The show "December Bride" starred Spring Byington and Verna Felton as seventy year old friends who were constantly getting into scrapes together (much to the dismay of Byington's son-in-law). One of the running jokes of the show was that Byington's neighbor was Harry Morgan who played Pete, a friend of the family. Pete was always talking about the crazy things his wife Gladys did, but (aside from one episode where she is in costume) we never see her at all.
In 1962, shortly after "December Bride" went off the air, Morgan was starred with Cara Williams in this spin-off, entitled "Pete and Gladys". The program only lasted one year, and it has not been revived since the 1960s. I don't know how well it would hold up today, but both Morgan and Williams had some chemistry as the married couple, and Williams certainly lived up to the crazy reputation that her character was described as having in the earlier show.
I do remember one sequence in the episode here, "Office Wife". Williams is trying to get a job for extra household money, and answers an ad for a secretary in the newspaper. The person who is advertising this is Frank Nelson...that sublime comedian of the the immortal sarcastic "YESSSSSS!" from THE JACK BENNY SHOW and many others. Nelson, unfortunately for Williams, has a series of mishaps with her as the unwitting cause before he discovers she has answered his ad. He really wants to get rid of this pest as quickly as possible. She is desperate now to prove herself to him. So he asks her to take a letter.
Of course, Nelson proceeds to give a letter in a fast talking, detailed manner that should take about five paragraphs (with plenty of "yours of the 17th instant" and other similar type phrases). He does not want to give Williams a chance. She looks at him stunned as he recites the entire body of the letter, crosses his arms, and then says, "Please repeat what you wrote down!" Williams swallows hard, looks at her pad, and makes a single penciled mark on it. Then she recites the entire contents of Nelson's letter word-for-word perfect while he looks astounded at what he is seeing. He leaves the room shocked, having now been forced to hire her.
Morgan had seen the entire transaction, and knows what Nelson was trying to do. He goes to Williams and asks how she did it. She explains that like some people who can look at a picture and remember every detail through photographic memory, she has a photographic verbal equivalent that can hear a detailed recitation once and repeat it by heart. Morgan is impressed, and leaves Williams to now type up Nelson's business letter from memory.
Odd that I still recall that scene - I don't remember the rest of the episode but that particular moment stayed in my memory because it was so odd, but just barely possible. Despite good casts and good writing "Pete and Gladys" did not survive beyond a year. Williams, unfortunately,never got further into television stardom. Of course, Morgan still had his stint on DRAGNET and his ensemble starring part of Colonel Sherman Potter of the 4077 of M.A.S.H. in his future. I hope someday some of these episodes might resurface, especially this one.
In 1962, shortly after "December Bride" went off the air, Morgan was starred with Cara Williams in this spin-off, entitled "Pete and Gladys". The program only lasted one year, and it has not been revived since the 1960s. I don't know how well it would hold up today, but both Morgan and Williams had some chemistry as the married couple, and Williams certainly lived up to the crazy reputation that her character was described as having in the earlier show.
I do remember one sequence in the episode here, "Office Wife". Williams is trying to get a job for extra household money, and answers an ad for a secretary in the newspaper. The person who is advertising this is Frank Nelson...that sublime comedian of the the immortal sarcastic "YESSSSSS!" from THE JACK BENNY SHOW and many others. Nelson, unfortunately for Williams, has a series of mishaps with her as the unwitting cause before he discovers she has answered his ad. He really wants to get rid of this pest as quickly as possible. She is desperate now to prove herself to him. So he asks her to take a letter.
Of course, Nelson proceeds to give a letter in a fast talking, detailed manner that should take about five paragraphs (with plenty of "yours of the 17th instant" and other similar type phrases). He does not want to give Williams a chance. She looks at him stunned as he recites the entire body of the letter, crosses his arms, and then says, "Please repeat what you wrote down!" Williams swallows hard, looks at her pad, and makes a single penciled mark on it. Then she recites the entire contents of Nelson's letter word-for-word perfect while he looks astounded at what he is seeing. He leaves the room shocked, having now been forced to hire her.
Morgan had seen the entire transaction, and knows what Nelson was trying to do. He goes to Williams and asks how she did it. She explains that like some people who can look at a picture and remember every detail through photographic memory, she has a photographic verbal equivalent that can hear a detailed recitation once and repeat it by heart. Morgan is impressed, and leaves Williams to now type up Nelson's business letter from memory.
Odd that I still recall that scene - I don't remember the rest of the episode but that particular moment stayed in my memory because it was so odd, but just barely possible. Despite good casts and good writing "Pete and Gladys" did not survive beyond a year. Williams, unfortunately,never got further into television stardom. Of course, Morgan still had his stint on DRAGNET and his ensemble starring part of Colonel Sherman Potter of the 4077 of M.A.S.H. in his future. I hope someday some of these episodes might resurface, especially this one.