Our Miss Brooks starred Eve Arden as Constance "Connie" brooks, a much put-upon, very much single English teacher at Madison High School. The principal at Madison High School was the gruff and often demanding Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon). Philip Boynton (Jeff Chandler) was the shy biology teacher at Madison High School, and the object of Miss Brooks's affection, although he had absolutely no clue how she felt. Walter Dention (Richard Crenna) was one of Miss Brooks's students who had a high-pitched voice. He usually had good intentions, although his sheer clumsiness sometimes got in the way. Fabian "Stretch" Davis (Leonard Smith) was the none-too-bright star athlete at Madison High School and Walter's best friend. Margaret Davis (Jane Morgan) was Miss Brooks's landlady, who tended to be a bit absentminded and loved to cook exotic breakfasts that were more often than not inedible.
In "Mr. Conklin's Halloween Breakdown" Walter Dention and some of the other Madison High students are planning a Halloween Party. What is more, they plan to have it at Connie Brooks's apartment, Miss Davis having already agreed. Miss Brooks is opposed to having the party at her apartment, until she learns Mr. Boynton will be attending. While Miss Brooks and the students are getting ready for Halloween, Mr. Conklin is under a great deal of stress and is told by his doctor that he is on the verge of a nervous collapse. When Miss Brooks and the students learn of Mr. Conklin's condition, they decide to hold the party at his house as a way of cheering him up. As it turns out, Miss Brooks slips up and tells Mr. Conklin about the party, thinking that he had already learned of it. Mr. Conklin really doesn't want to be around a large group of people, and so Miss Brooks tells him that he can just relax at her apartment while the party is taking place. Unfortunately, Mr. Boynton and the students have decided to show up at Miss Brooks' apartment to surprise her in their costumes. After Miss Brooks and Mr. Conklin arrive at her apartment, he then sees Mr. Boynton in his skeleton costume, Walter as a ghost, and Stretch as Hopalong Cassidy, leading him to think he has had his nervous breakdown and is now seeing things. Of course, everything is straightened out in the end.
"Mr. Conklin's Halloween Breakdown" aired on October 30 1949. It was sponsored by Colgate and featured ads for Colgate's Dental Cream and Lustre-Creme shampoo. It would be the only Halloween episode of Our Miss Brooks on either radio or television. While many shows that made the transition from radio to television would adapt old radio scripts to the new medium, "Mr. Conklin's Halloween Breakdown"was never re-made as an episode of the television show. This is sad, as it is one of the funniest episode of the radio show Our Miss Brooks, and it would have lent itself quite well to television. The premise is original, particularly for a Halloween episode, and the cast is in top form. While Gale Gordon is known as one of the masters of the "slow burn," he also had a talent for playing a man on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
The radio show Our Miss Brooks ran on CBS from 1948 to 1957. It made the transition to television in 1952 and it would run until 1956. The television show would be successful in syndication. In the Eighties it aired on various cable channels, and it still resurfaces on nostalgia channels such as MeTV from time to time. Episodes can now be found on the streaming service Tubi. As to the radio version, it is widely available on CD, and can be found streaming on sites from YouTube to the various Old Time Radio sites. Fans of Old Time Radio and sitcoms really should check out "Mr. Conklin's Halloween Breakdown," which is one of the funniest Halloween radio episodes ever made.
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