What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (15 Viewers)

[Rustifer]

I spotted two up and comers in one episode: a young Jeremy Slate

I mostly remember Jeremy Slate, who partnered with Ron Ely, in The Aquanauts (1960-61)--a sort of underwater 77 Sunset Strip in wetsuits. The series snorkled through 32 episodes before being buried at sea.

 

[BobO'Link]

Episode Commentary
The Waltons
"The Moonshiner" (S7E4)

This was one of the more iconic series of the 1970's--Earl Hamner's Baptist paean to the sappy sentimentality in living on the side of a mountain somewhere in the Blue Ridge backwoods of Virginia during and post-Great Depression. I admit that some of the episodes were well written enough for even my cynical self to buy into its heart-tugging themes surrounding the Walton family.

In this 7th season episode, Grandpa Walton (Will Geer) had left the building and was taking his eternal soil sleep somewhere deep in the mountain. His goofily homey wisdom is missed, especially by middle Walton son Jason (Jon Walmsley). To help alleviate his boredom, he decides to work overtime in rehabilitating the soul of family relative old Boone Walton (Morgan Woodward, the creepy Boss Godfrey in Cool Hand Luke). Jason convinces the judge to release Boone from his moonshine offenses and remand him into the boy's custody. Jason soon learns the crusty old geezer is against everything that resembles progress, of which there was very little to be found on Walton's Mountain anyway. Olivia (Michael Learned) is far from overjoyed at Boone moving into the family residence for a spell. As far as she's concerned, booze is the scourge of mankind--even though the rest of the family would kill for a healthy round or two of mojitos.

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Enjoying a laugh-filled episode of Amon 'n Andy: Grandma discusses mole removal with John-Boy; Little Erin, once off the mountain

Meantime, while now adult John-boy (Richard Thomas) is off in the big city practicing yellow journalism, Ex-fiance Daisy (Deirdre Lenihan) shows up on the mountain on her way to NYC, stopping by just to say 'hi' as far as I can tell. Lucky her, she gets to listen to Boone's ramblings about the good ol' days on the Blue Ridge. It's obvious the show's producers felt that Boone could be a reasonable graybeard replacement for Grandpa. And maybe cop a chance to get into Grandma's knickers. But Boone is more interested in building a still on the mountain and setting up some competition to the Baldwin Sisters' Papa's Recipe. Jason is obviously losing grip on his responsibility of reigning in the old coot.

Additionally thrown in are a whole bunch of yawn-inspiring side stories of the Walton kids that showcase their incredible upbringing and sense of responsibility. There's no tawdriness allowed in this family other than some occasional in-breeding. After all, the family that lays together, stays together. Focusing in on Jason, he introduces Boone to the Baldwin Sisters just in the nick of time. Apparently the spinsters have lost the recipe to Papa's Recipe. Boone decides it's nothing more than adding a few pine cones and a shovelful of raccoon poop to restore the recipe's heartiness, thus saving the day. You might say that's progress. As typical of each episode, a happy hoo-rah ending is achieved, accompanied by some highly annoying harmonica music.

As if nine seasons weren't enough, the show spun six subsequent reunion episodes over the next 15 years--if only to showcase the cast members' weight gain over those years.

You got that last line wrong... it *should* read: "As if nine episodes weren't enough, the show ran nine *seasons* and spun..."

That write up was better than any of the very few partial episodes of that one I saw. I generally avoided it like the plague. The promos were enough to keep me away...

 

[Rustifer]

You got that last line wrong... it *should* read: "As if nine episodes weren't enough, the show ran nine *seasons* and spun..."

That write up was better than any of the very few partial episodes of that one I saw. I generally avoided it like the plague. The promos were enough to keep me away...

Thanks for reminding me Howie---proof before I post...

 

[JamesSmith]

Finishing up the first season of The Wild Wild West. Struck by how good the acting and music can be. Conrad can be good when he's doing stoic and then he did a good job when he was under the influence of an LSD like drug. You do notice the similarity of sets at times, and the non bloody shooting of bad guys when vital organs are hit at point blank range. They just sort of keel over.

--jthree

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Watched the first couple of seasons of Laverne and Shirley. This will be one I revisit more in the future. I don't think I can do 8 seasons in a row.

So, I jumped to Quantum Leap, which I can more than watch 5 seasons of that. Currently on a spectacular season 2 stretch, Good Morning Peoria, Thou Shalt Not, and Jimmy. A great early Rock and Roll based episode, an underrated character drama about dealing with loss, and, well, "I'm retarded?".

I miss anthology shows like this. And sci-fi shows like this. But I love the Blu-rays. The restored music alone was worth the cost of the set. The DVDs ripped the guts from so many episodes with bad music replacements. HD quality picture was an added bonus, which does hold up well on the ol' 55 inch 4K. Hell, even CBS's remastered Laverne and Shirley episodes look great on the TV in question, so I'm long past worrying about what upscaled shows look like on a bigger, more advanced screen.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Gomer Pyle USMC
"Super Chef" (S3E9)

I've always found the sunny attitude of Gomer Pyle to go against the conventional grain. Never the sharpest tack in the corkboard, Gomer's career path goes from small town gas station attendant to low-level Private in the Marine Corps. What's next--an MBA from Wharton? Golllly! However, Gomer always took the simplistic tour of life, which suited him just fine. No higher aspirations other than three squares a day and a roof over his head. Wanting anything more was too far past where the buses run as far as he was concerned. But the boy possessed a sort of rural charm that could steal the puff off a dandelion. Gomer knew something most people don't--that the sun will rise each morning without any participation from him.

