Bringing Up Father #2

Jiggs questions whether Nora’s boyfriend should be allowed to stay, prompting a lighthearted exchange about his manners and lack of a home. Maggie teases Nora about the boy’s behavior, leading to a moment of playful concern over whether he knows how to say good-night.

Jiggs, uncharacteristically, insists on drinking tea through a straw, much to Maggie’s amusement. When he accidentally swallows the cup, she reacts with surprise, leaving the situation unresolved.

Jiggs complains about his shoes while Maggie urges him to hurry, insisting they must maintain their dignity. Mrs. Jones arrives just as Maggie announces they’re about to perform tableaux, leaving Jiggs muttering about the discomfort of his footwear.

Jiggs, groggy from sleep, misreads the time on his calendar and panics about missing an appointment to take over Jerry Hickey’s job. Confused by the clock’s hands and his own disorientation, he frets over the consequences—only to realize he’s mistaken the time, not the day.

Maggie confronts Jiggs about staying out late, reminding him he didn’t care when she came home during their courtship. Jiggs brushes off her complaints, but Maggie grows upset when he dismisses her emotional reaction, especially when he accidentally ruins their wedding set.

Jiggs, determined to keep Maggie out of his room, discovers an unexpected method involving a mouse. As he celebrates his clever solution, the situation takes a turn neither he nor the mouse anticipated.

Jiggs arrives late to a meeting about a secretary he supposedly advertised for, only to be told he’s twenty years too late. Maggie teases him about his tardiness while he tries to play along with the misunderstanding.

Jiggs tells Clancy he's working to avoid trouble after a fight with Monahan, claiming he's under bond to keep the peace. Clancy teases him about the effort, only for Jiggs to reveal he's actually saving money to pay the fine he expects if he breaks the rules again.

Jiggs, watching a bird in a cage, expresses mock sympathy, suggesting Maggie might enjoy it as a hat decoration. Maggie, amused, remarks on how lovely the bird would look adorned on a hat, leaving the situation open-ended.

Jiggs, lounging at home, is serenaded by a distant voice singing a nostalgic tune. The melody stirs memories of a simpler life, prompting him to consider a sudden, impulsive trip to the countryside.

Jiggs tells his daughter Nora that it’s time for her boyfriend to go home, citing the late hour. Nora, playing along with the joke, agrees that her father should go to bed, teasing him about his health and late hours.

Jiggs reflects on how much things have changed since he and his wife first married, noting their shared mindset back then. Now, he humorously observes that his wife thinks first—always—leaving him to marvel at how their dynamic has shifted over time.

Jiggs, eager to attend a late-night event, is startled when he suddenly feels unwell and calls for a doctor, leaving Nora to wonder about his condition. The story captures a moment of domestic humor as Jiggs' unexpected reaction to the evening's events sets off a chain of reactions, all while Nora tries to manage the situation.

Jiggs and Maggie react with panic when a reporter arrives, fearing the truth about a recent explosion at a quarry will ruin their social standing. Jiggs insists he stayed calm, but Maggie claims Monahan was the one who remained collected—though the exact meaning of that remains unclear.

Jiggs is flustered as he tries to keep Miss Smith from singing at a society event, only to be surprised when she reveals it’s her twenty-first birthday. The moment takes an unexpected turn when she asks what delayed him, leaving him flustered and caught off guard.

Jiggs tries to avoid another household mishap by warning Maggie not to throw things, but his efforts backfire when he realizes he’s left the house without his coat. As he chases after a plant he’s sent to Mrs. Jiggs, he’s reminded that the vase he was trying to protect is still safely at home.

Jiggs arrives to visit Mr. Punk, only to find he’s been outmaneuvered in a coin toss that determined who would spend the evening together. Mr. Punk claims he won the toss, but Jiggs insists he lost—leading to a moment of playful confusion over who truly earned the right to visit.

Jiggs returns home late, prompting Maggie to scold him for forgetting her shopping list. He defends himself by claiming he brought back his umbrella, only to be corrected — he never had one to begin with.

Jiggs insists on walking home to save money, but Maggie stops to examine a hat she wants to buy. When the price comes up, she decides it’s cheaper to take a taxi instead.

Jiggs, trying to avoid his wife Maggie’s wrath, breaks a vase and devises a plan to frame an emergency hospital visit as a way to cover his tracks. As he pretends to be ill to secure a private room, his antics take a comically desperate turn, all while dodging the reality of what’s to come.

Jiggs, trying to avoid Maggie while out on the street, ducks into a barber shop to hide, claiming he doesn’t want a shave but only to cover his face in lather. Maggie, spotting him from afar, remarks that the man walking by looks just like her husband, adding to Jiggs’s panic.

Jiggs is startled when a man claiming to be a tailor arrives to press his clothes, only to have Maggie dramatically intervene, insisting the man must also press her coat. The scene escalates when Maggie declares a burglar has stolen all their clothes, sending Jiggs into a panic.

