976-SHOE

976-SHOE is the eighth episode of season 4 of Married... with Children, also the 65th overall episode of the series. Directed by Gerry Cohen, the episode was written by Sandy Sprung & Marcy Vosburgh. It originally aired on FOX on November 12, 1989.

Synopsis

Al asks Steve for a loan of $50,000 so he can finance his own shoe help hotline. To win a Hawaii trip, Steve sanctions it and ends up with a warning from his boss. To save his job, Marcy gives Al a loan to pay back Steve, but Al spends that too. It costs Steve his job at the bank and Marcy gets demoted. Dan Tullis, Jr., who would later appear as an FBI agent in the Season 4 episode "The Egg and I" (Episode #17) not before assuming the recurring role of Officer Dan in "Rock and Roll Girl" in episode #15, first appears in this episode.

Full summary

Al decides to open a shoe emergency hot-line with help from Steve in the form of a $50,000 loan. But Al's get-rich-quick scheme backfires when nobody phones in. When Marcy gives Al a second $50,000 loan to repay the original loan, Al sinks the second $50,000 into his failing shoe hot-line, which results in Steve losing his job at the bank, Marcy getting demoted, and Al ending up being the loser as always.

Recurring cast/Guest stars

Regulars

• Amanda Bearse as Marcy Rhoades
• David Garrison as Steve Rhoades
• Buck the Dog as Buck Bundy

Guest starring

• Ray Reinhardt as Peamon
• Kari Whitman as Muffy
• Kerry Burke as Swenson
• Dan Tullis, Jr. as Sheriff
• R. Leo Schreiber as Farmer

Notes

Title

• The title is a reference to the hotline that Al sets up to make money.

Trivia

• This is the first episode to feature Dan Tullis, Jr., who would play different roles during seasons 4 and 6. He would later play an unnamed Chicago Police Officer in season 5 before officially being designated as "Officer Dan" in the season 8 episode "NO MA'AM".
  • This is his first role as a local sheriff. He would play a sheriff again in "Rock and Roll Girl"
• Peggy tells the sheriff that they do not pay taxes.
• At Al's trial, it is revealed that Steve lost his job at The Leading Bank of Chicago and Marcy was demoted from loan officer to drive up teller at Kyoto National Bank.

Cultural References

• Al receives a letter and says "Ed McMahon says I may owe him $10 million?!". This is in reference to American Family Publishers, a magazine subscription service that offered cash prizes and featured actor and game show host Ed McMahon as a spokesman.

Locations

• Bundy Residence
• The Leading Bank of Chicago
• Television Studio

Sets

• Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
• The Leading Bank of Chicago
• Television Studio

Goofs

• Throughout the episode, the phone number for Al's service is given as 555-SHOE, but the title of the episode is 976-SHOE.
• Marcy states she will loan Al $50,000 to pay Steve's bank so Steve doesn't get fired, noting she can 'bury one bad loan'. Later, Al says he still owes $50,000, it's just to another bank. If it's already decided it was going to not be repaid to Marcy's bank, why would Al need to pay Marcy's bank back?
• Steve makes a bank loan to Al but tells him to fill out the paperwork later. Seconds later, the bank president comes over to complain to Steve about his poor judgment in making the loan. However, Al never completed the paperwork - the bank president would not have even known the loan had been made, let alone that it would be bad.
• Peggy mentions that Al had the original idea for a television remote control. In reality remotes had existed since 1950, though became more mainstream by the 1970s.

External Links

• 976-SHOE at the Internet Movie Database
• 976-SHOE on Bundyology
• 976-SHOE - Final Draft Script on albundy.net
• 976-SHOE - Transcript on Springfield! Springfield!
• #66 976-SHOE - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia