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What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (3 Viewers)

JohnHopper

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I'm still watching my season 2 set of The Wild Wild West.
I just finished disc 6.
“The Night of the Surreal McCoy” (the third Dr. Loveless offering and the greatest Dr. Loveless from season 2)
“The Night of the Colonel’s Ghost” (guest starring Kathie Browne aka the wife of Darren McGavin)

¶​


James West travels through a Wellington painting and faces the ultimate showdown.
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Flashgear

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CBS' 60 Minutes recently had an interesting segment on gene "editing" research going on at the Harvard biomedical laboratory...in the hopes of treating, and perhaps eliminating, genetic diseases. Another of their projects was comparing ancient Mammoth gene sequences (from DNA derived from frozen Siberian Mammoth carcasses) to existing current day Elephants as a necessary preliminary to (possibly) resurrect the extinct Mammoth and Mastodon species that were probably driven to extinction by pre-historic humans...being a classic TV fan, a 1955 episode of Science Fiction Theatre immediately came to mind for me...Dead Storage, a color episode from season one. A perfectly preserved frozen baby Mammoth has been found by the US Army in the high Arctic and been transported to a high tech laboratory where a leading woman scientist (Virginia Bruce) has been called in to study and perhaps revive it if possible...even though she is the acknowledged world expert, the male scientists are reluctant to call her in, and make derisive comments about women's scientific acumen in general...a hilarious smorgasbord of '50s male chauvinism results...but an effective and ultimately touching story as well...My screen caps from the Shout complete series DVD...
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Host Truman Bradley demonstrates the live recovery of a previously frozen fish as a prelude to this episode...
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Virginia Bruce as Dr. Mryna Griffin...
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Booth Colman and Douglas Henderson as two of the hostile scientists..."normally, I'd say Woman scientists...pffft! But she is the acknowledged world expert"...
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They use steam in a carefully measured and gradual defrosting process...
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A "galvanic shock" and oxygen are administered to the animal...note the human sized oxygen mask!
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Walter Coy and Robert H. Harris are the other scientists on the team...
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"Tobey" the baby Mammoth lives again...this is one of the animal star attractions at the LA Zoo, borrowed along with it's handlers and having tusks and extra hair cosmetically applied in a convincing and artful way...Tobey was a well trained and very talented performer with a repertoire of impressive tricks...
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Tobey begins to "imprint" strongly on the female scientist in a touchingly affectionate yearning for it's lost ancient mother...
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Despite being apparently healthy, the scientists quickly become concerned for the baby's vulnerability to modern germs that it's immune system has never encountered...we are told that Tobey was frozen in place a half million years ago...they decide to transport Tobey to an animal refuge in Wisconsin...
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Tobey panics inside the trailer, accidentally injuring her human "Mother" and causing the trailer to overturn in the ditch...Dr. Griffin is taken to the hospital unconscious...
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While recovering in the hospital, Dr. Griffin is horrified to see this newspaper headline...is Tobey dying from an infection? Or from a baby's broken heart at losing her second "Mother"?...
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Having rushed back to the lab in an attempt to save Tobey, Dr. Griffin finds Tobey near collapse, crawling on it's knees to reach her...the baby's plaintive cries are painful to hear...
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Boy, this one was hard to watch, even as an old man...I can imagine what it would have been like to see this one as a little kid...especially if you were a Southern California kid who was familiar with the beloved real life Tobey at the Los Angeles Zoo...something like watching Old Yeller or Lassie Come Home in it's emotional impact...you've got to hand it to producer and creator Ivan Tors (who wrote this original story), director Jack Herzberg and Frederick Ziv for daring to present this compelling story with an unhappy ending...
 
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JohnHopper

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I'm still watching my season 2 set of The Wild Wild West.
I just entered disc 7: the last one.
“The Night of the Deadly Blossom” (guest starring Nehemiah Persoff)
The episode makes reference to two James Bond films:
Dr. No and You Only Live Twice.

¶​
 

mark-edk

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I just discovered this and can't recall ever seeing it before: An Ozzie and Harriet Christmas. Harriet, David, and many of the recurring characters on the show including Thorny, the Randolphs etc reminisce about the show and of course there are lots of clips. They also go into Ozzie and the band, the radio years, etc.
 

JohnHopper

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I'm still watching my season 2 set of The Wild Wild West.
I just entered disc 7: the last one.
“The Night of the Cadre” (guest starring Don Gordon and Richard Jaeckel)
It features one of my favorite female guest: secretary Josephine!




