Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
Happy Days
"The Cunningham Caper"
Originally aired January 21, 1975
Edited Wiki said:
Richie stays at home sick while the rest of the family take in a movie. When he hears noises downstairs, he finds himself face to face with a burglar who forces him to help gather up the family's valuables.
Richie's bored in bed while recovering from the Asiatic flu that was going around in 1957 and being nursed by his mother, but is craving some solid food rather than the Jell-O she's serving. Fonzie sneaks in his window with magazines (including a
Playboy) and arranges to borrow Richie's car for a date at the drive-in in exchange for bringing him a pizza. When Potsie and Ralph visit, looking for an opportunity to screen a film of French sunbathers that Potsie ordered on the Cunninghams' projector, Richie convinces the family to proceed with their plans to see
This Is Cinerama (from 1952). As Richie's waiting for the guys to come back after nightfall, he hears noises, goes downstairs, and is confronted in the dark by a burglar (Herb Edelman).
The burglar is well-informed enough about his victims to know what show the Cunninghams went to, but didn't know Richie was home sick. Threatening Richie with an unseen gun in his jacket, the burglar has Richie take him to the valuables, starting with silver, including an unused set that the kids chipped in for as a 10th anniversary gift to their parents (said to be one of the last mentions of Chuck). When the guys finally show up, the burglar hides in the closet while Richie tries unsuccessfully to signal them about him, until he finally reveals himself. (It seems like Richie could have easily made a break for it out the door prior to that.) The trio ends up locked in the upstairs bathroom, where Potside discovers that he got ripped off, the film being of clothed volleyball players. They try to make some attempts to escape and call the police, including having Ralph climb out the window but get caught in the tree, and Potsie spraying himself in the face with shaving cream meant to blind the burglar.
When the burglar takes the guys downstairs to help him carry the loot out, Fonzie arrives at the door with the pizza. Richie tries to signal him as well, eventually just whispering in his ear. Fonzie calmly walks over and wedges a chair under the doorknob. He remains calm as the burglar threatens to blast his way out and the guys hit the deck...Fonzie being street-savvy enough to know that burglars wouldn't want to be charged with armed robbery. The guys settle in to enjoy their pizza.
When the folks get home, disappointed with the show, Richie nonchalantly tells them how the guys left after the police picked up the burglar, but Howard assumes that he's delusional with fever...though he and Marion subsequently find their belongings gathered in the living room.
Ironside
"A Matter of Life or Death"
Could've aired January 23, 1975...but didn't
Wiki said:
A woman accidentally kills her lover, but her unscrupulous lawyer won't let her confess.
The unaired-in-original-broadcast episode opens with said shyster, Sam North (Harris Yulin), getting a gangster named Laszlo off the hook for murder by selling it as self-defense. The Chief gives him a lecture about conning a jury of good people to believe a lie in order to put a killer back out on the streets. Even North's assistant, Alex Benton (Sam Chew Jr.), questions how he doesn't let morality get in the way of winning his cases.
By night, an old friend that Ironside's expecting, Elliott Gaynor (Warren Stevens), is having an argument in the park with the woman he's seeing behind his wife's back when he's in town, Susan Harmon (Penny Fuller), who's unsatisfied with their situation. When she tries to push him away, he takes a tumble down some stairs and busts his head, motivating her to flee the scene as a vagrant approaches. When she sees a headline about North's latest victory, she gives him a call, having previously been more-than-socially acquainted with him. When they meet, he advises her against turning herself in as she's inclined to do, and encourages her not to let the matter bother her.
The Chief tells the team how he was seeing Elliott's wife Laura when Elliott beat his time and swept her off her feet. Then he sees a piece in the paper about an unidentified body and checks into it to find that it's Elliott, whose body was found robbed of valuables. The Chief and Fran fly out somewhere to see Laura (Whitney Blake) so he can break the news to her and apparently bring her back with them. In Frisco, the police pick up the vagrant who lifted the valuables, Billy Joe Robbins (Bert Remsen), who insists that he didn't kill Gaynor. Susan goes to see North about this unexpected development, not wanting an innocent man to take the heat for her, but the lawyer insists that she's in too deep now, and expresses his willingness to deny having advised her.
The Chief and Ed go to talk to Robbins, whose public defender is Diana Sanger, and he guilelessly tells them how he found the body, initially assuming that the man was drunk or asleep. The Chief questions Laura about what Elliott might have been doing at the park that night. Ed turns up that Elliott was rumored to be seeing somebody in town. After North assures Susan that Robbins will probably get off for lack of evidence, in court Alex Benton approaches the judge about his firm taking over Robbins's defense, which the team finds to be fishy, as this sort of client doesn't match North's usual high-profile M.O.
