Mel has a box of props, primarily toys, that he is letting Rob distribute amongst himself, Sally and Buddy. None of the toys are really appropriate for Ritchie, but the one set of props that no one really knows what to do with is a pair of live baby ducks. Despite once having brought home some chicks for Ritchie that died the same day, which devastated both Laura and Ritchie, Rob decides to bring them home as he falls in love with them. Laura is against having the ducks if only because of what happened to the chicks, but once Ritchie sees them and names them - Oliver and Stanley - they know they can't refuse them to Ritchie. Three months later and after the death of Oliver, Stanley, now full grown, is a beloved member of the family to Ritchie, but he isn't looking too healthy, much like Oliver did before he died. After speaking to the veterinarian, Rob learns that what Stanley is suffering from is the need to live the outdoor life of a duck with other ducks, and as such, Rob releases ... Written by Huggo

Did Rob prove a husband can fool his wife by disguising his voice, or is Laura just playing along? Though Rob's Italian accent as suave Dr. Benno Benelli sounds more like Bela Lugosi, Laura makes a phone date with the charming imaginary physician. Which is more important to Rob, pride in his comic gifts or faith in Laura's fidelity? Written by David Stevens

Ritchie finds a silver tray that was a wedding present from Rob's old army buddies. After reading the inscription on the tray which refers to if Laura is ever to remarry someone who can make it to the chapel on time, Rob and Laura recount to Ritchie the disaster that was their attempted first wedding ceremony and the less than perfect wedding ceremony that eventually did happen. Although Rob admits having cold feet the day of the intended ceremony and driving off just before the ceremony to think about what he should do, a broken down jeep, a sprained ankle and a respiratory tract infection caused a few obstructions to Rob and Laura ever getting married. Written by Huggo

While searching for a handkerchief, Rob discovers a bank book in Laura's name with a significant sum of money in the account. He eventually concludes that she is saving money to buy him a birthday present, but also realizes that she's still a little short of the sum she'll need to buy him the gift he wants. Written by aldanoli

Buddy Sorrell's brother, Blackie Sorrell (from whom Buddy has been estranged for a long time), shows up at the Alan Brady Show's offices one day. Later meeting Buddy's brother alone while Buddy is out, Rob invites him to his house for dinner, not knowing of his past as a pool hustler. After dinner, knowing Rob has a pool table in the basement, Blackie not-so-innocently suggests that the two of them try playing a game or two. Written by aldanoli

Rob and Laura lure a hunky hypnotist pal over to dinner as single bait for the ever-desperate Sally, along with Buddy and the Helpers. Millie begs him to mesmerize her, and he ends up putting most everyone in the living room under. Buddy pretends to be hypnotized into instantly yo-yoing from falling-down drunk to stone sober and back whenever bells ring, but it's Rob, watching intently from the kitchen, who becomes a blotto Jekyll/Hyde act (unbeknownst to anyone), so the Svengali doesn't take the rubber-legged comedy writer's spell off. Written by David Stevens

Ritchie asks his parents if he has a middle name like most of his friends have, which Rob and Laura seem somewhat reluctant to answer. When Ritchie pulls out his birth certificate (discovered in a safe box that was supposed to be locked) and asks if the other name listed on it - Rosebud - is his middle name, Rob and Laura have to confess that it is indeed his middle name... sort of. Rob and Laura say they will tell him the whole story about how he got his middle name after he comes home from school, which gives them time to recall the events. It all started the day that Laura told Rob she was pregnant. The news not only excited Rob but also all their friends and especially their respective parents and Rob's paternal grandfather. Everyone had a specific name they wanted to call the baby, with no one willing to budge from their stance. Rob came up with Rosebud as an agreeable compromise name because... Written by Huggo

Rob, Sally and Buddy have to make some last minute changes to this week's show, since their guest is no longer actress Sophia Loren, but rather crooner Ric Vallone. Rob and Buddy oblige Sally by allowing her to have their evening dinner meeting be just her and Ric, despite Ric having the reputation of being a confirmed bachelor. Ric and Sally spend much of their time together for the week. Buddy believes Sally is smitten with Ric. After she sees the two together, Laura concurs, but she doesn't think Ric feels the same way about Sally. Feeling that the twosome is in part his doing, Rob wants to know exactly what is going on between them. When Rob does get the full picture, he, with Ric's assistance, has to come up with a way to protect the fragile psyche of his friend, Sally. What Rob and Ric don't fully understand is the female psyche, period. Written by Huggo

