What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (4 Viewers)

[JohnHopper]

The Invaders - 2.18 "Counter Attack"
Typically solid episode sees David Vincent working with a small group, led by millionaire Edgar Scoville (Kent Smith), on a transmitter device that will jam the signals of the aliens' spacecraft, causing them to crash. Exotic stunner Ahna Capri, profiled above by Randall, plays Scoville's niece, who seems to have a thing for David, and can't believe it when he seems willing to sell out to the Invaders. Of course, the viewer knows that dogged crusader Vincent would never betray mankind...it's all part of a plan to capture evidence of the alien threat and gain official U.S. military support. Kent Smith spent so much of his career playing slimy, corrupt types that it's hard to accept him as a good guy...which happens to work in the context of this story. Ms. Capri's character appears to be introduced as a serious love interest for Vincent, yet, as per the norm in '60s episodic television, she never returns to the show.

_____________________________________________________________
One of the best season 2 episodes because of the turncoat framework that you find in many Sixties series:
see The Wild Wild West (“The Night of the Skulls”, “The Night of the Turncoat”) and Mannix (“One for the Lady”).
​

 

[JohnHopper]

_____________________________________________________________
One of the best season 2 episodes because of the turncoat framework that you find in many Sixties series:
see The Wild Wild West (“The Night of the Skulls”, “The Night of the Turncoat”) and Mannix (“One for the Lady”).
​

Jerry Fielding - Turncoat Mannix (1970)
​

 

[Jack P]

Well, finally a new actress marathon! Stumbled into doing one for Luana Anders, perhaps best known for her roles in Roger Corman films and "Easy Rider" but who appeared in many classic shows from the late 50s to early 70s, sometimes as a focal point other times just a small part.

This was not in order of watching but in order of production. A lot of her early roles were of the shy, troubled, introverted "damaged girl" variety.

Loretta Young Show, S5-"Time of Decision"
-Loretta plays a widowed architect with a troubled 16 year old sister suffering from mental illness (it would have been more believable to make her a daughter character. I can't help but wonder if this was vanity on Loretta's part) and Loretta must come to terms with the decision to have her treated. John Newland, a year before "One Step Beyond" plays Loretta's boss and boyfriend. Luana's two scenes show her first shy and reserved and then full-out mad, showing a great early range.

Cimarron City-"Child Of Fear"
-Utterly insipid, predictable melodrama with Luana as the teenaged daughter of fanatical, Bible-quoting John Carradine who right from the outset we *know* is an abusive, murdering lunatic spouting his fire and brimstone so there is no dramatic tension whatsoever except when is the truth going to be exposed to the dense townsfolk (star George Montgomery is absent from this episode and Audrey Totter had already quit the show) who will free her from this. Carradine's character is a walking cliche of the worst kind in classic TV westerns.

M Squad, S2-"The Harpies"
-Luana is the young bad girl in this one, playing the daughter of hardened criminals that Lieutenant Ballinger once put away and who is now plying her parents trade of robbery, but now with murder as well.

One Step Beyond, S1-"The Burning Girl."
-A real spotlight tour-de-force for Luana as she anticipates Stephen King's "Firestarter" by playing a girl who can start fires through ESP. Ed "Chief" Platt as her father.

Rawhide, S3-"Incident Of The Running Man"
-I only own the first three seasons because this western just never grabbed me and I've probably only seen two or three episodes before, so getting an excuse to watch one was nice. This is an Eastwood solo episode as he's wrongfully accused of murdering a deputy (an early role for Robert "Exidor" Donner) and while on the run tries to find a way to warn a fort that a gang (the real killers) plans on taking it over through substitution of fake soldiers. Luana is a young woman trapped in a dull marriage who helps Eastwood, but in the end she remains "good".

The Eleventh Hour, S1-"Try To Keep Alive Until Next Tuesday"
-Robert Walker, Jr. (recently RIP) as a college student who attempts suicide because of the pressures placed upon him by the expectations of his parents, and that he can never measure up to the standards of his successful brother (who never appears in the episode). James Gregory as the father, Bill Bixby as his happy-go-lucky college roommate and Luana as a shy girl who wants to reach out to Walker but is unable to. (Warner, whatever happened to S2 of *THIS* show????)

The Outer Limits, S1-"The Guests"
-Geoffrey Horne as a young drifter finds an old man (an uncredited Burt Mustin) fleeing from an isolated house before dying and turning to dust. The "house" is actually an illusion housing a giant alien intelligence. Inside are four other people who have been trapped inside the house for decades because the alien is studying them. They include a bickering couple, silent film star Gloria Grahame and Mustin's daughter, Luana, whom Horne falls in love with and who tries to help him escape. The episode gave me a reminder of why "Outer Limits" could seem so long and less well-paced compared to "Twilight Zone". Luana again does well in this kind of shy/offbeat character.

That Girl, S1-"Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!"
-The first episode of the series (after the pilot, which had Ted Bessell as her agent and boyfriend, and Harold Gould as Marlo's father, was basically rejected and refilmed as a later episode) which shows how Ann and Donald met. Luana gets a comic turn in this one as a frumpy secretary.

