My Husband Is Not a Drunk

Outrageous episodes like this is what made the series, written by comedy icon Carl Reiner. Dick Van Dyke works his magic. No other way to sell it.

The old hypnotism routine, and with a neat twist. Rob and Laura's dinner guest is a guy named Glen, played by Charles Aidman, who happens to be a hypnotist. Buddy naturally wants to have some fun, daring him to put him under his spell. In the meantime -- as only a kooky episode like this would have it -- Rob is out in the kitchen and somehow, someway ALSO falls under Glen's spell.

The shear insanity of it all finds Rob turning into a hopeless, staggering drunk any time a bell rings, like the phone ringing, even the bell on a typewriter, which nearly costs him his job at the office. Dick Van Dyke is just laugh out LOUD hilarious, proving to be one extraordinary comedian, a master of improv.

In real life, Dick was a big fan of Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy fame), and often did goofy material much in the style of the comedy legend. This obviously was a variation of something Stan Laurel did in his films, Dick taking it to the next level. What a treat.

Production notes indicate the hypnotism scenes were delibertly interrupted --just in case -- so nobody in real life could be hypnotized. Whether that could actually happen is debatable, but Carl Reiner filmed it that way as a precaution.

Look for character actor Roy Roberts, at odds with Rob in the bananas office drunk scene. One for the books.

10 Plus Stars. May have inspired a wild hypnotizing episode on MY THREE SONS a few years later, called "You Are In My Power."

SEASON 2 EPISODE 6 remastered dvd box set. The entire series now on blu ray for new fans. Thanks CATCHY TV for the memories.

This episode is another favorite episode, number ten in my book. Not a whole lot to say about this one as it's one on hypnosis. This concept has been done in many other sitcoms most notably "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" in one episode, but this episode was the first and still one of the best in my book.

Really like the beginning house party in the beginning when we see this hypnosis act in action, really like ones with Laura and Mille. With Mille it's seeing her husband as famous actor Rock Hudson and acting like a giddy teenager. Thought the one with Laura really cracked me up when we see her reenacting one of her heroes.

Both those segments were funny but also fascinating as it made me wonder how I might act under hypnosis if those concepts were laid on me; I could imagine maybe acting like an over excited teenager if I saw my wife as actress Jenna Coleman or Daisy Ridley. As well as maybe reenact one of my heroes being Bruce Lee; well, those are interesting thoughts anyway. However, the real kicker is seeing Rob unintentionally under the hypnosis.

It was great seeing physical comedy from Dick which I felt he was truly at his best, really like how he physically acts for someone that had one too many; the way he walks as if his legs were just made of rubber along with his facial expressions. But his verbal humor is equally hilarious as it equals and reflects the physicality. However, it's just funny seeing how Rob can just switch the drunk persona on and off like a light every time he hears a bell.

There are lots of memorable moments from seeing Rob trying to do a simple thing answering a phone which turns into almost an epic. But the real biggest hilarity is when Rob comes to work which is the worst possible place to bring Rob's dilemma to.

We see Rob just do some crazy crap; two of my favorites was pretending he was a doctor; this is funny in two ways as it feels like how we were as kids pretending to be doctors but also from what he says and how he performs let's just say I wouldn't have him play the game "Operation".

But the other was seeing him on the Typewriter which we know is another source for a bell. It's really cracked me up as we see at first, he rights like any proficient writer but once that dreaded bell rings he is just typing randomly on the keys. The result of the page well let's just say the last lines are a language that has yet to be discovered.

This is a hypnosis act worth the price of admission.

Rating: 4 stars.

And this is one great episode that makes use of this talent being masterful at playing a drunk. This is one of my favorite episodes and I never get tired of watching it.

As a person trained in hypnosis, I know that much of what you see in "My Husband is Not a Drunk" is pretty ridiculous. That being said, it is still a very funny episode and one you really should see.

The Petries are having a dinner party and one of the guests is a trained stage hypnotist. Not surprisingly, when the guests learn this, they want to be a part of his act, so he does a few demonstrations to entertain everyone. In one, he gives a post-hypnotic suggestion that when they hear a bell, they are rip-roaring drunk! Unfortunately, it doesn't work on Buddy...but Rob, who is in the other room, is VERY impressionable and soon begins acting like a drunk whenever a bell is rung.

Watching Dick Van Dyke act like a crazy drunk is fantastic. He's so limber and over the top that you can't help but smile as you watch.

Every time I see this episode I can hardly catch my breath for laughing!