) At any rate, as the title says, it's the day after Thanksgiving, and Ozzie has had his fill of turkey and isn't interested in any leftovers...or is he? Harriet and little scene-stealer Ricky get in some good zingers, but it's Ozzie who holds center stage here, as he grows increasingly fixated on getting some turkey leftovers as the episode progresses...all kicked off by neighbor Don DeFore sticking a half-eaten turkey leg in his face several times. I enjoyed this episode very much and will be watching more soon.
I purchased the Munster movies on DVD a couple of years back (whenever it was they came out) and am good with those. Now... if they want to put the *series* on BR then I'm on board! I have 2 copies of the series - the original S1 "Coffin" box and S2 Herman's Head (on DS discs) and the later re-release on SS discs. I still need to open and watch the SS one.Good memories Howie! The George Barris and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth novelty cars...Hot Rod Magazine, Rat Fink and Wonder Wart Hog cartoons, ha, ha...The Munsters are about to experience a Renaissance, what with Scream Factory's announcement of Munster Go Home coming out in a new Blu-ray...
I had that Chamber of Horrors Guillotine too! And the Bride of Frankenstein...between all these and the loads of Revell and Monogram 49 cent airplane kits I had, I wonder how I ever found room for all of them in my bedroom!
One of my favorites too, Jeff. There was something so calming in the aspect that the most serious situation that could shake the foundation of the family was Ozzie missing out on his fill of turkey on Thanksgiving or losing one of his slippers.
The Beverly Hillbillies - 2.2 "Hair-Raising Holiday"
It's Possum Day, and the Clampetts are excited to see how Los Angeles celebrates...which makes life difficult for Mr. Drysdale and Ms. Hathaway, who have to gin up some sort of parade to keep their millionaire charges happy. Not to mention the fallout from Granny's doctorin' (as seen in the previous episode, "Jed Gets the Misery"), as the irate Dr. Clyburn (the very funny Fred Clark), fuming from having his hair chopped off as part of Granny's "cure," threatens to prevent her from practicng medicine ever again. The final scene is full of some great visual gags, as the Clampetts form the V.I.P. part of the Possum Day parade, and Ms. Hathaway gets a crash course in "possum juggling." Everyone in the cast is spot-on, but I'm always especially taken with Buddy Ebson's pitch-perfect delivery of every line.
Adam-12 - 1.2 "Log 141 - The Color TV Bandit"
Just another day in the life of patrol cops Malloy and Reed, as they come to the rescue of two small boys who broke into the stash of their druggie mom (Chloris Leachman) and almost overdose, give a ticket for reckless driving to a pain-in-the-neck blonde (Wrangler Jane herself, 19-year-old Melody Patterson) and try to nab an elusive thief whose been stealing color TVs. One thing I can't help but admire is this show's dedication to depicting the episodic, work-a-day nature of the patrol cop's job. In a lot of other dramas, we'd see Cloris Leachman's or Melody Patterson's characters come back for some follow-up coda, but nope...they each get their one scene and they're gone, and it's on to the next problem. Just the facts, ma'am.
All Creatures Great and Small - 3.13 "Big Steps and Little 'Uns"
When the holiday season approaches, I always feel like watching this lovely, heartwarming British drama about the life of vet James Herriott in rural 1930s Yorkshire. This episode was the last of the original phase of this series that was based on Herriott's books, and carries an elegiac tone, as we follow James (Christopher Timothy) and older Farnon brother, Siegfried (the amazing Robert Hardy), on their final rounds before shipping off to fight in WWII. Everything about this show in its first three series is beautifully done. After a brief hiatus, there were two TV specials (in 1983 and 1985, respectively), then the series returned for four more seasons beginning in 1988, but, sadly, by this time Carol Drinkwater had left the series and a new (and, it must be said, far less charming and attractive) actress took over as James' wife, Helen. The show was still good, but some of that precious magic had gone. Those first three seasons, though - just fab.
The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet - 1.9 "Day After Thanksgiving"
This was my first time watching a complete episode of this seminal family sitcom, and I thought it was pretty freakin' great, in its own unassuming way. Afterwards, I watched some of a Biography profile on the Nelson family, and host Peter Graves compared this show to Seinfeld, as in both were essentially about nothing, just little random amusing slices of life, and no real plot to speak of. (I believe Russ once made this same observation about Leave It To Beaver earlier in this thread...see Russ, I do remember some of your posts!
Dragnet (1950s version) - 5.7 "The Big Look"
Another first-time viewing for me, as I'd checked out several episodes of the 1960s run of this show previously this year, but had never seen a lick of the original. On both versions, I get a big kick out of Jack Webb's stoic "Yes, ma'am" demeanor...he's supremely patient dealing with witnesses who natter on and on, but can transform into stern pit bull mode once he gets his mitts on a likely suspect. In this one, detectives Friday and Smith (Ben Alexander) follow the trail of a man breaking in and brutally beating women in their homes. Some nice, noirish nighttime shots of the mean streets of Los Angeles.
McHale's Navy - 1.11 "The Day They Captured Santa"
Started off my Christmas TV viewing with this seasonal outing from my Merry Sitcom DVD sampler. McHale and company run into trouble when their annual visit to bring toys and turkey dinners to an orphanage on a nearby island coincides with a Japanese landing party taking them captive. Even by McHale standards, this is pretty broad stuff, but amusing enough, if you can look past the iffy caricatures of the Japanese soldiers. The actors, all seasoned pros, carry it over the goofy spots.
