Several credit changes mark the beginning of season 3; Rupert
Holmes is now listed as series creator and also as co-producer starting with
episode 3; Howard Meltzer shares executive producer credit with Paula
Connelly Skorka (the series production company is now also listed as Howard
Meltzer Productions, Inc.). Thomas DeWolfe is listed as the supervising producer.
C.J. Byrnes has also been shifted from a guest cast credit to the regular closing
cast list.
- 1. "In the WENN Small Hours..." (originally telecast
08/16/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Howard Meltzer.
- Betty must keep Victor's
reappearance a secret, not only from the staff, but from an old acquaintance of
his, a world-famous explorer visiting WENN to do an interview on Agitato
Alert, Eugenia's all-night series. (31'25")
- Guest Cast: Mr.
Medwick: Bob Dorian. Cutter Dunlap: Malcolm Gets. Victor Comstock: John
Bedford Lloyd.
- Episode Notes: A well-balanced blend of comedy,
intrigue, and appealing romance--and a stunner of another cliffhanger--complete
with the prerequisite (by now) Wizard of Oz references, as well as many
references to previous episodes. Malcolm Gets is a delight as Dunlap, especially
during his wild-eyed scenes, and John Bedford Lloyd and Amanda Naughton simply
glow as Victor and Betty rekindle old flames. It's a treat to have Mary Stout
back; Eugenia's scene with C.J. and her bewildered reaction to Cutter Dunlap's
assertions are both priceless.
- But oh, that cliffhanger...
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: The entire episode takes
place during Agitato Alert, sponsored by
Pennsylvania Pantry, but the series is cancelled by the end of the night.
- Episode Trivia: The night shift engineer's name is
Lester (and he appears to be quite the ladies' man).
Cutter Dunlap has agreed to do an exclusive radio report about his latest
adventures in Northern Tibet for Pittsburgh Pantry. His books include Lost
on the Congo Line, The Sand and I, A Nomad in Nairobi, and Cutter of
Calcutta. He met Victor before he left New York; Victor had asked Cutter to
do an audio travelogue of his journeys called Sounds Dangerous. During a
radio interview, Hilary at first tells Eugenia she was born the same day as the
Big Crash (which would make her 12), and then on the same day as the "big crash
of the Titanic (which would make her 29).
- Some of the "big changes" Victor and Betty hoodwink Cutter Dunlap
with: men now wear nylons (they are warmer and cheaper than long johns); General
John J. Pershing is President of the United States (Greta Garbo is
vice-president and the White House was relocated to Kansas for defense purposes);
insect life ("lunar ticks") was discovered on the dark side of the moon;
Studebakers run on tap water; Canada and Mexico have joined to make the Divided
States of North America; jazz has been prohibited in the US (except in Vermont);
and there are edible eating utensils. (Also, the Andrews Sisters and the Marx
Brothers are the same people.)
- So Where HAS Victor Been?: Victor tells Betty
that after the explosion he found himself at the edge of the debris; he got up
and walked away, finally boarding a double decker bus on Regent Street (he told
the conductor he was going to Madison and 52nd) and collapsing. Hospitalized at
Charing Cross Hospital, he regained consciousness 10 days later. Because
he was presumed dead and had no close living relatives, the military talked him
into working undercover as Jonathan "Benedict" Arnold, an embittered American
broadcaster passing anti-American and anti-Allied propaganda for the German
shortwave service (Mackie refers to him in "Magic"). He is back in the States only briefly to complete his final briefing with
military intelligence (the Nazis think he is wrapping up his personal affairs)
and is endangering himself by returning to WENN to tell Betty he is alive...and
other things. He leaves Betty with a key to the strongbox hidden in his desk; it
contains the code name and phone number of the person who knows the truth about
Jonathan Arnold.
- And in a startling revelation, he reveals he has never heard of
Scott Sherwood...
- Back
Together At Last:
- {C.J. has just
walked back into the studio}
- Eugenia
{surprised}: "C.J., what are you doing here? This is Lester's shift.
- You should be
home by now."
- C.J. {removing
his coat}: "I was having a welsh rarebit at the Buttery when
- the
coin phone rings and, surprise, it's Lester, who says he's indisposed
- due to
injuries received while fighting for a lady's honor. Apparently she
- wanted to keep
it."
- Eugenia {warmly}:
"Good for her! And for us, too, C.J. We haven't
- worked together
in months!" {C.J. smiles} "I really do miss the daytime,
- you know--playing
for the afternoon dramas, and being with the gang...
- sometimes I feel
like one of those strange creatures who rises at sunset
- and sleeps at
dawn--what do they call them?"
- C.J.: "They call
them your listeners."
- 2. "Prior to Broadway" (originally telecast
08/23/97)
- Teleplay by Rupert Holmes. Story by Rupert Holmes and Emily Whitesell.
Directed by Richard Shepard.
- Hilary views a new play, The
Bell of Babylon, written by aspiring--and egotistical--playwright
Euripedes Moss to be a ticket to Broadway for her and Jeff--if they can agree on
how to "play" it... (28'57")
- Guest Cast: Euripedes Moss: Harry Hamlin. Mr.
Sweet: Louie Zorich. Edna Sweet: Peggy Cass.
- Episode Notes: The Holmes wordplay comes fast and
furious in this funny outing, with Harry Hamlin playing the consummate egotist
who makes Hilary look almost demure. Another piece of the Scott Sherwood puzzle
posed last week almost seems intrusive--if it wasn't such an interesting clue.
One regret: there wasn't more done with Hilary's homemaker role in Home Sweet
Home--watching the Lady from Broadway cope with a pickled beet would have
been a sight to behold. Eugenia, by the way, gets the hands-down award for best
line in this episode...
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Father Fenton and Sister
Marissa (and Brother Paul) are featured in an unnamed series that seems to take
place in a Catholic church. The Sweets, owners of what sounds like a chain of
hardware stores, Sweet Supplies, sponsor Home Sweet Home, a series in
which Hilary gives domestic advice (although Hilary herself is far from
domestic!). In the works is a series called Calico Jones, Detective--about
a feline sleuth, with Hilary in the title role.
- Episode Trivia: Giles
Aldwych has sent Euripedes Moss to see Hilary and Jeff (the name of Aldwych's
school apparently has been changed to the "Aldwych Dramatic Academy"). Mr. Sweet
is from Babylon, Long Island. Moss will be writing copy for the Sweets' first
supply catalog, which he plans to call The Taming of the Screw.
- A Clue in the Scott Sherwood Mystery: Betty
retrieves Victor's referral letter--which Scott
apparently has read--from his personnel file; at the end of the letter is a
reference that sounds a lot like Scott's "Oh, will you look at the time"
catchphrase. Did Scott actually write the letter himself?
- Who Was
That Masked Woman?:
- Eugenia {hurrying
into the Green Room}: "Are you ready, Hilary?"
- Hilary
{panicked}: "Jeff was right, I was wrong!"
- Eugenia
{stunned}: "I'm sorry ma'am. I thought you were Hilary Booth."
