Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 3.22 “For The Book”

Posted on July 12, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Saturdays, I will be reviewing the Canadian sitcom, Check it Out, which ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi and Peacock!

We all knew this day would come. It’s time for the final episode of Check It Out!

Episode 3.22 “For The Book”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on February 14th, 1988)

Cobbs is celebrating its 50th anniversary and its putting together a commemorative book of memories. Howard calls the staff into his office and asks them what they think should be included in the book.

“Remember that time….” Christian starts and yes, it’s a clip show.

The final episode of Check It Out! is indeed a clip show. Really, it’s not a terrible way for the show to go out. For 30 minutes, the show relives what the writers believed were the best moments of season 3. (There were a few clips from seasons one and two but, for the most part, this episode was dominated by recent clips.) Some of the clips — like Howard doing a vaudeville routine — went on for way too long. Some, like Marlene filling in as Howard’s secretary, did not go on long enough. It was a typical clip show.

And so ends Check It Out! What can I say about this show? The first season was okay. The second season was a trainwreck. The third season was uneven but, overall, surprisingly good. The show was built around Don Adams but it was the supporting characters — Aaron Schwartz, Jeff Pustil, Kathleen Laskey, Gordon Clapp — who got most of the laughs. Looking back, I really can’t think of any episodes of Check It Out! that really stand-out in my mind. The show was the epitome of pleasant but unmemorable entertainment.

Next week, we’ll have a new show here. For now, let’s end things with the Check It Out! theme song.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 3.21 “Educating Leslie”

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Leslie pursues a dream but there’s a demon in a bottle getting in the way…. (*cue the dramatic music*)

Episosde 3.21 “Educating Leslie”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on February 7th, 1988)

Leslie has a chance to win an acting scholarship. The only problem is that his acting coach, Darla Fontaine (Corrine Conley), is an alcoholic who believes her glory days are far behind her. Leslie pours out her liquor, convinces her to give life another chance, and wins the scholarship after putting on a putty nose and delivering a monologue from Cyrano De Bergerac.

This episode is certainly not something that I would normally expect from Check It Out! but there it is. Check It Out! has, over the course of three seasons, been a consistently silly show, one that featured Howard getting into impossibly dumb situations and the majority of the cast just going along with the weirdness of it all. There was one episode, during the first season, where Edna thought she was pregnant and cried when she discovered she wasn’t. Up until this episode, that was the only dramatic moment to be found in Check It Out!

It’s a bit odd that, for it’s second-to-last episode, Check It Out! would do an episode that goes so strongly against the usual style of the series but Check It Out! was never a particularly consistent show and the fact that Sean Roberge’s stockboy makes an appearance in this episode after a long absence suggests that this episode was probably meant to air earlier in the season than it did. As well, Viker is prominently featured in this episode but no one mentions the fact that, just last week, his wife gave birth.

As for the episode itself, it was a bit overwritten and Corrine Conley overacted in the role of the alcoholic diva. But, as usual when he was given a spotlight episode, Aaron Schwartz nailed it as Leslie and elevated every scene that was in.

This episode ends with Leslie winning his scholarship. As next week’s episode is just a clip show, one could argue that, as a series, Check It Out! ended with Leslie finally achieving his dream. That’s not a bad ending.

Next week …. the finale!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 3.20 “Smotherly Love”

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Christian’s mother comes to visit.

Episode 3.20 “Smotherly Love”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on January 31st, 1988)

Christian’s mother (Marilyn Peppiatt) flies from Florida to Canada so she can visit her favorite son. It turns out that Christian has been lying to his mother, telling her that he’s the manager of Cobb’s and that Marlene is his fiancée! Howard and the rest of the staff reluctantly play along with Christian’s lies but when it turns out that his mother is planning on sticking around, Howard tells Christian that he needs to tell her the truth.

(Christian doesn’t tell her the truth but it comes out anyway after she overhears him talking to Howard and Edna about how he doesn’t want to disappoint her.)

Meanwhile, the very pregnant Mrs. Viker (Marcia Bennett) hangs out at the story until her water breaks and it’s time for Viker to rush her to the hospital. Later, Edna reveals that Viker actually took his wife to the Holiday Inn.

