good help is so hard to find.

i've been watching the 1966 episodes...

of immense amusement to me are mrs.johnson's introductory scenes and,in particular,the scene where she first arrives at collinwood and is greeted by a surly matthew morgan.

because between,you know,the obsessive and homicidal caretaker,the vindictive and vengeful spying housekeeper and the snoopy and recently ghost spotting governess it's no wonder this place is going to hell in a handbasket!

is it possible for the collins family to hire responsible,not crazy,not troublemaking help that creates way less work and drama or is this part of the curse?

I love all the early Mrs J episodes, but both the one where she goes up to Collinwood for her interview, and the one with her arrival at the Great House, are both very special shows.  I feel a sense of awe whenever I watch the one where she actually arrives for her first day, because when I started watching the show in June of '68, it seemed as if she was an old family retainer who had been part of the staff on day one in 1795!  There's a real sense of the surreal when you see her arrive; it's almost like going back in time to see your own great-grandmother's wedding day.

I also love Mrs J's early episodes with David--just priceless stuff.

G.

is it possible for the collins family to hire responsible,not crazy,not troublemaking help that creates way less work and drama or is this part of the curse?

What would be the fun in that?

I'm thinking this is around the time we see Mathew clipping the hedges and watching the cab pull up to the house. That is a marvelous bit of location stuff, one of my faves.

another genius mrs. johnson sequence...

after brazenly smoking cigarettes at the breakfast table(!)david sneaks off with her stuff to bring to matthew down at the old house.

later when mrs. j accuses david of stealing them "master" collins puts her in her place with "should you be smoking while you work?" and finally "if i wanted cigarettes i would just buy them". zwing!

these episodes(120-121)also bring an answer to a long held mystery...just what is the exact nature of the collinwood kitchen/breakfast area/solarium? here,for perhaps the only time,we actually see a stove! mrs. j shuffles over to it to fetch herself a fresh cup of joe.

I am working my way through the 'beginning' episodes and got to see how Mrs. Johnson started working at the house.

In the later episodes she is quite the no-nonsense, say it like it is housekeeper!

Clarice Blackburn is just amazing as Mrs. J. I think she was very underrated as an actress, at least in D.S. Does anyone know what happened to her? Has she ever been at any of the Fests? If she was only in her 30's at the time (again, amazing how well she portrayed an older woman!) then she might still be alive?

rainingwolf, you can find a link to her biography (written by VAM) in this cast list:

http://www.collinwood.net/cast/

Thank you for the link. What an amazing woman!

they do some quick revisions with mrs. johnson's cooking skills...

when carolyn first suggests that elizabeth hire her her excellent cooking is a strong selling point...and please,please don't forget that she made her own fresh mayonnaise.

however the tides quickly turn and suddenly mrs. j.'s cooking is the subject of much mockery and derision and is apparently all around lousy.

hmmmm...

and over at the diner what's with the running gag about maggie's old,burnt,stale coffee?like it's that hard to put on a fresh pot.

Interesting point.  And just what did the Collinses do before Mrs. Johnson came on the scene?  Who did the cooking then?  I have a difficult time seeing Elizabeth doing it.  Probably anything she tried turned out like Lisa Douglas' "hots-cakes."  Roger a culinary wiz?  I don't think so.  Carolyn would probably look at an oven and ask:  "What's that?"  David?  Break out the peanut butter.  Matthew was too busy chopping wood and probably survived on balogna sandwiches.  I seriously doubt that a small town like Collinsport had a pizza- or chinese-delivery place.  One would think they would be grateful for someone like Mrs. Johnson.

Gerard