Thanks - I stuck at it last night (until way later than I'd like to admit), and finally managed to get the plunger out of there. No drainage though - the water is just sitting there.

I tried some Liquid Draino as well. No dice. Seems like I'm going to be calling in a professional, but unfortunately, my regular plumber is on vacation (plumbers can't take vacation!!! ;) Time to start checking the yellow pages.

Thanks,
-John

: Reply:
: You will need to continue and try to fish it out. Use a stiff wire with a hook to try to catch it. The trick is to have patience. Worst case, bail out the tub and take apart the overflow waste from the basement ceiling. If adjusting the linkage doesn't help the tub drain better, it may need to be snaked and cleaned by a licensed plumber.
: Good Luck. e-plumber