This was a good episode because it focused on two of the most consistently funny characters on the show, Jeff Pustil’s Jack Christian and Gordon Clapp’s Viker. Pustil is always at his best in those rare scenes where Christian reveals that he has a conscience while Gordon Clapp’s portrayal of Viker’s sincere stupidity has always been one of the best things about the show. Viker’s joy over being a father mixed with Christian’s relief upon learning that his mom didn’t hate him made this a surprisingly heartfelt and sweet episode.

As for Christian telling his mom that he and Marlene are engaged, Jeff Pustil and Kathleen Laskey actually did get married after the show ended. Personally, I’ve always found them to be a cute couple whenever they interacted with each other on the show, even if their characters were supposed to be mortal enemies.

Two more episodes to go!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check it Out! 3.19 “Losing It”

Posted on June 21, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Howard and Leslie go into business together!

Episode 3.19 “Losing It”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on January 30th, 1988)

After Howard refuses to give Leslie a raise and suggests that Leslie instead explore other ways to make extra money, Leslie ends up inviting Howard to a franchise convention. Howard agrees and, one scene later, Howard and Leslie are in charge of a weight loss franchise!

Howard is thrilled, especially after a group of overweight individuals comes to the store for a meeting. Howard can’t wait to start making money off of them but Leslie is concerned. He’s worried that the diet and the dietary supplements that come with it are a sham. He doesn’t want to cheat anyone. Leslie shares a story about being sent to the “husky” department when he was a teenager looking for a jacket. Howard comes to realize that he doesn’t have it in him to cheat the people who are coming to the store in hopes of losing weight. At the next meeting, Howard announces that the product is a sham. The group forgives him and they decide to continue meeting at the store in order to give one another moral support.

Awww!

Listen, when I saw that Check It Out! was going to do an episode about weight loss, I was expecting the worst. Check It Out! has rarely dealt sensitively with body issues. But I have to say that this was really a heartfelt and surprisingly sweet episode. The jokes were not mean-spirited and the show’s message was one of acceptance and empowerment. I was stunned!

A lot of the credit goes to Aaron Schwartz, who was often underused on this show but who always shined whenever he was given a chance. The scene where Schwartz, as Leslie, talked about the insecurity that he felt over his teenage weight was beautifully acted.

This was a good episode. As I’ve said before, as uneven as this series often is, the third season has been a marked improvement over the two that came before. This episode was a perfect example of that.

Only three more episodes to go!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 3.18 “Vote For Me”

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Howard goes for a higher office!

Episode 3.18 “Vote For Me”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on January 16th, 1988)

The local Business Owners Association asks Howard to run for city council because …. well, I’m not sure why they would ask Howard. Howard refuses but then he sees his campaign assistant Lila (Heather Smith) and changes his mind.

Howard is shocked to discover that he will be running against a former baseball player and local celebrity named Patrick O’Malley (Bill Lake). Everyone agrees that there is no way that Howard can win and that’s pretty much the entire episode. Howard never has a chance, he screws up every opportunity that he’s given, and he ends up getting 400 votes and running behind a write-in campaign for Edna. (Edna answered some questions in Howard’s place when the latter was late to a campaign forum.) Howard is stunned by his loss. Viker says that he was not one of the people who write in Edna’s name before mentioning, “I voted for O’Malley.” Howard promises to take his employees to the best party in town, the O’Malley victory party.

This was a weird episode. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t work because the idea of a bumbling egomaniac like Howard running for political office definitely had potential and I will admit I did laugh at Howard’s insane explanation of why getting rid of the police would get rid of crime. (To be honest, it really wasn’t that different from the arguments I heard during the Defund protests.) But the show wrote itself into a corner by making Howard such an idiot that there was never any chance of him actually winning. The entire episode was essentially scene after scene of Howard saying something dumb while everyone else rolled their eyes. It got predictable fairly quickly.

I think if Jack Christian had been the one who was recruited to run for city council, the episode could have worked. Christian is as much of a jackass as Howard but Jeff Pustil always manages to give the character a hint of insecurity so you root for him despite your better instincts. Howard, on the other hand, is often portrayed as being so incredibly dumb and clueless that it’s difficult really get involved in his attempts to be something more than just a grocery store manager.

