Episode
My Favorite Martian: How to Be a Hero Without Really Trying
Overview
The O'Hara's have new neighbors, the Richmonds, within the family being young Stevie and his grown up sister Jennifer. The foursome go on a picnic to Sunset Mountain, since Martin needs to pick up some bling, an alloy located there but that has not yet been discovered by humans. Stevie has a vivid imagination and likes to pretend he's from Mars, which intrigues Martin. That's OK with Tim, as that means he can spend time with Jennifer alone. However Jennifer is concerned with Stevie's ability to discern reality from fantasy. While Martin goes off to collect his bling, Stevie plays a game of pretend and climbs up the mountain, but reality hits when he can't get down on his own. Martin suggests that Tim climb up and get Stevie as an act of heroism, but Tim is afraid of heights. Martin reassures Tim that he will be safe with the assistance of his remote control gravitation machine. Tim bounds up the mountain, but doesn't know that Martin's machine breaks while he's half way up. Tim and Stevie have a couple of close calls, which Tim thinks is Martin just trying to be dramatic. Although Tim faints when he finds out the truth about the gravitation machine, he shows that one just needs to have a little faith to accomplish mountains.
Details
- Series
- My Favorite Martian
- Season
- Season 1
- Episode
- Episode 13
- Air date
- 1963-12-29
- Runtime
- 30 min
Episode context
How to Be a Hero Without Really Trying is Episode 13 in Season 1 of My Favorite Martian. It aired on 1963-12-29. The runtime is 30 min.
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Episode 12: That Little Old Matchmaker, Martin
Tim is pursuing who seems to be the unattainable Cynthia Parker. Through reading her mind, Martin finds out that Cynthia is passionate about the classical arts whether it be music, literature or art, and she figures Tim is not, which is the truth. However Tim becomes everything she wants in a man. However this façade Tim fears is hurting Cynthia. Rather than hurt her by telling her the truth, he decides the best option is to find her her dream man. To do so, Martin needs to read men's minds to match them up to Cynthia's. Scanning through Tim's office, they find one perfect match: Bill Fisher. As perfect as Bill would be, there is one catch: he is already seeing someone he nicknames "Angel Face". Peggy Collins, aka Angel Face, is however as well suited to Bill as Cynthia is to Tim. As a matter of fact, Peggy is better suited to Tim and Cynthia to Bill. At a concert that evening at which all four are scheduled to attend, Martin does a little levitation of tickets so that Bill and Cynthia sit together and Peggy and Tim sit together. Each respective pair hit it off. A month later, Bill and Cynthia get married. Things for Peggy and Tim are also going well, however Tim is a bit freaked when Peggy catches Cynthia's wedding bouquet.
Episode 14: Blood Is Thicker than the Martian
Tim's cousin Harvey is coming for a visit, which means Martin is going to have to go into hiding since Harvey would know that Tim has no Uncle Martin. And they have to keep Mrs. Brown away from Harvey since she would definitely spill the beans about Martin. Living in a small apartment, Martin can only keep away from Harvey so much, even if he is in his invisible state. And the sleeping arrangements become an issue. Those are not the only problems about Harvey's visit: Harvey is the biggest mooch in the world. Harvey wants Tim to help him get a job at The Sun as Harvey sees himself as the greatest newspaper writer in the world. Tim reluctantly does get Harvey a try-out in a position at The Sun. When Harvey mentions the high stress of this new job, Martin has an idea: he comes by the apartment posing as an old hard-boiled newspaper buddy of Tim's looking for a job. He mentions that he is looking for work on a small town paper, where newspaper life is more rewarding as high stress jobs, like the one Harvey currently has on The Sun, causes one to see things. That's when Martin starts moving things with his levitation finger, causing Harvey to think he's stressed out from his new job. He quickly returns home to his old job.
More episodes from this season
Episode 11: The Atom Misers
Martin needs the hardest substance possible to repair his spaceship, the substance he has in mind is silibalt, an alloy of silicone and cobalt but one that has not yet been invented on Earth. To make some, he needs a cyclotron. Rather than destroy Tim's kitchen making his own, he decides to follow Tim on his latest interview at the university, where there is a cyclotron. At the university, Martin meets Tim's interview subject, Donald Mumford, 13-year old physics genius, and one who is constantly at odds with the ways of Dr. Jackson, his advisor. While Martin and Donald get together to discuss and proceed with the making of silibalt, Tim is preoccupied with Dr. Jackson, who provides a diatribe against the demands of Donald, and Jeanine Carter, Dr. Jackson' pretty assistant and university protector of Donald. They are all looking for Donald and Martin when an explosion caused by some stolen electricity and wrong switch alert them to the Donald and Martin's whereabouts. Dr. Jackson immediately expels Donald, and since no long lasting physical damage was done, only banishes Martin from the university. Martin however fights back and convinces Dr. Jackson that he is quashing a genius mind, albeit one in a 13-year old body, and thus Donald must be treated differently in every respect. Doanld is welcomed back. On his own, Donald does manage to make some silibalt for Martin. Martin's only problem now is that he has no instrument hard enough to cut or mold the silibalt.
