Television Review: LOVE THAT BOB: "Bob's Economy Wave" (1957)

 

LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW: "Bob's Economy Wave" (1957 NBC-TV/ Laurel-McCadden Productions) Original Air Date: April 18, 1957.  Starring Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, Rosemary deCamp as Margaret MacDonald, Ann B. Davis as Schultzy, Lyle Talbot as Paul Fonda, Dwayne Hickman as Chuck MacDonald, Lisa Gaye as Collette Dubois, Maxine Gates as Maxine, Ralph Dumke as Leo the Butcher, General Clarence Shoop as Himself.  Written by Paul Henning, Shirl Gordon, Phil Shuken and Dick Wesson.  Directed by Bob Cummings.

Introduction to the LOVE THAT BOB/BOB CUMMINGS SHOW episode guide at this link.

Bob's Economy Wave is an annual occurrence after income taxes are paid each year (note the air date), so let the cost cutting begin.  Challenged to do a better job with the food budget than Margaret is already doing, Bob baffles the family by bringing home what appears to be $100 worth of meat after exiting with a double sawbuck.

Well, $94.50 worth of meat to be exact; a phone call from Leo the Butcher reveals that Bob bartered his studio time ($100 value) photographing Leo's daughter Maxine in exchange for months of prime beef.  Not wanting to give up on his original belt-tightening point, Bob enters into an agreement (overseen by Schultzy) that he will join the rest of them in sticking to a set "allowance"--a contract that may not make it 24 hours once Collette reminds him of their big date that evening.  And speaking of big dates, Maxine arrives for her studio time and proves to be a literal eyeful.

Bobby boy is in full fledged stinker mode from fade-in to fade-out in Bob's Economy Wave.  After the attempted subterfuge on his fair exchange fails he schemes to: fake Margaret out of their agreement with a phony phone call; paint the town rouge with Collette on Fonda's dime; and finally, shift that date with her to steak Chez Moi (by faking a cold).  

"The man of iron is about to be melted, how you say, down?"

Each new ruse blows up in his face, and the faked call creates a bigger misunderstanding by giving Bob a second date that evening--one he'd never set up for himself knowingly.  Bob succeeds surprisingly often during this episode guide--when he does crash and burn it is usually due to his own hubris (Bob Batches It) which often brings the same height of humor we got when BILKO overplayed a hand.  The new wrinkle in Bob's Economy Wave is that our boy never knowingly two times Collette--it really is a misunderstanding.  Bob's deadly sin this time is pride in his thrift.

"Did you photograph her?"

"With a wide angle lens..."

And, boy, is this a collapse worthy of the 21st century Miami Dolphins in December.  When the music stops Margaret is dressed up and going out with Paul Fonda, but Collette's date for the evening is the very married General Shoop (his real life wife Julie Bishop is name dropped, so no hanky panky Shoopy!), and despite her fuming once she learns of Bob's (inadvertent, this time!) "two timing" she is thrilled to learn that Clarence is fluent in her native language.  Bob?  His date for the evening is the very eager Maxine, who keeps turning the lights out on him when they're alone and looking at "shy" Collins like he's one of those steaks on the stove. 

"When Bob says he'll get a girl like that (snaps fingers) he means like that!"

Bob's Economy Wave may not offer many love lessons, but it does offer a historical lesson on the barter system.  One could use it as Bob does here to fly under the I.R.S.' radar in the Eisenhower Era.  It took another 25 years before Uncle Sam really got wise to it, with the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 taking this loophole away.  It seems like everyone wins financially: Leo the Butcher is ecstatic with his side of the deal.  Hey, if daughter's happy, momma must be happy too.  Bob's ultimate victory is open to debate, but at least he has yet to cave on his three way family contest at fade-out.

Ease up there Shoopy, Julie Bishop is waiting when you get home

"Parlez vous Francais?"

"Well, not enough!" 

Bob may not be having much mirth onscreen when all is said and done, but the star obviously enjoyed directing this door slammer.  Particularly the second act, which only leaves the maison for two calls.  Suffice to say that the phone was consistently our playboy's undoing, whether the calls were incoming or not.   I guess saving money by getting rid of it is out of the question though.