- 3. "Who's Scott Sherwood?" (originally telecast
08/30/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Juan Jose Campanella.
- After Rollie Pruitt orders a surprise audit on the WENN
books, Scott is fired, and the entire staff rallies to his side--save Betty,
whose encounter with Victor has left her unable to defend him.
- Guest Cast: Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman. Miss
Cosgrave: Audrie Neenan. Moving Man: Mike Danner. (29'00")
- Episode Notes: The last 6 1/2 minutes of this
episode are pure dynamite--again O'Rourke and Naughton pack an emotional wallop
on par with "Radio Silence." (Both of them have
standout scenes of their own as well: Betty's grim interview with Pruitt and
Scott's revelation during his dismissal.) The staff's solution to the Pruitt
problem echoes back to "A Capital Idea," but with
a dark twist suitable to the mood of an episode marking Scott's departure as
station manager (although it's considerably less "fun"). Jonathan Freeman earns
the rank of WENN's Moriarty with his chillingly gloating portrayal of Pruitt.
(Check out the engraving on the wall behind Pruitt in Scott's dismissal scene;
is that meant to be Scrooge?) The music in this episode is by Paul Schwartz, and,
yes, that is Pachebel's Canon you hear in the background during part of
Pruitt's opening scenes. Doug Thompson is
mentioned.
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: The Masked Man,
a Western reminiscent of The Lone Ranger, stars Mackie as the mysterious
Masked Man (guest characters this episode Miss Susannah the Schoolmarm and
Ezekiel were portrayed by Maple and Jeff, respectively)--he's later unmasked and
no one cares. Bedside Manor, The Hands of Time, and Colonel
Moore at the General Store are temporarily brought to an end as well.
- Episode Trivia: Scott claims he was a
semi-professional tailback for the Brattleboro (Vermont?) Bobcats, and, to get
the staff to quit offing programs, tells them he has a new job at NBC, in charge
of West Coast programming. The inscription on the book of limericks (quoted from
by both Mr. Eldridge and Betty in "Magic") reads:
"To Tom, My old friend, who makes all logic as clear yet as surprising as a
limerick. Victor Comstock."
- So, Who IS Scott Sherwood?: Scott confesses to
Betty that, as an out-of-work promoter, he met Victor for the first time in a
London pub. The mails were slow, so he offered to take the book of limericks
Victor had bought for Mr. Eldridge back to Pittsburgh with him. He was interested
in getting into radio, and Victor had spoken at length about a "sweet" and
"smart" girl named Betty Roberts, so he created the
referral letter and forged Victor's name using the inscription in the book
of limericks. He had not intended to stay at WENN long, but after Victor's death
felt he had to keep the station afloat.
- A Complete
Nightmare:
- {Maple, Hilary,
and Jeff wonder how to cope after Scott asks them not to
- intervene in his
behalf}
- Maple {stunned}:
"So how do we undo the damage we've done to the
- shows? We've
burned down Bedside Manor, unmasked the Masked Man..."
- Jeff {equally
stunned}: "Well, we can say...it was all a dream..."
- Hilary
{sarcastic}: "'It was all a dream'? That's the stupidest idea I've ever
- heard."
- {They pause to
consider}
- Hilary
{pragmatic}: "Shall it be your dream or mine?"
- 4. "The New Actor" (originally telecast 09/06/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Joanna Kerns.
- Jeff's resolve to return to the BBC
for a few weeks of broadcasting leaves Mackie exhausted from playing every male
role, so auditions are held to find a substitute. (26'19")
- Guest Cast: Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman.
Auditionee: John Harrington Bland. Bad British Actor: Steve Prudenz. Mime Artist:
Bill Bowers. Voice of Jonathan Arnold: John Bedford Lloyd.
- Episode Notes: The biggest surprise in this episode
isn't Scott's return as performer, but John Bedford Lloyd's off-camera
performance as the stridently Western Jonathan Arnold, who's (naturally) about
as far away from Victor as one can get. (But Betty will give that game away if
she's not careful.) A funny, funny episode with situations piling on
situations--it begs for multiple viewings to get all the jokes (Supper with
Hilary Booth [during and after], Mackie, Mr. Foley, all of
Mr. Eldridge's material, the "shirt" and "handcuff" scenes--just to name a
few.) (Hmmm, wonder if they serve piña coladas at that "bar called
O'Malley's" that Jeff hangs out at? <g>) The reprise segment at the
beginning is notable as well.
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Sam Dane, Private
Eye makes a return appearance, with Jeff (and Mr. Eldridge) in the
starring role, Maple as his female sidekick, and Mackie doing the remaining
roles--Mugsy, the Weasel, the Ox, the Professor, and FBI agent Bradley; the
sponsor is Flintlock Lighters. Following is Supper with Hilary Booth (this
week featuring the music of Eddie King and a recipe for crab cakes). The Hands
of Time and Sherlock Holmes (Armchair Detective?) are also reprised.
(Holmes is sponsored by the Bonsoir Demitasse, whose ads are voiced by Mackie as
Pierre Duval.)
- Episode Trivia: Jeff likes to have a drink
occasionally at O'Malley's bar. He once played Harry Houdini in a production called
Portrait of the Escape Artist as a Young Man.
- Out of
Tune:
- {Gertie is eating
a sandwich and Eldridge reading the paper as the radio
- plays in the
background}
- Maple
{voiceover}: "Now stay tuned for Supper with Hilary Booth,
- coming up next
on WENN Pittsburgh."
- Gertie {in
distaste}: "Supper with Hilary Booth...while I'm eating."
- {Hilary speaks
in background}
- Gertie
{continues}: "Tom, would you mind changing the station?"
- Mr. Eldridge:
"Change the station? Oh, my, I don't even know where I'd
- begin. We could
use some more dance music, I know that."
- Gertie {still
eating}: "No, I mean change the tuning."
- Mr. Eldridge
{slightly irritated}: "Of course the music has to be in tune."
- "Come On,
Mackie, Tell Us What You Really Feel...":
- {Betty and Mackie
are in the office with Pruitt; Betty is hoping to get him a
- raise}
- Pruitt: "Mr.
Mackie Bloom."
- Mackie {stiffly}:
"That's what my friends call me, but you can call me that,
- too."
- Pruitt: "As you
know, the enterprising Mr. Scott Sherwood has departed
- WENN-"
- Mackie: "Yes,
well, you can't win them all."
- Pruitt
{continues}: "-and I, for the time being, will serve as business manager
- for this
station."
- Mackie {icily}:
"Well, you can't win them all."
- 5. "Two for the Price of One" (originally telecast
09/13/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Juan Jose Campanella.
- In a money-making move, Miss
Cosgrave signs a contract that requires the WENN performers to provide
programming for another station, WEEP, along with their own. (26'44")
- Guest Cast: Miss Cosgrave: Audrie Neenan. Chuck
Crowley: Lee Wilkof.