It's a slow day in Sgt. Carter's (Frank Sutton) quonset hut. He and Sgt. Hacker (Alan Melvin), two Marine noncoms barely bright enough to operate an umbrella, make a wager during one of their frequent dust-ups. Hacker believes that with superior guidance and training, he can teach the hapless Pyle how to cook an entire meal by himself in the mess hall within one week. Carter, forever scheming ways to rid himself of the useless Private, readily agrees to lend Gomer into the dubious care of Hacker. A fifty dollar bet transpires that Hacker will fail with the unteachable Pyle.

Pyle jumps at the opportunity, so Hacker saddles him with his first task--stirring a pot of oatmeal as large as a Gallo Winery vat. Gomer fails immediately as the pot boils over and coats the kitchen in fiber-rich goo. Hacker realizes he must first start Gomer with the fundamentals--such as properly identifying a pot, a stove, a meat cleaver, etc. Hacker's training technique is about as practical as an elevator in an outhouse. The week deadline is rapidly approaching with little culinary progress from Pyle.

If at first you don't succeed: Try, try again; Marines often line up for breakfast without wearing pants

D-Day of Gomer's solo meal debut finally arrives along with a serious snafu. A visiting Colonel is at the base and demands to eat in the mess hall with the rest of the men. No amount of persuading can get the Colonel to change his mind, and Sgt. Hacker sees his career gurgling down the garbage disposal. But Shazaam!--Gomer pulls it off by switching the complicated menu to dishes he learned to make from his Grandma--pork rinds, collard greens and black-eyed peas in enough bacon fat to lubricate an army tank. The Colonel, a Southerner, nearly swoons in delight over the iconic Dixie fare. Hard to swallow, I know--but there you have it.

Note:
Jim Neighbors frequented my city as the annual crooner of "Back Home Again in Indiana" at the beginning of each Indy 500 Race. Having had the opportunity to meet him, I must say I've never before met a celebrity who was so unaware of his own fame. It seemed he was completely embarrassed and perplexed at any fuss made over him.

Edit:
Early onset dementia alert--No sooner had I posted this than my wife reminded me I did a commentary on this episode already. I can only claim that practice makes perfect.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Did something a bit different this past week, I devoured the entire season of Doctor Who - Tom Baker Season 3 Blu-ray(Series/Season 14 really). I normally place the stories into a rotation of sorts. This season just has a tremendous collection of stories. It has been quite some time since I have seen these. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The stories sucked me in and the extras rounded out the set. Tom Baker, Peter Hinchcliffe and Louise Jameson had great memories to share. I have been constantly impressed with these complete collections with their upgraded picture and extras, this set just seemed to be just a bit better. I have to give a special shoutout to the extras found on The Hand Of Fear disc, they highlighted the impact and life of Elisabeth Sladen - just amazing.

The Masque Of Mandragora (14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4) Jon Laurimore, Garethe Armstrong, Tim Piggott-Smith, Norman Jones. The Mandragora Helix gets caught up inside the Tardis and creates havoc.
The TARDIS materialises in a field near San Martino, and when the Doctor and Sarah exit, the energy fragment flies out of the TARDIS, unseen. Sarah wanders off and is kidnapped by a group of men in hooded robes. The Doctor tries to rescue her but is knocked out, and when he awakes he witnesses the energy fragment fly towards and kill a peasant. Searching for Sarah, the Doctor is confronted by the Count's men and arrested.
The Doctor deduces that the Helix chose San Martino because the Brethren provided a ready-made power base. The 15th century was the transition between the Dark Ages and the dawn of the Renaissance – the Helix could gain control of the Earth now through a new religion.
At the masque, the Brethren make their appearance, and the masqueraders run about in panic as they fire into the crowd. Hieronymous then appears and tells the Brethren to take the others into the temple for the final sacrifice. The Moon goes into eclipse, and the Brethren place their hands on the altar as a ball of Helix energy descends. However, it consumes the Brethren, expanding and then fading away. "Hieronymous" removes his mask – it was the Doctor, imitating the cult leader's voice. The Doctor explains it as a case of "energy squared", putting the Mandragora Helix back where it came from.
The Doctor and Sarah make their goodbyes to Giuliano. Just before they leave in the TARDIS, Doctor tells Sarah that while Giuliano will not have any more trouble with Mandragora, humanity will. The constellation will be in position at about the end of the 20th century.

The Hand Of Fear (14.5, 14.6, 14.7, 14.8) Judith Paris, Stephen Thorne, Roy Skelton, Rex Robinson. Sarah Jane's last regular adventure with the Doctor until she reconnects with the 10th Doctor in School Reunion.
Millennia ago on the planet Kastria, a traitor and criminal named Eldrad is sentenced to death for his crimes, including the destruction of the barriers that have kept the solar winds at bay. The pod containing the criminal is obliterated—but his hand survives. In the present day the Doctor and Sarah Jane arrive in the Tardis at a quarry and are caught up in an explosion. Sarah is rendered unconscious, but in that state, she makes contact with the fossilised hand, its ring placing her under its control. The Doctor takes her to the local hospital, where the mesmeric power of the hand becomes more complete and both Sarah Jane and a pathologist called Dr Carter are brought under its control.
The Doctor, Sarah and Eldrad travel in the TARDIS to Kastria in the present time—150 million years after she left. They find a barren and frozen world, with a few signs of civilisation many floors below ground. Eldrad is seemingly caught and destroyed by one of a series of traps while travelling with the Doctor to a regeneration chamber. Eldrad emerges in his true masculine form, however, and then commences a tirade against King Rokon upon seeing a hologram of him.
Not long after departure in the TARDIS, Sarah becomes fed up after everything they have been through together and, after she states her intention to leave, goes off to pack. The Doctor receives a telepathic summons to Gallifrey and declares he cannot take Sarah with him. This news upsets her, despite having already packed. The Doctor returns her to Earth where she tells the Doctor not to forget her.

