77 Sunset Strip / Hawaiian Eye, etc. (4 Viewers)

[Rustifer]

I kinda hate to point this out--but it feels like were coming to the end of days for this thread. Posts and responses to posts are getting thinner than crepes at a French bistro. I admit that I cheat a little by lazily re-posting some of my old commentaries instead of coming up with something new and fresh. But it seems we've whittled down our crowd to just a few die-hards.

This has never been one of the more well-traveled sites on HTF, but by the time I jumped on board way back on page 14--we seemed to be garnering much more interest than we do now. Oh, I'll continue to add my commentaries here for what they're worth, but it's beginning to feel like a lost cause.

Or maybe I'm just having a downer day. Plus, I think we're running low on toilet paper.

 

[Ree]

I kinda hate to point this out--but it feels like were coming to the end of days for this thread. Posts and responses to posts are getting thinner than crepes at a French bistro. I admit that I cheat a little by lazily re-posting some of my old commentaries instead of coming up with something new and fresh. But it seems we've whittled down our crowd to just a few die-hards.

This has never been one of the more well-traveled sites on HTF, but by the time I jumped on board way back on page 14--we seemed to be garnering much more interest than we do now. Oh, I'll continue to add my commentaries here for what they're worth, but it's beginning to feel like a lost cause.

Or maybe I'm just having a downer day. Plus, I think we're running low on toilet paper.

Admittedly, there isn't much new to post about such old shows, but this "Jilly come lately" enjoys reading even old opinions. Perhaps many of the participants are away from the computer as the weather (at least in the midwest) mellows, and knowing it can't last, we're playing outdoors now.

 

[Rustifer]

Admittedly, there isn't much new to post about such old shows, but this "Jilly come lately" enjoys reading even old opinions. Perhaps many of the participants are away from the computer as the weather (at least in the midwest) mellows, and knowing it can't last, we're playing outdoors now.

Maybe, Anne. Maybe.

 

[Gary16]

I find that some people who don’t visit the thread regularly also don’t always scroll back to see what they’ve missed. My last couple of posts had a few likes when first posted but nothing since despite other posts going up by posters who had not reacted to mine. It leaves one feeling that posts are being ignored altogether. Just my thoughts.

 

[Flashgear]

I kinda hate to point this out--but it feels like were coming to the end of days for this thread. Posts and responses to posts are getting thinner than crepes at a French bistro. I admit that I cheat a little by lazily re-posting some of my old commentaries instead of coming up with something new and fresh. But it seems we've whittled down our crowd to just a few die-hards.

This has never been one of the more well-traveled sites on HTF, but by the time I jumped on board way back on page 14--we seemed to be garnering much more interest than we do now. Oh, I'll continue to add my commentaries here for what they're worth, but it's beginning to feel like a lost cause.

Or maybe I'm just having a downer day. Plus, I think we're running low on toilet paper.

Admittedly, there isn't much new to post about such old shows, but this "Jilly come lately" enjoys reading even old opinions. Perhaps many of the participants are away from the computer as the weather (at least in the midwest) mellows, and knowing it can't last, we're playing outdoors now.

I just need a kick in the pants, consider it delivered. I will have a post coming soon (with screen caps) of the season 2 Hawaiian Eye finale episode penned by Anthony Eisely, A Taste For Money, guest starring Robert Colbert and Anne Robinson, which Anne had previously asked for. My copy of that episode is derived from 16mm film chain. It just takes some effort by me to get it done, slaving over a hot computer... Believe it or not, taking good screen caps from DVDs is not an easy task. It takes considerable time and effort. I also think I have a similar post in mind for a couple season 3 77 Sunset Strip's, probably my favorite season in the whole run. And longer term, a post or two about Surfside 6 and Bourbon Street Beat episodes that delight me, if no other.

I find that some people who don’t visit the thread regularly also don’t always scroll back to see what they’ve missed. My last couple of posts had a few likes when first posted but nothing since despite other posts going up by posters who had not reacted to mine. It leaves one feeling that posts are being ignored altogether. Just my thoughts.

Gary, I believe you are right about that. Some people just dive in for a quick look-see and don't scroll back in this thread to possibly find posts they might engage upon. Regardless, it takes some effort on their part and people can choose to not expend any here...I find that many don't even check out some of the other threads in this 'TV on DVD and Blu-ray' forum...there's a lot of interesting posts (including from Russ) over in the 'What Did You Watch in Classic TV' thread...I'm amazed that some visitors here don't browse this forum more broadly...there's a 'Star Trek' thread here too, and I'm always astounded that for so many fans, 'Star Trek' is their one-and-only classic TV interest!...many of them have zero interest in the other great series and genres: westerns, sit-coms, and cop/p.i. shows of the 50s and 60s, even other science fiction series of that television era! Well, that's a little bit of a rant, ain't it?

Russ, love your episode reviews as always! Garry, Anne, Martin and others: I greatly appreciate your efforts, recollections and finds of WB TV trivia and personal impressions that enlivens this thread from time to time...and if you care to check out the 'What did you watch...' thread, you will find many great posts there, including from Russ, about other classic TV shows...I need to post a few there before I get back to doing some pictorial episode posts back here...but stay tuned, WB TV fans!

 

[Rustifer]

I just need a kick in the pants, consider it delivered. I will have a post coming soon (with screen caps) of the season 2 Hawaiian Eye finale episode penned by Anthony Eisely, A Taste For Money, guest starring Robert Colbert and Anne Robinson, which Anne had previously asked for. My copy of that episode is derived from 16mm film chain. It just takes some effort by me to get it done, slaving over a hot computer... Believe it or not, taking good screen caps from DVDs is not an easy task. It takes considerable time and effort. I also think I have a similar post in mind for a couple season 3 77 Sunset Strip's, probably my favorite season in the whole run. And longer term, a post or two about Surfside 6 and Bourbon Street Beat episodes that delight me, if no other.


Gary, I believe you are right about that. Some people just dive in for a quick look-see and don't scroll back in this thread to possibly find posts they might engage upon. Regardless, it takes some effort on their part and people can choose to not expend any here...I find that many don't even check out some of the other threads in this 'TV on DVD and Blu-ray' forum...there's a lot of interesting posts (including from Russ) over in the 'What Did You Watch in Classic TV' thread...I'm amazed that some visitors here don't browse this forum more broadly...there's a 'Star Trek' thread here too, and I'm always astounded that for so many fans, 'Star Trek' is their one-and-only classic TV interest!...many of them have zero interest in the other great series and genres: westerns, sit-coms, and cop/p.i. shows of the 50s and 60s, even other science fiction series of that television era! Well, that's a little bit of a rant, ain't it?

Russ, love your episode reviews as always! Garry, Anne, Martin and others: I greatly appreciate your efforts, recollections and finds of WB TV trivia and personal impressions that enlivens this thread from time to time...and if you care to check out the 'What did you watch...' thread, you will find many great posts there, including from Russ, about other classic TV shows...I need to post a few there before I get back to doing some pictorial episode posts back here...but stay tuned, WB TV fans!

Great response, Randall! You've renewed my faith in mankind. And womankind, Anne.
I, too, shall try to redouble my efforts in here--- both on making new posts and responding to others--especially your good stuff, Gary.

 

[Flashgear]

Or maybe I'm just having a downer day. Plus, I think we're running low on toilet paper.

Well, it is a Monday, Russ, and if you're like me, even in retirement mode, the "Monday Blues" is something I can't shake...as to toilet paper, I get mine at the dollar store! It might not be a premium luxurious soft kind, my dollar store T. P. is akin to Soviet era in quality...but good enough for my buffalo butt, ha, ha...

 

[MartinP.]

NOTE: Bo Belinski has a cameo at the end of this story. He was the first pitcher in Los Angeles Angels' history to throw a no hitter, and did so in his rookie year.

Hey, great! Because of a White Sox pitcher having a no-hitter this year I read an article about players with no hitters from every team and I'd learned this guys name, so nice to see a photo of him!

From the article:

May 5, 1962: Bo Belinsky
Angels 2, Orioles 0

Belinsky threw the Angels' first no-hitter in the franchise's second year of existence. It was the first no-hitter in the state of California. The lefty used his fastball and screwball combination to strike out nine Orioles at Dodger Stadium in the stadium’s inaugural season, where the Angels shared home games with the Dodgers from 1962 to 1965.

It was Belinsky's rookie year -- he finished it with a 10-11 record and a 3.56 ERA.

He was later known as the "playboy pitcher" due to his handsome looks and his romantic liasons with Ann-Margret, Tina Louise and Connie Stevens-- just to name a few.

So, lots of hitters after that!

 

[Gary16]

TVGuide summer of 59

 

[Ree]

Maybe, Anne. Maybe.

My brother sent me somethng, just today, that's at least tangential to the 77 SS discussion - the October issue of Hot Rod magazine, with the original Kookie T (now fully restored) on the cover. It's an 8-page article, but I'll attach scans of some of the high spots tomorrow, for anyone interested.

 

[LouA]

As a fan of all of the WB detective shows I’d love to have them on DVD.
For me , that’s the best way to enjoy them- watching them in the original broadcast order whenever I get in the mood. We've been told over and over that due to music clearance costs that will never happen .
So, many of us won’t see these programs again.

 

[Rustifer]

Well, it is a Monday, Russ, and if you're like me, even in retirement mode, the "Monday Blues" is something I can't shake...as to toilet paper, I get mine at the dollar store! It might not be a premium luxurious soft kind, my dollar store T. P. is akin to Soviet era in quality...but good enough for my buffalo butt, ha, ha...

I hear you loud and clear about "Monday Blues", Randall. When I was a working corporate guy, my dread day was Sunday night. I had too many people working for me and too many bosses above me. Whatever kind of day I was going to have on Monday was measured in how much Xanax in needed the night before so I could sleep. Once retired, I no longer cared what day it was--didn't matter until the Covid virus came along. I'm back to the Xanax. Nothing screws up a leisurely retirement like a pandemic that targets old guys.

Now, toilet paper is a whole different matter. For me, it's high quality 2-ply or I might as well be using yesterday's newspapers on my bum.
Not all toilet paper is cracked up to be what it should, so to speak.

 

[Rustifer]

So, many of us won’t see these programs again.

More's the pity, Lou. Despite the music rights issue, the generation that would be interested in buying the DVD's is a dying (literally) market on which WB wouldn't even think of expending money. Our only hope is for more retro cable stations to get rights for reruns.

 

[Ree]

As a fan of all of the WB detective shows I’d love to have them on DVD.
For me , that’s the best way to enjoy them- watching them in the original broadcast order whenever I get in the mood. We've been told over and over that due to music clearance costs that will never happen .
So, many of us won’t see these programs again.

Given that so many "full sets" are available, but with episodes of varying quality, perhaps we should organize a swap circle - each list the episodes of which we have good quality burns and would be wiling to burn copies to trade for episodes of which we have only barely watchable ones.
Meanwhile, I'll try to attach sample pages from the article about the 1922 Bucket-T Kookie car.
FWIW, I can't claim to remember it very well from the series - mostly just recall the neat little vaulting method he used to get into a convertible without opening the door.

 

[Rustifer]

Given that so many "full sets" are available, but with episodes of varying quality, perhaps we should organize a swap circle - each list the episodes of which we have good quality burns and would be wiling to burn copies to trade for episodes of which we have only barely watchable ones.
Meanwhile, I'll try to attach sample pages from the article about the 1922 Bucket-T Kookie car.
FWIW, I can't claim to remember it very well from the series - mostly just recall the neat little vaulting method he used to get into a convertible without opening the door. View attachment 78941 View attachment 78942

I grew up in the era of hot rods and "Big Daddy" Ed Roth. It was mainly a West Coast thing, as we teenagers in Central Indiana were consigned to driving our parents' Buick or Oldsmobile sedans. The most "hot-rodding" any of us did was to open the hood of the car, stare at the motor and say things like "wonder what that does...?" But I, for one, was an avid reader of magazines like the above--and could only imagine what driving one of these decal-heavy speed rockets was like.

Central Indiana Hot Rod, circa 1963

 

[Rustifer]

TVGuide summer of 59

View attachment 78898

It always stumped me that 77SS never featured Efrem Zimbalist's prodigious musical talents in any of the episodes--except perhaps a very brief piano stint on Reserved For Mr. Bailey. Maybe Efrem just didn't want to show off, or he didn't think it would fit his Private Eye character--although he seemed sophisticated and worldly enough in all other matters. A puzzler, for sure.

I'm sure Warner Bros. had big plans for Dorothy Provine, which probably didn't include her retiring from acting in 1968 after getting married. She was most memorable, to me, in the film Good Neighbor Sam--one of those semi-"sexy" romcoms so prevalent in the 1960's.

 

[Rustifer]

Okay, I know I said I'd lay off re-posting my old commentaries in favor of new stuff, but I couldn't resist revisiting one of the series' most iconic episodes. I also think it was one of my better commentaries.

Episode Revisit*
77 Sunset Strip
"The Silent Caper" (S2E35)

It's 2:45 a.m. Sunday morning. A girl tries to scream, but can't. Silence. A door is knocked on, but goes unopened. More silence. A phone rings but is unanswered. Again, silence. A TV is turned on--but has no sound.
Roger Smith gathers together the production crew, suggesting "Whaddaya say, guys--let's call this one 'The Silent Caper'...yes?"
The baffled crew all nod their heads politely, while individually wondering---how the heck can we film an entire episode without dialogue?

A classic is being born.

The brilliance isn't that there's a complete lack of talking by the actors, but rather the fact that the story needs no dialogue. Oh, for sure there's abundant SFX and a great music score supervised by Bert Shefter and Paul Sawtell that delivers this from being a completely sound-free episode. Yet every occasion for someone to utter a sentence is effectively stifled by a conveniently-timed circumstance. Creative editing also lends a solid sensibility to the lack of verbal communication, although a crowd scene at a racetrack stretches the credibility a bit with only the sound of shuffling feet.
Being filmed in black and white assists the effect immeasurably. Color inevitably speaks. Black & white can stand mute.

The script is fairly simple. Jingle Bells (played by Ann Duncan, whose career subsisted mainly of uncredited roles) is a stripper who's kidnapped to keep from testifying after witnessing a Mob murder-- and is transported to a remote farm in the countryside for eventual dispatching. Jeff Spencer follows using a silent trail of clues--a silver bell earring, lipstick on a cigarette, a note with a cryptic address, but then eventually finds himself a hostage as well. Escape is accomplished in an inventive yet gruesome manner. His rescue of the damsel in distress is fortuitously accomplished--for the sake of verbal absence--while she is unconscious. The getaway car is a spit-clean Ford Fairlane convertible that's been shot up by a wildly inefficient gunman who subsequently chases the duo in an appreciably lesser quality Olds (or perhaps a Pontiac) with speeds reaching nearly...gulp...80 mph. The ending provides us with an exciting scuffle atop a rickety wooden water tower that could well have once been the municipal property of Hooterville.

The script was written by series' star Roger Smith during the 1960 writers' strike--which legally allowed him the scab-forced opportunity without having to be a card-carrying member of the Writers' Guild. Insiders were taken aback by the resulting creativity of this, his first story attempt--an ability he would display time and again in future scripts. Smith did eventually join the union as a full-fledged writer.

Directed by George waGGner--I've seen this episode at least a half a dozen times, and I'm still fascinated by its creativity and structure. Unquestionably one of the top 5 episodes of the series.

NOTE: There is one unintentionally amusing scene (at least to me), where a gunman is shooting at a door in which he supposes Jeff is hiding behind. The bullet holes explode completely out of sync with the sound of the shots or where the gun muzzle is pointed. Rogue squibs, I suspect.

*Originally posted December 28, 2018

 

[Ree]

I hear you loud and clear about "Monday Blues", Randall. When I was a working corporate guy, my dread day was Sunday night. I had too many people working for me and too many bosses above me. Whatever kind of day I was going to have on Monday was measured in how much Xanax in needed the night before so I could sleep. Once retired, I no longer cared what day it was--didn't matter until the Covid virus came along. I'm back to the Xanax. Nothing screws up a leisurely retirement like a pandemic that targets old guys.

Now, toilet paper is a whole different matter. For me, it's high quality 2-ply or I might as well be using yesterday's newspapers on my bum.
Not all toilet paper is cracked up to be what it should, so to speak.

Quick, someone post an episode review, before we start reviewing TP and downer drugs

I grew up in the era of hot rods and "Big Daddy" Ed Roth. It was mainly a West Coast thing, as we teenagers in Central Indiana were consigned to driving our parents' Buick or Oldsmobile sedans. The most "hot-rodding" any of us did was to open the hood of the car, stare at the motor and say things like "wonder what that does...?" But I, for one, was an avid reader of magazines like the above--and could only imagine what driving one of these decal-heavy speed rockets was like.

View attachment 78943
Central Indiana Hot Rod, circa 1963

Just one state west of you, some 60's teens actually were hot-rodders, souping up their small block Chevy's. Even now, in retirement, my brother is making a hot rod of a Henry J, and I can't part company with the '69 Corvette I bought when I got out of school. Like old TV, old cars have charm!

 

[Mysto]

I grew up in the era of hot rods and "Big Daddy" Ed Roth. It was mainly a West Coast thing, as we teenagers in Central Indiana were consigned to driving our parents' Buick or Oldsmobile sedans. The most "hot-rodding" any of us did was to open the hood of the car, stare at the motor and say things like "wonder what that does...?" But I, for one, was an avid reader of magazines like the above--and could only imagine what driving one of these decal-heavy speed rockets was like.

View attachment 78943
Central Indiana Hot Rod, circa 1963

OK Russ - You wanted me to post - so you got me riled up.
I'm from the Big D and we did know about cars. I was part of the famous cruisin' Woodward Ave back in the day. Although we were more into hot cars than hot rods. That cruise remains today as the Dream Cruise and brings hundreds of vintage cars to continue up and down the street looking for that string of drive-ins that no longer exist.
The One and Only Dream Cruise

 

[Ree]

OK Russ - You wanted me to post - so you got me riled up.
I'm from the Big D and we did know about cars. I was part of the famous cruisin' Woodward Ave back in the day. Although we were more into hot cars than hot rods. That cruise remains today as the Dream Cruise and brings hundreds of vintage cars to continue up and down the street looking for that string of drive-ins that no longer exist.
The One and Only Dream Cruise