- Episode Notes: This may have to rate as the WENN
with the most bizarre ending!--the juxtaposition of the two songs is inspired as
well as hilarious. But there are some equally inspired character bits: Miss
Cosgrave's "classroom" (anyone read lips? What did Mackie whisper to Hilary, and
what is Mr. Foley complaining about when Eugenia steals his thunder?),
Scott's interpretation of Simmons the Gardener on Bedside Manor; Gertie's
potato enthusiasm, C.J.'s "breakdown"...never mind, it would take too long to
list them all and we'd just miss Thomas Eldridge with the News. Meanwhile,
love must be in the air at WENN... Note: I want to hear all of "Strong and
Silent."
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Bedside Manor has
an inadvertant sponsor in Torbor Brothers Floorists, when Scott trades a mention
on the air for having the floor revarnished in Studio B?), but its regular
sponsor, Ingrams Coffee, is also heard from. Two Can Live as Cheaply as One
seems to be a two-character drama, now starring Maple and Scott. Bella's, an
Italian restaurant in Monroeville, sponsors Thomas Eldridge With the News, Series heard of or from again: Young Doctor Talbot (Scott in the title role,
Hilary as Head Nurse Treadwell, Maple as Nurse Robbins) and Valiant Journey, plus two new series heard, Racing Results Down the Homestretch and Cafe
New Orleans. And of course there's Gardening with Gertie...
- Episode Trivia: Scott and Maple have apparently
"performed together" before, but not on radio; they have a mutual acquaintance
named "Blinky" Morgan. (Early in the episode Scott makes a reference to leaping
into action when he hears the words "Lights! Camera! Action!"--is this a hint of
a possible past as a movie actor?) Scott was working on a loading dock before
returning to WENN and he knows someone at WTN in Philadelphia. (Or as a
broadcaster?)
- "Holmes Watch": Rupert Holmes is one of the singers
of "When the Saints Go Marching In/Deuschland Uber Alles" in the final scene.
- Something
in the Air, Part I:
- {Mr. Eldridge
bustles in, carrying a box, as Betty rants about Scott's
- tardiness for his
role}:
- Mr. Eldridge:
"Doughnuts, anyone?"
- Betty: "Mr.
Eldridge, I need you."
- Mr. Eldridge
{taken aback}: "Well I'm sure it's...uh, spring fever."
- Betty: "No, I'm
putting you on."
- Mr. Eldridge:
"Oh, Betty, why do you toy with me like this?"
- No Love
Lost:
- {Miss Cosgrave
is officially introducing herself to Hilary, Mackie, Mr. Foley,
- and Eugenia}
- Miss Cosgrave
{loftily}: "Well, as you know, it is my great honor and
- privilege to
serve as Mr. Pruitt's right hand."
- Hilary: "No, I
believe you serve with the left and take away with the right."
- Miss Cosgrave
{frowning}: "I'm sure you're misunderstanding."
- Hilary {archily}:
"I'm sure we'll have one."
- Something
in the Air, Part II:
- {C.J. is
monitoring both WENN and WEEP at the same time}
- C.J.: "It's not
as hard as you might think, Betty. I'm listening to our station on
- the speaker
and monitoring the other broadcast on my headphones."
- Betty: "Gee, I
would think that would be like trying to pat my head and rub
- my tummy {she
does so as she says these words} at the same time."
- C.J.
{glancing with interest at her actions}: "Ah, that would be a lot more fun
- for
me to do."
- {Betty
stops, realizes, as does C.J.}
- C.J.
{embarrased}: "Oh, gosh...I mean...sorry."
When is WENN?: Mr. Eldridge mentions the sinking of the British ship
Hood by the German battleship Bismarck, which dates this episode
as on or after May 24, 1941.
- 6. "The Importance of Being Betty" (originally telecast
09/20/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes and Leon Seidman. Directed by Michael Tuchner.
- After Betty is offered a job at
The New Yorker, the cast tries to convince her they can get along without
the many things she does for them--and Mr. Pruitt gleefully takes over the
writing of scripts. (29'33")
- Guest Cast: Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman. Fred
Hanson: Julian Gamble. Guy Darcy: Reathel Bean.
- Episode Notes: Some quiet and nice commentary
about families--especially the ones we pick for ourselves--in an episode that
could be thought of as WENN's version of This Girl's Kinfolk. Jonathan
Freeman has some marvelous moments as Pruitt (one might think the man's heart
occasionally does do more than circulate blood), and the sociopolitical
commentary that runs through his scripts is especially funny. One sees a new
series in the offing here: Eavesdropping With Gertie. <g> You can
see an echo of the endings of both "On the Air"
and "The First Mrs. Bloom" in Betty's solution
to the Bonneyville Mills "cataclysm."
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: This Girl's
Kinfolk, taking place in the little town of Bonneyville Mills
(Mr. Eldridge is Grandpa, Hilary is Becky, and Maple her sister Trish;
Mackie is the town banker), is the main focus of this episode. Wilson's Watches
(owner: Wallace Wilson) presumably sponsors WENN's time check. It's the
first appearance of Is Something Burning?, a cooking series. Betty is
working on a one-man show about Abraham Lincoln for Scott (who wants to sell
it to Jake Abraham Lincoln/Ford for sponsorship). Although the series is not
cited, the program Maple (as Gwendolen) and Hilary appear in is Valiant
Journey (no, "the untrustworthy Gwendolen" didn't have a French accent
first time round), and Young Doctor Talbot and Amazon Andy are
also mentioned. Two potential sponsors are Fred Hanson from Purity [Motor]
Oil and Guy Darcy of Virginia Malt Vinegar (Hilary wants to use them as
sponsors for a series called Salad Days featuring her as a struggling
young actress in New York). Hanson actually wants to sponsor a comedy about
two mechanics called A Barrel of Grease Monkeys, but it's Darcy who
wins Hilary with his idea about swapping his vinegar for her performance of
Shakespearean readings. (How appropriate!)
- Episode Trivia: One of the highlights of Betty's
schooldays was the delivery of The New Yorker.
- He's
Starting to Make Sense:
- {Gertie's just
told most of the cast about Betty's job offer}
- Scott: "It's
funny. Every fiber of my being tells me to use my greatest skills
- and scams to
trick Betty into staying..."
- Hilary {leans
forward}: "...and yet?"
- Scott: "Who said
anything about 'And yet?'?" {grins}
- Mr. Eldridge: "I
remember a saying I first heard at the Great Wall of China–"
- Maple
{impressed}: "You've been to China, Mr. Eldridge?"
- Mr. Eldridge:
"No, that's the name of a restaurant just down the block from
- me. {pause} The
saying went something like this: 'If you set a bird free, and
- it doesn't
return, it wasn't yours to begin with. But if you set a bird free and it
- returns--it's
probably a homing pigeon.'"
- Hilary: "There's
a wonderful lesson in that story, Mr. Eldridge. And it is that
- we must never let
you tell us another story."
When is WENN?: In Is Something Burning? Mackie mentions the day
as being the anniversary of the start of the War of 1812, which puts the
date at June 1, 1941. (The title of the show is also probably meant as
an inside joke, as it was in the War of 1812 that the British burnt the
White House.)
- 7. "Mr. & Mrs. Singer" (originally telecast
09/27/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Richard Shepard.
