What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (2 Viewers)

[Jeff Flugel]

The Rockford Files - Complete Series - Bluray
New Life, Old Dragons (3.18) Charles Napier, Charles Seibert, James T. Callahan, Clyde Kusatsu. Stolen money, pidgin English, Vietnamese refugees and black ops??? Intriguing story.

To Protect and Serve: Part 1 (3.19) Joyce van Patten, Jon Cypher, James Luisi, Leslie Charleson. Rockford is hired by a mobster's mouthpiece to recover a runaway fiancee. Dennis is being followed and "helped" by a police groupie. As with everything, things become complicated and need a second hour to tell this story.

To Protect and Serve: Part 2 (3.20) Lou Frizzell.

Crack Back (3.21) Joe Mascolo, Howard McGillin. A football player is accused of robbery/murder and Beth is hired as his attorney. As she gets deeper in the case, she realizes she is being stalked. Does this have to do with the trial, no logical connection other than the obvious one which Jim figures out.

Dirty Money, Black Light (3.22) John P. Ryan, Wesley Addy, Roger E. Mosley, Joshua Bryant. Rocky won a contest and was supposed to be in Hawaii. When Jim picks up his mail, he finds that Rocky is receiving $10,000 daily. Rockford is involved with federal agents, money laundering and loan sharks. Great way to end the season.

Have Gun - Will Travel - Complete Series
Killing of Jessie May (4.8) Robert Blake, William Talman, Hari Rhodes, John Milford. After reading an article in a local newspaper, Paladin rides to Wyoming to see Joe Ergo. Seems that Jessie May Turnbow is seeking revenge against the jury that convicted his father ten years earlier. What he's using is a handmade automatic shotgun that cuts a wide and bloody path.

Poker Fiend (4.9) Jack Weston, Peter Falk, Brett Somers, Warren Oates. Mrs. Neal will pay Paladin his biggest payday yet if he can return her husband before he loses all his money in a poker game he has been at for several months. Only two people and a sickness stand in his way.

Crowbait (4.10) Russell Collins, Jacqueline Scott. Paladin is hired to find an old prospector who's looking for an Indian silver mine.

Marshal's Boy (4.11) Andrew Prine, Harry Carey Jr., Ken Lynch. Marshal Lamport wires Paladin. His son, accused of killing Burt Gulley, is on the run. He needs his help making sure he is brought to trial instead of killed by Burt's father, a member of the posse.

Fogg Bound (4.12) Patric Knowles, Peter Whitney, Jon Silo. Paladin meets Phileas Fogg, world traveler on a tight schedule, along with Passepartout and Princess Aouda. He agrees to escort them to Reno for transit to New York City, not realizing Fogg has offended someone who is out for revenge.

The Legacy (4.13) Roy Barcroft, Harry Lauter, George Kennedy, Chuck Roberson, Harry Carey Jr. Paladin joins a posse determined to capture Sam Tarnitzer. When he finds and shoots him, Sam writes a deathbed will leaving his considerable holdings to him -- unless one of the posse should kill him first.

I felt the urge to view some later episodes and started with the first disc of season 16. All episodes are standouts, not a bad one in the bunch.
Gunsmoke - The Sixteenth Season
The Noose (16.1) Tom Skerritt. Acharacter with mysterious motivations that are given to us piecemeal. Something happened 15 year ago in "Old" Dodge. Timeline doesn;t add up as after 16 years, we have never heard of this place. Other than that, pretty creepy episode utilizing the mannerly gentleman with a hidden agenda. Surprised by the ending, mercy. Didn't seem to go with character as shown. Good performance by Skerritt.

Chato (16.2) Ricardo Montalban, Miriam Colon, William Bryant, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. Chato is a mixed-race Native American with a serious grudge against lawmen. He also has a remarkable athletic ability: he can run and jump over mountain ledges while keeping up a steady fire with his rifle. After an exciting duel, he kills a friend of Matt Dillon's who was tracking him. Matt comes to New Mexico and engages him in a duel of wits with Chato to catch him. Chato's one soft spot is his common-law wife.

Stark (16.3) Richard Kiley, Suzanne Pleshette, Shelly Novack. Adam Bramley, an immature selfish young man, has escaped from prison. Lewis Stark is a bounty hunter who catches him, then blackmails him for money with Bramley's father, John, a rancher with a serious heart condition. Adam's strong-willed sister Glory, has the ranch hands beat up Stark, while John pays him off to leave. Adam finally has an epiphany just as his father is dying of a heart attack.

Sam McTavish, M.D. (16.4) Vera Miles, Arch Johnson, Lisa Gerritsen. The arrival of the first woman doctor in Dodge City, Dr. Sam McTavish, riles Doc Adams. However, she soon wins his confidence and that of his patients, and the two physicians make a startling medical discovery. Love. Great showcase for Milburn Stone.

