Today's episode of Life With Louie reminds us of the Golden Rule, and it's NOT he who has the gold makes the rules. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Louie learns this lesson the hard way when he falls in with a trio of troublemakers who set out to target an innocent young girl, all while vacationing with his family at their favorite summer time resort, in beautiful Lake Winnibigoshish. It all began very early one morning as the Anderson family, in this case Andy, Ora, Louie and Tommy, were packing up the Rambler and ready to hit the road before the sun came up, and they were sure to make as much noise as possible in the process. Andy enjoyed cheesing off the neighbors whenever possible. It was going to be a very LONG 12-hour drive. As they pass a billboard some a place called Yummies, Louie, Tommy and Ora all feign having to go to the bathroom, making a very reluctant Andy pull off the freeway. This reminds me of an anecdote Louie Anderson told in one of his stand-up routines on how his dad never stopped so they could use the bathroom, and instead telling them to pee in a milk carton. Back on the road again, Ora delightfully tells Louie that a little old friend is going to be up at the lake: Kelly Bassett. Louie is anything but pleased, because she's an icky, geeky girl, and she has cooties. Anyway, when the Andersons finally arrive in Lake Winnibigoshish (Big Winnie), they discover that all the good cabins were booked and they had to settle for a smaller, dirtier, crappier one. As the family unpacks (i.e. Andy carries all the luggage inside by himself), Louie has a run-in with Kelly. He wants to avoid her like the plague, simply because she wears glasses and has braces and a bit on the awkward side. You're not exactly Normal Norman yourself, Lou. Well, bright and early the next morning, Andy coaxes Louie out of bed to help carry his fishing gear down to the docks. He's going to hit the lake to catch the infamous Husky Musky, biggest fish in the lake. He invites Louie to join him, but the groggy young man preferred going back to bed. Seeing Kelly, however, quickly makes him change his mind. Out on the lake, father and son bonding... more like son listening to father grumbling. I'll bet you're thinking Andy won't catch anything. Oh, he does: a teenie, tiny goldfish. Louie sees the Husky Musky twice, but of course, Captain War Wound doesn't believe him. Back at the docks, Mr. Bassett woos the vacationers with his robust catch of the day, while Andy draws quite a bit of ridicule with the microscopic minnow he reeled in.
After a long day on the water, Louie decides to go swimming, and he really makes waves in the pool. Literally. He draws the attention of the Lanza Triplets... I sure hope none of them are named Adam, and they're the coolest dudes at Lake Winnibigoshish. Three immature jackasses who brood, scowl and snicker all the day. It would take a mighty shallow, self-depreciating person lacking in self respect to want to socialize with those hooligans, so Louie jumps at the chance to hang with them. First up, they stand on a cliff and make dog noises at poor Kelly Bassett. Yeah, yeah, bassett hound. Real original, boys. But then, shockingly, Louie joins in and barks at poor Kelly. He wasn't proud of himself afterwards, and he shouldn't be, because this is among the very few cruel things Louie ever did on this show... in fact, I think this is the only time we see Louie being intentionally mean to someone...outside his family. He was a jerk to Tommy in Miracle in Cedar Knoll, but that's another story. Where was I? Louie tries to confide in his old man for some good advice, but he's too busy throwing a temper tantrum on not being able to land the Husky. Deciding to be proactive, Louie tries to swipe some of Mr. Bassett's miracle bait, when he's caught by Kelly. Despite his being a big jerk to her, she still acted kindly to him. I wish I could say butterball apologized for howling, but he chickens out. Before they part company, Kelly lets him in on the big secret: marshmallows and peanut butter. Ha. Well, this girl may be sweet, but she's got a sick sense of humor. She lied about the marshmallows and peanut butter. But, on the plus side, Louie was humbled enough to finally apologize, and the two go for a walk on the beach, despite the Lanza creeps howling at them. Louie didn't care, because he began to see the situation from Kelly's side, realizing that his dad was in a sense, like Kelly himself: treated as a figure of ridicule by the other fishermen. Speaking of Andy, does his bogus "miracle" bait bear fruit? No, but it catches one giant fish. It's the Husky! It devours half the boat, and almost Andy himself, but he manages to lure it away with one of Ora's pimento loaf sandwiches. By the time Andy and half his boat return to the shore, nobody believes him about the Musky attack. Nobody except Louie. But all was not lost, as ol' H.M. left a souvenir: a tooth. Put that under your pillow tonight, Andy, maybe the fish-tooth fairy will leave you a nightcrawler. Well, the evening goes out with a bang. Literally. The pyrotechnics display was on the blink, but Andy the munitions "expert" manages to put on quite a show. What better way to cap off an explosive vacation at Lake Winnibigoshish. How about this: despite the Lanza twerps howling and making fun of Louie and Kelly, the former plants a big kisseroo on that sweet girls' cheek. Go Louie! Then it's back home they go, but not before another unscheduled "bathroom" stop.
