"The Fourth Annual Shotz Talent Show"

"The Fourth Annual Shotz Talent Show"
December 6, 1979
B-

Chris Thompson's writing is a little weak here, with characters meta-discussing, talking about what they need to discuss, too much.  But Carmine & Edna do a nice "Yankee Doodle Dandy," the girls put on Scarlett O'Hara dresses and gold disco-wear, and best of all Lenny & Squiggy do the hard-rocking "If Only I Had Listened to Mama,"* as well as a funny running commentary on the finale.  Oh, and this time Frank has ventriloquist dummies that look a little like Laverne & Shirley.

Valorie Armstrong played Cookie before and is Bernice this time, while William Sumper was a Concessionaire before and is Milo here.  Squigtone W.G. Snuffy Walden would go on to write the theme for Roseanne, among many other shows.  The actor who does the voiceover for Mr. Shotz isn't credited but I definitely miss Harry Shearer's version.


*The line "She said you better wear your rubbers or you're gonna catch your death" sounded a lot different in the pre-AIDS era.  (Rubbers as in galoshes, although then again, who knows with McKean's subversive humor?  Maybe it was about gonorrhea.)