Come Fly with Me is the thirteenth episode of Lizzie McGuire's first season.
Synopsis
In order to stand out from the crowd, Gordo sports a 1960s attire (including a Sinatra fedora) and starts listening to Rat Pack music. But he is disappointed when the trend catches on with the whole school, including Lizzie and Miranda.
Meanwhile, Matt and Lanny try their hand at creating a record in order to get their names featured in the Guinness book of world records.
Plot
Gordo, who has always been the nonconformist, has a new passion: 1950s & '60s Las Vegas lounge culture, as epitomized by Frank Sinatra and the "Rat Pack." Lizzie and Miranda don't care for it, but they buy Gordo a Rat Pack CD. Ethan Craft listens to it on the bus and, surprisingly, likes it, which makes the girls reconsider their opinion. Soon they are dressing in fashions of the time. Gordo thinks it's cool that they like it, but hopes that his new interest won't become the latest passing fad at school. But that looks like exactly what is happening as Ethan soon has all the guys wearing hats like Sinatra and listening to the music. Even Kate is admiring the girls for being in first on the new trend, and actually asks for their advice on what to do!
Gordo starts to sour on the Rat Pack and he comes up with a new interest--radio-controlled 1/64 scale World War II airplanes, only his enthusiasm doesn't seem genuine. Committee chairman Kate plans the theme for the next dance, "Lounging Around." She puts Miranda and Lizzie in charge of music and clothing. The girls are in over their heads now and must go to Gordo for help. He's mad at them for making his special interest so popular among the other students and won't help them. They can tell he doesn't care for his new hobby and urge him not to give up his interest in lounge culture just because everyone else likes it, but he won't listen to them.
Lizzie and Miranda can't enjoy themselves at the dance without Gordo there, even though they are largely responsible for its success. Just as they are about to leave, Gordo shows up dressed to the hilt and in full Sinatra mode. He thanks the girls for setting him straight.
Meanwhile, Matt and his silent friend Lanny are trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. They attempt to set records for longest netball game, largest pancake, gaining weight, jumping rope, balancing teacups, holding a vocal note and running up and down stairs. When they come up several miles short on the longest rubber band chain, Matt gives up in discouragement. But his mom comes up with an idea: surely 38 failed attempts to break a world record is a world record itself!
Quotes
Lizzie: Gordo, shouldn't you be listening to Britney Spears?
Gordo: Why?
Miranda: Because that's what normal people listen to.
Lizzie: We don't want people thinking that you're weird.
Ethan: (after stopping Vince from teasing Lizzie and Miranda on the bus) Yo, Vince. Give it up.
Vince: Yeah, OK.
Trivia
- This episode was filmed between November 25th through November 28, 2000. This was the last episode to use the working title: "What's Lizzie Thinking?" on the clapboard.
- Matt tells Lanny he "only" has to gain 674 pounds to become the world's heaviest person. But Guinness World Records 2000 lists the heaviest person of all time as 6'1" John Minnoch, who in March 1978 was admitted to a hospital with heart failure where his weight was calculated at over 1,400 lbs.! Minnoch was put on a diet and reduced his weight to 476 lbs., but when he died in 1983 he was back up to near 800 pounds.
- As Gordo is showing Lizzie his model planes he makes the statement, "the Allies used this plane in World War II to deliver powdered eggs and rubber to American Samoa." While the plane can't be seen completely, it is clear that he is holding a single engine fighter, not a military transport aircraft. From the shark's mouth nose art on the model it was most likely a P-51 Mustang used by the American Volunteer Group (later the 23 Fighter Group) in Burma and China, or more commonly known as the Flying Tigers in the later part of the war. One other thing, considering the location of American Samoa, resupply by ship would make more sense than using aircraft.
- When Matt and Lanny are trying to set a world record, Matt looks through the record book and says, "Ah, world's largest pancake," when the page he has the book open to is headed "Computer Technology."
- The title of the episode "Come Fly with Me" is also the name of a Frank Sinatra album recorded in 1957.
- The CD Lizzie and Miranda picked up for Gordo appears to be Sinatra's Swingin' Session which was released in early 1961. This was one of the last albums Frank recorded for Capitol before leaving for Reprise. It's also an example of when Sinatra was at his best belting out swing songs in a fast, uptempo, and driving manner. Six of the songs were taken from his first album Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra (1950) but performed twice as fast so it's one of his jazziest swing sets. This album also includes songs written by Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.
- The school nickname of "Wildcats" is seen on a banner in the hall.
- Kate Sanders' last name is pronounced with a short "a" sound in this episode, rather than "Saunders."
- The blooper reel seen at the episode's end is notorious among Lizzie fans because it contains footage of Adam Lamberg (Gordo) saying, "Son of a..." in frustration after a mishap. But contrary to what some people claim, he didn't add an extra word under his breath to that little outburst.
- Gordo's middle name is revealed to be Zephyr (pronounced "zeh-fur")
- First appearance of Lanny