Meet the lovely Josephine.
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Meet the rough Sergeant Stryker!
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ClassicTVMan1981X

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Disc two of The Roman Holidays (Hanna-Barbera, 1972), containing the last four episodes:
10. "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Chariot Wash" (11/11/1972, 58-10)
Synopsis: Mr. Tycoonius orders Gus to get his prized racing chariot washed, but the chariot is destroyed before Gus can return it.

11. "That's Show Biz" (11/18/1972, 58-8)
Synopsis: When the circus comes to town, Gus gets tickets from his old school chum Hammus Terrificus.

12. "Father of the Year" (11/25/1972, 58-13)
Synopsis: Gus and Evictus compete in Rome's most prestigious competition, the Father of the Year awards.

13. "Cyrano de Happius" (12/2/1972, 58-12)
Synopsis: Hap tries to fix up his friend with a beautiful cheerleader, but the cheerleader falls for Hap and Groovia starts dating Hap's friend.

Synopses for the previous nine episodes (disc one):
1. "Double Date" (9/9/1972, 58-1)
Synopsis: Mr. Evictus threatens to evict the Holiday family if they fail to fix up his daughter with a date for the big high school dance.

2. "The Lion's Share" (9/16/1972, 58-2)
Synopsis: After Mr. Evictus threatens to evict the family for violating the "no pets" policy, Brutus runs away to find his long-lost father.

3. "Star for a Day" (9/23/1972, 58-3)
Synopsis: Hap Holiday turns out to be a look-alike for rock star Davey Cassius, so the two trade places for a day.

4. "Hero-Sandwiched" (9/30/1972, 58-4)
Synopsis: Gus struggles with his confidence when he's mistakenly honored as the hero who foiled a robbery.

5. "Switch is Which?" (10/7/1972, 58-7)
Synopsis: After Gus stays up all night working on architectural plans for a big client, Laurie dons a fake mustache to fool the client into believing she's Gus.

6. "Hectic Holiday" (10/14/1972, 58-6)
Synopsis: The family finds an offer to trade houses with another family in Venice for a free vacation.

7. "The Big Split-Up" (10/21/1972, 58-5)
Synopsis: When Groovia overhears Precocia setting up Brutus on a date, she thinks it's for Hap and breaks up with him.

8. "Buried Treasure" (10/28/1972, 58-11)
Synopsis: Gus believes a treasure map he's found at the bottom of some junk leads to a fortune buried under the apartment building.

9. "Double Dilemma" (11/4/1972, 58-9)
Synopsis: When Precocia's drum performance conflicts with his bowling team's big match, Gus must find a way to be in two places at once. This episode is a re-working of The Flintstones episode "Fred Strikes Out" (P-53, which originally aired on March 2, 1962).

~Ben
 

JohnHopper

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I'm still watching my season 2 set of The Wild Wild West and still digging into disc 7.
“The Night of the Wolf” (guest starring Joseph Campanella and John Marley)
As Professor Talamantès used to say: “Vrkalak!”

 

Jeff Flugel

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Continuing with the seasonal viewing:

The Forest Rangers
- 3.1 "Santa MacLeod"
I had never seen this show before, and had barely even heard of it until both Bob Gu and Randall mentioned it briefly in another thread several months back. Apparently it was a highly successful Canadian production which ran from 1963 to 1966 for 104 half-hour color episodes, and aired in 40 countries. The best known actor associated with the program was Gordon Pinsett, though he does not appear in this seasonal outing (apparently having left the series by this point). I'm coming into this show cold, but from what I could tell, it revolves around some kids who are Junior Forest Rangers and hang out in an old fort nearby a remote village called Indian River, get into various scrapes and adventures, and assist the local Forest Ranger, here Chief Forest Ranger George Keeley (Graydon Gould) and local Native Canadian guide, Joe Two Rivers (Michael Zenon). In this one, an old man named MacLeod, depressed because he mistakenly thinks he didn't get invited to the kids' Christmas party, trudges forlornly back to his cabin, only to come upon a young man, his sick wife and their baby, stranded in the wilderness. Good outdoor adventure here, capped by a touching scene at the end with MacLeod attending the Christmas party and receiving a special gift.

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The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

1.13 "Late Christmas Gift"
5.12 "The Busy Christmas"
If anything, even less happens in "Late Christmas Gift" than the other two episodes of this series I had previously watched, but it still makes for very pleasant and cheerful viewing. Ozzie's mom sends David and him Christmas presents which arrive later on Christmas Day, one a thick history book and the other a snazzy sports coat..but which present is for Ozzie, and which is for David? Ozzie immediately takes a shine to the coat and he and Thorny head off to the local malt shop to hang out with the other cool kids (which sadly, but perhaps mercifully, happens off screen). I particularly liked how Ozzie immediately, and with no reservations whatsoever, gives his present over to David, once he realizes that the coat is much more suitable for him. Some nice, underplayed tenderness between father and son here. Franklin Pangborn also shows up as the family's lugubrious insurance agent.

