Bewitched: "The Leprechaun"

Premiered March 17, 1966

Darrin Stephens (Dick York) is dismayed to learn that yet another of Samatha's (Elizabeth Montgomery) relatives has come to visit.  The visitor is a bona fide leprechaun named Brian O'Brian (Henry James).  

Brian turns out NOT to be one of Samatha's kinfolk, but is from Darrin's side of the family.  The leprechaun is seeking his last remaining pot of gold, which he'd hidden away in a fireplace in Ireland.

Unfortunately for Brian, that fireplace was transported from the Auld Sod to the US by a wealthy businessman named James Dennis Robinson (Parley Baer) where it holds pride of place in Robinson's mansion! 

Since Brian isn't in possession of the pot of gold, he cannot use his leprechaun magic.  Moreover, Samantha cannot use her witchcraft to obtain the pot of gold as its leprechaun bewitchment prevents this.  So Brian will have to find a way to retrieve the pot himself.  

Matters are complicated by Darrin's skepticism of the whole issue and the fact that Darrin's advertising firm would very much like to obtain Robinson's business.   Darrin goes to Robinson's home to verify Brian's claims and attempt to drum up some ad firm revenue, but is not very successful. 

The leprechaun decides to take matters into his own hands and runs into serious trouble in the form of guard dogs. Robinson himself calls the police and has Brian sent to jail.  Brian uses his one phone call to ask Samantha for help.   She obliges and springs him using witchcraft. Darrin is angry that she interfered and forbids her from helping further. 

Ignoring Darrin, Samantha witches herself and Brian back to Robinson's mansion to search for the pot of gold.  However, it seems that someone else has already discovered its hiding place! 

Will Darrin win another advertising deal for his firm?  Will Brian O'Brian regain his pot of gold or will he be reduced to a mere mortal?   Will Samantha think of a clever way to save the day?  

RigbyMel says: 

This is a slight and silly episode of Bewitched.  It's amusing to see how the sitcom's writers work some leprechaun mythos into the suburban setting -- but also a bit annoying to see how heavily they lean into the "drunken Irishman" stereotype.   

Brian seems particularly dopey for a leprechaun -- they have a reputation for being reasonably clever if not tricky, after all.  Maybe the loss of his pot of gold is dulling his faculties?   That being said,  Henry James is fun to watch as Brian the leprechaun and definitely knows how to work the blarney! 

I liked that they played with the sitcom's formula a bit in this episode as it's one of Darrin's nutty relations (not Samantha's) causing the difficulty.   However, Darrin is a bit less likeable than usual in this episode as well.   He's rather mean and unsympathetic to Brian and to Samantha throughout -- and they come through for him in the end anyway! 

Interestingly, Parley Baer who plays the episode's antagonist Mr. Robinson, appeared on nine episodes of Bewitched between 1966 and 1972.  He played different characters each time! 

"The Leprechaun" is an enjoyable episode of Bewitched with lots of St. Patrick's Day flair but it's not really a classic.

RigbyMel's rating: 

2.5 shamrocks 

J.A. Morris says: 
We should mention that even though St. Patrick's Day is never mentioned in "The Leprechaun," this episode premiered on St. Paddy's of 1966.  So I believe it qualifies as a "holiday" episode.

This is an OK episode of Bewitched.  I agree with most of what my co-blogger says.  If I have any problem with "The Leprechaun," it's that I felt it gets off to a slow start.  It's a "low energy" episode until Brian tries to get his gold back from Robinson.  

There isn't a lot of St. Patrick's Day programming out there, that makes "The Leprechaun" worth watching at least once, but that's about it.

J.A. Morris' rating:

2 shamrocks.

Dennis The Menace: "Father's Day for Mr. Wilson"

 
Premiered June 18, 1961. 

It's Father's Day and Dennis Mitchell (Jay North) has spent the day celebrating with his father Henry (Herbert Anderson).  Dennis has given his father a hat as a present and served him his favorite meal, "hot dogs and three kinds of ice cream (which also "just happens" to be Dennis' favorite meal!)."  

