Magnum, P.I. - 1.15 "Don't Say Goodbye"
Covered this one in depth in the dedicated Magnum thread elsewhere on this forum, but in brief, it was a typically satisfying time spent with old pals Magnum, Higgins, T.C., Rick, 1980's Hawaii and a beautiful red Ferrari.
I Love Lucy - 1.25 "Pioneer Women"
I know I was bagging on Lucy a few pages back, but there's no denying how funny this particular show is. This one was a hoot, as Lucy and Ethel bet their husbands $50 that they can do their daily wifely tasks without modern conveniences. The bread baking scene alone makes this a great episode.
The Honeymooners - 1.1 "TV or Not TV"
Here's another one that I have been aware of all my life, but never watched more than a minute of...till now. I know, I know. Found a decent copy on YouTube of this, the first of the "Classic 39." After Alice cajoles him into buying a TV set, cheapskate Ralph goes halfsies with neighbor and bowling pal, Norton. Soon they're fighting over control of the set. I must confess, it took me a few minutes to get into the show (though it was filmed a whole 4 years later than the I Love Lucy episode above, it seemed a far stagier and creakier production). But as soon as Norton pulled out his Captain Video helmet and started reciting the Captain Video pledge, I was all in. Good stuff...and Aubrey Meadows is kind of cute in her hausfrau way.
Ark II - 1.1 "The Flies"
Further trolling of YouTube yielded this blast from my childhood past, a live action Saturday morning kids show from 1976, about a group of young scientific explorers - all sporting Biblical names: stalwart leader, Jonah, Asian hottie, Ruth, and Hispanic teen, Samuel, plus an intelligent, talking chimp named Adam(!) - patrolling an apocalyptic wasteland in their super cool, souped-up all terrain vehicle, complete with jet pack and smaller ATV "roamer." The hardware was all I really remembered of this show, but I was surprised to find that it's actually fairly watchable. It helps that the producers were able to hire some first-rate actors once in a while...including this pilot episode, in which the Ark II crew get involved when a group of ragtag youths, led by a scruffy old geezer named Fagon (Dr. Smith himself, Jonathan Harris, doing an Oirish accent), scrounge up some poison gas canisters. Malachi Throne also turns up, looking like a dime store Genghis Khan, as the leader of a ruthless gang of War Lords eager to get their hands on the gas.
Barney Miller - 3.9 "Power Failure"
Apparently, when cops are asked which TV show features the most realistic depiction of real-life police work, they often answer that this one comes the closest. I usually have a deep aversion to '70s sitcoms, but this is an exception, a very funny, well-written show with a great rogues' gallery of supporting characters, and a charming lead in the form of Hal Linden. In this one, Barney and company contend not only with a massive power outage, but also a perp (Stefan Gierasch) with multiple personalities, one meek and mild, the other obstreperous. When Barney meets the man's attractive psychiatrist (soap starlet Susan Brown), sparks fly. Regular Ron Glass sits this one out, but deadpan Steve Landesberg is on hand as zen-like oddball, Det. Sgt. Dietrich.
The Real McCoys - 1.1 "Californy, Here We Come"
This appears to be the only uncut episode of this show available on YouTube. It plays as a slightly more realistic take on the "hayseeds moving to California" schtick that The Beverly Hillbillies would mine so memorably a few years later. I was slightly taken aback at seeing Richard Crenna sporting a down-home, folksy accent; as the earnest grandson of crotchety Walter Brennan, Crenna's Luke is newly married to the sweet, shy and very purty Kate (Kathleen Nolan). Along with his younger brother (also named Luke) and sister, the family has moved out from West Virginia to take over a dead relative's ranch. Lovable old coot Brennan is the driving force here, and spars nicely with everyone, including ranch hand Pepino (Tony Martinez) and his new neighbors, brother and sister sheep farmers (played by Andy Clyde and Madge Blake).
Kojak - 1.5 "Girl in the River"
Watching Barney Miller got me in the mood for another cop show that focuses on lots of banter between harried, hard-working cops, so I pulled out my Region 2 S1 set of this atmospheric, intense Telly Savalas series. A new spate of murders of young women seems to indicate the return of the "Excalibur" killer, and Kojak is fired up to track him down. The very fetching Jenifer Shaw plays a young masseuse involved in the case. When Kojak finally gets the murderer in his sites...well, let's just say, there won't be any need for a trial. Also with James Keach and Alan Fudge.
