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Host: Allan Newsome
Running time: 0:18:58
Two Chairs No Waiting
Let’s talk about “party line.” No, we aren’t going into political talk. Let’s talk about telephone party lines and what happened in Mayberry the day Mr. Tucker visited. The episode is “Man in a Hurry” and was the 79th episode aired (January 14, 1963).
I’m sure you remember that Malcolm Tucker’s car broke down on a Sunday about 2 miles outside of Mayberry and he was trying to get it fixed. He took Gomer’s truck from Wally’s and Andy had to stop him. Then he wanted to make a phone call but Andy told him that the Mendelbright sisters (Maude and Cora Mt. Pilot) tie up the phone for 3 or 4 hours every Sunday afternoon.
The reason the phone was tied up was because it was a party line. Do you remember party lines? Are they still around?
Enjoy the show and welcome to Mayberry if you’re just finding us.
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Related Links:
- Man in a Hurry
- Party line (Wikipedia)
- Santa Anita Canyon
Executive Producer of Two Chairs No Waiting Episode #117: Allan Newsome
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Allan – great topic! I think I always assumed that somehow, no one else in town could use the phone while they were on their long distance call. That is what is implied in the show. I love how it prompts Mr Tucker’s speech about “you are living in another world!….).
And I LOVE that episode! So many great moments in that one episode. Here’s one we have used for years – “oh boy, i get to sleep on an ironing board between 2 chairs. That sounds awful. No it isn’t “THAT’S ADVENTURE SLEEPING”. That line has been on more camping trips than I can count!
I remember those days, you never knew who was listenting in on your conversations and when talking long distance you had to speak a little louder. The old rotary phone, the days when you actually dialed a telephone number which usually started with a couple of letters before the numbers. I was a little boy, but I remember ! Enjoyed this podcast very much.
Usually in the afternoon I shut my office down and listen to a program. Love learning more about Mayberry. I’ve been a fan since childhood and even now I own a Mayberry Sheriff car. It gets a lot of attention.
Thanks Allen for relaxing my afternoon sometimes. Was just listening to Andy sing “Church in the Wildwood” and fell a sleep. LOL
Tom B.
Thank you, Tom. I’m glad you enjoy the show.
Fun episode of TCNW. I also vaguely remember party lines in Zeeland, MI (which is as Mayberry-esque as Michigan gets) when visiting my mom’s family there.
Does anyone know who voiced Maude and Cora? I’ve done a fair amount of looking and haven’t been able to figure that out.
Also, when Mr. Tucker interrupts their call, and tells them he’s from Charlotte, one of the sisters says, “I know Charlotte Tucker! She married that man who fell down a lot.” The other sister replies, “She married that landscribing [?] man from Hutchinson, Kansas.”
Do I have that right and, if so, what is a landscribing man?
Also, Hutchinson, KS is Aneta Corsaut’s birthplace, but Helen doesn’t appear on TAGS until 7 episodes later (Andy Discovers America). Similarly, in The Mayberry Band S3E8, the infamous Phil Sunkel character appears, who in real life was a jazz trumpeter acquaintance of Aneta Corsaut’s. Is this just a reflection that shooting scenes from various episodes overlapped a lot? Aneta was obviously known to the writers as they wrote the scripts many episodes prior to Aneta’s debut. Or perhaps the director or a cast member threw this dialogue in while shooting. In any event, the sisters’ conversation throughout the episode is one of at least a dozen things that makes Man in a Hurry standout as one of my favorites.