"Buried on Page One"

Original air-date: February 15, 1969

Teleplay by: Peggy Elliot and Ed Scharlach

Story by: Paul West

Directed by: John Erman

Guest Star: Richard Dreyfuss as Mark Finley

Dabbs Greer as Norrie Coolidge

Rating: Four bells

Synopsis:

Carolyn has decided to take a job working for the town weekly newspaper, the Schooner Bay Beacon. When she breaks the news to Captain Gregg, he voices a strenuous objection, telling her she’d be wasting her talents working for the small town newspaper. After she’s gone, he stands at the telescope trying to convince himself he welcomes the privacy while Carolyn’s working all day, but he pauses when remembering the sound of her voice. "Blast, when will she be home!", he blusters.

At the Beacon, Carolyn gets a list of her job duties from editor Mark Finley, a recent Columbia Journalism School graduate and son of the owner. Finley assigns Carolyn all the real work of getting out the paper, saving only the editorial and final proof-reading for himself. When Carolyn arrives home after her first day at work, a pouting Captain greets her on the stair. He rebukes her for engaging in such unladylike work for that "muckraking rag", to which she retorts as absurd. Several evenings later when Carolyn arrives home, the Captain decides to take a new tact. With a deep sigh, he tells Carolyn how the children have been moping around all day like poor abandoned waifs deserted by their only parent. But, it’s quickly apparent that the children are fine with Carolyn’s new job and that the only abandoned waif around Gull Cottage wears a beard.

At the end of her first week, Carolyn and Finely wait at the office for the printed edition, when they start getting angry calls from their advertisers about all the typographical errors in the ads. Claymore Gregg threatens to sue, when his ad "Cozy Cottage by a lake, furnished, completely wired" was printed as "Crazy Cottage by a fake, unfinished, completely weird." Finley blames Carolyn, until she reminds him that he reviews the final copy. The Beacon has to return all ad revenue due to the mistakes. Carolyn knows the Captain is responsible, and she returns to Gull Cottage to confront him. The Captain smugly admits he was the gremlin of the print shop, saying he hopes that now the Beacon won’t be able to afford to keep her onboard. Carolyn angrily tells him that although she had planned to quit, she will now stay on the job to straighten out the mess he’s created.

Several nights later, an exhausted Carolyn finally arrives home hours after the children have turned in. The Captain offers to tell her the entire truth as to why he objects to her working for the Beacon. He admits he bears a hundred year old grudge against Finley’s great grandfather for the Beacon’s report of his accidental death with the gas heater as a suicide. Knowing how sensitive he is about the subject, Carolyn agrees to help get the Beacon print a retraction of the hundred year old story. The next day, Finley reluctantly agrees to print the retraction on an inside page if Carolyn can produce the necessary proof to back it up. The Captain goes to the town recorder Claymore and searching the records, finds the proof they need in the form of a letter the Captain left among his personal effects reminding himself to fix the faulty gas heater. After Carolyn shows Finley the note, he agrees to print the retraction as long as it’s buried among the classified ads.

A few days later Carolyn is waiting for delivery of the Beacon’s latest edition, when a fuming Finley arrives to deliver it personally. Finley accuses Carolyn of being an ingrate and fires her. As he leaves, the editor hands her the weekly edition where the story of the Captain’s accidental death a hundred years ago is the headline story. When the Captain finally appears a few days later, Carolyn accuses him of going to the trouble of having the retraction printed in order to get her fired from the Beacon. The Captain denies he did it because he missed her at Gull Cottage, blustering that he has never been dependent on a woman at any time. His tirade is interrupted by another visit from Finley. The editor tells Carolyn "his" retraction was picked up by the national news service as the human interest story of the week, and he offers her job back with a raise. Overhearing, the Captain shows his displeasure at the thought of Carolyn’s return to work for the Beacon with the beginning of a weather tantrum. With an eye on the scowling Captain, Carolyn turns down Finley’s job offer, and the Captain quickly bares a broad smile when Carolyn tells Finley she’s decided to work at home.

Favorite Moments:

The Captain’s self-musing at the telescope, trying to convince himself he won’t miss Carolyn while she works during the day. He struggles with admitting that he’s become dependent on her company.

The Captain’s pitiful soulful look, when Carolyn tells him she knows he’s the only abandoned waif around Gull Cottage.

The Captain’s "typos" in the ads are clever, "Rotten dresses in appalling colors" instead of "Cotton dress in appealing colors"; "Spoiled Lobster with bitter sauce" instead of "Boiled Lobster with butter sauce"; and "Stale bake goods" instead of "Sale bake goods".

The Captain’s tirade denying he had the retraction printed just because he missed Carolyn at home. His broad smile when she turns down the job offer shows his bluster of a moment ago was just balderdash.

Favorite Quotes: (all the Captain’s)

"The trouble with women is that they think like women."

"I’m very disappointed in you, Mrs. Muir. Working on a newspaper - and I thought you were a lady!"

 "Madam, do you really think that I objected to that job of yours simply because I missed you here at Gull Cottage?... Ha! That’s absurd! I have never been dependent upon a woman, any woman, at any time. I have managed perfectly well without you for over a hundred years."

Interesting Notes:

This episode features as its guest star very young, future Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss, as Mark Finley.

-- Lynn Murray