Remember on Seinfeld when they are producing their first sitcom episode and George says “Why not have somebody lose a case in court and the judge makes him work as my butler?”
I think that has appeared several times before, but I can’t locate but one episode.
It’s from the Andy Griffith Show It’s the episode called “Andy’s English Valet”.An English guy causes a car accident in Mayberry, and he can’t pay the fine, so he works it off by serving as Andy’s butler (or “valet,” which is sort of a butler for one person).
Wasn’t there an earlier movie like this, someone being a butler to pay off a debt?
On Cheers Sam had to be the boss’s butler, I think, or maybe he was the bartender and one of the other guys was the butler.
A quick search found “Bilko the Butler”
Bilko wants an invitation to a society dinner. Bilko: Phil Silvers. Mrs. Cunningham: Nancy Guild. Henshaw: Allan Melvin.
That’s a little different – Bilko was posing as a servant in a cockeyed scheme to get into a party and rub shoulders with wealthy and influential people.
It was the central premise of “Blackadder III”. The Blackadder family has fallen so far in fortune that Edmund has to take a job as butler to the Prince Regent.