That Girl, S1-"Leaving The Nest Is For The Birds"
-Ann's dinner party for her parents and meddling aunt is disrupted by a jumper (Jerry Van Dyke) on her ledge. At one point, when her family brings up the movie "Fourteen Hours" they all dispute who was the star, where we hear the names Glenn Ford, Gregory Peck and Rod Steiger. They were all wrong, it was Richard Basehart!! Small part for Luana as Van Dyke's girlfriend.

The next wave of roles for Luana reflect the influence of her roles in "The Trip" and "Easy Rider" as we get her in a lot of hippie type parts.

Dragnet, S2-"The Big Dog"
-Trained dogs are stealing women's purses. Luana's turn as a blonde-wigged hippie that Friday and Gannon patiently try to interview is side-splittingly funny.

Dragnet, S2-"The Suicide Attempt"
-Later in the season Luana had a "sensible" role in this tale of a man who has phoned his sister and threatened to commit suicide and Friday and Gannon have to race to find him before it's too late. Luana (with bad short wig) is the bitter ex-wife who doesn't care what happens to him.

Adam-12, S1-"Log 111: The Boa Constrictor"
-Back to playing a hippie just as off-beat and eccentric as her first "Dragnet" episode as she reports her car stolen with her pet boa in the trunk.

Hawaii Five-O, S1-"And They Painted Daisies On His Coffin"
-The famous "Big Chicken" episode with Gavin MacLeod that has been reviewed earlier. Luana plays a hippie once again but her role is actually secondary for just one scene.

Dragnet, S4-"The Dognappers"
-Another dog-related episode that actually references the earlier one, which I think is the only time "Dragnet" ever observed that kind of continuity! This time dogs are being kidnapped and the ones doing it then collect reward money from the owners once they report them lost (posing as Good Samaritans who say they found them). Luana this time goes to the other end of the spectrum and gets to play a haughty, glamorous rich woman whose dog was stolen.

Ironside, S4-"The Target"
-After playing off-center comical hippies, Luana this time is part of a radical militant group that kidnaps Earl Holliman's son (a young Vincent Van Patten) to get Holliman to deliver dynamite from his job so they can perform an act of terrorism at a university lab.

Mannix, S6-"Lost Sunday"
-Small part for her as a cafe owner in a tale where Mannix investigates the death of a young man at a sand and gravel quarry and discovers a cover-up to protect the troubled Vietnam vet son of a rich local that in typical Mannix tradition will have a bigger twist later in the story. Crooked deputies jail Mannix on a trumped charge so we have to get a lot of scenes of Mannix in prison blues having to do a jail break.

This was a totally unplanned marathon and it ended up giving me an interesting sweep of episodes that I would never have picked at random (which is why an actress marathon is usually the best linking device to work your way into one).

 

[JohnHopper]

Well, finally a new actress marathon! Stumbled into doing one for Luana Anders, perhaps best known for her roles in Roger Corman films and "Easy Rider" but who appeared in many classic shows from the late 50s to early 70s, sometimes as a focal point other times just a small part.

This was not in order of watching but in order of production. A lot of her early roles were of the shy, troubled, introverted "damaged girl" variety.

Loretta Young Show, S5-"Time of Decision"
-Loretta plays a widowed architect with a troubled 16 year old sister suffering from mental illness (it would have been more believable to make her a daughter character. I can't help but wonder if this was vanity on Loretta's part) and Loretta must come to terms with the decision to have her treated. John Newland, a year before "One Step Beyond" plays Loretta's boss and boyfriend. Luana's two scenes show her first shy and reserved and then full-out mad, showing a great early range.

Cimarron City-"Child Of Fear"
-Utterly insipid, predictable melodrama with Luana as the teenaged daughter of fanatical, Bible-quoting John Carradine who right from the outset we *know* is an abusive, murdering lunatic spouting his fire and brimstone so there is no dramatic tension whatsoever except when is the truth going to be exposed to the dense townsfolk (star George Montgomery is absent from this episode and Audrey Totter had already quit the show) who will free her from this. Carradine's character is a walking cliche of the worst kind in classic TV westerns.

M Squad, S2-"The Harpies"
-Luana is the young bad girl in this one, playing the daughter of hardened criminals that Lieutenant Ballinger once put away and who is now plying her parents trade of robbery, but now with murder as well.

One Step Beyond, S1-"The Burning Girl."
-A real spotlight tour-de-force for Luana as she anticipates Stephen King's "Firestarter" by playing a girl who can start fires through ESP. Ed "Chief" Platt as her father.

Rawhide, S3-"Incident Of The Running Man"
-I only own the first three seasons because this western just never grabbed me and I've probably only seen two or three episodes before, so getting an excuse to watch one was nice. This is an Eastwood solo episode as he's wrongfully accused of murdering a deputy (an early role for Robert "Exidor" Donner) and while on the run tries to find a way to warn a fort that a gang (the real killers) plans on taking it over through substitution of fake soldiers. Luana is a young woman trapped in a dull marriage who helps Eastwood, but in the end she remains "good".

