Ann get hired to be Miss Chicken Big, representing a Col. Sanders' like chain of fast food chicken restaurants, headed by a "Major Culpepper" character played by veteran actor Slim Pickens, who wears a Confederate officer-like costume throughout the episode.
Ann's job begins on the day that her father is to be honored with a big award, apparently to be presented at his own restaurant, in Brewster. Ann is to travel with the Major and his assistant to restaurants all around Connecticut, dancing in a chicken suit, and she is assured by the major that she'll be back home in plenty of time to get to her father's award banquet.
We see Ann coming out and dancing at several restaurants and being congratulated by the major at the end. He sends the assistant home on the train, letting him know he has romantic intentions with Ann. En route, he reveals his intentions to Ann. Ann reaches over and stomps on the brake and gets out of the car in the middle of nowhere and the major drives off.
Mixed in are short scenes of Lew and Helen, with Lew panicking because Ann might not make it in time to see him get his award. Now Ann is wearing this chicken suit trying to get a lift, but most people ignore her. She gets to a farmhouse where the door is opened by a girl, about age 10, who talks to her like the girl thinks this is really a talking chicken. She refuses to let Ann inside. We see Ann sitting on a rock when a sports car pulls up and the driver offers her a ride. He even has a car phone, from which Ann calls "the restaurant"—her father's and leaves a message that she'll try to get there in time. The unnamed driver happily drives Ann to her parents' home in Brewster, but, on Ann's insistence, pulls away before she gets into the house. Finding there is no longer a key under the mat, Ann starts to think of how to get in when a big dog from across the street rushes over and jumps on her. Ann never makes it to the banquet, and the episode is virtually over at this point.
I liked the scene with Lew and Ann at her apartment, as Lew protests against her working for his competition, then balking at being served some of that chicken. Lew worrying about Ann is usually funny because he steals the show whenever he is on. Ann bringing a chicken to her apartment at the beginning so she can learn just how to strut and cluck like a chicken before her audition was funny. There were a few other good lines.
The part that made least sense to me was that this "major", who was attracted to Ann, tried to get romantic with her that first day. It was supposed to be a continuing job for her, that would include commercials as well as live appearances. He knew from that morning that she had an important dinner to attend honoring her father, yet he couldn't wait, even for the second day of touring to get her interested in him? Even if she thought him irresistible, she was intent on being at that banquet that night. Only an idiot would think he could interest her in a romantic encounter that particular night.
The time line was also problematic. It was dark when Ann was picked up by the guy with the car phone in Connecticut. She had earlier phoned her apartment, leaving a message with her answering service. Donald was apparently waiting for her in the city, to then take her north to Brewster.
Now it was stated that it was nearly 9 o'clock and Ann figured she'd still have time, following the driver's suggestion of taking her to Brewster directly, and Ann figured that would work, as she could get a dress at her parents' home. It had to be well past 9 when she was dropped off at her parents. The driver was happy to wait to take her to the restaurant. Why Ann didn't let him do that made no sense. How was she to get to the restaurant after changing. Surely there would be no easier way. Instead, she made another problem for herself with the dog when she didn't need to.
In the epilogue, Ann and Donald are back at her apartment, eating some late night chicken from the major's chain, talking about what a tough day Ann had that day. Now we know that after the banquet, Ann was still in her chicken suit outside her old home in Brewster. So I guess we figure that when Lew and Helen got home and found her still in her chicken suit, it could have been only a little past 10 at the earliest. They put her on a train almost immediately and she got back to her apartment, what, 11:30 at the earliest? She then called Donald and he came over for a late, late supper of leftover chicken from the chain, beginning about midnight.
We weren't supposed to think about these elements at all. Given the protective nature of Lew, he would have insisted that Ann stay over and go home in the morning. With an exhausted Ann, having danced at so many restaurants she one time dropped to the floor, and that was before hitchhiking and fighting off a dog, and not getting any supper—there would be no reason for him to go to her place about midnight to eat chicken with her, and certainly no latter-day expectation of a romantic time given Ann's clear-cut state of exhaustion.
