Taxi (1978)

The cabbies volunteer to drive Alex to Miami to meet the daughter he hasn't seen in 15 years.

Tony is ecstatic when a lucky punch of his brings a boxing champion to his knees.

Alex finds himself inexplicably attracted to an overweight and abrasive blind date.

Bobby looks for an acting job before his self-imposed deadline arrives.

Elaine invites Alex to her party for art dealers for moral support, but asks him to lie about his occupation.

John conquers his meekness long enough to pick up a girl in a bar--and marry her.

When Louie hesitates to attend his high-school reunion, Bobby offers to take his place.

Latka must marry an American to avoid deportation.

John and his new bride are in financial straits, and only Alex has the resources to come to the rescue.

Tony cannot escape the clutches of a possessive girlfriend.

After John smashes up Cab 804, the cabbies reminisce about their experiences in the car.

As Latka repairs Cab 804, the cabbies reminisce about the odd passengers it carried.

A visit from Louie's prodigal brother sours the dispatcher's Christmas spirit.

After a ride in Alex's cab, a widow decides to rent him out as her chauffeur.

Tony mourns the death of his goldfish, which he left in Bobby's care.

Louie vows to change his ways if the Lord sees him through an operation.

Elaine dates a congressman who badly needs self-confidence.

Bobby leaves the cab company after landing a role in a soap opera.

Latka's visiting mother finds Alex's company more appealing than her son's.

After being grazed by a mugger's bullet, Alex decides to give up his cab.

The cabbies are wined and dined by a film company looking for ideas for a movie they are making about taxi drivers.

The cabbies become surrogate fathers when they baby-sit Elaine's son, and get to cheer him on at the district spelling bee.

Louie takes out a female vending-machine mechanic--and then brags about their sexual adventures.

The cabbies are disturbed by Alex's nonchalance when confronted with the news of his father's heart attack.

The drivers try to make a cabbie out of a refugee from the '60s who hasn't quite put his life together.

Working two jobs and raising her kids takes its toll on Elaine, who seems to be losing her marbles.

Bobby questions his luck when a friend passing through town lands an off-Broadway role.

Alex renews his acquaintance with a once-overweight woman who has lost weight and yearns for romance.

Bobby and Tony compete for the same woman.

Alex and Louie compete to see who can haul in the most money during an eight-hour tour on the streets.

Latka finds a penthouse renting for $3000 a month (maid included).

Alex tries to console an unemployed actress and winds up romancing her.

Latka plans to return to his homeland to fight in a revolution.

Elaine is curious about a secret admirer who sends her love poems.

Nervous about meeting his girlfriend's parents, Louie hires Alex for moral support.

Jim invests his race-track winnings in a lame horse that he wants to set free--in New York City.

Tony faces a bout with a champ who has dedicated his fight to a disabled youth.

Tony wants to adopt a boy who would rather live with a wealthy couple.

Latka falls in love with a woman from his homeland.

An agent agrees to represent Bobby and expects him to be her lover.

To settle the cabbies' strike, Elaine agrees to date Louie.

Elaine endures a date with Louie to end the cabbies' strike.

Alex survives a daring ski jump and finds the thrill addictive.

On Elaine's advice, the cabbies pool their money to buy a painting.

Photos left in Tony's cab by Herve Villechaize of "Fantasy Island" prompt the cabbies to indulge in their own fantasies.

The cabbies continue with their fantasies--except Alex, who can't imagine a problem-free situation.

Louie and Zena are running into trouble in their relationship, and Zena dumps him after confessing that she's been dating Dwight, a bartender at Mario's. A depressed Louie tells Alex about it over drinks at Mario's, and when they suspect that Dwight is working the bar, Alex goes up to talk to him. Dwight then tells him that he's breaking up with Zena for getting serious too quickly. Alex shares the news with Louie, who sees an opportunity to get Zena back on the rebound. Zena initially rejects him, but after Louie gives a heartfelt speech about what Zena means to him, she takes him back, despite her better intentions.

Tony's sister, Monica, has returned to New York after her divorce, and Tony has set her up on a date with Alex, with hopes that they will fall in love. However, while Monica waits for Alex in the garage, she gets to talking to Jim and they hit it off famously. They begin dating, but Tony is not supportive of the relationship and asks Jim not to see her anymore. However, Tony catches Jim at Monica's apartment when he stops by for a visit. Tony is angered that they are seeing each other despite his objections and is ready to toss Jim out (literally), when Monica tells him off about his immaturity and trying to control her life. Tony then sees the light, apologizes, and seems resigned to the new relationship.