The Eleventh Hour, S1-"Try To Keep Alive Until Next Tuesday"
-Robert Walker, Jr. (recently RIP) as a college student who attempts suicide because of the pressures placed upon him by the expectations of his parents, and that he can never measure up to the standards of his successful brother (who never appears in the episode). James Gregory as the father, Bill Bixby as his happy-go-lucky college roommate and Luana as a shy girl who wants to reach out to Walker but is unable to. (Warner, whatever happened to S2 of *THIS* show????)

The Outer Limits, S1-"The Guests"
-Geoffrey Horne as a young drifter finds an old man (an uncredited Burt Mustin) fleeing from an isolated house before dying and turning to dust. The "house" is actually an illusion housing a giant alien intelligence. Inside are four other people who have been trapped inside the house for decades because the alien is studying them. They include a bickering couple, silent film star Gloria Grahame and Mustin's daughter, Luana, whom Horne falls in love with and who tries to help him escape. The episode gave me a reminder of why "Outer Limits" could seem so long and less well-paced compared to "Twilight Zone". Luana again does well in this kind of shy/offbeat character.

That Girl, S1-"Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!"
-The first episode of the series (after the pilot, which had Ted Bessell as her agent and boyfriend, and Harold Gould as Marlo's father, was basically rejected and refilmed as a later episode) which shows how Ann and Donald met. Luana gets a comic turn in this one as a frumpy secretary.

That Girl, S1-"Leaving The Nest Is For The Birds"
-Ann's dinner party for her parents and meddling aunt is disrupted by a jumper (Jerry Van Dyke) on her ledge. At one point, when her family brings up the movie "Fourteen Hours" they all dispute who was the star, where we hear the names Glenn Ford, Gregory Peck and Rod Steiger. They were all wrong, it was Richard Basehart!! Small part for Luana as Van Dyke's girlfriend.

The next wave of roles for Luana reflect the influence of her roles in "The Trip" and "Easy Rider" as we get her in a lot of hippie type parts.

Dragnet, S2-"The Big Dog"
-Trained dogs are stealing women's purses. Luana's turn as a blonde-wigged hippie that Friday and Gannon patiently try to interview is side-splittingly funny.

Dragnet, S2-"The Suicide Attempt"
-Later in the season Luana had a "sensible" role in this tale of a man who has phoned his sister and threatened to commit suicide and Friday and Gannon have to race to find him before it's too late. Luana (with bad short wig) is the bitter ex-wife who doesn't care what happens to him.

Adam-12, S1-"Log 111: The Boa Constrictor"
-Back to playing a hippie just as off-beat and eccentric as her first "Dragnet" episode as she reports her car stolen with her pet boa in the trunk.

Hawaii Five-O, S1-"And They Painted Daisies On His Coffin"
-The famous "Big Chicken" episode with Gavin MacLeod that has been reviewed earlier. Luana plays a hippie once again but her role is actually secondary for just one scene.

Dragnet, S4-"The Dognappers"
-Another dog-related episode that actually references the earlier one, which I think is the only time "Dragnet" ever observed that kind of continuity! This time dogs are being kidnapped and the ones doing it then collect reward money from the owners once they report them lost (posing as Good Samaritans who say they found them). Luana this time goes to the other end of the spectrum and gets to play a haughty, glamorous rich woman whose dog was stolen.

Ironside, S4-"The Target"
-After playing off-center comical hippies, Luana this time is part of a radical militant group that kidnaps Earl Holliman's son (a young Vincent Van Patten) to get Holliman to deliver dynamite from his job so they can perform an act of terrorism at a university lab.

Mannix, S6-"Lost Sunday"
-Small part for her as a cafe owner in a tale where Mannix investigates the death of a young man at a sand and gravel quarry and discovers a cover-up to protect the troubled Vietnam vet son of a rich local that in typical Mannix tradition will have a bigger twist later in the story. Crooked deputies jail Mannix on a trumped charge so we have to get a lot of scenes of Mannix in prison blues having to do a jail break.

This was a totally unplanned marathon and it ended up giving me an interesting sweep of episodes that I would never have picked at random (which is why an actress marathon is usually the best linking device to work your way into one).

___________________
She appeared once on Lawman:
“The Swamper” (1960) (season 2)​

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Well, finally a new actress marathon!

Great stuff, Jack! Good to see you back with one of your patented actress marathons. Don't know much about Luana Anders (having only watched Easy Rider once, and not eager for a re-watch), but enjoyed reading your rundown of the various episodes.

Dragnet, S2-"The Big Dog"
-Trained dogs are stealing women's purses. Luana's turn as a blonde-wigged hippie that Friday and Gannon patiently try to interview is side-splittingly funny.

I love how the witness interviews are handled on Dragnet. Jack Webb seems to have enjoyed giving many guest actors these extended dialogue scenes, punctuated by his long-suffering smile and frequent "Yes, ma'am" or "Yes, sir" interjections. And then when he corrals the true suspect, all traces of politeness immediately go away and the pit bull side comes out.

This was a totally unplanned marathon and it ended up giving me an interesting sweep of episodes that I would never have picked at random (which is why an actress marathon is usually the best linking device to work your way into one).

