From the gag-laden opening credits to the usually abrupt sign-off (sketches often ran long), this live comedy/variety program was one of the funniest and most intelligent series of its period. These two early shows include special guests Angela Lansbury (playing Gobel's wife, tied to a chair by their son) in a sketch) and boxer-turned-actor Buddy Baer (uncle of Max Baer Jr., of The Beverly Hillbillies), along with regulars Peggy King and orchestra leader John Scott Trotter. Peggy King sings "Mountain Greenery" and "Mambo In the Moonlight" in these two programs, and Buddy Baer gets to toss Gobel around as part of a sketch.