The Chief goes to question Robbins about anything he may have heard that night before finding the body, and he remembers a sound that the Chief deduces was a woman in heels running away. When the Chief confronts Laura with the possibility that Elliott was meeting a woman, she admits to knowing of an affair that she thought was over, which included tailing her husband and seeing the woman, such that she's able to point Ironside to Susan (apparently a fashion designer), whom he goes to confront. North is arguing Robbins's defense in court when the Chief bursts in with Susan, who confesses.
In the Cave coda, we learn that Laszlo's being brought in on another charge while North will be busy defending himself. Laura drops in to tell her old flame how she plans to make a new life for herself.
The episode seems both too simple in its plot and too simplistic in its message. It's eager to villainize lawyers who get guilty parties off the hook while never even waving a hand in the direction of the right to defense or attorney/client privilege. At least we got to see Diana doing her own job, however briefly.
All in the Family
"Amelia's Divorce"
Originally aired January 25, 1975
Wiki said:
A surprise visit from Edith's cousin Amelia and her husband reveals some things about their marriage.
NOTE: Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers do not appear in this episode.
IMDb reminds me that the DeKuypers have appeared before, though they've been recast for this episode. Archie's enjoying his Sunday paper when Edith reminds him that they're coming for a visit, which is a rude surprise to him as he'd ignored her previous notices. Archie's jealousy of Russell's success in the plumbing business comes out.
Archie: Rich people oughta keep quiet about their money. In fact, I think they oughta be a little ashamed of it. Y'know, take your Nelson D. Rockefeller there. He was so, whaddyacallit, modest about it he wouldn't even tell the Congress how much he had, they hadda drag it outta him.
Edith, by contrast, sees her cousin's marriage as idyllic, noting how Archie hasn't called her "honey" or "sweetheart" for years.
Archie: Listen, there's an old saying--you don't keep runnin' after you catch the bus.
Amelia and Russell (now Elizabeth Wilson and George S. Irving) arrive bearing gifts from a recent trip to Hawaii, with Archie proving correct in his prediction that Russell would drop the price of the vacation within 30 seconds of walking in the door. Edith gets a mumu, while Archie gets a Hawaiian shirt.
Archie: This could be the wallpaper at a f** bar.
While Russell and Amelia make a show of marital happiness, Amelia mentions how he's been spending a lot of nights and weekends at the office. When Archie tries to skip out to Kelcy's, Amelia volunteers Russell to accompany him. Once they're alone, as Edith waxes about how romantic the DeKuypers' marriage is, Amelia drops the bomb that they may be getting a divorce. Edith gets comically uncomfortable as Amelia tells her that Russell's caught the "sex fever".
At the bar, Russell orders a Harvey Wallbanger, which Kelsey has never heard of, as well as drinks for a pretty young blonde sitting alone at a table. Archie reminds Russell that he's married and tells him to act his age.
Russell: After twenty-five years, marriage is like a box of Cracker Jacks with no surprise in it.
Archie: What's the matter with just the Cracker Jacks?
Russell then gets on the subject of his "wild" 24-year-old secretary.
Russell: You know what she calls me?
Archie: "Grandpa"?
When Archie brings up the possibility that Russell may be headed for a divorce, Russell opines that Archie and Edith are stuck with each other.
Archie: Let me tell you somethin'...I ain't lookin' for no greener pastures, 'cause Edith is green enough for me. I like bein' stuck with her!
When Russell asks about the girl, Kelsey informs him that she's his daughter-in-law; which gives Archie the opportunity to throw Russell's extramarital nickname in his face.
Archie: Back to the zoo, tiger.
Meanwhile, in the Bunker kitchen, Edith recommends talking things out with Russell, and gets uncomfortable again when Amelia shares that it's been months since she and Russell have been...together. Contrary to expectation, Amelia expresses envy of Edith's happy marriage, and makes her cousin very uncomfortable when she probes her for the secret to her success, which she assumes has to do with the Bunkers' sex life.
Amelia: Do you see pinwheels and skyrockets and fireworks like the Fourth of July?
[Long pause during which Edith's bewildered look turns into a sheepish smile.]
Edith: With me an' Archie, it's more like Thanksgivin'.
After the guys return, Russell insists on leaving early because he has a load of work to catch up on that night. Once the Bunkers are alone, Edith probes Archie for what he talked about with Russell, but both keep what they've learned to themselves, though Edith drops a benign hint that Archie takes the wrong way.
Archie: Are we gonna see them again on the Fourth of July!?!
When he can see that Edith's upset about what she's not telling him, Archie closes the episode by reaching over the end table and affectionately taking her hand.
I remember watching it, but it didn't catch my fancy. I don't really care much for either Richard Crenna or Bernadette Peters.
The latter is surprising, given your love of the movies she was in.