Yep, I wholeheartedly agree with the above. Any sort of theme we can come up with to help us give the old TV-on-DVD collection a good airing is a very useful technique. The unfortunate passing of a favorite actor or actress also works in this regard.

 

[mark-edk]

I *finally* finished the entire run of Columbo last night.

I'm kind of late with this, but there's a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes info on Columbo (both the original and the ABC revival) in Me and Murder She Wrote by Peter S Fischer. He has several chapters detailing his work on the original recipe Columbo, and his return to write several ABC episodes (including one that got tampered with so much he had his name taken off). The e-book version is very reasonably priced too. There are also chapters on Ellery Queen and several other projects he was involved in, and of course a great deal about Murder She Wrote.

 

[Wiseguy]

Alfred Hitchcock Presents S2E5, None Are So Blind (Oct. 28, 1956)...
"Good evening. The entertainment industry is always crying for new faces. I've decided to give them one. Not that there's anything wrong with the old one. In fact I think it's rather good. (looking into the mirror, it suddenly cracks!) Well. it could have been worse...what if I had cracked? See here is the one (putting on a wig) I've always wanted to be someone else. (looks again into the cracked mirror) That won't do, I look like a near-sighted throw rug..."

One thing I don't like about Universal's release of AHP (and just one of the things...) is their use of the UK openings on some episodes. My favorite Hitchcock opening was the one ("Nightmare in 4-D") where the sponsor only allows "a word" from the producer "Good..." before being cut off for a commercial. On the DVD the UK commentary is used. [Of course, the UK commentary was different because they didn't have commercials but that's not the point.] (The MeTV broadcast retains the original American comments.) At least for the Region 1 discs they should have used the openings that were originally seen in that region. And the commentaries on the three-part "I Killed the Count" were really strange. It looks like they showed half of one version then when that's abruptly cut off, they showed the other version!

 

[JoshuaB.]

Dealing with the pandemic and a recent family loss because of pancreatic cancer prompted me to revisit all 4 seasons of WKRP. I forgot how comforting its characters and plots were—no weak characters in the bunch! I’m still impressed with Shout! Factory’s feat in licensing the majority of the songs used in the series—there were only two scenes that I noticed the replacements/dubbed voices (compared to the pain of watching the Fox S1 DVD back in the day).

 

[John*Wells]

Pacific Blue Season 2

Lights Out
Day Stalker
Rapscallions
Bangers
Point Blank
The Enemy within
Line in the Sand
Under Cover
Genuine Heroes
Cranked up
Deja Vu
wheels of Fire

 

[Doug Wallen]

Well, I think I may be making up for the few slow weeks I had earlier. Still taking care of my wife. We are adjusting to the patient/nurse roles and I am working on my cooking skills. Having an air fryer has been a great blessing. Much viewing has taken place while we have been sheltering and recuperating.

Seven Days - The Complete Series
Buried Alive (2.12) Michael MacRae. A big disaster leads Frank to Backstep, but when he comes to, he finds the sphere is buried alive, and the project Backstep team cannot find him.

The Backstepper's Apprentice (2.13) Neil Denis. Parker Backsteps to save the life of a Priest assassinated by a drug cartel and while mid Backstep he cuts through an airliner and momentarily picks up a passenger blown into the sphere. Now they must try to find out the flight before it's too late. Nice to see that the writers are able to keep the Backstep stories entertaining and more or less original.

Deja Vu All Over Again (2.14) James Pax, Grace Una. Bradley takes his first vacation in a decade and in doing so, is kidnapped. During questioning he takes a suicide pill, which ultimately leads to a Backstep. Trying to juggle two deaths, Frank experiences what he calls "time burps", where time just seems to go back by itself, and he uses these to repeat events again and again in order to get the desired outcome.

Space Station Down (2.15) Rob Knepper, Kendall Cross. On the first day of operations for the Global Space Station, an accident leads to it's destruction and the scattering of Plutonium across the United States. Frank Backsteps to fix the events, but things go wrong. Okay story; bad, primitive CGI.

The Cuban Missile (2.16) Raymond Cruz. Fidel backs a fighter. Really, FIDEL!!! Prizefighter trope with a bad supporting story.

X-35 Needs Changing (2.17) Standard scientist with no maternal instincts breaks all the rules to reunite mother and son. Frank and Olga must go to Chechnya in search of a stolen classified U.S. experiment, the X-35 - a human baby with important specifically bred genes.

The Dakotas - The Complete Series
Fargo (1.8) Ted de Corsia, Richard Jaeckel, Victor French, David Brian, Diane Brewster. Deputy J.D. Smith runs up against a local sheriff who runs his small town like a medieval kingdom, ruling with an iron hand and demanding obedience and tribute from his "subjects". Showcasing Jack Elam.

Incident At Rapid City (1.9) Bert Freed, Dennis Patrick, Maggie Pierce, Willis Bouchey. A cavalry unit tells Deputy Stark that rancher Lloyd Mitchell has sold them spoiled food and some of the troops were poisoned, and demands that Stark turn Mitchell over to them. Stark suspects that not everything is as it seems, however, and begins to believe that the "cavalry" unit may not be quite what they appear to be, either. Showcases Chad Everett.

