Television Review: LOVE THAT BOB: "Bob Gets Schultzy into Pictures" (1957)

LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW: "Bob Gets Schultzy into Pictures" (NBC-TV/Laurel-McCadden Productions 1957) Original Air Date: October 1, 1957.  Starring Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, Rosemary deCamp as Margaret MacDonald, Dwayne Hickman as Chuck MacDonald, Ann B. Davis as Schultzy, Dick Wesson as Frank Crenshaw, Merry Anders as Mary, Phyllis McMeen as Phyllis, Pattee Chapman as Gertrude, Lisa Davis as Giselle, Doris Singleton as Marsha Singer, Elizabeth Slifer as Freida.  Special Guest Star Alan Ladd as Himself.  Written by Paul Henning, Shirl Gordon and Dick Wesson.  Directed by Bob Cummings.

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

Schultzy has been sending letters back home (Pennsylvania) to high school frenemy Marsha Singer, bragging about her life in Hollywood "making pictures".  The ruse seems blown to bits when Marsha arrives for a visit, and Bob fully intends to pop the bubble until he gets a whiff of Singer's snootiness.  Determined to take Schultzy's tormentor down a peg or two, our loverboy begins transforming his Girl Friday into competition for Marilyn and Jayne.

"Do you think this wig'll do it?"

"Well, a wiggle did it for her!'

The silver tongued orator rhapsodizes about his unrequited love for Flaming Charmaine(!) and her steamy celluloid scenes deemed too earthy for France and Italy.  With the help of three cooperative models the subterfuge works on Singer--and on Schultzy's sailor date Frank Crenshaw, who gets the acting bug and ends up cast in Alan Ladd's upcoming Navy flick THE DEEP SIX when he believes Bob's bull.  That just might come in handy, since Ladd happens to be Singer's favorite actor.

"If Charmaine is such a glamourous star, how come I haven't seen ONE of her pictures?"

"Censorship!"

Bob's successful makeover on Pamela Livingston in The Sheik might well be surpassed by his work in Bob Gets Schultzy Into Pictures.  Ostensibly helping her to get his work done, Bob puts his full force into turning Singer green and succeeds despite the expected hiccups.  True, it takes the special guest appearance at the end to really sell it, but don't sell Bob short.  It was his PSYOP on Frank that ultimately brought the seaman to Mr. Ladd's orbit---and Ladd into Bob's. 

"Who knows what motivating forces draw me irresistibly to her?"

Yes, Bob's carnality takes a backseat--for once, he puts his devilish charm to altruistic use.  The models are in on the scheme and Collins persuades them all to let Schultzy shine.  Lisa Davis played three different characters during the show's run, making her debut as Giselle here.  Perhaps Lisa Gaye was unavailable, since Giselle seems to be a carbon copy of Collette Du Bois and even mentions Collette as her friend. Frequent MAVERICK leading lady Merry Anders makes a return after Bob Gets Out-Uncled, modeling this time after being a tennis partner in that third season finale.  

Rounding out our trio is twenty year old UCLA cheerleader Phyllis McMeen (at left in the pic), who also continues the LOVE THAT BOB tradition of casting pageant contestants: she was 1955's Miss Woodland Hills.  McMeen was quite active during her UCLA years, winning on Strike It Rich in 1956 and scoring this acting role as part of the publicity.  After modeling for Halo shampoo print ads and being named homecoming queen for the Bruins as well, McMeen opted for marriage over continuing a career in 1959.  She's predictably given the fewest lines of the models but doesn't distract from the fun. 

Forever immortalized as Caroline Appleby on I LOVE LUCY, Singleton pretty much plays the same type of nemesis here for Charmaine.  Longtime BOB fans won't be surprised by the titular hero's lack of interest in romancing her--snobbery has always turned him off.  In one of her final TV roles, Elizabeth Slifer is the woman Bob thinks has the way to Alan Ladd's heart.  The prolific character actress and Dallas native passed away a year later at 62.

In the LOVE THAT BOB universe, Bob's stinkerish behavior often gets rewarded (i.e. The Beautiful Psychologist, Bob Gives S.R.O. Performance). With seemingly equal frequency, good deeds do not go unpunished (Bob Saves Harvey).  It isn't 100%, but common enough to qualify as subversive for 1950's TV.  That is again the case here, with Collins' date for the evening giving him much more than he bargained for.  Meanwhile, Schultzy's payback for her fibs?  An enhanced stature to her Keystone state homegirls, and some smooching with the star of SHANE.  The karma in this setting is subtly but noticeably worlds away from BILKO.  Tell me again why this show wasn't really ahead of its time?