Alex learns through a wedding notice in the newspaper that his daughter is getting married in New York. Alex is very upset that he hasn't been invited and calls his ex-wife, whose secretary explains that he was specifically not invited. Alex crashes the reception anyway, bringing Elaine with him. Cathy, his daughter, is thrilled to see him and asks why he didn't respond to her invitation. Alex gets angry again and tells off his ex-wife, insulting her weight in the process. Alex eventually feels guilty that he insulted his ex-wife and he pulls her aside and apologizes. They then start to reminisce and soon find that they are still somewhat attracted to each other. When they are about to kiss, Cathy finds them and lets them know how happy she is to see them together and asks them to hug. They do, and everyone is on good terms at the end.

At Mario's, while Elaine is complaining about problems with her love life, a handsome man named Kirk approaches. Tony then plays matchmaker for Elaine and soon she and Kirk are dating happily. Kirk later tells Tony in private that he has a problem: he is interested romantically in someone else-- Tony! Tony, who is not gay but does not want to see Elaine hurt over this, tells Alex and although he doesn't really want to get involved, Alex agrees to meet Tony and Kirk at a gay bar to help smooth over the situation. Alex arrives at the bar before Tony and is nervous, but relaxes after Kirk tells him he knows Tony isn't interested and he's already gently broken things off with Elaine. Alex begins to feel more at ease, but soon he is asked to dance by a large man. Alex is then pulled on to the dance floor and is eventually chased on to the bar itself by a chorus of gay dancers and unable to escape, begins dancing on the bar, when Tony arrives..

Jim is sought out by a detective, hired by his wealthy father to locate him and give him plane tickets to come visit him in Boston. Jim explains to the gang that he has been estranged from his family after dropping out of Harvard in the 1960's and changed his name from Caldwell to Ignatowski. Jim agrees to go to visit his father and brings Alex with him, who is curious about what Jim's family must be like. At his father's mansion, Jim's oddness upsets his father and they get into an argument during dinner. Jim is asked to leave, but Alex speaks to Jim's father privately to try to smooth things over. It turns out Jim's father still thinks of Jim as his favorite child, but it hurts him to see him wasting his life when he had so much potential. Jim comes in and convinces his father that he's got a happy life and doesn't need his father's money and they share a moment before Jim leaves.

Bobby is fed up after losing an acting gig to an inferior actor with the right look, which he explains to be like Tony. Tony decides he wants to capitalize on this and give acting a try, and asks Bobby to be his manager. Reluctantly, Bobby agrees and soon, despite a terrible audition, Tony gets a major role in a movie. Bobby is soon regretting his decision to take Tony under his wing, though, since he's resentful that Tony (whose acting is not improving, despite Bobby's coaching) could get a part so easily. Bobby feels vinidicated, however, when Tony is eventually cut from the film because of his lack of skills.

After witnessing Bobby playing a lumberjack in a beer commercial, the guys are inspired to go camping and rough it in the woods for a week. They opt for a hunting cabin 100 miles away from civilization in the middle of winter, and their guide is justifiably concerned they won't make it, but they reassure him that they're fine and to come back for them in a week. They soon regret their decision when they learn that there is no electricity in the cabin. To keep their food from spoiling, they put their groceries outside in the cold, but animals eat them during the night. Somehow they make it through a week, starving, unshaven, and barely coherent, but due to a snowstorm, their guide doesn't come back for them. They decide that they'll need to hunt for food to survive any longer, but the guys can't bring themselves to shoot anything. Finally when a wild turkey walks into their cabin, Alex rises to the occasion and shoots it. Jim says a prayer over the turkey dinner, which consoles Alex, up

When Latka's grandmother dies, he is pleased that she has left him her famous cookie recipe, complete with a supply of the secret ingredients. He bakes up some for the cabbies to enjoy, but the cabbies don't enjoy them. Nonetheless, Latka begins his own cookie business. In the days to come, the cabbies find that they are indeed starting to inexplicably like the cookies, and are also unusually happy and energetic. When Jim samples one, he determines that the secret ingredient is cocaine—which accounts for why everyone's behavior. Upon learning this, Alex visits Latka (busy baking cookies to fill supermarket orders) to tell him the bad news. Latka is noticeably high from the cookies, and hallucinates that Famous Amos tells him to do whatever it takes to be successful. Although Latka can no longer sell the drugged cookies, he is excited at the taste of capitalism because it means he's now a true American.

At the garage, the cabbies overhear a screaming match between the company's owner, Mr. McKenzie, and his wife. Meanwhile, Louie tells them that whenever McKenzie and his wife are fighting, she chooses a handsome young cab driver to have a fling with, then confesses to her husband, and the cabbie is then never heard from again. Louie continues that even if the cabbie turns her down, she still will make up a story about him to tell her husband. The cabbies don't buy it until Alex comes in, overhears Mrs. McKenzie about to come downstairs, and hides in his locker. Louie approaches Mrs. McKenzie, surveying the cab drivers in the garage, with vigor, hoping to pimp Tony or Bobby, but she decides on Louie (her explanation is that since her husband would be upset by her fooling around with a good looking man, being with Louie would kill him). Louie breaks into Alex's apartment while he's sleeping and begs him for advice and all Alex can come up with is that he confront her and try to talk to h

Bobby finds a fancy briefcase in the back of his cab, and when the cabbies are going through it, with the intention of returning it to its rightful owner, they find an appointment book that shows appointments with various celebrities. They also find an invitation to a cocktail party on a yacht. Thinking that this is their chance to meet celebrities, they dress up and crash the cocktail party, and are soon star struck with costumed people they think are stars. They eventually realize that it's a party for realtors (who evidently have famous clients) and they leave, disappointed.

In her cab, Elaine picks up a woman who turns out to be her old high-school rival, Mary. Elaine is embarrassed that she is a cab driver, especially since Mary heads a prestigious ad agency, so to save face, Elaine makes up a story about having a wonderful boyfriend who is a Columbia University professor. Over the next few days, Mary calls Elaine to try to arrange a dinner with their respective boyfriend's, but Elaine keeps making excuses, as she is ashamed that she made up a lie about having a boyfriend. When Elaine is about ready to confess her lie to Mary over the phone, Alex grabs the phone, pretending to be Elaine's boyfriend, and accepts her dinner invitation for that evening. At dinner, Alex is so charming, in an effort to make their relationship look very loving, that all of a sudden, Mary and her boyfriend become jealous that they don't have such an exciting relationship. Meanwhile, even Elaine is swept up in the moment, and is taken by Alex's romantic acting job. Having d

After Tony is beaten badly in his most recent boxing match, the state takes his boxing license away.

Jim picks up two men in his cab and overhear them talking about the secret to success: dynamic perfectionism. Jim takes it to heart and decides to use the technique to reach his goal, which he won't reveal to the cabbies. Soon, Jim becomes the perfect cab driver, setting company records on every shift. After a few weeks, Jim gives up, announcing that he's reached his goal and can no longer stand to work so hard. He invites the gang over to his apartment to reveal what he's been working so hard for. Upon arrival, they see that his goal was a room full of televisions, with satellites, cable, VCRs, and video games—his ticket to the global village. The gang is unimpressed at first, until each of them gets sucked into watching exciting things on the various televisions.

Louie is reveling in the news that he's moved his mother out of his apartment and into a nursing home and is throwing a party to celebrate, inviting only Alex. Alex grudgingly shows and learns that the party is a sad affair, the only other guests being three losers that soon leave to go to another party. Louie confesses to Alex that he's actually depressed-- his mom actually moved out after they had a fight and he misses her. Louie's depression gets worse over the days to come and Alex convinces him to go make up with his mother. Louie goes to see his elderly mother, who initially won't speak to him, but eventually agrees to come home with him and all is well again.

Elaine is forced out of her apartment when her building goes co-op and moves into Bobby's place while he's away with a touring stage production. Soon, Bobby returns because he is kicked off the tour for fooling around with the director's daughter, and suddenly, he and Elaine are living together. A few days later, Elaine tells Alex how much she's enjoying living with Bobby, when suddenly she gets a call from her boyfriend, who breaks up with her. Elaine leaves upset, and Alex briefs Bobby to look out because Elaine is vulnerable and may want physical companionship. That night, Elaine wakes up Bobby to talk and drink some wine with her, then Bobby panics that she is coming on to him, and calls Alex. When Alex arrives in his robe and slippers, having run 25 blocks through the snow to get there, Elaine gets upset that they have misinterpreted her actions. The guys are ashamed at their chauvinism and they all make up.