Maxine Gates was likely best known for her trio of Three Stooges shorts and brought her comedic timing back to LOVE THAT BOB in similar fashion for Bob, the Matchmaker.  This was Ralph Dumke's only appearance here, but he was familiar to McCadden Productions as Mr. MacAfee in a quartet of BURNS AND ALLEN episodes.  In its ninety-third episode overall, LOVE THAT BOB is past its halfway point but solidly in its prime, with its best team of writers (IMO) and director on a roll.

WHO WAS BLOCKING?

Bob blocked himself with his zeal to prove his superior management of the family purse strings in the view of yours truly.  However, the final blow is delivered by "that wolf" Paul Fonda himself, who gleefully informs Collette of Bob's "other date".  The end result was a definite downgrade in his evening's plans.  To be fair, we all know Collette will be back and resuming her rivalry with Shirley Swanson in the future, but as for the present.....

DID BOB SCORE?

With Collette, an emphatic Hell no, and I'll bet old Shoopy could have if not happily married from the looks of things.  But home plate is still available to Bobby Boy if he desires.  He has the house to himself with his consolation prize, and from the looks of things he's going to need that steak dinner, since he'll be calorically depleted from running or being caught.  Possibly both.

Lisa Gaye fresh out of the bubble bath.  You're welcome.

THE BOTTOM LINE: 

After viewing this episode and the riotous Bob and Automation it feels safe to say that Mr. Collins should just lay off the austerity plans for his fam.  In that instance the end result was a swing and a miss with Millie Davis; here, it costs him what seems to be a certain score with Collette DuBois.  Those draconian income tax rates from days of yore would be mined at deadline time a year later in Bob Retrenches, but this episode has higher stakes (Lisa Gaye, gents!) and with them higher comedic peaks, outdated fat shaming be damned.  (***1/2 out of four) 

Bob's Economy Wave was originally viewed on another YouTube account; while my original source for this episode is gone, there is this colorized version still up on YouTube so you can check the episode out for yourself:

Television Review: LOVE THAT BOB: "Return of the Wolf" (1955)

LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW: "Return of The Wolf (or: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonda)" (1955 NBC-TV/Laurel-McCadden Productions).  Original Air Date: June 19, 1955.  Starring Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, Rosemary de Camp as Margaret MacDonald, Ann B. Davis as Schultzy, Dwayne Hickman as Chuck MacDonald, Lyle Talbot as Captain Paul Fonda.  Written by Paul Henning and Bill Manhoff.  Directed by Rod Amateau.

Introduction/overview for LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW is at this link. 

"I just landed...but now that I hear your lovely voice, I'm right back up in the clouds again!"

No, that isn't Bob on the phone with Shirley or Collette.  It's Paul Fonda calling Margaret to let her know he's back in town.  The Return of the Wolf is enough to give Bob second thoughts about taking Chuck on a planned fishing trip and leaving Margaret alone in town with his old Army co-pilot.  As Margaret surmises when Bob calls Fonda a wolf, it takes one to know one.

Our playboy shutterbug bounces from home to office to lakeside cabin and home again attempting to stop the liason, just missing Margaret and the big bad Wolf at each stop.  He enlists Schultzy to provide the workplace distraction and his beloved nephew to thwart the rest, all the while insisting that the latter is way too young for such things.

Simple first season setup puts the shoe on the other foot in Lyle Talbot's titular return after a brief attempt to play matchmaker for Margaret in Choosing Miss Coffee Break and its sequel.  Understandably, she finds Fonda more exciting than Hal Peary's giggling politician and chafes at brother Bob's hypocrisy.  There's no models to be found and the plot and premise is already familiar: Bob to the Rescue aired just two months prior.  But Return of the Wolf improves considerably on its more generic predecessor.

LOVE THAT BOB excelled at dream sequences: The Sheik and Bob Tangles with Ruthie are two of the best examples reviewed here previously.  Like the former, Return of the Wolf features fantasy inspired by the silent era, complete with title cards.  It's a perfect fit for Cummings and Talbot as they receive free reign to see who can overact most outrageously.  Amazingly, Ed Wood alumni Talbot seems to win that battle in hilarious fashion--and deCamp hams it up commendably as well.

