This episode is basically a comedy of errors.\u00a0 The same week that Ralph goes for a physical examination at his doctor, Alice’s mother’s dog Ginger is brought to the vet by Alice.\u00a0 Alice hides the vet visit from Ralph because it cost ten dollars and she knows Ralph will resent the expense.\u00a0 When the vet’s report is delivered to the house Ralph assumes it’s his diagnosis.\u00a0 The report says the patient has only six months to live due to a condition called arterial monochromia.\u00a0 His symptoms will be loss of hair and blue tongue.\u00a0 It is recommended that he be kept comfortable on the floor near the stove for warmth and given a daily pill with a saucer of milk.<\/p>\n
After lamenting his fate he decides that he must provide for Alice by selling his sad story to the newspapers, thus providing her with $5,000 in her bereavement.<\/p>\n
And unbelievably he is successful in his plan although the newspaper warns him that if he doesn’t die in six months they will prosecute him for fraud.\u00a0 Eventually Alice gets wind of the plan and when she reads the vet’s report she starts laughing hysterically and tells him it’s the dog’s diagnosis and that arterial monochromia is called by excessive scratching at fleas..<\/p>\n
Ralph is at first ebullient when he finds he’s not dying but immediately panics when he realizes he may be sent to prison for fraud.\u00a0 Of course he immediately comes up with another scheme.\u00a0 With Norton dressed in a checked jacket, wearing glasses and carrying a doctor’s bag the boys head for the newspaper office where they inform them that a miraculous therapy will cure Ralph.\u00a0 He returns the check and heads for the door.\u00a0 But the editor raves that this story is even better than the old one and begins pumping “Dr. Norton” for details of his medical history.\u00a0 Of course disaster ensues and finally Ralph has to admit that he mistook the report from a veterinarian for his own diagnosis.<\/p>\n
All turns out well when the paper realizes that a story making fun of Ralph’s stupidity will be more entertaining than the original story.<\/p>\n
I believe the highlight of the episode is Norton finding Ralph fainted upon the floor and believing him to have died suddenly.\u00a0 He starts mourning for the poor little fat kid who’ll never wear his little hat or his little socks and finally he picks up a pair of Ralph’s pants and says. “He’ll never wear these little pants again” as he spreads out the huge pants across the screen.<\/p>\n
Definitely a good episode all around.\u00a0 And I believe Doctor Norton may have been the inspiration for Cosmo Kramer’s Dr Van Nostrand.<\/p>\n