by Hal Erickson
synopsis
What would a 1970s sitcom be without the obligatory "Man Who Came to Dinner" episode? In this case, it is Mel (Vic Tayback) who is incapacitated by a back injury, and it is Alice (Linda Lavin) who must endure Mel's presence as an unwelcome house guest. "That Old Back Magic" was the first of several Alice episodes written by Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx, the same team responsible for the Broadway hit "The Impossible Years" (and incidentally, Marx was the son of the one and only Groucho Marx).
