SLIDING WITH A SON OF A GUN

[ANOTHER IN A CONTINUING SERIES]

The second example of two TV dimensions within the same series begins its story in an episode of 'Make Room For Daddy' ('The Danny Thomas Show'). Danny Williams flew out Hollywood where he was supposed to be met by a public relations agent named Joey Mason. Mason was a put-upon young man, harried by the pressures of the job and the demands of his extended family. Although nothing seemed to go right for Joey, somehow is all worked out okay in the end.

This episode served as a spin-off to showcase Joey Bishop, who played Joey Mason. But when 'The Joey Bishop Show' debuted, he was now known as Joey Barnes; same job, same family, same life. The names may have been changed, but they were occupying the same space in the TV Universe. Like Lazarus A & B in 'Star Trek', the premise of the TV world was faced with a cataclysmic contradiction.

Okay, so only to me, but still! Something had to give.

A solution finally arrived by the second season of 'The Joey Bishop Show': the premise about Joey Barnes working as a public relations agent was scrapped; everybody else in the Barnes family was "disappeared".

Joey Barnes was now a newlywed TV talk show host broadcasting from New York. Based on conversations during that second season, it was apparent that Joey had been hosting his late night TV show for several years.

Now we had two Joey Barneses and a Joey Mason leading the same life as the West Coast Joey Barnes. So like soap in a wet fist, we just squeeze out that first season of 'The Joey Bishop Show' and plop it into the alternate dimension. This way we can keep both Joey Mason and the second Joey Barnes, even though they look alike, and just pray that Ellie Barnes never made the mistake of going to bed with Joey Mason!

Some might think that by airing in the first season, the episodes about Joey Barnes the PR agent should be given preeminence; that Joey 1 should stay in the main TV dimension.

But Joey 2 lasted longer, with at least 2 more seasons (moving over to CBS for the last one). And Joey and Ellie took in a boarder during that last year - Rusty Williams, the son of Danny Williams.

Danny Williams is an integral character of the TV Universe, linking his show to 'The Andy Griffith Show', 'The Lucy-Desi Comedy Show', and its own sequel, 'Make Room For Granddaddy'. So he must be kept on Earth Prime-Time!

Danny already knew Joey Mason and now his son was living with Joey Barnes 2, so it's almost as if it had been decreed from on high......

Son of a gun!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby