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.
The arrival of spirited Tammy changes all that, however; she even finds an ally in Lavinia's awkward young son, Peter, who is instantly smitten with the river teen. Although John Brent's second-in-command Dwayne Whitt is initially horrified by Tammy's mangling of the English language, he and Brent himself are astonished by the girl's super-sonic abilities as a typist. 
Enchanted, the good-natured millionaire hires her on the spot. Delighted with the new folks in her life, Tammy has no idea what a thwarted, scheming Lavinia Tate has up her dishonest sleeve. She promises to make the teenager's stay at Brent Hall an experience she'll never forget, a statement innocent Tammy greets with beaming gratitude.
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.
But John Brent himself shows up, with Steven and a subdued Lavinia Tate in tow. He makes it very clear that Tammy has become an irreplaceable part of their family and is in no danger of being let go. Tears of sadness become tears of joy as the bayou teen realizes that she has indeed found a second home. Meanwhile, irrepressible Uncle Lucius intends to give stymied Lavinia a crash-course in riverside farming techniques. Ugh!
EPILOGUE: Will Lavinia ever get used to how the "other half" lives? Not any time soon! Tammy winsomely suggests that the aristocratic society woman learn how to wrassle, river-style, much to the amusement of Grandpa Tarleton and the Brents.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.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES: The opening mud-splat stunt was a publicized highlight of "Tammy Leaves Home," and star Debbie Watson proved to be a real trouper. Interestingly, the scene appears to have been slightly altered for its presentation in TAMMY AND THE MILLIONAIRE, Universal's 1967 theatrical feature compiled from various TV episodes. In the half-hour version, Watson performs her messy misstep in one extended shot: running toward the camera, tripping, then plopping in the mudhole beside Alexander. 
But in the big-screen incarnation, an extra long-shot was employed, possibly to give the moment more cinematic range. Question: Is this Debbie caught flying in the long shot, or a stunt double? A question to ask the actress herself in an extended interview.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.
