_______
50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 2)
_______
All in the Family
"Mike Comes Into Money"
Originally aired November 4, 1972
Wiki said:
Archie gets upset when Mike donates $275 he recently inherited from his late uncle Alex towards George McGovern's presidential campaign instead of contributing towards his room and board.
The episode opens with Edith reading to Gloria a humorous anecdote that she's submitting to
Reader's Digest about taking a ride in a cousin's car as a child, which proves to be anticlimactic. Archie and Mike come in together arguing about pollution. Mike mentions having spent three hours on the phone with McGovern headquarters...
Archie: Oh, yeah...I hear it takes a while to get through to the Kremlin.
Mike opens a letter with $275 that he inherited from an uncle, and expresses concern that the $225 that's already been taken out in taxes will be used to pay for Vietnam. The subject of what he plans to do with the money comes up, and Archie claims dibs. Mike explains that he has a deal with Archie to pay him everything he owes with interest when he's out of school, and he wants to do something special with this...buy Gloria a winter coat, and contribute the rest to McGovern. Archie blows his stack about the latter part, and Mike argues that his contribution is needed to help keep the two-party system afloat. Archie hassles Mike about eating food that he's paying for, so Gloria exclaims that she'll start paying for and making Michael's dinner.
Cut to election day, two weeks later, at which point Gloria has been sticking to her word, which results in some tension with Edith in the kitchen. Mike's now eating separately in the kitchen, where we learn that he's been secretly working nights to pay Archie the $200 that he gave to McGovern, and he and Gloria get into a fight. Archie has no interest in watching the election returns, so Michael plans to head out to watch from McGovern HQ, and a disparaging comment from Archie prompts him to hand over the $150 that he's already earned. Archie is impressed that the Meathead has actually been working, but wants the other $50.
In the coda, the Bunkers and Stivics are watching coverage of the election, but of course we don't learn the result here, as those are three days in the future.
_______
Emergency!
"Fuzz Lady"
Originally aired November 4, 1972
Wiki said:
Johnny and Roy treat a mugger with a broken leg, given at the hands of a female sheriff for whom Johnny falls. Dixie reports that several items, including Johnny's jacket, have been disappearing from Rampart. Dixie, Johnny and Roy are all responsible for Dr. Morton's cocky attitude, as Dr. Brackett learns in a conversation he has with Dr. Morton regarding this. The firefighters rescue an elderly man from his burning house, assist a grandfather who was injured by a model rocket, and rescue a boat thief trapped on a crane. Boot the dog returns to Station 51, but with the same negative attitude toward Johnny.
Squad 51 arrives at the scene of a nighttime call for an mugger who was injured in an exchange of fire when Sgt. McNamara (Nate Esformes doesn't strike me as the first person you'd cast as Irish) tried to arrest him. Sheila (Sharon Gless), the girlfriend tending to him, turns out to be an undercover officer who cuffs him to his stretcher, making an impression on Johnny.
Johnny: That's really far out.
Johnny asks McNamara about her at Rampart, where Dixie mentions that several vials of morphine have come up missing and Johnny's jacket has just joined them.
After a couple of days off, Johnny discloses that he tried to call "Lady Fuzz," but she turned him down. The station is called to a home fire, where the firefighters rescue an older man, Gus "Pop" Williams (Paul Fix), from a second-story window that it turns out he accidentally set while smoking on the sofa. At Rampart, Morton cops an attitude with the paramedics regarding Williams's vitals reading better there than they did on the scene. When Brackett asks Dixie, she diagonses a clash of egos. Johnny sees Sheila at Rampart, but she tries to avoid him because she's working undercover on the thefts...on which subject, Early reports that an echoencephalograph has come up missing. Sheila deduces a klepto on the staff.
Brackett sits Morton down and accuses him of not showing enough interest in routine cases like Gus Williams, as additional follow-up conducted by Kel revealed a partial heart blockage causing periods of confusion that resemble senility. Brackett is talking to Williams's son and daughter-in-law (Eric Server and Ellen Moss) about having a pacemaker put in when a call goes out that Williams has gone code blue. Brackett, Early, and Morton all contribute to pulling him through it, and Kel informs Bill and Donna Williams that the pacemaker is a must now.