That evening, the Mitchells host their neighbors, Mr. George Wilson (Joseph Kearns) and his wife Martha (Sylvia Field) for dinner.  Mr. Wilson is worried about a pending lawsuit involving his dog Fremont.  The pooch bit a neighbor known as "Old Man Hatch" and Wilson fears hew will be forced to pay for Hatch's injuries.  However, Dennis witnessed the biting and says Fremont was kicked by Hatch, which led to the biting.  Mr. Wilson realizes that he'll need Dennis' help to get out of the lawsuit.  

The Mitchells feel bad for Mr. Wilson, who has no children and hasn't experienced the joys of Father's Day.  Dennis decides he will make the following day a special Father's Day for Mr. Wilson.

The boy wakes up Wilson the next morning at the crack of dawn and wishes him a Happy Father's Day. He presents Mr. Wilson with same he gave to his father.

Dennis says he will stay with Mr. Wilson every minute of the day.  They have breakfast together, Dennis gets Wilson a pipe (filled with tobacco...and grass) and gets him the morning paper, ripping it in the process.  

Mr. Wilson wants to dismiss Dennis, but his wife reminds him that Dennis is his key to winning the dog-biting lawsuit.  

Will Mr. Wilson survive his first Father's Day?  Can Dennis help Mr. Wilson win his lawsuit?  

J.A. Morris' says:

Dennis The Menace was a series I watched frequently back when it was featured regularly on Nickelodeon's Nick At Nite block, but this was the first time I'd watched the show in years.

"Father's Day for Mr. Wilson" is a fairly typical episode of Dennis The Menace.  Dennis unintentionally does something that gets under Mr. Wilson's skin and hijinks ensue.  Except in this case, Father's Day sets all the action in motion.  It's basically fun episode, Dennis' Father's Day gestures are sweet and Jay North makes them feel believable.  He genuinely sympathizes with Mr. Wilson and wants him to know how it feels to celebrate Father's Day.  

There is a nice scene where Mr. Wilson reads the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip to Dennis and provides the barks for Annie's dog Sandy.  It's a nice showcase of Joseph Kearns' talents and he seems to be enjoying himself.  To modern audiences, this scenes might feel sort of "meta," since it features characters adapted from a comic strip reading a comic strip!

I won't spoil the ending of "Father's Day For Mr. Wilson" and tell you what happens with Old Man Hatch's dog-biting lawsuit.  I will say that the Wilsons' dog Fremont is cute, so dog lovers of all ages will probably appreciate that.  

I also enjoyed this episode because, let's face it, there aren't many Father's Day episodes.  This is probably due to the fact that Father's Day takes place in June, when most TV seasons have ended.  This episode actually aired on Father's Day in 1961.  So I'm always happy to discover any Father's Day episodes.  

While it's mostly harmless fun, like most episodes of 1950s/early-60s sitcoms, the storyline isn't particularly deep.

If you've ever been a fan of Dennis Mitchell's adventures in the funny papers or its live action adaptation, you'll enjoy "Father's Day For Mr. Wilson."  

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 Father's Day neckties.

RigbyMel says:

Like J.A. Morris, I was familiar with the Dennis the Menace tv series because of its inclusion in the Nick at Nite programming block back in the mid-1980s.  

"Father's Day for Mr. Wilson" is a cute episode of this rather innocuous sitcom from the late 1950s/early 1960s.     

Both Henry and Mr. Wilson are pretty tolerant (although Mr. Wilson's movtivation is a touch more self-interested)  of Dennis's tender ministrations - including a terrible hat (which at least is a bit different than a necktie, so points to Dennis for creativity!), since they realize that his efforts come from a place of love and admiration.   

Viewers today may find that Joseph Kearns, who played Mr. Wilson, sounds a bit familiar.  This is likely because he also provided the voice for the Doorknob in the 1951 Disney version of Alice in Wonderland. 

This is a sweet episode of a series and an enjoyable (rare) Father's Day TV sitcom episode.  

RigbyMel's rating: 

3 Father's Day neckties. 

The Flintstones: "Christmas Flintstone"

Premiered December 25, 1964.

Needing extra money for Christmas, Fred Flintstone (Alan Reed) takes an extra job.  He works in the gift wrap department and the stockroom at Macyrock's department store.

Fred is easily distracted and clumsy, which causes him to drop a cart full of merchandise down an elevator shaft.  The store's owner, Mr. Macyrock (Mel Blanc) fires Fred.

Fred doesn't have much luck working in Gift Wrapping either

However, Fred gets a second chance.  Macyrock's Santa Claus is ill and unable to continue, so Fred is hired to play Santa.  

