115--The Good Neighbors
Aired:
Synopsis: Noticing how unfriendly fellow apartment building dwellers are, Buffy longs for some Indiana-style friendliness. Buffy and Jody try going door-to-door to talk to their neighbors, but they meet with only suspicion. Buffy decides to throw a let's-be-neighbors party for the whole building in the lobby, but despite much effort on the kids' part, nobody comes. Later, when an elevator gets stuck, a group of neighbors work together to solve the problem and comfort each other. Before Buffy and Jody can serve them left-over party refreshments, though, the problem is solved and the neighbors retreat back to their urban anonymity. Commentary: In it's simple way, this is one of the best later episodes of the series. It's a great Buffy episode because she actually gets to do something--I used to develop these idealistic causes as a pre-adolescent, too, so Buffy's behavior seems realistically age-appropriate for a change. I also love the fact that the kids don't win anybody over with their charm. Instead, they have to learn to appreciate the peculiar charm of city life and its moments of spontaneous friendliness.
Guest Cast: Mrs. Eldridge: Irene Hervey. Mr. Alcott: David Brandon. Mrs. Alcott: Susan Crane. Alicia: Cynthia Niles. Mr. Maxwell: Olan Soule. Mr. Tobin: Lou Krugman. Mr. Sanderson: Gene Barton.
Continuity Notes: References to Indiana, of course. Inconsistency Alert: One neighbor has a guard dog--wonder if he's a prize-winning show dog or if the new apartment manager has loosened the pet policies. Also, Buffy's sudden, intense longing for Indiana friendliness seems odd since other late episodes imply that the kids have forgotten much about their lives in Terre Haute.
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116--Desert Isle - Manhattan Style
Aired:
Synopsis: While Uncle Bill is out of town, French has the chance to visit a cousin in Washington, D.C. Uncle Bill says it's okay, since Cissy is trustworthy enough to watch the kids overnight. Soon after French departs, Gregg shows up with an irresistable offer for Cissy: a pilot friend will fly them to Dartmouth for the winter carnival. He persuades Cissy to hire a baby-sitter for the kids, and Cissy and Gregg leave Buffy and Jody to wait for the sitter. She soon calls and says she can't make it, so Buffy and Jody realize they'll have to stay all alone until late until the night. Scared but trying not to show it, they decide to "baby-sit each other." They do a good job, with Jody taking charge at first and tucking Buffy into bed, then Buffy taking on a maternal role when Jody develops a stomach ache in the middle of the night. Around 2 a.m., they realize Cissy hasn't returned. Unbeknownst to them, the East Coast is paralysed by a sudden blizzard, and down phone lines have prevent Cissy from calling. They fall asleep in front of the TV until Cissy returns home around dawn. When Uncle Bill returns that night, Buffy and Jody don't tell him what happen, but Cissy confesses. Surprisingly, he's not mad, and he says Cissy's has been punished enough by having to think about what could have happened in her absence.
Commentary: I remember the terrifying, thrilling feeling of being allowed to stay alone until late at night (not all night), so I find this episode pretty entertaining. The ending is anti-climactic, though. Sure, Cissy feels guilty, but I would think that Bill would display at least a momentary burst of temper at such an out-of-character lapse in judgment.
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Guest Cast: Gregg: Gregg Fedderson. Helen: Ronne Troup. Larry: Rick Gates. Abby: Carolyn Stellar. Troup is probably best remembered as Polly on My Three Sons. She appeared on many other shows, including The Partridge Family and several episodes of Emergency!, on which her father Bobby Troup had a regular role. Her career has continued through a regular role on Knot's Landing in the '80s and appearances on E.R. and The Practice in the '90s.
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117--Eastward Ho
Aired:
Synopsis: When the family dines at the Chinese restaurant of Bill's old friend Eng Ho, they learn that Ho is planning an arranged marriage with a young woman due to arrive from Hong Kong. The Davis family offers to put his bride up for the month leading up to the wedding. Cissy takes pretty Ming Lee under her wing, shows her around college and outfits her in Western style clothes. Though Cissy's dubious, Gregg even arranges for a friend to escort Ming Lee so the four can go out together. Before long, Ming Lee is in love with her escort Mike Wong. Cissy confides the situation to Uncle Bill, who is unsympathetic. He insists that the family attend a tea ceremony in honor of Ho and Ming Lee's marriage the following day, but when Ming Lee breaks down at the party, Bill convinces Ho that letting Ming Lee stay in America would be a better way of "saving face" than shipping her back to Hong Kong. When we next see Ho, he is working on getting a genuine girlfriend of his own.
