Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (January 29, 2025)
In between The Flintstones in the early-mid 1960s and then The Simpsons in 1990, only one animated prime-time sitcom lasted more than a single season. Originally a February 1972 segment on Love, American Style, Wait Till Your Father Gets Home premiered as a 30-minute cartoon that aired 48 episodes from September 1972 until October 1974.
Wait stands as one of my earliest memories of a specific TV series. I maintain distinct recollection of the short-lived "summer replacement" variety program called The Ken Berry "Wow" Show, but I also definitely recall Wait from my misbegotten early childhood too.
50 years later and well into my misbegotten adulthood, this "Complete Series" Blu-ray set allows me to revisit a show I vaguely recall from the past. We get all 48 episodes of Wait here, with plot synopses borrowed from IMDB.
Influenced by All in the Family, Wait introduces us to the Boyle family. Conservative father Harry (voiced by Tom Bosley) argues with wife Irma (Joan Gerber), “liberated” teenage daughter Alice (Kristina Holland), aimless hippie adult son Chet (David Hayward/Lennie Weinrib) and capitalistic and precocious adolescent Jamie (Jackie Earle Haley/Willie Aames) about social and political issues. On the opposite side, Harry runs into conflict with radical right-wing conspiracy nut neighbor Ralph Kane (Jack Burns).
Note that to expedite this review, I didn't watch all 48 episodes. I went with four shows from each of the set’s six discs, so I viewed half the series. I arbitrarily chose the first two and the last two on each platter.
The Fling: "Harry is accused of having an affair when he drives a client (Cindy Putnam) to the airport and they become stranded at a motel."
Right out of the gate, Wait launches with digs at Alice’s weight. For a potentially “progressive” series, this seems like a bad sign.
Of course, no one really thought about “fat-shaming” in 1972, so this doesn’t come as a shock. I do feel a bit more surprised at our initial glimpse of Harry, though, as the series’ concept implies he’ll deliver an Archie Bunker-style bigot.
When Ralph tries to get Harry to vote against a Jewish applicant to their lodge, Harry resists this prejudice. Perhaps Harry will develop in a negative way as the series goes, but at least for the first episode, he seems like a wholly reasonable character.
Indeed, as depicted here, Harry comes across as the only normal role. Irma seems whiny and insecure, Alice feels aggressively judgmental, Chet offers a lazy weirdo and Jamie tries to cheat everyone.
Anyway, we’ll see how matters develop. “Fling” leaves me a bit cold but hopefully Wait will progress from here.
Alice’s Dress: “Alice wants to wear a revealing dress to Harry's awards ceremony until he gives her a taste of her own medicine.”
If Alice eventually becomes more likable, that shift doesn’t occur here. The story posits that she plans to wear an outfit with a completely sheer top half – and nothing underneath.
This would seem provocative in almost any circumstance – whether in 1972 or 2025 – but for Alice to make this choice at a club that honors her just comes across as petulant and selfish.
Much of “Dress” simply feels like an excuse for Harry to react to various elements that might cross some societal lines. In 1972, these probably intended to make him seem like a square, but those notions haven’t aged well.
The Victim: “When Harry gets mugged, Chet and Alice want the mugger sent to jail. However, when they find out that the young man came from a poor family, they demand that Harry drop the charges.”
When a show annoys even a bleeding-heart liberal like me, I view that as a bad thing. Of course I get the social roots of crime, but “Victim” tries too hard to offer blanket excuses for bad behavior.
“Victim” does develop Ralph’s extremism more, a factor that continues to tend to make Harry seem middle of the road. This tends to exist here to place Harry between the poles of his vindictive neighbor and his far left kids.
Chet’s Joh: “Chet finally takes a job which could make him a millionaire.”
Though much of “Job” offers the usual mockery of Chet’s laziness, it allows the young man to develop a bit more personality along the way. Given how one-sided Chet and his siblings have been so far, it’s good to see something that shows him in a more positive light, even if it returns him to his old status at the end.
Chet’s Fiancée: “Chet finds his dream girl. However, Harry reacts negatively when he learns they don’t plan to marry.”
“Fiancée” does throw in a curveball because it makes Chet’s love interest Prudence (Cynthia Adler) beautiful and polite, but it follows fairly predictable lines in other ways. The show feels even more dated than usual because co-habitating without marriage stopped being “controversial” decades ago.
At least the episode makes Harry a bit more reactionary than usual, though not in a jerky way. I think the show wants us to view him as more close-minded than the onscreen material conveys.
In any case, “Fiancée” offers a fairly typical riff on “Chet the aimless hippie”. It comes with some amusement, though it never makes sense that the refined Prudence would accept a slovenly lifestyle with Chet, and the ending makes her change personality on a dime in a way that makes no sense.
