Show Notes
"One for the Road" (May 20, 1993) Because this podcast is ending, we thought we should take on at least one notable sitcom series finale. And because Cheers happens to have a gay subplot in its last episode — and because Diane Chambers is always close to our heart — we're going with that one. It's a really important piece of TV history, and even if you haven't watched the whole series, we think you'll understand why this one still looms large. Of course, we're joined by Massachusetts correspondent Jonathan Bradley Welch for one last explanation of northeastern accents. Yes, you can see Jonathan posing with his surprise gift here. We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.
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"My Coffee With Niles" (May 19, 1994) And that's a wrap. It's been eight years and three hundred-some episodes, so we're turning off the TV and going to play outside. In concluding, we're springboarding off the first-season finale of Frasier, which has the Crane boys sitting down and discussing life, but we're not really talking about that. The conversation has moved on. But like the Bundys and the Conners and Huxtables and the Winslows and either set of Tanners, we will live on in reruns. We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.
This is a rerun of an episode that originally went live March 4, 2020. "Vince Meat" (February 22, 2020) Have you seen that one Golden Girls where Blanche accidentally sexes a man to death and the girls have to hide the body? Well, your answer should be no, because that episode didn't air back in the day. It's a script written by our own Glen Lakin and then, for the purposes of this episode, read by a host of our actor friends. It's fucked-up and funny, and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our fiftieth episode. Cast: Dorothy: Meghan Parks; Rose: Tony Rodriguez; Blanche: Sam Pancake; Sophia: Ted Biaselli; Violet: Janie Haddad Tompkins This episode was produced by Meika Grimm
"Baby Doll" (October 1, 1994) If you're new here, you might be thinking that this is an odd pick for the second-to-last episode. To this I say, "So what?" It's a great episode about the toxic allure of nostalgia, which will swallow you whole if you don't get out in time. And Alison La Placa's performance as the title character is one of the best ever in a cartoon. "Hey, Drew, why did you become a sitcom guy?" I guess I didn't mean to. And here is the Blabbin' 'Bout Batman episode from which Drew stole the Baby Doll/Elmyra idea. We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.
This is a rerun of an episode that originally aired in 2024. "Sorority House" (February 8, 1961) A few times on this podcast, we've bent over backwards to find a gay interpretation of a sitcom that never did anything gay, but this is not one of those. Mister Ed was developed by Arthur Lubin, a closeted gay director who was married to a woman but eventually ended up cohabitating with a male companion. It's interesting, then, that he'd be into making a TV show out of a story about Wilbur Post, who's married to a woman and who's outwardly a traditional guy even if his most significant relationship is with a male — a horse, but a male nonetheless — that he has to keep secret. Primitive though it might be, Mister Ed is actually the blueprint for more traditional magic sitcoms like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. You can watch this episode of Mister Ed for free on archive.org.
Tony Rodriguez joins us one last time for a sequel episode of sorts to our one about gay Looney Tunes shorts. This time, we're focused on old-time Disney shorts that lend themselves to a queer reading. If you want to watch this cartoons before you listen, here's a list of where you can find them online. In order of discussion: Ferdinand the Bull (1938) The Cookie Carnival (1935) Father's Day Off (1953) The Big Bad Wolf (1934) Golden Eggs (1941) King Neptune (1932) Lambert the Sheepish Lion (1952)