My Part-Time Wife 

With Sally away, Laura wants to help Rob at the office. He resists, but his inability to find even remotely adequate help forces him to relent, and sparks fly when her success outshines his security.

Director:

Jerry Paris

Writers:

Bill Persky, Sam Denoff

Stars:

Dick Van Dyke, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Dick Van Dyke	...	Rob Petrie
Rose Marie	...	Sally Rogers
Morey Amsterdam	...	Buddy Sorrell
Larry Mathews	...	Ritchie Petrie (credit only)
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Laura Petrie
Richard Deacon	...	Mel Cooley (credit only)
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Millie Helper
Jackie Joseph	...	Jackie

Storyline

With Sally's continued leave of absence to appear on The Stevie Parsons Show as his permanent guest, Rob needs someone, temporarily at least, to do the typing at the office. Laura really does want to take the job, against Rob's wishes. After failed secretary after failed secretary (including Alan's giggly niece Jackie), Rob finally relents. Sally will know by the end of the week what her status on Stevie Parsons' show will be - stay on or return to Alan's show. As such, Rob thinks he can handle working with Laura for one week. Laura ends up proving Rob wrong in that she can do the secretarial job very well and still maintain the house; however, Rob, festering, makes the office environment with Laura an antagonistic one. Rob has to come to some understanding of why he is doing what he's doing. Once he does, only Laura can tell him if his feelings are valid based on the reality of the situation.

---

Plot Keywords:

secretary | typing | temp worker | male ego | argument | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family

---

Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rob's line about finding a girl who doesn't "snap, giggle or pop" is a take on the slogan for Rice Krispies cereal - "snap, crackle and pop."

---

Goofs

When at the office where Laura thinks up the joke about digging to the center of the earth to see if it is chewy or creamy chocolate, one camera angle features Rob and Buddy bantering back and forth (the dartboard and plaque on the wall behind them). A shadow at the top of the wall above the heads of the two men reveals the form of the boom microphone swinging back and forth in the direction of each actor as he speaks.

---

Quotes

Millie Helper: Rob has heartburn?
Laura Petrie: Mm-hm. And, you know, he didn't have it while Sally was there. It just started since then. No, he comes in the front door, slams it, says hi to me, doesn't kiss me, throws the paper on the table, and burps.
Millie Helper: Mr. Class?
Rob Petrie: [heard off] Aw, doggone it!
Laura Petrie: Ole.
[Rob enters, slams the front door, says hi, throws his hat in the closet, slams the closet door, throws his paper on the dining table and burps]

User Reviews

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1964 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Desilu Cahuenga Studios, 846 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Calvada Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1