MovieChat Forums > Life with Elizabeth Discussion > Question about one of the user review po...

Question about one of the user review points.


One of the reviewers wrote that "One device was used to end each episode. The last "vignette" or sketch in each show always degenerated into a big squabble in which all the characters were talking at the same time--nothing could be understood. At that point, Jack Narz, the announcer, would come on as a voice over, exclaiming something like, "Hey! Listen to me!" The squabbling would stop and the characters would look straight into the camera, breaking the "fourth wall." Narz would then say, "Say goodnight to the people." The cast would then say, "Goodnight everybody!" and resume their bickering until the scene dissolved. It was a trademark of the series."

That seems familiar to me but although I was only seven years old at the time I seem to remember that each show ended with the announcer saying "Elizabeth (pause), aren't you ashamed of yourself?" and Betty White would beam with a guilty looking grin while silently and vigorously shaking her head no. Does anyone else remember anything like that? Perhaps some shows ended one way and others another.

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I definitely remember the "Aren't you ashamed of yourself" ending, with Elizabeth shaking her head. But, I don't remember anyone, except Elizabeth, communcating with Jack Narz.

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Me too! What I remember is perhaps a whole group of people might have been squabbling but when the announcer breaks in, only Elizabeth hears him, stops and responds. The others just go on with whatever they were doing.

I think that today this technique is called breaking the fourth wall.

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I have just completed watching many episodes of this UNSUNG GEM among early sitcoms, and the "reviewer point" is CORRECT. In many of the end vignettes, the ENTIRE CAST would break the fourth wall and say goodnight at the request of the announcer, Jack Narz, who would then introduce Betty White as she stepped out alone from behind a curtain for a final curtain call.

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Thanks for making that clearer.

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