77 Sunset Strip / Hawaiian Eye, etc. (2 Viewers)

[criblecoblis]

I hate that “soap opera effect” as it’s called. Every tv or video device that I own has all of the motion or smoothing or other picture destroyers turned off. A filmed show is supposed to look like film.

Gary, I quite agree. While the effect does to my eyes enhance live action, such as a baseball game, it is horribly distracting with filmed content. That's just one of the reasons that I'm going to cling to my regular-old-HD plasma TV for as long as I possibly can. That, plus my affinity for true 3D films.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Bourbon Street Beat
"Mrs. Viner Vanishes" (S1E9)

As long as I'm going off the 77 SS reservation to do commentaries on Hawaiian Eye and Surfside 6, I thought I may as well make it a hat trick by including Bourbon Street Beat in my repertoire. I did not follow this series as closely as the others, so I'm going to enjoy wading into it with fresh eyes and chilled martinis. Heck, I might even stoke up some spicy shrimp 'n grits to get in the mood.

The episode starts out smartly with some great location shots as Cal Calhoun (Andrew Duggan) drives his decidedly unsexy '50 Olds through the French Quarter--but switches immediately to a typical stage set when he arrives at his destination. Too bad. Cal has come to the Le Grand Hotel to visit his girlfriend--intriguingly named Lusti Weather (Nita Talbot). She's called Cal to rescue her from a rogue cockatiel on the loose in her room. Lusti displays her lungs in two ways: Screaming at a decibel level equal to that of a tornado warning horn, and...well...you can guess the other way. A nearly painted-on dress helps.

Meanwhile a guest at the hotel, Arthur Viner (Wayne Morris) can't seem to convince anyone that he's there with his wife--who no one has actually seen. Is Viner a kook of some sort? Cal decides to look into it while exercising his over-the-top 'naw-leans accent. Mrs. Viner seems to have vanished into thin air. A fair number of martinis get consumed as Cal, Lusti, Rex Randolph (Richard Long) and Kenny Madison (Van Williams) deliberate Mrs. Viner's displacement. They're able to find bits and pieces--her monogrammed compact case and expensive alligator purse--but no Mrs. Viner. Arthur Viner, who sports a surprisingly 21st century stylish spiky haircut, is just beside himself.

Andrew Duggan; Nita Talbot; Wayne Morris

Cal goes on quest to backtrack Mr. and Mrs. Viner's trip to this point in hopes of turning up more evidence. Each place he stops seems to uncover a different description of Mrs.Viner. Sometimes she dresses fashionably, other times like a stripper from a back street dive. Cal ends in Ft. Shelby, Arkansas (no one said investigation locales were always exotic) to interview the Viner's next door neighbor lady. Cal turns on some good ol' boy Southern sweet talk and extracts gobs of useful information from the woman. Seems Mr. Viner has eyes for the ladies and is a bit more suspicious than what he appears. The ending has a satisfying little twist to it.

I really liked this story. Kudos to scriptwriter Irving Elman for providing some sparkling and witty conversation between Cal and the stunning Lusti Weather. "My mother was once frightened by a bird", explains Lusti. "What kind of bird was it?" inquires Cal. "A stork."
Twenty-eight year old Nita Talbot in a variety of form-fitting outfits is reason enough to catch this episode.

Notes:
Wayne Morris unexpectedly dropped stone dead of a heart attack just 2 months before this episode aired.

Paul Henreid, best known for his role as Ingrid Bergman's husband in Casablanca, directed this as well as two other episodes in this series.

 

[Rustifer]

As the show progressed, Roscoe's lot improved, and we saw more evidence of inner worth. He became more useful as an operative. He kept Stu out of prison with his work in "The Checkmate Caper." And during the sixth season, his faithful service to Stu earned him Stu's sincere gratitude and loyalty.