Bob's Dream--or Unhand my Sister You Cad! is the climax and undisputed highlight of Return of the Wolf, but the uncomplicated, bare bones plot has other charms.  The charms of Charmaine Schultz are used to distract El Lobo while Bob scrambles to cut him off at the office, but predictably Fonda treats the would be seductress as one of the guys.  Yes, just like Bob.  I guess Schultzy is powerless to land the poon hounds but has the nice guys (a la Frank Crenshaw) to herself.  Naturally, she prefers the "cads", and despite the constant admonishing from her younger brother, so does Margaret, apparently.   

Despite his cheesy entrance line, Fonda says he's a changed man--though his reaction to Margaret greeting him in a wedding dress indicates he still has lothario tendencies in common with his war buddy.  Hey, Paul's still single when the series ends and so is Bob.  Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?  Packing for the fishing trip and the lack of success on it offer secondary pleasures, keeping the smiles coming until the belly laughs of the finale commence.  It all adds up to a lot of fun being had for actors and audience despite the dearth of models.

WHO WAS BLOCKING?

Bob was!  Yes, it's funnier when he's the blockee instead of the blocker, but variance is welcome in small doses.

DID BOB SCORE?

See above.  Wasn't even trying, so you know it's still early in the show's run.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Three segments from the end of LOVE THAT BOB's freshman season, Return of the Wolf displays a sitcom emerging from its infancy and rounding into form.  Talbot would continue popping up for the next four seasons, and remained Bob's best male foil throughout.  Soon, Henning and friends would find ways to keep Collins and Fonda on the chase at the same time (Bob Meets Fonda's Sister) but with at least two memorable setpieces, Return of the Wolf is a great showcase for the show's regulars and its most frequent recurring character.   (*** out of four)

To watch this one on YouTube, click on this link

Television Review: LOVE THAT BOB: "Bob's Christmas Party" (1957)

LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW: "Bob's Christmas Party" (NBC-TV/Laurel-McCadden Productions 1957) Original Air Date: December 24, 1957.  Starring Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, Rosemary deCamp as Margaret MacDonald, Ann B. Davis as Schultzy, Dwayne Hickman as Chuck MacDonald, Lyle Talbot as Paul Fonda, Ingrid Goude as Miss Sweden, King Donovan as Harvey Helm, Ralph Reed as the Elevator Boy, Nancy Kulp as Pamela Livingstone.  Written by Paul Henning, Shirl Gordon and Dick Wesson.  Directed by Bob Cummings.

Introduction to the LOVE THAT BOB/THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW episode guide here.

It's Christmas Eve and Chuck is dressed to the nines, reasoning that he's now old enough to show up at Uncle Bob's office party.  But an invite looks doubtful--our playboy has yet to extend one to his sister.  Yes, they'd cramp his style.  Bob wants to get Miss Sweden under the mistletoe, and Schultzy has covered the ceiling with it for her own obvious uses.

Bob Collins' social event doesn't sound too family friendly: that wolf Paul Fonda flies in from Paris(!) just to attend Le Grand Affaire Sauvage.  Yes, the Collins parties are notorious even across the pond and word of the decadence has also spread to Sweden: Ingrid declines an invite.  That forces Bob into a Plan B--outdoor location shooting in the cozy cold to soften her up before the 3:00 start.  Can Bob finally attain the unattainable?  In addition to Schultzy and Fonda he'll have a third obstacle to his goal: a randier Pamela Livingstone than usual, who seems eager to get either flyboy under the numerous plants.    

Schultzy's chasing Bob, every male is chasing Ingrid, and Pamela is chasing every male except Chuck.  Yes, that includes the erstwhile "Tiger" but now very married Harvey Helm!  We get a horny little Christmas from LOVE THAT BOB in its third yuletide outing, and the series is uniquely qualified to give this gift.

BOB: "You only knew one word of English."

INGRID: "Yes"

BOB: "Unfortunately, that wasn't the word..."

With all that buildup the titular celebration would have to be a disappointment, so there's little surprise in revealing that we never see it.  At least, as intended.  Bob's quest will have him in the darkroom with Ingrid for the duration anyway, with her "big brother Bob" keeping her "safe from the libertines".  Meaning Paul, presumably.  Harvey Helm drops by to regretfully decline in person--Ruthie's decision, not his, of course.  He manages to serve Bob's purpose by getting pointy-eared competition Fonda drinking and reminiscing, with toasts hilariously going back to World War One by the time the bottles are empty.  

