First-Rate Second Unit .....

Jimmy at Sticky Doorknobs and I are in complete agreement ... there ain't no party like a Scranton party, and NBC's The Office is a very funny show.

Very funny, and very well made in many respects, including second unit and location work, where those crews have done a particularly outstanding job. Having spent part of my life in the town of Dallas, Pennsylvania, just 25-miles-or-so from Scranton, I am amazed - each and every week - by the level of detail the California-based producers of the show have achieved in creating a 'feel' for that city.

There are the opening shots, of course, showing various sights in-and-around Scranton as the music plays and the cast is introduced. And there are the cutaway shots (the exteriors) that are used throughout the program to segue audiences in and out of scenes in different locations.

But then there are the props used in the studio where the office scenes are filmed. Next time the characters are talking in the break room, look at the bulletin boards on the wall ..... chances are the fliers posted on those boards will be talking about some event going on in the City of Scranton, or Lackawanna County.

In one episode, while Wayne was working the phones, you could see on the file cabinet behind him a bumper sticker for Froggy 101, which is based in nearby Pittston, but broadcasts a signal around northeast Pennsylvania, including Scranton.

In another episode, Michael was calling around to various attractions in town, trying to find an interesting - and cheap! - group activity for his staff. Among the attractions he called was the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour (which IS a good visit, by the way).

On the surface, they may seem like little things ..... but I think they say A LOT about how well-crafted this show is, right down to the most minute detail ..... it truly is first-rate second unit work for a first-rate television program.