- Already upset because she has been
unable to speak to Jeff in almost a month, Hilary doesn't know how to react when
she hears that a "Mrs. Singer"--Jeff's mother?--is asking to see her. But the
surprise goes beyond that... (29'33")
- Guest Cast: Pavla Nemkova: Karen Travis.
- Episode Notes: A showcase for Melinda Mullins, who
takes Hilary from high-horse to heartbreak with effortless skill. Hmmm, one gets
the feeling Scott isn't taking his performances seriously... Producer Trevor
Zanish? A play on "Darryl Zanuck," perhaps? Oh, look, there's that oft quoted
"Rumanian queen and the elephant" joke again... More mysteries abound--what
has happened to Jeff, and why on earth would he really do this?--to carry
us into future episodes. (Jeff's letter reads, in part: "Life is too short. I
have to learn who I really am. Pavla's like no other woman I've ever- ...only
pray we can stay caring, loving friends."--which sounds, BTW, like an echo of one
of the lines Hilary performs in "Radio Silence.")
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: The Hands of Time
opens our episode (with Brent's amnesia on the prowl again), and Daphne, Leonard,
and Philip of Valiant Journey make a return engagement. Hilary is
Prudence, Scott is Jeremy, and Mackie appears as Father O'Brien in an unnamed
drama, and A Woman's View on the News, Colonel Moore at the Country
Store, and a new show called Latin Lunchtime are mentioned.
- Episode Trivia: Celia Mellon's movie, Amorous Airwaves, opens at the Rialto (Celia
won't appear at the Pittsburgh premiere as she's already working on another
movie). It is presumed from Gertie and Hilary's dialog about Jeff's mother that
she is foreign, most probably French. Hilary's line to Pavla also implies Jeff
has a brother. Pavla's Certificate of Marriage says she and Jeff were married at
Caxton Hall, Westminster (while Hilary and Jeff's marriage in Matamoros was
performed at the Casa de Siesta by what Pavla terms "the local meat
inspector").
- "Like
Adding Nitro to Glycerine":
- {Hilary rails
to Scott after his performance in The Hands of Time}
- Hilary: "..[a]nd
what is all this about politics?"
- Scott: "Great
idea, huh? I'm dying to do a show about smoke-filled rooms,
- back room deals,
power brokers going for broke! It might pep up some of
- this romance
gunk."
- Hilary {grimly}:
"Listen, I demand that henceforth you stick to the script.
- Stick, stick,
stick! You stuck up stuffed-shirt Sherwood, spoiler of scripts!
- You stick to it
or I'll stick it to you in so many places you'll feel like a damn
- pincushion at a
darning convention."
- Scott
{flattering}: "You know, just the fact that you can pronounce all that
- serves to remind
me how much I can learn from a seasoned pro like yourself."
- Hilary {not
falling for it}: "Go ahead. Go ahead, call me 'Hildy.'"
- Scott: "But your
name's Hilary...I admit that sometimes I slipped and called
- you 'Hildy' when
I was the acting manager of this station, but now that I'm
- the acting actor
I've made a point of calling you by your correct name--
- Mrs. Singer."
- Hilary
{explodes}: "Booth! It's Hilary Booth! My husband's name is
- Mrs. Singer!"
- Wisdom ala
Eldridge:
- {Betty and Mr.
Eldridge discuss Celia's movie debut}
- Mr. Eldridge: "We
can be really proud of her."
- Betty: "Oh,
you're right. Even the best radio actors rarely make the transition
- into movies."
- Mr. Eldridge:
"Well, it must be very hard suddenly having to act in black and
- white."
- ...and
Retort ala Maple and Gertie:
- {Maple has just
entered}
- Gertie: "Hi,
Maple, what did you have for lunch?"
- Maple: "The
Hilary Booth salad: Cracked crab on an unmade bed of olive
- pits, sour
grapes, and nuts."
- Gertie {adds}:
"With a vinegar vinaigrette and a twist of venom."
- 8. "Nothing Up My Sleeve" (originally telecast
10/11/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Jason Alexander.
- Hilary, still smarting from
Jeffrey's betrayal, is entranced by "the Astonishing Ballinger, Master of All
Things Mental," but is the charmer in reality a charlatan, as Maple says?
- Guest Cast: Alan Ballinger: Jason Alexander. Bishop
Kenneth Quinn: Malachy McCourt. (34'49")
- Episode Notes: Melinda Mullins' restrained
portrayal of a bruised Hilary, Jason Alexander's charismatic Ballinger (the name
sounds like a tip of the hat to real-life radio mentalist Dunninger), some
inspired scene stealing, and sight gags (the "Pulova" clock comes to mind)--what
else could one ask for? Jeff and Hilary's
mind-reading code (which Ballinger
refers to as the "Danon mind-reading code") is mentioned and used again
(conversation also cites the events in "Magic" as well). Guest star Jason
Alexander, best known for his role as George Constanza on the series
Seinfeld, is a close friend of Rupert Holmes and starred in his 1991
mystery play, Accomplice, which won an Edgar Award for Best Mystery Play.
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Magic Time is
featured again--sort of sponsored, due to Scott acting as announcer, by Steel
City Ale (and once again a featured guest is from the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh).
- Episode Trivia: C.J. mentions that WENN's signal
can be heard in Trenton, NJ, and has been reported in Perth Amboy. Mackie used
to room with Howie Kaufman ("the Great Kaufmani") while touring with the
[Michigan] Mummers and Minstrels (they double-dated
the lady Kaufman sawed in half--and her sister). Rollie Pruitt either has offices
in or lives in Boston. Maple knew Alan Ballinger as Alan Brixton when she toured
with the Velvet Vanities (her act involved two large ostrich feathers--she was
"prematurely blonde" back then); Brixton was a failed comedian before he took up
his mentalist act. Bishop Quinn's object for Magic Time was the only known
copy of The Meditations of St. Thomas Aquinas.
- A Secret
Revealed...:
- {Ballinger,
romancing Hilary in the Green Room, explains the "Nine of
- Spades" trick}
- Ballinger: "My
miracle with the nine of spades is based solely on the oddity
- that if you
multiply any number by nine and add the result repeatedly until you
- have only a
single digit the number will always be nine. 9 x 2 is 18, 1 and
8
- equals nine;
9 x 3 is 27, 2 and 7 equal nine, and so on-" {as he speaks he
- has been pouring
a glass of water for both himself and Hilary from a pitcher}
- "-to infinity."
- Hilary: "But we
didn't multiply anything by nine, we multiplied by three.
- Ballinger: "But
I had you multiply by three twice, which is the same as
- multiplying by
nine
once."
- {He sits back
down, placing his glass on the table, but holding the other. As
- he continues
speaking, he rubs his hand around the second glass so we
- cannot see the
contents.}
- Ballinger: "The
rest was of the trick was simply stage dressing and
- misdirection. The
audience is thinking, 'There really is such a things as magic,'
- and all the while
I'm thinking, 'There really is such a thing as math.'"
