"No Tell Motel"




It's November 11, 1980.  I'm pretty unhappy anyway because I have to go to junior high and Ronald Reagan was elected last week.  An actors' strike has delayed all the Fall premieres, with Season Five of Three's Company debuting a couple weeks ago and Laverne & Shirley not till next week.  And now you're telling me Riche and Ralph have joined the Army?  OK, this isn't bad farce, better than watching Jack Tripper get sexually harassed in an hour, and at least we finally get to meet Jenny Piccalo.  So C+

Notes:
  • Cathy Silvers, yes, daughter of Phil, would make 54 more appearances as Jenny.  Here she is chasing after Potsie, who is approximately four years older than her.
  • Joanie and Chachi are somehow still in high school, although she was supposed to be starting college this year.
  • Joanie apparently gave Fonzie a potholder when she was 10, so seven years ago?  Retcon is confusing.
  • Steven Peterman was old enough to play a high school teacher, Mr. Rob Donovan, on Square Pegs a few years later, but here he is Joanie's would-be date rapist, Wilbur (the reason this episode is not a B-).
  • I have no quibbles with Jim Begg as the Bellhop, since he gives the role more than it deserves, as he did in the movies Village of the Giants (with Ron Howard) and The Cool Ones.
  • Lynda Goodfriend gets promoted to the now depopulated credits but she doesn't actually appear in this episode.  (At least not on the version I have on DVD.)  Nor does (cue the Jaws theme) Ted McGinley.
  • There is no explanation of the cast shakeups, they're just there, like this wasn't meant to air first.  We do get Richie sending Fonzie a letter but that's about it.
  • Chachi takes Joanie to a Beach Boys concert and then wants to take her to see Johnny Mathis, not too anachronistic.  Well, not compared to J & C's hair.
  • Cindy Begel and Lesa Kite would write for Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy as well, but they did only one more HD script.

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