Sapphire and Mama are, surprisingly, planning a vacation trip to Maine. They actually want to go hiking and fishing and things like that. This seems totally unlike their characters, so we know right away it's a setup for whatever this plot will feature.
It seems Sapphire has borrowed some stupidity from Andy in that she has been storing up money in her joint bank account with George so they can afford to take this trip, and she not only hasn't checked the balance, but she somehow thought that over months of planning, Kingfish would leave that money alone.
That part of the plot worked better in a different episode when she was plunking coins into a large piggy bank and frequently checked to hear the rattle inside, trusting the money was there, not knowing Kingfish had found a way to get the money out and replaced it all with slugs.
So here, there's $400 to pay for the trip that George has, in effect, stolen, and now he needs to get replacement money-which he does by selling the car.
I'm thinking, how does one enjoy the lakes and mountains of Maine without a car? Obviously, they're going to want to drive to Maine-even in the early 50s less than a full-day's drive, and then you can get to all of these remote sites. Somehow, George thinks they will take the train to Maine and somehow get to where they want to go-and he figures this without ever thinking to ask.
He sells the car for the sum he needs and when he returns home, finds the women are meeting with some strange man who they say is helping them with the trip. Again, George doesn't ask any useful questions, just gives his wife the money, which she promptly gives to the man who leaves. Then he learns they have bought a trailer from him for the $400 so they can drive to Maine and save a ton of money over taking the train and staying in lodges.
Now George needs to find a way to get the car back. As usual, his remedy to a problem is to swindle his best friend, the every-trusting Andy, who has told Kingfish that he'd like to take a camping trip to Yellowstone Park.
George convinces him to give him $400 and he will arrange the whole trip for the two of them. The women cannot figure out why George is taking a trip with Andy just a couple of weeks before their family trip-nor do they question how he has the money for it-but it's all a scam to get Kingfish the money to buy back his car. We are never told how he found a buyer for the car who was so happy to sell it back for the same amount of money, but with Andy's loot, he does it.
With the help of Calhoun, Kingfish believes he can dupe Andy into believing he is visiting various western states, including visiting the sights he wants, without taking him any farther than New York's Central Park. I have been to Central Park and while not positive, I truly doubt you can go too many places where you park a car and trailer and cannot easily look around and see one or more of the city's skyscrapers. But let's say you can.
Kingfish's unbelievable ploy is to "drive" the car and trailer while Andy is sleeping, and tell him in the morning where they are-complete with signs he plants outside naming different states and a few other props, with Calhoun helping. For example, after convincing Andy they drove from New York to Kentucky overnight. Without the Eisenhower Interstates, this would have been no less than a 15 hour trip. Somehow, Kingfish is counting on Andy sleeping a long time without waking up for anything-where he would have easily learned they aren't moving at all.
Andy is awakened, exits the trailer, sees a sign that they are in Kentucky and decides he wants to walk around a bit. Kingfish is ready. He looks at his eyes and tells him he has some sort of Kentucky fever and the cure is to wear a blindfold until later that day. Kingfish has one handy, puts it on Andy and leads him around-not even walking through the park, just in circles within a few feet of the trailer, and Andy is too dumb to realize what is going on.
At their second stop, they are supposed to be in North Dakota, which would have taken over 22 hours from Kentucky, and Andy wants to go fishing. This time, before they get away from the trailer, Kingfish has Calhoun make loud bobcat noises that scares Andy so much he retreats to the trailer and stays there all day without doing anything.
By now, even Curly or Shemp would have realized this "vacation" is a joke-they only drive when he is asleep, and he never gets to see anything but a few trees around the trailer because of one thing or another. At the very least, he should be saying, "Listen, Kingfish, I'm going to stay awake while we drive to the next place, so I can at least see something through the windows, since I can't ever get away from the trailer when we're parked and all the way out here I haven't seen any part of the country."
On their third day, they are supposed to be in Yellowstone. There's no way they could go anywhere close to that in the 50s, and even Andy should have known that was more miles than they could get that fast. It all falls apart for Kingfish when his wife and mother-in-law happen to wander through the park and see their own trailer, than encounter Andy inside. This is how Kingfish gets caught, although any real resolution is not done at all.
This is another plot designed to see outrageous ploys by Kingfish to fool Andy. As usual, his plans are not well-thought-out. Day after day of a scheme to keep Andy from wandering away from the trailer, never seeing any actual sights, never getting to fish or hike or see Old Faithful or anything of the sort; never even seeing a mountain through the window. I also wonder how come Andy doesn't question how his friend can be with him all day, drive all night, and never go to sleep.
I wish they had Kingfish trick bad guys who had taken things from Andy, like Sgt. Bilko often did, helping his men who had been gypped. Just cheating Andy so often and never losing his friendship just never comes across as funny. My score = 3.