Daniel Boone - Season 2
A Rope for Mingo (2.11) George Kennedy. A family in route to Boonesborough is slaughtered and clues point to Mingo as the killer. Daniel must find the real killer before a lynch mob finds Mingo.

The First Beau (2.12) Sam Jaffe, Fabian, Myron Healy. Two grifters arrive at Boonesborough looking for their next victims. One sets his eye on another new arrival, an old blind man with gold. His younger companion becomes more interested in Jemima Boone.

Perilous Journey (2.13) Alan Napier, Stacy Harris, Steve Inhat. Captain Grant shows up at Boonesborough in the middle of the night, looking for Daniel, who is off on a trip with Rebecca. In a big hurry, Grant obtains a horse and starts after them. He catches up to Daniel, but is then immediately shot. He give Dan a letter from the President and directs Dan to take it to New Orleans to deliver it. The two men that shot Grant follow Daniel and Becky all the way, desperate to prevent the delivery of the letter. the travelling scenes in this one are just the same piece of land shot from various angles and the day for night look is not effective. Still a very spy-like episode and very entertaining.

The Christmas Story (2.14) Morgan Woodward, John Crawford, Jay Silverheels, Valentin de Vargas. Just before Christmas a blizzard drives everyone from their homes to the safety of Boonesborough. Tempers are as short as food when an Indian couple, about to have a baby at any time, show up seeking shelter.

The Tamarack Massacre Affair (2.15) Dina Merrill, Robert Lansing. Mingo finds a woman, who claims she is the sole survivor of an Indian massacre, wondering alone in the wilderness. Daniel, Mingo, and a Capt. Ives agree to escort her back to safety but they soon discover she has a hidden agenda.

As with the Gunsmoke disc, I found all stories on this disc to be very enjoyable, a better ratio than on the first two discs of this season.

Perry Mason - Seasons 7-9
TCoT Impetuous Imp (9.5) Stuart Erwin, Bonnie Jones, Hanna Landy, Don Dubbins, Frank Marth, Byron Morrow. Diana Carter is assisted from the water after stealing a message in a bottle from her dead aunt's home. She believes the man her aunt married murdered her. Perry must first defend her for theft but when the man is killed, she is charged.

TCoT Carefree Coronary (9.6) Robert Emhardt, Benny Baker, Whit Bissell, Lawrence Montaigne, Hal Baylor, Joe Sirola. Perry Mason is called in to investigate why an insurance company is near bankruptcy due to excessive claims. He calls in a claimant who appears to be healthy but dies when forced to come in for an exam, putting Perry in the hot seat. Coroner's inquest.

TCoT Hasty Honeymooner (9.7) Noah Beery, Jr, K. T. Stevens, Robert Colbert, Hugh Marlowe, Cathy Downs, Strother Martin. Lucas Tolliver asks Perry for a will for his wife-to-be, which seems odd. When a dating service contacts Perry about Lucas, Perry looks deeper into his history. Lucas isn't what he says he is and is blamed when his new wife is killed.

TCoT 12th Wildcat (9.8) Mona Freeman, Bill Williams, Regis Toomey, John Conte, Karl Swenson, Robert Quarry. Wealthy Ellen Payne is the primary owner of the Wildcats football team. Her husband, Burt, owns ten percent. He was a successful college player but is now a drunk gambler who causes grief for everyone. When he is killed, she is charged.

A slew of great shows watched there, Doug! You remind me that it's high time I dipped back into The Rockford Files...

 

[BobO'Link]

I've been massively binging Cheers the past week and a half or so... I've watched S7, S8, S9, S10, and started S11 in that time. Yeah... that's a lot of Cheers. Basically watched at least a disc per day on weekdays and 2-3 on Sat/Sun. I've really enjoyed it and and somewhat disappointed that I'll be done in a couple of days.

If you've never seen the series and don't want to know things that happen - stop reading. I've spoilerized my comments just in case...

Spoiler

I've seen Norm turn into an interior designer, Rebecca get fired after Evan Drake was outed for insider trading (by Sam, no less), Sam buy back the bar (for a paltry $.85), Woody fall in love with Kelly and write her a song for her birthday, Cliff appear on Jeopardy and blow it after amassing a huge lead, watched the horrible "200th episode" which is nothing but a lame flashback episode, a new owner for Mellville's who mostly hates the Cheers gang with Sam getting most of the vitriol, Kelly return from Europe with a French lothario who constantly tells Woody "I'm going to steal Kelly from you", Sam get "baby fever" after babysitting the Crain's infant and gets Rebecca to be the mother, the bar burned down due to Rebecca carelessly tossing a still lit cigarette in the trash (an oddity as I don't recall seeing her smoke before that episode), Woody get married to Kelly but not without issues, several excellent "bar wars" episodes with Gary's faked death and Sam's "get them back" response the toppers, Cliff's girlfriend turn up pregnant, Cliff's joke being "accepted" by Johnny Carson and his mom appearing on stage, Norm hitting it lucky because Sam got lucky and buying Sam a new boat with the money instead of paying his bar tab, wondered why Sam sold his car instead of the boat to help finance the repairs after the fire, basically wondering why lots of little things are seemingly forgotten from episode to episode. Whew! And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

So... I'm at the point where they're setting up the spin-off show, Frasier, with his and Lilith's breakup and him leaving Boston. The last episode I watched saw him attempting to kill himself by jumping off the building with Lilith finally leaving with the final insult being her lover dinging Frasier's car and coming into Cheers to tell him.

Since I have Frasier, still unopened, I'm thinking I'll just seque to it when I've finished Cheers. I really like that one too.

 

[BobO'Link]

I'm going to break out a comment from my Cheers spoiler. It concerns S9E8 - aka "The 200th Episode Special."

I'm warning anyone who's not seen the series that this is one episode you can safely skip.

It opens with a standard type cold open for the series with "guest star" John McLaughlin walking into the bar:

John McLaughlin: Young man, a beer please.
Woody: Hey, you're on Sunday morning TV, aren't you.
John McLaughlin: Indeed.
Woody: Are you, uh, David Brinkley?
John McLaughlin: No.
Woody: Sam Donaldson?
John McLaughlin: Give me a break.
Woody: Oh, aren't you guy who keeps the gorgeous ladies of wrestling from tearing each other's hair out.
John McLaughlin: You could say that.
Woody: [as John McLaughlin takes out his money to pay, Woody says in awe] Oh, man, your money's no good here.
John McLaughlin: Actually, I'm John McLaughlin. I'm the moderator of a political round table called 'The McLaughlin Group'.
Woody: Oh. That'll be two-fifty.

McLaughlin can't act and barely delivered the lines adequately and that's the best part of the *one hour* episode.

During the episode, McLaughlin, IMHO a horrible choice, somewhat "interviews" the cast and creators who are spread out on a large stage. The vast majority of the answers cause a clip from an episode to be played. Yep... a clip show and little else. At least most other clip shows have some kind of lame connecting story. Towards the end they play the "full version" of the theme song - and it's just not that good with a more rock/pop instrumentation and added verses that border on trite. It ends with an extended "meet the cast afterwards" segment that's nothing but a time waster/filler as you watch people mingle and idly shake hands.

And they wasted an episode and full hour on this drivel. At least on the disc it plays as a single episode and not two as I've read it does in syndication (yes... it airs in syndication - a sure way to drive away viewers). I'm not a fan of "flashback" episodes, considering them massive time wasters, and this one is among the worst I've ever seen.

 

[ScottRE]

I’ve been revisiting Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea over the last weeks, mostly episodes I don’t go back to often (primarily the first year). It’s been super fun.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Wanted: Dead or Alive
"To The Victor" (S3E8)

Josh (Steve McQueen) gets a taste of Old West girl power in this light-hearted episode. Yep, the womenfolk of Coronado have collectively put their foot down and demand their hubbies stop carrying firearms. Until that happens, there will be no washing, cooking or cleaning done by their wives. Kinda like my house.

Josh rides into Coronado and witnesses the now eunuch-ized fellows doing their own washing, rug-beating and general prissy chores. Josh is immediately consigned by the Sheriff (Frank Albertson) and town council to a $500 fee if he can talk some sense into the women. It's akin to sending a man wearing a belt of chicken cutlets to take a stroll through the Serengeti. The men have even given up drinking because it makes them naturally hungry and there's nobody to cook up steaks and potatoes au gratin. There were no Gordon Ramseys around in those days, I guess. Even Millie (Diana Crawford), the saloon's resident cook and hooker won't help.

Josh wants this job like he wants an inflamed colon. "This ain't my cup of tea", he explains. "No profit in it for me." The Sheriff convinces him he'll get the $500 win, lose or draw. In other words, get your ass out there and and least try. For all we know, these crazy women are next going to ask for the right to vote, fer cryin' out loud.

