This episode had to have been inspired by the popularity of GOMER PYLE. It made sense to have Jethro ALSO serve his country, kind of in the same league as Gomer -- only MORE insane.
So what does Jethro do? He goes to Jed's movie studio and fetches a bunch of uniforms, including that of a WW II German general? Next -- he gets himself a surplus army tank? Wacky stuff that drives Mr. Drysdale completely nuts. Raymond Bailey shows off his comedy schtick with some wild scenes here.
Jethro and Mr. Drysdale (dressed as a German field marshal) roll the army tank into Griffith Park. Definitely, poetic license at work, because to get to the famous park you have to cross a lot of busy streets in Hollywood. How did they do it without attracting the LAPD? Jethro starts firing ammo, Mr. Drysdale bails and jumps into a rowboat to make a hasty escape. One of the most outrageous scenes ever.
More bad news. Two forest rangers FINALLY arrive and one of the rangers recognizes Drysdale as the guy in his WWII army unit who flim flammed him out of his money! Drysdale is arrested on the spot.
There's a goofy scene with Bea Benadaret (PETTICOAT JUNCTION), returning as Pearl, Jethro's mom. Granny and Elly go to visit her in the country, and her phone conversations (and comedy voices) are great. Bea Benadaret was a master of voices, foremost on THE FLINTSTONES.
Stay tuned, more to come. Super direction by Guy Scarpitta, also long time producer for PETTICOAT JUNCTION (hence the appearance of Bea Benadaret) and GREEN ACRES.
SEASON 6 EPISODE 6. There are no dvd box sets yet, according to Amazon, although there is a projected release year for 2027, and remastered on blu ray. Worth the wait. Thanks much to METV for running this incredible comedy show.