Oh well. I would have voted for O’Malley too.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 3.17 “Fatal Harrassment”

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Howard is getting sued!

Episode 3.17 “Fatal Harrassment”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on January 10th, 1988)

The newest cashier at Cobb’s, Kim Dillard (Lolita Davidovich, in a very early role), is suing Howard for sexual harassment!

Actually …. yeah, I could see that. Everything about Howard screams lawsuit, if not for sexual harassment than for something else. The same can be said of the behavior of just about everyone who works at Cobb’s. One thing I’ve noticed over the years that I’ve spent watching old sitcoms for the site is that, in the 80s and 90s, everyone just harassed everyone else and regularly made comments that would end friendships and lose jobs today.

Anyway, Howard swears that Kim was actually coming onto him and that he’s being set up. Yeah, whatever, Howard. No one buys that! Except, it’s true! It turns out that Kim has a history of taking jobs and then suing her boss for sexual harassment. Since most of her bosses settle to avoid the bad publicity that would come with a trial, Kim makes a lot of money without having to prove anything. Howard, however, threatens to go to court, which cause Kim to drop her suit. Howard keeps his job, disappointing Christian who was hoping to take over the store.

This episode wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible. It was very middle-of-the-road, featuring a lot of obvious jokes that were saved by the cast’s third season chemistry. That said, it also painted Kim as too obvious a villain and it again left me wondering why Edna is still wasting her time with Howard. For three seasons now, Edna has been complaining about dating Howard. Strangely, Edna always says that she’s been dating Howard for “Seven years,” even though three years have passed since she first said that. Poor Edna!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 3.16 “My Hero, Mr. Bannister”

Posted on May 10, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week features some adorable kittens!

Episode 3.16 “My Hero, Mr. Bannister”

(Dir by Jayne Schipper, originally aired on January 3rd, 1988)

Stockboy Derek (Andrew Miller) admires Howard and decides that, in order to be like his idol, he’s going to drop out of high school and devote himself to becoming manager of a grocery store. Howard has to show Derek has stupid that would be. Fortunately, Derek comes to his senses by the end of the episode. No one wants to grow up to be Howard.

This was a weird episode, largely because everyone acted as if Derek was a regular member of the cast despite the fact that this was only his second appearance on the show. (He appeared earlier in the season, in yet another episode that was devoted to his character.) One of the oddest things about this season is that it keeps introducing characters who seem like they’re going to be regulars — Howard’s brother, the executive from the company that bought Cobb’s — but who then never show up again. Or in Derek’s case, they showed up on more time. Seen today, all of these episodes feel like backdoor pilots for shows that were never actually put into production. That doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily bad episodes, of course. While Derek’s storyline was a bit forgettable, the third season has still been a marked improvement over the first two.

This episode featured a B-plot about an adorable cat named Marvin who decided to live in the store with “Mrs. Marvin.” They had kittens! And the kittens were adorable. I’m a cat person so I enjoyed that. Otherwise, this episode was fairly forgettable.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out 3.14 “Marlene For Hire”

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s Christmas in Canada!

Episode 3.14 “Marlene For Hire”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on December 12th, 1987)

A married couple who shops at C0bb’s — Cindy (Lynne Cormack) and Ron (Hal Eisen) — ask Marlene is she’ll be a surrogate mother for them. Once Marlene figures out that they’re not asking her to become a swinger, she agrees. But then, during a doctor’s visit, Marlene is told that she’s “not a good candidate” to be a surrogate mother. It’s a bit of an odd storyline because the biggest part of the story — the visit with the doctor — occurs totally off-screen. We only hear about it when Marlene talks to Edna about it.

Still, Marlene does confess that she is somewhat relieved because she doesn’t think she would have been able to actually give the baby up. Edna, who has been in a loveless relationship with Howard for what seems like a decade, starts to cry. Awwww! It’s a sad scene, really. It’s also the type of scene that would not have worked during the first or second seasons of the show, when all of the characters were a bit too cartoonish to really touch the viewer’s heart. The third season has been a marked improvement. Kathleen Laskey and Dinah Christie both gave good performances in their scene together, making it far more poignant than I would ever expect an episode of Check It Out! to be.

