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Take Two Aspirin and Half a Pint of Porpoise Milk

posted 8 years ago by [email protected] (6249)
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Until I bought the first two seasons a few years ago, I hadn't seen the early episodes in years and even forgot about some of them. In particular, I had forgotten how clever and charming this episode was.

" Take Two Aspirin and Half a Pint of Porpoise milk" is one of the treasures of season two. The story is original and the dialogue is clever.

Abner Kravitz is in great form in this one.

Gladys- Should I take Mrs. Stephens some of my chicken soup?
Abner- No, there's a city ordinance against poisoning people.

Gladys- I bet she has some strange disease and we could catch it. Do you want to wake up with something strange?

Abner- I've been doing that for twenty years, why change now?

Aunt Clara is great in this episode. She's funny (as usual) but very helpful instead of bungling. Sam turned to an older, more experienced witch for help and her aunt really came through. Her only boo boo was conjuring up an entire ostrich when she only needed one feather.

A unique and enjoyable offering from the early years. It's one of the few I'd like to see colorized (square green spots!)

[–] [email protected] (1732) 8 years ago

I don't support colorizing ANY black-and-white films or TV shows. In fact, I find it extremely disrespectful to the
original directors of photography. But there are others who would feel like you do, and want to see it that way.

My only complaint about this episode is the back door leads out over the BACK lawn, not the FRONT lawn, as
Gladys says. Since it served no purpose to write FRONT LAWN, I wonder why they did this.

Also, in "Daddy Does His Thing" in season five, Sam looks out the FRONT living room window, and tells Darrin
he forgot to mow the lawn "out back", so the grass was nice and long. Huh??? And, anyway, we see the mule
look out the front window because that's how Gladys discovers "the jackass."

[–] [email protected] (6249) 8 years ago

Oh I wasn't serious. I don't like colorization of films or TV. But I'd make an exception in the Porpoise episode... No, I wish the show had done a "special episode" and filmed it in color so we could actually see those square GREEN spots.

I don't think audiences back then would've expected it and we had a black and white TV in our family anyway (as most people still did). But years later I could see it on DVD.

I saw a Bewitched episode on youtube colorized. Morbid curiosity made me watch. But Sam's eyes were blue and everyone knows Elizabeth Montgomery had green eyes. So what else did they get wrong?

As far as the lawns and where things were placed, I've noticed several mistakes watching the old episodes.

One of the worst errors is in the opening teaser of "And Something Makes Three" when Louise Tate shows up and tells Sam that she's expecting a baby.

Gladys is working in her front yard and it's obviously hot. Sam comes out on the patio and "zaps" up a swimming pool. Gladys hears a splash and runs over, probably hoping for an invitation to swim.
But there is NO WAY she could've seen Sam behind that fence from the vantage point of her front lawn. The front of the Stephens house was a lawn and to the left of an onlooker, a driveway and garage. There was no fence there. The fence was off to the right and the Stephens patio was out back, not directly across the street from the Kravitz house.

The other thing, now that you've mentioned where things are, is that building directly across from the Stephens house. I've noticed it in the B&W episodes. It doesn't look like a house, more like a big stone building, almost like a church. In the second season episode when Maurice visits, Gladys tells him she's a neighbor from across the street. That stone "building" is right behind her. So the Kravitz house was at a diagonal from Sam's house. How could Gladys look directly into their living room when she was at least one house over?

[–] [email protected] (1732) 8 years ago

If you look at the artificial scenery whenever someone has a closeup outside, it's actually a painting of the street,
made to look like the Kravitz house is across the street. Whenever we (rarely) see across the street from
the front lawn of their home at the ranch, it is NOT directly across the street, as you pointed out. And, yes, that
is a church....or rather, WAS a church...

I have visited the Warner Brothers' ranch many times over the years (during BW, it was the Columbia ranch),
and there have been many, many changes. There's now a house facade in place of the church. The Kravitz/
Partridge Family facade is a totally different facade. They've also built house facades directly across the
street from the BW facade (they're actually in the park!. But the BW house is pretty much the same. BTW,
the "I Dream of Jeannie" house is still pretty much the same, and is, in fact, a full, functioning house! This
is where maintenance works. These guys fix things, and do yard work, etc. In the park, the swimming pool
is still present, as is the fountain! The biggest change: The office buildings/New Orleans Street has long been
torn down. It's now Warner Brothers' business offices. When I've visited, I've seen employees eating their
lunch in the park. Very interesting experience to see all of this.

[–] [email protected] (6249) 8 years ago

Those "outside" scenes when they are actually on a set, I notice that the actors throw a shadow on the background!

So that was a church across the street? That's what it looked like to me. Glad I wasn't wrong. I've seen big houses that were built of stone, but that "house" didn't seemed to fit in with the architecture of the neighborhood. They were middle class homes, not upper class fancy homes made of stone.

One thing I found interesting, the Kravitz living room alternates between the Donna Reed set and another set.

Since you've been on that set (on that street?) what is that building at the end of the block? I mean when Darrin pulls out of the driveway and heads down the street. It looks like a gas station. Also, something I never noticed until I read about it. In the background the California mountains are visible, not something you would see in the suburbs where Sam and Darrin lived (either New York or Connecticut).

Also in some scenes where Darrin pulls up in front of his office , you can see those mountains in the background. There are no mountains in the background in Manhattan! I know, I've been there many times.

Interesting things to notice when you have the show on DVD.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 8 years ago

Yes, the "Manhattan" street was torn down long ago. As I wrote, it's now REAL Warner Brothers' offices.

Yes, that IS a gas station at the end of the block. This is where visitors (myself included) enter the ranch off of
Hollywood way, a normal busy street. That gas station by the way, is used in season three's "Soap Box Derby."
If you recall, this is where Sam is pestering the father to come down to the races. And it WAS a full-functioning
gas station (it was torn down about five years ago).

Also of note: The big RICH house that Endora conjures up in "Endora Moves in For a Spell" is at the very
same end of the street (to its right it's the driveway, that leads you out or to the gas station that was on
the RIGHT end of the block).

[–] [email protected] (6249) 8 years ago

Hey cool, thanks for the info! I have hit the pause button many times trying to figure out if that was a gas station. Interesting that it was the gas station used in the soap box derby episode.

I remember Endora's house. But I can't recall if it was used in any other episodes.

When I visited L.A. I did a couple of bus tours but I never got to see those sets, wish I had.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 8 years ago

The "Rich house" is featured in season five's "Samantha Goes South For a Spell." York - and his double- are clearly seen trying to climb into the window out front.

[–] [email protected] (6249) 8 years ago

Just bought seasons five and six a few weeks ago and watched that episode. One of the best from season five in my opinion. Can't believe I didn't notice the house. I think I was more focused on "Darrin" climbing the trellis!

I kept saying to myself, "That has to be a stunt double. No way was Dick York able to do those stunts."