Maybe the season's the reason Pamela Livingstone's lust is turned up to 11.  She's made aggressive plays for Bob before (Bob Meets Miss Sweden, Goude's first episode) but seeing Paul and Harv being vigorously pursued tells me she's after some action, coats on the bed be damned.  Not certain how the change in locale for le affaire sauvage will affect her chances, but let's just hope that Fonda and Helm aren't driving.  In Harvey's case, let's also hope he didn't go home to Ruthie in that condition.  Since we see him again in future episodes, we can assume he didn't.

Mistletoe, parties, and Santa Claus. Well, OK, he just gets a passing mention by the ever innocent Ingrid.  Thanks to some cleverly needed "location" shots while Bob is priming her for the close, we even get snow.  Miss Sweden remains the King's kryptonite, though.  She remains unkissed by our legend when Bob's Christmas Party fades to darkroom.  We get assurances that more models are on the way, but Miss Goude is the only one who shows--for work.  Don't worry that we're going to be seeing ghosts, though--everyone is out of the workplace at 3.  Except Schultzy, who chooses to stay.

Bob's Christmas Party follows back to back seasonal segments from 1955: The Christmas Spirit and Grandpa's Christmas Visit.  The latter is ubiquitous on YouTube and bargain DVD's owing to its public domain status, but all three holiday BOBs are worth watching, as is the series as a whole.   You can check out Bob's Christmas Party here.

WHO WAS BLOCKING?

Schultzy has to block Pamela from Bob and Bob from Ingrid, Paul and Bob continually thwart each other with the latter, and ultimately, the family provides the final barrier by moving the party back to the Collins household.

DID BOB SCORE?

Yes...unknowingly---with Schultzy!  If that doesn't prove that Christmas is the time of miracles, I don't know what will.  To be fair, the big bad wolf notching unattainable Ingrid would be even more incredible.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Bob's Christmas Party might not reach the heights of television's Christmas classics, nor is it one of the series' best.  But the lack of sentimentality--softened with some show-centric seasonal magic--provides a perfect capper for LOVE THAT BOB's trifecta of holiday episodes.  Watching Cummings and Talbot one-up each other is reliably funny, and seeing Bob's WWII comrades enjoying all that champagne a little too much creates more merriment.  Not enough hilarity to reach the show's top tier, but good holiday fun, and who knew that darkroom could be such a perilous place for even the most seasoned photographer?  (*** out of four)

Television Review: LOVE THAT BOB: "Bob Meets Fonda's Sister" (1955)

LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW: "Bob Meets Fonda's Sister" (1955 CBS-TV/Laurel-McCadden Productions) Original Air Date: October 6, 1955.  Starring Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, Rosemary deCamp as Margaret MacDonald, Dwayne Hickman as Chuck MacDonald, Ann B. Davis as Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz, Lyle Talbot as Paul Fonda, Diane Jergens as Francine Williams, Lola Albright as Kay Michaels.  Written by Paul Henning and Bill Manhoff.  Directed by Rod Amateau.

Introduction to the LOVE THAT BOB/THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW episode guide at this link.

Margaret is fit to be tied after Brother Bob blocks her daytime beach date with Paul Fonda, the latest interference in his sister's love life under the guise of protecting her from the "wolf".  Fonda wonders what would happen if the shoe were on the other foot and enlists beautiful starlet Kay Michaels to pose as his sibling.

And so an "accidental" meeting is set up outside Bob's studio in which Kay sprains her ankle, allowing the Wolf of wall snapshots to play doctor inside.  And, he hopes, doing it that night as well.  Little does our Air Reserve Colonel know that he's walking right into Fonda's trap--which will be sprung inside the Collins household!

Lyle Talbot's sixth appearance as Paul Fonda sees Bob's old WWII comrade finding a way to fight back against those "Wolf" accusations.  After insisting (to no avail) that he's changed (in future episodes, we learn that's debatable), he cooks up a hilarious scheme to give Bob a taste of his own overprotective medicine.  In the process, Bob Meets Fonda's Sister introduces Kay Michaels for a four-segment arc as the newest object of the Playboy shutterbug's desire.  