As for the other storyline, there’s a contest to see which store can build the best Holiday display. (It’s a Christmas episode.) Howard goes with a manger scene, which would probably get the store sued nowadays. Leslie wants to make a manger out of bread but Howard says that’s a foolish idea. In the end, the judge says that he loves Howard’s display but the winner is another Cobb’s that made their manger out of …. wait for it! …. bread!

As I said, it’s a bit of an odd episode but it actually worked because of the — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — strength of the ensemble. After two seasons of everyone acting as if they were all appearing in different shows, the third season has found the cast really clicking. Kathleen Laskey and Dinah Christie handled the em0tional part of the show while Jeff Pustil, Aaron Schwartz, and Don Adams handled the comedy as they bickered over the best way to build a manger.

In other words, this was a good epioode. It’s a Christmas miracle!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 3.13 “Edna, Howard, Cathy & Morty)

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Edna continues to allow Howard to humiliate her.

Episode 3.13 “Edna, Howard, Cathy & Morty”

(Dir by Alan Ehrlich, originally aired on November 28th, 1987)

When her friend Cathy (Deborah Grover) comes to town and talks about her wonderful marriage to Morty (John Stocker), Edna once again wonders how long she’s going to have to wait for Howard to ask her to marry him.

If this episode seems familiar, it’s because I’ve lost track of how many times Check It Out! has done an episode featuring Edna getting frustrated with Howard’s refusal to settle down. Honestly, Edna can do better. The first season at least pretended like Howard was a born romantic who truly loved Edna. From the second season on, Howard has been taking Edna for granted and Edna really does need to move on. Howard is in his 60s, now matter how much this show insists that he’s actually in his 40s. If he’s not ready to commit yet, he never will be. At this point, it’s hard to really care about Edna’s situation with Howard.

On the plus side, this episode did feature Viker trying to become a magician. I laughed because Gordon Clapp could make just about anything funny. For that matter, the pre-credits sequence made me laugh. It featured Edna imagining that she was on the Dating Show and everyone reacting with shock when she announced she was going to pick Howard. I don’t blame them! You can do better, Edna!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check it Out! 3.12 “Howard Hemingway”

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week’s episode makes even less sense than usual.

Episode 3.12 “Howard Hemingway”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on November 22nd, 1987)

Weird episode.

Howard Bannister notices how many of the store’s customers are also buying trashy romance paperbacks. He also notices how much Marlene and Edna enjoy reading them. Howard decides that he should write a book of his own and become a millionaire!

(Heh heh …. go tell any working writer about the idea of becoming a millionaire off of one book and see how they react.)

Howard struggles. He sits in his office and tries to write a book about a safari. Because this episode aired in the 80s, he uses a typewriter. Because I’ve worked as an administrative assistant, I immediately noticed that Howard was a terrible typist. Soon, the floor of his office is covered in crumpled papers. He just can’t find the right hook for his story. Edna points out that he’s never been on safari. All Howard knows about is running a grocery store.

And so Passion Aisle is born!

Howard writes a book based on Cobb’s and the people that he works with. Since he only appears to work with five other people, I’m a little bit surprised that the book appeared to be as long as it was. Somehow, Howard is able to talk a publisher into publishing his book. Howard doesn’t even have an agent so I’m curious how he pulled that off but anyway….

No one wants to buy the book! Howard finally ends up giving copies away at the store. Some of the customers read it and immediately figure out that the trampy cashier “Arlene” is based on Marlene. The employees at Cobb’s decide that, since the book is based on them, they deserve some of the money that Howard is making off of it. Howard agrees even though there’s absolutely no reason for Howard to have done so. Howard wrote the thing. The employees really didn’t do anything. Still, they get a 50/50 split….

Seriously, I don’t want to overanalyze this but it really bothers me that Howard finally managed to accomplish something on his own and his employees, rather than accepting that, immediately demanded that they be rewarded for his hard work. Just because you inspired someone to write a book or paint of picture or do anything else doesn’t mean that your entitled to financial compensation. Not even Canada has gone that communist yet. Howard should have stood his ground.

But, he didn’t. Everyone got a little bit of money and I assume that Howard is never going to write another book. That’s kind of sad. Howard’s been looking for an escape from Cobb’s since the show began. He finally got one and was immediately punished for his initiative. Poor Howard!