Kind of curious that Ladd's promotion of THE DEEP SIX didn't air closer to that film's release date (January 15, 1958--three months later), but like many shows, BOB liked to bring out the big guns early in the season (remember, Zsa Zsa Gabor opened the show's third).  Ladd's star power was fading a little from his heyday, but he's flattered handsomely by the script--somewhat to Bob's chagrin, he's everyone's favorite actor, even Chuck's.  Returning the favor, his is one of the best meta celebrity appearances on the show, besting those by Peter Lawford and even Cummings himself (more on those later as we continue the guide).  

"When there's caviar around, who wants navy beans?"

In the end, this is Ann B. Davis' episode.  Hilariously fickle and ditzy in costume, with pitch perfect reactions to the star, this is the installment that finally put her in the winner's circle come Emmy time in April 1958, and deservedly so.  Even though the writing slipped during the final season, Davis repeated at the Emmys.

WHO WAS BLOCKING?

Nothing to block this time, believe it or not.  Schultzy is getting all the action--and from our men in uniform to boot! 

DID BOB SCORE?

As noted above, he was letting his heart of gold show this time and putting his hard working assistant ahead of himself.  To the point that he DID end up with a date, but I doubt if he put much effort into getting on the basepaths.  Watch the episode below to see what I mean.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Showing we don't need to focus on Bob's late night exploits to make a highly entertaining segment, Bob Gets Schultzy into Pictures delivers the goods long before the much-hyped appearance by Ladd, who puts a perfect capper on this fun, memorable outing.  Well written, directed and acted--Davis might have been the only one awarded hardware but she wasn't the only one deserving it from this show.  (***1/2 out of four)

***Want to see it for yourself?  YouTube is your friend:

MAVERICK Mondays: "The People's Friend" (1960)

MAVERICK Mondays: Number 10







MAVERICK: "The People's Friend" (1960 ABC/Warner Brothers TV) Starring Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, Merry Anders as Penelope Greeley, R.G. Armstrong as Wellington Cosgrove, Walter Sande as Sheriff Burke, John Litel as Ellsworth Greeley, Francis de Sales as Mayor Culpepper, Dick Wilson as Crenshaw.  Written by Robert Vincent Wright.  Directed by Leslie Goodwins.

Bart Maverick arrives in town just a week ahead of the election, in which Cosgrove and Greeley are competing for a seat in the state Senate.  During a much anticipated debate, Maverick impulsively thwarts a would-be assassin.  This makes the newcomer an instant hero, one who ends up recruited to take the wounded Mr. Greeley's place on the ballot after the candidate is sidelined by doctor's orders.  If you've seen one MAVERICK, you know what Bart's answer will be.  However, after Greeley's stunning daughter coaxes him (and he learns that the state capital is full of Senators playing high stakes poker--badly), Bart goes against his initial instinct and agrees to run.

It isn't long before Maverick regrets ignoring his gut.  He's replacing Greeley on the Reform Party ticket, which means that gambling, smoking and romance with pretty Penelope are all out of the question.  In addition, Bart finds himself next in line for assassination once he becomes Cosgrove's latest obstacle for the seat.  Told in no uncertain terms that his life is on the line, "Honest Bart Maverick" tries to throw the election, only to find that he can't lose for winning.

James Garner later turned down efforts to recruit him to run for congress (in 1962) and governor of California (in 1990), so it isn't surprising that he declined a campaign on MAVERICK as well, passing the script for The People's Friend on to Kelly.   Life would later imitate art for brother Bart: Kelly was later elected mayor of Huntington Beach, CA in 1983 (using the slogan "Let Maverick solve your problems!").

With all due respect to Garner, the benefit of hindsight makes it clear that Kelly was the better choice for The People's Friend.  While Bret and Bart were equally reluctant heroes, Bart always appeared much more comfortable with extroverted glad-handing and public oratory--his Bizarro World speech to the Ladies' Aid Society in A Tale of Three Cities (also co-written by Wright) was one of Kelly's finest comedic moments.  Bart's sly address here is a drier display of humor, but no less effective.

