Oh Mother!!! No..I mean Mothers-In-Law!

As many of you may know, I am a classic TV junkie; I have thousands of episodes of TV series on DVD. I have the complete series of The Golden Girls, all 11 seasons of Murder, She Wrote that have been released so far...the three season releases thus far of Designing Women, the six season releases thus far of The Jeffersons and numerous others. A few of these releases would fall into the "Cherished" category; extremely rare series that are rarely shown today (the entire H.R. Puffnstuff and The Snoop Sisters series, Season 1 of Hazel and McMillan and Wife, just to name a few). Brand new to DVD this week is another one of these "cherished" series: the rarely-seen but fondly-remembered 1967-1969 sitcom, The Mothers-in-Law. The final television series produced by Desi Arnaz, the NBC sitcom was created and mostly-written by the former writers of I Love Lucy, Bob Carroll, Jr. and Madelyn Davis. If you like I Love Lucy, you'll like The Mothers-in-Law.

A big kudos to MPI Home Video for a superb DVD release of this long-lost sitcom, that has been largely removed from syndication since the mid 1980s. I remember watching reruns of The Mothers-in-Law as a child when I would go visit my grandmother in the early and late 1970s; one of the local TV channels in her area used to air it after dinner...and I can still see her rocking in her rocking chair and shelling butter beans as the episodes unfolded.

Starring Eve Arden (Mildred Pierce, Our Miss Brooks, Grease) and Kaye Ballard (Cinderella, Freaky Friday), The Mothers-in-Law centered around two disparate families: the well-to-do, sophisticated Hubbards and their next-door neighbors. the eccentric and loud-mouthed Buells, who become related by marriage when the Hubbard's daughter, Suzie, (Deborah Walley, the original Gidget) marries the Buell's son, Jerry (Jerry Fogel). The children lived in the Hubbard's garage apartment...too close for comfort from the meddling mothers-in-law. Jerry and Suzy were largely secondary in this series but were a stimulus for the comedy; most of the episode plots featured Eve and Kaye (the character names were the same as the actresses' names) meddling in their children's lives. Since almost all of the episodes were written by former writers of I Love Lucy, watching the Mothers-in-Law today seems as if we are watching a colorized version of Lucy and Ethel.

The series also featured Herbert Rudley as Herb Hubbard, an attorney. The role of Roger Buell was split; the first season featured Roger C. Carmel as Mr. Buell...while Richard Deacon, fresh off six years of The Dick Van Dyke Show, came aboard for the series' second and final season. Roger was a television writer.

The DVD release of this classic series contains all 56 episodes, digitally re-mastered, on 7 disks. There is a plethora of special features on the eighth disk: a "Remembering The Mothers-In-Law featurette, with Kaye Ballard (one of only two surviving cast members; Jerry Fogel is still alive, too); the original show pilot, featuring Kay Cole in the role of Suzie Hubbard; cast commercials; rarely-seen performances by Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard, a long radio interview between Lucille Ball and Eve Arden, an unproduced episode script, and various network promos for the series. All in all, over 9 hours of special features for this series. MPI Video sure does things right. Some of these episodes are perfectly restored; others feature a little bit of noise but the series probably has not looked this good since it originally aired in Prime Time.


It is very exciting to have this long-lost series in my DVD collection. Watching it is like going back in a time machine; psychadelic sets, numerous references during a time when culture and acceptable behavior was much different than things today. It is certainly family friendly; not one naughty word was spoken in the entire series run. Watching it now, as a middle-aged adult, one just gets the feeling that this show would have been a HUGE success had it aired in the 1950s; it really has that 1950s sitcom-feel.


