Life with Elizabeth

Not the funniest show I've ever seen, but pleasant enough. The scripts are often silly, so-so at best but the star of the show is what makes it shine--Betty White, a real "sweetheart" presented here as a young, newlywed, rather impish version of Gracie Allen. The announcer introduces each episode, even speaks directly to Betty, and at the end prompts the cast to say "Good night." (Attention game show fans: the announcer, who appears on camera a lot, is none other than legendary game show host Jack Narz of "Concentration" and "Now You See It" fame, at the dawn of his career.) At least one video dealer is selling this for a dollar apiece and marketing it as "The Betty White Show," with a synopsis on the back of her short-lived 1977 sitcom that has nothing to do with this 1953-55 first-run syndicated effort.

This was basically a sitcom, told in brief vignettes rather than a full regular sitcom style. There was some similarity to the Jack Benny Program, with an announcer and Betty White talking to the audience at the end of the show. The story was about Elizabeth (White), her husband Alvin, and a few friends and coworkers. The stories were simple, mostly domestic tales, but the tone was rather silly, with much of the comedy centered on certain characters' stupidity. If you see it now, you're unlikely to be bowled over by comedic genius, but it's nice to see a young Betty White.

Elizabeth appeared to be an ordinary, everyday housewife of her time(the early 50s), and so she was . . . er, aside from the fact that an off-camera announcer regularly led forays to check into the goings-on around her house, of course. And then, come to think of it, she wasn't exactly the docile, unassuming "little woman" that husband Alvin always hoped (against all reason) she'd turn out to be, either.

In a word, she was an imp. She delighted in puncturing Alvin's pomposity, always lovingly, but invariably disastrously.

Introduced each week by harp music, which gave a deceptively tranquil lead-in to what was to follow, "Life With Elizabeth" wasn't a 'situation comedy' -- indeed, that concept had barely been formed at the time; instead, it was a comedy of situations, usually two to each show, individual and unrelated, each of them introduced by the off-camera announcer who then just let events unfold. Once chaos had yet again been firmly established as the order of the day, his voice would be again heard, this time presumably as her conscience: "Elizabeth!" (pause) "Aren't you ashamed?"

She usually gave it a moment's thought before shaking her head impishly.

As with the harp music, the show itself was deceptive in its simplicity, the writing, production and, not least of all, the performances of Betty White and Del Moore who were letter-perfect. Produced by a local Los Angeles TV station (at which White and Moore had been staffers), "Life With Elizabeth" seems to have lived its entire life in syndication.

And Elizabeth kept life from ever becoming dull!

I first saw Betty White on the Hoffman(n) my parents purchased in the early 50's on the Al Jarvis TV show (it had a different name). Her show, Life with Elizabeth was shown in the late afternoon. Two things I remember about LWE was there was a dog they owned who's name was Stormy ant the Thanksgiving show when the "first" turkey slipped off the platter and Elizabeth took it back into the kitchen and brought the "second" turkey to serve everyone. Everyone said it was really lucky that Elizabeth cooked two turkeys. I thought that was really funny because the previous Thanksgiving my grandmother dropped the turkey on the floor and my uncle's Doberman grabbed it and was out the door before anyone could stop him. Great memories of a simpler age. Probably not great television but not bad for then. A strong 7.5 for the era.

This is a classic sitcom. The characters are limited in number, and the plot is always simple, but the acting and writing are very good. Most of the episodes revolve around Elizabeth's sense of humor. Her husband is the straight man usually. It is worth watching, unlike many shows today. Some of the characters are never seen including:

* the nosy next door neighbor who watches Elizabeth and Alvin from over the fence.

* Elizabeth's obese mother.

Main characters: Elizabeth: Housewife who is almost always in a good mood. Alvin: Husband who puts up with his wife's constant practical jokes.

Some of the best skits:

Elizabeth buys a lobster, but doesn't have the heart to kill it. Together they release it back into the wild.

Elizabeth schemes to get a new vacuum. She convinces Alvin that the door to door salesman is afraid they are going to kill him, so he buys a vacuum.

Elizabeth agrees to babysit a neighborhood boy, sight unseen. When he arrives he is a college student with a serious crush on Elizabeth.

An old schoolmate drops by making Alvin jealous.

Alvin is out practicing his golf swing in his front yard. He accidentally hits it through a neighbor's car windshield.

Elizabeth makes the local gopher into her pet.

Elizabeth gives Alvin a women's magazine test only to find he fails it. She is worried she is married to a dunce. Turns out Alvin has a trick up his sleeve.