People have been sharing their memories of a national toy company going out of business, so I tried to remember one of the few times I shopped there. Since my kids are now in college, it’s obviously been quite a while since I’ve stepped foot in a toy store.
One Christmas, my daughter topped her list for Santa with a battery, which of course she received. The toy store worker had sworn the game would be easy to put together, but he obviously wasn’t aware of my mechanical flaws.
Several hours before the children woke up to look under the tree, I managed to complete all three percussion pieces. After all that work, my daughter probably played the drums no more than a dozen times, and I’m so glad.
Had she seriously undertaken the task of becoming a female Ringo (Ringa?) Starr, chances are she would have lost a lot of sleep. Nothing can be as annoying as sharing a living space with someone who is trying to master the drums or any other instrument.
That pesky situation has spawned some humorous plotlines on a variety of classic TV shows, and here are ten of them.
Charles Emerson Winchester in MASH.
Hawkeye and BJ find their fellow surgeon even more upset than usual, after Charles (played by David Ogden Stiers) starts playing his trunk.
Bobby Brady in The Brady Gang
Even though Brady’s youngest son is banished to the garage to practice his drums, his parents and five siblings still can’t stand his constant rampage.
Homer Simpson in The Simpsons
The bass is the instrument through which the patriarch deals with another midlife crisis, soon leading other parents in Springfield to form a band.
Alice Cooper in Mayberry RFD
Years before Vincent Furnier and his fellow rockers immortalized that name, that name belonged to Mayberry manager’s housekeeper Sam Jones. In one episode, she becomes fascinated with an ancient harp, but she lacks the talent to master it.
Joey in Friends
Phoebe tries to teach Joey how to play guitar in a segment called “The One With All The Resolutions”.
Larue in Gidget
When her best friend falls for the guitar, Gidget (played by Sally Field) finds herself involved with a rock and roll band.
ross in friends
As if Joey learning to play the guitar wasn’t bad enough, his friend decides to play the bagpipes.
Barney Fife in The Andy Griffith Show
An already annoying set, the Mayberry gang got even worse when the helper bought a couple of cymbals.
Lucy Ricardo in I love Lucy
When Ricky’s saxophonist leaves, Lucy is determined to replace that horn player in her husband’s band.
Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory
Neighbors and roommates alike regret it when, during a hippie phase, Sheldon starts playing the bongos in “The Werewolf Transformation”.