Well-Worn Arbuckle

Back when I started this blog, I knew my work was cut out for me. Seasons 2 and 3 had over a dozen quickies that were missing from the DVD releases, and the original U.S. Acres title cards were scarce to come by. While a lot of this stuff has turned up over the years (and some additional mysteries have come to light), something turned up recently that I didn't expect at all...

... a previously unknown quickie.

Hidden in the depths of Show 57's premiere (as part of a larger hour that also included the previous show), a Garfield Quickie was lurking that was not used in syndication, DVD, or even documented on Mark Evanier's episode list! Even the script I have only covers the international package, so I don't even know the official name! I've nicknamed it "Too Many Decisions" based on the dialogue and how these quickies tend to be titled, but that's only a rough guess.

Anyway, enough blabbering. Sit back and enjoy the Garfield Quickie that nobody even knew about!

Based on the Sunday strip from October 2, 1988, this is actually one of the most faithful adaptations I've seen from (comic) strip to screen. Humorous dialogue is added before Jon finally breaks down, and there's even some great ad-libbing from Thom Huge at the end--

"I'll wear my tuxedo! No, my T-shirt! Maybe a tuxedo with a T-shirt! Maybe my cowboy suit. Oooh, the catcher's outfit!"

The only other major standout differences I noticed are that Jon actually names Liz in the quickie, while his date isn't specified in the original. Jon's bedroom is also a lot messier in the comic strip, and in the quickie, he seems to be putting forth an extra effort to hold his pants up and keep us from seeing his polka dot underpants. Standards & Practices issue, or budget issue? Hmm...

The discovery of this quickie (or at least most of it; the only copy I'm aware of is unfortunately missing about a second at the start) brings to light another issue... what the heck happened to the U.S. Acres Quickie that was supposed to be in the episode. I went through the entire recording, and "Bouquets" was nowhere to be seen:

1990-11-17 SHOW 56/SHOW 57

Opening Line: Change channels and you'll never see your dog again.

Garfield: Mistakes Will Happen

Garfield Quickie: Hydrant

U.S. Acres: The Well Dweller

Garfield Quickie: Roll Over

U.S. Acres Quickie: Costume Trunk

Garfield: The Wise Man

Garfield Quickie: "What to Wear" [NOT ON DVD]

Garfield: Star Struck

Garfield Quickie: Loretta

U.S. Acres: Election Daze

Screaming With Binky: Cartoonist

Garfield: Dirty Business

I went through the other episodes in the season too (save Show 54, which I'm missing the premiere of), and "Bouquets" was again nowhere to be seen. Is it in the lone Season 3 premiere I don't have? Was it written for Show 57 and then never used? Is it the name of a scrapped U.S. Acres Quickie that got replaced with this mysterious Garfield Quickie instead?

So many questions. So few answers...

I'm hard at work on a detailed rundown of all the segments in Garfield and Friends. CBS, Syndication, DVD, and otherwise. It's still a work in progress, but I'm hoping to have something to share with everyone in the coming weeks.