In an episode with overtones of Rashomon, Rob and Laura each have an extremely trying day, and end up having a terrible fight. Three versions of the incident are shown -- one from Rob's perspective, one from Laura's -- and the way that it really happened. Written by aldanoli

Rob feels something's gone wrong in his relationship with Buddy and Sally. Their work life is going all right, but they don't seem to socialize together outside of work anymore. Even when Rob suggests they come to his house for a barbecue on the weekend (which includes doing some work), they make up an obviously lame lie to get out of it. What's worse for Rob is that he overhears Buddy tell Sally that what they do outside the office is none of Rob's business. At first, Rob thinks they're moonlighting (writing for another show), which is forbidden under the terms of their exclusive contracts, but comes to an even more shocking conclusion after phoning Buddy's house and learning from Pickles that Buddy isn't there: Buddy and Sally are having an affair. Eavesdropping, Rob later overhears Buddy and Sally talk about Herbie's Hiawatha Lodge - a getaway outside of New York City. To save their friendship and Buddy's marriage, Rob makes any excuse to go there with Laura and catch them in the ... Written by Huggo

Ritchie comes running into the house scared and in tears. He claims that he was being eaten by a giant woodpecker. Laura knows he is obviously crying wolf - or in this case crying woodpecker - but she does whatever she can to calm him down. When a concerned Laura, not knowing what to do, tells Rob, they try to figure out the cause for Ritchie needing this attention. Regardless, Rob believes that playing along with Ritchie and saying that he killed the woodpecker may finally calm Ritchie down for good, but when what they believe the cause for needing that attention no longer exists (a fight with neighbor Freddie Helper) and Ritchie again comes crying into the house saying that he was being eaten by that giant woodpecker, Rob and Laura come to a different conclusion based on information from Millie. Rob and Laura's problem then becomes how not to sound like they too are crying wolf - or crying woodpecker - without sounding crazy. Rob ultimately feels he has no choice but to take matters... Written by Huggo

Rob has had several sneezing bouts throughout the evening. Based on a newspaper article he read, Jerry believes Rob's sneezing is a psychosomatic condition brought about by anger, the most probable cause of that anger - based on the events of the evening - being Laura. Laura too begins to believe that Rob is angry with her. It becomes a vicious cycle where Rob gets angrier the more Laura believes Rob is mad at her, which is made all the worse by Rob continuing to sneeze. After getting allergy tests done and speaking to his doctor, Rob gets it into his head that he really is allergic to Laura, whether it be psychosomatic or physiological, especially as he only seems to be sneezing at home around her. Could it be so? Written by Huggo

While neighbor Jerry Helper, who is normally Rob's dentist, is out of town, Rob breaks a tooth and is forced to use another dentist to fix it because of its emergency. Rob nevertheless feels guilty about letting another dentist work on his teeth and does all that he can to avoid letting Jerry find out he allowed someone else perform his dental work. Written by aldanoli

Rob's relaxing day off changes when Laura tells him that Mrs. Billings is stopping by to see him. That can only mean Mrs. Billings wants his professional skills to organize another community fund-raising show, which Rob doesn't want to do again if only because of the hardship it was to do last year. Rob remembers back to that situation which was made all the more difficult in trying to cast Cleopatra for a comedy sketch, especially against a seemingly amorous Harry Rogers as Mark Antony. But as Mrs. Billings stops by, she may surprise Rob in her reason for the visit. Written by Huggo

Rob reads in the newspaper that the Segals, one of their neighbors, are the fourth and latest victims of home robbery in their neighborhood in four consecutive nights. The news unnerves Laura, Jerry and Millie. Jerry insists that Rob take one of his rifles, which Rob does unwillingly and unloaded. Thereafter, every little bump in the night Rob and Laura hear makes them believe they are the burglars' next target. Despite the extra precaution and vigilance, both the Petries and the Helpers end up, indeed, being robbed that night, with Rob and Laura's missing item being especially puzzling. Rob's connection to show business proves inconvenient as it makes a police lieutenant suspect his unusual theft is a publicity stunt, but when Laura telephones Rob at work the next day about some mundane household issues, Rob thinks he's figured out who the burglars are and tries to nab them. Written by Huggo