Hard to find good pics of Ms. Shaw online...this will have to do for now.
Covered this one in depth in the dedicated Magnum thread elsewhere on this forum, but in brief, it was a typically satisfying time spent with old pals Magnum, Higgins, T.C., Rick, 1980's Hawaii and a beautiful red Ferrari.
I Love Lucy - 1.25 "Pioneer Women"
I know I was bagging on Lucy a few pages back, but there's no denying how funny this particular show is. This one was a hoot, as Lucy and Ethel bet their husbands $50 that they can do their daily wifely tasks without modern conveniences. The bread baking scene alone makes this a great episode.
The Honeymooners - 1.1 "TV or Not TV"
Here's another one that I have been aware of all my life, but never watched more than a minute of...till now. I know, I know. Found a decent copy on YouTube of this, the first of the "Classic 39." After Alice cajoles him into buying a TV set, cheapskate Ralph goes halfsies with neighbor and bowling pal, Norton. Soon they're fighting over control of the set. I must confess, it took me a few minutes to get into the show (though it was filmed a whole 4 years later than the I Love Lucy episode above, it seemed a far stagier and creakier production). But as soon as Norton pulled out his Captain Video helmet and started reciting the Captain Video pledge, I was all in. Good stuff...and Aubrey Meadows is kind of cute in her hausfrau way.
Ark II - 1.1 "The Flies"
Further trolling of YouTube yielded this blast from my childhood past, a live action Saturday morning kids show from 1976, about a group of young scientific explorers - all sporting Biblical names: stalwart leader, Jonah, Asian hottie, Ruth, and Hispanic teen, Samuel, plus an intelligent, talking chimp named Adam(!) - patrolling an apocalyptic wasteland in their super cool, souped-up all terrain vehicle, complete with jet pack and smaller ATV "roamer." The hardware was all I really remembered of this show, but I was surprised to find that it's actually fairly watchable. It helps that the producers were able to hire some first-rate actors once in a while...including this pilot episode, in which the Ark II crew get involved when a group of ragtag youths, led by a scruffy old geezer named Fagon (Dr. Smith himself, Jonathan Harris, doing an Oirish accent), scrounge up some poison gas canisters. Malachi Throne also turns up, looking like a dime store Genghis Khan, as the leader of a ruthless gang of War Lords eager to get their hands on the gas.
Barney Miller - 3.9 "Power Failure"
Apparently, when cops are asked which TV show features the most realistic depiction of real-life police work, they often answer that this one comes the closest. I usually have a deep aversion to '70s sitcoms, but this is an exception, a very funny, well-written show with a great rogues' gallery of supporting characters, and a charming lead in the form of Hal Linden. In this one, Barney and company contend not only with a massive power outage, but also a perp (Stefan Gierasch) with multiple personalities, one meek and mild, the other obstreperous. When Barney meets the man's attractive psychiatrist (soap starlet Susan Brown), sparks fly. Regular Ron Glass sits this one out, but deadpan Steve Landesberg is on hand as zen-like oddball, Det. Sgt. Dietrich.
The Real McCoys - 1.1 "Californy, Here We Come"
This appears to be the only uncut episode of this show available on YouTube. It plays as a slightly more realistic take on the "hayseeds moving to California" schtick that The Beverly Hillbillies would mine so memorably a few years later. I was slightly taken aback at seeing Richard Crenna sporting a down-home, folksy accent; as the earnest grandson of crotchety Walter Brennan, Crenna's Luke is newly married to the sweet, shy and very purty Kate (Kathleen Nolan). Along with his younger brother (also named Luke) and sister, the family has moved out from West Virginia to take over a dead relative's ranch. Lovable old coot Brennan is the driving force here, and spars nicely with everyone, including ranch hand Pepino (Tony Martinez) and his new neighbors, brother and sister sheep farmers (played by Andy Clyde and Madge Blake).
Kojak - 1.5 "Girl in the River"
Watching Barney Miller got me in the mood for another cop show that focuses on lots of banter between harried, hard-working cops, so I pulled out my Region 2 S1 set of this atmospheric, intense Telly Savalas series. A new spate of murders of young women seems to indicate the return of the "Excalibur" killer, and Kojak is fired up to track him down. The very fetching Jenifer Shaw plays a young masseuse involved in the case. When Kojak finally gets the murderer in his sites...well, let's just say, there won't be any need for a trial. Also with James Keach and Alan Fudge.
Hard to find good pics of Ms. Shaw online...this will have to do for now.
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