"Laverne & Shirley": The Collector's Edition, Volume Eight

We already saw the girls "At the Brewery," but the volume called "Fun on the Job" takes a look at their post-Shotz employment, at one workplace in particular:

"After working as bottle-cappers in the Shotz Brewery, Laverne and Shirley move to Burbank, California to work as gift-wrappers in Bardwell's Department Store.  The madcap duo keep slapstick alive, in the tradition of the physical comedy of Lucille Ball and Lucy and Ethel.  [Again, who edited these awkward blurbs?]  'I feel the country misses Lucy very badly,' executive producer Garry Marshall told the Washington Post.  'So Laverne and Shirley get involved in Lucyish situations.'  But unlike Lucy who relied on Ricky to untangle her problems, Laverne and Shirley rely on each other--making Laverne and Shirley that much funnier."

The tape kicks off with the two-part "The Bardwell Caper," from late in Season Six:

• "Laverne and Shirley, angry about being passed over for a $5 raise, write a nasty letter to their boss, but, when the boss gives them an $8 raise, they recruit Lenny, Squiggy, and Carmine to help them get the letter back from his electronically alarmed office using Mission Impossible tactics.  Note: Norman Barthold (Mr. Hildebrand) starred as District Attorney Donahue on Adam's Rib and Mr. Brody on Teacher's Only."
• "While trying to cover their tracks after getting into their boss's security-tight office, Laverne and Shirley discover some interesting information about their boss in his private chambers.  Note: Dave Ketchum, who co-wrote this episode, starred as Agent 13 on Get Smart." 

There's no Stay Tuned for Part One, but Part Two has Laverne say, "Laverne and Shirley will be right back," and Shirley add, "We'd be pleased if you stayed tuned."

We get the final Bardwell's episode, from very early in Season Eight, "Window on Main Street," described this way: "When Mr. Hildebrand assigns Laverne and Shirley to live for a week in a store window room that exhibits developments of the future, a hypnotist cures Laverne of her claustrophobia, accidentally causing the girls to act like chickens any time they hear a bell ring.  Note: In this episode, Shirley, married to Walter Meany [sic] (making her Shirley Feeney-Meany) discovers she's pregnant.  Leslie Easterbrook (Rhonda Lee) starred as Officer Callahan in the Police Academy movies."

There is no Stay Tuned, although it would've been Cindy's last chance for one.

And lastly, we get a glimpse at the last regular canon job Laverne would ever hold: "When Frank De Fazio gets a job for Laverne at the Ajax Aerospace Company, Laverne floats through the factory inside an anti-gravity suit.  Note: Robert Hogan (G. Bullets Klein) starred as Tyler Benedict on The Don Rickles Show and Sheriff Paul Tate on The Manhunter.  Charles Fleisher [sic] (Chuck) provided the voice of Roger Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?  Raleigh Bond (Bill Ajax) starred as Raleigh on Alice."

The Stay Tuned is Laverne's unconfident "Don't go away, we'll be right back.  Really."  I need to note that I had forgotten so much about this episode since my last viewing, I didn't realize that "G. Bullets Klein" actually appeared on the series, not just in the Shirley-version of "The Baby Show."

I can take or leave this volume of the collection.  I suppose that it's good that we got a sampling of the girls' experience at Bardwell's, but again, I would've liked a volume with musical episodes instead.