While Jack Kelly's transition to political success went smoothly, Bart Maverick spends the majority of The People's Friend trying to lose the upcoming election.  Even when briefly campaigning for real, he's decidedly unconventional: making veiled references to his poker skill during the debate and drawing a mustache on his rival's poster (in front of the Sheriff, no less).  It seems unlikely that there was any satirical intent involved with making Maverick "the lesser of two evils" in the contest, but intriguingly, a few days in the Reform Party appears to have briefly rubbed off on the traveling rogue in the end.  Bart surprisingly passes up a chance to finally sit down and play poker, instead opting to go for a nighttime ride with the lovely Ms. Greeley.

Merry Anders

Since she's played by Merry Anders, Bart's decision is understandable.  The People's Friend was the first of four MAVERICKs for the blonde beauty.  While it was Anders' first installment, it was the third and final episode for veteran character actor John Litel (playing good guy Greeley).  Litel was previously seen in The Thirty-Ninth Star, which also placed Bart in the middle of a dangerous political feud.  Longtime heavy R. G. Armstrong makes a solid Cosgrove, appropriately charismatic in the public eye and menacing out of it.

The third season was arguably Kelly's finest, and he's given plenty of opportunities here to try his hand at the put-upon exasperation that was Garner's stock-in-trade.  Aided by Goodwin's expert pacing, Kelly carries this enjoyable installment past a number of nagging questions.  Never mind the eligibility questions for Bart and the town's female voters in the 1870's.  Wouldn't Bart be forced to hold his nose and vote for Cosgrove, since Greeley's Reform Party platform calls for the (unnamed) state to ban on all forms of gambling, poker included?

HOW'D BART DO AT POKER?

He picked up the antes uncontested in his first hand, a disappointing outcome considering he was dealt a pat royal flush.  Oh well, poker probability suggests it's only 649,699 hands until the next one, Bart.

WISDOM FROM PAPPY?

Not one pearl from Pappy this time.  That makes all the sense in the world, since he would have to comment on politics.  I can't recall ever hearing Pappy opine on religion either, the other topic guaranteed to create the kind of conflict that he taught his boys to avoid.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Many fans feel The People's Friend is Kelly's finest solo effort.  That's debatable, but there's no denying that it's a perfect fit for brother Bart.  Granted, the setup requiring his run for office is more than a little contrived.  Maverick has only been in town for a day, bringing his eligibility to run or even vote into question.  So while The People's Friend is no biting political satire, it is a breezy romp with lots of smiles emerging from yet another typically "hopeless, but not serious" MAVERICK situation.  Probably Goodwin's second best episode behind A Fellow's Brother, The People's Friend is consistently amusing and engaging.  (*** out of four)

MAVERICK currently airs daily at 1 PM Central/2 PM Eastern without commercial interruption on Encore Westerns, and at 10 AM Central/11 AM Eastern on COZI TV.

Television Review: LOVE THAT BOB: "Bob Gets Out-Uncled" (1957)

Hold it!  I think you're gonna like this picture....

LOVE THAT BOB: "Bob Gets Out-Uncled" (Original Air Date: 5/30/57) Starring Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, Ann B. Davis as Schultzy, Rosemary DeCamp as Margaret MacDonald, Dwayne Hickman as Chuck MacDonald, Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch as Himself,  Merry Anders as Sally McClain, Elvia Allman as Mrs. Montague, Tony Montanaro Jr. as Pancho Gonzalez.  Written by Paul Henning, Shirl Gordon, Phil Shuken and Dick Wesson.  Directed by Bob Cummings.

Series overview of LOVE THAT BOB a.k.a. THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW previously published here for the one hundredth anniversary of the star's birth at this link.

After a night of his usual carousing, Bob Collins is in no shape to meet his 7 A.M. wake up call to play tennis with his nephew Chuck.  In itself, this isn't such a big deal, since Chuck has also been burning the midnight oil on the dance floor and is equally sleepy.  But Margaret is in no mood to let either her brother (Bob) or her son (Chuck) off the hook.  While Margaret is particularly infuriated with Bob, there's a greater concern on her mind: Chuck's emulation of his uncle's playboy ways.