Unfortunately, the show aired in the late 1960s, when television was becoming more sophisticated and the youth movement was in full swing. Shows like The Mod Squad, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Hawaii Five-O, and the #1 show on TV at the time, Laugh-In, were more appealing...while The Mothers-In-Law was more of an innocent sitcom in the I Love Lucy/Donna Reed mold that attracted older audiences. Still, the potential was there for a huge TV smash...but tremendous success eluded the series.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle was its time slot. Airing at 8:30 pm Sunday nights, it was the "bridge" show between The Wonderful World of Disney and Bonanza...and aired opposite the dominant Ed Sullivan on CBS and The F.B.I. on ABC. With nothing in common with either Disney or Bonanza, The Mothers-in-Law struggled to hold onto viewers. Back in those still early days of television, sponsors would often buy time slots, and that was the case here. Proctor and Gamble owned the 8:30 pm slot on NBC...and had owned it since 1961. No series had prospered in this awkward time slot; only Car 54, Where Are You, The Mothers-In-Law and The Bill Cosby Show survived beyond a year and no series between 1961 and 1972, when the time slot was finally eliminated, lasted more than two seasons.

Ratings were anemic in the first year and NBC was slated to cancel The Mothers-in-Law after the first season. Proctor and Gamble liked the show, however, and threatened to take the series to ABC. NBC, in response, agreed to renewal on the condition that there were to be no raise in licensing fees; the cast had to agree to earn the same salary for Season Two as they had for Season One. All cast members agreed to this stipulation except for Roger C. Carmel, who insisted on a raise per his contract. Desi Arnaz was forced to replace Carmel and the actor chosen was Richard Deacon, who played the role in a completely different manner than his predecessor and thus really altered the chemistry with Kaye Ballard. Even the addition of a baby in Season Two could not draw more viewers...ratings fell and The Mothers-In-Law was cancelled after two seasons and 56 episodes. Who knows what could have been had it just aired on a different day; but this could be asked of a lot of cancelled series.


I also wondered why Desi Arnaz didn't try going in a different direction regarding those with writing duties for the series. Viewing these old episodes reminds people a lot of I Love Lucy; it's got that Lucy feel, perhaps because of the main writers and the fact that Arnaz, himself, produced the show and even appeared in four episodes of the series. I also wonder why this series hasn't been a candidate for a remake; it would be EASY to remake The Mothers-in-Law with updated scripts and topics.

MPI Video has released a gem and I, for one, am thrilled to have the entire series. Some of the episodes truly are funny. Young people today might find the show a little bland but fans of classic TV will enjoy this show. Real classic TV fans will get a kick out of the pilot, which opens with the classic NBC stinger, proudly announcing that "the following program is brought to you in living color by NBC," the NBC chimes after the closing credits, and several of the episodes have their original sponsor logos on the background during the closing credits. Because this was a Proctor and Gamble sponsored program, frequently featured products were Camay, Scope and Crest, which had just unveiled its mint flavored toothpaste. I give this set 5 stars with an exclamation point!

Summer Quarter course update

The following are the latest homework assignments for students in my math classes:

MTH1010 Section M1 -- pp. 191-193: #11-22, 27-35. EXAM #2 is Monday of next week. We will review for the exam toward the end of the next class session.

MTH0100 Section A1 -- TEST #2 is Wednesday morning!! We will check the homework assignment after the test: p. 128-129: #13-20, 45-52, 77-84, 87-94

MTH1010 Section E1 -- p. 185: #31-41; 65-70. EXAM #2 is Monday of next week. We wil lreview for the exam toawrd the end of the next class session.

MTH0100 Section M2 -- pp. 226-228: #7-8; 10; 19; 22-24; 33-38; 86.

MTH1010 Section A2 -- STUDY FOR EXAM #2, which is Thursday morning.

Several students have remarked that updating the homework on here helps them when they forget what has been assigned. I will try to be more timely about updating this blog.

CHAOS!!!

The concept of fractals, a fascinating topic within geometry, is based in large part on chaos theory. Anyone who knows anything about chaos theory knows that despite its moniker, there is actually a beautiful pattern and symmetry to the chaotic behavior of any system. In theory, that should hold true for any math instructor teaching numerous classes.

In PRACTICE, however, there doesn't appear to be any symmetry or order: EVERY ONE OF MY CLASSES IS AT A DIFFERENT POINT, heading into the fifth week of class. Below are the latest homework assignments for each of my classes, due the next class meeting:

MTH1010 Section M1 -- p. 185: #31-41; 65-70.