Episode 15: Poor Little Rich Cat
The stupidest idea Martin has heard of since he's been on Earth: Rosemary Willis leaving her cat, Max, $650,000 in her will. Morton Beanbecker, the lawyer for the estate, is threatening Tim with a lawsuit if he continues to editorialize about the stupidity of the will and deceased Rosemary Willis. However, Beanbecker also mentions that Mrs. Willis wrote a subsequent will leaving her estate to a children's orphanage, that will which was either never signed or hidden. Martin reads his mind that he really wants the second will to be found despite his threatening words to Tim. Tim and Martin find out that Max's trustees are Rosemary's sister, Aggie, and Aggie's husband, Charles. As Aggie and Charles are lavishing money on Max and themselves in the process, Martin and Tim think Aggie and Charles hid the second will. However Max tells Martin himself that he is miserable with all the money, and it was he himself who hid the second will only because Rosemary did forget to sign it. Max leads Martin to the will. Beanbecker and Martin pour through legal books to find precedent to overturn the first will, without success. As Aggie says she hears from Rosemary in her sleep, they decide to hold a séance, where Rosemary - really Martin - will tell Aggie that she wants the money turned over to the orphanage. The ever obliging younger sister Aggie does as she's told.
Episode 10: Raffles No. 2
When Martin almost gets a parking ticket, Tim thinks it might be a good idea if Martin legitimizes his Earthly driving by getting a driver's license. Down at the Department of Motor Vehicles, finger-printless Martin has to do some fancy work when he is about to be finger printed. He steals the prints of another man at the DMV. Unfortunately for Martin, that print matches the only unidentified print at a major jewel robbery the previous year. In a routine cross check, the police find the print in Martin's file. And Tim covered the jewel robbery for the paper, something the police find probably more than just a coincidence. Martin and Tim find out that the police are watching them and the reason, and so Martin thinks it a good idea to flush out the jewel thief: he reads that there is a party where Mrs. Summer Winthrop will be displaying the galaxy diamond necklace around her neck, a lure too irresistible for the thief. At the party, the guests are populated predominantly by police - both in uniform and under cover - and the thief, Brian Henley, and his female accomplice, who Martin recognizes from the DMV office. Henley manages to slip the necklace off Mrs. Winthrop, slip it to his accomplice, who in turn slips it into the crown of the cap of Captain Farrow, the lead police investigator. Henley plans to steal the necklace back after the place has been unsecured, and he is no longer a suspect (he was the only person close the Mrs. Winthrop when the necklace went missing). Martin, seeing where the necklace was stashed, plans to plant it back on Henley. No matter what Henley does to get rid of the necklace Martin plants in his pocket, he is no match for Martin's levitation finger. Henley is quickly apprehended, and Martin and Tim cleared.
Episode 16: Rx for Martian
Martin can make it back to Mars since Mars has deviated from its regular orbit temporarily and is thus closer to Earth than usual. Martin has a 10 hour window of opportunity. Just as he is about ready to leave, he slips down the stairs and sprains his ankle, which also sprains his disappearing antenna. Mrs. Brown immediately calls an ambulance to the scene. When the ambulance physician takes Martin's vital signs, they rush him to the hospital since his vital signs aren't "human". The intern at the hospital has the same reaction. Martin knows that to get them to discharge him from the hospital, he needs to appear humanly normal and thus does everything he can to have normal human vital signs. He passes that test, but when the doctor requires a fluoroscope, Martin is worried since the gamma rays from which will make him explode. Tim manages to take the fluoroscope for Martin, but the doctors keep Martin in the hospital to figure out why the fluoroscope shows that he has the body of a 20-year old. With one hour to spare, Martin regains the use of his disappearing antenna and manages to escape from the hospital. Just as he is ready to leave Earth for the second time, Martin slips down the stairs once again and sprains his other ankle. Nothing can help him this time and he misses his opportunity to get home to Mars. But Martin surmises that home is where you hang your hat, and that just happens to be Earth for the time being.
Episode 9: Rocket to Mars
When the junk men come by, they mistakenly empty Martin and Tim's garage instead of Mrs. Brown's, and in doing so take Martin's space ship. Mrs. Brown has no idea the name of the junk yard, but there was a witness to the incident: Booboo, a neighborhood dog. Booboo, with the help of his dog friends and acquaintances, helps Martin track down the junk yard. When Martin and Tim get to the junk yard, they find out that the ship has already been sold to a Mr. Carter, who is using it as a "rocket" carousel at a children's amusement park. Mr. Carter refuses to sell it back to Martin. So Martin decides to disappear and fly the spaceship away, although he does slip Carter the money for the ship anonymously. Martin has one other debt to pay: a steak dinner for Booboo and all his friends for all their help.