Louie, driving a cab in order to give pointers to a new driver, accidentally runs into an old lady pedestrian. Louie starts catering to the old lady, in the hopes of avoiding being sued, but soon learns she is still going to sue him for a million dollars. Alex notices that the old lady looks familiar, and recognizes her as a con artist, who pulls scams like this on cab drivers all the time (faking injuries in order to sue them). Alex makes a deal with Louie to find some of her previous victims to testify against her, if Louie agrees to treat Alex with more respect. It turns out, however, that this time, the woman really has broken her leg this time, and is indeed confined to a wheelchair legitimately (she tells this to her lawyer without any of the gang around). At the trial, Alex shows up alone because he couldn't get anyone to testify in Louie's behalf, so Louie gets a bright idea. In an attempt to prove that the woman is faking an injury, in front of the court, Louie pushes he

Bobby, who is appearing in a one man play, is fired up about a ruthless theater critic who has been writing scathing reviews. Bobby writes an angry letter to the critic, but throws it away without sending it, having already felt better for venting his anger. Predictably, Louie fishes it out of the trash and mails it, and it gets printed in the newspaper. Bobby is soon getting cheers from actors all over the city, but gets worried when he learns that the critic himself is going to be at Bobby's play. After the play, the critic finds Bobby and hands him a wonderful review of his performance. Bobby is overcome until the critic says he's not going to print it, because rather than a scathing review which would seem like sour grapes or a good review that would boost his career, not submitting a review will leave Bobby in obscurity and the critic will have his vengeance.

The cab company goes bust, and the gang is forced to get other jobs. They meet at Mario's a month later to discuss their new jobs. Tony is a collector for a bookie, but feels guilty about this line of work, especially when he needs to collect on a priest. Elaine is an executive assistant, but after she convinces her spineless boss to speak his opinions at a board meeting, they both get fired. Jim takes a job as a door to door salesman, but forgets that he is selling encyclopedias rather than rug shampooers and ruins a woman's carpet in the process. (Part one of a two part episode)

In part two, the gang continues talking about their new job experiences. Louie gets a job as a stock broker, after convincing the boss that his persistence and lack of morals will make him successful. While this proves to be true, he is fired nonetheless, because his colleagues can't stand him. Bobby takes a job as a bunny for children's party, but when he discovers that a kid's mother is a famous director, he acts out a monologue from ""Whose Life is it, Anyway,"" to the disappointment of the children. Alex gets a job as a night watchman, which is dull until he aims the surveillance camera at himself and pretends to be on ""the Alex Reiger Show."" At the end, Louie learns that the cab company is back in business, and everyone returns to their old jobs.

After Latka is rejected by a snobbish, but beautiful woman at Mario's, he decides to change his image by taking some time off and studying Playboy magazines and English language tapes. When Latka reemerges from his sabbatical, he has lost his accent and now is a lounge lizard who goes by the name, Vic Ferrarri. He soon easily picks up on the woman who had rebuffed him earlier. Although amused, the cabbies become concerned about the changes Latka has gone through, since he has now lost all of his nice qualities and is constantly hitting on Elaine. Alex tells Latka/Vic off, and later Latka appears at Alex's apartment, saying that he's sorry and doesn't want to be Vic anymore. Alex works with Latka and manages to get the old Latka back, although there is a twinge in Latka's eye that suggests Vic isn't gone forever..

Jim announces he has psychic dreams and unfortunately, he has had one about Alex, culminating in his death. The gang becomes increasingly worried about Alex, when one by one, all of the events Jim dreamed about start coming true. However, Alex continues to reject Jim's superstitions. Louie becomes so worried about Alex, he comes to Alex's apartment to take him somewhere (so the final part of Jim's dream doesn't come true, since he is to meet his doom that evening at home), but possibly to spite Louie, Alex decides to stay and tempt fate. In the end, it turns out that the doom Jim dreamed about was a girl scout knocking at Alex's door, instead of his death, but when Louie leaves, Alex actually appears very relieved that Jim's premonition was wrong.