Commentary: I'm not high on Ho, and the ickiness of contemplating a forced marriage between him and a girl half his age makes the episode's resolution satisfying.
Guest Cast: Eng Ho: Benson Fong. Ming Lee: Irene Tsu. Gregg: Gregg Fedderson. Mike Wong: Brian Fong. This is Benson Fong's third FA appearance and his second as Eng Ho. Both Tsu and Brian Fong appeared in the 1988 miniseries Noble House.
Fun Facts: The kids are planning to join Uncle Bill on a trip to Africa.
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118--Meet Emily
Aired:
Synopsis: The kids are beginning to chafe under French's strictness. Buffy and Jody wonder when they'll be old enough not to need watching, and Cissy objects when French kicks Gregg out at 11 p.m. Bill thinks that French, used to leading a staff in England, needs an outlet for his take-charge ways. Coincidentally, Bill soon hears his office cleaning lady, Emily, talk about wishing she had a day job to help support her son through medical school. Bill hires her to "help" French a few days a week, but French is appalled by the idea and insists he doesn't need help. He clashes immediately with tart-tonged Emily, who calls him "Frenchie" and takes frequent coffee breaks. She's also more liberal with the kids, who take to her right away. Eventually, French feels like either he or Emily must go, and without hesitation the kids say he must stay--he's part of the family. He goes to Emily's modest apartment to fire her but is moved by her obvious pride in her son and can't do it. At episode's end, we see French and Emily are getting along better and he has lightened up on the kids.
Commentary: As family shows age and kids get older, it's not unusual for new characters to appear. Usually, that means littler, more adorable kids. I'm not sure what the powers that be were thinking in introducing the character of Emily. While Nancy Walker's certainly a talented character actress, Emily is like fingernails on a blackboard in the refined, gentle Davis world to which we've grown accustomed.
Guest Cast: Fred: Wayne Heffley.
Continuity Notes: Duke of Glenmore reference.
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119--The Return of Maudie
Aired: 10/15/70. Directed by:
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120--It Can't Be Five Years
Aired:
Directed by: Charles Barton.
Synopsis: Buffy, Jody and Cissy realize that the fifth anniversary of their arrival in New York is fast approaching. They plan a surprise party for Uncle Bill, who forgets the anniversary and goes straight from the office to catch a flight to Washington, D.C. The kids are disappointed but decide not to make Uncle Bill feel guilty by saying anything. Upon his return, it's up to Emily to gently remind him of the special date. Better late than never, the party finally takes place.
Commentary: This is a fun continuity-fest, complete with flashbacks to the kids' arrivals.
Guest Cast: Elaine: Elizabeth Dunne. Man: Len Hendry. Senator: J. Edward McKinley. McKinley must have had a statesman-like air. As here, he played a senator in 1962's movie Advise and Consent, and his other movie roles included a mayor (1965's The Ghost and Mr. Chicken), a councilman (1972's Disney TV movie The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City) and a governor (1970's There Was a Crooked Man). He also appeared in various roles in many episodes of Bewitched. Hendry, on the other hand, was typecast as a policeman in everything from Perry Mason to North by Northwest.
Continuity Notes: The whole episode speaks to my favorite Family Affair quality--the way the kids' origins are never forgotten.
Inconsistency Alert: Actually, it's been just over four years since the pilot aired.
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121--Travels with Cissy
Aired:
Synopsis: Gregg has made a little money, and Cissy decides they should marry right away. With a reluctant Gregg in tow, she makes the announcement to a bemused Uncle Bill. He's headed out to Hollywood to do some work with a movie studio and decides to take the kids with him to get Cissy's mind off Gregg. At first it doesn't work--she's already writing letters to him on the plane. But when Bill takes her to a studio party, she is quickly smitten with Western star Steve Hunter, a rugged free spirit. Bill's colleague warns that Steve is not domestic; in fact, he's known by the damning nickname "king of the kooks" around the lot. Realizing that he's made things much worse for himself, Bill calls Gregg and pays his way out to California. Cissy tells Gregg she's in love with Steve, and he's such a Steve Hunter fan that he's happy for her! When Cissy and Steve drive to Malibu and park in his car in the moonlight, he proposes flying off to Acapulco to get married. She said no, she tells Uncle Bill, because she has realized Steve's irresponsible.