Justice At Eagle's Nest (1.10) Joanna Moore, Karl Held, Everett Sloane, Del Monroe. A conflict is brewing in Eagle's Nest between farmers and cattlemen. The farmers bring in Judge Daniel Harvey to "enforce" the law, which outrages the cattlemen. Marshal Ragan, believing that the judge's methods will result in a range war, decides to look a bit deeper into the judge's past history.

A Walk Through The Badlands (1.11) Ed Nelson, Strother Martin, Lane Bradford. While in the Badlands looking for a band that's been conducting raids, Ragan and the deputies join with a group of cavalry officers after the same men---a breakaway group led by one of their own captains. Soon the marshals begin to have doubts about the lieutenant in charge, and arguments over the use of the limited amount of water bring conflict. Showcasing Larry Ward.

All episodes on this disc are very good, hard to pick a favorite.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Hulu
Heart Of Gold (3.4) Darryl Hickman, Nehemiah Persoff, Mildred Dunnock. Stolen money that was never recovered figures in this story trying to discover who has the money. Who can be trusted. I really like this episode.

Gunsmoke - Seasons 10-12
Blue Heaven (10.1) Kurt Russell, Tim O'Connor, Diane Ladd, John McLiam, Karl Swenson. A runaway kid and a wanted man from East Texas team up to first find the kid's mother and second to shake those who have been chasing the man about a murder in Carver County and robbery he just didn't commit.

Crooked Mile (10.2) George Kennedy, Katharine Ross, Royal Dano. Mr. Degler is determined to break up the romance between his adult daughter and half Indian Quint, so he sends for his cousin Praylie to help out, but Praylie has murder in mind instead.

Old Man (10.3) Ned Glass, Robert Hogan, Ed Peck, Howard Wendell. Having already rescued an old man once, Danny may have to try to save him again when his friend is framed for murder.

The Violators (10.4) Denver Pyle, James Anderson, Michael Pate, Arthur Batanides. A violent killing appears to be the work of Indians, but Matt doubts it. Someone accuses Quint of it and the solution involves secret motives and revenge in Indian country.

Perry Mason - The Complete Seasons 7-9
TCoT Careless Kitten (8.24) Louise Latham, Allan Melvin, Julie Sommars, Hedley Mattingly. A frustrated Helen Kendall is living with her Aunt Matilda. She receives a call one night from a man claiming to be Matilda's husband, who has been missing for 10 years. Perry goes with her to meet him but they find another man - dead.

TCoT Deadly Debt (8.25) Chris Robinson, Joe de Santis, Max Showalter, Robert Quarry. Danny Talbert, a LA cop, resigns when a mobster he is investigating contacts his family after Danny's dad dies. Danny's brother, Carl, works in his club and has been in trouble before. Danny is seen by Perry leaving the dead man's cabin.

TCoT Gambling Lady (8.26) Peter Breck, Jesse White, Ruta Lee, Myrna Fahey, Kevin Hagen. Peter Warren owns a novelty company and is divorcing his wife, who has developed a gambling habit. She becomes involved in a scheme to pass chips at Nevada casinos with evidence Peter made them. When she is murdered, Peter is charged.

TCoT Duplicate Case (8.27) Martin West, Don Dubbins, Steve Ihnat, Herb Voland. Herbie Cornwall is a retired baseball player who is now working as a shoe insert salesman and not doing well while his gorgeous wife is an accountant at a store. After a fire in her office, she is murdered and her husband is charged.

St Elsewhere - Hulu
My son and I are slowly working our way through this classic series and are glad that it is available to stream.
Visiting Daze (5.14) Steve Allen, John Astin, Jayne Meadows, Don Defore, Kathy Bates. Ehrlich's world is shaken by the arrival of his long lost parents; Kiem neglects her visiting husband to spend time with a patient who just lost his wife; Axelrod nearly loses a patient after deferring to Novino and Griffin on a diagnosis; Luther is reunited with Polly who wants to go off the medication that controls her Tourette's Syndrome.

Getting Ahead (5.15) Oliver Clark, Shelly Berman. Westphall finds out surprising news about Lizzie; Craig is able to track down John Doe at a book signing; prejudices surface when Chandler clashes with a veteran private practice doctor; Novino stumbles upon a black market organ trade being done in the mortuary; the board of trustees inform Auschlander of the hospital's uncertain future.

Lost In Space - The Complete Series - Widescreen
Rocket To Earth (2.21) Al Lewis. A space wizard conjures up a spaceship so that Doctor Smith can return to Earth.

The Cave Of The Wizards (2.22) Shortly before lift-off, Dr Smith discovers a cave inhabited by devices, which are the remnants of a once mighty civilisation; the Draconians. As the countdown draws near, Dr. Smith falls ever-more-so under the influence of the Draconiams.

Treasure Of The Lost Planet (2.23) Albert Salmi. In this quasi-sequel to Lost in Space: The Sky Pirate (1966), Will's reunited with Captain Tucker, who along with his crew are searcing for a legendary lost treasure. The key to finding the booty is a metallic talking head in a box.

