Gale Gordon suffers several comedic misfortunes. My belly became sore from laughing so hard. This episode executes the premise well. Harry's temp agency is asked to find a private place for a famous writer to stay and write her book. She also needs a secretary.
The opening scenes feature Lucy getting caught by Harry at work, reading a racy book "Valley of the Puppets", written by one Eva Von Gronyitz, played by Eva Gabor. This was a play on "Valley of the Dolls", a popular 1967 movie based on the book written by Jacqueline Susann in 1966. Lucy calls out Harry because it seems he read the book that he is complaining about so much. Lucy and Harry's execute their scenes perfectly.
Harry is offered $500 a week to house Eva. Of course he offers Lucy a fraction and raises it by a few bucks to appear generous. At the end of the episode this backfires on him when Lucy finds out.
Much of the episode is Lucy assisting Eva and instead of keeping the whole affair private, Lucy has loose lips and many of her friends keep interrupting them. I loved the scene where two reporters knock on the door pretending to deliver a life size cake and a photographer pops out and snaps a picture. All of this is entertaining.
However, Harry provides the real gut busting humor. Harry has ordered Lucy to not let anyone in no matter what it takes. Eva and Lucy go to the back yard and Lucy starts watering her flowers with the sprinkler gun. Eva takes over while Lucy goes inside. Harry wants to see how his client is doing and decides to peer over the fence. Eva does not know him and douses him with water. Harry is startled and falls off the fence. Lucy returns and you can hear dogs attacking a man. It is Harry and he peers up again and gets doused some more. Lucy lets him in the backyard and of course Harry gets more water dousing. His expensive suit is in ruins. Gale is perfect as the pompous boss who gets his come uppance.
Later Lucy has buckets of paint set to fall on anyone who enters the front door. Harry and Martin Phillips, Eva's agent played by Robert Carson knock on the door. Harry orders Lucy to let them in and they are showered in different colors of paint! Again, Gale's reactions make it fun to see another one of Harry's expensive suits get destroyed.
Without Harry, the episode is solid but not great, like a cake without frosting. Harry is the frosting that makes the episode great. Gale had Harry's character down pat. Harry is always thinking about money, that is keeping all off it for himself and screwing Lucy out of it. Watching Harry lose control with Lucy when she messes up is watching a real life arrogant boss lose it. Harry's reaction when suffering his many comedic misfortunes is right in line with what you would expect from his character.
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