Commentary: Fickle Cissy strikes again. Gregg and Cissy's marriage plans are amusing since it's obvious neither of them is really serious, and it's fun watching Bill dig himself into a far more dangerous situation than he would ever face with the harmless Gregg.
Guest Cast: Steve Hunter: Aron Kincaid. Bob Griffin: Walter Brooke. Gunslinger: Chuck Hicks. Director: Fred Villani. Gregg: Gregg Fedderson. Brooke, who had a long film and TV career, delivered the famous line "Plastics" to Dustin Hoffman in 1967's The Graduate. Along with small acting roles in many movies, Hicks has also done stunts in several films of the 1980s and '90s. Kincaid had a regular role for one season on that Family Affair forerunner Bachelor Father. Lately, he has done cartoon voices for such shows as Batman: The Animated Series.
Fun Facts: It appears that the Davis family is staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Continuity Notes: Sharon is mentioned. Uncle Bill's refers to his five years as a parent.
Notable Quotes: "Children, there will be no conking on school property!" French
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122--Stamp of Approval
Aired:
Synopsis: Nine-year-old Jody seems to be showing a premature interest in girls. He's desperate to make Geraldine Haskins like him. He tries to develop a good "line," visits a baffled Geraldine at home and repulses her over lunch with his interest in worms. Meanwhile, Uncle Bill is wooing a woman whose foundation is considering hiring Bill's firm. Hearing about the Jody situation, she suggests that he may have an ulterior motive for his interest in Geraldine. Jody finally admits that he does--he wants a stamp that Geraldine has for his own collection. When he gives up trying to make her like him, Jody and Geraldine begin to discuss stamp collecting and develop a genuine friendship. She even gives him the stamp he likes, but he returns it because he's come to like Geraldine more than the stamp. Bill's lady friend chooses another engineering firm, but Bill still wants to be friends.
Commentary: An interesting exploration of romantic ethics--watching Bill uncomfortably recognize the similarities between his situation and Jody's is entertaining. I hope Jody develops a better line than Bill's "You're much too pretty to be the director of a research foundation." Ugh.
Guest Cast: Claudia Wells: Lee Meriwether. Geraldine Haskins: Lisa Gerritsen. This the second FA appearance for both Gerritsen and Meriwether.
Continuity Notes: There's a stickball reference.
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123--And Baby Makes Eight
Aired:
Synopsis: When Cissy brings home a pregnant friend from college who needs a place to stay, the baby makes an early arrival.
Commentary: French is certainly still squeamish about reproductive matters. He feels the mere presence of a married pregnant woman will be bad for Buffy and Jody.
Guest Cast: Linda Kaye Henning is instantly recognizable as Betty Jo from Petticoat Junction. She was the daughter of Junction producer Paul Henning and ended up marrying her co-star Mike Minor. He was the son of FA creator Don Fedderson and the brother of Gregg Fedderson, who appears regularly on Family Affair as Gregg.
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124--Say Uncle
Aired:
Guest Cast: Danny: Tony Campo. Audrey: Patti Cohoon. Tom Richards: Clint Howard. Mr. Richards: John Lawrence. Steve: Randy Whipple. Cohoon was a regular on the early 1970s series Apple's Way. Coincidentally, FA writer John McGreevey and writers and story consultants Austin and Irma Kalish wrote for that show. Clint Howard is Ron Howard's brother. He starred in the '60s series Gentle Ben, and among his many early roles, he voiced Roo in two Winnie the Pooh movies that Sebastian Cabot narrated. He's continued to have an active movie career that has recently included roles in both Austin Powers movies.
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125--Class Clown
Aired:
Guest Cast: Girl: Lisa Gerritsen. Miss Harris: Sarah Selby. Gail Spencer: Joyce Van Patten. Van Patten is Dick Van Patten's sister. She was in the cast of Danny Kaye's 1960s TV variety show an and Mary Tyler Moore's ill-fated 1970s one. Her film roles have included I Love You Alice B. Toklas!, Making It, The Bad News Bears, St. Elmo's Fire and the TV movie Breathing Lessons. Her most recent TV appearance was on Now and Again in 1999.