I'm digesting your Roscoe 'rework', and I see your angle as one that makes sense. My only concern is that maybe all the characters are achieving equal status, e.g. JR, Kookie, Roscoe. to the point that will we lose the dynamics of the Bailey & Spencer focus?
Jeff Spencer was always my favorite, and I would sometimes feel a little robbed when instead Stu was featured in an episode. Now--keep in mind-- this was years ago when I was just a kid watching the program in its original airing. I've since grown to appreciate Stu's singularity as a counterpoint to Jeff's character. And I must admit some of the best episodes--I'm thinking Six Superior Skirts--had all the characters in play and it was wonderful. But they all had their place--a pecking order, if you will. I wonder if future episodes might get a bit jammed up trying to feature each in an equal role.
Just sayin'. Like I said...I'm digesting this as you weave your imaginative continuation.

But keep up the good work. I'm loving your exploration!

 

[criblecoblis]

Episode Commentary
Bourbon Street Beat
"Mrs. Viner Vanishes" (S1E9)

Russ, this is one of my favorite BSB episodes, and it marks the point at which the show hit its stride, after 8 so-so episodes. Nita Talbot is an asset to anything she is in. She's pretty, and very funny.

I think it's a bit edgy for 1959 to have Cal's girlfriend be an exotic dancer, considering that until very recently he was a detective of police. But then, that's kind of a New Orleans thing.

Wayne Morris was superb in this episode. It's a real shame that this was apparently the last thing he did.

"Mrs. Viner Vanishes" is an excellent episode that really shows the potential that BSB had. I think we should look at this show more closely. I have the entire run of the show in nice clear prints. I really should pitch in with a review of my own.

 

[criblecoblis]

My only concern is that maybe all the characters are achieving equal status, e.g. JR, Kookie, Roscoe. to the point that will we lose the dynamics of the Bailey & Spencer focus? . . . I wonder if future episodes might get a bit jammed up trying to feature each in an equal role.

I have given my reasons for the way I've developed the characters, but perhaps I haven't explained this well enough. In any event, only Kookie is now an equal partner, and only the partners have caseloads. The operatives are always working at the direction of the partners, and never on their own initiative (with one exception that I will describe in a coming post).

Within the four walls of the show, the firm's caseload grows significantly over the course of the season, and more operatives are needed to get the work done. That's why Stu and Jeff make the decision to hire JR and give him to Kookie to train.

As far as the Stu-Jeff dynamics, I think I have brought them front and center in the seventh season. While it is true that we see them in fewer episodes, we still see one or both of them in the lead in more than half, and we see them working together a lot more.

Never fear, there will be no shark-jumping in the seventh season. Roscoe and JR won't be getting their own caseloads. But the firm needs both of them to do more work, and so does the show.

I kind of led you up a blind alley when I said that the show develops a tendency later in the season to alternate between Stu-Jeff and Kookie-JR episodes. That was an oversimplification.

Here's a better description of what happens in the second half of the season, after Orr is able to deploy all his mid-course corrections: Kookie is the lead guy in about half the episodes, and in these JR is working with him. Occasionally, Kookie needs to bring Stu or Jeff in on a case.

In the other episodes, either Stu, Jeff, or both of them are the lead. They usually work with Roscoe (who, as I mentioned earlier, is working harder than he ever has in his life), but they also use Kookie and JR as operatives at times.

We first see Hannah used as an operative in a Kookie episode, in which she poses as his wife in an undercover job. She does so well that Stu and Jeff begin to use her in a limited fashion as an operative.

I don't think this is at all inconsistent with the show's first five seasons. Anyone who was around Stu and Jeff on a regular basis got pulled in as an operative eventually.

I took all these steps to give the show a broader base of operation. In front of the camera, it gives the show a freshened look and more avenues for storytelling. Behind the camera, it allows for more flexibility in production. Also, it sets the show up to deal with the coming changing of the guard on the Strip.

 

[MartinP.]

Russ, this is one of my favorite BSB episodes, and it marks the point at which the show hit its stride, after 8 so-so episodes. Nita Talbot is an asset to anything she is in. She's pretty, and very funny.

And Nita is still with us at age 89! Yay!
Wonder where she lives?

I was hoping this might be on youtube, but didn't see any eps. there.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Bourbon Street Beat
"A Light Touch of Terror" (S1E10)

Kenny (Van Williams) and Melody (Arlene Howell) are hanging around the office, which somehow resembled my grandma's parlor decor. Melody is pissed at Kenny for scaring her while wearing a goulish mask. She is somehow reminded of notorious axe murders that occurred back in the old days. It's an unexpected prophesy of what's to come.

Cut to a party that Kenny and Melody attend later--a ghastly affair called "The Axeman's Lair"--a sort of Halloween haunted house tour with axe-wielding dummies popping out every few feet. Charming party. Much to Kenny's dismay, Melody doesn't drink, dance, make out or eat spicy food--yep, New Orleans is just perfect for her. To lighten the mood, a lot of jitterbug dancing going on that I guess young folks of the era thought of as quite progressive. Oops, somebody at the party turns up dead, an axe buried in his back. It's a downer for sure. Kenny's going to look into it. He asks a doubting Rex Randolph (Richard Long) for help, but since there's no fee attached Rex takes a dim view of pro bono work. So Kenny's on his own.

Meanwhile, at the local carnival, one of the hoochie-coo dancers is found dead by axe, discovered by another fellow dancer Lureen (Sue Ane Langdon). Apparently the ghost of Lizzie Borden lives on, at least at the carnival. Fortunately, Cal (Andrew Duggan) is on hand to impart some senior detective advice to Kenny on how to investigate a murder. "You're gonna need a lot of cool-headed thought, particularly since you're likely gonna risk your life..." Yeah,who wouldn't want to leap head first into that?

Rex reads up on detective techniques; the only known time Ken and Melody touch; Cal demonstrates New Orleans howdy-do

Kenny starts with interviewing Lureen, mainly because she's nearly naked most of the time. She shows a lot of interest in Kenny, almost licking the plaid off his shirt to get at him. Kenny, for whatever stupid reason, resists her overtures. He'll take a rain check. "You don't have to wait 'til it rains", simpers Lureen. Next, Kenny visits Alise (Kaye Elhardt) since her ex-boyfriend Dwayne (Joe Cronin)--Kenny's former classmate--is a suspicious fellow. Dwayne is a slick dude with a chip on his shoulder from being kicked out of the university.

Kenny sets himself up as bait for the murderer, and sure enough he shows up wearing a mask and an axe at his dorm room. Kenny fights him off, but the culprit gets away before getting identified. Was it Dwayne? Kenny meets up with Dwayne's dotty old grandmother, who convinces him her grandson is a psychopathic killer. Kenny warns Alise as being Dwayne's next possible victim--and so she is. In the end, it takes Kenny, Rex and Cal to get Dwayne--who ignominiously falls to his death off a loose roof drain pipe.

Time for Kenny to take up a rain check.

Notes:
This could have been a much better episode had the murderer turned out to be someone completely different from who we suspected. It was just too predictable all the way through. In addition, the carnival aspect made almost no sense to the story whatever. WB must have had to amortize an old carnival set for tax purposes.

Melody (Arlene Howell) has to be the most milquetoast-y female gal pal in all of the WB detective properties of the era. She was a native of Louisiana, which gave her some validity in the series.

Kenny Madison drives a new '59 Corvette, which certainly adds to his coolness quotient. But as a law student and part-time intern in the detective agency, where did the bucks come for such a chariot?

 

[criblecoblis]

Russ,

I love that you're doing BSB! I'm going to have to re-watch these episodes so I can discuss them informedly.

Melody (Arlene Howell) has to be the most milquetoast-y female gal pal in all of the WB detective properties of the era. She was a native of Louisiana, which gave her some validity in the series.

