Comfort TV Goes Grocery Shopping

A few years ago I scribbled a note to myself to write a piece about grocery stores in classic TV episodes. It never seemed the right time, and it felt like a pretty strange idea anyway.

But if there was ever a moment to delve into this topic, it’s when we now realize how long we’ve taken these establishments for granted. Unless you are well into your senior years, this is likely the first time you went into the neighborhood supermarket wondering if they’ll have everything you need.

Me, I’ve always liked grocery stores, and I’m always amazed by all the options they provide us. So when one of my favorite shows visits a supermarket, my attention naturally perks up.

There are two kinds of supermarket TV episodes; those that shoot on location in an actual store, and those that build a scaled-down version on a soundstage, and fill it with fake products.

Real Stores

These moments are more fun, because I love freeze-framing on the shelves to see which brands from 30-50 years ago are still available, and which have disappeared.

Some are easy to spot right away, because the packaging has barely changed from then to now – the brown and yellow Bayer Aspirin box; green 7-Up bottles (do they still make it in glass bottles?); Heinz Ketchup.

There’s a supermarket scene in the Partridge Family episode “Why Did the Music Stop?” that I love, because on the shelf behind Shirley are displayed large tin cans of Hi-C fruit juice. I used to get those all the time, especially the Citrus Cooler.

Those are long gone, along with a lot of other products that used to be packaged in heavy glass and metal containers. In an episode of The Donna Reed Show called “Just a Housewife,” Donna is surrounded by shelf after shelf of large metal cans – imagine having to lug paper sacks full of those from the car to the kitchen.

And if you know something of the history of that series, it won’t surprise you that the two most prominent brands in that supermarket scene are Campbell’s Soup and Franco American Spaghetti – both sponsors of The Donna Reed Show. Product placement works, even back in 1960.

Overall, however, it’s surprising how little these places have changed over the decades. The debut episode of Police Story, “Slow Boy,” aired in 1973, and features a stakeout and shoot-out between cops and crooks inside a supermarket. Almost 50 years later that store wouldn’t look out of place now, except for the much lower prices and a few products lost to the ages, like Dixie Riddle Cups.  

An episode of Honey West called “Pop Goes the Easel” opens with an overhead shot of a massive supermarket, shelves stacked to the point of near overflowing. I’d have enjoyed a longer look around, but after thieves steal a can of chicken gumbo soup purchased by Honey’s aunt, the plot heads elsewhere. Turns out that can had a hand-painted label by a pop artist patterned after Andy Warhol.

And in the Eight is Enough episode “Quarantine” I referenced a few weeks ago, David Bradford walks the aisles of a large store where the directory signs are identified by a very ‘70s font of lower-case letters.

Fake Stores

The most familiar fake store from the Comfort TV era is the one owned by Herbert T. Gillis on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. But that’s more of a small neighborhood market. 

The store set built for “Supermarket Sweep” on Laverne & Shirley has shorter aisles, to accommodate the frenzied action as contest-winners Laverne and Shirley have three minutes to grab as much stuff as they can for free.  They load up a cart and stuff more goodies down their clothes, yet somehow only wind up with a box of fish sticks and scooter pies.

Next time you catch this one notice how the items on the shelves were not as vintage as they should have been. There are boxes of Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes that reflect when the episode was shot, and not the era in which it was set.

Over on Bewitched, in “Samantha’s Lost Weekend” Esmerelda accidentally casts a spell on Sam that puts her in a permanent state of hunger, so it’s off to the market where she starts eating everything right of the shelves, and stealing apples from little old ladies. There’s a mix of real and fake items on display, and because they wanted to condense an entire market into a smaller space you’ll see product arrangements you’d never see in a real store. In one scene there are two shelves of alcoholic beverages stocked directly over the bottles of ketchup. 

It's rare when nearly an entire episode is set in a supermarket, but that’s what happens on Here’s Lucy in “Lucy, the Shopping Expert.” Lucy’s son Craig gets a job at a grocery store, where he is told to help keep the store looking neat and organized…and then Lucy shows up. You can guess the rest. 

This is one of those topics for which there are dozens, if not hundreds more examples. But I think a second grocery store piece might be pushing it. Let’s just hope that the era of grocery shopping that requires masks, social distancing and Soviet-style waiting lists for cleaning supplies and paper products will soon be the kind of memory we’d all rather forget.

My Three Favorite Commentary Tracks – and One That Should Have Been

As the DVD market continues to contract, it takes with it not just the pleasure many of us feel in owning the shows we love, but the bonus content packaged on many television season sets that adds to our appreciation of each series. 

Among the most enjoyable of these features are commentary tracks, featuring series creators, writers, directors and cast members.

They’re not always done well, but when they are they give the viewer the experience of watching an episode alongside some of the talented people who made it special.

