Burt Styler Movies

Henry (Ted Knight) and Muriel (Nancy Dussault) look forward to spend their Easter vacation out of town. They're so happy that they're even willing to leave their apartment in the care of the redoubtable Monroe (J.M. J. Bullock). Unfortunately, the Rushes are stopped halfway through their trip by a blizzard, and are forced to return to San Francisco. Upon opening their apartment door, Henry and Muriel are greeted by a daunting sight -- it seems that "good old reliable Monroe" has thoroughly trashed the place. ~ All Movie Guide

This Emmy-winning episode of All in the Family not only shattered yet another TV taboo, but also showcased an acting tour de force for series star Jean Stapleton. The Bunker family is thrown into an uproar when the normally docile Edith undergoes several sudden and unexpected mood swings, yelling at her family and displaying a foul temper that makes Archie look like a pussycat. Though the men in the family don't quite know what is happening, Gloria does: Edith is going through menopause. Best line: "If you're gonna change, Edith, change! Right now! CHANGE!" Scripted by Burt Styler and Steve Zacharias from a story by Styler, "Edith's Problem" originally aired on January 8, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In order to get some much-needed R and R in Tokyo, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) pretends to be off his rocker. His scheme backfires when Frank Burns hauls in a no-nonsense psychiatrist (Stuart Margolin) to examine the "crazy" doctor. But Hawkeye double-crosses the double-crosser by arranging a cozy tête-à-tête between the psychiatrist and Frank's girlfriend Hot Lips (Loretta Swit). Originally scheduled to air on October 15, 1972, "Bananas, Crackers, and Nuts" (aka "After Me the Deluge") ultimately made its first TV appearance three weeks later, on November 5. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Archie thinks he knows a homosexual when he sees one, and when Mike invites his flamboyant photographer friend Roger to the Bunker household, Archie automatically assumes that Roger is a "flamer." Retreating to the safety of Kelsey's Bar, Arch chooses to spend some time with his "he-man" pals, notably his old arm-wrestling crony Steve. This early episode scores not only by radically reversing the usual stereotypical expectations, but also with the casting of future General Hospital heartthrob Tony Geary as the fluttery Roger and veteran movie tough guy Philip Carey as the ostensibly "safe" Steve. Written by Norman Lear and Burt Styler, "Judging Books by Covers" was originally scheduled to air on February 2, 1971, but was moved down to February 9. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season two of All in the Family commenced on September 18, 1971 with yet another taboo-banning episode. Scripted by Burt Styler and Norman Lear from a story by Styler, "The Saga of Cousin Oscar" dared to turn a subject as serious as death into a joke. No one in the Bunker family can abide freeloading cousin Oscar, least of all Archie. Thus, when Oscar has the audacity to drop dead in Archie and Edith's upstairs bedroom, poor Arch is stuck with the funeral expenses -- and the eulogy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Singer/songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who composed many of The Monkees' best tunes, appear in this episode of The Flying Nun. While appearing in San Juan, the two performers are involved in a minor traffic accident caused by Sr. Bertrille, who willingly takes all the blame for the incident. The boys' lawyer insists upon suing Convent San Tanco, resulting in a outpouring of public outrage which nearly wrecks the singers' careers--to say nothing of Carlos' casino. Boyce and Hart perform their own compositions "I Thank You" and "Crazy Arms". Written by March 20, 1970, "When Generations Gap" first aired on March 20, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Every time God closes a door, He opens a window-and sometimes, vice versa. Sr. Bertrille is initially delighted with her fancy new habit, a gift from the Mother General (played by Edith Atwater, taking over from Spring Byington). Alas, her new wingless coronet robs our heroine of her flying ability. Written by Burt Styler, the punningly titled "The New Habit" was originally telecast on November 19, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, a rebellious East German athlete forgoes her dowdy uniforms in favor of daring miniskirts. Soon the leggy track star attracts a lustful villain. To escape, she pole vaults over the Berlin Wall. There she is befriended by a broke black marketeer who has secretly agreed to return her to the communists in exchange for badly-needed money. He hides her in the apartment of an old army buddy of his who secretly works for the CIA. The smuggler is preparing to turn the girl over when he realizes that he is in love. The fellow is still busted and so tries to convince his pal to let her work for the CIA. When the athlete learns about this, she is crushed and decides to return to East Germany. Later, to prove he does love her, the smuggler dresses in drag and sneaks into East Berlin to see her. The woman is bowled over and together, they creep back into West Germany. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Usually cited as the absolute nadir of Bob Hope's film career, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! is by no means a classic, but it isn't nearly as bad as some of his other sixties efforts (take a look a Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell sometime). The plot is set in motion by movie sex bomb Elke Sommer, who flees from the set of her latest picture when she refuses to do yet another bathtub sequence. Sommer hides out in the home of real estate agent Hope, who is forced to keep the buxom starlet under wraps lest his wife Marjorie Lord misunderstand. Phyllis Diller plays Hope's maid, who conspires with her boss to keep Sommer out of sight. The plot lumbers forward to a wild climax wherein Hope, accused of Sommer's murder (she's still very much alive), embarks upon a slapstick car chase, chock full of Sennett-like sight gags. Though cheaply produced and perilously anachronistic, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! is professionally assembled by director George Marshall, a Hope colleague from way back. The film turned a tidy profit, thanks largely to the popularity of Hope's costar Phyllis Diller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tim (Bill Bixby) plays host to his wealthy Irish great-uncle Seamus O'Hara (Sean McClory), who has never heard of "Uncle" Martin (Ray Walston) and is suspicious of his origins. Upon witnessing the Martian as he levitates, Seamus is convinced that he has the answer--Martin must be a leprechaun! Having thus "captured" Martin, Seamus demands that his wish to be reunited with his long-lost love Eileen McGinty (Virginia Gregg) be granted...immediately. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Martin (Ray Walston) gets mighty jealous when he sees Detective Brennan (Alan Hewitt) dallying with Mrs. Brown (Pamela Britton). To relieve the aggravation, Martin forces clouds of steam to spew out of his ears. When this "habit" causes him to dangerously dehydrate, Martin must repair the damage in a hurry--but how to avoid the prying eyes of Brennan, who is now confined to the house with a back injury? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A crisis develops when Martin (Ray Walston) develops an allergy to his brain-power pills, breaking out in embarrassing green blotches. Thinking quickly, Martin feeds the pills to Tim (Bill Bixby), figuring this will make Tim smart enough to discover a cure for the allergy. Trouble ensues when "super-genius" Tim ends up working on a top-secret government space project, an assignment that could end in disaster literally with the snap of the fingers! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Martin (Ray Walton) is worried that the upcoming telecast of a vintage silent film will reveal his previous existence as a movie "sheik"--and thus tip off the fact that he's a space traveller. To avoid this, Martin and Tim activate the "CCTBS" time machine to return to the Hollywood of 1925, there to scuttle the filming of Martin's starring epic. Alas, history threatens to repeat itself, largely due to the blossoming romance between Tim and silent leading lady Viola Normandy (Arlene Martel). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide