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

[Rustifer]

A lovely ABC publicity photo of Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and actress Jackie Russell from the fourth season episode "The Bel Air Hermit" (Feb. 16, 1962)

As I mentioned in an earlier post of this pic, I don't think Stu is only admiring her dance technique...
The record player looks like something Mike and Frank of American Pickers would have unearthed under a '52 Packard stashed in a ramshackle barn somewhere in the backroads of Kansas.

 

[Rustifer]

Okay...I've babbled on and on enough to finally get us up to page 50. I need to take a break to install my new bottle of Stoli into the freezer. Wifey is headed to Pittsburgh for the weekend, which means ol' Russ can probably slam down one more martini than usually allowed (or necessary) while burning my eyes out catching up on a crapload of stored 77 SS episodes and eating remarkably unhealthy stuff. A man's chores are never done.

 

[MartinP.]

I might do the crossword puzzle too...check out 38 down and 17 across...

Not only those, but 34 across, too...

(I think we should all do the crossword puzzle and post a completed version.)

 

[MartinP.]

Edie Adams...I assume you have this wonderful DVD boxset of her variety show specials?

Thanks for posting that, how did I ever miss hearing about this? I follow some sites with TV related video releases for years and I don't ever recall knowing about this! Thank you! I was recently watching a Hollywood Palace episode (on youtube) that had her cigar commercials in it.

 

[mark-edk]

I did not remember that she had her own variety show.

I do remember it because of the unusual scheduling; it aired on alternate weeks with The Sid Ceasar Show. The latter was an attempt to recapture the success of his teaming with Imogene Coca only this time with Giselle MacKenzie. I can still remember the themes to both of these obscure shows: Edie used a tune by Kurt Weill (I Wait for a Ship, according to classicthemes.com), Sid an off-beat 5/4 rhythm thing that I never did identify by name. Sid Ceasar was a great talent, but Edie's show was the better of the two.

 

[Rustifer]

Thanks for posting that, how did I ever miss hearing about this? I follow some sites with TV related video releases for years and I don't ever recall knowing about this! Thank you! I was recently watching a Hollywood Palace episode (on youtube) that had her cigar commercials in it.

I remember those commercials! Edie was to cigars like Monica Lewinsky was to...well...cigars...

 

[MartinP.]

The commemorative 77 SS sidewalk plaque was still in place at that time, too. I stood on it while humming "you meet the highbrows and the hipsters..." [...] I believe that's gone now, as is ANY trace of that section of the block.

A year ago I'd read this on a site that I don't recall now, but it was written:

We were just contacted by The Honorable Lindsey Horvath, Mayor of the City of West Hollywood. She informed us that the contractor carefully removed the "77 Sunset Strip" plaque from the sidewalk in front of the new construction going on at Dino's old location, and they have it in storage. The plaque is to be re-installed as part of the new sidewalk that will be constructed for the middle parcel. The specific location of the plaque is called out on the construction drawings, and the location was reviewed by City Planning. To date, the development project is not far enough along to commence the sidewalk construction. Perhaps within the next six months they will be moving to that construction phase. We tell you all this as their is understandably a lot of concern about the historic plaque due to the current construction of the large new office buildings on the block. The plaque is an important part of TV history! Much thanks to the Mayor for her quick response.
_____

I believe the area is open now, but I can find no online reference of the plaque so far. I don't often have occasion to be around there on foot at present, but if I do I'll look for it.

BUT WHO KNOWS? The iconic Rocky & Bullwinkle statue was removed and restored and were to grace a city parking lot area and installed there in 2015. but as of last year:

"...the city put the Bullwinkle installation “on hold pending the final development” of the Belltower billboard project approved by the city council, so that they can ensure there won’t be a design inconsistency between the base of the Rocky & Bullwinkle statue and the new billboard. No word yet on when those design details for the Belltower will be finalized, but according to WeHoVille, the West Hollywood City Council will conduct a final review of the project sometime later this year (2017). That means for now, Bullwinkle remains in storage. Cartoon lovers and roadside statue aficionados may be discouraged, but Campbell assures us the city has, “every intention of bringing Bullwinkle and Rocky back. We miss them very much, and so does everybody else.”

I don't know who "Campbell" is and so like I said, WHO KNOWS?

 

[criblecoblis]

Here is the rest of the Dec.16, 1961 TV Guide article on Jacqueline Beer...

WOW. I can't thank you enough for this! I'm going to be examining each page minutely. . . .

 

[Rustifer]

A year ago I'd read this on a site that I don't recall now, but it was written:

We were just contacted by The Honorable Lindsey Horvath, Mayor of the City of West Hollywood. She informed us that the contractor carefully removed the "77 Sunset Strip" plaque from the sidewalk in front of the new construction going on at Dino's old location, and they have it in storage. The plaque is to be re-installed as part of the new sidewalk that will be constructed for the middle parcel. The specific location of the plaque is called out on the construction drawings, and the location was reviewed by City Planning. To date, the development project is not far enough along to commence the sidewalk construction. Perhaps within the next six months they will be moving to that construction phase. We tell you all this as their is understandably a lot of concern about the historic plaque due to the current construction of the large new office buildings on the block. The plaque is an important part of TV history! Much thanks to the Mayor for her quick response.
_____

I believe the area is open now, but I can find no online reference of the plaque so far. I don't often have occasion to be around there on foot at present, but if I do I'll look for it.

BUT WHO KNOWS? The iconic Rocky & Bullwinkle statue was removed and restored and were to grace a city parking lot area and installed there in 2015. but as of last year:

"...the city put the Bullwinkle installation “on hold pending the final development” of the Belltower billboard project approved by the city council, so that they can ensure there won’t be a design inconsistency between the base of the Rocky & Bullwinkle statue and the new billboard. No word yet on when those design details for the Belltower will be finalized, but according to WeHoVille, the West Hollywood City Council will conduct a final review of the project sometime later this year (2017). That means for now, Bullwinkle remains in storage. Cartoon lovers and roadside statue aficionados may be discouraged, but Campbell assures us the city has, “every intention of bringing Bullwinkle and Rocky back. We miss them very much, and so does everybody else.”

I don't know who "Campbell" is and so like I said, WHO KNOWS?

Martin, I'm with you on the WHO KNOWS attitude. I just don't think there is a big enough public interest or demand that the 77 SS plaque gets re-placed in the sidewalk. To me, the Millennial Project just doesn't lend itself to the logic of having that plaque put in a place that no longer remotely resembles the era. At one time, there was still a chance that Roger Smith or Efrem Zimbalist or Edd Brynes might still walk across it. Not now. Maybe better served to be installed somewhere on the Warner Bros. lot. Just sayin'.

 

[Rustifer]

I always thought the title "The Positive Negative" (the last episode in Season 3) was intriguing. The episode, not so much. However, it did have some very pretty guest stars that gives me the opportunity to post some titillating pics.

Rex and Kookie are headed to Monaco (a gussied up section of WB's back lot) at the request of an unknown client for an unknown reason. Because Detectives always do that. After checking in to a ritzy hotel, Rex and Kookie are finally summoned to meet their employer Gunnar Isis (John Conte), a rich, snobby gent who is marrying ballerina Amanda Sant (Leslie Parrish). In anticipation of the blessed union, he is about to plop a $500K tiara on her noggin. Rex's job is to guard the tiara, because Detectives always do that.
While at the ballet to see Amanda perform (some archived WB movie footage), Rex meets beautiful Countess Van Hohenstein (Marie Blanchard) who seems to be sweating jewels from every pore. Kookie, no slouch himself, hooks up with Miss Eiffel Tower (Karen Parker), whose dim brain rattles about in her skull like a pebble in a pie pan.

Marie Blanchard and Leslie Parrish

High society is invited to Gunnar's enormous villa for a soiree, so there you have all the suspects gathered for what is about to happen next. It's decided that the guests change into bathing suits and hit the swimming pool as a fitting end to the party (a weak but happy excuse to get the women into bikinis and clop around in high heels). I must say, for a villa that has 22 rooms in just one wing alone, the size of the swimming pool looks like something I used to inflate in the back yard for my kids. One good dive off the springboard puts you in the kiddies' end of the pool with a serious head injury. However, we get a good look at Miss Eiffel tower in a skimpy suit and all negative impressions about the volume of her brain suddenly vanish. You might call it a Positive Negative.

Rex misses all the fun at poolside by having the onerous duty to watch over the tiara that Amanda leaves in her room, which he does by sitting outside the room-- because Detectives always do that. Of course the tiara is stolen and replaced with a fake. By who? Rex is given a terse 24 hours by snarky Gunnar to FIND THE TIARA. Kookie's job is to interrogate the house staff but learns less than nothing since most of the servants don't spicka da Engleesh. In the meantime, a murder occurs to one of the hapless guests.

Finally, it's revealed that the lovely Countess' family used to own the tiara before it was stolen by the Nazis during the war. Guess what Gunnar's political leanings used to be? The real tiara is recovered and the murder solved. Rex and Kookie decide to extend their stay in Monaco to cavort with the countess and Miss Eiffel, because Detectives always do that.
Not exactly one of the series' best efforts.

(NOTE: Much as I tried to find a pic of Karen Parker (Miss Eiffel Tower), none apparently exist as her film career lasted about as long as a gnat's leg.)

 

[Rustifer]

So...I thought I'd take this opportunity to celebrate us getting to 50 pages on this somewhat obscure 77 SS thread. I know that this forum was originally set up for discussions on home theater setups, dvd, blu-ray and other technical stuff that I know nothing about, and would've never guessed this might be a place for me to be drawn (thank you so much Martin for directing me here!) For a long time I was looking for someplace where I could find a fitting format to adjudicate my memories of one of my favorite shows.
I am so happy to find my like-minded friends here who have similar memories and want to caress them in this nostalgic blanket of our youth, experiences and fantasies.

I know I probably over-post with maybe not the most impressive observations that may or may not be shared by the rest of you, but gee whiz... I sure have fun flinging them out. And I rejoice in every one of your guys' memories and expertise. For me, who's on the cusp of retiring from a long professional career and wondering what to do now, this has become a welcome respite to channel my energies and...well, shucks...gives me something productive and FUN to do, and interact with all of you.

In this forum of a trillion posts, 50 pages on WB shows doesn't even show up on the radar. So my message is this: If you're in the background monitoring these posts but staying silent--jump in! Don't be shy--we all want to hear your thoughts.

Rob, Gary, Lutz, Randall, Martin, Richard, John, Scott, Marv, Bob and all the rest of you in here--Happy 50 pages. Wish we could all meet at Dino's and celebrate. Drinks are on me. All night.

 

[Richard V]

Here's to 50 more.

 

[Flashgear]

Russ, you most certainly do not over post. And your insight, observations, wit and sheer enthusiasm are valued highly here, as are the great photos. I do hope that others browsing this thread will pipe in too. We definitely represent the older HTF membership here (I'm 62), and a lot of members here have never seen 77 Sunset Strip, let alone grown up with it as we did. I live in Canada and don't get MeTV, Decades or any other decent nostalgia channel. I have about 170 or so episodes of the run on DVD, sourced from old tape transfers and broadcast captures...about 100 are sourced from near pristine 16 mm film circulation prints with bumpers, promos and some network ads intact...a number also from beat up film copies and fuzzy multi generational VHS captures... all of these 16 mm from a mother lode of WB films that came into collectors circles in the early 90s, including most, if not all, of Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, Bourbon Street Beat and a lot of the WB Western series too (Maverick, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Bronco, Lawman). For some mysterious reason, The Alaskans, Colt .45 and Roaring '20s were either not available at all or only a few. I would love to know the backstory behind where this hoard of 16 mm films came from, as the best copies I have could hardly be improved upon by an official Warner Archive DVD release!

Speaking of Warner Archive, when they launched their MOD program back in 2009, 77 Sunset Strip was mentioned prominently in interviews by the WAC founder, a VP at Warner Brothers, as one of the collectible hallmark properties for release by the new program. The hope of that happening caused many of us collectors to suspend our search for alternative sources to get the show, knowing that having it remastered and released officially was much preferred. That hope now appears to be completely forlorn, because of the oft mentioned music rights entanglement for physical clearance, conflicting priorities in the archive cue, and the twilight of DVD itself. I am one of those collectors for whom anything short of physical possession is a no - go. I have given up hope of 77 Sunset Strip ever getting an official WAC release.

(I have been watching some of my missing episodes on Dailymotion. Thankful for that.)

 

[Rustifer]

I always liked the "Rival Eye Caper" because it reflected the emergence of the SoCal beach culture that became so prevalent in TV and films. I half expected / hoped to see Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson somewhere among the extras in the episode.