Michaels turns out to be more than just that, though--the aspiring movie starlet becomes the strongest contender to date to get Collins to the altar.  One can see that extra "oomph" in Bob's efforts to woo her, and all that experience in the cockpit pays off--he stays silk smooth all the way up to Fonda's shotgun search.  For her part, Kay Michaels plays her part in the plot perfectly.  Is it any wonder she ends up breaking into pictures?  Method or not, the instant mutual interest is palpable: there's no condescension when she plays hard to get.

For his part, Bob lives up to his reputation, making nary a wrong move pre-date at home or the office.  Kay continually moves up the intervention time once she gets a whiff of Bob's cologne.  Speaking of, Moustache (yes, it was around way back in 1955!) gets one Hell of a plug here, with Ms. Michaels' full approval followed by Margaret's, and finally Francine's--Uncle Bob's fragrance choice even helps young Chuck onto a smooth movie date.  

Ultimately, LOVE THAT BOB is its subversive self once again in the end.  Bob's comeuppance?  That date with Kay, starting circa 10:00 P.M., with no interference at all from any of the usual suspects.  If Fonda was trying to teach Bob a lesson, fixing him up with a gorgeous aspiring actress/model might not be the most punishing lesson, you'd think.  Oh, and if it was 4-D chess to get our loverboy married off, that didn't work either.  Too bad, Paul.

WHO WAS BLOCKING?

Bob--blocking Margaret, again.  Worry not, she would soon be paying her brother back in episodes to come.  Bob had little resistance in wooing Ms. Michaels--at least, in this installment.  Schultzy is surprisingly subdued in the office, letting the entire Collins sales pitch proceed and only calling him to work when Kay is gone.  Pining for the Boss but not aggressively---yet.

DID BOB SCORE?

With Kay?  Eventually, I'm sure.  Hell, she almost got a proposal eventually.  He was well on his way around the basepaths throughout Bob Meets Fonda's Sister, with unimpeded progress before and after being the butt of Paul's joke.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Lola Albright's popularity on the series kept her recurring for the next two seasons; Kay Michaels was her signature TV role before PETER GUNN came along.  Her chemistry with Cummings stayed strong through seven appearances in all, through Bob Calls Kay's Bluff.  As always, Talbot is a fine foil, and the clever Henning-Manhoff script is one controlled, consistent burn throughout.  Unfortunately, the denouement fizzles slightly, with the theatrics muting the payoff and Bob (as usual) not really getting that much of a comeuppance.  Still, Bob Meets Fonda's Sister provides more than enough hilarity to overcome a wobbly conclusion.  (*** out of four)

Bob Meets Fonda's Sister is available through Shokus Video on LOVE THAT BOB Volume IX.

Television Review: LOVE THAT BOB: "Bob to the Rescue" (1955)

LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW: "Bob To the Rescue" (1955 Laurel/McCadden Productions/NBC-TV) Original Air Date: April 10, 1955.  Starring Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, Rosemary deCamp as Margaret MacDonald, Dwayne Hickman as Chuck MacDonald, Lyle Talbot as Paul Fonda.  Written by Paul Henning and Bill Manhoff.  Directed by Rod Amateau.

Introduction to the LOVE THAT BOB/THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW episode guide is at this link.

Bob is thrilled to hear that Margaret has a suitor--until he learns the prospective date is his old Air Force frenemy Paul Fonda, a.k.a. El Lobo "south of the border" (according to Bob).   Bob's first discouragement is surreptitiously leaving the phone off the hook.  His second?  The unfortunate 'news' that Margaret is visiting Grandpa Collins in Joplin for the duration of Fonda's two week vacation.

Uninterested in Bob's black-book alternatives that would send him as far away as Vancouver(!), Fonda offers to stay and help out while Margaret's away.  Collins continues to weave his tangled web, attempting to make Margaret's fake vacation a real one with some well-placed telephone impersonations.  At least, Bob thinks they are. 

For me but not for thee, eh?  If Bob Collins calling any man a wolf isn't hypocrisy, the playboy certainly applies a double standard when it comes to his sister's dating life.  You'd think Collins would be thrilled to have competition from his fellow poon hound removed, but Bob to the Rescue gives us one more example of family being more important to Bob than the almighty vagina.

