You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running is a collection of four unrelated one-act comedy plays by Robert Anderson.

In The Shock of Recognition, playwright Jack Barnstable auditions Richard Pawling for a role that requires nudity and discovers the overeager actor is more than willing to show his stuff.

Directed by Alan Schneider, the opening night cast included Eileen Heckart, Martin Balsam, George Grizzard, and Melinda Dillon.

First presented by Jack Farren and Gilbert Cates at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City on March 13, 1967 with the following cast:[1] The Shock of Recognition The Footsteps of Doves I'll be Home for Christmas I'm Herbert This production was directed by Alan Schneider, with scenery designed by Ed Wittstein, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge, and lighting by Jules Fisher Poznání šokem (The Shock of Recognition) Stopy Holubic (The Footsteps of Doves) Já jsem Herbert (I'm Herbert) The creators of the soon-to-debut The Mary Tyler Moore Show were having challenges finding the right actor for the role of anchorman Ted Baxter.

A Mary Tyler Moore Show producer happened to see Ted Knight perform in You Know I Can't Hear you When the Water's Running at the Gallery Theater in California.