Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week I want to celebrate this great year on That’s Entertainment! with our semi-annual holiday contest. First, I’ll tell you that every subscriber who participates — subscribers only; please subscribe if you want to play along — will get a little something for trying: the original, extended I Dream Of Jeannie pilot, which is over five minutes longer than what was aired and released. Meanwhile, all winners will receive: digital copies of the seven episodes each that I cited as favorites from two memorable short-lived comedies we discussed in 2020, The Bill Dana Show (1963-1965, NBC) and Love On A Rooftop (1966-1967, ABC). That’s 14 episodes in total PLUS the Jeannie pilot. Interested?
Now for the game. I’m asking you to guess what I have selected as the five best episodes that we’ve covered on Sitcom Tuesdays in 2020. These five were each singled out as their season’s MVE (Most Valuable Episode), so what you basically have to do is guess what I would say are the five best MVEs of the year. Now, I’ve been looser with the schedule lately — some Sitcom Tuesday posts aired on Wednesdays — so here’s the list of what’s eligible.
- The George Burns And Gracie Allen Show (Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight)
- The Phil Silvers Show (One, Two, Three, Four)
- Leave It To Beaver (One & Two, Three & Four, Five & Six)
- The Danny Thomas Show (Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven)
- The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis (One, Two, Three, Four)
- The Andy Griffith Show (One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight)
- Car 54, Where Are You? (One, Two)
- The Beverly Hillbillies (One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight & Nine)
- The Munsters (One, Two)
- The Addams Family (One, Two)
- I Dream Of Jeannie (One, Two — the upcoming years are not in play!)
That’s 49 MVEs, of which you’re picking five. In order to receive the prizes above, you have to get a minimum of ONE correct. If you get more than one, I will throw in seven unreleased episodes from another short-lived ’60s sitcom that we covered (years ago), Angel (1960-1961, CBS). And if you get all five, I have something else — and even better…
Leave your guesses in the comments. I will update this post with the correct answers and award the winners next Wednesday. (So, be sure to check back!) Here’s a sample template (with wrong answers) — please include the name of the show, the season, and the episode. Have fun!
- BURNS & ALLEN (S7): “Ronnie’s Initiation”
- LEAVE IT TO BEAVER (S5): “Nobody Loves Me”
- THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (S7): “Goober Makes History”
- THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (S6): “The Great Snow”
- THE MUNSTERS (S1): “Country Club Munsters”
UPDATE – 12/23/20 – Thanks to everyone who participated in our contest! I have emailed all the winners, including the two players who got a perfect score (YAY!) and are receiving a bonus prize of the complete run of My World And Welcome To It! There were a lot of good guesses, but here are my picks for the best MVEs of the year…
- BURNS AND ALLEN (S8): “Gracie Is Brilliant”
- THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW (S1): “The Court Martial”
- THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW (S7): “Danny And The Little Men”
- THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (S4): “Citizen’s Arrest”
- THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (S3): “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood”
Come back next week for another Wildcard — and check out this post again next Wednesday when I edit it and add in the answers! Also, stay tuned Monday for a new Musical Theatre rarity!