The Deadly Assassin (14.9, 14.10, 14.11, 14.12) Peter Pratt, Angus MacKay, Bernard Horsfall, George Pravda, Hugh Walters. The Manchurian Candidate on Gallifrey, sorta, as well as The Matrix, sorta. The Doctor receives a dream about the assassination of the President. Arriving on Gallifrey, the Doctor is accused of murder.
In order to clear his name, he must enter the matrix and face off against his deadliest enemy - the Master (still hovering near death after their last encounter).
Inside the Panopticon (Matrix), the Master makes his way to the obelisk containing the Eye. He unhooks the coils that connect it to Gallifrey and is prepared to access the energy. The Doctor makes his way to the Panopticon via a service shaft. The Citadel begins to quake, and cracks appear in the floor. The Doctor and the Master fight, until the Master loses his footing and falls into a chasm. The Doctor reconnects the coils and saves Gallifrey, although half the city is in ruins and many lives have been lost.
The Doctor is now free to return to his Tardis. He bids farewell but also warns that the Master may not be dead as he had harvested energy from the obelisk before he was stopped and may have been able to channel it. As the Doctor's TARDIS dematerialises, Spandrell and Engin witness the Master sneak into his own TARDIS and escape.

The Face Of Evil (14.13, 14.14, 14.15, 14.16) Louise Jameson joins the cast as Leela (new companion), David Garfield, Victor Lucas, Brendan Price, Leslie Schofield. The Doctor, travelling alone in the Tardis, arrives on a jungle planet and encounters Leela, a savage from the local tribe, who denounces him as the Evil One of fable among her people. She has been exiled from her tribe, the Sevateem, for profaning their god Xoanon who is kept prisoner by the Evil One and his followers, the Tesh, beyond a black wall. He speaks to them through the tribe's shaman, Neeva. The Doctor finds a sophisticated sonic disruptor, which creates the force field that keeps creatures from attacking the village. The Sevateem will launch an attack on the domain of the Tesh to free their god, led by the combative Andor who suspects Neeva of being a false prophet.
The Tesh come under attack from Calib, Tomas and the survivors of the Sevateem, who now reach the spaceship too. This diverts the Tesh while the Doctor and Leela return to the computer room, where Xoanon briefly takes control of Leela's mind. Most of the Sevateem come under the telepathic control of the computer too. The Tesh and Sevateem soon converge on the computer room too and interrupt the Doctor as he tries to repair Xoanon, realising the computer has now triggered the countdown to an atomic explosion. Elsewhere in the ship Neeva is alone but crazed, his faith in Xoanon shattered. The shaman uses the disruptor gun against one of the images of Xoanon/the Doctor projected through a wall. The ensuing blast kills Neeva but also interrupts Xoanon's control of its subjects, allowing the Doctor to resume and complete his repairs. Xoanon's circuits explode, knocking the Doctor out.
Two days later the Doctor wakes up to find himself aboard the spaceship in the care of Leela. She explains Xoanon has been quiet and he interprets this as success for his extraction experiment. They visit the computer room and find Xoanon's identity and sanity restored. The computer confirms it was running a eugenics experiment and thanks the Doctor for his repair work. The Doctor then contacts the survivors of the Tesh and Sevateem and tells them Xoanon is now cured and able to support their new society. Leela then jumps aboard the TARDIS despite the protests of the Doctor, initiating take-off.

The Robots Of Death (14.17, 14.18, 14.19, 14.20) Russell Hunter, Pamela Salem, DAvid Bailie, David Collings. The Doctor and Leela arrive via Tardis on "Storm Mine 4", a large sand-crawling miner vehicle used to gather valuable minerals from a desert planet brought to the surface by powerful sandstorms. They find the vehicle has a minimal human crew that oversee the menial work done by numerous robots, which are divided into three classes: black-coloured "Dum" robots that cannot speak, gold-green-coloured "Voc" robots that can interact with the human crew, and a silver-coloured "Super Voc" robot, SV7, who manages the other robots.
Taren is lured to the laboratory by the Doctor and D84, and D84 sacrifices himself to use the deactivator to shut down the Voc guard in the laboratory and itself. When SV7 arrives to kill the remaining humans, Taren begins to give SV7 orders to kill the Doctor, but Leela opens the helium canister, causing Taren's voice to become high-pitched and unrecognisable by SV7. The Super Voc then kills him. The Doctor helps to shut down SV7 and revert Taren's programming. After assuring that Poul and the others are safe and help is on the way, the Doctor and Leela take their leave.

The Talons Of Weng-Chiang (14.21, 14.22, 14.23, 14.24, 14.25, 14.26) Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, John Bennet, Deep Roy, Michael Spice. One of the best stories!!! The Doctor and Leela arrive in London so that Leela can learn about the customs of her ancestors. The Doctor and Leela encounter a group of Chinese men who have apparently killed a cab driver. All but one escape, and he, the Doctor and Leela are taken to the local police station.
At the station, Li H'sen Chang is called in to act as an interpreter, but unbeknownst to everyone else he is the leader of the group – the Tong of the Black Scorpion, followers of the god Weng-Chiang. He stealthily gives the captive henchman a pill of concentrated scorpion venom, which the henchman takes and dies.
Chang had sent his men, including the diminutive MrSin, to kill Buller.
Leela, who had been left at Litefoot's house, has followed them and confronts Greel. She is captured by Greel, but before her life essence is drained, the Doctor, Jago and Litefoot escape and rescue her. In a final confrontation, Mr Sin turns on Greel as the Doctor convinces it that Greel escaping in his time cabinet will create a catastrophic implosion. The Doctor defeats Greel by forcibly pushing him into his own extraction machine, causing it to overload and Greel to disintegrate. The Doctor then captures and deactivates Mr Sin.

