The Bob Cummings Show Bob Judges a Beauty Pageant (1955–1959) Online

This was my first at this show in almost 50 years, when I saw it on TV as a kid. I was surprised to see so many familiar faces, at least in this episode one of the three on the $1 DVD I bought at Wal-Mart. This was a December, 1958 episode from the show's last season.

Yeah, I remembered Bob Cummings as the ladies man, "Bob Collins," photographer, and I remember his assistant "Schultzy" (Ann B. Davis.). But, I had forgotten about Rosemary de Camp and Dwayne Hickman being regulars and Nancy Culp. In this episode, we also get Rose Marie, Madge Blake and Peter Lawford, all in a hectic half-hour of sight-and-sound gags which come rapid-fire. You just pick out the ones you like.

I was almost shocked at how the very tall, thin and plain Nancy Kulp degraded herself in here, being made to look like the most unappealing woman you ever find and being the butt of these jokes as an unattractive woman. I hate to sound like some Liberal but you can see why "women's lib" came along a decade later, the way women were looked at in TV shows such as this. Of course, this might be the ultimate example of sexism as Cummings' profession has him shooting many gorgeous women. Also here is the Sgt. Bilko-type humor and deceit where flattery always fools the idiot middle-age women. Instead of Bilko connecting Col. Hall's wife, we have Cummings conning old ladies into actually believing they are sex symbols. This is so bad in that regards, it's embarrassing. Women are not that stupid as portrayed in these '50s show.

Still, like Bilko ("The Phil Silves Show) this was a funny sit-com with a lot of laughs. Just be prepared for the dated and sexist material.