HAZEL: SUCH A NICE LITTLE MAN (TV)
Summary
One in this series of comedies based on the cartoon characters of Ted Key. This series concerns the Baxter family maid, Hazel, who interferes in family affairs, causes household crises, and manages to keep the home running. In this episode, Hazel drops her groceries on the way home from the store and is aided by a kindly man, Willie. After their brief chat, he is stopped by a policeman, who seems to be suspicious of him. Willie soon arrives at the Baxter's home and says he is looking for work, offering to do "odd jobs" for a slice of Hazel's rhubarb pie. She sends him along to the Johnsons next door, but when George arrives home and sees Willie, he ponders that he has seen him someplace and that he is "trouble." At dinner, Harold tells his parents about a good grade in school, and Willie arrives again for some pie. George still distrusts the man, but the eccentric Johnsons soon invite Hazel over and proudly show her their grandfather clock, recently repaired by Willie, and they tell her that he is very handy. The next day, however, when George arrives home for lunch, he reveals that he saw Willie in court the week previously, having been arrested for theft, and he warns the Johnsons that their new friend has "sticky fingers."
The Johnsons refuse to believe his claim, and when they question Willie, he swears that he was holding the so-called stolen items for a friend, and everyone except George seems convinced. Later, Willie admires an antique bowl of the Johnsons', and Hazel soon receives a call that both Willie and the bowl have vanished. The Johnsons tell each other that Willie again heard "the call of the open road" and simply misplaced the bowl, but Hazel blames herself for sending a thief into their home, worried that she has ruined their faith in humanity. In an attempt to fix things, she goes to an antique store and buys an identical bowl, bartering with the shopkeeper over the price. Unbeknownst to her, however, Mr. Johnson goes to the same store and buys the bowl as well, as does Mrs. Johnson, all hoping to cover for Willie's theft. They all soon catch one another with the "recovered" item, though, and realize that they were just trying to maintain one another's faith in the goodness of people. George explains that next time, the Johnsons' trusting nature could lead to a bigger deception, and they sadly agree that he was right. However, they are all surprised by the sudden appearance of Willie, who presents them with yet another bowl, explaining that he accidentally broke it and had to go and work for the money to replace it, proving that he is honest after all. George then finds himself the owner of three antique bowls in "reward" for his suspicious nature. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: April 2, 1964 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:12
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:47203
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1961-1965; CBS - 1965-1966
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Harry Ackerman … Executive Producer
- James Fonda … Producer
- Ted Key … Created by
- Van Alexander … Music by
- Sammy Cahn … Theme Music by
- James Van Heusen … Theme Music by
- Shirley Booth … Cast, Hazel Burke
- Don DeFore … Cast, George Baxter
- Whitney Blake … Cast, Dorothy Baxter
- Bobby Buntrock … Cast, Harold Baxter
- Norma Varden … Cast, Harriet Johnson
- Donald Foster … Cast, Herbert Johnson
- Byron Foulger … Cast, Willie Gaffney
- Jerry Hausner … Cast, Homer Dandridge
- Owen Bush … Cast, Policeman