Revolt Of The Androids (2.24) Dee HArtford, Don Matheson, Dawson Palmer. In the second of 2 sequels to Lost in Space: The Android Machine (1966),.Verda's sheltered by the Robinsons after she's marked for destruction by the Celestrial Department Store. To that end, the store dispatches a killer android; IDAK (Instant Destroyer And Killer).

The Colonists (2.25) Francine York. A female alien meets the Robinsons and use them to help erect an arch to bring her people to colonized their planet.

Well, after the Grandpa Munster episode, I was able to revel in the campiness of these episodes.

The Time Tunnel - The Complete Series Blu-ray
Attack Of The Barbarians (1.26) John Saxon, Vitina Marcus, Paul Mantee, Arthur Batanides. Doug and Tony must help Marco Polo stop an attack by Mongols in thirteenth century China. Tony meets and falls in love with the daughter of Kubla Kahn.

Merlin The Magician (1.27) Christopher Cary, Lisa Jak, Jim McMullan. Merlin the Magician pulls Tony and Doug from their journey through time and send them to help a young King Arthur fight an invasion of Vikings.

The Kidnappers (1.28) Michael Ansara, Del Monroe. After Time Tunnel member Doctor Ann MacGregor is kidnapped by a time traveler from another planet, Tony and Doug are sent there to rescue her.

Raiders From Outer Space (1.29) John Crawford, Kevin Hagen. During the Battle of Khartoum in 1883, Tony and Doug stumble upon aliens who plan to conquer the Earth using missiles. The aliens also send a bomb through the Time Tunnel to prevent any interference with their plans. Really bad episode.

Town Of Terror (1.30) Gary Haynes, Heather Young, Mabel Albertson. In 1978, Doug and Tony have to stop aliens from stealing all the oxygen from the planet Earth.

Well, I finally came to the end of this series. These final episodes weren't so bad. It has been so much fun revisiting this series.

Tarzan - The First Season Volume 2
The Fire People (1.16) Elsa Cardenas, Morris D. Erby. Tarzan and Jai meet Dr. Gloria Halverson who is studying volcanic activity. It erupts, bringing enemy tribes, the Karish and Crater people, in proximity. Jai is protected by Chief Hamaar but need Tarzan's help in escaping a fiery cave.

Track Of The Dinosaur (1.17) Lloyd Bochner, Pippa Scott, Harry Lauter. Tarzan and Jai visit the Katonga people, finding them in fear of a strange creature in the hills. Tarzan finds an old foe Curt and his wife Diana also among the tribe, he seeks to find out the truth about the fire breathing "monster."

The Day The Earth Trembled (1.18) John Anderson, Jacques Aubuchon, Gene Evans, Susan Oliver. Tarzan takes on getting a group of children and their caregiver Peggy Dean away from a dangerous area. They meet up with 3 escaped convicts who Tarzan enlists to help. Army ants and crocodiles are among their problems. Susan Oliver is great to see and the story, while predictable, is good.

Cap'n Jai (1.19) Chips Rafferty, Ben Wright, Gregg Palmer, Russ McCubbin. Jai and Cheetah encounter three con artists whose truck is overturned. After helping them, Jai accompanies the men who claim to be pirates on their quest. After locating diamonds his life is threatened but Dutsch protects him.

Whew!!!

And I hope everyone else is enjoying their viewing during this time.

 

[JohnHopper]

Gunsmoke - Seasons 10-12
Blue Heaven (10.1) Kurt Russell, Tim O'Connor, Diane Ladd, John McLiam, Karl Swenson. A runaway kid and a wanted man from East Texas team up to first find the kid's mother and second to shake those who have been chasing the man about a murder in Carver County and robbery he just didn't commit.

Crooked Mile (10.2) George Kennedy, Katharine Ross, Royal Dano. Mr. Degler is determined to break up the romance between his adult daughter and half Indian Quint, so he sends for his cousin Praylie to help out, but Praylie has murder in mind instead.

Old Man (10.3) Ned Glass, Robert Hogan, Ed Peck, Howard Wendell. Having already rescued an old man once, Danny may have to try to save him again when his friend is framed for murder.

The Violators (10.4) Denver Pyle, James Anderson, Michael Pate, Arthur Batanides. A violent killing appears to be the work of Indians, but Matt doubts it. Someone accuses Quint of it and the solution involves secret motives and revenge in Indian country.

I used to review all the season 10 episodes and I picked “Old Man” and “The Violators” on my top list.
https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/wanted-gunsmoke-cbs-1955-1975.360711/page-11

The Time Tunnel - The Complete Series Blu-ray
Attack Of The Barbarians (1.26) John Saxon, Vitina Marcus, Paul Mantee, Arthur Batanides. Doug and Tony must help Marco Polo stop an attack by Mongols in thirteenth century China. Tony meets and falls in love with the daughter of Kubla Kahn.

Merlin The Magician (1.27) Christopher Cary, Lisa Jak, Jim McMullan. Merlin the Magician pulls Tony and Doug from their journey through time and send them to help a young King Arthur fight an invasion of Vikings.

