Mr. Bailey's Honeymoon

Not to be missed.

This reminds me of a MANNIX episode, though many years beforehand. The reason is the small town location and the strange folks...

Stu gets the Mannix treatment for sure, a victim of amnesia who now has a new name, Roger Morley(?), and apparently is married to a lethal blonde named Bette, excellently portrayed by Elizabeth MacRae. MacRae is a standout, one of the craziest females Stu has ever had to deal with, and with a no good brother, played to the hilt by William Windom, add a southern accent.

These two are insane, but playing a rather clever game. There's a lot of twists and turns here. Stu does have a companion of sorts, downtrodden waitress Moxie, played by character actress Evans Evans. She was married to director John Frankenheimer, who also cast her in his films.

In a really bizarre scene, Bette even demands Moxie take off her clothes! Definitely a first for the series. MacRae is best known for GOMER PYLE. She shines here in a far differrent role.

Top direction by Jeffrey Hayden, everything clicks. He later served as director for PEYTON PLACE.

Roger Smith, who did not appear in this episode, co-wrote the script with Montgomery Pittman, though Pittman probably fine-tuned it. He wrote 16 episodes for the series, also serving as director, right up until his sudden death (cancer). He also wrote three top episodes for TWILIGHT ZONE. A big loss to Warner Brothers.

10 Plus Stars. SEASON 4 EPISODE 17 remastered WB dvd box set. Thanx to METV Plus for showing these super oldies Sunday nights.