD collection. (I think you understand what I mean.)





Why don't we just shoot 'em down and be through with it?

The Unwelcome Houseguest is one I can watch over and over. I just love Rob pushing that gigantic German Shepard around in the baby crib and singing him lullabies in German haha.

I also liked The Night the Roof Fell In because it is so hilariously accurate as to how two people can view things differently during an argument. "WHY DID YOU MARRY ME IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY OTTOMAN!?!" Lol

I also got a kick out of Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra because it was fun to see Bob Crane guest star as a character SO hilariously different from the Hogan we all know and love. I love Millie's goofy celebrity impressions and of course when Harry Rogers' wife shows up: "HARRY!!!! GET IN THE CAR!!!!!!!!!!"

My favorite under-appreciated episode is "All About Eavesdropping." I think it's one of the funniest and best written of the series.

Another favorite of mine that doesn't get a lot of attention is "The Death of the Party." I always find it hilarious that Rob is so sick, he forgets that he bought licorice ice cream and not chocolate (although he was supposed to get vanilla).

In addition to the eps mentioned:
. Joe Coogan... I love Sally's reaction when she discovers he's a priest
. When Laura gets her toe stuck in a faucet
. The Christmas episode
. I'm no Henry Walden ...with Bill and Rob Peetroff