Night Gallery (TV Series) You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan/Smile, Please (1972) User Reviews

The Not So Mighty Have Fallen

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 19 June 2014]

No two actors made such an amazing career out of being dull than Ozzie and Harriet. Their weekly show with sons Rick and David were masterpieces of bland. I guess Ozzie was a bandleader at one time. In this episode, Ozzie plays a scientist who has one failure after another. His perpetual motion machine only lasts for about six seconds. Harriet plays a woman who is forgetful to a fault. As a matter of fact, today she would probably be diagnosed with dementia. Ozzie depends on her to remind him of things and she forgets. When he blows up the living room, she can't remember that he asked her to clean the place. Now he wants to try a new experiment. He wants to poison Harriet and then bring her back to life. His nephew happens by and blows the whistle on Ozzie before he can see if his efforts come to fruition. This sets up the circumstances that end the story. Ozzie is a perfect choice to play the innocent, clueless scientist. He is eternally hopeful and about as dense as poundcake. It's an acceptable episode.

"As usual I'm late."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 12 June 2017]

Imagine my surprise when the principal players in "You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan" turned out to be one of America's earliest popular TV couples, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. Ironically, it's Harriet who takes on the absent minded, perhaps Alzheimer challenged partner in this story, whereas real life husband Ozzie conveyed the same sort of character in their close to reality TV program. It would have been cool if one or both of their sons, Dave or Ricky, were brought into the story, but we'll take what we can get.

Anyway, Henry Millikan (Ozzie) is a frustrated scientist who's inventions generally blow up or fall apart, but with perseverance, decides he's going to cure wife Helena's forgetfulness by poisoning her and bringing her back to life! We don't learn this till well into the story, therefore it's more than troubling that he informs nephew George (Roger Davis) of his intentions in such a nonchalant manner.

There's a double twist coming at you when the story comes full circle, as Henry decides to off himself when it appears that his revival plan for Helena doesn't work, while George imbibes a glass of wine tainted with the same poison his aunt had been drinking. As it turns out, absent minded Helena was just late as usual.

The back up story for this week's offering was another in a long line of one note vampire jokes featuring Cesare Denova as an agent booking a vampire photo shoot for Lindsay Wagner's character. I don't think I'd be going too far out on a limb by using Denova's quote to describe this effort - "Cheese".

Two enjoyable comic stories

[Woodyanders · 7/10 · 2 November 2018]

"You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan" - Hopelessly inept inventor Henry Millikan (an amiable portrayal by Ozzie Nelson) creates a potion that can revive the dead that he decides to try out on his ditsy wife Helena (a disarmingly sweet Harriet Nelson). Director John Badham gives this segment a likeable lighthearted tone that turns dark for a while before ending on a funny upbeat note. The Nelsons display an engaging natural chemistry; they receive sound support from Roger Davis as concerned nephew George Beaumont and Michael Lerner as the irate Dr. Burgess.

"Smile, Please" - A photographer (lovely Lindsay Wagner) meets a vampire (smoothly played by Cesare Danova). Very slight and silly, but still fairly amusing.

Cool vampire vignette

[stones78 · 9 December 2010]

This episode titled Smile, Please, is one of the many short Night Gallery vignettes, which for the most part border more on being funny rather than scary, and conjures debates among fans of the show. I personally enjoy their 70's charm, especially the vampire stories. This episode is barely 2 minutes long, and it stars Cesare Danova and Lindsay Wagner, who sports an English accent, and is trying to become the first person ever to photograph a live vampire as it sleeps. Danova accompanies her to search for the elusive vampire and promises her she will certainly get her shot. Soon after, she notices that the bed to which the creature sleeps is empty, and turns to question her companion who promised her a picture. In a predictable conclusion, he steps back and bares his fangs and says "cheese" to the startled woman. Silly I suppose, but I enjoyed the dark castle and the settings. I've always been a sucker for vampires, scary or not.

An underwhelming episode.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 20 February 2022]

'You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan.' Written by Mr. Serling, from a story by J. Wesley Rosenquist. Ozzie Nelson plays Henry Millikan, a bumbling mad scientist whose experiments constantly end in failure. His wife Harriet plays Henry's wife Helena, who is both always *late* for things and has a *very* short-term memory. Henry's latest brainstorm is a serum that will return his wife from the dead - but she, of course, is not dead *yet*. This segment travels a fair bit on the amiability of Ozzie, who gives his demented character some appeal, even if the guy is indeed quite dense. Harriet is endearing as the wife. Roger Davis ('Dark Shadows'), Michael Lerner ("Barton Fink"), and Don Keefer ("Creepshow") co-star, but this is largely a vehicle for the Nelsons. Overall, the story comes up short, with a development that comes as no great surprise. Still, this is entertaining to watch while it lasts, with an amusing look of horror on Davis' face at the end. Directed by John Badham.

'Smile, Please'. Another of the very brief comic interludes written & directed by 'Night Gallery' producer Jack Laird. And this segment runs a paltry two minutes or so. In an eerie cliff side castle, a dapper man (Cesare Danova, "Mean Streets") promises a young woman (Lindsay "The Bionic Woman" Wagner) that she will get the chance to photograph a vampire. ANYBODY could see the "twist" coming in this very mild bit of business. This is a one-joke segment where the joke simply isn't all that great. Still, Wagner is earnest and Danova suitably amusing - even if they barely get the time to create actual characters.

Six out of 10.

The Undead

[AaronCapenBanner · 5/10 · 13 November 2014]

'You Can Come Up Now Mrs. Millikan' - Ozzie & Harriet Nelson plays Henry & Helena Millikan, a long-married couple devoted to each other despite their mutual failings: He is a failed scientist/inventor desperate to make his latest formula work, she because she is always late and inept. He still uses her in an experiment of reviving the dead, but doesn't take into account her habits, which leads to final disaster... Shrewdly cast piece almost works but in the end comes up as short as its lead characters.

'Smile Please' - Lindsay Wagner plays a woman trying to photograph a vampire, and that's all there is to it!

A bad episode

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 22 July 2023]

Well, here's a Night Gallery in season 3 with two stories, which can only mean that one of them is from Jack Laird and, you know...

That said, "You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan" has some great stunt casting.

Henry Millikan (Ozzie Nelson) is an inventor who always has his creations explode, pretty much right in his face. And that's what happens again, right in front of his biggest competition, Dr. Burgess (Michael Lerner). And then his wife Helena (Harriet Nelson, the wife of Ozzie and, of course, the c0-star of Ozzie and Harriet) agrees to help him with his latest invention. She took some poison and once she dies, he's going to bring her back to life. As always, the invention doesn't work, so Henry takes his own life. But the truth is, it did work. And like always, Helena is running a little late.

Directed by John Badham and written by Rod Serling, based on "The Secret of the Vault" by J. Wesley Rosenquest, this is a playful Night Gallery that doesn't feel like it came from Serling, but you can still remain surprised.

"Smile, Please" is directed and written by Jack Laird. Cesare Danova and Lindsay Wagner excitedly hurry down a staircase, with her excited to be the first person to take a photo of a vampire. If you didn't guess that the man is the vampire, well, you don't know Jack Laird's work on Night Gallery. The less said, the better.

Ozzie

[apexpropainting · 1/10 · 8 January 2022]

I think that Ozzie Nelson may have been one of the best actors to ever grace the TV or silver screen. Why do I say that? Because his character on this show may very well be the most annoying, obtuse character I have ever witnessed. His part is written so poorly he has no other option than to play it how he did. This was so bad it's no wonder this show only lasted 3 seasons.