Yes, Melody is a ridiculous character, especially for Arlene Howell, whose wheelhouse (as we see in 77SS S1E3 "A Nice Social Evening") is the exact opposite sort of character. As I recall, her character does get better, and then just disappears.

Kenny Madison drives a new '59 Corvette, which certainly adds to his coolness quotient. But as a law student and part-time intern in the detective agency, where did the bucks come for such a chariot?

Didn't Kenny's parents have the long green? Again, I have to re-watch these episodes.

 

[criblecoblis]

Saving The Strip: Seventh Season, 1964–65

Part 10: A Few More Stories

In another midseason Pittmanesque episode, written and directed by Roger Smith, a client comes in minutes after the three partners have departed for the weekend on a camping trip deep in the Sierra Nevada mountains, to be incommunicado until they return. JR, Roscoe, Hannah and Suzanne are still there, and the boys meet with the client.

It seems a simple enough matter, but it requires immediate attention, and they don’t want the client to go to Legs Carson. The boys excuse themselves and confer with Hannah and Suzanne. Together, they decide to take the case. JR, Roscoe and Hannah each go off in separate directions, while Suzanne remains at the office to serve as contact person.

Over the following 48 hours, none of them gets any sleep, as the tone of the episode alternates between comedy and taut suspense. By Sunday evening, JR, Roscoe and Hannah are all captured by the bad guys, who are about to kill them. At the last moment, they are saved by Gil and a squad of police, who are called in by Suzanne when the others fail to report in.

In the end tag, it is Monday morning. We see the three partners come in, each with the morning paper under his arm. They retire to their separate offices and close the door; JR, Hannah, Roscoe and Suzanne remain in the lobby, anxiously awaiting their fate.

Fifteen seconds later, the partners all emerge from their offices at the same time with the newspapers in their hands, with stern looks on their faces. We are to understand that they’ve all just read the first paragraph of the headline story, which is about the case. Roscoe says, “We couldn’t get a hold of you guys!” Hannah says, “I’ve already got the check from the client!” Suzanne cries out, “Jeff, I swear I never even left the office!”

The partners decide that all’s well that ends well, but resolve never all to be incommunicado at the same time again.

Meanwhile, in a second-half story arc, Legs Carson’s run of good luck ends, as the clients he inherited from Bailey & Spencer in the sixth season return in growing numbers to the new old agency. As a purely defensive measure, he begins to take steps to staunch the bleeding, creating some real problems for Bailey, Spencer & Kookson. But Legs has picked a battle he can’t possibly win.

Next: the season finale.

 

[Rustifer]

The partners decide that all’s well that ends well, but resolve never all to be incommunicado at the same time again.

Great concept, Rob. In the back of my mind when watching these shows, I always thought how much more efficient detective life would have been in that era with cell phones. But then, I'd miss those frantic calls they had to execute in whatever nearby phone booth they could find--which seemed to be about every ten feet in those days.
Of course, I was deep in the business world long before mobiles and seemed to be able to operate just fine. Not knowing what could be doesn't cancel out what is.

 

[criblecoblis]

Great concept, Rob. In the back of my mind when watching these shows, I always thought how much more efficient detective life would have been in that era with cell phones. But then, I'd miss those frantic calls they had to execute in whatever nearby phone booth they could find--which seemed to be about every ten feet in those days.

Thanks, Russ! You know, I think that this story might stand up even today. I can practically guarantee that there is no cell phone coverage in the High Sierra back country. We don't even have coverage at our alpine retreat on the slopes of Mt. Piños, a mere 82 miles from our home in Pasadena, just 15 minutes off the I-5. And we're on Verizon!

