Ellie Saves a Female

With Barney's and Andy's characters taking shape just about anything they do together is memorable, funny, and clicks. Simple teasing over Ellie's perfume sprayed on works very well. Strong casting of Farmer Flint (RG Armstrong) and his daughter Francis "Frankie" Flint (Edris March). Definitely not PC with the father lording over his adult daughter controlling her life. Then, Andy and Flint minimalizing female's work quality. TAGS not being PC is a component that adds to its greatness. Funniest scene is in the henhouse and barn with Barney looking for Frankie avoiding Farmer Flint and tangling with the farm animals. Frankie's revealing after her makeover is quite good.

Ellie really does get into things that aren't her business. Frankie, the young woman at the center of this longs for better things. Once she has her change, how is she used. Basically, her father, who at one time was cruel to her, now begins to prostitute her. Even at this time, this episode is an insult to women.

The episode centers on Ellie Walker, the town's overbearing pharmacist, and her efforts to help a underprivileged farm girl named Frankie Flint.

The story begins when Frankie visits the drugstore and admires perfume and nail polish but explains her father does not like makeup, lotion or perfume. Ellie is moved by Frankie's situation and becomes obsessed with Frankie. She believes that every girl needs make-up, lotion and perfume.

Ellie first tries to persuade Andy Taylor to intervene. Andy, however, advises her to stay out of family matters, reminding her that she is new in town and does not know the folks like Andy. Ellie ignores everything Andy said and decides to visit the Flint farm with Andy to plead Frankie's case directly to her father. Flint is stern and kicks Ellie off his land for being pushy and interfering with his daughter. Andy recognizes that Flint is serious pulls Ellie away.

Ellie turns the pressure up on Barney to go back out to the and save Frankie. Barney drives to the farm, but his efforts are no more successful than Andy's. Flint kicks Barney off his land. However, Barney manages to sneak Frankie away and brings her to town. Ellie then gives Frankie a full makeover, transforming her from a homely peasant girl into a confident lady named Frances. Here is the uncomfortable part. It appears Andy convinces Flint to use the new attractive Frances as bait for a farmhand. Times were different back then but, hearing Andy suggest using Frankie's pretty female body sounds disturbing in today's times.

Now this show is from around 1962, and operating a farm is nothing like living in the city where most of us who write these reviews have grown up or around. The previous reviews have captured the essence of this episode and why it deserves more credit than I (and others) have given it. But it deals honestly and fairly with the dilemma of a farm owner who has a lot of work to get done. Admittedly, I have not seen a farmer resort to his own daughter, but usually finds brothers and nephews if need be. Still, I'm sure this type of thing is not unheard of.

I'm thinking the neatness of the pat ending with Francis hooking up with one of the boys next door is that this is too complex an issue to resolve in 1/2 hour. But it's so AGS that the writers do such a commendable job as they do handling it. This is, after all, an entertainment.

I get it, it's supposed to be a story about a poor farm girl who has to work and feels bad because she can't have "pretty" stuff. There are a lot of problems with it, however.

Ellie is way too pushy and aggressive, sticking her nose into other people's business, unasked and unwanted, refusing to take no for an answer, and it makes her less likable.

I know what it's like growing up on a farm, you work hard, but it doesn't mean you don't still have a good time. Maybe her Father is kind of strict, but I don't recall ever hearing how old she actually is, or why there's no Mother in the picture, so we don't know their circumstances, and it's nobody's business but theirs.

This also reinforces the belief that you have to be "pretty" to get attention, instead of having a good personality, and being kind, intelligent, and hard-working. And the bit at the end, where the Father is now going to "use" his daughter to trap some young man so he has another farm hand, is just wrong.

Maybe this story could have been done better, but as it is, it just sends the wrong message.