Alex and Elaine decide to take a vacation together through Europe. However, Alex feels it necessary to tell Elaine in no uncertain terms that they are going together as platonic friends, so there's no resentment if he meets and wants to spend time with any other ladies on vacation. Elaine agrees to this and they decide to do things mostly separately during the days, but to meet up once a day to write post cards together. During the trip, it turns out that Elaine is getting all the action, while Alex is lonely and unhappy. The last night, however, Elaine takes pity on Alex (more or less) and propositions him, suggesting that their friendship is strong enough to endure one night of ""love."" They then go off together...

Latka begins exhibiting multiple personalities again: not only Vic Ferrari, but also a cowboy, and best of all, he becomes Alex! Elaine refers Latka to her psychiatrist, but meanwhile Latka is becoming even more ""Alex""-like than Alex himself: he is a better cab driver and gives better advice to the gang. Alex decides he'd better sit in on a psychiatric session with Latka and Latka/Alex is about to reveal the answer to all of Alex's problems (somehow he has figured out the secret to Alex in the midst of subconsciously becoming him), when he becomes Latka again. This leaves Alex extremely frustrated and after Latka leaves, Alex sticks around to talk to the psychiatrist further.

While driving a television executive in his cab, Jim exhibits more psychic behavior by predicting TV ratings. Mitch, the executive, seeks Jim out the next day in hopes of getting more advice about TV programming that might save his job. Jim starts helping Mitch regularly and Mitch becomes a star at the network, but the gang soon convinces Jim (who isn't being compensated for this help) that he's being taken advantage of. Jim angrily confronts Mitch, who agrees to tell the network head honchos all about Jim and to get him a job, but Jim has a change of heart, saying he doesn't want to profit from his God-given gift as a psychic.

Zena asks Louie to drive her friend Emily, who has just been dumped and is drugged, drunk, and upset, back to her apartment. While there, Emily comes on to Louie and he ends up cheating on Zena. Louie soon brags of his conquest, but Elaine gets so angry that she is about to tell Zena everything. Louie decides to tell Zena himself though, who understandably dumps him. Louie then shows up at Emily's apartment, but Emily is clearly regretting her indiscretion with Louie and is getting back with her boyfriend anyway, so she kicks him out quickly. Louie, back at the garage, is in tears because he is so upset at the turn of events. Alex, feeling sorry for Louie, gives him some sage advice on how to get Zena back. All of a sudden, Louie turns off the tears and Alex sees that he's been had and gets furious with himself. As Louie goes to talk to Zena (and presumably gets back together with her), he assures Alex that the tears were real.

Alex's estranged father contacts Alex and reluctantly, Alex agrees to have lunch with him. At first, Alex lays into his father about having deserted his family, but eventually they start having a nice conversation. Alex's father, a real ladies' man, even sets him up with an attractive woman sitting at the table next to them at Mario's. When Alex leaves Mario's, Alex's father makes a date with the woman as well. Evidently, both men continue dating the woman, but when Alex learns that his father has double crossed him, he becomes furious and confronts his father. Ultimately, Alex's father lays on the charm enough with Alex that Alex forgives him and they are seen having dinner together.

Louie becomes irrationally upset when he learns that his mother plans to marry an elderly Japanese man. Louie makes his mother miserable in an effort to thwart the wedding, but she still goes through with the wedding (a traditional Japanese ceremony), and Louie refuses to attend. At the last minute, Alex talks Louie into going, however, and Louie proclaims that whatever despicable act he might perform at the wedding would be Alex's fault for convincing him to go. When Louie is very close to wrecking the wedding, he has a change of heart and gives the couple his blessing.

Elaine makes it her mission to try to cure a talented and friendly but troubled artist of his severe agoraphobia (fear of public places). Alex (possibly jealous of Elaine spending time with another man) advises Elaine to leave the treatment to a professional, but she ignores his advice and eventually brings the artist to the garage. Predictably, the artist is scared to leave the cab but while Alex and Elaine bicker about her methods, the artist walks out of the cab and appears to be making progress.

Tony becomes the manager of a promising young heavyweight boxer at his gym, but after the boxer wins a major fight, the ""syndicate"" (which turns out to be some doctors looking for an investment, rather than the mob) makes Tony an offer he can't refuse and takes over the boxer's management.

When Louie spies on Elaine changing in the garage bathroom, she enlists a NOW representative's help and gets Louie fired. Louie appeals to Elaine at her apartment one evening though and begs her forgiveness (and her help getting his job back). After Louie exhibits actual remorse and demonstrates through a touching story that he knows how it feels to be violated, Elaine accepts his apology (and presumably gets him rehired at the garage).