Based on an off the cuff remark in a reply letter he wrote, Rob's old high school friend Jane Leighton comes to New York to try and make it big in show business. Rob vows to help her in any way he can; however, Laura isn't so comfortable with his doing that. Although Laura trusts Rob not to cheat on her, she doesn't trust the beautiful and flirtatious Jane as much, as she may feel indebted to Rob for all his help and seems like the type of girl who will do anything to get ahead. Regardless, Rob decides to work with Jane during the evenings for a week to help her prepare for her auditions. This act is part of Rob's grand plan to help preserve his relationship with Laura, although Laura may not fully understand why until after the auditions. Written by Huggo

Having seen Rob hide something in his desk, nosy Sally and Buddy eventually discover it's a manuscript of what looks like his memoirs. Although feeling guilty reading it, they do so anyway and enjoy a story (seen in flashback) about the time Rob was at Camp Crowder getting ready for his wedding to Laura. In preparation, Rob asked his captain if he could have two three-day passes, one for the honeymoon and one to go back to his hometown of Danville, Illinois, to tell his old girlfriend - the sexy and amorous Dorothy to whom he was pre-engaged and who he's known since they were both in the fourth grade - that he was marrying someone else. As his captain would only issue one three-day pass, Rob had to decide which of the two events was going to happen and see how Laura and Dorothy would react to what he had to tell them. Sally and Buddy love what they read but are less thrilled that the story, as typed, is incomplete, leaving them wondering how to find out the rest of the tale without ... Written by Huggo

Rob Petrie is lured onto The Ray Murdock X-Rays, a provocative TV talk show. Amidst warnings from Rob's concerned co-workers, the oily, inveigling Murdock assures Rob he's just intrigued to offer his viewers a unique glimpse into the inner workings of such a comedic genius, further assuring Rob that he only grills guests with something to hide. Since the show airs that evening, a flattered Rob heads straight over from work. After all, what could nice guy Rob reveal in a five-minute softball interview? The result, unfortunately, could put Rob's marriage in jeopardy - that is, if Laura sees it. Written by David Stevens

In this flashback show, Rob recalls his first day as a writer on The Alan Brady Show. Although Buddy and Sally had already been on staff, Rob was hired as the head writer, causing him some friction with his established co-workers, who summarily ridiculed and dismissed his initial sketch idea for the show. When Alan rejected the script Buddy and Sally turned in, Rob realized what he must do to salvage all three of their reputations. Written by aldanoli

A terrifying science-fiction TV program grips Rob while Laura cowers under her bed covers, trying in vain to ignore the show and its blood-chilling music. When the show ends, Rob further tortures Laura by acting out the tale of Kolak, a visitor from the planet Twilo who resembles Danny Thomas and deploys walnuts to destroy Earth's technological capacity by excising all Earthlings' thumbs and imaginations. Rob awakes in the morning to a living room strewn with walnuts and an eerily calm Laura preparing scrambled walnuts for Rob's breakfast. Is Rob dreaming, is Laura having her revenge, or is the valiant comedy writer the only one who can save the planet from descending into the pit of man's fears? Written by David Stevens

Rob, initially puzzled by Laura's sudden coldness towards him, returns from running into a number of their friends having after-dinner coffee. He finally figures out her chilly demeanor stems from his picking up the check for the entire dinner. Rob refuses to change his behavior and claims he will continue to pay for dinner checks when they're out with friends - until he sees a reflection of his behavior in the actions of his son, Ritchie. Written by aldanoli

Rob is excited about his two-day ski trip with Jerry, while Laura says she doesn't mind his going without her. Though true, Rob eventually learns that Laura (thanks to a bad dream) is dreading that Rob - who has never skied before - will try and compete with expert skier Jerry and, in the process, break a bone. Her fears worsen when Rob and Jerry are late returning from their trip. As Laura and Millie wait together, Rob and Jerry are in a hospital getting medical attention for injuries sustained in a four person/one goat on-slope collision. Though Rob feels like his entire body is sprained, when he gets home, he does whatever he can to hide his injuries from Laura so he won't have to endure a bunch of I-told-you-so's if she knows the truth. Written by Huggo

When Rob accidentally mars the wall in the Petries' living room, he and Laura hire Vito Giotto, a flamboyant Italian painter, to repaint the room. Giotto turns their lives upside down as he manages to paint most of the rest of the house and become increasingly involved in their daily lives without ever completing the job he was hired to do. Written by aldanoli

Rob, Laura, Mel, Buddy, Sally and Pickles visit a resort operated by Sam Pomerantz, an old friend from Rob's Army days; however, when Rob accidentally incapacitates Danny Brewster, the resort's regular entertainer, Rob must convince his friends to give up their vacations in order to provide the entertainment while Brewster recovers. Written by aldanoli