The extras throughout this season were all outstanding, highly recommended.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Did something a bit different this past week, I devoured the entire season of Doctor Who - Tom Baker Season 3 Blu-ray(Series/Season 14 really). I normally place the stories into a rotation of sorts. This season just has a tremendous collection of stories. It has been quite some time since I have seen these. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The stories sucked me in and the extras rounded out the set. Tom Baker, Peter Hinchcliffe and Louise Jameson had great memories to share. I have been constantly impressed with these complete collections with their upgraded picture and extras, this set just seemed to be just a bit better. I have to give a special shoutout to the extras found on The Hand Of Fear disc, they highlighted the impact and life of Elisabeth Sladen - just amazing.

The extras throughout this season were all outstanding, highly recommended.

Can't blame you for blitzing through this set, Doug...that is one AMAZING season of Classic Doctor Who, the show at its absolute peak. While it's sad to see Liz Sladen go, Louise Jameson as Leela is fantastic from the off...I really enjoy the Fourth Doctor's attempts to tame her savage, bloodthirsty character. And what a run of stories to debut a new companion! Four all-time classics in a row (counting next season's opener, The Horror of Fang Rock).

Thanks for the review! Can't wait to get this set - but I'll have to, until it drops to a more reasonable price.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Well, I had $10 in BB reward certificates, so my price was $49.99. Didn't need to wait for the B&N sale around December.

 

[BobO'Link]

Well... it's catch up time again...

Over the past couple of weeks I watched volumes 7 & 8 of Family Guy and S4 of Leave it to Beaver.

I like the earlier seasons, the ones done before it was cancelled and returned, of Family Guy than these newer ones. They feel somewhat forced at times. I was also a bit taken aback by the amount of profanity in these sets/episodes. Sure, they used it on others and the soundtracks are available in bleeped and unbleeped versions. While it's billed as a more adult show, Family Guy has never really felt that way to me so the language, IMHO, really doesn't fit well other than in small doses. Anyway... the episodes were generally good with only a few that felt out of place. Those 2 volumes are the last I own of that series and I'm not sure that I'll purchase more. But I said that before purchasing those two volumes and a B1G1 sale changed my mind so...

I believe S4 of Leave it to Beaver is the last one of that series that I really like. After this, Beaver is just too grown up to believe the stupidity of the things he gets into in S5/6. He's in the 5th grade in S4 so *some* of it's believable (although not the coffee cup episode). I watched a few episodes with my 10yo granddaughter - a first time viewing for her. She liked what she saw but it's not one she's likely to ask for herself, and said so. She currently prefers Green Acres and Batman if we're going to watch 60s TV (generally, so do I) but she's also not seen most of the 60s output I have. Overall, I really enjoyed S4 with most episodes playing to what a 5th grader is actually likely to do or get into, especially one from the early 60s (I don't think today's kids are quite as gullible - but...).

AND - I started watching some of the "New Who" with Doctor Who, the Christopher Eccleston series and started the ones with David Tenant.

I'm really enjoying these series. I'm not going to say more than "Classic Who" as it's quite close. I like the improved visuals on these new episodes and the location shooting. Basically the more film like aspect of production rather than the obvious stage bound early episodes. Eccleston's run was fun and shorter than I was expecting. Just as I was getting used to him in the role he "dies" and David Tenant takes over. It took a few episodes to adjust but I'm liking his run. Last night I watched the episode in which Rose "dies" so I suspect he'll be getting a new companion in the next. And what's up with the pronunciation of Dalek? I'd have sworn they pronounced it with a long "a" in the Tom Baker episodes (like "daylick") and now it's an "ahh" sound (like "dahleck"). I'm also having trouble getting past the toilet plunger arm on Daleks. Even for an early 60s production design it seems like an odd choice. Oh well...

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Well, I had $10 in BB reward certificates, so my price was $49.99. Didn't need to wait for the B&N sale around December.

That's definitely a reasonable price, Doug, and I'm sure such a high-quality set is well worth it! I'm generally a budget hound when it comes to this hobby...having the distance of living overseas for nearly two decades has resulted in me taking the long term approach to collecting, and it has paid off in many ways (and not in others, as I sometimes miss out on titles that go OOP). It took a year or two, but eventually the price on the previous Classic Doctor Who Blu-Ray sets dropped massively...I've managed to pick them all up (well, all the ones I want, anyway...no Colin Baker or Sylvester McCoy sets for me, thanks) for between $20-30. Considering that individual stories were going for those prices on DVD for years makes these beautifully done, full season sets real value for money. I do want this particular set sooner rather than later, though...will be keeping my eye on sales.

I like the earlier seasons, the ones done before it was cancelled and returned, of Family Guy than these newer ones. They feel somewhat forced at times. I was also a bit taken aback by the amount of profanity in these sets/episodes. Sure, they used it on others and the soundtracks are available in bleeped and unbleeped versions. While it's billed as a more adult show, Family Guy has never really felt that way to me so the language, IMHO, really doesn't fit well other than in small doses. Anyway... the episodes were generally good with only a few that felt out of place. Those 2 volumes are the last I own of that series and I'm not sure that I'll purchase more. But I said that before purchasing those two volumes and a B1G1 sale changed my mind so...

I felt much the same way about Futurama, when it came back after going off the air for a while. Something just wasn't quite the same...