Margaret calls her footloose brother out as a whited sepulcher, so he clarifies: as a mother, she needs a husband, not a philanderer.  (Takes one to know one?)  It's unsurprising that Margaret chafes at such piety--as LOVE THAT BOB frequently makes crystal clear, girls want to have fun too.  Little wonder that Schultzy shoots for the moon (Bob) and Margaret looks for a Fonda over (say) a Harvey Helm of her own.

The ubiquitous Lyle Talbot (330 iMdb credits) makes his second appearance with Bob to the Rescue, and the pre-Code matinee idol isn't yet living up to that wolfy reputation Bob tries to pin on him.  Here, there's no indication that Paul's intentions aren't honorable.  Figuring out his great comedic potential, Henning's staff would develop Fonda nicely, and the friendly cockpit rival would end up recurring on LOVE THAT BOB over the entire run, right up to 1959's Bob, the Last Bachelor--the show's antepenultimate episode.  Talbot is his usual solid self here, but Fonda is still rounding into form at this stage.  Like BOB itself.

Chuck is sixteen at the time of this 15th series installment, and his admirably unwavering loyalty to Uncle Bob is evident as he protects Mom from this would-be beau with a baseball bat.  Bob couldn't be wrong, right?  Deferential Chuck isn't even trying to pry into adult conversation yet.

Bob to the Rescue is amazingly bare bones compared to segments to follow: no models with only the four principals plus Fonda and all of the action confined to studio and home.  Well, that's not entirely true--we have the first appearance of Cummings as Grandpa Joshua Collins, still snapping photos back in Joplin.  In contrast to future appearances, he's taking those pictures of a woman who appears to be middle-aged and isn't getting slightly frisky with her.

Grandpa would become much more prominent in later seasons, but the dual role only lasts a couple of minutes here.  Like Fonda, Bob's mentor in both aviation and photography would blossom hilariously in future episodes.  Cummings did utilize the same aged makeup and mannerisms during the dream sequence in It's Later Than You Think, but this is the first time he uses them to play Grandpa.  And fortunately far from the last.

WHO WAS BLOCKING?

Just Bob, blocking his own sister in this early installment.  Seeing this makes it easier to understand why she turned the tables so often in subsequent seasons.

DID BOB SCORE?

There's nary a model in the studio and not a single date on Bob's calendar, since he's just too busy meddling in the affairs (literally?) of others.  You can't hit a homerun if you don't step up to the plate, Bob!

THE BOTTOM LINE:

It's the first appearance for Grandpa Collins and the second for Paul Fonda, with hints of the hilarity to come from both.  The silver tongued orator using his wiles to be prudish comes across like a handcuffed Beethoven at times, but there are some laughs, if few indications of the lasciviousness to come.  Not bad, but much better laughs await.  (**1/2 out of four)

Bob to the Rescue is available on DVD through Shokus Home Video on LOVE THAT BOB, VOLUME VII labeled as Bob Cries Wolf. 

MAVERICK Mondays: "Two Tickets to Ten Strike" (1959)

MAVERICK Mondays: Number 29








MAVERICK: "Two Tickets to Ten Strike" (ABC-TV/Warner Brothers 1959)  Original Air Date: March 15, 1959.  Starring James Garner as Bret Maverick, Connie Stevens as Frankie French, Andrea King as Mae Miller, Lyle Talbot as Martin Scott, William D. Gordon as Eddie Burke, Adam West as Vic Nolan, Roscoe Ates as Joe the Barber.  Written and Directed by Douglas Heyes.


During the long stage ride to Ten Strike, New Mexico from Tucson, Bret Maverick makes the acquaintance of dance hall girl French.  He does so with reluctance, but finds the effervescent young lady hard to shake.  With only one hotel in town, Maverick is gentlemanly in spite of himself: Bret ends up moving Frankie's considerable baggage and losing a much anticipated hot bath to the showgirl.

Maverick also finds himself unwelcome in Ten Strike: Nolan and Burke strongly advise him to be on the next stage the morning after his arrival.  Later, they drive the point home physically.  Frankie gets a far warmer greeting.  In fact, she's been summoned to the New Mexico town for her "everlasting benefit" by a mysterious benefactor.  She's flattered, but increasingly smitten with Maverick, who wonders just who wants him out of town.  And why.