At the station, Johnny discovers that Boot's returned, but he scurries away when Johnny tries to pet him. Squad 51 is called to an explosion in a park. A young boy named Paul (Scott Garrett) informs the paramedics that his grandfather (J. Pat O'Malley) was injured while they were launching a model rocket. The man's wife (Meg Wyllie) chastises both of them for their dangerous hobby. Back at the station, Johnny's forgotten all about Sheila as he obsesses over why Boot doesn't like him.
An orderly handling stock in the hallway catches Dixie's interest as she's heading to the Williams operation. Gus comes to in the operating room right after they test the newly installed pacemaker with a catheter, which doesn't scan right for me. Afterward, Dix reports to Sheila that they haven't hired a new orderly in weeks and the deputy arrests him in the parking garage, having Johnny temporarily hold her gun and Roy put the cuffs on him.
Some time later Johnny relates to Dixie how Sheila asked him out, but his interest in her waned when she arrested a purse snatcher on their date. The squad and engine are called to a rescue on a drilling platform. On the scene, recurring deputy Vince Howard reports that the victim is a suspect who was spotted trying to steal a boat with an accomplice operating a crane, which now his him pinned against the tower. The paramedics climb up the crane to get to him, where he explains how it happened. Chet finds that the crane is malfunctioning, but moves the rig a few feet to free the suspect, who's lowered via a pulley and harness. On the ground, the suspect expresses his appreciation to the paramedics.
_______
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
"But Seriously, Folks"
Originally aired November 4, 1972
Wiki said:
Mary tries to help out when her new boyfriend, the station's "Chuckles the Clown" writer, quits his job in order to fulfill his lifelong ambition of performing as a stand-up comedian.
Mary is seeing Chuckles writer Wes Callison (Jerry Van Dyke), who has a novelty newspaper headline made up following a date. But he finally has enough of the indignities of his job and quits. Mary gets the idea to try employing him for a "lighter side" spot on the news and has him shoot a demo for it, but Lou doesn't think that it's right for the program, and leaves it to Mary to break the news to Wes. Wes shows up at Mary's place while just Rhoda is there and gets it out of her.
Wes subsequently lands a stand-up gig at a lounge in a bowling alley. The newsroom crew and Rhoda attend his debut, which bombs due to his increasingly timid delivery as bowlers start to walk out. Lou follows a crying Mary into the ladies' room to comfort her, with expected awkwardness as other patrons come and go, and informs her that Wes's old job with Chuckles is still open to him. They go back out and Lou keeps some bowlers in their seats via intimidation.
In the coda, Wes gives an encore performance for just Mary.
_______
The Bob Newhart Show
"Father Knows Worst"
Originally aired November 4, 1972
Wiki said:
Howard is crushed when his son Howie prefers spending time with Jerry.
Howard returns from a flight to Japan to learn that his ex needs him to take his son, Howie. Howard is concerned with getting Howie to like him, given the relatively small amount of time that they're together. After Jerry gets turned down by Carol, Howard shows up at the office with Howie (Moosie Drier) following a trip to the circus (with a spool of cotton candy stuck to Howard's turtleneck), and the father and son go to lunch with Bob and Jerry. Jerry and Howie bond discussing a basketball game that Howard missed, and after Howie asks Jerry to take him to the bathroom, Howard frets that he's lost his son.
Howard has to arrange for the Hartleys to watch Howie because he's been called to sub on a flight to St. Louis. Lois Borden (whose name Howard repeatedly fails to recognize; Alice Borden) shows up while Howie is in the bedroom during a game of hide and seek, and then Howard returns, having not been needed after all. Howard discusses his insecurity about Howie with Lois, who informs him how much his son looks up to him, and Lois lets Howard keep Howie longer than planned.
_______
Mission: Impossible
"Movie"
Originally aired November 4, 1972
Wiki said:
Barney poses as a director making a film about an unsolved murder committed by a Syndicate money man (John Vernon) in order to get ahold of Syndicate financial records.
John Brent (William Smith) strongarms Pantheon Studios head Henry Packard (Douglas Henderson), now in the Syndicate's pocket, into formally signing over control of the studio...following which Packard is tossed from the studio rafters anyway, which is passed off as a suicide. Brent reports success to Norman Shields (John Vernon), who in turn reports to Benjamin Dane (David Brian). Dane informs Shields that he'll be sending his younger brother Theodore (Rhodes Reason) to run the studio, to Shields's chagrin.