Continuity issue: Harry mocks Alice’s long-standing refusal to wear feminine garb, a jibe that makes little sense given the “Alice’s Dress” episode.
The Mouse: “Jamie brings home a mouse that he intends to not only keep as a pet, but to train so he can charge admission when it performs.”
For a supposedly progressive series, “Mouse” feels regressive since it makes the family’s females stereotypically afraid of mice. This seems even more contrived given the fact the rodent in question seems so sweet and well-behaved.
“Mouse” comes across as a more traditional sitcom episode than usual for Wait since it doesn’t bother with the issues of its day. It comes closest as it compares the roles of mother and father, but outside of Ralph’s insane rants, it doesn’t come with the standard social overtones.
Though more of a traditional sitcom show, I like the change of pace. Nothing here excels but it’s nice to get a break from the usual “hot button” concepts.
The Prowler: “After a rash of burglaries in the neighborhood, Ralph calls a meeting on how to deal with the problem and it immediately turns into a recruitment rally for his vigilante group.”
Usually a background character, Ralph comes to the fore here in an episode that seems more relevant to 2025 than most from Wait. About half the US seems consumed with the sorts of bigotry that occupies Ralph, so that role sadly fits in with today’s climate.
Of course, “Prowler” mainly plays for laughs, especially when Ralph gets accused of criminal activities. As with “Mouse”, “Prowler” comes across as more of a standard sitcom than usual and it provides some mirth.
Mama’s Identity: “Irma liberates herself from domestic shackles and becomes a working woman.”
After some standard sitcom fare, “Identity” looks at the then-semi-controversial notion of working mothers. It delves into sexual role reversals in a comedic manner. This comes with a few laughs but the concept seems awfully quaint all these decades later.
Papa the Patient: “Harry enters an expensive hospital for routine tests and finds himself the subject of a gall bladder transplant that becomes scheduled for worldwide telecast.”
Once again we head back to a show without much topical content. Actually, “Patient” hits on the flaws of the healthcare system, a subject that remains unfortunately relevant.
In any case, “Patient” mostly plays all these topics for laughs. More slapstick than normal, it works reasonably well.
The Swimming Pool: “A backyard battle erupts between Harry and Ralph when they share expenses for a swimming pool.”
Given the connections between the two series, I thought “Pool” might offer a retread of the very first Flintstones episode. And you know what? It does!
Well, to a degree, as both programs involve conflicts between neighbors related to the titular body of water – and Flintstones regular John Stephenson does a voice here. This one finds some variations on the theme, though, and creates amusement, even if it doesn’t seem especially creative.
Papa in New York: “Harry's overnight business trip to New York becomes a disaster when he is persuaded to take his family and neighbor Ralph.”
“Papa” continues the series’ shift from topical themes to standard sitcom material. That doesn’t necessarily seem like a bad thing, though it does tend to strip Wait of its noteworthy elements.
Of course, Ralph’s crackpottery allows for something more provocative than the same old, but “Papa” still focuses on the standard “put upon dad” concept so typical of the field. “Papa” manages decent humor despite the general lack of creativity.
The Neighbors: “When a newlywed couple has their first fight, they separate. Neighbor Charlie (Allan Melvin) makes matters worse.”
“Neighbors” feels like an attempt at a spinoff, as it focuses pretty heavily on newlyweds George (Casey Kasem) and Mona (Sandra Gould). It also suddenly introduces a never-before-seen Boyle neighbor Charlie.
As far as I can tell, George, Mona and Charlie never got a separate series and they never reappeared on Wait. The Boyles barely appear and have next to nothing to do with the story.
Wait never featured any of these new characters again, another choice that makes me think “Neighbors” existed solely as a potential spinoff. I don’t know why that didn’t happen, but it becomes a fairly trite episode, as nothing really works. Toss in a cheap Walter Matthau impersonation from Melvin and the episode fizzles.
Bringing Up Jamie: “Jamie gets in a fight at school. Instead of spanking, his parents take him to a child psychologist.”
Jamie tends to stay in the background, so I like the concept of an episode that revolves around him. Much of “Bringing” exists to mock then-modern concepts of child-rearing, though, and those choices make the episode seem even more regressive than usual.
Lady Detective: “After someone burglarizes the Boyle home, Detective Phyllis Dexter (Phyllis Diller) takes on the case.”
While The Simpsons made celebrity guest actors a common factor, with earlier animated series, the use of famous cameos tended to seem like a sign of desperation. For instance, when Flintstones did so, it came as the producers started to flail for ideas.
Wait actually brought in Richard Dawson for “The Hippie”, its third episode, so I can’t accuse the series of this same sense of neediness. Still, I find myself suspicious that Wait brought in celebrities more to attract viewers than to satisfy creative needs.
In any case, “Detective” nominally explores the topical notion of female police officers, but it really exists just to allow Diller to run wild. Her antics bring a little life to the series, but Diller’s style feels like an awkward fit for Wait.
