Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
Happy Days
"The Not Making of a President"
Originally aired January 28, 1975
Paramount+ said:
Election time becomes complicated for Richie when he gets a crush on a girl campaigning for Adlai Stevenson. His dad's an avid Ike booster.
The premise places this week's episode squarely in 1956 (roughly contemporaneous with the sixth season of
M*A*S*H).
Richie's skeptical about Potsie and Ralph manning a Stevenson campaign booth outside of Arnold's as a way to pick up chicks; but also working the booth is a girl he's trying to get to go out with him, Debbie Hauser (Stephanie Steele), whom he learns is president of the Junior Democrats for Stevenson...so Richie expresses an interest. At home, Richie talks to his father, who's very serious about the family's tradition of voting Republican, and Eisenhower in particular, going back to when Ike hosted Thanksgiving for the GIs, which included him. Richie nevertheless finds himself volunteering for the Stevenson booth.
Ralph: If Debbie Hauser had shown up in a bikini, she could have converted me to socialism.
The downside is that all Debbie wants to talk about is Stevenson, and Richie's homework on the candidate just causes her to recruit him to give a rally speech outside of Arnold's.
Howard, who's annoyed by young Stevenson supporters plastering his car (and sometimes back) with bumper stickers, learns of Richie's choice and is outraged that his son's going against the family party, which he associates with peace and prosperity, in contrast to the warmongering Democrats. As they argue politics, it becomes a matter of principal for Richie that he should be free to make his own choice. Chastised by Marion for his narrow-mindedness, Howard reluctantly attends the rally, and finds himself defending his son against a pro-Ike heckler; while his Republican pride deflates somewhat when the Ike-supporting speaker turns out to be Fonzie. Fonzie nevertheless manages to attract most of the crowd--including Potsie and Ralph--over to the Ike booth for free food and drinks.
At Junior Democrat HQ on election night, Debbie's so devastated that she declares she can't date Richie, as it would painfully remind her of Stevenson's loss. Fonzie drops in because he figures that the chicks there need him more; while Howard visits to console Richie, whom he declares has become a man.
Howard: Well, I wouldn't worry, there'll be other Debbies.
Richie: I hope not.
Back at home in the coda, Howard learns that Marion voted for Adlai.
It just occurred to me while watching this one that Howard would have already been married with at least two of the kids when he served. Whether Joanie was born during or after the war would depend on the season taking place at a specific point in the '50s, which it clearly doesn't; and whether Joanie's supposed to be 12 at this point regardless of what year the episode takes place in.
Could Chuck have gone to serve in Korea, thus causing
M*A*S*H's time loop?
Ironside
"The Organizer"
Didn't air January 30, 1975
IMDb said:
A mobster from New York arrives in California offering to organize local gangsters for a piece of their action. Ironside's team goes undercover to stop him.
Harry Blocker (Pernell Roberts) arrives at his hotel somewhere that's flying distance from Frisco, accompanied by his lawyer, James Raskin (Harry Townes), and a henchman named Lacey (Todd Martin), and is outraged to learn that the presidential suite isn't available. He goes up to see the current occupant--the Chief, who's undercover as Ben Woodward (apparently in livestock, as he repeatedly mentions stockyards), with Fran posing as his daughter. (Granted the baddies are from out of town, but it always stretches credibility when the Chief goes undercover.) "Woodward" offers to flip over the suite, with Blocker losing and relenting when he sees that the Woodward isn't easily bullied.
Lt. Reese (Johnny Seven returns in the show's 13th hour!) picks up a couple of underworld types named Joey Martinique (Mitch Davis) and Jack Dubin (Steve Marlo) so that Mark and Ed can pose as them to attend a meeting in Blocker's suite, where he makes his proposition. Ed and Mark not being recognized by a room full of local talent is promptly handwaved away. Reese has trouble keeping his two real McCoys on ice, having to move them around to avoid lawyers. When Sheriff Harrison (Jim Chandler) comes to the hotel to keep the manager, Mr. Rainey (Jack Manning), from blowing things by having the hoodlums kicked out, the Chief has to show his badge and let the manager in on the operation.
When Blocker has the individual hoodlums called in to discuss their arrangements, Ed holds out, while mentioning that he's been invited to a poker game by Woodward, which Blocker is motivated to attend, along with Raskin and Mark. The Chief determines that his quarry can be bluffed when he motivates Blocker into folding with a straight, then angers him by showing off his own worthless hand. The manager calls to tip off Ironside about a woman (Barbara Rhoades) arriving for an adjoining room that the real Jack Dubin had reserved, so Fran rushes down to intercept her by pretending to be a woman Jack's already got staying with him.
Ed continues to anger Blocker by stalling him for an unacceptably high percentage. Then "Martinique" holds out for whatever Dubin's getting. Raskin talks Blocker out of taking violent action, so Blocker sends Lacey on a flight to Frisco to dig up dirt on Dubin and Martinique that can be used to turn them on each other. This alarms the team, who further get a call from Reese that the lawyers have caught up with his prisoners, which moves up their timetable to a handful of hours. Rainey subsequently notifies them that Blocker's been getting multiple calls from Frisco. Raskin sees Ed to try to negotiate a more reasonable percentage; while Blocker offers his support in helping Not Martinique take over Dubin's organization.
Blocker watches from his window as Mark makes a show of stabbing Ed and dumping him in the concrete-enclosed, chlorine-treated drink. When the "body" is found with accompanying commotion, and Mark returns, Raskin is outraged and tries to call a higher party in New York, only for Blocker to push him so that he receives a fatal head injury. The state police arrive and take him into custody.
In a coda poker game at the Cave, the Chief expresses his regret that their operation against Blocker went in an unexpected direction...while winning sans bluffing with four kings. Also in the 13th hour, the Frndly recording isn't cutting off the ending anymore.
I think it's reasonable to speculate that the name of Roberts's character was an homage to a deceased former co-star, whether it was on the part of him or the writers.
"Come on, Chuck, talk to me. You don't want me to use the can opener again, do you?"
Oh, best
Happy Days ever!
The Chief's got a Black Box.
Beg pardon?
Well, he was probably drunk and almost certainly didn't care.
He earnestly described the click-clacking sound he heard coming and going, but couldn't figure it out.
That would be a great plot for the Diana character-- mixing up some internal conflict and conflict with Team Ironside.
She was cooperating with them for the short time she had Robbins as a client.
Well, sex and fever... hey, who's the old man here?
But sex is being used as an adjective. It's a specific type of fever, and it doesn't make sense to say somebody has "the sex" instead of "the sex fever," or "a sex" instead "a sex drive".
Did you ever see the episode where Edith dies? That was a heartbreaker.
I recall them opening the season with her already having died, and Archie still coping with it; specifically him having a poignant talk with her side of the bed.