Frank Alberstson; Diana Crawford, Suzanne Storrs

So, every day at 4:00, the women gather together at the General Store for their daily supplies--lipstick, shampoo, tampons, etc. And they've ditched their dresses for pants, as if that adds to their protest. Their leader, Liz (Suzanne Storrs), is the Sheriff's daughter and Josh's point of contact. Their initial discussions do not go well as she's not about to deal with a rough 'n tough gun-toting bounty hunter. She slaps him, he kisses her. Of course, her panties practically roll up and down in desire. After all, it's Steve McQueen. She quickly buys into his program, but the rest of the gals have given a 24-hour ultimatum to lay down their arms or...well, there won't be any babies conceived in Coronado for a while. Guns or weiners, boys--what's it gonna be? Us menfolk know the answer to that one. Fortunately, an attempted raid on the bank an ensuing gun battle changes the women's minds.

As Josh wisely points out, "Ya gotta have a gun these days." And a weiner.

 

[MatthewA]

I'm going to break out a comment from my Cheers spoiler. It concerns S9E8 - aka "The 200th Episode Special."

I'm warning anyone who's not seen the series that this is one episode you can safely skip.

It opens with a standard type cold open for the series with "guest star" John McLaughlin walking into the bar:


McLaughlin can't act and barely delivered the lines adequately and that's the best part of the *one hour* episode.

During the episode, McLaughlin, IMHO a horrible choice, somewhat "interviews" the cast and creators who are spread out on a large stage. The vast majority of the answers cause a clip from an episode to be played. Yep... a clip show and little else. At least most other clip shows have some kind of lame connecting story. Towards the end they play the "full version" of the theme song - and it's just not that good with a more rock/pop instrumentation and added verses that border on trite. It ends with an extended "meet the cast afterwards" segment that's nothing but a time waster/filler as you watch people mingle and idly shake hands.

And they wasted an episode and full hour on this drivel. At least on the disc it plays as a single episode and not two as I've read it does in syndication (yes... it airs in syndication - a sure way to drive away viewers). I'm not a fan of "flashback" episodes, considering them massive time wasters, and this one is among the worst I've ever seen.

When Married with Children reached the 200th episode mark in 1995, they had a 30-minute clip show along similar lines with George Plimpton, who handled it a bit better (although he'd had experience introducing Mickey Mouse cartoons before and he didn't have to engage in hokey interactions with the characters) and an actual normal-length episode after it.

 

[Dan McW]

A slew of great shows watched there, Doug! You remind me that it's high time I dipped back into The Rockford Files...

I'm into season two now of The Rockford Files, only I'm watching it on the complete-series DVD set. A curious thing popped up late in season one (I can't remember the episode title, but I think it was on the last disc)--one episode began with a season two or later opening/answering-machine sequence. It had the credit for Joe Santos as Dennis Becker, even though that didn't start until season two. The episode itself had Santos as a guest star, as he was when he appeared during season one, so his name appeared twice in the episode. Is there a lost season-one answering-machine opening out there somewhere? Have any of you with the Blu ray set noticed if this season-one episode ran with a later opening?

 

[Rustifer]

I had to shake my head and chuckle after watching "Calamity Jane" (1953) with Doris Day and comparing her portrayal of the iconic frontierswoman to that of Robin Weigert's in the series Deadwood. You might say it was the difference between night and Day.*

*Many pardons once again for veering off the the core theme of this thread a bit...

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Bonanza
"Square Deal Sam" (S6E8)

The Cartwrights, usually a clan consisting of common sense and frugality, get royally bamboozled in this episode. It makes one wonder how Ben Cartwright built up one of the largest spreads in Nevada. We generally don't get any glimpses of the business end of the ranch--for all we know it makes money from boarding ponies of little 14 year old girls with indulgent parents. Perhaps Hoss runs a small farm stand at the end of the driveway. Or Hop Sing caters Jewish weddings. We just don't know. There's many ways to make a buck, though.

Sam and Martha Washburn (Ernest Truex, Nydia Westman), two gentle-looking elderly folks, blow into Virginia City. They artfully con a stay at the Ponderosa and immediately begin to charm and grace the whole family. To "earn" their keep, Martha takes up cooking in Hop Sing's beloved kitchen--her specialty is popovers--while Sam gives the appearance of handling daily chores such as chopping wood, feeding the livestock and such. Of course, he only does this stuff when someone's looking. The majority of his time is spent napping.

The Cartwrights meet the Washburns; Moe, Larry and Curly realize they've Been fooled; Martha tries to remember her popover recipe

Sam recites a whopper of a story about his copper mine in Utah that just needs a mere $200 for equipment before it becomes wildly fruitful. Ben, beginning to show the signs of early onset dementia, buys into the tale. Even the boys, seemingly turning into Moe, Larry and Curly, also put in some cash. Soon realizing they've been conned, the Cartwrights confront Sam and Martha. Sam weasels out of the situation by expanding on another whopper of a lie. Having successfully fished that pond, the Washburns move into Virginia City and open a general store "Square Sam's" and begin to fleece the town folks.

