User Reviews

There are times in this series where performing takes priority over plot. The plot on this is Jerry Buel takes a career test to help decide what he should major in for his career. When the results come in he wants to be an actor.

With this in mind, Jerry then decides to visit the local theater group for a try out.

The thing is, as usual, the entire family decides to pitch in on the try out. Here is where we get lost in the entertainment as the try out appears to have little of Jerry but lots of the group. After some entertainment, the episode sort of ends with nothing resolved as far as if Jerry should be an actor or not.

OK, I can't imagine any audition for a college musical being a mini-musical (lasting nearly 10 minutes) that Roger wrote and now Jerry is using to show off his talents. In fact, he is joined by his wife, his parents and his in-laws for the big production number like sequence which shows off the singing and dancing talents of all six cast members. The episode begins with Jerry off taking a test to aide him in figuring out his career goals, and the remainder of the family are looking out the big bay window over at the Hubbards when Jerry comes in through the back. Before you know it, Kay is planning his Oscar acceptance speech and Eve is bemoaning the fact that after he is knighted by the queen, she'll never see Suzie again. The episode culminates with Roger agreeing to pull the musical he wrote years ago out of his trunk which is then performed, complete with set pieces, in front of the faculty simply for Jerry to get a part in the upcoming college musical.

This is a lot of fun simply for the show within the show with Kay playing a Texas Guinan type speakeasy owner and Eve and Susie as showgirls. Kay gets lyrics for "The Charleston" and in a squeaky voice, Eve sings "Button Up Your Overcoat", then Jerry sings "Ain't She Sweet" with Susie, so this wasn't really a fully "original" musical. The costumes are sets are perfect for an Off Broadway show a la "Dames at Sea", and in spite of all of the implausibilities, it is a lot of fun. For musical theater veterans Arden (a former Ziegfeld Girl herself) and Ballard, it returns them to the type of material they grew up on. Ballard gets a big ballad at the end which she sells with her typical gusto. A high rating for the originality and the entertainment value in spite of how ridiculously silly it all is.

As a bonus, the episode on the DVD features a commercial for Scope which has Roger, Kay and Eve repeating their sitcom roles.