MTH0100 Section A1 -- p. 109: #87-90
p. 128-129: #5-12, 33-40.

MTH1010 Section E1 -- p. 165-167: #1-27 (odd); 84; 86; 88.

MTH0100 Section M2 -- p. 129-131: #87-94
p. 144-145: #37-44; 57-60; 73-82; 102-109.
TEST #2 IS TUESDAY MORNING!!! 33 Questions from all of
Chapter 3 (decimals) and Chapter 2 (fractions), up through multiplying
fractions. We will check homework after the test.

MTH1010 Section A2 -- p. 191-194: #11-22; 27-34.
The next exam in MTH1010 Section A2 is next Thursday. We will
review for the exam toward the end of the next class period.


Confused??? Try being the TEACHER!!!

Back and forth...

Through two weeks of classes, a mixed bag as far as progress goes:

MTH0100 has managed to keep up with the syllabus so far. Any absent students can look on the course syllabus for assignments.

MTH1010, however, is another story. Monday/Wednesday students know we have managed to keep up with the syllabus. Tuesday/Thursday class, however, is now nearly a full day behind after just our third meeting. There is no homework for Tuesday in section A2. The first examination is still planned for next Thursday, and will cover all of Chapter 1 and the first two sections of Chapter 2, up through adding integers with same signs.

And we're off! (In more ways than one)

Well, the summer quarter is underway and I want to welcome to any students who may decide to log on to see what Mr. B is up to. So far so good...we've managed to keep up with the syllabus after our first class meeting.

Monday/Wednesday students are reminded that there will be NO CLASSES on Monday. Have a nice and relaxing holiday weekend!

In other world news...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100701/ap_on_sc/eu_sci_russia_math_genius

Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman has made his decision...and has opted to turn DOWN the $1 million dollar prize he won for solving the long-elusive Poincare conjecture. According to the news article, Perelman turned down his prize in protest of the current organization structure of the mathematics community.

If it were me...I'd just take the money!

Wow! It's Yow! Happy Days to follow for NCState

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/27/553501/expect-a-direct-approach-from.html

Stunning news this week from my alma mater, NCState, which announced that Debbie Yow will take over as Athletic Director on July 1 after 16 years in the same position at Maryland. This hire has my full support -- Yow is known for her fiscally responsible means of running an athletic program and perhaps more importantly, FOR HOLDING HER COACHES ACCOUNTABLE AND EXPECTING THEM TO WIN!

The atmosphere among NCState coaches is going to get a bit more pressure-packed now since expectations will be raised for all programs. No more status-quo and medicority. Teams will be expected to compete for conference championships and if the current coaches can't get the job done, Yow has shown at Maryland that she is not afraid to cut ties and move in another direction. This can only be a positive for the future amongst the athletic programs:

FOOTBALL -- Tom O'Brien has yet to have a winning season since taking over for Chuck Amato. He has the most to lose with yet another losing or break-even season in 2010.

MEN'S BASKETBALL -- Sidney Lowe is much beloved amongst NCState alumni but has yet to take the team to the NCAA Tournament. With a healthy recruiting pipeline now well-established, the pressure is going to be on Sid to produce or be forced to leave.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL -- Kellie Harper is perhaps one of the safer coaches in the NCState family, taking over for Yow's sister last season and taking the team to the NCAA Tournament in her first season at the helm. Yow has experience coaching women's basketball and hired Brenda Frese, who led Maryland to a national championship in 2006.

BASEBALL -- Time may be running out for Eliot Avent, who seems to have NCState competitive year after year but has yet to prove he can win the Big Games. Yow may leave Avent alone initially, tho; Maryland's un-funded baseball team has never done much in this sport and Yow may take a wait-and-see approach in her first couple of years. Many alumni, tho, would like NCState to become a national power in baseball and return to Omaha for the first time since 1968.

MEN'S SOCCER -- George Tarantini is the most likely candidate to be replaced. NCState soccer, once a national powerhouse, is mediocre at best most years...although every few years, they make national headlines. Tarantini has been at NCState since 1988 but we have done very little on the national scene during his time with the Wolfpack.