Eventually the fleecers get fleeced themselves and decide to turn over a new leaf by starting an orphanage for homeless waifs.
One of those neat little comedic gems of an episode that proves even the mighty Cartwrights can look like numbskulls.

 

[BobO'Link]

You know, Russ... I believe your "Moe, Larry, and Curly" analogy with "Adam, Little Joe, and Hoss" is more on track than you may have intimated. Thinking about the series as a whole they pretty much mirrored the Stooges general demeanor even in the more serious episodes.

As far as the "business end" of the Ponderosa... they're rustlers... er... wranglers and herdsmen and there's a bed-n-breakfast on the far side of the lake, between it and Lake Tahoe, that's mostly run by Hop Sing. It's why we don't see him much outside of meal time.

 

[Susan Nunes_329977]

With the school year out and even before since I had to work out of home, I have been alternating between The Texan, Lawman, Whispering Smith, and Tombstone Territory. I am really enjoying these shows.

 

[Rustifer]

You know, Russ... I believe your "Moe, Larry, and Curly" analogy with "Adam, Little Joe, and Hoss" is more on track than you may have intimated. Thinking about the series as a whole they pretty much mirrored the Stooges general demeanor even in the more serious episodes.

As far as the "business end" of the Ponderosa... they're rustlers... er... wranglers and herdsmen and there's a bed-n-breakfast on the far side of the lake, between it and Lake Tahoe, that's mostly run by Hop Sing. It's why we don't see him much outside of meal time.
View attachment 73913
View attachment 73914

Speaking of the "business end" of the Ponderosa--I'm reminded of the chain restaurant which bore that moniker. I'm not sure if it's even around anymore, but as youngster--that was the place to have your parents take you to. Mmmm. steaks on a buffet line!
Much later in life, I had an employee who had been an accountant for the restaurant chain. She confided in me that the restaurants' steaks were rated utility quality (barely above pet food) and were packed in barrels of salt water to aid in tenderization of the meat.

Now doesn't that just make your stomach rumble with hunger?

 

[BobO'Link]

I finished Cheers this week. While some episodes were hit or miss, the last season, as a whole, was quite satisfying. I really don't remember seeing the final epiosde when it originally aired so it was a very nice surprise. A finale that actually worked (unlike the ones for M*A*S*H or Seinfeld).

I decided to *not* start Frasier following that last episode of Cheers but went with Sanford and Son instead. That's another series I've not seen since its original airings and one of the few Norman Lear series I recall mostly enjoying. I've watched the first 7 episodes so far and am finding it mostly enjoyable. There are times I want to reach through the screen and give Lamont a smack to the head over the way he treats his dad - but Fred brings much of it upon himself. Well... other than the first episode. In that one it felt rather overbearing and borderline abusive.

Part of why I purchased this one is because it was based on a British sitcom and partly because I recall it being one of Lear's better shows. This one was based on Steptoe and Son, which I have on disc awaiting a first time viewing. I anticipate liking it more than Sanford and Son for no other reason than I like *all* of the British series Lear lifted for US remakes better than their US counterparts. Of course the difference is that I chose to watch Sanford and Son during its original airings while the other Lear series I watched was mostly due to there being "nothing else" on at the time. I've read that 16 episodes (from S1 & S2) are reworkings of those from Steptoe and Son so it'll be interesting to see those originals once I get to that series.

 

[JohnHopper]

I’ve been revisiting Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea over the last weeks, mostly episodes I don’t go back to often (primarily the first year). It’s been super fun.

________________________​

The best episodes were espionage-oriented: see the masterpiece “The Fear-Maker”, “The Saboteur” and also “The Enemies”.​

I also adore the realistic catastrophy episode “Submarine Sunk Here”.​

​

 

[ScottRE]

________________________​

The best episodes were espionage-oriented: see the masterpiece “The Fear-Maker”, “The Saboteur” and also “The Enemies”.​

I also adore the realistic catastrophy episode “Submarine Sunk Here”.​

​

I agree, The Fear-Makers is top Voyage. The Enemies is also a favorite. I'm not as crazy about The Saboteur, but The Mist Of Silence is outstanding, my favorite of the espionage episodes. Others episodes from the first season I really love are SF outings like The Sky is Falling, and The Invaders. The spy stuff got a little silly in the second season, but they still had Escape from Venice, which is really great. A little "Man from UNCLE-ish," but still a good example of second season "jet set spy adventure."