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126--Unsinkable Mr. French
Aired:
Cast: Dana Markham: Marj Dusay. Dr. Terrell: Henry Hunter. Mr. Parker: Karl Lukas. I love Marj Dusay! She appeared regularly on Facts of Life as Blair's mother and played wonderful rich, devious matriarch types on the soaps Capitol, Santa Barbara and Guiding Light. She's currently on All My Children.
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127--Wish You Were Here
Aired:
Guest Cast: Mrs. Lacey: Ellen Clark. Miss Pringle: Florence Lake.
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Mr. Bradley: John Lormer. Mrs. Mallory: Sarah Selby. Mr. Thompson: Vaughn Taylor. Hmm. Lake appeared on a memorable Mary Tyler Moore episode in which Lou ended up on a date with an older lady. Lormer appeared on another MTM episode in which Mary dated an older man.
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128--Feat of Clay
Aired:
Synopsis: Uncle Bill's current flame is an expert on pre-Colombian art. She gives him a valuable 800-1,000 year old artifact as a gift, which the twins take to school for extra credit and break on the way home. When they are unsuccessful at repairing the primitive-looking statue, they manage to copy it with their own clay (must have found a type they're not allergic to). When Uncle Bill's girfriend unknowingly displays the forgery at the Wyndham Gallery, patrons are impressed by its "crude strength...barbaric sense of life." She even receives an offer to purchase it for $500. The kids finally come clean before Miss Mason puts the statue on display at the Metropolitan Museum. Uncle Bill finds the situation funny, but his girlfriend is not amused. Feeling bad about making their uncle's relationship go "pffft," Buffy and Jody visit Miss Mason, and this time they're able to put the pieces back together.
Commentary: The art patrons' reactions to the kids' work are pretty funny. Uncle Bill seems amazingly laid back about the kids' behavior. I can't quite figure out why the twins are so concerned about Uncle Bill's love life--no woman ever lasts longer than a week with him anyway.
Guest Cast: Nancy Mason: Julie Parrish. Woman: Adele Claire. Man: Carleton Young.
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Aired: 12/31/70. Written by: Stanley Roberts. Directed by: Charles Barton.
Synopsis: While playing in the park, Jody befriends a young boy named Bobby whose uncle turns out to be a pro football player, Ken Granger. Jody develops a case of hero worship for the Spartans' star quarterback. He starts wearing the shaving lotion Ken advertises, writes Ken's number--24--on his sweatshirt and hangs up an autgraphed picture of Ken (inscription: To my team mate, Jody Davis, from Ken). Jody gets a rude awakening when he hears on TV that the football commissioner is investigating Ken for betting on his own team to win. At first, Jody doesn't believe the charges, but when Ken admits the truth and is suspended for a year, Jody avoids him and tears up his picture. Uncle Bill has a talk with Jody about dealing with the fact that people won't always behave the way we want them to. Jody decides to be a friend to Ken and has him autograph another picture.
Commentary: Well, this is the Family Affair I love. Any other show of its time would use a real athlete and a simple hero-worship plot. Only Family Affair would allude to corruption in professional sports. The lesson about forgiveness is nice. I do feel sorry for Bobby, though--he's ignored when the kids idolize his uncle, excluded when they turn against Ken and he gets a baby sister instead of the brother he wanted.
Guest Cast: Ken Granger: Larry Pennell. Bobby Granger: Leif Garrett. Willie: Randy Whipple. Mike: Donald Livingston. Richie: Miguel Monsalve. Sportscaster: Bill Baldwin. Leif Garrett was quite the teen pin-up when I was growing up in the 1970s. His movies include the Walking Tall films, Skateboard and The Outsiders. He also starred in a short-lived 1975 TV adventure series called Three for the Road. His sister was child actress Dawn Lyn, Dodie in My Three Sons. To learn more about Garrett's tempestuous life, look for the VH1 special about him. Pennell appeared as Clark Gable in 1980's Marilyn: The Untold Story, 1989's Another Chance and a 1993 episode of Quantum Leap.
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130--Nobody Here But Us Uncles
Aired:
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131--Too Late, Too Soon
Aired:
Synopsis: Romance is in the air at the Davis household, and Emily is promoting it on one front while trying to kill it on another. She plays matchmaker for Mr. French and Miss Faversham by setting up a date between them for Cissy's college Mardi Gras. But when her intern son Jim falls for Cissy and invites her to the event--after Cissy learns Gregg is taking someone else (Jody: "We didn't even know he knew anyone else.")--Emily protests. Cissy and Uncle Bill jump to the conclusion that Emily feels Jim isn't good enough for Cissy. (This is a pretty condescending assumption, but maybe Cissy's experience with the other Mr. French and his nephew colored their thinking.) Cissy is understandably hurt when Emily says the truth is closer to "the other way around." As it turns out, Emily is afraid romance will interfere with Jim's career. Cissy and Jim decide to stay "on the edge" of anything serious.