The Kidnappers (1.28) Michael Ansara, Del Monroe. After Time Tunnel member Doctor Ann MacGregor is kidnapped by a time traveler from another planet, Tony and Doug are sent there to rescue her.

Raiders From Outer Space (1.29) John Crawford, Kevin Hagen. During the Battle of Khartoum in 1883, Tony and Doug stumble upon aliens who plan to conquer the Earth using missiles. The aliens also send a bomb through the Time Tunnel to prevent any interference with their plans. Really bad episode.

Town Of Terror (1.30) Gary Haynes, Heather Young, Mabel Albertson. In 1978, Doug and Tony have to stop aliens from stealing all the oxygen from the planet Earth.

Well, I finally came to the end of this series. These final episodes weren't so bad. It has been so much fun revisiting this series.

The last three episodes are aliens-oriented galore.
I have a soft spot for “The Kidnappers” because of the role of actress Lee Meriwether.
Find an actor from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Del Monroe.

 

[Flashgear]

With the recent passing of James Drury, I revisited a flashback episode that represents at least part of the origin story of the mysterious "Virginian", recalling how he found himself in the Wyoming territory in the midst of a bloody range war between Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb of course) and a neighboring rancher Peterson (Leif Erickson, later of High Chaparral)...a detour into tragedy and lost love for the Virginian...the radiant Mariette Hartley and Michael Forrest co-star...my screen caps from the Timeless DVDs...

The Virginian S2E19, The Drifter (Jan. 29, 1964)...

A beautiful and moving story...even though I knew what to expect in this straight forward story, the tragic climax still hits me with a gut punch...

Having rescued a wounded Virginian from near death, Judge Garth at one point tells him: "you talked a lot in your delirium. Things I'll never repeat, not even to you."...

R.I.P. James Drury.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

With the recent passing of James Drury, I revisited a flashback episode that represents at least part of the origin story of the mysterious "Virginian", recalling how he found himself in the Wyoming territory in the midst of a bloody range war between Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb of course) and a neighboring rancher Peterson (Leif Erickson, later of High Chaparral)...a detour into tragedy and lost love for the Virginian...the radiant Mariette Hartley and Michael Forrest co-star...my screen caps from the Timeless DVDs...
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A beautiful and moving story...even though I knew what to expect in this straight forward story, the tragic climax still hits me with a gut punch...

Having rescued a wounded Virginian from near death, Judge Garth at one point tells him: "you talked a lot in your delirium. Things I'll never repeat, not even to you."...

R.I.P. James Drury.

My, those are beautiful screencaps, Randall...thanks for your review! I have the first season DVD set of The Virginian waiting back at my parents' home in the US...with the way things are looking around the world now, I'm guessing my usual summertime trip home will not be happening this year. So I'll be arranging another care package to come my way from Washington State later in the year, with a decent pile of DVDs and Blus inside. Will try to make sure to pick up at least S2 in addition, so I'll have the first two seasons of The Virginian to enjoy later this year, among other goodies

 

[Flashgear]

My, those are beautiful screencaps, Randall...thanks for your review! I have the first season DVD set of The Virginian waiting back at my parents' home in the US...with the way things are looking around the world now, I'm guessing my usual summertime trip home will not be happening this year. So I'll be arranging another care package to come my way from Washington State later in the year, with a decent pile of DVDs and Blus inside. Will try to make sure to pick up at least S2 in addition, so I'll have the first two seasons of The Virginian to enjoy later this year, among other goodies

Sorry to hear that you won't be able to visit your stateside family this year, Jeff. But understandable considering the miserable conditions we are all facing these days. I know an elderly lady of 77 who has waited a long time to enjoy a deluxe cruise to Alaska, courtesy of her doting daughter, which they were scheduled to sail upon in June. An opportunity lost, perhaps forever.

Glad to hear that you will soon have The Virginian in your viewing que. There are many exceptional episodes in seasons one and two. And a lower quotient of duds. For us DVD collectors, we can be thankful that a sale to Encore Westerns channel prompted Universal to remaster seasons one to eight in brilliant form. It's a show that can be spectacularly beautiful to behold, with a warm color palette calculated to sell color TV in the '60s.

James Drury was an underrated actor. His "Virginian" with a mysterious and tortured past and a secret identity that goes unchallenged by those with the same world weary wisdom (like Judge Garth) is conveyed to brilliant effect by James Drury. With his matinee idol good looks and sad, sad eyes. Don't get me wrong, there's an appropriate amount of humor too. And Trampas is another honor-bound protagonist, Doug McClure's career signature role, vulnerable but powerful too, that you grow to love. Lee J. Cobb was a tower of power, probably the highest paid series lead working in television in those days. This show follows the model of revolving leads of course. With 30 episodes of 75 minutes in each of the early seasons, there is terrific value to be had here. And guest stars? Just name 'em and they're here, the biggest names and finest supporting actors working in Hollywood back then.

 

[BobO'Link]

With the recent passing of James Drury, I revisited a flashback episode that represents at least part of the origin story of the mysterious "Virginian", recalling how he found himself in the Wyoming territory in the midst of a bloody range war between Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb of course) and a neighboring rancher Peterson (Leif Erickson, later of High Chaparral)...a detour into tragedy and lost love for the Virginian...the radiant Mariette Hartley and Michael Forrest co-star...my screen caps from the Timeless DVDs...

