Picking up from the previous Christmas episode (which I'm personally saving until Christmas), Martin's brother Kenneth (also played by William Schallert) has been fired by their publisher J.R. Castle (John McGiver) after disobeying orders. The entire family has resentment toward J.R., who comes to the Lane household to talk things over. The fixed policy of the newspaper is that once someone is fired they're never re-hired. Patty's idea is for her uncle to write a book about his thrilling foreign correspondent adventures and it become so popular he'll have to be hired back. Ken doubts himself but agrees. Cathy and Patty go to Pheonix Publishing Company where they discover publisher Bennett Blake (Peter Turgeon in a nod to Random House Publisher Bennett Cerf) had already been interested in Ken writing a book. A contract is worked out, but Ken isn't interested, as the journalist isn't comfortable as a novelist. New details on the circumstance of the disobeyed orders emerge, but things are complicated by different job offers.
A timely episode for New Years Eve
A timely episode for New Years Eve