This is definitely one of the series' best episodes. It's my mother's favorite, and she's also a Louie Anderson fan. The messages ring very true, and they did a really good job on Kelly Bassett's character. She's based off a real person, by the way. In Louie's narration, it says that although he never saw her again, he did learn about her eventually becoming Miss Minnesota. Personally, I think they should've brought Kelly back to the series, maybe have her family move to Cedar Knoll and she could attend Louie's school. Sure, it would cause some jealousy with Jeannie, but having two cute girls at his side would make Louie quite the player. Everything about Lake Winnibigoshish is classic and endearing, even the very end when live action Louie tell the audience to go give their fathers a hug. Oh, and I wonder if anybody caught that little adult joke mid-way through: when the fisherman comment on the small fish Andy caught, one guy says, "you know what they say: small fish, small..." and is cut off by the outboard motor. Ha, ha. Yes, this series was just as much for adults as it was children. In closing, I definitely recommend taking a trip to Lake Winnibigoshish. One of the series' best and most solid episodes.
After a long day on the water, Louie decides to go swimming, and he really makes waves in the pool. Literally. He draws the attention of the Lanza Triplets... I sure hope none of them are named Adam, and they're the coolest dudes at Lake Winnibigoshish. Three immature jackasses who brood, scowl and snicker all the day. It would take a mighty shallow, self-depreciating person lacking in self respect to want to socialize with those hooligans, so Louie jumps at the chance to hang with them. First up, they stand on a cliff and make dog noises at poor Kelly Bassett. Yeah, yeah, bassett hound. Real original, boys. But then, shockingly, Louie joins in and barks at poor Kelly. He wasn't proud of himself afterwards, and he shouldn't be, because this is among the very few cruel things Louie ever did on this show... in fact, I think this is the only time we see Louie being intentionally mean to someone...outside his family. He was a jerk to Tommy in Miracle in Cedar Knoll, but that's another story. Where was I? Louie tries to confide in his old man for some good advice, but he's too busy throwing a temper tantrum on not being able to land the Husky. Deciding to be proactive, Louie tries to swipe some of Mr. Bassett's miracle bait, when he's caught by Kelly. Despite his being a big jerk to her, she still acted kindly to him. I wish I could say butterball apologized for howling, but he chickens out. Before they part company, Kelly lets him in on the big secret: marshmallows and peanut butter. Ha. Well, this girl may be sweet, but she's got a sick sense of humor. She lied about the marshmallows and peanut butter. But, on the plus side, Louie was humbled enough to finally apologize, and the two go for a walk on the beach, despite the Lanza creeps howling at them. Louie didn't care, because he began to see the situation from Kelly's side, realizing that his dad was in a sense, like Kelly himself: treated as a figure of ridicule by the other fishermen. Speaking of Andy, does his bogus "miracle" bait bear fruit? No, but it catches one giant fish. It's the Husky! It devours half the boat, and almost Andy himself, but he manages to lure it away with one of Ora's pimento loaf sandwiches. By the time Andy and half his boat return to the shore, nobody believes him about the Musky attack. Nobody except Louie. But all was not lost, as ol' H.M. left a souvenir: a tooth. Put that under your pillow tonight, Andy, maybe the fish-tooth fairy will leave you a nightcrawler. Well, the evening goes out with a bang. Literally. The pyrotechnics display was on the blink, but Andy the munitions "expert" manages to put on quite a show. What better way to cap off an explosive vacation at Lake Winnibigoshish. How about this: despite the Lanza twerps howling and making fun of Louie and Kelly, the former plants a big kisseroo on that sweet girls' cheek. Go Louie! Then it's back home they go, but not before another unscheduled "bathroom" stop.
This is definitely one of the series' best episodes. It's my mother's favorite, and she's also a Louie Anderson fan. The messages ring very true, and they did a really good job on Kelly Bassett's character. She's based off a real person, by the way. In Louie's narration, it says that although he never saw her again, he did learn about her eventually becoming Miss Minnesota. Personally, I think they should've brought Kelly back to the series, maybe have her family move to Cedar Knoll and she could attend Louie's school. Sure, it would cause some jealousy with Jeannie, but having two cute girls at his side would make Louie quite the player. Everything about Lake Winnibigoshish is classic and endearing, even the very end when live action Louie tell the audience to go give their fathers a hug. Oh, and I wonder if anybody caught that little adult joke mid-way through: when the fisherman comment on the small fish Andy caught, one guy says, "you know what they say: small fish, small..." and is cut off by the outboard motor. Ha, ha. Yes, this series was just as much for adults as it was children. In closing, I definitely recommend taking a trip to Lake Winnibigoshish. One of the series' best and most solid episodes.