Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday, on a Tuesday! Just as I’ve done the past few months, this week I’m offering another brief update regarding my new book, GREAT AMERICAN SITCOMS OF THE 1950s, which you can always purchase from me here, on Amazon here, or anywhere online that books are sold — including from the publisher itself, McFarland.

One of the perks in buying from me — aside from getting a signed (or even personalized) copy — is that I’ll also send you info on how to access a special Dropbox folder where you can view some of the rarer, hard-to-find episodes discussed in the book. In fact, every month since the February release, I’ve been rotating episodes into that folder. This week, we’re celebrating the upcoming birthday anniversary of Gracie Allen (July 26) with an entire Burns And Allen themed selection: six episodes of this classic 1950s sitcom. I hope these will aid your appreciation of the series, and my appraisal of it in GREAT AMERICAN SITCOMS OF THE 1950s.

Also, Gracie Allen shared a birthday with another fifties funny lady — Lucy’s sidekick, the great Vivian Vance. In honor of her, I’ve also put in the folder something that I shared several years ago, the unsold 1959 pilot of Guestward, Ho!, starring Vance. I don’t discuss it in my book — you’ll have to wait for a potential 1960s follow-up, as this series eventually premiered in 1960 with Joanne Dru — but it’s a fun and tangentially appropriate treat for you all. Here’s a clip.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the start of my look at How I Met Your Mother!