 

[Montytc]

I've been massively binging Cheers the past week and a half or so... I've watched S7, S8, S9, S10, and started S11 in that time. Yeah... that's a lot of Cheers. Basically watched at least a disc per day on weekdays and 2-3 on Sat/Sun. I've really enjoyed it and and somewhat disappointed that I'll be done in a couple of days.

If you've never seen the series and don't want to know things that happen - stop reading. I've spoilerized my comments just in case...

Spoiler

I've seen Norm turn into an interior designer, Rebecca get fired after Evan Drake was outed for insider trading (by Sam, no less), Sam buy back the bar (for a paltry $.85), Woody fall in love with Kelly and write her a song for her birthday, Cliff appear on Jeopardy and blow it after amassing a huge lead, watched the horrible "200th episode" which is nothing but a lame flashback episode, a new owner for Mellville's who mostly hates the Cheers gang with Sam getting most of the vitriol, Kelly return from Europe with a French lothario who constantly tells Woody "I'm going to steal Kelly from you", Sam get "baby fever" after babysitting the Crain's infant and gets Rebecca to be the mother, the bar burned down due to Rebecca carelessly tossing a still lit cigarette in the trash (an oddity as I don't recall seeing her smoke before that episode), Woody get married to Kelly but not without issues, several excellent "bar wars" episodes with Gary's faked death and Sam's "get them back" response the toppers, Cliff's girlfriend turn up pregnant, Cliff's joke being "accepted" by Johnny Carson and his mom appearing on stage, Norm hitting it lucky because Sam got lucky and buying Sam a new boat with the money instead of paying his bar tab, wondered why Sam sold his car instead of the boat to help finance the repairs after the fire, basically wondering why lots of little things are seemingly forgotten from episode to episode. Whew! And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

So... I'm at the point where they're setting up the spin-off show, Frasier, with his and Lilith's breakup and him leaving Boston. The last episode I watched saw him attempting to kill himself by jumping off the building with Lilith finally leaving with the final insult being her lover dinging Frasier's car and coming into Cheers to tell him.

Since I have Frasier, still unopened, I'm thinking I'll just seque to it when I've finished Cheers. I really like that one too.

I have been alternating episodes of these two series for some time now. I am on season three of each, and I have been surprised to find I like Frasier a little more. I rarely watched Frasier during its initial run and watched Cheers all the way through, but the writing on Frazier is fantastic and so is the cast. Both shows are great.

 

[JohnHopper]

_______________________________________________​

Hold it right there! I’m currently exploring the fifth disc of Gunsmoke season 19!​

​

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Received a slew of DVD boxed sets in a recent care package from the States, and have been slowly digging in to all the classic TV goodness therein.

Gunsmoke – 16. 1 “Chato”
This is the first hour-long color Gunsmoke episode I’ve seen in probably 40 years, and damn, was it a good one! Randall waxed rhapsodic about this particular episode a while back in the dedicated Gunsmoke thread, and as usual, he didn’t steer me wrong. When a lawman mentor of Dillon’s is killed by notorious Indian renegade Chato (Ricardo Montalban), the marshal heads deep into rough New Mexico mountain territory to bring the man in. Dillon finds the elusive Chato’s only weakness is the feisty woman he loves (Miriam Colon), so he takes her along with him to lure Chato in. Things go pear-shaped from there, and eventually Dillon comes to find out that there is more to the fiercely proud Chato than his murderous reputation would suggest. An excellent episode all around, gritty, uncompromising, with a good script, evocative location photography and fine guest performances - especially from Montalban, who has never been better.

Cheyenne – 2.2 “The Long Winter”
Ever since I read Paul Mavis’ review of this season two set on DVD Talk, I’ve wanted to see this episode. Mavis’ description of Cheyenne, stuck guarding a herd of cattle through a brutal Montana winter, spending a lonely Christmas talking to his mule, made it sound special, and it is...but that’s actually only a small part of the busy, rather epic story this episode tells. Hayden Roarke (most famous from his years on I Dream of Jeannie) does a good job playing a gruff but honorable former Army general whose herd Cheyenne agrees to stick around to care for during the rapidly approaching winter, along with a young cowhand (Tom Pittman) and a surly foreman (Robert J. Wilke, reliably slimy). Eventually, only Cheyenne sticks to his post, fending off rustlers, growing a beard and trading his horses for the aforementioned mule. Oh, and there’s also a neighboring buffalo hunter with an attractive young wife (Fay Spain) who does a double and triple take when she gets a gander at big ol’ Clint Walker’s handsome face and massive shoulders. Another TV western gem written by the idiosyncratic genius Montgomery Pittman, the only thing letting it down is some egregiously mismatched stock footage typical of these ‘50s WB productions. Also with Murvyn Vye, Stacy Keach Sr. and Malcolm Atterbury.