The Virginian S2E19, The Drifter (Jan. 29, 1964)...
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A beautiful and moving story...even though I knew what to expect in this straight forward story, the tragic climax still hits me with a gut punch...

Having rescued a wounded Virginian from near death, Judge Garth at one point tells him: "you talked a lot in your delirium. Things I'll never repeat, not even to you."...

R.I.P. James Drury.

Yep... great screen caps there. Makes me want to pick up a season or two (thought I had one but nope... not in the database).

Mariette Hartley is yet another of those crushes I had as a young lad (OK... I still think she's "hot" so...). I always like seeing her show up but one of my absolute favorite appearances was the Star Trek episode "All Our Yesterdays ":

Her in that outfit still gets to me...

**EDIT**

I forgot to say that it's also one of my favorite episodes and not just because of Ms. Hartley.

 

[JohnHopper]

Yep... great screen caps there. Makes me want to pick up a season or two (thought I had one but nope... not in the database).

Mariette Hartley is yet another of those crushes I had as a young lad (OK... I still think she's "hot" so...). I always like seeing her show up but one of my absolute favorite appearances was the Star Trek episode "All Our Yesterdays ":

Her in that outfit still gets to me...

 

[Flashgear]

Dealing with the pandemic and a recent family loss because of pancreatic cancer prompted me to revisit all 4 seasons of WKRP. I forgot how comforting its characters and plots were—no weak characters in the bunch! I’m still impressed with Shout! Factory’s feat in licensing the majority of the songs used in the series—there were only two scenes that I noticed the replacements/dubbed voices (compared to the pain of watching the Fox S1 DVD back in the day).

Sorry to hear of your loss, Jay. Very sad. I lost my eldest brother to pancreatic cancer 15 years ago, and thus am far too well acquainted with that terrible cancer. I watched WKRP first run and really haven't seen much of it since. A lovable and funny show with characters that endure. I need to pick up the complete series set ASAP, while it's still available. From all reports, Shout! did a superb job in going the extra mile in bringing this series to DVD.

BTW, I'm a fellow Albertan. Calgary is my birthplace, though I live near Cypress Hills in S.E. Alberta now.

 

[Flashgear]

That is a beautiful episode, probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mariette Hartley...

And as far as other Star Trek actors appearing on The Virginian, besides Michael Forrest ('Apollo') in that same episode with Marriette Hartley, Leonard Nimoy, Deforrest Kelly, William Shatner, James Doohan, Roger Mobley, etc., etc., are seen in the series run. Nimoy and Kelly together in the same episode.

If you're a Mariette Hartley fan (she's also back in a third season episode of The Virginian), you should pick up seasons 13 and 14 of Death Valley Days, The Ronald Reagan Years from Shout! on DVD. As she's in several good episodes in that series, which was brilliantly remastered by Rio Tinto, the Borax mining company that continues to own the series to this day. And of course, Warner Archive released Ride the High Country on Blu-ray too. Lovely girl, her.

 

[BobO'Link]

That is a beautiful episode, probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mariette Hartley...

And as far as other Star Trek actors appearing on The Virginian, besides Michael Forrest ('Apollo') in that same episode with Marriette Hartley, Leonard Nimoy, Deforrest Kelly, William Shatner, James Doohan, Roger Mobley, etc., etc., are seen in the series run. Nimoy and Kelly together in the same episode.

If you're a Mariette Hartley fan (she's also back in a third season episode of The Virginian), you should pick up seasons 13 and 14 of Death Valley Days, The Ronald Reagan Years from Shout! on DVD. As she's in several good episodes in that series, which was brilliantly remastered by Rio Tinto, the Borax mining company that continues to own the series to this day. And of course, Warner Archive released Ride the High Country on Blu-ray too. Lovely girl, her.

I have copies of all the available seasons of Death Valley Days and wish they'd release more. From what I understand, The Borox Mining Company had the entire series remastered. I'd like to think that the only thing that's holding back more releases is lack of sales. That's a shame as it's a very good series.

 

[Flashgear]

I have copies of all the available seasons of Death Valley Days and wish they'd release more. From what I understand, The Borox Mining Company had the entire series remastered. I'd like to think that the only thing that's holding back more releases is lack of sales. That's a shame as it's a very good series.

That's my understanding also, Howie. The whole series, 558 episodes(!) have been remastered by Rio Tinto as part of their corporate archives. I think that Shout had very reasonable and modest sales targets that they didn't meet apparently. Much to our loss. I hate these times. Yes, it's a very interesting, atmospheric and earnest show that looks stunning on DVD. Full of Death Valley folklore and history. I'm glad to have what we have been given, but would certainly wish for more. Good to see ol' Ronnie Reagan too, just before he was elected governor. Ah, those were great times, the Golden State in it's Golden era...Ronnie versus the Berkeley Bolsheviks, I can almost taste the tear gas now, ha, ha...Just joking, no political offense intended. But I did like Ronnie as Prez...