Ann's job begins on the day that her father is to be honored with a big award, apparently to be presented at his own restaurant, in Brewster. Ann is to travel with the Major and his assistant to restaurants all around Connecticut, dancing in a chicken suit, and she is assured by the major that she'll be back home in plenty of time to get to her father's award banquet.
We see Ann coming out and dancing at several restaurants and being congratulated by the major at the end. He sends the assistant home on the train, letting him know he has romantic intentions with Ann. En route, he reveals his intentions to Ann. Ann reaches over and stomps on the brake and gets out of the car in the middle of nowhere and the major drives off.
Mixed in are short scenes of Lew and Helen, with Lew panicking because Ann might not make it in time to see him get his award. Now Ann is wearing this chicken suit trying to get a lift, but most people ignore her. She gets to a farmhouse where the door is opened by a girl, about age 10, who talks to her like the girl thinks this is really a talking chicken. She refuses to let Ann inside. We see Ann sitting on a rock when a sports car pulls up and the driver offers her a ride. He even has a car phone, from which Ann calls "the restaurant"—her father's and leaves a message that she'll try to get there in time. The unnamed driver happily drives Ann to her parents' home in Brewster, but, on Ann's insistence, pulls away before she gets into the house. Finding there is no longer a key under the mat, Ann starts to think of how to get in when a big dog from across the street rushes over and jumps on her. Ann never makes it to the banquet, and the episode is virtually over at this point.
I liked the scene with Lew and Ann at her apartment, as Lew protests against her working for his competition, then balking at being served some of that chicken. Lew worrying about Ann is usually funny because he steals the show whenever he is on. Ann bringing a chicken to her apartment at the beginning so she can learn just how to strut and cluck like a chicken before her audition was funny. There were a few other good lines.
The part that made least sense to me was that this "major", who was attracted to Ann, tried to get romantic with her that first day. It was supposed to be a continuing job for her, that would include commercials as well as live appearances. He knew from that morning that she had an important dinner to attend honoring her father, yet he couldn't wait, even for the second day of touring to get her interested in him? Even if she thought him irresistible, she was intent on being at that banquet that night. Only an idiot would think he could interest her in a romantic encounter that particular night.
The time line was also problematic. It was dark when Ann was picked up by the guy with the car phone in Connecticut. She had earlier phoned her apartment, leaving a message with her answering service. Donald was apparently waiting for her in the city, to then take her north to Brewster.
Now it was stated that it was nearly 9 o'clock and Ann figured she'd still have time, following the driver's suggestion of taking her to Brewster directly, and Ann figured that would work, as she could get a dress at her parents' home. It had to be well past 9 when she was dropped off at her parents. The driver was happy to wait to take her to the restaurant. Why Ann didn't let him do that made no sense. How was she to get to the restaurant after changing. Surely there would be no easier way. Instead, she made another problem for herself with the dog when she didn't need to.
In the epilogue, Ann and Donald are back at her apartment, eating some late night chicken from the major's chain, talking about what a tough day Ann had that day. Now we know that after the banquet, Ann was still in her chicken suit outside her old home in Brewster. So I guess we figure that when Lew and Helen got home and found her still in her chicken suit, it could have been only a little past 10 at the earliest. They put her on a train almost immediately and she got back to her apartment, what, 11:30 at the earliest? She then called Donald and he came over for a late, late supper of leftover chicken from the chain, beginning about midnight.
We weren't supposed to think about these elements at all. Given the protective nature of Lew, he would have insisted that Ann stay over and go home in the morning. With an exhausted Ann, having danced at so many restaurants she one time dropped to the floor, and that was before hitchhiking and fighting off a dog, and not getting any supper—there would be no reason for him to go to her place about midnight to eat chicken with her, and certainly no latter-day expectation of a romantic time given Ann's clear-cut state of exhaustion.