- {Whereupon he
offers her the glass, now filled with what looks like wine.}
- Out
to Lunch:
- {Scott, Maple,
Betty, and Mackie are gathered around the water cooler.}
- Betty: "Hilary's
romance is really not our affair."
- Maple
{cynically}: "Hilary's affair is not really a romance."
- Betty: "But even
if you're right, are we right? Do any of us have the right to
- meddle in her
personal life?"
- Scott: "Sure, why
not?"
- Mackie: "I gotta
admit, he's got a good point."
- Scott {sighs}:
"Listen, I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but right now
- Hilary is
vulnerable. Emotionally she's like a sitting duck in Peking, {eyes get
- a faraway
look as he gets involved in his metaphor} ready to be broiled to
- a golden crisp,
served with scallions and plum sauce, all rolled up in a
- Chinese pancake."
- Mackie
{unimpressed}: "Look, why don't we all order a dish and then we'll
- share?"
When is WENN?: This episode is dated July 27, 1941.
- 9. "A Star in Stripes Forever" (originally telecast
10/18/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Jill Mitwell.
- Mackie's temporary status as
station manager--and his ongoing status as WENN spokesman--is threatened when an
old "friend" from his past turns up looking for special favors. (29'17")
- Guest Cast: Palermo Racine: Philip Bosco. Link:
Todd Stashwick.
- Episode Notes: Chris Murney and Mary Stout are
delightful in this mix of slapstick and sentiment--and it's nice to see Hilary's
ego back to normal as well--although everyone gets in a good line or two. There
are several echoes back to "Close Quarters"
(Gertie's dictator comment sounding like Jeff's complaint and a couple of musical
cues) as well. As no surprise to everyone who saw Mackie don his "humpback," his
quote "Was ever woman in this humor wooed?" is from Shakespeare's Richard
III (Act I, Scene II, to be specific). The poster panned in the hallway
before Hilary is "reading from her diary" is for Ingrams Coffee, BTW.
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Listen to Your
Life, a series in which a celebrity's life story is highlighted by voices
from his or her past, plays an integral part in the action. Sentry Savings, a
banking firm based in Boston (Seldon Sentry--
who will be mentioned again!--president of the firm), is a sponsor (presumably
of Hobo Bo, a series featuring the homespun tales of a "traveling man"
during the Depression). Two other sponsors mentioned are Security Safes and
Dentons Diapers.
- Episode Trivia: Hilary was saved from drowning in
the ocean when she was 15 years old. She took piano lessons from Mrs. Tumley (who
never charged her) from age five through high school graduation. (Of course,
being Hilary, she remembers neither of these people.) Betty is attending a radio
convention in Utica, New York, where Hilary once played summer stock. Betty acts
as station manager when Pruitt is gone. Scott is a member of AFRA (American
Federation of Radio Actors). Palermo Racine has an "account" at St. Mary's
Hospital, where he sends "Squealie," a stool pigeon. Mackie's "cover name" in
this episode is "Warren Smith," but the "Mackie" actually is short for
"McKinley."
- The Dark Episode in Mackie's Past: When he was
starting out, he was touring with the [Michigan] Mummers and Minstrels when they
went into bankruptcy in Steubenville, Ohio. The local employment agency got him
a job chauffeuring Palermo Racine and his "boys" around town. Unfortunately, an
unknowing Mackie was driving the day Palermo robbed a warehouse full of minks.
Mackie deliberately drove to the nearest police car he could find, but when they
found out he did so, Palermo's gang testified he was in on the job and he was
sentenced to two years in the Ohio State Penitentiary (reduced to 6 months by the
understanding warden, James Cadwallader).
- Her Old
Sparkling Self...
- Gertie: "Betty,
where's the radio convention this year?"
- Betty
{enthusiastically}: "It's in Utica. That's in New York."
- Gertie: "Ooooh."
- Hilary
{disdainfully}: "It's in a kind of New York, Betty."
- Betty
{unquenched}: "Oh, really, Hilary--have you been there?"
- Hilary: "I did
summer stock there when my stock was at an all time low.
- But--a long
weekend in Utica can be the equivalent of a college education."
- Betty: "How so?"
- Hilary: "It'll
feel like four years."
- His "Piece
of the Rock" Ain't Prudential:
- {Eugenia,
pretending to be Mackie, makes small talk with an shady old
- "friend" of Mr.
Bloom's after his hulking "assistant" has left}
- Eugenia: "Oh, are
you in the profession yourself, Mr.-"
- Palermo: "-
Palermo Racine. No, ma'am. I am primarily in the insurance
- trade."
- Eugenia:
"Personal, accident, health?"
- Palermo: "Yes,
all that. We step in wherever someone might have a serious
- accident and we
present them with a payment plan that takes into account
- their assets and
our needs."
- Eugenia:
"'Accidents can happen' is your slogan?"
- Palermo: "It is
our policy. We have on more than one occasion been able to
- save a client
from receiving great injury."
- Eugenia: "How did
you do that?"
- Palermo: "By
saying, 'All right, Link, he's had enough."
- 10. "A Girl Like Maple" (originally telecast
10/25/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Richard Shepherd.
- Maple uses a stage voice to
interview an aristocratic congressman, then fears using her real voice--or real
identity--in front of him when he takes an interest in her. (29'32")
- Guest Cast: Congressman Bob Farraday: Boyd Gaines.
- Episode Notes: No fairy tale here: the handsome
prince eventually turns into a frog in this sweet outing where Maple proves,
despite her lingo, she will always be a lady. A couple of familiar characters are
referred to: Archbishop Chanin and Mayor Humphries, both attending Farraday's speech
at the Van Buren Grill. Check out the lovely scene where Maple confides in
Hilary--Hilary's Brooklyn-to-Brookline accent making a repeat appearance--and the
hilarious poker game. Some nice camera angles, too!
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Men in the
Headlines, usually hosted by Hilary, is one of WENN's most prestigious
programs, in which influential men are interviewed. A musical program,
Beguines from Studio B, is promoed. The Hands of Time, still
sponsored by Midas Hand Lotion, is reprised (Scott substituting for Jeff's role);
of course Brent has amnesia once more--this time he's married a snappy-talking
Brooklyn girl named Selma Flatbush (played by Maple and later Hilary).
- Episode Trivia: Maple has a cousin Bernice who
loves to listen to the radio. Farraday is actually from Sheepshead Bay,
Brooklyn.
- The Same
Old Story:
- {Betty briefs
Maple on substituting for Hilary on Men in the Headlines}
- Maple {taking
handout}: "What's this?"
- Betty: "It's a
biography of Congressman Bob Farraday. You're interviewing
- him for
Men in the Headlines. You may want to study up on it."
- Maple: "What's
to study? Every two years he says a lot of sweet things
- strictly
to get what he wants, then when he's got it he does whatever he likes,
- and the
only way to make him live up to his promises is to threaten to throw
- him out the
door."
- Betty
{understanding}: "You mean...he's a politician!"
- Maple
{cynically}: "No, I mean...he's a man."
- 11. "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" (originally
telecast 11/01/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Howard Meltzer.