Paul Temple – 3.11 “Cue Murder!”
An ingenious example of a “bottle” show, as it’s both filmed and set in a BBC studio. Paul Temple is one of several guests on a popular true crime panel show called Guilty Party (the unctuous host perfectly played by consummate Brit character actor Philip Madoc), which examines unsolved mysteries – in this case, the death of a young Polish immigrant five years before. Panelists include various neighbors of the murdered woman, the investigating police officer, a newspaper columnist who has written a book on the psychology of murder, and of course our hero, amateur sleuth Temple, who slowly draws the net tight upon the killer, who is somewhere in either the studio audience, or on the panel itself. Very different from the other recently-reviewed, shot all on location episode “Games People Play,” but still compelling stuff.

Tombstone Territory – 1.1 “Gunslinger from Galeville”
Pat Conway continues to impress with his no-nonsense portrayal of newly-appointed sheriff Clay Hollister, who brazenly rides into an outlaw enclave and deputizes cattle rustler and outlaw, Curly Bill Brocius (Robert Foulk), to help him collect taxes from the various criminal denizens. All the while, vicious little punk gunslinger Monk (Brett King) works up a lather in anticipation of a final showdown with Hollister. I think you can guess how that works out for him...The prints used on Timeless’ DVD set look nice and crisp, really boosting the enjoyment factor of this terrific western series, another of those 30-minute gems so common to that era, that pack a lot of plot and incident into a lean runtime. At a little over $20 for 91 episodes, I consider this release a steal of a deal.


Hank – 1.1 “Who’s Waldo Smith”
After reading how poorly the Warner Archive release of this rare, one season 1965 sitcom sold, despite a solid critical reputation…well, I had to do my part and boost the sales just a little bit. I’m glad I got this, as it looks to be a fun, creative show, judging from this first episode. Dick Kallman stars as the exceedingly ambitious Hank, who’s determined to get a college education despite lacking the requisite high school diploma (due to having had to drop out of school at age 15 to take care of his baby sister after their parent died). Hank hustles like nobody’s business, running a number of small jobs catering to students during the day, in between auditing classes under a variety of names, keeping one step ahead of the registrar’s office. This is made even more difficult by the fact that his cute girlfriend (Linda Foster) is the daughter of the Dean. A running gag sees the athletic Hank dashing around the campus, handily leaping over hedges and fences, frantically pursued by the college’s track coach (Dabbs Greer) desperate to recruit the boy to his team. The premise is clever, if perhaps one that stretches credulity a wee bit...but hey, if we can accept a talking horse, a witch wife, a Martian roommate and a hot live-in genie in other '60s sitcoms, then buying this set-up shouldn’t be too big an ask.

The Protectors – 1.1 “2,000 Ft. to Die”
The first episode of this early ‘70s half-hour ITC spy adventure, from famed Supermarionation guru Gerry Anderson, moves so fast that it doesn’t really matter that its spoonful of plot gets glossed over in favor of constant action (including some cool skydiving stunts), glamour, and wild fashions. There's only time for the merest echo of premise set-up: Harry Rule (Robert Vaughn, a little older than his U.N.C.L.E. days but still as smoothly confident as ever) works for some kind of international crime-fighting organization, helped out by the sophisticated Contessa Caroline di Contini (Nyree Dawn Porter) and Frenchman Paul Buchet (Tony Anholt). The plot involves some garbled nonsense about a formula to make synthetic gold, and our heroes' efforts to prevent the assassination of an actor (Harvey Hall) who can identify said formula. Later episodes have slightly more refined plots; this series’ opener is a little too busy for its own good, but it’s still a breezy, stylish time killer.


Maverick – 3.14 “The Goose-Drownder”
Bart (Jack Kelly, in his own way, just as effective a lead as the more celebrated James Garner) and his even more amoral fellow gambler, Gentleman Jack Darby (Richard Long) find themselves stranded in a ghost town during a heavy rainstorm. Soon, their dull routine of endless card games played for matchsticks is interrupted by the arrival of a stagecoach full of hostile, suspicious characters, among them a former bar girl (Fay Spain, again) who once fleeced Maverick of his pocket watch and $600. Now, she’s hooked up with a wounded outlaw killer, the Arapaho Kid (H.M. Wynant), and his gang of crooks. Seems they’ve murdered the actual stage driver and stole a $10,000 mining payroll hidden somewhere on the stage itself. When the gang notices Maverick’s nimble fingers, he’s forced at gunpoint to operate on the wounded man to remove the bullet.