Margaret's solution is to find a more suitable hero for Chuck to look up to: star Los Angeles Rams WR Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch, who is working with local youth groups.  With Mrs. Montague as the go-between, Hirsch is pursuaded to pose as "Uncle Roy", visiting from Wisconsin.  Chuck's heretofore unseen Uncle is introduced by Margaret as a product of living healthy: "Early to bed and early to rise."  "And your girl goes out with the other guys", Bob retorts.  But will "Uncle Roy" have the last laugh and show the former Drury College standout and his nephew that "clean living" is best via athletic competition?  Or will the photographer stay on top of Chuck's list of role models?  Bob does have an ace in the hole: his tennis prowess, demonstrated most recently against Pancho Gonzalez, who Bob says he bested in love sets!  Or was it love seats?

Okay, it's almost impossible to fathom today, but in 1957, college football still eclipsed the NFL in popularity and the baseball was the national pastime, reigning over both by a wide margin.  But still--how on earth could avid sports fans like Chuck and Bob not recognize the high-profile star flanker for the local Los Angeles Rams?  Schultzy, Margaret and Mrs. Montague were all instantly familiar with Hirsch and that very colorful Rams team featured the high scoring "three end" offense (Norm Van Brocklin's 554 passing yards in a single game still stands as a record!).  The Rams were popular enough locally to be the first NFL team to have all of its games televised (pre-blackout rule, that is).

To be fair, those Rams (1951 NFL Champions) had faded out of contention by 1957, with the ensuing season bringing Hirsch's Hall of Fame career to a close.  Hirsch's appearance on LOVE THAT BOB (which aired three months before the season opener) was part of the charismatic player's plan to transition into an acting career.  He had already played himself in an eponymous autobiographical film (1953's CRAZYLEGS) and a few months after this episode would co-star as the pilot in ZERO HOUR! on the big screen (if that one sounds familar, it's the same film that inspired AIRPLANE!).

So the premise of Bob Gets Out-Uncled requires a leap of faith.  It's still amusing to see Bob's outrageous claims about his athletic abilities being punctured one by one.  Division II Drury College, now Drury University, is just a tad smaller than the Big Ten powerhouse Roy played for.  Speaking of which: Margaret identifies him as a Michigan alumni, while "Uncle Roy" says he played for Wisconsin, but neither Chuck nor Bob catches the discrepancy.  In reality, Elroy Hirsch actually played for both!

Perhaps fatigue was a factor in these inconsistencies: Bob Gets Out-Uncled was the 34th and final episode of LOVE THAT BOB's third season.  Nevertheless, this installment still provides a healthy quantity and quality of laughs.  The jokes cover familiar territory (Bob's tomcatting, Schultzy's tomboyishness, Chuck attempting to horn in on Bob's action) but the lines are even sharper than usual, with Bob's slight revision of Benjamin Franklin's wisdom probably being the best remembered quote from the entire series.  With Winston secured as sponsor for two more years, Paul Henning's creative team was set for the duration.  Cummings would remain the show's primary director and would be responsible for all but one of thirty-six episodes for the ensuing 1957-58 season.

In the end, "Uncle" Roy's advice ("live clean, and get plenty of rest") has Chuck deciding to take a bath and go to bed immediately at the end of the day.  But fear not: "Uncle Roy" never returned, and Chuck would be back to emulating his real uncle in subsequent episodes.  And why shouldn't he?  Chuck is studying to be a doctor, not aspiring to be a professional athlete.  While Uncle Bob might be a windbag who gets cut down to size in sporting competition, at the end of the day our playboy shutterbug is still the one actually making time with the lovely Ms. McClain.

WHO WAS "BLOCKING"?

Chuck tried to, but was easily dispatched by Uncle Bob.  So skillfully in fact that Sally McClain told him she was impressed, without a hint of irony.

DID BOB SCORE?

Bob has quite a suggestive opening line in this one ("7 A.M.?  Oh, honey, I've got to get home!"), but I'd still say he struck out the night before--after all, he IS home, and fully clothed in last night's tux.  However, I put his chances at eventually making hey-hey with Sally at well over 50%.  She not only said she was impressed, she looked it too:

Showing her how it's done--or Chuck?