Still, you bring up a good point. When I was younger, I used to think about the changes my grandfather witnessed. Man could not fly until he was eight years old, and he spent his service years in the Army Air Corps monitoring the German compliance with the Treaty of Versailles. His mother cooked on wood-fired stoves, and he lived to own a microwave oven (Grandpa was always on the cutting edge of technology).

But you and I were similarly born into a world that our youngest relatives would not recognize. Heck, even our next generation wouldn't. And that does impact the storytelling.

And I hope you noticed that I included your idea regarding Legs.

 

[Rustifer]

I love that you're doing BSB! I'm going to have to re-watch these episodes so I can discuss them informedly.

You and me both. As I mentioned earlier, this was the WB series to which I paid the least attention. There's literally not one episode I remember, so it's basically all new to me. I'm a ways away from getting a solid picture of the main characters, even though Ken Madison and Rex Reed show up in later series that I watched.
Anyway, that's my excuse for my BSB commentaries probably lacking in insight at the moment. Not my best work.

And I hope you noticed that I included your idea regarding Legs.

Oh yep.

 

[criblecoblis]

Anyway, that's my excuse for my BSB commentaries probably lacking in insight at the moment. Not my best work.

Don't be silly, Russ. You're doing a great service to us in bringing BSB to the thread, and speaking for myself, I've enjoyed both those posts!

 

[Rustifer]

Don't be silly, Russ. You're doing a great service to us in bringing BSB to the thread, and speaking for myself, I've enjoyed both those posts!

Thanks, Rob. I certainly plan to do more commentaries on BSB as I delve deeper into the series.

 

[criblecoblis]

Saving The Strip: Seventh Season, 1964–65

Part 11: The Season Finale

In the two-part season finale “The Ghost Caper,” an overt tribute to Montgomery Pittman, eccentric businessman Art Moomey (John Hubbard) from S2E16 “Switchburg” returns to ask Stu to investigate another offbeat property he seeks to purchase, a ghost town in the middle of nowhere that was partially burned down right before it was to be opened as a tourist attraction.

“Stu,” says Art, “the Switchburg Hotel has been so successful that ghost towns have gotten under my skin! Only about a third of this town burned down, and the rest has all been restored. You should see it, Stu. All I have to do is move out a few squatters and tidy the place up, and it’ll be another gasser!”

Stu says, “Oh, Art, not again! I barely survived the Switchburg case! Why don’t you go through a real estate agent?”

Art replies, “Because the title is terribly clouded, so none of them will handle it. Apparently, the owner died in the fire under suspicious circumstances, leaving no will and no relatives. I need you to investigate this guy and try to find a relative I can deal with, and take a census of the squatters so I can help them relocate if I do land the place.”

Stu winces and says, “I hate to say no to an old friend, but I promised Jeff I’d stay away from pie-in-the-sky snipe hunts like this. He’s become grumpy in his old age.”

“Don’t be silly! Jeff is the brains of this outfit! I’m sure he’ll be reasonable. And we have to act quickly! Sooner or later the state will step in and condemn the place, and then we’ll lose all that priceless history! And I’ll make it well worth the trouble. I’ll pay you triple what I paid for the Switchburg job!”

Jeff hears this last outburst, and comes into Stu’s office. Art continues, “Hello, Jeff! . . . Oh, by the way, Stu, the name of this place is Roctown.”

Stu suddenly looks as if he’s been shot. He slowly eases himself down into his chair. His eyes focus on a spot somewhere far outside his office. He says in a quiet, distant voice, “Art, we can’t take this job. I know that place all too well.”

Of course he does. It’s the ghost town from S4E12, “Reserved for Mister Bailey.”

Jeff says, “Uh, partner. . . can we talk in my office?”

Stu looks at Jeff and says, in the same quiet voice, “Jeff, you remember the case. . .” and then relates to Jeff and Art a synopsis of the earlier episode as we see the accompanying scenes from that episode in flashback.