And what's up with the pronunciation of Dalek? I'd have sworn they pronounced it with a long "a" in the Tom Baker episodes (like "daylick") and now it's an "ahh" sound (like "dahleck"). I'm also having trouble getting past the toilet plunger arm on Daleks. Even for an early 60s production design it seems like an odd choice. Oh well...

"Dalek" has always been pronounced with an "ahh" sound on the show, Howie. Christopher Eccleston might stretch out the "ahh" sound more than most previous Doctors, though... The episode "Dalek" is easily one of the best things the new series has ever done, IMO.

Yeah, the "toilet plunger" arm has always been an amusing design idea to me. I've never found the Daleks scary, but I do like them as alien villains, and the central concept of them being little mutated blob things incased in pepperpot shells is a striking one. The screeching voice and irate middle-manager attitude is what really makes them memorable for me. It's a goofy design in some respects but somehow it really works...

Glad you're enjoying these initial Nu Who seasons, Howie. While I find David Tennant to be a good actor, I have never taken to his Doctor. Too human and "normal" seeming by far, and he and Rose's smug "coupling" relationship grates - which is too bad, as I quite like Rose in her first year with Eccleston. Tennant is by any measure the most successful and popular of all the new series Doctors (especially among women), though, so I'm in the minority. He does have a few episodes that are first-rate in my book: "School Reunion" and "Blink."

 

[BobO'Link]

I felt much the same way about Futurama, when it came back after going off the air for a while. Something just wasn't quite the same...

Same here with the difference being I've not purchased any of those later Futurama seasons. I picked up a couple of the movies and as they just didn't resonate with me like the series didn't pursue it further.

"Dalek" has always been pronounced with an "ahh" sound on the show, Howie. Christopher Eccleston might stretch out the "ahh" sound more than most previous Doctors, though... The episode "Dalek" is easily one of the best things the new series has ever done, IMO.

Yeah, the "toilet plunger" arm has always been an amusing design idea to me. I've never found the Daleks scary, but I do like them as alien villains, and the central concept of them being little mutated blob things incased in pepperpot shells is a striking one. The screeching voice and irate middle-manager attitude is what really makes them memorable for me. It's a goofy design in some aspects but somehow it really works...

Glad you're enjoying these initial Nu Who seasons, Howie. While I find David Tennant to be a good actor, I have never taken to his Doctor. Too human and "normal" seeming by far. He is by any measure the most successful and popular of all the new series Doctors (especially among women), though, so I'm in the minority.

OK... so that means it's *me* who was thinking it was pronounced "Daylick" and not in the show (oldtimers disease... blech).

I didn't know the Dalek's origin or internal composition and thought they were intelligent robots. That makes them the first true cyborgs to appear in a TV series with the Cybermen a close second. And the Cyberman being "upgraded" humans pretty much makes them the first "Borg" predating Trek's use of an assimilating organism as a villain.

It was enjoying those early series of the New Who that convinced me to order the Peter Capaldi collection (and that the DVD set is currently on sale - cheap).

 

[GMBurns]

Sergeant Cork 1.4, "The Case of the Knotted Scarf". I bought the first season of this period drama about a month ago and have tried to watch an episode a week, and it's always a highlight. It reminds me a little of Hec Ramsey in the way that Sergeant Cork is trying to introduce more modern forensic methods into Victorian era England. But in the end, the sergeant usually catches the criminal just by using his wits. John Barrie fills the screen with his commanding voice and is a lot of fun to watch. I bought the first season just to try it out, but I am now a huge fan and will probably get the complete series. I'm pleased to see that all 66 episodes still exist, unlike so many other great British shows of that time period, that are missing small, and sometimes large chunks of their episodes.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Sergeant Cork 1.4, "The Case of the Knotted Scarf". I bought the first season of this period drama about a month ago and have tried to watch an episode a week, and it's always a highlight. It reminds me a little of Hec Ramsey in the way that Sergeant Cork is trying to introduce more modern forensic methods into Victorian era England. But in the end, the sergeant usually catches the criminal just by using his wits. John Barrie fills the screen with his commanding voice and is a lot of fun to watch. I bought the first season just to try it out, but I am now a huge fan and will probably get the complete series. I'm pleased to see that all 66 episodes still exist, unlike so many other great British shows of that time period, that are missing small, and sometimes large chunks of their episodes.

Great to hear that you're enjoying Sergeant Cork, Glenn...it's such a good show, I just knew you were going to want that Complete Series set before too long!

 

[MatthewA]

LA Law: “LA Lawless” (10/22/1992): Season 7 premiere. It’s April 29, 1992. After dealing with an angry knife-thrower upset by the terms of his divorce, Arnie (now the first-billed character) has had enough of domestic litigation and wants a change. He gets it in the form of a client: Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta, The Tracey Ullman Show), or rather a man who plays him in spite of a cease and desist order from FamilyLand, the theme park that has The Simpsons' characters as walkarounds (unfortunately, none of the others appear). The representative (Steven Kampmann, Newhart) says they fired him after 19 years for breaking character, but he says it was because he was doing double shifts under unbearable conditions. With Susan Bloom and C.J. Lamb out of the picture (and, mercifully, Frank Kitterege as well), Douglas wants to make things “leaner and meaner” at the firm. In the meantime, he wants Stuart to be his best man, albeit on short notice. But while going to a Korean convenience store to pick up champagne, he ends up caught in the riots and ends up arrested after he loses his identification. Gwen becomes an intern with Ann supervising her. Jonathan wants to extend his leave of absence long enough to run for city councilman. Tommy helps Zoey recover from being shot by a dying convict. Daniel Morales (A Martinez) joins the firm and brings his infant daughter Lucy (Megan Guzman) with him. Stuart is attacked in his car on his way home from work. Leland recalls the Watts Riots of 1965 when his legal career was just getting started.