Louie becomes scared of nuclear war after hearing someone talk on Donahue, and he sets up a bomb shelter in the garage. He schedules a weekend drill with Jeff and Tony in tow, but finds he's too ""soft"" to survive if war really broke out, since he is unwilling to throw Jim (who has stowed away in a radiation suit) out of the shelter.

Bobby, who has moved to Hollywood, comes back to the garage for a visit and announces that he's filmed a pilot for a new prime-time soap opera. During his visit, he learns that the pilot has been picked up as a series and Bobby throws a party at the Plaza Hotel to celebrate. He soon learns that although the series is a go, they no longer want Bobby to appear in it. Bobby is upset and entertains the idea of moving back to New York, until Alex convinces him to follow his dream in Hollywood.

Alex is strangely rejecting the advances of a cute, bubbly, young African American cab driver named Nina. Alex is growing more and more annoyed until he decides to invite Nina over to his apartment to talk to her and try to explain why she shouldn't be so interested in him. Although he succeeds with a fatherly talk where he comes off very dull, they kiss goodnight. After the kiss, Nina is convinced there's no spark between them after all, while Alex seems to change his tune also, but it's too late.

Tony takes a second job working as a chauffer for a wealthy but friendly woman named Christina. The two of them hit it off while he's driving her around, and Tony develops a crush on her. By the time Tony finally gets up the nerve to ask her out, it's too late-- she has just become engaged.

Latka is eagerly anticipating a reunion with his ex-girlfriend from the old country, Simka. She arrives at the garage and while Latka is in the bathroom, Alex warns her of Latka's multiple personalities. Sure enough, at Latka's apartment later, Vic Ferrarri makes his appearance and seduces Simka. Much to Latka's dismay, soon his alter-ego, Vic, and Simka seem to be an item. Alex encourages Latka to fight Vic for Simka, which he does in hilarious fashion and Vic never returns.

Jim befriends a runaway child, who has stowed away in Tony's cab, and soon has ""adopted"" him. When the gang gets wind of this, they find the kid's parents and reunite them.

Alex runs into his ex-wife, Phyllis, eating alone at a restaurant, and when she tries to reach out to him, he gently tells her he's not interested. Nonetheless, Phyllis shows the next day at the garage to find Alex, but he's out driving. Louie manages to arrange a date with Phyllis, who is particularly vulnerable, having just gone through a divorce. When Alex learns of this (after Louie tries to rub it in), Alex becomes concerned about the depths that Phyllis has sunk to and goes to her hotel to talk. Too late- Louie has already arrived and has already tried to seduce Phyllis, much to her disgust. Alex then takes Phyllis out to dinner, leaving Louie naked in Phyllis' hotel room.

Elaine spends over $200 to go to a trendy hairstylist before a special date, but the result is outrageously bad. When she expresses some disappointment, the hairstylist insults her and she leaves, crying, but still pays. Alex talks her into going back and standing up for herself, so she can get her hair fixed and her money back. That doesn't go too well, but in the end, Louie, who has followed Alex and Elaine to the hairstylist, exacts revenge on the guy by pouring a bucket of red hair dye on him.

Tony begins working out with a new cabbie, Lucius, who is a former football player. Tony is in great shape all of a sudden and Lucius inspires Tony to try to get his boxing license reinstated. Tony is not hopeful that the boxing commission will reinstate him, so he is surprised when he gets his license back. In addition, he getes a major fight scheduled with a promising young fighter. Meanwhile, Lucius goes away to Miami to try out for the Dolphins. Without Lucius around, Tony loses his motivation and his training suffers. At the fight, he is getting pummelled until Lucius, who has learned that he has made the Dolphins, arrives to inspire him. With Lucius' support, Tony turns the fight around and knocks out his opponent.

Jim invites Elaine to a concert, and while there, they run into an important patron at Elaine's art gallery. The woman invites them both to a party, although Elaine is very worried that Jim will embarrass her in an event that's important to her career. Still, she doesn't quite have it in her to ask Jim not to go. At the party, Elaine's worst fears are realized with Jim's behavior, until he surprisingly wows the crowd on the piano and turns things around.