Jamie’s Project: “When Jamie must complete a history project, Harry adamantly refuses to help so Jamie can build self-reliance. Another parent begins an unspoken competition with Harry about the kid's projects, however.”
For once, Harry ends up the inappropriate party here. Usually the series makes Harry the voice of reason, but here he becomes so caught up in competition that he does the wrong thing. That helps make “Project” more timeless and effective than usual.
Don for the Defense: “When a girl runs into Harry's car she sues him. Harry then calls a lawyer he knows who sends his son (Don Adams) to handle the case - and the guy turns out to be an idiot.”
The use of Adams feels like stuntcasting, though not as egregious as the weird appearance of Diller a few episodes back. Most of “Defense” revolves around the antics of Adamss’ character, and that makes it a weird fit for the series.
Alice’s Diet: “When Alice falls for a handsome new classmate, she decides to lose weight to attract him.”
This results in plenty of fat jokes, though it also actually gets Alice to drop the pounds. This follows a fairly predictable path when Alice realizes hot boys aren’t all that worthwhile, but at least the episode’s heart is in the right place.
Mama Loves Monty: “Irma goes on Let's Make A Deal with Monty Hall in hopes of winning something for her husband for their 25th Anniversary.”
While I don’t expect great continuity from a series like Wait, it nonetheless comes as a surprise that it features an overweight Alice already. Shouldn’t the show either keep her thin or at least explain why she went back to her prior weight?
Given that this episode’s Alice works to shed pounds, it seems bizarre that Wait sends her back to status quo like the prior program didn’t exist.
Anyway, Mama just exists as an excuse for more stuntcasting. Odd Couple even used Let’s Make a Deal and Hall earlier in 1973.
All this becomes a weird excuse for an episode about suspected marital infidelity. It follows a lot of the expected misunderstandings and slapstick, so don’t expect much freshness.
Papa the Coach: “Harry accidentally volunteers to be the coach to Jamie's basketball team.”
Nothing about “Coach” seems especially clever, as it simply explores the tired topic of pushy parents who interfere with their kids’ sports. The episode also makes Irma look like a complete idiot.
Birdman Chet: “When they bond over saving the condors, Jamie starts to imitate some of slacker Chet's habits. This worries Irma and Harry so Harry starts to take Chet to his workplace.
Despite that synopsis, Jamie doesn’t play much of a role here, as “Birdman” instead focuses on Chet’s lack of ambition. It does offer some twists and places Harry – and the series - on the wrong side of history, as Chet creates a good invention that Harry – and the series – mocks.
Back to Nature: “Upset that the family's life revolves around their individual television schedules, Harry bans the device in the house in hopes that everyone will turn off the tube and turn on real life.”
Is it ironic that a TV show bemoans people who watch TV shows? Of course, “Nature” makes valid points and remains topical if you substitute smartphones for TVs, but the episode nonetheless follows predictable paths and doesn’t seem especially clever.
Don Knotts the Beekeeper: “The Boyles find their home and backyard swarming with bees. They call in Charlie 'Bumbles' Johnson (Don Knotts) to remedy the situation.”
Back for more stuntcasting! A plot about bees in the Boyle house seems fairly desperate as well. At least Knotts adds some spark to the proceedings, even if he plays another idiot character.
Marriage Counselor: “When newlyweds Irene and George fight, Irene moves in with the Boyles. Irma decides to invite a marriage counselor for dinner to try to help, a choice that backfires.”
Funny how most sitcoms about families make the husband the dummy but Wait offers Irma as the dunce. She got dumber as the series progressed, though “Counselor” gives her more intelligence than we’d seen recently.
Anyway, “Counselor” offers a decent stab at the subject matter, even it comes with too many gags related to misunderstandings. I don’t view it as a great episode but it seems better than average for Wait.
Car 54: “Officer Gunther Toody (Joe E. Ross) looks for a moonlighting job so the Boyles prompt him to launch a child care company. When Chet gets involved as well, the Boyle basement becomes ground zero for the business.”
Wait comes to an end with more stuntcasting – and somewhat odd stuntcasting given that Car 54, Where Are You? had been off the air for more than a decade when this episode aired. Heck, the show wasn’t a massive hit anyway, which is why it only lasted two seasons.
As occurred with the other celebrity guest episodes, “54” contorts itself to accommodate the visiting actor. Much of this makes no sense so this winds up as a tedious show, one that ends Wait on a sour note.
Not that Wait ever became much of a series. Occasionally the situations mustered some creativity and humor, but most of the time the shows followed predictable lines and failed to find much charm.
It doesn’t seem fair to say Wait hasn’t held up over the last 50 years, as I can’t imagine it worked especially well in its day. Expect a series without much zing.