In "Busy Christmas," Ozzie's good nature gets the better of him as he gets roped into participating in many seasonal events, all culminating on Christmas Eve...and soon finds himself stretched too thin to handle everything he has promised to do. The plot doesn't go exactly where you think it might, which was a pleasant surprise, and the episode ends in a lovely manner as Ozzie's family comes to his aid to make sure Christmas Eve works out just right.

Unlike "Late Christmas Present", which was essentially just a "bottle" episode centered mostly on the Nelson family, this one lives up to its title and is busy with guest appearances, including Frank Cady (Sam Drucker from Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) as the family doctor who enlists Ozzie to play Scrooge in a local production of A Christmas Carol. I got a kick out of the loudspeaker announcements that punctuate an early scene with Ozzie in a crowded department store. I can see why longtime HTF member and Christmas TV guru Gary OS championed this episode so strongly - it's a special one.

Sherlock Holmes (1960s BBC series)
2.16 "The Blue Carbuncle."
While I still prefer the later Jeremy Brett version, this remains a very good adaptation of this classic tale. This was made in the "TV play" style (filmed exteriors/ videotaped studio interiors) typical for British TV of the period, which might bother some U.S. viewers, but isn't a problem for this longtime UK telly fan. Peter Cushing's Holmes is warmer and more humorous than is probably accurate with the Doyle canon, but he and Nigel Stock (as Watson) make for charming company nonetheless. Fun to see Frank Middlemass appear as Peterson; he would return 16 years later as Harold Baker in the Jeremy Brett version of this story. There's a lovely little scene where Watson gives Holmes some pipe tobacco as a Christmas present.

The Andy Griffith Show - 1.11 "Christmas Story"
This might just be my all-time favorite Christmas episode produced for any TV show - IMO, it's just perfect in every way. It's funny, warm-hearted and includes all the requisite Christmas trimmings. Only in magical Mayberry could a Christmas spent in jail seem like a good time. The scene when Andy and girlfriend Ellie (pretty Elinor Donahue) sing "Away in the Manger" is wonderful. Ubiquitous character actor Will Wright does a fine job in his Scrooge-lite role.

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The Good Life - "Silly, But It's Fun"
Known as Good Neighbors when it aired on PBS in the U.S., this terrific Britcom is about a couple, Tom and Barbara Good (played to perfection by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall), who drop out of the rat race to lead a self-sufficient farming lifestyle in the London suburbs, alongside their posh neighbors, Jerry and Margo Leadbetter (Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith). The show ran for four series (seasons) and two specials, including this special Christmas episode, which aired on Boxing Day, 1977 (that's December 26th for us Yanks).

When perfectionist Margo's dispute with a Christmas goods supply company results in the Leadbetters having to "cancel Christmas" (no deliveries at all on Christmas Day, so no tree, no food, and no booze), Tom and Barbara invite them over to their house for a humble repast and some party games (including hand-made Christmas crackers). Upper-class Margot has a hard time getting into the convivial spirit at first (her reaction to the Christmas cracker joke: "The ooh-aah bird is so called because it lays square eggs," is a deadpan "I don't understand that one.") But eventually, under the influence of Tom's homemade pea-pod wine, she finally relaxes and admits, "That was the best Christmas I've ever had." Manages to be very funny while simultaneously carrying a clear message, that the heart of Yuletide celebrations should be about slowing down, spending good times with loved ones, and rekindling some of that childlike joy in the holiday.

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ClassicTVMan1981X

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Sealab 2020 (Hanna-Barbera, 1972)
I've never heard of this series until Cartoon Network ran a Boomerang mini-marathon of cartoons by year, between 2000-2003. It later spawned the Adult Swim sequel, Sealab 2021.

Disc One:
1.1 - "Deep Threat" (September 9, 1972)
Radiation is released into the water by some leaking barrels. Meanwhile, the Captain's grandson and his friend Sally got lost while diving.

1.2 - "Lost" (September 16, 1972)
A red tide engulfs Sealab, cutting down its oxygen supply. Meanwhile, Gail becomes attached to a lost, young dolphin she has found and tries training it to rescue divers.

1.3 - "Green Fever" (September 23, 1972)
An anchor hits the Sealab, causing one of the compartments to flood.

1.4 - "The Singing Whale" (September 30, 1972)
A whale expert and his wheelchair-bound son visit Sealab just as a blue whale and an obsessed hunter chasing it come to the seamount.