Every time I watch a Maverick episode, it turns out to be the highlight of the week, and that’s pretty much the case here. Even though it’s essentially a set-bound hostage thriller (the plot has been compared to Key Largo, the WB never above recycling plots from its own movie library), it’s an expertly written and played drama, with a fine cast, including Clark Alexander, Will Wright, as the (what else?) cantankerous lone resident of the town, and Robert Nichols as a character named, amusingly, “Red Herring.” Richard Long brings a nice insouciance and roguish charm to this, his fourth and final appearance as Gentleman Jack.

Gideon’s Way – 1.6 “State Visit”
More than 2 ½ months since Network shipped it from the U.K., my DVD set of this black-and-white ITC police drama finally arrived this week. Basically a mid-‘60s British version of Naked City, the series follows Scotland Yard Commander George Gideon (John Gregson) and his team as they tangle with the criminal underbelly of London. In this one, Gideon and his men must track down and thwart a disgruntled immigrant and Holocaust survivor (Alfie Bass), who plans to set off a homemade nitrogylcerin bomb at a rally welcoming the German chancellor, whom he believes is a former Nazi sympathizer. Dapper, waspish Gerald Harper (soon to go on to greater fame as the star of Adam Adamant Lives! and Hadleigh) appears as an ambitious deputy commander in a subplot about his dissatisfied wife deciding to leave him. This series has a heavier, more dramatic vibe than the usual ITC action-adventure show, and benefits from sharp, character-based scripts, good acting and lots of location photography around a London still showing signs of post war grit and grime. It was known as Gideon C.I.D. in America, and Network’s DVD set features the original U.S. opening credits on all disc 2 episodes (including this particular one). While I much prefer the U.K. original credit sequence, with its jaunty Edwin Astley theme tune, the U.S. version makes for a nice bonus.

 

[Rustifer]

I'm going to break out a comment from my Cheers spoiler. It concerns S9E8 - aka "The 200th Episode Special."

I'm warning anyone who's not seen the series that this is one episode you can safely skip.

It opens with a standard type cold open for the series with "guest star" John McLaughlin walking into the bar:


McLaughlin can't act and barely delivered the lines adequately and that's the best part of the *one hour* episode.

During the episode, McLaughlin, IMHO a horrible choice, somewhat "interviews" the cast and creators who are spread out on a large stage. The vast majority of the answers cause a clip from an episode to be played. Yep... a clip show and little else. At least most other clip shows have some kind of lame connecting story. Towards the end they play the "full version" of the theme song - and it's just not that good with a more rock/pop instrumentation and added verses that border on trite. It ends with an extended "meet the cast afterwards" segment that's nothing but a time waster/filler as you watch people mingle and idly shake hands.

And they wasted an episode and full hour on this drivel. At least on the disc it plays as a single episode and not two as I've read it does in syndication (yes... it airs in syndication - a sure way to drive away viewers). I'm not a fan of "flashback" episodes, considering them massive time wasters, and this one is among the worst I've ever seen.

Howie--
In a way, your post reminded me of the old "Bloopers" show hosted by Ed McMahon and Dick Clark. All we wanted to see were the bloopers and slip ups from actors on various shows--but instead the producers thought what would be more interesting is having Dick Clark or Ed McMahon do a running "set-up" before each clip, eating up most of the show's time. I would end up screaming at the TV..."GET ON WITH IT!"

 

[ScottRE]

Received a slew of DVD boxed sets in a recent care package from the States, and have been slowly digging in to all the classic TV goodness therein.


The Protectors – 1.1 “2,000 Ft. to Die”
The first episode of this early ‘70s half-hour ITC spy adventure, from famed Supermarionation guru Gerry Anderson, moves so fast that it doesn’t really matter that its spoonful of plot gets glossed over in favor of constant action (including some cool skydiving stunts), glamour, and wild fashions. There's only time for the merest echo of premise set-up: Harry Rule (Robert Vaughn, a little older than his U.N.C.L.E. days but still as smoothly confident as ever) works for some kind of international crime-fighting organization, helped out by the sophisticated Contessa Caroline di Contini (Nyree Dawn Porter) and Frenchman Paul Buchet (Tony Anholt). The plot involves some garbled nonsense about a formula to make synthetic gold, and our heroes' efforts to prevent the assassination of an actor (Harvey Hall) who can identify said formula. Later episodes have slightly more refined plots; this series’ opener is a little too busy for its own good, but it’s still a breezy, stylish time killer.

This show is so much fun! Robert Vaughn apparantly hated doing it. I met him at a convention and he was so disinterested in conversation while I forked over my $40 fo rhis autograph, I made sure to tell him this was my favorite of his shows.

Two things always seemed weird: that the shots of Vaughn in the opening credits were really uninteresting (making eggs, eating breakfast, giving toast to his green dog) and that there is a sillohuette in the credits that is becver explained.