
TEASER: Chatting with Nanny the goat near the Ellen B., sparkling, wide-eyed 18 year-old Tammy Tarleton is elated when a telegram arrives: it seems she's just landed a secretarial interview with local millionaire Mr. Trent! Aglow with excitement, Tammy rushes forward to retrieve the telegram, but trips and plops in a mud puddle beside her porker friend, Alexander. She makes it very clear to the pig that her unexpected flight and sloppy landing were totally accidental.

ACT ONE: All dressed-up and looking adorably fresh-faced, Tammy bids a sweet, sad farewell to her loved ones, steady Grandpa Tarleton and wily Uncle Lucius. Meanwhile, at the Brent estate, aka the Bowers, regular visitors Lavinia Tate and daughter Gloria arrive in a cloud of snobby entitlement, with Gloria expected to land that secretarial position (better to be nearer the young Tate heir, Steven) without even trying.



ACT TWO: Resolved to get rid of Tammy and place daughter Gloria front-and-center at Brent Hall, Lavinia convinces the gullible young secretary to invite her "kin folk" to an important party being held at the estate. At first, Tammy wisely questions whether her river relatives would fit in at such a sophisticated gathering, but Lavinia assures her everything will turn out just fine. She even provides an ugly-as-sin dress for Tammy to wear, but some last-minute self-adjustments transform it into a thing of beauty, just like Miss Tarleton herself. At the party, Tammy meets John Brent's handsome son Steven, visiting from college, and the two are instantly attracted to each other. The river girl's kin folk do indeed show up and manage to behave themselves in the uppity environment. But ever-plotting Lavinia prods them into "enlivening" the proceedings, country-style, and soon Brent's party devolves into a rootin' tootin' hoedown, with Gloria taken for a spin and hapless, stunned Dwayne getting the worst of it. Her nasty scheme fully realized, Lavinia tears into Tammy and demands that she be fired. Heartbroken, Tammy returns home and is comforted by Grandpa and Uncle Lucius, who feel guilty for their part in the Brent parry debacle.


RATING: Four bare feet out of four. This first episode sets up the show's premise and characters with good humor and charm to spare. Needless to say, it's highly recommended for all TAMMY fans!
NOTES: Debbie, replacing similar-looking Universal contract player Brenda Scott, is absolutely adorable in the title role, and there is some legitimate romantic chemistry between herself and Steven Brent, an element which became rarer as the series wore on. Lovable Donald Woods makes for the ultimate daddy figure, and Dorothy Green is letter-perfect as Tammy's catty, scheme-crazy nemesis Lavinia. Even as early as this first episode, it's interesting to note that Dwayne Whitt has a bit of the bumpkin in him, briefly enjoying the hoedown music in spite of himself before he's taken for an unexpected slapstick ride.


DVD EPISODE QUALITY: This is one of the 16mm German prints, with on-screen titles in German. It's acceptable, but nothing special. Opening establishing shot of the Ellen B./Tammy and Nanny is missing. Faces are a little burned-out and backgrounds are a tad darker than they should be. Inferior to the same episode footage presented in TAMMY AND THE MILLIONAIRE, which is generally available in 35mm (all screen caps presented here were taken from TATM). It seems episode sourcing for this TAMMY DVD release wound up being a combination of the German 16mm versions and beautiful 35mm material from Universal. This blog will keep fans posted as to 'which episode is what?' as the series gradually unfolds.