- Gertie asks Betty to read her radio
play, Rendezvous in Rabat, a mix of romance and intrigue taking place at
"Scot's Cafe Mirage," with the crew of WENN as the basis for the characters. (29'50")
- Guest Cast: Victor Comstock: John Bedford Lloyd.
Ricotti: Julian Holloway.
- Episode Notes: If "First Mrs. Bloom" was an early Valentine, this
episode is a joyful holiday dinner, complete from soup to nuts. Every moment is
delightful in this takeoff of Casablanca, with echoes of past episodes
(both in dialog and musical cues), inside jokes, puns, plays on names (Peugeot!),
background music (catch things like "The 1812 Overture" and "Ride of the
Valkyries"--and the unforgettable "Polly Wolly Doodle"), the creatively redressed
sets, absurdities ("Samantha's" roving piano)--plus Mary Stout singing the title
tune. Notice who plays Ricotti?--that's Julian Holloway, Mr. Winthrop from "Sight Unseen" and "Popping the Question."
- The rest of the cast for Rendezvous in Rabat:
- Commandant rrrRauss: Tom Beckett
- Bartender/Nazi Bugler: C. J. Byrnes
- Lillie the Singer: Carolee Carmello
- Franz Eldridge: George Hall
- Martine Hilaire: Melinda Mullins
- Major Peugeot: Christopher Murney
- Roberta: Amanda Naughton
- Jeff the Headwaiter: Hugh O'Gorman
- Scot: Kevin O'Rourke
- Samantha the Pianist: Mary Stout
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Not even The Hands
of Time shows up in this episode...
- Episode Trivia: Victor has no living relatives,
according to what he told "Samantha" (Victor also mentions this in "In the WENN
Small Hours").
- "Holmes Watch": That's Rupert Holmes playing the
clarinet during "Polly Wolly Doodle" (the pianist is Lanny Meyers, who's done
some of the incidental music this season).
- It's For
the Soul:
- {Jeff, as the
headwaiter, has asked "Mr. Scot" to sign a credit slip}
- Scot {wearily}:
"No more credit for this fellow. He made his mint selling
- Swiss bullion to
the Nazis. The French Resistance could have used that
- chicken broth."
- Jeff: "Hmm. Well,
chicken broth does build up the resistance."
- Speaking
in Tongue--Twisters:
- Peugeot
{conversing with Scot}: "Your patently perfidious protests are
- perceptively
pallid to perceive."
- {cut to Gertie
and Betty in the writer's room}
- Betty:
"Generally, Gertie, we try to avoid writing dialog for our cast that's
- impossible to
pronounce."
- Gertie
{skeptically}: "Oh--really?"
- Betty: "Yes, that
type of tortuous tongue-twisting tends to be tantamount to
- terrifying and
intimidating to our troupe." {realizes what she has said}
- "I mean-"
- He Sends
His Regrets:
- {Victor and Betty
enter Scot's Cafe Mirage, to be greeted by Jeff}
- Victor: "Yes. How
long a wait for a table for two?"
- Jeff {routinely}:
"Refugee or non-refugee?"
- Betty {nervously
glancing at Victor}: "We're fine with either."
- Victor:
"Actually, if you have a booth that would be greatly appreciated."
- Jeff {a little
sadly}: "I don't have a booth anymore. {sighs} "Although I often
- wish I did."
- 12. "Eugenia Bremer, Master Spy" (originally telecast
11/08/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Julian Petrillo.
- An agent from British Intelligence
comes spy hunting at WENN--and Eugenia becomes his prime suspect. (28'51")
- Guest Cast: Desmond Quist: Daniel Davis.
- Episode Notes: Bucket brigades have never been been
so much fun. Many trivia bits about both Eugenia and Betty, a reference to the
events of "Magic", yet another reference to
Abraham Lincoln, and a lovely performance by Mary Stout. This is another one of
those episodes where what's going on in the background is just as interesting as
the primary plot: catch Mackie and Mr. Foley during Maple's news announcements,
and of course C.J.'s reaction to Hilary's paraphrasing! Note: Davis appeared on
several talk shows, including Regis and Kathie Lee, describing his
character in this episode as a "Sherlock Holmes" type, an interesting comment
since he twice played Professor Moriarty on Star Trek: the Next
Generation. BTW, the closed caption on this did a great job of translating
the German dialog; usually the tag is just "speaks [fill in language]."
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Jed Jenner, G-Man
and The Secret Love of Mavis Baxter are mentioned by Quist, and we see the
cast doing the news. Amazon Andy is performed (Captain Amazon seems to
have a new sidekick, Binkie [who takes weekly tap dance lessons], performed by
Scott; perhaps Kippy went through puberty? <g>). Hilary does what sounds
like Home Sweet Home and Mackie and Maple perform in a soap opera (medical
drama?).
- Episode Trivia: Betty [still] rides the trolley to
work every morning. Maple once appeared in a production of "The Little Engine
That Could" at the Crimson Follies--as the caboose. Desmond Quist is a British
counterintelligence agent presently working for the United States government.
Betty frequently uses WENN's telephone number (KL9366) in scripts. There is a
coffeehouse in Pittsburgh called the Cafe Bagdad; two other restaurants in the
area are the Edelweiss and the Finlandia. In addition to her duties at WENN,
Eugenia also gives piano lessons--no wonder she was upset when Hilary
fails to remember her piano teacher--and is the choral director at the Macedonian
Baptist Church, and as a snack likes sliced bananas on cinnamon toast. She is
originally from Altoona, Pennsylvania. Betty lives at the Barbican Hotel for
Single Women, was once the assistant editor of the Elkhart Daily Bugle,
and her father's middle name is Chapin. Eugenia's teacher, Meister Feldenstein,
who conducted Lohengrin in a ceremony honoring Hitler in 1936 before it
was found out Feldenstein was Jewish, has gotten her a chance to sing arias on
a network opera concert.
- "Holmes Watch": If you check the credits you will
see an "opera consultant" and also a "Special Thanks" credit given to Richard
Holmes, who is Rupert Holmes's brother, an opera singer.
- Not Sweet
Little Betty Roberts from Elkhart, Indiana, Anymore:
- {An irritated--and
irritating--Desmond Quist is attempting to get Mr. Eldridge
- to leave the
writer's room so he may talk to Betty privately}
- Quist: "Please
leave and tell the others we're not to be bothered."
- Mr. Eldridge
{puzzled}: "About what?"
- Betty: "It's all
right, Mr. Eldridge, I'll deal with this." {voice sharpens} "I ride
- the trolley to
work every day and I'm used to dealing with discourteous
- strangers."
- Mr. Eldridge:
"All right." {looks at Quist} "Be careful, sir. Our Betty's a
- bobcat when she's
angry."
- {He gives Betty
a confiding look, then exits; Quist locks the door behind
- him as Betty
protests--}
- Betty: "Now,
listen-"
- Quist {extracting
papers from his suit jacket pocket}: "These papers will tell
- you as much as
you need to know about me. Have you heard of British
- Intelligence?"
- Betty
{waspishly}: "I've heard of it. But at the moment, I think it's been
- vastly
overrated."