Douglas Heyes' penultimate MAVERICK begins as light comedy, with the ever put-upon Bret finding himself constantly intertwined with French long beyond their shared stagecoach ride.  True to form, he makes her pay for the stolen bath but allows himself to be guilted into sharing his meal after it breaks her.  The contrast between perky Frankie and laconic (at least until he's had his coffee) Bret allows for plenty of quick bantering punctuated by Maverick's repeated denials of romantic interest.

"My Pappy told me there's just about three reasons most men do anything: Greed, Curiosity and Anger."

Frankie is intrigued more by Bret's character than her secret admirer's (presumed) money, and Maverick's failure to heed the friendly warning has her thinking the feeling is mutual.  Nope: it's Pappy's first option that keeps his son past curfew: Bret outstays the stage at Ten Strike's poker tables.  The session is far from profitable, but Pappy knew his offspring well.

"Pappy said most men, but he was looking right at me when he said it".

A considerable amount of MAVERICK's appeal stems from watching that greed in action, but it was always overstated in comparison with Bret's curiosity, which gets him into more hopeless (but not serious) situations that he'd care to admit.  Upon arrival, Maverick doesn't expect a lengthy stay in the titular town, but sure enough, Pappy's second reason keeps Bret there for the rest of Two Tickets to Ten Strike.

"I bought some hats!  I always buy hats when I'm confused."
"I believe it.  I've seen some of 'em."

Pappy didn't mention "love" as one of his three reasons, and while Bret never appears to fall for Frankie, the daffy damsel certainly grows on him.  Maverick ends up kissing her three different times, and actually leaves a poker table when he hears she's been jailed!  For once, it appears that Bret's resistance to matrimony might well be futile!  In the end, though, Stevens and French were both one and done in the MAVERICK universe despite this auspicious debut.  You can probably thank her long-running HAWAIIAN EYE berth (which began just a few months later) for that--she's one of Bret's very best leading ladies.

Stevens has formidable competition in the vavavoom department from the always photogenic Andrea King, beginning to make the rounds at Warner Brothers television after a healthy run in features.  King scored multiple appearances on 77 SUNSET STRIP and THE ALASKANS, but despite her memorable turn here as the proprietress with a past, this was her only MAVERICK.  Too bad--you can't take your eyes off her.

West and Gordon

Two Tickets to Ten Strike is the first of three episodes for Adam West, who would return in Pappy and A Fellow's Brother during the third season.  And since it's a Douglas Heyes Joint, future screenwriter William D. Gordon is here, too, as West's partner in crime.  A poker dealer in both Escape to Tampico and (uncredited) Two Beggars on Horseback, Gordon would end up writing and producing for IRONSIDE and TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH among others.  This was the last of his four segments; Gordon's most substantial MAVERICK role was that of a suspicious ranch hand turned would-be vigilante leader in Heyes' frightening Prey of the Cat.

HOW'D BRET DO AT POKER?

He lost $200 learning how the game is played in Ten Strike, and was preoccupied the rest of the time.  Even when he belatedly made his way out of town, he got dragged away from his next game when a stranger piqued his curiosity.  Speaking of that....

WISDOM FROM PAPPY?

The first proverb from the Maverick patriarch is discussed above, but we get another dose later, and  the second Pappyism is my personal favorite of the entire series: "A coward dies a thousand deaths.  A brave man only once.  A thousand to one is a pretty good advantage."

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Not quite on a par with Two Beggars on Horseback, but a solidly drawn addition to the eclectic mix Heyes contributed to MAVERICK's finest season.  Two Tickets to Ten Strike bookends a plot-heavy middle with as close as the show got to classic screwball comedy.  On the downside, the repartee between Garner and Stevens is missed when disappearing for the intrigue.  But there's much more to savor: Roscoe Ates' deadpan cameo, an atypically sympathetic role from LOVE THAT BOB "wolf" Lyle Talbot.  Best of all, two of Pappy's quintessential aphorisms are present and illustrated perfectly by the action that ensues.    (***1/2 out of four)

MAVERICK airs every Saturday morning on MeTV at 9 A.M. Central, and every weekday afternoon on Encore Westerns at 3:35 P.M. Central.