Episode 17: Going, Going, Gone
Something is causing Martin's metabolism to go haywire. In succession, he loses control of his levitation finger, he magnetizes his clothing, he levitates, he becomes electrically charged, he shrinks and then he disappears. He finds out the cause is an increased activity of sunspots, and on Earth there is no way to control their effects on Martians. After five days, the sunspots are still occurring and Martin is still invisible. The authorities, based on a recent insurance policy Mrs. Brown sold Martin with Tim as beneficiary, suspect that Martin's "disappearance" is due to Tim killing him for the insurance money. Circumstantial evidence points in that direction. Martin can't let Tim go to jail for this, and Martin decides to tell the authorities the truth about his Martian identity. Just then, the sunspots cease and Martin reappears, just in time to save Tim and protect his own identity.
Episode 8: The Awful Truth
Tim talks Martin into temporarily giving him a Martian power. Martin decides to give him the power of levitation for a 24 hour period. When he thinks the power practically useless beyond performing mere parlor tricks, Tim asks for another, to him, more useful power: mind-reading. Martin grants him his wish, to be activated the next day and to last until midnight. Tim also uses this power for parlor tricks, which gets him into trouble. But he also wants to use it for an interview he has that afternoon with Councilman Jack Gramby. Tim wants to write a story about the Councilman's true political intentions. Tim is unable to read his mind because the Councilman is uncommitted in his political intentions, even to himself. So Tim writes a story on what he calls the mental ping-pong of the Councilman. The Councilman telephones Mr. Burns, Mr. Burns thinking that it is to sue the paper for libel. Distraught about probably losing his job, Tim goes into hiding for the rest of the day. However when Mr. Burns finds Tim just before midnight, he tells Tim that Gramby actually wanted to congratulate the paper. Reading the story made Gramby realize that he as a politician really did need to take a stand. Mr. Burns wants Tim to do such an exposé with all politicians at City Hall. Unfortunately Tim's mind-reading powers are just about to run out.
Episode 18: Who Am I?
Martin and Tim are on their way to interview Professor Eugene Downey, the foremost expert on rocket fuel - Martin thinks the professor can assist in getting him back to Mars - when Martin is hit on the head with a monkey wrench. Martin gets amnesia from this concussion. He has no idea that he's a Martian, despite Tim telling him so. The only thing Martin and Tim can agree on is that Martin needs to go see a doctor. At Dr. Gilbert's office, Martin does learn that he has the power of levitation and the ability to disappear, still not quite believing why. The doctor, who witnesses the levitation, is told it's all magic. Back at the apartment, Tim almost has Martin convinced of his true identity when Martin is once again struck on the head, this time by a hammer. That's all he needed as he regains his memory. It's too late however: Professor Downey has already left town for good.
Episode 7: A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine and Peaches
Martin allows himself to experience an emotion foreign to Martians: love at first sight. He falls hard for Peaches Ancream (Kathie Brown), that being her real given name since her father had a sense of humor. It is also an appropriate name as she is an exotic dancer. Peaches and Martin hit it off, so much so that Martin wants to marry her after their first date. Peaches admires honesty more than anything else in life, the reason that she broke up with her last boyfriend, Police Officer Thorp, who is still harboring strong feelings for Peaches. Martin decides to tell Peaches the truth about himself, which Peaches doesn't believe. When Officer Thorp confesses about the reason for his lies - he told her 6 different places where he was from since in reality he is an orphan who doesn't know - Peaches goes back to the man she feels is being more truthful.
Episode 19: Now You See It, Now You Don't
At the museum, Martin discovers that the long-time curator, Wilbur Canfield, is very unhappy. He has just acquired a new expensive Egyptian piece for the museum, but the museum's board is questioning the authenticity and therefore merit of this acquisition. Because of this, Canfield himself is now questioning his own abilities, as he feels he may be getting too old to do his work properly. The board is calling in an independent expert, Pietro Donati. What's worse, Canfield once discredited Donati's evaluation. Martin will know the piece's authenticity, if he can only get a look at it. In doing so, Tim can get an exclusive story and Martin can validate Canfield as an expert in the field. But the artifact is stashed away behind security until Donati's arrival. Since Martin can't get close to it, he decides instead to levitate it to him. After Martin finds that it is indeed authentic, he has to get it back to the museum. However security is aware that it's missing and thus the museum is secured even more than usual while they try to locate the artifact. After some tricky maneuvering, Martin does manage to get it back into place, although to the bewilderment of security. However, Martin forgot to check for the mark of Ra, which definitely identifies the artifact as authentic. When Donati arrives to inspect the piece, he deems it to be a fake since the mark of Ra is not there. However Martin tells him to look a little more closely under the couple thousand years of residue. The mark is indeed there. Therefore it ends well for Canfield and Donati. The only person with an unhappy ending is Tim - his exclusive story was so good, Mr. Burns appoints him editor of culture, which is not exactly his cup of tea.