Fred turns out to be the best Santa Macyrock's has ever had.  He sings Christmas songs to the children, tells them stories and has a natural rapport with kids.

He goes home in his Santa suit and fools his wife Wilma (Jean Vander Pyl) and daughter Pebbles (also voiced by Vander Pyl)  into thinking he's the real Mr. Claus. Their friends Barney (Blanc) and Betty Rubble (Gerry Johnson) are also fooled at first.

Fred works as Santa through Christmas Eve. When his shift ends, he's exhausted and falls asleep.  He's woken up by two elves named named Twinky (Dick Beals) and Blinky (Don Messick).  

They tell Fred they are two of Santa elves and take him to a sleigh driven by flying "reindinos." 

Fred learns that the real Santa (Hal Smith) is too sick to make his deliveries and that Fred will serve as his replacement. Fred is reluctant, but Santa assures him that Twinky and Blinky will help him deliver the gifts.

Will Fred be able to deliver all the presents and save Christmas?  

J.A. Morris says:

Syndicated reruns of The Flintstones were part of my weekly (sometimes daily) TV diet when I was a kid, but I don't recall seeing this episode very often.  

It's a fun episode with a familiar plot.  I can think of multiple specials and episodes where Christmas is about to be cancelled because Santa is unable to deliver presents.  However, "Christmas Flintstone" is (as far as I know) and early example of this trope and it's enjoyable.  Alan Reed, who voices Fred, carries this episode and makes us believe that Fred loves playing Santa for kids and that he's still a "big kid" himself. 

Macyrock's toy department carries dolls that look like Pebbles and Bam-Bam!

"Christmas Flintstone" features two new songs sung by Reed, "Christmas Is My Fav'rite Time Of Year" and "Dino The Dinosaur's Christmas Tree."  I'm not sure who wrote these songs.  Some sources say they was written by series creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, others say its author is John McCarthy.  Both songs are good and full of holiday spirit.  I'd love to see a famous recording artist cover "Christmas Is My Fav'rite Time Of Year."  

It's worth noting that Santa Claus is voiced by character actor Hal Smith, who is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show.  Smith made a career out of playing Santa in both animation and live action productions.  His IMBD page shows Smith played Santa eighteen times!  

A publicity photo of Hal Smith during his time on The Andy Griffith Show.

Like every episode of The Flintstones, this one features funny interactions between the characters and cool "modern stone age" gadgets and vehicles.  I especially liked the dinosaur escalator at Macyrock's. 

"Christmas Flintstone" is a great holiday episode of a classic series.  It features a familiar story but the songs and the voice actors elevate the material and it gets my highest rating.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!

RigbyMel says:

"Christmas Flintstone" is a charming holiday offering from the original 1960s prime time run of The Flintstones. Like J.A. Morris, I have fond memories of watching The Flintstones when I was growing up, but this Christmas episode is relatively new to me.  (To be honest, I hadn't seen it until I started blogging about holiday programming!)  

Fred even gets to be Santa on a live TV broadcast!

The helping an incapacitated Santa out plot line is definitely a trope, but it's well executed here.  It's probably also important to remember that these programs are - to some extent - aimed at children, so this may well be the actual introduction to the trope for many young viewers.  

Of course, The Flintstones series also holds the distinction of being the first animated series to hold a prime time slot on television, so it needs to appeal to adults as well as to children.   Parents can appreciate the notion of helping Santa with his duties from a different perspective while watching "Christmas Flintstone". 

It's also amusing that there's a small sight gag thrown in for attentive adults in this episode.  Dino has pinup dino-girl pictures on the wall near his bed! 

Note Bettie Page-esque dino wall art.

Personally, I also really like the mid-20th-century holiday color palette in this episode.  The pink and pastel trees at Macyrock's make me think of other specials (like A Charlie Brown Christmas) that were produced around the same time and share a similar aesthetic.

The songs in this episode are adorable and well-delivered by Alan Reed as Fred.  I agree with J.A. Morris that "Christmas Is My Fav'rite Time of Year" is worthy of being a holiday standard. 

"Christmas Flintstone" definitely stands up to repeated viewing and is well worth including in your holiday programming rotation. 

RigbyMel's rating:

4 candy canes