Commentary: A nice episode with some good one-liners. I'm not wild about Emily, but her conflict with Cissy makes her more interesting than usual in this episode. Buffy and Jody seem ridiculously fond of doing dishes.
Guest Cast: Jim Turner: Peter Duryea. Miss Faversham: Heather Angel. Peter Duryea's father was actor Dan Duryea.
Fun Facts: Cissy's college Mardi Gras raises money to send underprivileged children to camp. Tickets cost $2.
Notable Quotes: "We happen to live in a society where the son of a cleaning lady is every bit as good as the niece of an engineer." Cissy
Emily, on the possibility of romance between her and Mr. French: "You don't send a lemon to sweeten up a pickle."
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132--The Littlest Exile
Aired:
Synopsis: Buffy and Jody are playing hide and seek in the park when they meet a boy with an accent and a nervous "mother" who won't let "Johnnie" play with the Davis children. The next time they all meet up the park, Mr. French vouches for the kids to the reluctant woman, and she agrees to bring Johnnie to dinner at the Davis apartment. Uncle Bill is instantly taken with "Elena White" and makes a date with her despite her hestitation at leaving Johnnie for an evening. Uncle Bill finds Elena mysteriously silent about herself, and French and the kids start to notice strange inconsistencies about Johnnie. For example, his fine silk robe is monogrammed JF. He thinks Jody's room is small, but he and his mother live in a tiny apartment are apparently too poor to have a telephone. Jody also observes as, after being tucked into bed, Johnnie gets up and barricades the door shut. The next day, Uncle Bill and the kids find that Elena and Johnnie have moved from their apartment. The two show up at the Davis' in the middle of the night, and Elena finally tells the truth--Johnnie is the son of a president of a Carribean island nation that has just experienced a military takeover. Elena is protecting Johnnie--actually Juan--and has learned that military agents in New York are planning to take the boy hostage. Uncle Bill agrees to protect Juan, which leads to a scary situation for Buffy and Jody when two men follow them home from school the next day. They turn out to be emissaries from Juan's father, who is back in power. Juan and Elena can safely return to the presidential palace, though Juan says he likes the Davis apartment better.
Commentary: This has all the classic Family Affair elements. Buffy and Jody encounter a child of a different background, the audience is kept guessing about what's really going on and a suprisingly somber situation is at the heart of things. I also like the contast between Buffy and Jody's hiding in play and Juan's problem. A few elements jar, however. Elena's accent is inconsistent, especially in her first scene with Cissy. Juan's accent is consistent but doesn't seem right for the citizen of an apparently Spanish-speaking country. Elena is so secretive that it doesn't seem likely that she would blurt out her story in front of the children. And I don't really understand who Elena actually is. An employee of Juan's father? Does Juan have a mother? Also, in the current editing, Jody knows that Johnnie's real name is Juan before he's told.
Guest Cast: Elena: Sarita Vara. Juan: Radames Pera. Superintendent: Charles Lampkin. Man: Joseph Benti. Eddie: Mike Durkin. Miss Faversham: Heather Angel. Lampkin and Benti both had small roles in 1981's S.O.B. Pera was quite active as a guest on 1970s TV shows, in which he played such interesting-sounding roles as "runaway plague victim" (The Interns), "Italian polio victim" (The Rookies) and "OJ Simpson's recovery mate" (Medical Center). He also played the young Caine on Kung Fu.
Fun Facts: Cissy is taking political science and chemistry (which she liked as far back as episode 10).
Inconsistency Alert: The Davis family lives on the 27th floor, but Buffy and Jody take the elevator to the 16th floor.
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133--Put Your Dreams Away
Aired:
Synopsis: Cissy is excited when Russ Brooks, a boy she idolized in Indiana when she was a sophomore and he was a senior, calls her. He's in New York on his way to a Peace Corps assignment in Chile. To Gregg's dismay, Cissy and Russ hit it off, and soon Cissy's angling to join the Peace Corps. Uncle Bill provides her with some realistic information--few 18-year-olds are accepted and the acceptance and training process would take more than a year. Russ and Cissy come up with another plan--they will marry and go to Chile together. Uncle Bill, though concerned that they are rushing things, approves. But reality sets in for Cissy when she realizes she'll have to forgo her dream wedding, not to mention seeing her family for two years. She breaks the engagement, and soon she and Gregg are going out to celebrate his first solo lube job.
