Manhattanite Magazine writer John Monroe (William Windom) and fellow writer Philip Jensen (game show panelist Henry Morgan) are collaborating on a piece about what the world will be like in 10 years. Their editor Hamilton Greeley (Harold J Stone) gives them a Monday deadline, meaning they'll have to spend their weekend together working on it. The two men decided to get a hotel room to work in but have trouble checking in without any luggage under the eye of suspicious hotel clerks. The hotel clerk (character actor Richard Stahl) asks, "May I inquire as to just why you wish this suite?" Philip: "We want to work." Clerk: "Just what kind of work do you do?" When John shows him a copy of their work in the magazine they are granted a room. John and Phil call for a public stenographer and a sexy Miss Dalrymple (Roberta Lee Carroll) enters the room. Phil doesn't think he can control himself with her around. Not long after she leaves John's wife Ellen (Joan Hotchkis) and daughter Lydia (Lisa Gerritsen) arrives, as does Phil's wife Ruth (Olive Dunbar) and son Harry (Marc Winters). Phil senses tension in the relationship John has with his daughter. Seeing Phil's happy relationship with his son, John feels guilty and dreams of unpleasant scenarios of how Lydia will grow up: obese (Jennie Jackson), a hippie in jail wanting weed (a young Cindy Williams in her first screen acting role!), and at last a woman with loose morals walking the street (Talia Shire, Adrian in "Rocky" and Connie in "The Godfather' trilogy). He sits down with a heart-to-heart with his daughter.
Very fun and funny episode. The comedy is overt here, and not as dry as in most episodes of the series. Richard Stahl had some great lines as the hotel clerk.
Reflections on the series: "My World and Welcome to It" featured a strong James Thurber-like performance by William Windom. I felt the talented Joan Hotchkis was too intelligent to be cast as the wife, based on the kooky, dingbat-type featured in Thurber cartoons. Personally, I think a Jean Stapleton's Edith Bunker-type would have been the right intended chemistry and kept the show on the air longer than 26 episodes. When the show tackled a serious issue it seemed to go at it in-between. It wasn't the tremendous moving drama on "M*A*S*H", nor the way another Sheldon Leonard produced show "The Dick Van Dyke Show" addressed serious issues with a parade of laughs that still sent the message home (i.e. "That's My Boy???"). "My World and Welcome to It" did so merely with dry humor in a matter-of-fact way. The best episodes seem to be the ones where the writers used clever comedic dialogue in a not-so-dry manner. Some shows were very well-written, being both clever and comical. After all, the series won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series (William Windom) in its lone season. But this show seemed to appeal most to other cynical men, limiting it's audience perhaps. I, personally, had trouble trying to look forward to watching the next episode, and apparently it's cancellation meant I wasn't the only one with that sentiment.
Very fun and funny episode. The comedy is overt here, and not as dry as in most episodes of the series. Richard Stahl had some great lines as the hotel clerk.
Reflections on the series: "My World and Welcome to It" featured a strong James Thurber-like performance by William Windom. I felt the talented Joan Hotchkis was too intelligent to be cast as the wife, based on the kooky, dingbat-type featured in Thurber cartoons. Personally, I think a Jean Stapleton's Edith Bunker-type would have been the right intended chemistry and kept the show on the air longer than 26 episodes. When the show tackled a serious issue it seemed to go at it in-between. It wasn't the tremendous moving drama on "M*A*S*H", nor the way another Sheldon Leonard produced show "The Dick Van Dyke Show" addressed serious issues with a parade of laughs that still sent the message home (i.e. "That's My Boy???"). "My World and Welcome to It" did so merely with dry humor in a matter-of-fact way. The best episodes seem to be the ones where the writers used clever comedic dialogue in a not-so-dry manner. Some shows were very well-written, being both clever and comical. After all, the series won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series (William Windom) in its lone season. But this show seemed to appeal most to other cynical men, limiting it's audience perhaps. I, personally, had trouble trying to look forward to watching the next episode, and apparently it's cancellation meant I wasn't the only one with that sentiment.