What makes for a good commentary track? It might seem obvious, but it starts with actually watching the episode. My favorite tracks are those in which you hear the participants reacting to what is happening – laughing at the jokes, sharing behind-the-scenes stories, and describing locations where scenes were shot. I don’t mind the moments where they get so caught up in the story that they stop talking – it’s a testament to the enduring quality of the show.

Here’s how you know you’re hearing a bad commentary track: After long stretches of silence, the commentator will start talking about how they were cast on the series, or why they believe the show is still popular decades later. They’re being prompted by someone supplying topics to discuss, because they can’t think of anything to say.

I’m always disappointed when that happens. And it happens more than you might expect.

But let’s focus on the positive first. Here are three of my favorite commentary tracks.

“What? And Get Out of Show Business?”

The Partridge Family

Commentary by Danny Bonaduce

“There’s something you almost never see – Susan Dey eating.”

Part tribute and part roast, Danny Bonaduce watches the first Partridge episode more than 20 years after it debuted, and can still quote most of his lines from memory. 

He mocks his own fake bass playing, asserts his certainty that David Cassidy could beat up Bobby Sherman, and expresses great admiration for costar Dave Madden (“Every muscle in that man’s face acts”). “This is so fun,” he says while he watches the moment his life changed. His observations, appreciations and wisecracks are delightful from start to finish. 

“Those Friars”

That Girl

Commentary by Marlo Thomas and Bill Persky

There were five seasons of That Girl, each packaged in season sets with four DVD discs. 

Every disc contains at least one episode with a commentary by series star Marlo Thomas and series co-creator Bill Persky. Their mutual admiration for the show and each other makes every one of these tracks a gem. I selected “Those Friars” for a moment that illustrates how memorable a commentary can be. Marlo’s father Danny Thomas appears in the episode as himself, and the story ends with Danny and Ann Marie performing a vaudeville skit together. At one point Ann says, “I was afraid you were going to go and leave me out here all alone.” Danny responds, “Me? Leave you? Are you kidding?” 

Marlo, hearing those words, falls silent, and then you hear sniffles. “You don’t have to talk, you can cry,” Persky tells her. It’s such a sweet moment, but Marlo quickly recovers like any showbiz trouper. “I’m having a lovely afternoon” Persky says as closing credits roll. So are we all.

“Lucy and Ann Margret”

Here’s Lucy

Commentary by Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr.

For the children of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, watching all the classic Lucy shows is like watching home movies. On this track you’ll get some fun backstage stories from TV’s first family about how Ann-Margret was booked for this episode, and the crush Desi Jr. had on her, inspiring the show’s funniest scene. 

But you’ll also get Lucie and Desi Jr. both doing their best Desi Sr. impressions, and poking fun at each other like any brother and sister:

Desi: “They don’t make suits like that anymore.”

Lucie: “There’s a reason for that.”

The episode closes with a big musical number, in which Desi informs viewers that the guitar he’s playing belonged to James Burton, a Rock Hall of Fame member who played for Elvis and Rick Nelson. Responds Lucie to what was obviously a pre-recorded music track, “The guitar started playing before you did.” 

I’m so glad that so many of these commentaries were recorded during the heyday of classic TV on DVD releases. But sometimes they don’t live up to their potential.

“The Lady In the Bottle”

I Dream of Jeannie

Commentary by Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman and Bill Daily

This should have been time capsule stuff. To have the three stars of a TV classic come together more than 30 years later and watch the pilot episode – it’s something that sadly was not even possible with so many other shows from this era. 

But here it just doesn’t work. Barbara Eden is cordial but quiet too often, Larry Hagman was never a fan of the series and also didn’t have much to say. That leaves Bill Daily to carry the conversation. And he rarely offers anything more insightful than “Oh wow!”, “Oh boy!” and “Gorgeous! You guys look great!” These expressions are repeated multiple times throughout the episode, to the point where they become more annoying than affectionate. If that’s the best they could do, they should have brought in Danny Bonaduce. 

In Defense of ‘Here’s Lucy’

The prevailing opinion among TV intelligentsia goes that I Love Lucy (1951-1957) is one of television’s crown jewels, and that The Lucy Show (1962-1968) is not as highly regarded, though perhaps its best moments rivaled the quality of its predecessor.

By contrast, Here’s Lucy (1968-1974), an unofficial continuation of The Lucy Show, surpassed the freshness expiration date for its antiquated sitcom formula – and its leading lady. 

But as is often the case with television, those who make such pronouncements did not speak for the public at large. Here’s Lucy ran for six seasons and 144 episodes. It ranked among the top ten highest-rated programs in its first four years, rising as high as #3 in 1970-71.

It’s likely that Lucy’s basic brand of comedy may have seemed outdated to those that preferred more substantive sitcoms like All in the Family, MASH and Good Times. But clearly there were just as many viewers who enjoyed a weekly visit with a friend they had watched for 20 years. For them, it was comfort TV.

