I find this to be one of the series' best episodes thanks not only to its more mature themes, but to the use of studio locations, which became more prevalent with the show's Season Five move to long-ago ZIV Studios in the 5900 block of Santa Monica Blvd., now fronted by a 7-11 and Los Tacos strip mall.
A little boy wanting to help the less fortunate. An elderly grandfather sharing the house. His life savings stashed into the lining of an old coat he had hidden away. A town in immediate peril expecting a dam collapse. A Dickensian actor in need of just such a coat.
This script echoes California's history both past and present (for 1957), with its faint echo of the St. Francis Dam Collapse of 1928 that roared through Saugus (now Six Flags Magic Mountain) killing nearly 500 people. The stage play and its stately star are familiar to anyone living in L. A. with its preponderance of actors and productions. The grandpa and his distrust of banks goes right to the heart of The Great Depression less than 30 years prior. And no state's residents live with more constant awareness of natural disasters than California, be they floods; wildfires; earthquakes; landslides, or tsunamis.
The ZIV Studio's massive soundstage and vehicle ramp is the episode's County public emergency center, tucked into a tight corner of the huge building with the sound-absorbing insulation removed from its wall. ZIV also used its 2-floor script readers offices for the HQ of "The Fireman's Friend" from "Money To Burn". One of those tiny offices doubled as the criminals' hideout in several episodes that season, even to the dingy decor and same window covering.
One reviewer here lamented this episode's "completely disappointing" denouement. I wonder if he saw it through to the end with its surprising double twist, announced by the unexpected arrival of the actor who portrayed the struggling shoe salesman mistaken for a TV talent scout from a memorable episode of "The Andy Griffith Show", bringing startling news for Grandpa and the boy.
D. J. Fone.