When Stu is finished, Art says, “Oh, come now, Stu. You’re a seasoned professional. That was, what? Three years ago? Surely you’re over the trauma by now! . . . Okay, I’ll pay you four times the Switchburg rate. With these fancy new premises, you can’t afford not to do it! Jeff, talk some sense into him!”

Jeff replies, “You bet I will,” drags Stu into his office, and closes the door. He gives Stu a level look for a few seconds, then says matter-of-factly, “He’s right, you know. We’re in a lull just now, and these new digs aren’t just paying for themselves.”

Stu replies, “Partner, indulge me on this one. I have no desire to go anywhere near that God-forsaken place ever again. And there are squatters there to be dealt with on top of that. We’re not social workers. Oh, Jeff, this is the kind of case you hate!”

“Art’s not asking us to knock over any jewelry stores, is he?”

Stu is abashed for a moment. Then, he chuckles ironically and replies, “Don’t give him any ideas.”

Jeff pokes Stu in the chest and says, “How about this: Kookie and I’ll go check out this town and take a census of the squatters. You must have a lead or two about, uh—what’s the name of that nut who tried to kill you?”

“Walter Van Nuys.”

“Van Nuys? Very nice! Any relation to the town?”

“I don’t imagine so. Walter was from England, likely from London or thereabouts.”

“Whatever. See what you can find about Van Nuys’ background. He didn’t just sprout out of the ground. He has to have some relative somewhere. Roscoe can do the leg work. You don’t have to go anywhere near this Roctown place. No one’s going to try to kill you again, at least not on this case.”

Stu, against his better judgment, is compelled by circumstances to go along with Jeff’s plan. Jeff and Kookie go to Roctown and find a veritable community of squatters, including a crusty old desert rat (William Fawcett) who considers himself to have a proprietary interest in the town because he was there in its heyday, an amiable hillbilly (Victor Buono) whom Jeff discovers is actually a successful Hollywood screenwriter there on the Q.T. to collect observations for a script he has in mind about the place, and a feral young woman (Sherry Jackson) who is alarmingly ready to kill to protect her little brother (Billy Mumy). How these two ended up there, alone in the middle of nowhere, is a mystery that Kookie is determined to get to the bottom of.

Meanwhile, Stu’s investigation takes him and Roscoe to England, where he learns that Jeff’s assessment of the case was not entirely accurate. . . .

Next: final notes.

 

[Rustifer]

Fascinating dialogue, Rob. I'm especially impressed by your inclusion of Switchburg and Reserved For Mr. Bailey--two great episodes in which to build a new one. Even before I got all the way through your post, I was thinking William Fawcett would be perfect in such a role--and poof! --there it was--you named him along with other favorites of mine (Sherry Jackson and Victor Buono).

Meanwhile, Stu’s investigation takes him and Roscoe to England, where he learns that Jeff’s assessment of the case was not entirely accurate. . . .

Oh nooo---an international episode?

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Bourbon Street Beat
"Teresa" (S1E39)

The writers' building on the WB lot was empty. Everyone was on strike--which means all the writers were most likely hanging out in bars and bitching loudly about their plight. Meanwhile, BSB episodes still needed to be turned out. Time for W.B. Hermanos to look through the studio files for a past script to pirate. Aha--Key Largo! Hurricanes! A nearly deserted island! Crooks on the run! Sexy gals! Why, it's all here with hardly any tweaking whatsoever! Easy peasy!

Rex (Richard Long) is hired by Jan Dennison (Andra Martin, looking surprisingly like Sherry Jackson) to find her brother Brad (Richard Rust in a thankless role). Brad has been hanging out on an island owned by Mara (Marie Windsor, looking surprisingly like Allison Janney), with whom he has some unrequited lust. Mara is harboring two bank robbers Mark Comden (Brad Dexter) and Joe Komack (John Beradino) for the sum of $50,000. Joe is married to Barbara (Karen Steele), a has-been actress whose main purpose in life is to drink heavily and seriously strain the seams of her blouse. Despite Karen's physical attributes, Joe is actually in love with bug-eyed Mara. Mara is mostly in love with money.