Looking back on Here’s Lucy now, it’s easy to appreciate its old-world craftsmanship: the way standard plots unfold with clockwork predictability; Lucy’s comic incompetence at office work and blustery Gale Gordon as her exasperated boss (and in this case, brother-in-law); the lavish musical production numbers, expertly arranged and choreographed within the show’s standard shooting schedule, and performed for a live audience. 

The series frequently featured big-name guest stars, something The Lucy Show did in its later seasons as well. At the time these appearances were not considered all that special, but more than 40 years later it’s wonderful to watch so many classic film and television icons sharing the stage with Lucy.

Not that the show needs my defending, but here are ten episodes from an overlooked series that is worth a second look.

Lucy Meets the Burtons

This is the most famous Here’s Lucy episode, as well as the highest-rated, thanks to its Hollywood royalty guest stars, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. 

The couple is nearly upstaged by Taylor’s 60-karat ring, which figures prominently in the story when Lucy tries it on and can’t get it off. The show’s comic centerpiece was recycled from the I Love Lucy episode “The Handcuffs,” and works just as well the second time. 

Lucy the Fixer

Lucy meets Harry at his home to take care of some work. She discovers a lamp isn’t working and sets out to fix it. When she’s done, Harry’s house is in a shambles. 

“Lucy the Fixer” delivers a master class in the kind of physical comedy that dates back to the silent movie era. The timing, the steady build from minor trouble to major disaster, the reactions of Lucy and Harry every time the destruction escalates – it’s flawless.

Lucy Sells Craig to Wayne Newton

One of the delights of Here’s Lucy that separates the show from Ball's previous series is how it utilizes the talents of Lucy and Desi’s two teenage children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., as Lucy Carter’s kids Kim and Craig. 

“Lucy Sells Craig to Wayne Newton” is an ideal showcase for Lucie’s song-and-dance flair and Desi Jr.’s dry wit and drumming skills. Wayne Newton’s old-school style of showmanship meshed well with the series’ corny charms.

Lucy and Vivian Vance

Vivian Vance made a handful of guest appearances on Here’s Lucy, and each visit rekindled a 20-year on-screen relationship as beloved as any in television history. Viewers knew these moments were likely the end of an era, and you can hear the tumultuous audience reaction each time Vance first appears on stage. Perhaps the material they’re working with doesn’t compare to those moments on the chocolate factory assembly line, but their comic chemistry is undiminished.  

Lucy Visits Jack Benny

Jack Benny was among Lucy’s closest friends and a frequent guest on her TV shows. What makes this episode special is not its trite premise – Lucy’s family rents rooms at Jack’s Palm Springs estate, offering Benny several opportunities to display his tightwad persona – but a remarkable cameo at the end when a busload of tourists is dropped at the home for a tour. The bus driver is Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden. It’s a brief moment, but a special one. 

Lucy and Harry’s Italian Bombshell

Lucy ran her shows with military precision, which didn’t leave room for spontaneity. So it’s a remarkable thing to watch Gale Gordon ad-lib a line in this episode, which causes Lucy to start laughing to the point where she nearly breaks character, and to have the scene make it into the final episode. I’d give you the details but if you haven’t seen it, it’s more fun to experience unspoiled.

Lucy and Mannix Are Held Hostage
Lucille Ball’s studio clout kept Mannix on the air after a low-rated first season, so it’s not surprising to see Mike Connors appear as the detective on Here’s Lucy. It can be strange to watch a serious character engaged in broad physical comedy, but here it works – the scene in which Lucy and Mannix are tied to chairs, back-to-back, is one of those physical comedy set pieces treasured by Lucy fans. 

Lucy and The Andrews Sisters

Watching Here’s Lucy now is a nostalgic experience, but here’s an episode that generated nostalgic emotions when it first aired in 1969! Lucy and her daughter join Patty Andrews in recreating a big band era concert featuring the music of The Andrews Sisters. The performance is (mostly) played straight, to give these classic songs their due. 

  

Lucy the Crusader

Lucy tries to return a defective stereo, and gets the runaround at the store. She rounds up other customers stuck with lousy merchandise from the same manufacturer and leads an assault on the company’s stockholders meeting. The succession of prop gags as each defective item is demonstrated has its moments, but “Lucy the Crusader” made the list thanks to Charles Nelson Reilly, in his usual flamboyant form as the head of the store’s complaint department.

Ginger Rogers Comes to Tea

Lucille Ball and Ginger Rogers appeared in the 1937 musical Stage Door. This episode, broadcast 34 years later, is practically a testimonial to Ginger, featuring Lucy and Harry singing “Cheek to Cheek” and a dance number (that Ginger choreographed) featuring Ginger, Lucy and Lucie Arnaz. It’s another delightful, carefree moment in a series that had no higher aspirations. And what’s wrong with that?

 

Here’s Lucy is available on some wonderful DVDs put out by MPI, featuring new introductions from Lucie Arnaz and other cast members for every episode from every season. And no, they didn't pay me to write that.