Get Well, Officer Schnauser

This may be the funniest episode ever on Car 54, Where Are You....although humor is in the eye of the beholder so many others may disagree. I just found myself laughing louder at some of the insanity in this episode as I have on any of my other favorites.

I can thank Charlotte Rae and Al Lewis for many of the laughs in here. Rae, who played a bank teller robbed by the same man - Officer Mudoon (don't ask) - was so good she was hired to play Schnauser's wife in the rest of the short-lived (two years) run of this great TV show.

Lewis had already just won his part in this show by two previous appearances. In here, he's the hospital hoping to get a nice sum of money from the precinct's benevolent fun. His extreme reactions from anger to unbelievable joy, back to disappointment are all hilarious.

Any episode that has Toody dressed up as a beatnik is going to draw a lot of laughs, to begin with, and Joe. E. Ross doesn't disappoint. It's just one of many crazy scenes in this episode.

I also said Nat Hiken was one of the great genius writers of early TV, and it's shows like this that demonstrate that.

This is a really funny episode of an awesome tv series! The writing is great,the direction and comedic timing are nearly perfect. The show gave all the actors a chance to ad-lib a bit and the actors made the most of it. Joe E Ross played a great part as the sweet but slightly dim 'Gunther Toody'. Officer Muldoon is none other than Fred Gwynne,who went on to become 'Herman Munster'!

Al Lewis started on the show as an extra and quickly showed his talent and skill as an actor and comic.

Mr Al Lewis did his small parts so well that he became a regular cast member,"Officer Leo Schnauser" after only 1 or 2 appearances playing small parts in the show. Mr Al Lewis was later 'Grandpa' on 'The Munsters' with Fred Gwynne!

Charlotte Rae was already a successful stage actress when she played a few bit-parts in the show,and she gave such over-the-top performances that she was hired permanently as Officer Schnauser's wife,Sylvia Schnauser.

I think Charlotte Rae always gave inspired and comically overdramatic performances on this tv show,she was great!

Charlotte Rae later successfully played the comparitively bland Mrs. Edna Garrett in "Different Strokes" and "The Facts of Life".

(I'm glad I got a chance to see Charlotte Rae playing a character besides the lovely but bland "Mrs Garret" that most people probably know her for.) This Car 54 tv show is always funny and worth watching!