Rob is scared to learn that French actor/singer Jacques Savon is the guest on the show this week. Laura is later also scared to learn that Jacques is the guest on Alan's show. Rob and Laura met Jacques and his then wife Yvette when they visited Europe years ago at a time when Jacques' career was just about to take off. It is a trip that they never speak of, although neither knows exactly why the other doesn't talk about it. As well, their individual fear of seeing Jacques is because of the same end result but for a slightly different reason. Neither Rob or Laura knows that the other really doesn't want to see Jacques, both who try to avoid him at all cost. But when Jacques finds out that both Rob and Laura are scared to see him and the reason why, he has to figure out a way to preserve the romantic memory that both have about that European trip. Written by Huggo

Rob is nervous about the elegant dinner party he and Laura have been invited to by a Mrs. Huntington - whom they've never met - for all the top writers in their respective fields. Rob feels nervously out of his league amidst a roomful of serious writers, especially as his writing has no, what he considers, permanence. Rob and Laura really only want to meet famed poet Henry Walden. They regret having gone to the party for several reasons: (1) having to spend the evening with a bunch of pretentious but nonetheless wealthy writers, (2) never getting to meet Walden among the bunch, and (3), most importantly, finding out the party was a fund-raiser for a literary foundation, with the writers to donate part or all of the royalties from their books. With no book to his name and, thus, no royalties, Rob donates the only thing he has in his pockets, which could end up ruining his reputation, but Rob changes his mind about the gathering when he learns who actually invited him to the party and ... Written by Huggo

For the two weeks Alan is away on vacation in Bermuda, British actor Tracy Rattigan will be filling in for him. Despite Tracy never having hosted a variety show, Rob, Buddy and Sally are eager to be working with him. Known as somewhat of a ladies' man with the nickname Racy Tracy, Sally in particular is anxious to meet him, but the one person Tracy seems interested in is Laura, who stops by the office specifically to meet him. Seeming to feign a previous engagement to get out of invitations from both Buddy and Sally, Tracy instead invites himself to Rob and Laura's house to kick around a few ideas for the show, which Rob takes to mean that he wants to get to know Laura better. Rob and Laura learn first hand how Tracy really got his nickname, but that understanding translates into a slightly different professional perspective for Rob, Buddy and Sally. Written by Huggo

Rob gets a late evening emergency call from Buddy. He's left Pickles. A pile of canceled checks proves to him that she's been having an affair. Laura fears that Rob, in consoling Buddy by agreeing in his heated tirade against Pickles, will incur Buddy's wrath later on. Leaving Buddy at a hotel after an already long evening, Rob gets a call from Pickles, in hysterics over Buddy not coming home. She insists Rob come over, which he reluctantly does (still dressed in his pajamas). He's Buddy's ally through and through but begins to see a more complete picture after hearing her side of things. Just at the very moment when Rob tries to comfort her, who should return home? The supposedly cuckolded husband, believing his worst fears confirmed. Written by statmanjeff

Rob and Laura learn from their accountant that they'll have to cut some corners and penny-pinch for the next little while until their financial situation improves. Despite Rob making a half-decent living, he is dismayed, feeling he should be able to provide a more comfortable standard of living for Laura and Ritchie. Rob's dismay changes to paranoia, persecution, insecurity, fear and envy when he runs into Jim Darling, the show's new wealthy and good-looking sponsor, who also happens to be Laura's old beau. Rob fears that if Laura sees Jim again she may decide she made the wrong choice in who she married; so, Rob does whatever he can to hide the fact of Jim reentering his life, especially when Jim wants to host a cocktail party for the show's staff and their spouses while he's in town and especially wants to see Laura. Laura eventually finds out but may regret the party after seeing Rob and Jim together. Written by Huggo

Rob overhears Laura talking to Millie about pulling some sort of deception on him which Millie will help keep secret. It sounds like Laura is planning on having an affair, but based on another conversation he overhears between the two, Rob learns that the secret is a surprise birthday party for him. When Rob gets it out of Laura that she is planning something for his birthday, Laura makes a change of plans. So Rob knows that Laura is planning a surprise party for him, but what Rob doesn't know is that Laura knows that he knows, or so Laura thinks. Rob is pretty certain she is trying the old double reverse on him. Is she really? Only a party (or none) on Saturday night will tell the real story of who managed to outfox whom. Written by Huggo