Is it a well known fact that women are naturally clumsy behind the wheel, or is it just a myth? Many schools of thought on this subject, but it really depends on your personal preference as well as your nature, and how well you can adjust to learning new skills. In other words, Jane Jetson gets behind the stick to earn her license and get a second car the family so badly needs. We begin with George coming home from work. To beat the traffic, he stops in a barber shop for a trim, only to be greeted by a barber who is a real cut-up. Meanwhile Jane finds trouble in getting home from the shopping center. You know, where she goes in the intro. Two overcrowded buses pass her by and she has to get home via sky-hopping...whatever that is. Upon setting her weary self down at home, she decrees they MUST have a second car, but George is dead-set against it. He can't stand women drivers. But he has little to say in the matter, because Jane decides to take driving lessons anyway, then she can teach Judy, and then Elroy, who apparently can obtain a learner's permit at the age of 8. Nice one, democrats! So the next day, Jane sets out with her comical nervous wreck of an instructor, Mr. Tweeter. During the flight, he doesn't really instruct as much as he does panic every time they pass another car. I think I should mention that Mr. Tweeter is a recovering alcoholic, but I fear that might be short lived. Jane finds difficulty in mastering the controls of the space car, since apparently two completely different switches must be pulled for up and down, and then two different knobs for left and right. Finally deciding he can take no more, Tweeter has Jane pull over at the bank so he can check his insurance policy. Unfortunately, Knuckles Nuclear, out on bond and short on cash, makes a forceful withdrawal from the bank and hops in the car with Jane, who assumes he's a substitute instructor and they take off. Jane's clumsy flying does a number on Knuckles who begs for her to pull over and thanks the cops for arresting him. But in the end it all works out. Well, not so much for George because, during a cryptic lecture on why he's a better driver, he hits a parked car, which just happened to belong to the circuit judge, and to make matters worse, George's license expired one year ago! Happy belated birthday, George. So it looks as though he'll be taking the bus with Henry Orbit for a while, and Jane promises never to learn to do anything for herself again.
Is it me or did they make Jane uncharacteristically stupid in this episode? I know they had to exaggerate the car's controls for the sake of gags, but still. I think this episode probably should have been "Judy's Driving Lesson" instead. It would have made more sense, but I guess in the 1960s it was more common for wives to learn how to drive than teenagers. We've sure come a long way. But I digress. I guess we can count this episode as a sequel to "The Space Car", because it continues the plot line of Jane being a clumsy driver, and we see Knuckles Nuclear return. Now thankfully the Jane's clumsy driving plot line stops here, because for the rest of the series, she does much better. Anyway, if you think women are rotten drivers or if you like high-flying, crazy, car crashing action, then "Jane's Driving Lesson" is for you. It's a really funny episode, especially with that scene of George and the barber. A classic.
Is it me or did they make Jane uncharacteristically stupid in this episode? I know they had to exaggerate the car's controls for the sake of gags, but still. I think this episode probably should have been "Judy's Driving Lesson" instead. It would have made more sense, but I guess in the 1960s it was more common for wives to learn how to drive than teenagers. We've sure come a long way. But I digress. I guess we can count this episode as a sequel to "The Space Car", because it continues the plot line of Jane being a clumsy driver, and we see Knuckles Nuclear return. Now thankfully the Jane's clumsy driving plot line stops here, because for the rest of the series, she does much better. Anyway, if you think women are rotten drivers or if you like high-flying, crazy, car crashing action, then "Jane's Driving Lesson" is for you. It's a really funny episode, especially with that scene of George and the barber. A classic.