Surety Detective Agency is giving Bailey & Spenser headaches what with their suddenly remarkable string of solved theft cases. So no wonder when Nora Chase (Virginia Gregg) hires Stu to recover her stolen jewels, he's driven to get 'er done. Nora, an aging movie actress, has a son Tony (Chad Everett) who is mostly a wastrel but a damn good surfer. His buddy, Dune Boy (Tom Gilson) and girlfriend, Nixie (Dawn Wells) round out the little beach gang.

A promo for the episode in a 1961 TV Guide, Tom Gilson, and the very pretty Dawn Wells

Stu smells a rat when meeting Tony, so Kookie is employed to hit the beach scene as a novice surfer and keep an eye on things. He makes a successful move on Nixie (first base at least) and for that effort gets the crap kicked out of him by Tony and Dune Boy. So much for fun in the sun.

Both Chad and Dawn aged incredibly well. Chad died at age 75 in 2012, Dawn turns 80 this year.

We soon discover that Tony and Dune Boy are stooges for the Surety Agency, stealing stuff at hoity-toity parties so that the insurance recovery percentage lands in their collective wallets. Doting mom Nora can hardly believe her precious boy is actually a scumbag and, as any good mother would do, drinks herself into a stupor.
After a silly offer to merge with B&S, Stu and Kookie take on the Surety goons in a ferocious wrestling match and emerge victors, beaming broadly as Lt. Gilmore escorts the thieves to the hoosegow. Chalk one up for the good guys. Kookie decides surfing is for the square crowd and returns to parking cars. Stu smokes his pipe.
There are some laughably fake beach stage sets in this episode and a lot of WB backlot buildings dressed up to look like surf shops, but that aside-- the guest stars make this a worthwhile adventure.

NOTE: I always thought Tom Gilson looked like a young Dennis Hopper. Tom's TV career was cut short when he drunkenly burst into his estranged wife's house and she shot him dead on the spot, just to teach him a lesson.

 

[MartinP.]

I always thought the title "The Positive Negative" (the last episode in Season 3) was intriguing.

Just as an aside: There was a 1967 episode of The Avengers titled "The Positive Negative Man."

 

[criblecoblis]

I have two comments in response to the magnificent outpouring of posts immediately preceding this post.

1) The City of West Hollywood sucks. They have no regard for their history.

2) Without hard evidence, I DO NOT BUY that the reason that 77SS is not released on DVD is music licensing rights. Warner Tamerlane has owned the rights for several zillion years. If anyone needs re-licensing for DVD rights, it's Warner Tamerlane itself.

It's time for those who say this is the holdup to prove it.

 

[Rustifer]

I have two comments in response to the magnificent outpouring of posts immediately preceding this post.

1) The City of West Hollywood sucks. They have no regard for their history.

2) Without hard evidence, I DO NOT BUY that the reason that 77SS is not released on DVD is music licensing rights. Warner Tamerlane has owned the rights for several zillion years. If anyone needs re-licensing for DVD rights, it's Warner Tamerlane itself.

It's time for those who say this is the holdup to prove it.

Yeah.

 

[Gary16]

I have two comments in response to the magnificent outpouring of posts immediately preceding this post.

1) The City of West Hollywood sucks. They have no regard for their history.

2) Without hard evidence, I DO NOT BUY that the reason that 77SS is not released on DVD is music licensing rights. Warner Tamerlane has owned the rights for several zillion years. If anyone needs re-licensing for DVD rights, it's Warner Tamerlane itself.

It's time for those who say this is the holdup to prove it.

2) So if it’s not the music what other reason would there be? Warner released their westerns without issue. There’s no reason that they wouldn’t want to release the detective shows is there?

 

[Rustifer]

Is it just me, or is this the most perfectly awful rendering of Edd Byrnes that's ever graced a publication?

I tried to decipher the artist's name but can't quite make it out. I wanted to check out his other work for comparison.
Interesting publication specific to the territory of Northern Illinois and Wisconsin. Wonder if it still exists?

In stark contrast to the portrait above, someone shot this highly unusual but creative setting. I'm wracking my brain as to what the chairs represent in this context.

 

[Rustifer]

2) So if it’s not the music what other reason would there be? Warner released their westerns without issue. There’s no reason that they wouldn’t want to release the detective shows is there?

I always wondered if the reason lies more in the marketing end of the decision. The dwindling Baby Boomer population is surely the target market for such a product--can the anticipated number of sales justify the effort?
I'd be curious as to the financial result from WB's western releases and whether that may have been a test as to justifying furthering the release of their early TV portfolio of detective series?