Commentary: Another Cissy romance, which is a favorite theme of the fifth season, begging the question: Who would Cissy end up with? Jim Turner is probably the best catch (though I wouldn't particularly want Emily for a mother-in-law), but I have a certain sympathy for Gregg, who's treated rather badly in this episode. It's unusual to have a real-world entity like the Peace Corps make an appearance in the Davis universe. Jody's delight at the thought of a land with no baths is rather amusing.
Guest Cast: Russ Brooks: David Ladd. Gregg: Gregg Fedderson. The son of actor Alan Ladd (and one-time husband of Cheryl Ladd), David Ladd appeared in several western movies and TV shows in the late fifties. He continued to be fairly active in films through the 1970s. He was a producer on the 1999 feature film The Mod Squad.
Continuity Notes: Many references to Indiana, and Buffy and Jody again express their fear of family separation.
Fun Facts: Cissy's ideal wedding vision includes an ivory gown and Buffy as flower girl. Gregg still works part-time at the gas station. Jody is not skilled at memorization.
Inconsistency Alert: This episode highlights a persistent inconsistency about the kids ages. We know that the kids have been in New York for slightly more than five years (see It Can't Be Five Years), and in the early episodes, Cissy's age was clearly established as 15, which would have consistent with her having left Indiana as a high school sophomore. But these facts are clearly at odds with her stated age of 18 in this episode.
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134--The Joiners
Aired:
Synopsis: The episode opens with Buffy depressed. Jody belongs to a club called the Daredevils, but Buffy can't join her club of choice, the Mod Maidens, because she is a year too young according to the Maidens' "main rule." Uncle Bill tries to convince Maidens founder and president-for-life Shirley to bend the rule, then offers to build the group a clubhouse on property his firm isn't using. Shirley agrees to the deal and the condition that it is to be kept secret from Buffy and the other girls. Buffy is thrilled to be a member, but Cissy pushes her to run for secretary against long-standing member Carol. When challenged, Carol begins to question why Buffy is a member at all, and Shirley blurts out the truth. Buffy is devastated. Even after the girls make amends, she insists on abiding by the rules and waiting to join the club, which is still able to meet in the clubhouse. Meanwhile, a subplot finds Jody kicked out of the Daredevils because a chastened Uncle Bill won't build his group a clubhouse.
Commentary: Buffy shows a lot of integrity in this episode by insisting on playing by the rules. Her understanding of Uncle Bill's good intentions also reveals maturity. It's a nice little touch that Uncle Bill is also revealed to belong to a club. Pamelyn Ferdin is appealing as Shirley.
Guest Cast: Shirley Dixon: Pamelyn Ferdin. Carol: Kathleen Richards. Pete: Scott Garrett. Alan Dixon: Tony Fraser. Mr. Cooley: William Challee. This is Pamelyn Ferdin's fourth Family Affair appearance. Scott Garrett is also appearing for the fourth time. Tony Fraser first appeared on Family Affair in season two. He will make one more appearance. Kathleen Richards has worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist.
Fun Facts: Uncle Bill has won first prize in a golf tournament. The Mod Maidens' motto is "Mod Maidens, Mod Maidens, sturdy and tall; Mod Maidens, Mod Maidens, one for all." Buffy is good at arithmetic and has excellent penmanship.
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Aired: 2/11/71. Written by: Walter Blank. Directed by: Charles Barton.
Synopsis: Emily surprises everyone by announcing that she won't attend son Jim's graduation ball, which Jim is attending with Cissy. Emily confides to Buffy and Jody that she has no date, can't dance, has no suitable clothes and, in short, doesn't want to embarrass Jim. Buffy wants to play fair godmother to "Cinder-Emily." While discussing the situation with French, the kids realize that the ideal escort he describes is none other than himself. They prod Emily to ask him, while French, onto the kids' plan, becomes so nervous around Emily that he asks her himself. He promptly comes down with the flu and all seems lost, until Uncle Bill delays a trip to escort Emily himself.