I am very excited to hear that Debbie Yow is coming to NCState...completing the family circle started with her sisters Kay and Susan, NCState's first All-American in women's basketball.

Little Lord Fauntleroy and more brown oooze..

All right...I'm now TOTALLY convinced...although I have been nearly there for a while. Our president is a petulant child who demands perfection and throws temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. And don't dare speak the truth if it makes him look bad.

The removal of Gen. Stanley McCrystal as head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan today provided the definitive confirmation. This president will NOT tolerate anyone publicly making comments that are less than flattering. All of this because of an article in "Rolling Stone" magazine that hasn't even hit the press yet.

I can understand protocol that says those in command do not show disrespect to the Commander-In-Chief...but the comments made by McCrystal were not insulting; he simply stated that the President seemed not to be "engaged" during their initial meeting to discuss strategy for Afghanistan. Any negatively blatant comments about POTUS were made by aides to McCrystal; any blatantly negative comments by McCrystal were about the civilian commander Eikenberry, who is to help manage the war with McCrystal. And can anyone really blame making a little bit of fun at VP Joe Biden? Or should we say VP Potty Mouth?

In the end, McCrystal was a victim of an outspoken nature not normally associated with the stringent requirements of the military establishment. I like the man; he speaks his mind, even if his views are unpopular or against the Program. It is not always good to walk with your head in the clouds or in the sand. We need more people out there like Stanley McCrystal. Sadly, we have lost a good soldier. Meanwhile, the Obama machine rolls on. I imagine one reason McCrystal had to go was that the meeting held today prevented the Anointed One from playing yet another round of golf...or attending another baseball game...or hosting a rock star or another group of college athletes.

I'm not the only one with opinion that Obama acts, more times than is comfortable for the POTUS, like a child. Jeb Bush has even gotten into the fray, expressing what many of the political pundits have been saying for a while that he needs to grow up and "stop blaming George W. Bush for everything." At some point, Obama has got to accept responsibility for things; not EVERY crisis is someone else's problem.

Obama has NEVER met a TV camera he didn't like. This man hits me as one who enjoys the perks of being President but can't ACT like a POTUS should. The USA is heading down an ominous road toward defeat, from which recovery will be difficult if not impossible...and sadly, we do not have a leader right now who can pull us out of there. And the more things look bleak and the pressure increases...we can probably expect more childish outbursts like "looking for someone's ass to kick" "I can't go down there and plug the hole" or "I can't suck the oil up with a straw." I certainly hope that sometime before he leaves office (which should be in 36 months if all cards fall correctly) he will show us what he CAN do well (besides spending money, swatting flies or shooting hoops).

The meeting in Washington today was yet another roadblock to this Administration's ability to focus totally on the Gulf oil spill. That disaster took another nasty turn today when an underwater robot accidently nudged the cap that had been placed over the leaking well, resulting in the cap having to be brought back to the surface for repair. Now, there is NOTHING preventing the full plume of oil from spewing into the Gulf until the cap is replaced. And the relief wells are still a month or more from being finished. Not good.

Leaders from the states affected directly by the oil spill are angry and frustrated. Louisiana is probably wishing now that the big Purchase of 1803 had never occurred. What is wrong with allowing the state to take whatever measures are necessary to protect their wetlands if the Federal Government is too lazy or slow to make decisions...none of which seem to favor the states themselves.

All Louisiana wants to do is build some sand berms to protect its wetlands and provide a barrier for the oil before affecting the beaches. What is wrong with that? Obviously, the locals are more on top of the situation and willing to be proactive than our own national government. Goodness...let them do what they need to do. In the meantime, oil is also starting to affect Mississippi, Alabama and Florida beaches. This story is not going to have a happy ending.

There comes a time when the Environmentalists need to cease and desist for the greater good. And I think that time has arrived.

Well, I'm heading out of town for a few days to spend some time with my Dad as he celebrates his 80th birthday. It will be a good visit...and we'll both be keeping tabs on the news. I may even update with a new post or two while I'm away. But you can be assured I'll be really wound up when I return home. There's no telling WHAT will happen to our country in the next few days.