I Married Joan S2-14 "Barbecue" 01/13/1954

I Married Joan "Barbecue" S2-14, 01/13/1954 Director: John Rich, Writers: Phil Sharp, Sherwood Schwartz, Jesse Goldstein. This wacky, fondly remembered episode spoofs the backyard barbecue craze of the 1950s and pre-dates the “I Love Lucy” episode of the same theme by three years. It opens with Brad raving about the delicious barbecue dinner just eaten at the home of Joan’s best frenemy, Helen Cavanaugh (deftly played by Adele Jergens). Joan insists they buy a barbecue in order for her to compete with Helen for the attention of Brad’s stomach. When she finds out from a salesman (Charles Williams) that there’s a two-month wait, she decides to build it herself, with sister Beverly’s (Beverly Wills) assistance. They build it, and of course it’s dysfunctional. Helen and husband George (Wallace Caldwell) arrive, and Joan and Bev make the non-barbecue barbecue happen in grand and classic sitcom style! Note: there’s a backyard walk-on by character actor Bobby Barber, the Abbott and Costello stooge who was often the object of their pranks, on and off screen. (Barber can also be seen as an onlooker in IMJ's “Fireman,” previously posted on the JDC.)