Karen displaying why she got roles; Marie looking creepy; Sherry...er...Andra Martin; Brylcreem fan Richard Long

So this is the scenario at hand as Rex and Jan head towards the island in a small boat for a 3 hour tour. A 3 hour tour--in the middle of a hurricane named Teresa, which is artfully accomplished with sound effects and wind machines that serve to create some wonderful upskirt shots, and actual tropical storm footage swiped from Key Largo. Include pounding rain and now we've got all the womenfolk in soaked see-through blouses. Add in Ginger and Mary Ann and we'd have had a helluva visual narrative. You might be able to tell what I was most focused on.

Well, there's much intrigue surrounding who loves who, a bag full of stolen bank cash, and of course a weather incident sure to affect the electrical power grid on the island. Fortunately, an old stone fort stands on a hilltop--refuge for those who can make it there in time. Some do, some don't. Teresa gets her revenge on those who deserve it.

I chose to jump all the way to the end of Season 1 to see how the main characters had developed--all which remained pretty much the same except for Kenny Madison (Van Williams) trading in his college duds for an actual suit.

Notes:
In 1950, rumor had it that Karen Steele and Groucho Marx had a little monkey business going on. She later graduated to switchboard operator for Art Linkletter Productions. After buying a number of sweaters in a size slightly smaller than her impressive frame, her Hollywood career finally got on track.

By the time this episode aired, Andra Martin was getting a divorce from Ty Hardin for extreme cruelty, and earning $200 a week on her WB contract.

 

[MartinP.]

View attachment 65020
Marie looking creepy;

Here's a little anecdote about Marie Windsor. I have a friend who used to work for a writer/producer with whom he is still acquainted. My friend told me this story while we were visiting the recently re-opened and fabulously refurbished Formosa Cafe, across the street from the Goldwyn Studios now called The Lot. This writer had an office at the studio and was seeing actresses for roles in whatever it was he was working on. So this one morning Marie Windsor arrives for her appointment. She walks in, puts her wrap on the chair, slowly looks around and sits down as she says to the guy: "I think I fucked George Raft in here once."

 

[Rustifer]

Here's a little anecdote about Marie Windsor. I have a friend who used to work for a writer/producer with whom he is still acquainted. My friend told me this story while we were visiting the recently re-opened and fabulously refurbished Formosa Cafe, across the street from the Goldwyn Studios now called The Lot. This writer had an office at the studio and was seeing actresses for roles in whatever it was he was working on. So this one morning Marie Windsor arrives for her appointment. She walks in, puts her wrap on the chair, slowly looks around and sits down as she says to the guy: "I think I fucked George Raft in here once."

Well Jeeez Martin! If you're going to drop these devastatingly wonderful cow pie insights in here, we need to see you more often. Yeah, Noirish LA is a cool site where you hang out, but its so good to hear from guys like you who actually live/know/remember this kind of stuff to add their thoughts in here..
Windsor married an Olympic basketball player. i'm betting George Raft's feet weren't as big as his. But enough martinis in any bar, with anyone, just evens things out.

 

[criblecoblis]

Fascinating dialogue, Rob. I'm especially impressed by your inclusion of Switchburg and Reserved For Mr. Bailey--two great episodes in which to build a new one.

Thanks! I had a great deal of fun with the season finale. It was especially fun to put words in Stu's, Jeff's, and Art's mouths! I've always thought it a shame that we never saw the Art Moomey character again. I wanted to develop the plot further, but it's already too long.

By the way, the Victor Buono character is supposed to represent Montgomery Pittman. I think it would have been fun to see Buono in this role.

Oh nooo---an international episode?

Sorry about that! But it was unavoidable; England is where Van Nuys' background is. I thought it would be fun to send Stu and Roscoe back for a return engagement.