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As Christmas draws near, all is quiet in the house with Rochester and Jack, but it’s not what you might think. After some Christmas card fun, Jack gives a call to Don Wilson’s wife, and discovers that Don already has a metal tip set of shoelaces. Now he goes out to return his gift yet again. With Mary out sick, her sister Babe stands in to ride with Jack to the department store, and comment on the late model cars they pass by. Dennis is spotted waiting for a bus, so Jack picks him up. Will he get his usual gift from Jack, a pine cone? Dennis sings, The Old Lamplighter.
Heading into the studio, Jack gets jealous when Dennis is hounded by autograph seekers after having his own show for the last few weeks. Inside, we find Phil having trouble rehearsing his band. Don brings the Sportsmen out to sing a special commercial song that’s sure to get on Jack’s nerves.
In the department store, Jack and Babe take care of exchanging the shoelaces, and meet characters along the way to joke about Babe’s dating life, and Jack’s cheapness. What happened to the man who waited on Jack last week, when he couldn’t make up his mind over which shoelaces to buy? His wife is on hand to report on his nervous condition, but seems to have some sensitive emotions of her own. How will the exchange go?
PS: In going through his Christmas card list, one is for Rodney Dangerfield. Not the comedian, this Rodney is a fictitious character that we first heard mentioned in the Buck Benny run of shows in the late 1930’s.
I can’t stop laughing at this show. Jack’s Christmas shows are always hilarious.
I know what you mean. I like the ending where Jack talks with the wife of the salesman who he drove nuts in last week’s show. The salesman being Mel Blanc, and his wife is Bea Benaderet. I wonder who played Babe in this one. She did a good job, and sounded a lot like Mary Livingston, only with a huskier voice.