Commentary: Emily-centered episodes don't especially appeal to me. While we see how Emily gets her escort, it's left a little vague as to how she acquires the proper clothes and dancing ability. French actually recommends that Jim wear a powder-blue jacket to the ball! I guess even a man as proper as French couldn't rise above 1970s fashion sensibilities.
Guest Cast: Jim Turner: Peter Duryea.
Fun Facts: Buffy is described as "a born nurse." Emily mentions Dustin Hoffman and Paul Newman, a rare reference to real people in a Family Affair episode.
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136--Goodbye, Mrs. Beasley
Aired:
Synopsis: An older girl, Wynn, convinces Buffy that she's too old to play with Mrs. Beasley. Buffy reluctantly consigns the doll to the closet but soon begins talking about Mrs. Beasley as if she is truly a real person. Uncle Bill, understandably concerned, seeks professional guidance. As it turns out, however, Mrs. Beasley is a real person--a little old lady (and toy store proprietor!) that Buffy found in the phone book and sought out for guidance. Mrs. Beasley's sound advice is that Buffy should not be pressured into giving up her doll before she's ready, so the other Mrs. Beasley comes out of the closet (so to speak).
Commentary: A nice Buffy episode. Of course, it's contrived that Buffy could find such a dead ringer for her doll just by letting her fingers do the walking. This would have been a good choice to be the series finale.
Guest Cast: Wynn Carter: Kym Karath. Dr. Joan Blanton: Lori Nelson. Mrs. Beasley: Georgia Schmidt. This is Kym Karath's third Family Affair episode. Lori Nelson played Rosie in two Ma and Pa Kettle movies and starred in 1950s B movies like Untamed Youth and Hot Rod Girl. She also starred in Revenge of the Creature, a sequel to The Creature from the Black Lagoon that included Family Affair guests John Agar and Nestor Paiva in its cast. Georgia Schmidt appeared in the original Star Trek pilot, which didn't air until 1988. (Family Affair guest Peter Duryea was also in the cast.)
Continuity Notes: This episode stresses Mrs. Beasley's role as a mother figure in Buffy's life and echoes other episodes where the twins' mental states come into question.
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137--Buffy's Fair Lady
Aired:
Synopsis: Chubby, aloof Angela has a crush on Jody. Buffy befriends the girl and tries to play Pygmalion by putting Angela on a diet and orchestrating a boy-girl party for Angela to attend after another party-giver snubs her. Buffy bribes Jody to provide boys for the party, which quickly degenerates into the boys playing marbles while the girls look on forlornly. (Buffy: "It's not a boy-girl party...it's a boy-boy, girl-girl party.") Cissy arrives and energizes things by persuading the kids to dance, and Buffy ups the ante in her deal with Jody to get him to dance with Angela. Instead, he bribes a friend to dance with her, and Angela is devastated upon learning the truth. Buffy and Jody make up with her on the playground, and Angela learns that if she wants friends, she needs to act friendly.
Commentary: I like the (perhaps unrealistic) message that it's not Angela's weight but her standoffishness that keeps her from having friends. Victoria Meyerink has a nice comic delivery as Angela. I don't know what kind of music Cissy is playing, but the kids' dancing is adorable. I only wish we got to see Buffy and Jody cut a rug.
Guest Cast: Angela Clayton: Victoria Meyerink. Janet: Erin Moran. Kenny: Teddy Quinn. Mary Ann: Lori Loughton. Howard: Sundown Spencer. Bill: Kerry MacLane. This is the second Family Affair appearance for MacLane, Quinn and Moran and the third for Meyerink and Spencer.
Notable Quotes: Angela, on Jody: "When he looks at me, I could just die...except he never looks at me."
Buffy, to Angela: "Maybe you're fat on the outside, but inside you're just as skinny as everybody else."
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138--You Can Fight City Hall
Aired:
Synopsis: Buffy and Jody and Ricky, a friend from a low-income neighborhood, stumble upon a vacant lot with an abandoned car. They envision the place as a place for kids to play, and they work hard to make their vision a reality. They clean things up, plant flowers and create such attractions as a zoo featuring two cats and a rabbit. Nearly as soon as their work is done, however, the city announces plans to build a parking lot in the space. This development reinforces the cynical, defeatist views of Ricky's cabdriver father. Buffy and Jody, though, maintain hope and write the mayor a moving letter. Meanwhile, Uncle Bill comes up with a plan for underground parking with a play park on top.
Commentary: It's sad to see the series come to an end when it still seems viable.
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