Latka, who Joyce Brothers has declared is cured of his multiple personality disorder, asks Simka to marry him. They then must endure a bizarre series of tests, as is the marital tradition for members of their religion. In hilarious fashion, things get ugly at the ceremony itself, and Simka denounces her religion, when her minister reveals that she has just passed the last test and they are now married.

After Jim's home is destroyed by a wrecking ball, he stays with Louie, much to Louie's dismay after Jim declares him his ""best buddy."" Jim soon burns Louie's apartment after a cooking accident, though. Initially, Louie is angry, but sees an opportunity to make some money, when he learns that Jim gets a blank check from his wealthy father to reimburse Louie for his losses. Louie is not sure how much to ask for, though, since Jim says he has to call his father to okay the amount. After much lamenting over the amount, Louie settles on about $30,000 and Jim's dad okays it. Louie is overjoyed until he learns that Jim's dad was expecting the amount to be more like $200,000.

When Elaine is offered a job as an art gallery manager in Seattle, she asks the gang for help in making a decision. The cabbies share with Elaine some stories about life changing decisions they once had to make. Tony talks about how he refused to take a dive in a major fight, even though he will likely be in trouble with the mob. In the fight, Tony learns that the other fighter has also been paid to take a dive, and the fighter does so in comic fashion. Next, Louie talks about how he became a taxi dispatcher after mercifully taking over for the kindly old dispatcher who had to take his wife to the doctor. Louie finds he likes the job and forces the old man out of the dispatcher's job into retirement. Finally, Jim tells of how he was very studious at Harvard, until his free-spirit girlfriend turned him on to hash brownies. (Part one of two)

(Part two) In a continuation of the previous episode, the cabbies share past experiences with Elaine. Latka discusses his decision to leave his mother and move to America. Alex talks about an opportunity for a major promotion at a desk job he had, but would not compromise his principles to take it. Meanwhile, the man who offered Elaine a job comes to the garage to get a decision from her, but he withdraws his offer when he sees how wishy washy Elaine is being about it.

Newlyweds Latka & Samka throw a Shloogel, one of their religion's traditions. The shloogel is, in effect, a party at Mario's where they set all the gang up on blind dates. Tony is set up with Vicki, an abrasive brunette and immediately starts arguing with her. Elaine is set up with mousy Arnie, who has low self esteem. Jim is set up with actress, Marcia Wallace, who played Carol on his favorite show, Bob Newhart. Louie is set up with Judy, a pretty blind woman. Alex is set up with Susan, who seems to be his dream woman and he seems to be falling for her immediately. Despite the fact that none of the other matches seem perfect, all of them show promise by the end of the evening.

When Jim's father passes away and leaves him a substantial inheritance, Jim's siblings sue to have Jim declared incompetent and his inheritance placed in an account that the brother will have control of. In court, Louie and Alex speak in Jim's behalf, but to no avail. Jim later feels better when he plays a tape of ""You Are the Sunshine of My Life"" that his father left for him.

In this episode, we learn that Alex can be a compulsive gambler. Alex even scares Louie off with his compulsion, but Jim talks some sense into Alex at the end (after having bankrolled him initially).

Latka is sent to rescue a female cabbie who is stranded in a snowstorm, but he breaks down as he reaches her. The two are freezing in her cab and decide to make love in order to avoid freezing to death. They survive and are rescued but Latka feels tremendous guilt and Simka realizes he's been unfaithful (despite the circumstances) before he can even tell her. Latka and Simka seek the guidance of their minister, who says to set things right, Simka must sleep with someone Latka works with. (Continued in part two)

Latka and Simka throw a party and decide the last to arrive will be the one that Simka must sleep with. Alex barely edges out Louie, in hilarious fashion. Simka goes to Alex's apartment to seduce him, but he refuses her advances. It seems Simka and Latka will have to divorce, but Jim points out that they can just marry again after divorcing.

Louie lets Jeff, his assistant dispatcher, take the rap for skimming money from the company (that Louie is actually responsible for), assuring Jeff that he'll smooth everything over. Louie overdoes it when he reprimands Jeff in front of the garage owner, though, and the owner not only fires Jeff but has him arrested. Louie eventually tells the owner the truth before Alex has a chance to turn him in, but the owner thinks that Louie is only doing it to protect Jeff. The owner decides as a favor to Louie to drop the charges against Jeff and hire him back, so Louie's crime ends up going unpunished despite his good intentions.