People have been sharing their memories of a national toy company that is 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 has obviously been quite a long time since I set foot in a toy store.
One Christmas my daughter topped her list for Santa with a drum set, which of course she received. The toy store worker had sworn the game would be easy to assemble, but was obviously unaware of my mechanical flaws.
Several hours before the children woke up to look under the tree, he had managed to complete all three percussion pieces. After all that work, my daughter probably played drums no more than a dozen times, and I’m glad of that.
If she had seriously taken on 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 trying to master drums or any other instrument.
That annoying situation has spawned some humorous plots in a variety of classic TV shows, and here are ten of them.
Charles Emerson Winchester at MASH.
Hawkeye and BJ find their fellow surgeon even more annoying than usual, after Charles (played by David Ogden Stiers) begins to play his French horn.
Bobby Brady in The Brady Bunch
Despite Brady’s youngest son being banished to the garage to practice his percussion, his parents and five siblings still can’t stand his constant uproar.
Homer Simpson in The Simpsons
The bass is the instrument through which the patriarch deals with another midlife crisis, which soon leads other dads 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 the Mayberry manager’s housekeeper, Sam Jones. In one episode, she becomes fascinated with an ancient harp, but lacks the talent to master it.
Joey on friends
Phoebe tries to teach Joey to play the guitar in a segment called “The One With All Resolutions.”
Larue on Gidget
When her best friend falls in love with the guitar, Gidget (played by Sally Field) becomes involved in a rock and roll band.
Ross on friends
As if Joey learning to play the guitar wasn’t bad enough, his friend decides to take the bagpipes.
Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show
Already an annoying ensemble, Mayberry’s band got even worse when the deputy bought a couple of cymbals.
Lucy Ricardo in I Love Lucy
When Ricky’s saxophonist leaves, Lucy is determined to replace the trumpet player in her husband’s band.
Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory
Neighbors and roommates alike regret it when, during a hippie phase, Sheldon begins hitting bongo drums in “The Werewolf Transformation.”