In The Great TV Sitcom Book (1980), Rick Mitz spotlighted Bob Gets Out-Uncled as a "typical" episode.  It isn't a quintessential installment IMO, since we're missing Joi Lansing and lacking action at the photography studio.  But on the plus side, deadpan, earnest Hirsch makes a good foil and lovely Merry Anders makes her only LOVE THAT BOB appearance, getting her share of terrific lines.  The attention to detail could be a lot better, but Bob Gets Out-Uncled is nevertheless pretty funny.  Of considerable historical interest too.  (*** out of four)


Curiously, this well-known outing was one of 17 episodes completely missing from the imdb.com database.  (I've corrected that error myself--you're welcome.) It is available, along with 39 other episodes (4 per DVD) at Shokus Home Video, under the alternate title Bob Meets His Match.

Film Review: DEATH IN SMALL DOSES (1957)

"Why the Hell isn't THIS on DVD yet?" -- Number 77




CAMP CLASSIC EDITION!




DEATH IN SMALL DOSES (1957 Allied Artists) Starring Peter Graves, Mala Powers, Chuck Connors, Robert Williams, Roy Engel, Merry Anders, Harry Lauter, John Dierkes.  Directed by Joseph M. Newman.

FDA agent Graves goes undercover as a driver in training for a Los Angeles trucking company to crack a case involving the trafficking of "bennies" (amphetamines).  The bennies are being supplied to truckers for long distance runs with the result being a number of fatal accidents.  Moving into Powers' boardinghouse upon arrival, Graves doesn't have to wait long for suspicious activity.  Manic co-worker Connors seems to be on a constant unnatural high, Dierkes freaks out and attacks a Teamster brother with a meat hook, and long-timer Engel turns up dead shortly after warning the newcomer about the dangers of having pills for co-pilots.  The increasingly addicted Connors becomes Graves' new partner and unwittingly outs waitress Anders as a connection.  Meanwhile, Powers takes a shine to the "rookie" from out of town.

As a cautionary drug tale of its era, DEATH IN SMALL DOSES isn't as exploitative as HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL, but it does contain a lot more sensationalism than (say) a MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM.   Drivers are dependent enough on their "co-pilots" to have a vial in one hand while the other is on the steering wheel, and violent attacks and hallucinations occur with amazing frequency.  Typical of the era's B's from Allied Artists, it is consistently entertaining, particularly the performances.  The MVP is ex-Boston Celtic and Chicago Cub Connors.  Just a year away from his stoic signature role as THE RIFLEMAN, Connors literally can't stand still, constantly grinning ear to ear and delivering his hep patter at a mile a minute.

Connors and Graves make a fun Mutt and Jeff pair in their scenes together.  The former's nonstop animation contrasts hilariously with Squaresville resident Graves, whose woodenness is almost on the Adam West as BATMAN level.  Watching poker-faced Graves here makes it easy to see why he appeared to be having a blast in AIRPLANE! a quarter century later.

As you'd expect from pros like Graves, Powers, Connors and director Newman (Allied's THE GEORGE RAFT STORY), DEATH IN SMALL DOSES is professionally made and acted, a cut above exploitation.  Particularly unsettling is Connors' wild driving on no sleep.  Hey, that convertible suddenly forced into a game of chicken with a transport truck could be you or me!

But is it so well done that I hesitate to bestow it with the Camp Classic label?  Nah.  Not when we have pep pills inducing murderous rages.  That meat hook attack starts one workday(!) and later, such homicidal intent is even premeditated, as Connors steals a steak knife with the intent of using it later because that wheel is HIS, Baby!  Even REEFER MADNESS didn't go that far.  DEATH IN SMALL DOSES is way too competent to reach that level, but it isn't exactly Everything You Wanted to Know About Bennies but were Afraid to Ask either.  Saying it is a "hilarious howl" like TV Guide is overstating a bit, but it does provide a lot of smiles before our most entertaining addict crashes.

So.....why isn't this on DVD yet?

A low budget Allied Artists cautionary tale overshadowed by more teen-oriented and unabashedly exploitative tales from the same era, DEATH IN SMALL DOSES just fell through the cracks, never even receiving a VHS release and rarely airing on TV.

Why it should be on DVD:

Both TV Guide and The Psychotronic Video Guide call it a must-see, two sources disparate enough to provide all the references you need, right?  Fans of Chuck Connors are especially encouraged to search for this one; he singlehandedly ensures that a good time will be had by all.  DEATH IN SMALL DOSES recently had its Turner Classic Movies premiere, so be on the lookout for a repeat showing in the near future.