- In Other
Words:
- {To comply with
Quist's request, Betty has requested that the cast
- paraphrase their
scripts}
- Mackie
{perturbed}: "Paraphrase? Paraphrase our lines like the scripts are
- just suggestions?
You don't change the lines on a football field while you're
- playing. You
shouldn't change the lines on a radio broadcast while you're
- acting."
- Hilary: "Well,
as long as the gist comes across..."
- Mackie: "The
gist?" {rises and sets down his newspaper to stand by Betty}
- "You want the
gist of the...uh, Gettysburg Address?" {declaims} "Eighty-six
- years ago our
grandparents came to this area and settled a nation that the
- people were of,
for, and by."
- 13. "Courting Disaster" (originally telecast
11/15/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Richard Shepard.
- When Jeff's supercilious attorney
arrives at WENN saying Jeff is asking $100,000 in damages from Hilary, the cast
tricks him into being on their own legal program--with Scott as Hilary's lawyer. (28'45")
- Guest Cast: Drake Stanley: Andrew Seear. Lazlo
Iojeck: Bernie Sheredy.
- Episode Notes: The People's Court and
doubletalking attorneys get prodded in this wonderful world of wordplay; my
personal award for best scene goes to C.J. and his ribs, though. Grace Cavendish is mentioned several times, with a
reprise of the story of how Hilary lost her role. Heh, we didn't know Gertie did
celebrity impressions...
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Tell It to the
Judge, a courtroom program, features Maple as the announcer and Mr. Eldridge
as the judge, and Scott and Mackie as the opposing attorneys, representing
real-life opponents (this week's episode is Lazlo Iojeck vs. his landlord Mr.
Stepney). It is sponsored by Justice Dinner Rolls. Smokehouse Joe's barbecue
restaurant in Monroeville also seems to be an inadvertant sponsor of Tell It
to the Judge.
- Episode Trivia: Mr. Eldridge's middle name is
Quincy.
- Eldridge
at the Bench:
- {Mr. Eldridge
takes his place behind the gavel on Tell It to the Judge}
- Mr. Eldridge
{clapping the gavel}: "Court will now come to order. Is the
- defense ready?"
- Scott: "All
ready, Your Honor."
- Mr. Eldridge: "Is
the persecution ready?"
- Mackie {corrects
gracefully}: "The proscution is ready, Your Honor."
- Mr. Eldridge
{enthusiastically}: "Gentlemen, start your engines!" {organ
- sting} "Sorry,
wrong program..."
- Mackie {to
plaintiff}: "State your name."
- Iojeck: "Iojeck."
- Mr. Eldridge:
"You can't object, you're a witness."
- Mackie: "No, Your
Honor, it's the name of the witness, Lazlo Iojeck."
- Mr. Eldridge:
"What?"
- Scott
{helpfully}: "Iojeck, Your Honor."
- Mr. Eldridge:
"Oh? And what's your objection?"
- Scott and Mackie
{in tandem}: "No...uh...it's the name of the witness!"
- Mr. Eldridge:
"You can't object to a witness' name. That's un-American."
- Scott {in
resignation}: "Withdrawn, Your Honor."
- Mr. Eldridge
{thoughtfully}: "Yes, he does seem withdrawn." {to Iojeck}
- "Son, you simply
must try to come out of your shell. Now, what's your
- name?"
- Others, in
Chorus: "Iojeck!"
- 14. "And How" (originally telecast 11/22/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Julian Petrillo.
- WENN is chosen to broadcast a
landmark episode of the successful network series The Strange Loner, but
the drunken collapse of the show's star uncovers the unpleasant treatment of the
series' American Indian co-star. (26'42")
- Guest Cast: Joseph Grayhawk: Russell Means. Gavin
Landru: Patrick Quinn. Patrick: Christopher Marquette.
- Episode Notes: A charming comic subplot about the
first pizzeria in Pittsburgh provides interesting counterpoint to Joseph
Grayhawk's story--an aspect of a foreign culture is more easily accepted than the
actual aspects of the culture of people native to the American continent.
Greyhawk's gentle reminders of stereotypes work nicely, but the final scene seems
a bit too underplayed by Means. Many enjoyable bits include a delicious scene of
Betty buttonholing Scott, Hilary committing one faux pas after another in
meeting
Grayhawk, a pratfall from C.J., and yet another reference to The Wizard of
Oz.
- Technical complaint: In the first telecast, several of the
scenes, including the Betty/Scott encounter in the station manager's office,
resembled video
conferencing quality, with a jerky aspect as if frames were missing. There was
some speculation on whether AMC had tried to time compress the episode. It was
marginally better in the second showing. In any case, whatever they did, I hope
they don't do it again.
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Mackie and Scott do the
news.
- Episode Trivia: Gavin Landru's new film, Drums
Along the Monongahela, is having its world premiere in Pittsburgh; Landru
will then leave his radio series, The Strange Loner, to concentrate on
movies--and, presumably, his alcoholic and womanizing tendencies as well. It
looks as if WENN's frequency is 950 [AM], if I'm reading the bright "poster"
outside
Studio B correctly. Betty is indeed keeping Scott's
recommendation letter deception a secret. Joseph Grayhawk is of the Shawnee
tribe, of the Deer
Clan.
- Miss Booth
on Altruism:
- {Betty has just
told the cast that they will be performing on the network
- Western The
Strange
Loner}
- Scott (enthused):
"Well, that's a slice of all right! And...uh, you're gonna write
- the script,
Betty?"
- Betty: "Well, no.
The Strange Loner is written well in advance by the
- advertising
agency who
handles the show. Uh, here..." {distributing scripts}
- "...here are your
scripts."
- Hilary: "So,
Betty, if you're not writing the show, why are you happy?"
- Betty: "Well, I'm
happy for you."
- Hilary
{thoughtfully astonished}: "'I'm happy for you.' Wonder how that
- works?"
- 15. "The Ghost of WENN" (originally telecast
12/06/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Jill Mitwell.
- When the cast recreates a ghost
story originally broadcast on Friday, August 13, 1931, on its stormy tenth-year
anniversary (also on Friday), the staff is already nervous since an actor died
during the original performance---then a mysterious voice begins to stalk Hilary. (29'13")
- Guest Cast: Godfrey Clendenon: Charles Goff.
- Episode Notes: Shades of Bob Hope's The Ghost
Breakers and Abbott and Costello's Hold That Ghost!--something stalks
the corridors of WENN in this spooky ghost tale; and the end holds a surprise for
fans of a certain character as well! Lots of good lines in this episode, but
Eugenia's "Has anyone noticed Mr. Foley hasn't said a word?" is in the top ten...
And then there's a reference to "Magic," the
well-disguised Wizard of Oz reference, and lots and lots of references to
Victor (heads up, folks!)... Especially watch for Hilary and Betty's hilarious
deductive scene in the writer's room; Melinda Mullins and Amanda Naughton have
a field day with this episode.