Maggie sharp-tongues Jiggs over his latest remark, sparking a playful yet pointed exchange about their marriage and past choices. Jiggs, unphased, calls for a doctor and a china repairman, clearly unbothered by the domestic squabble.

Jiggs calls Jerry from jail, claiming he needs help with a fight he had with Monahan. Jerry tries to reassure him, but Jiggs insists he’s in trouble—though the situation is far from what he expected.

Jiggs panics when he realizes he’s lost his false teeth, prompting Maggie to mock his distress. She quips that if he feels as bad as she does, he won’t need them — leaving him flustered and her amused.

Jiggs is excited about a pipe he wants to buy, but his wife won’t let him smoke in the house. Maggie suggests sending it to his house with a card claiming it’s from a prince, and Jiggs agrees — only to be stunned when the pipe arrives unexpectedly, prompting her to immediately lock it away in a glass case.

Jiggs, frustrated by James’s lingering, tries to assert his authority as the household master, only to be reminded that James is following Mrs. Jiggs’s orders. The moment turns into a quiet, comedic realization when James, startled by Jiggs’s raised voice, apologizes for speaking too loudly.

Jiggs is startled when his wife asks if he’s seen her latest painting, leading to a comical misunderstanding when he mistakes the sunset for a family portrait. The humor arises from his confusion over the painting’s subject and his wife’s insistence that it’s their uncle, while Jiggs insists it’s just the sky.

Jiggs is asked to play the piano for a guest, but his attempt at a self-composed piece is met with skepticism when the instrument’s faulty keys fail to produce sound. He defends the piano’s quirks, claiming it has "other good features," while the guest remains unimpressed.

Jiggs tries to quiet a crying child by tossing ink bottles into an electric fan, much to Maggie’s dismay. When she questions his methods, he claims the boy is quiet—though the reason remains a mystery.

Jiggs visits the barber for a routine shave, but his complaints about the process escalate when he mistakes the razor for a saw. The barber tries to reassure him, but Jiggs remains convinced he’s been subjected to a bizarre and painful ordeal—blaming the barber for the confusion.

Jiggs, impressed by his wife’s frugality, decides to lecture her on economy—only to find her taking it to extremes by cutting off his allowance and forcing him to wear out his old clothes. The story humorously captures the domestic fallout of his well-intentioned advice.

Jiggs mourns the closure of his old friend Monahan’s business, but Maggie dismisses his nostalgia with typical pragmatism. When Monahan sends Jiggs a pair of doors as a memento—remarking that Jiggs passed through them more than anyone else—Jiggs reacts with surprise, caught off guard by the gesture.

Jiggs and Maggie find themselves at odds over a social visit to the Smiths, with Maggie refusing to go because everyone they know will be there—and she’s worried about being seen in the same clothes. Jiggs, ever the optimist, suggests they simply pick out some new people to accompany them, leaving Maggie stunned by the idea.

Maggie grows increasingly frustrated when Jiggs doesn’t answer her calls for breakfast, convinced he never came home the night before. She storms off to write a dramatic note declaring she’ll never see him again, only to find him still in the house—locked in the folding bed all night.

Jiggs, lounging and unprepared, drags out his morning routine while Maggie urges him to hurry for a social call. As the clock ticks past eight, his endless delays — marked by snoring and excuses — stretch into an hour, leaving Maggie exasperated and the visit long overdue.

Maggie suddenly feels out of sorts, confessing to Jiggs that she doesn’t feel like herself tonight. Jiggs, concerned, suggests staying home for a quiet evening, but before he can react further, Dr. Smith arrives, summoned by a frantic call—though it’s unclear who called or why.

Jiggs plans to sneak out early to meet friends Monahan and Hickey for a chat, but Maggie reminds him he’s the only one working in the store that day. He grumbles about his bad luck, but stays put—only to later discover Maggie was glad he stayed, since Monahan and Hickey were there fixing the plumbing and couldn’t have worked if he’d been around.

Jiggs is unimpressed when a visitor asks about his rheumatism, brushing off the inquiry with irritation. Nora, meanwhile, is caught between the visitor’s polite invitation to the opera and Jiggs’s grumpy refusal to be bothered.

Jiggs tries to enjoy a quiet night at home in his socks, but Maggie insists he follow her rules—no smoking, no sitting on the furniture, and certainly no bare feet. She scolds him for not learning simple household manners, while Jiggs remains stubbornly unimpressed by her efforts.

Jiggs claims he was wounded by a shell during the war, much to Maggie’s disbelief. When she questions how a shell could hurt him, he insists it crept up and bit him—only to later reveal he’s been stuck in a stubborn spot at home.

Jiggs declares he’s had enough of his daughter’s singing lessons and insists she switch to cooking, but when she serves her first meal, the results are less than stellar. Maggie objects, pointing out that it’s a shame to give up her daughter’s fine voice, leaving the outcome of the situation uncertain.