The miniature reel-to-reel tape in a lab filled with caged mice and rabbits said:
Good morning, Mr. Phelps. Norman Shields controls a major criminal operation which has been infiltrating the entertainment industry. Shields has been using illegal funds, supplied by the chief Syndicate money man, Benjamin Dane. Dane recently loaned Shields ten million dollars to take over Pantheon Studios. Theodore Dane, Benjamin's brother, will be flying to Los Angeles in the next few days to head operations at Pantheon. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, will be to locate and seize the Syndicate financial records held by Norman Shields--records detailing exactly how criminal money is being funneled into the entertainment industry. With this information, the entire Syndicate can be smashed. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.
The scheme involves Barney posing as the producer/director of Pantheon project
Portrait of a Murder, with Mimi as an unknown actress starring in the film; and relies upon the convenience that Theo Dane and Shields have never met. Mimi brandishes her script on Theo's flight, catching his interest. He introduces himself and comes on strong about the perks of being her new boss. Jim and Danny Moore (Jerry Douglas), Dane's man whom he assigns to covertly keep an eye on Theo, are also on the flight. As passengers disembark, Jim knocks out Theo with his ring and he's snuck off the plane in a food truck.
Barney, doing a vaguely English accent, has an interview with Brent about the film project. He meets Mimi at the airport, and introdues Jim to Brent as Theo Dane. Moore watches with interest and has Jim paged via phone to verify that he's posing as Dane. The IMF intercepts a call from Moore to Benjamin Dane about what he's learned, with an operative billed as Dave Waley (Walker Edmiston) imitating Dane. Moore then tries to put a hit on Jim outside the studio lot, which Mimi foils long enough for security head Heath (James Whitworth), who works for Brent, to shoot Moore dead. (I might have missed it if I hadn't read about it on IMDb, but a tightly shot studio extra is briefly glimpsed in another
Star Trek red shirt.)
Shields is furious when he sees the script, as it appears to be based on a murder he was involved with back east, and he's put a lot of effort into rebuilding his reputation on the West Coast. Jim as Theo dismisses Shields's concerns, so Shields calls Benjamin, who advises that he rub out Barney, the source of the problem. The IMF swaps in their voice guy mid-call to determine that Shields plans to use a bomb. The IMFers can't find it until Jim realizes that he was ushered off the set as the film was being loaded in the camera, which he calls Barney about. Barney feigns a tantrum to have the set cleared, following which the explosive film cannister goes off.
Willy fills in for Shields's usual karate sparring partner, and stuns Shields long enough to replace his sidearm with one rigged by Barney to shoot a blank with a remote. Fake Drunk Theo confronts Shields on the set about trying to off Barney and threatens to expose him with evidence that he brandishes. Shields pulls his gun and Barney triggers it from the rafters. Shields takes the envelope and splits, and Unconscious Real Theo is swapped in for Jim and given a shot that will make him appear to be dead. Shields discovers that the envelope contains an offer to buy out his interest in the studio, so he instructs Brent to help him cover up the murder. Mimi subsequently confronts Shields about seeing him kill Theo. Film of the faked murder, with Jim shot from behind (Theo also conveniently having similar hair), is dubbed with the IMF's man doing Theo's voice.
Benjamin Dane comes to L.A. because of his brother's fake death--a major piece of the IMF's plan, as he doesn't normally travel west of Chicago. Benjamin has Mimi brought in and she testifies that Shields killed Theo. Then the film of the murder is screened, which includes an introduction by Barney. The dubbed Theo audio has him offering to buy Shields's interest in Pantheon when Shields shoots him. Benjamin orders Shields to hand over his financial records, which are contained on a microdot in his watch. Dane leaves Shields in the theater with his heavies only to be intercepted outside by Jim and Willy, who relieve him of the watch.
Emergency!'s Ron Pinkard plays Barney's set assistant.
_______
I'm fairly sure I recall Dan getting involved in the "theme routine" on occasion.
Are you sure you don't mean Dick? (Not that I recall that offhand either.)