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: The Hands of Time
is just concluding as this episode begins; Colonel Moore at the General
Store never does get a chance to be performed. "Don't Look Now," an episode
of the suspense series The Tome of the Tomb, first performed on WENN on
August 13, 1931, is recreated on the 10th anniversary of that broadcast. This
broadcast replaces A Book at Bedtime and is sponsored by Cup O'Comfort
(which not only must come to a shock to Mr.
Medwick, but isn't exactly a production to be sponsored by a "soothing
bedtime beverage").
- Episode Trivia: Godfrey Clendenon represents the
publication Pittsburgh Radio Log. Hilary's elocution coach was named Karl
Tobias. She once starred (presumably as a medium) in Hilary Booth: Madame
Zenda.
- Never Mind Who He Is--Where's Scott Sherwood?:
Well, Hilary mentions him, and we hear several of his lines, one from Mr.
Eldridge ("Oh, will you look at the time.") and Hilary ("Betty, Betty, Betty").
It's my guess that this episode took place on his day off; perhaps he had the
flu. Scott's aggressive personality would have made short order of the mystery,
anyway, and it wouldn't have been as much fun... Since this episode ran just
about 30 minutes, a reference to his whereabouts may have been cut.
- Staff 1,
Miss Booth 0:
- {Betty reveals
the significance of the date August 13, 1931}
- Betty: "I found
this script and this clipping filed under that date."
- Eugenia: "What's
the clipping about, Betty?"
- Betty
{significantly}: "The only on-air death in the history of this station."
- Maple: "You mean
the time Hilary tried to do comedy?"
- Betty: "Maple!
This was a tragic event that happened while all of Pittsburgh
- listened in
horror!"
- Eugenia: "That's
what the critics said about Hilary doing comedy."
When is WENN?: This episode takes place August 12-13, 1941.
- 16. "Caller I.D." (originally telecast 12/13/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Richard Shepard.
- A woman calling the station to say
she about to leap from the ledge of a nearby office building turns Mackie's
humdrum hosting of a midnight musical show--and eventually the presence
of the entire cast--into an effort to talk her out of it. (28'38")
- Guest Cast: Voice of Jane Smith: Alice Playten.
Sergeant O'Shea: William Keeler.
- Episode Notes: Audiences who become performers,
performers reduced to being audience, the boundary between illusion and reality
and where dreams become negative... Jane gradually turns from a potential news
story and "good deed" into someone the cast cares about in deft strokes
well-melded with "the usual repartee," including two amusing running gags. Alice
Playten, more familiarly known to classic commercial fans as the newlywed bride who
serves "marshmallow meatballs" and drives her hubby to Alka Seltzer, was the
voice of "Karen" in the song "Our National Pastime" on Rupert Holmes' 1974
Widescreen album. (BTW, the song "Widescreen" itself is about falling into
the illusions painted by the movies.)
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Mackie hosts
Dreamland Dance Floor, a midnight musical program supposedly taking place
in an actual nightclub, but in reality is just recorded music (this night the
first featured tune is Benny Goodman's "Fresno"). (Eugenia does the opening
music.)
- Episode Trivia: Betty has no telephone at home.
- Scott vs.
Hilary: Take I:
- Hilary:
"...dragging me all the way down here in the middle of the night. This
- is
idiotic!"
- Scott: "You're
telling me--a fur coat in August?"
- Hilary: "You
didn't give me time to change."
- Scott: "I have
given you the last two months to change and you're still no
- easier to work
with!"
- Hilary: "Ooooh,
is this a new programming policy? Command performances
- at all
hours--four
microphones, no waiting!"
- Scott: "Hilary,
the woman's going to hurl herself off the 16th floor of the
- Glickman building
unless you perform for her."
- Hilary: "Oh!
Well..." {preens} "...at least she has the right attitude. Well,
- come on, we
mustn't disappoint this fine, discerning...lunatic."
- Scott vs.
Hilary: Take II:
- Hilary: "I've
done many a 3 o'clock matinee, but never at this hour."
- Scott: "Well, it
buys the police some time and buys us her trust. You think
- these scripts'll
keep
her happy?"
- Hilary: "All
today's shows combined into one grand sayonara signoff...sort
- of An Evening
with Hilary Booth and Friends.
- Scott: "Who'll
play the friends?"
- Hilary {frosty}:
"The same people who portrayed your legitimate parents."
- The Fellas
in the Audience Disagree:
- Betty: "Hi,
Jane...I'm Betty Roberts. Do you remember talking with me?"
- Jane: "Oh! Oh,
yeah. Say, you...you remind me of my sister!"
- Betty: "Oh, a lot
of people say that...especially the fellas I dated in high
- school."
When is WENN?: This episode takes place August 1941.
- 17. "Happy Homecomings" (originally telecast
12/27/97)
- Written by Rupert Holmes. Directed by Juan Jose Campanella.
- When a different voice takes over
Jonathan Arnold's broadcasts, Betty fears for Victor's life
and decides to open the strongbox. Meanwhile, Scott makes an interesting discovery about the contents of a certain commercial and an old face
returns to WENN... (28'34")
- Guest Cast: Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman. Doug
Thompson: Matthew Bennett. Voice of Jonathan Arnold II: Jeff Bottoms.
- and John Bedford
Lloyd as Victor Comstock
- Episode Notes: Look up "cliffhanger" in the
dictionary and "Happy Homecomings" will be cited in the definition: new twists
appear in the Jeff/Hilary/Pavla triangle while the convoluted matter of
Victor/Betty/Scott makes a pretzel turn at zero hour...29 minutes calculated to
keep you creeping up and up until you are balancing at the edge of your seat and
wailing as you fall over that precipice... Of course there's the unanswered
matter of the lottery ticket--but there are many unanswered questions altogether in the best cliffhanger yet
from the pen of Holmes. Also noted: Melinda Mullins' classic performance of the
"Jeff or me" ultimatum to Betty, Amanda Naughton throughout, Kevin O'Rourke's
delivery of "that line" (no need to ask which!), John Bedford Lloyd's understated
and erratic Victor Comstock, and Juan Jose Campanella's moody direction.
- WENN Programming/Sponsors: Hobo Bo, still
sponsored by Sentry Savings, is performed (and the
sponsor figures in the plot). The Hands of Time is also performed, and later
there's a new edition of the Looneyville sketch
going on (are we in the middle of The Glint Grab-Bag, perhaps?).
- Episode Trivia: Doug won't handle contested
divorces. Betty has hidden the strongbox key in a hollowed-out copy of The
World Almanac 1939. Seldon Sentry's figures on depositors and assets are
923,431 and $35,627,402.05 respectively (the amount of depositors decreases each
week, BTW).
- Hope Never
Dies:
- {Betty enters the
green room, interrupting Doug and Hilary's discussion}
- Doug: "Have you,
uh, had lunch yet? And if not, would you like to have
- lunch? And if you
have had lunch, would you like to have more lunch?"
- Betty: "Well, as
it happens, I haven't had lunch, but I won't have time to
- have lunch as it
is. Um, another time?"
- {they exchange
quick smiles; she exits green room}
- Doug {to Hilary}:
"To get Betty's full attention, I figure I'd have to have lived
- then."
- Hilary: "When?"
- Doug: "Another
time."