Former St. Elsewhere writers John Masius and John Tinker become co-executive producers with this episode, which they also wrote. Already, you can feel their influence. Where did Morales practice law before he came to this firm? Santa Barbara. What show was A Martinez on first? You can see where this is going. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. With Steven Bochco reduced to the role of “Executive Consultant” (what does that mean?) and David E. Kelley gone, 20th Century Fox and NBC seemed to feel writers from a medical drama could have taken over a legal drama. Both shows won Emmys, so they’ll assume what worked there would work here. It wasn’t that simple; lawyers and police are functionaries of the law and thus are less different from each other than doctors, who are in the profession of preventing and treating illness in living things, are from either of them. Especially with so many key characters having left the show. Sure, it looks like LA Law and most of the core characters are still there. It just feels off-balance, and not in a good way. At its best, the show used to be able to balance quirky and profound not just in its handling of the law, but in its handling of the human problems of those who fight for justice. But what on Earth possessed them to use this episode as a pseudo-Simpsons crossover? Especially when TV Guide’s ads made that look like the primary focus. That’s the sort of thing that indicates this show’s glory days are over.

As stupid and thoughtless as it would be for the show to ignore the Los Angeles riots of 1992, and kind of a cop-out (no pun intended) to wait six months to do it — too bad a two-hour summer event wasn’t doable because of the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, also on NBC — it is still nonetheless disappointing that they handled it fairly clumsily compared to the first six seasons. There was the opportunity for a really hard-hitting episode about the subject matter, especially considering the parallels with today's society, but Tinker and Masius were not the ones to write it.

The R2 DVD version is encoded at 16x9 but with no actual cropping. You would have to set either your player, your receiver, or your TV/projector to display as 4x3 to get it correct.

The 20th Television CGI logo is now the original logo from now until the end of the show. The studio's new owners have recently made a big to-do over its name officially becoming that for good.

LA Law: “Second Time Around” (10/29/1992): Six months after the riots, Daniel deals with a man named Frank Osgood (R.G. Armstrong, T.H.E. Cat) wrongly imprisoned for murder for over 30 years until a man dying of stomach cancer signs a confession. He still remembers the prosecutor who convicted him: Leland! The firm’s finances are at a six-year low. Douglas finds a witness (Nancy Parsons) to testify against the cop who arrested him, but her testimony comes at a price. Ann learns that Stuart suffered serious brain damage that makes it difficult for him to retain memory. Arnie skipped the country for Seychelles. Zoey returns to work, and Tommy interviews for a job at the DA’s office. Another black politician named David Ellis (Ron Canada) runs against Jonathan, calling him out of touch with the needs of his own community. Still, he gains the support of Councilman Marcus Cooke (Hal Williams, Sanford and Son, 227) on the grounds that he goes easy on liquor stores regarding the efforts to rebuild the areas of the city most affected by rioting. Then he takes his support away. Roxanne and Benny stay late at the office to get a surprise visitor.

LA Law: “Zo Long” (11/5/1992): Ann has to get used to Stuart being at home. Arnie returns a changed man, and his first job is to help get Douglas out of jail. Tommy prosecutes a child abuse case against a defense attorney who’s also a nun (Kathleen Chalfant) while Zoey has a backlog of cases. After David Ellis confronts Jonathan in his office, Jonathan goes on the radio. However, when a caller brings up his false arrest for rape, the radio host (Bobby Collins) very little chance to defend himself. Zoey resigns from the DA’s office and leaves Los Angeles.

Music: “Stars and Stripes Forever”

LA Law: “Wine Knot” (11/12/1992): Jonathan returns to the firm after losing the election. Stuart gets a standing ovation on his return to work, but he decides to convince Benny to goof off with him at the Santa Monica Pier instead. Along the way, they save a dog and name him Lincoln. Ann and Gwen take over a divorce case from Arnie, who handles a case of wine … or rather two brothers suing over rival vineyards, one producing substantially greater quality wine than the other. When the judge (Herbert Edelman, The Golden Girls) dismisses a wine expert (George Furth, Blazing Saddles), he has the jury decide for themselves. Ann is angry at Jonathan when a paper claimed he suggested Stuart said something derogatory before the attack. Roxanne’s father’s tombstone arrives … with his last name misspelled! After taking care of baby Lucy, Roxanne wants to have a baby of her own.

From The “When The Saints Go Marching In” Department Herbert Edelman was also on St. Elsewhere as Nurse Rosenthal’s lover.

LA Law: “My Friend Flicker” (11/19/1992): Arnie meets with legendary Hollywood mogul Ben Flicker (Shelley Berman), founder and owner of World Wide Studios, to discuss his daughter’s (Lisa Edelstein, House) divorce. Stuart can’t keep Lincoln the dog so he tries to convince Jonathan to take him. Then Jonathan tries to give him away, too. Eventually, Benny takes him. Roxanne decides to work for Arnie again, then she asks Tommy about being the father of her baby. Leland defends an organization for the deaf being sued by a man who can hear (Michael Keys Hall) for discrimination for being denied a promotion. In a police lineup, Stuart gives positive identification for two of the men who attacked him. Gwen wants C.J.’s old office, but Leland says a new associate is getting it.

And while we are on the subject:

 

[Flashgear]

Did something a bit different this past week, I devoured the entire season of Doctor Who - Tom Baker Season 3 Blu-ray(Series/Season 14 really). I normally place the stories into a rotation of sorts. This season just has a tremendous collection of stories. It has been quite some time since I have seen these. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The stories sucked me in and the extras rounded out the set. Tom Baker, Peter Hinchcliffe and Louise Jameson had great memories to share. I have been constantly impressed with these complete collections with their upgraded picture and extras, this set just seemed to be just a bit better. I have to give a special shoutout to the extras found on The Hand Of Fear disc, they highlighted the impact and life of Elisabeth Sladen - just amazing.

Thanks for your reviews, Doug! You really have heightened my anticipation for getting this set sooner rather than later! I remember seeing these story arcs for the first time about 1981-82 on KSPS Spokane Public Television. In the pre-internet age, and being overseas in primitive places for most of the previous 5 years, (and thus being oblivious to their existence), I was initially amazed that Doctor Who was still in production, let alone with this appealing duo (or trio, with K-9)...Tom Baker was entirely new to me, and at that point I was still oblivious to Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton's eras as the Doctor. I remember seeing the William Hartnell episodes first run on CBC as a 7 to 8 year old, and being scared at least as badly by them as I was with the Outer Limits airing at the same time. Soon enough, PBS was showing those Troughton and Pertwee eras, which were a further revelation. You see, as I remember it, CBC did not air those series in the 60s or 70s. Because of that, I thought the Hartnell years were the totality of Doctor Who, apart from the wonderful Peter Cushing incarnation in two theatrical films that I had also seen. Really looking forward to KL's forthcoming Blus of those too!

Can't blame you for blitzing through this set, Doug...that is one AMAZING season of Classic Doctor Who, the show at its absolute peak. While it's sad to see Liz Sladen go, Louise Jameson as Leela is fantastic from the off...I really enjoy the Fourth Doctor's attempts to tame her savage, bloodthirsty character. And what a run of stories to debut a new companion! Four all-time classics in a row (counting next season's opener, The Horror of Fang Rock).

Jeff, I haven't seen the story arc for The Horror of Fang Rock since the early eighties, but I too recall that one fondly and regard those as among my favorites. Love that anxious and threatening atmosphere of a fog-bound lighthouse with a desperate and murderous, shape-shifting, tentacled alien on the rampage!

I've noticed that on Amazon Canada the floating prices for the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker Blu sets vary to an extraordinary degree...for the first Tom Baker "season", the price has floated from $20 Canadian (approx. $15 U.S.) up to $45 Canadian ($34)...so I got the first Tom Baker Blu set for $15 U.S. on a one-day sale price and the Jon Pertwee set for $25.50!

Former St. Elsewhere writers John Masius and John Tinker become co-executive producers with this episode, which they also wrote. Already, you can feel their influence. Where did Morales practice law before he came to this firm? Santa Barbara. What show was A Martinez on first? You can see where this is going. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. With Steven Bochco reduced to the role of “Executive Consultant” (what does that mean?) and David E. Kelley gone, 20th Century Fox and NBC seemed to feel writers from a medical drama could have taken over a legal drama. Both shows won Emmys, so they’ll assume what worked there would work here. It wasn’t that simple; lawyers and police are functionaries of the law and thus are less different from each other than doctors, who are in the profession of preventing and treating illness in living things, are from either of them. Especially with so many key characters having left the show. Sure, it looks like LA Law and most of the core characters are still there. It just feels off-balance, and not in a good way. At its best, the show used to be able to balance quirky and profound not just in its handling of the law, but in its handling of the human problems of those who fight for justice. But what on Earth possessed them to use this episode as a pseudo-Simpsons crossover? Especially when TV Guide’s ads made that look like the primary focus. That’s the sort of thing that indicates this show’s glory days are over.

As stupid and thoughtless as it would be for the show to ignore the Los Angeles riots of 1992, and kind of a cop-out (no pun intended) to wait six months to do it — too bad a two-hour summer event wasn’t doable because of the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, also on NBC — it is still nonetheless disappointing that they handled it fairly clumsily compared to the first six seasons. There was the opportunity for a really hard-hitting episode about the subject matter, especially considering the parallels with today's society, but Tinker and Masius were not the ones to write it.

Matthew, I've said it before, If anybody writes a history and critical appraisal of LA Law, it should be you! Although writing such a worthy book is a daunting task, and getting it published another formidable hurdle...and only rewarding as an intellectually fulfilling accomplishment driven by your passion as a fan in trying to celebrate with fellow fans of this show. But you clearly have the talent to write such a worthy book that would succeed both as a popular history and as a critical analysis of the show, it's history, cast and production crew, and the times in which it was born and found it's long-lasting audience. McFarland and Bear Manor are the two publishing houses that come to mind, with Bear Manor probably being the most accessible, as if upon their perusal, they accept it, they will publish the book for you in both print and digital. Although I fear how the current pandemic madness has impacted publishing, along with every other sector of the global economy.

 

[Flashgear]

I have the entire run, eight seasons, of The Virginian (1962-70) on DVD. When they went off the Universal lot, which was often, they occasionally produced a cinematic epic that would have been worthy of a theatrical release. For me, one of those among many is season two's Man of Violence (2.14, December 25, 1963)...Directed by the eminently capable William Witney, with this grim and dark episode having a great script from John D.F. Black, soon to win the 1964 Writers Guild of America award for his outstanding work on Mr. Novak...

Man of Violence holds a special place for Star Trek fandom, as it pairs Deforest Kelly with Leonard Nimoy, albeit briefly, in this handsomely staged epic partly filmed on location in the high desert at Lone Pine...Nimoy, having a minor role here, checks out in the first 15 minutes...but his death scene involves Kelly, just as it would some 20+ years later in one of the Star Trek movies...I've seen maybe a hundred Deforest Kelly appearances on a multitude of TV series, but to me, this is his best major performance up to now...a very strong and compelling performance...Doug McClure is also very strong in this episode with a fine cast...Peggy McCay, Michael Pate, William Bryant are also in this one...