It seems Sapphire has borrowed some stupidity from Andy in that she has been storing up money in her joint bank account with George so they can afford to take this trip, and she not only hasn't checked the balance, but she somehow thought that over months of planning, Kingfish would leave that money alone.
That part of the plot worked better in a different episode when she was plunking coins into a large piggy bank and frequently checked to hear the rattle inside, trusting the money was there, not knowing Kingfish had found a way to get the money out and replaced it all with slugs.
So here, there's $400 to pay for the trip that George has, in effect, stolen, and now he needs to get replacement money-which he does by selling the car.
I'm thinking, how does one enjoy the lakes and mountains of Maine without a car? Obviously, they're going to want to drive to Maine-even in the early 50s less than a full-day's drive, and then you can get to all of these remote sites. Somehow, George thinks they will take the train to Maine and somehow get to where they want to go-and he figures this without ever thinking to ask.
He sells the car for the sum he needs and when he returns home, finds the women are meeting with some strange man who they say is helping them with the trip. Again, George doesn't ask any useful questions, just gives his wife the money, which she promptly gives to the man who leaves. Then he learns they have bought a trailer from him for the $400 so they can drive to Maine and save a ton of money over taking the train and staying in lodges.
Now George needs to find a way to get the car back. As usual, his remedy to a problem is to swindle his best friend, the every-trusting Andy, who has told Kingfish that he'd like to take a camping trip to Yellowstone Park.
George convinces him to give him $400 and he will arrange the whole trip for the two of them. The women cannot figure out why George is taking a trip with Andy just a couple of weeks before their family trip-nor do they question how he has the money for it-but it's all a scam to get Kingfish the money to buy back his car. We are never told how he found a buyer for the car who was so happy to sell it back for the same amount of money, but with Andy's loot, he does it.
With the help of Calhoun, Kingfish believes he can dupe Andy into believing he is visiting various western states, including visiting the sights he wants, without taking him any farther than New York's Central Park. I have been to Central Park and while not positive, I truly doubt you can go too many places where you park a car and trailer and cannot easily look around and see one or more of the city's skyscrapers. But let's say you can.
Kingfish's unbelievable ploy is to "drive" the car and trailer while Andy is sleeping, and tell him in the morning where they are-complete with signs he plants outside naming different states and a few other props, with Calhoun helping. For example, after convincing Andy they drove from New York to Kentucky overnight. Without the Eisenhower Interstates, this would have been no less than a 15 hour trip. Somehow, Kingfish is counting on Andy sleeping a long time without waking up for anything-where he would have easily learned they aren't moving at all.
Andy is awakened, exits the trailer, sees a sign that they are in Kentucky and decides he wants to walk around a bit. Kingfish is ready. He looks at his eyes and tells him he has some sort of Kentucky fever and the cure is to wear a blindfold until later that day. Kingfish has one handy, puts it on Andy and leads him around-not even walking through the park, just in circles within a few feet of the trailer, and Andy is too dumb to realize what is going on.
At their second stop, they are supposed to be in North Dakota, which would have taken over 22 hours from Kentucky, and Andy wants to go fishing. This time, before they get away from the trailer, Kingfish has Calhoun make loud bobcat noises that scares Andy so much he retreats to the trailer and stays there all day without doing anything.
By now, even Curly or Shemp would have realized this "vacation" is a joke-they only drive when he is asleep, and he never gets to see anything but a few trees around the trailer because of one thing or another. At the very least, he should be saying, "Listen, Kingfish, I'm going to stay awake while we drive to the next place, so I can at least see something through the windows, since I can't ever get away from the trailer when we're parked and all the way out here I haven't seen any part of the country."
On their third day, they are supposed to be in Yellowstone. There's no way they could go anywhere close to that in the 50s, and even Andy should have known that was more miles than they could get that fast. It all falls apart for Kingfish when his wife and mother-in-law happen to wander through the park and see their own trailer, than encounter Andy inside. This is how Kingfish gets caught, although any real resolution is not done at all.
This is another plot designed to see outrageous ploys by Kingfish to fool Andy. As usual, his plans are not well-thought-out. Day after day of a scheme to keep Andy from wandering away from the trailer, never seeing any actual sights, never getting to fish or hike or see Old Faithful or anything of the sort; never even seeing a mountain through the window. I also wonder how come Andy doesn't question how his friend can be with him all day, drive all night, and never go to sleep.
I wish they had Kingfish trick bad guys who had taken things from Andy, like Sgt. Bilko often did, helping his men who had been gypped. Just cheating Andy so often and never losing his friendship just never comes across as funny. My score = 3.
