It was a warm Saturday evening in September 1969. I recall sitting down with my family to watch the latest episode of Hee Haw on CBS at 9 p.m. The Vietnam War was still raging, gas cost 35 cents per gallon, and The Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar” was at the top of the charts. But for an hour each week, we could ignore everything and just laugh.

This particular night, Archie Campbell was performing his renowned barbershop farce. Roy Clark sat in the chair, getting a trim, as Archie told his stories. The entire family was in stitches as Archie began into his “Rindercella” story, a twisted version of the traditional Cinderella we all knew and loved.

We couldn’t stop laughing at Archie’s wordplay! The way he reversed the first letters was pure genius. “Rindercella lived with her mugly other and two sad blisters,” he’d say with a deadpan expression. Meanwhile, Roy was struggling not to cry on the barber chair. I recall my father smacking his knee and exclaiming, “Now that’s comedy!”

Archie had great timing. He’d pause just long enough for us to understand the joke before launching into another one. “She slopped her dripper,” he’d say, and we’d all freak out. It wasn’t just the words, but how he spoke them – deadpan and deliberate, as if he were presenting the most important narrative in the world.

The skit’s beauty was in its ability to take something so familiar – Cinderella – and turn it upside down. We all knew where the tale was headed, but Archie’s rendition left us guessing. Will he mess up? Would Roy eventually lose it? Whether you believe it or not, it was a thrilling comedy.

Take a journey down memory lane and enjoy this classic Hee Haw moment!