Trampas (Doug McClure) is in Texas to sell the family farm of his recently deceased alcoholic father...with the $1500 proceeds, he and his uncle Josh (Harry Shannon) hope to purchase land from Judge Garth of the Shiloh to start a feed-lot...Trampas regretfully ruminates about his father, in an effective scene with his uncle, who has a hopeful future as a reformed alcoholic in sight in the promised land of the Wyoming territory...wouldn't you know it, Uncle Josh is soon killed by robbers Wismer (Leonard Nimoy) and Judson (William Bryant) and the $1500 is stolen...a wounded Wismer is left behind as Judson flees to the desert...as both men are Army deserters, Wismer is taken to the Fort where the surgeon, Lieutenant Belden (Deforest Kelly) saves his life...Trampas also goes to the Fort and naturally wants revenge on Wismer and the fugitive Judson...the post commander, Major Herbert (Robert Brubaker) prevents Trampas from taking his pound of flesh, but offers him information as to where Judson has fled...the Major is deeply concerned that Judson's gold mining in Apache territory, violating a treaty, will ignite another Indian war...Mike McGoff (Australian actor Michael Pate), a gold prospector and secretly an accomplice of the outlaws, is eager to join Trampas in his pursuit of Judson...hoping to kill Trampas at the first opportunity and get his hands on the money and the gold as well...McGoff has already strangled the life out of Wismer while Lt. Belden stood watch, passed out in his own alcoholic haze...and with a map to the mine in hand, joins Trampas in his quest for revenge...reluctantly, Trampas is also forced to take along Judson's wife (Peggy McCay, a wonderful actress)...and they also encounter a distraught and desperate Belden wandering in the desert with whiskey in hand, dishonorably discharged from the Army by a furious Major Herbert for his dereliction of duty in allowing Wismer to be murdered on his watch...rather than leave him to die, Trampas has yet another compadre of dubious trust...but in the end, one will find a redemption in rescuing the other...my screen caps from the TMG season two DVD set...

Part two of this action-packed epic follows...

 

[Flashgear]

The Virginian season two, Man of Violence continued...

An exceptional episode, a grim and dramatic tale of survival with action on a cinematic scale...with a meaningful examination of the desperation among men with lives ruined by alcohol...and the selfless and unconditional love of a good woman for a man not worthy of that devotion...a memorable Trampas episode...

 

[Rustifer]

Can't blame you for blitzing through this set, Doug...that is one AMAZING season of Classic Doctor Who

Truth be told, I have never seen a single episode of Dr. Who, much less an entire season. Not even an idea of the premise of the series.
But so many of you talk about it on this thread that I though I'd fire up my BritBox and catch an episode or two.

I started out with the very first episode from Nov. 23, 1963 (Same day JFK assassination), which was filmed in glorious grainy black and white. Two teachers, Mr. Chesterson and Miss Wright, follow their overly smart student Susan (who looks like my girlfriend in Junior High from that era) to a junk yard and run head on to a Police box--a sort of Brit telephone booth. Apparently this acts as Dr. Who's way-back machine. Like Barbara Eden's genie bottle, the booth's outside appearance far belies what's seen on the inside. Susan is the Doctor's grandkid and somewhat of a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) expert. They're really big on that dimensional stuff in this episode.

The graphics are of the most primitive kind--all stage sets with paper mache props and painted backdrops. Dr. Who (William Hartnell) looks like a character right out of Harry Potter and had some mysterious powers that unfortunately escape him when he needs them most. I was beginning to see why I avoided the series. However, it's simplicity sort of stuck to me like a wad of gum on a shoe, and I continued onto the second episode, where the gang hurls back in time to the Stone Age. They fall into the hands of a horde of greasy-haired cave people wearing furry animal skins and sporting bad teeth, all with the singular desire to figure out how to make fire. One of their own had the knack once, but never shared it with the others--the stingy bastard. A book of matches will go a long way here. Like the first episode, there's a lot of yakking and not much action.

I jumped forward to Season 20 just to see how the series look had changed. The graphics had finally made it to a level of somewhere between 1930's Flash Gordon and early Star Trek (the TV series). Still very stage-bound and stilted, though. A new Dr. Who seems to appear after every few seasons. Either the former Who actor dies off, gets fired or finds a better gig elsewhere, I guess. There's also quite a few Brit actors that used this as a springboard to go on to bigger and better things (e.g. Hugh Bonneville--eventually Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey)

Lastly, I caught an interview with David Tennant (the 10th Dr. Who), who I thought was great in the Broadchurch series, but always looked like he was coming off a 3-day drunk. He was able to insert a whole raft of esoteric thoughts about Dr. Who that escaped me completely. I think I'd need to be more familiar with the story line to understand.
I know this series was a cult hit in Britain but not so much in the US. I surely didn't do the show justice by skipping around and catching only portions of seasons/episodes. I'm not sure I'm ready to expend more effort on it, but I welcome any suggestions as to a particular season or episode I should check out to renew my interest. I assume the premise of Dr. Who flitting through time to save the earth and fight off monsters remains static throughout the entire series?

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I assume the premise of Dr. Who flitting through time to save the earth and fight off monsters remains static throughout the entire series?

Not quite.

After narrowly escaping cancellation at the end of the 60s, beginning with The Third Doctor's (Jon Pertwee) run, a good chunk of it had him locked on Earth in the 1970s, so the monsters had to come to him.

Once the show was successful enough again, though, The Doctor went back to zooming through time and space.