1.5 - "The Shark Lover" (October 7, 1972)
When the level of shark activity skyrockets around Sealab, they call in a shark expert to try to learn the cause and ensure safety for the oceanauts.

1.6 - "The Basking Shark" (October 14, 1972)
A probe sent to study the planet Neptune's atmosphere returns to earth after 12 years but on re-entry the parachute fails and it crash-lands in the ocean near Sealab. Mr. Mills from the Aerospace Bureau enlists the help of Sealab to help recover the probe within 48 hours. An anomalous malfunction with the sonar system and perceived sudden disappearance of the probe lead Aerospace to suspect Sealab sonographer Henry Lucas of espionage. The probe turns up in an unusual place and is retrieved in an even more unusual way.

1.7 - "Where Dangers Are Many" (October 21, 1972)
Sealab crew investigates a disturbance to find an automatic bottom-dredging mining operation in their area. The captain of the operation, Samuel Carlson, gets trapped under his dredge and is rescued by Sealab. While decompressing after having received medical attention at Sealab the crew manage to convince Carlson to allow them 24 hours to demonstrate how to mine less destructively.

1.8 - "Backfire" (October 28, 1972)
Sealab members are trying to capture an electric manta ray when they see some strange figures whom they determine to be drilling for oil, with Sealab's permission but without the crew's knowledge. They try to get the men to relocate the oil drilling to another field miles away from Sealab but the drillers refuse. Then a tsunami hits and their oil drilling operation is destroyed. This episode is called Backfire because if they had moved the drilling operation they would have averted disaster.

~Ben
 

Jeff Flugel

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Sealab 2020 (Hanna-Barbera, 1972)
I've never heard of this series until Cartoon Network ran a Boomerang mini-marathon of cartoons by year, between 2000-2003. It later spawned the Adult Swim sequel, Sealab 2021.

What did you think of the original version of Sealab, Ben? Is it worth picking up the set?
 

Jeff Flugel

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Finished up my Christmas viewing with the following:

Petticoat Junction - 1.14 "Cannonball Christmas"
Watched this episode last Christmas, and it was my first exposure to this delightful, gentle little rural sitcom. Homer Bedloe (Charles Lane) is up to his usual tricks, trying to shut down the Cannonball Express right before its annual Christmas Eve trip through the valley. But the old sourpuss is foiled at the last minute by his boss, railroad CEO Norman Curtis (Roy Roberts), who has a soft spot for the denizens of Hooterville, especially Kate (Bea Benederet). The final scenes are memorable, as the train chugs through the countryside, all decked out with Christmas lights, the cast singing out carols to the night. And Kate's three daughters are plenty easy on the eye...

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The Box of Delights - 1.1 "When the Wolves Were Running"
Only time this year for a single episode of this 6 part story, which first aired on the BBC in 1984, and has since developed quite the following, becoming an annual tradition for a surprising number of people...mostly Brits, understandably, but as this ran on PBS Wonderworks in the late '80s, it holds plenty of nostalgia for some of us Yanks as well.

This atmospheric adaptation of John Masefield's famous children's fantasy is always strange, mystical and captivating, with inventive (for the time) special effects and a great score by Roger Limb. Young Kay Harker (Devin Stanfield) returns home for the holidays and meets a kindly and mysterious stranger (Patrick Troughton, the Second Doctor Who, wonderful here) which starts him on a wild and magical adventure. Captures the time period (1930s rural Britain) very well, and despite the weird and at times sinister goings-on, it's very Christmassy, especially this first episode, with carol singers, Christmas trees, presents, a Punch-and-Judy show, etc.

The Beverly Hillbillies - 2.14 "Christmas with the Clampetts"
This show is so ridiculous, but always reliable funny. The Clampetts are confused by a variety of lavish Christmas presents given to them by Mr. Drysdale, including a big TV (which Granny mistakes for a washing machine), a pair of wet suits, a motorboat and a pet chimpanzee named Skipper. The usual misunderstandings and hijinks ensue, culminating in an extended scene of the Clampetts tooling around Beverly Hills in their rickety old heap, looking for some water to put their new boat in.

The Avengers - 4.13 "Too Many Christmas Trees"
It's been years since I've seen this episode, and it's a very good one, more serious and eerie than the norm for this usually light and bubbly confection of a spy series. Steed's been plagued by odd Christmas-themed nightmares, all part of a plot that involves telepathy, government secrets, a Charles Dickens-themed festive party at a country estate and Mrs. Peel (Diana Rigg) looking too scrumptious for words.

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