What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (6 Viewers)

[Rustifer]

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...

Well heck, Randall. I feel like I don't even have to watch this episode after all your great screen caps and text. Pretty much tells the whole story.
Kidding, of course. I have seen this episode and it is a great one---one of the many to found in this superior series.

 

[BobO'Link]

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 graphics and stage-bound stilted look are what kept me away from Doctor Who until recently. I never understood why dramatic studio affairs from the Beeb had that very distinctive look while most of the comedy series did not. I don't much like "the stage" so those type of productions pretty much remain "lost" to me. With all the talk I took a chance on the Tom Baker BR "S1" set. It mostly still has that "stage bound" look to it, which was hard to get past, but the stories were interesting enough, although generally overly drawn out (a 4 episode story could be told in 2 or 3). I have another season of Tom Baker and one of his successor to watch - both of which are part of the earlier stage-bound Doctor period.

Then I purchased a couple of the "New Who" sets - those with more film like production values. I'm enjoying those more than the earlier version of the series, although the stories still borderline on silly at times - like it's stuck in the Flash Gordon era of story telling. Right now I have all of the New Who series up until the Doctor became a woman. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that twist but will pick up a season or two to find out should the prices drop enough.

Based on your comments I believe we pretty much look at the earlier version of the series the same way. Check out the season with Christopher Eccleston (it's pretty short) or the first one with David Tenant. I like both of those more than the Tom Baker series I watched, although Baker is pretty good in the role - it's the production style where they tend to lose me on those. The stories are still a bit on the silly side (especially those with the Daleks and Cybermen - quite over-the-top cheesy stuff) but fun.

And I'm still not that sure about the premise. I know the Doctor is the last of the "Time Lords" and zips all over time/space fixing things. OK... but they rarely deal with time travel paradox issues, often creating some themselves, apparently with little ill effect.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

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...

Awesome double-whammy review, Randall! This does indeed look like an epic Virginian episode. Don't have S2 yet, but will definitely check this one out when I do...especially to see DeForest Kelley in a meaty supporting role. It's always fun to see him (and Leonard Nimoy) pop up in supporting roles in all those '50s and '60s TV shows. And, of course, Kelley gets some noteworthy appearances in several feature films, too, such as Gunfight at O.K. Corral and Warlock.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

The graphics and stage-bound stilted look are what kept me away from Doctor Who until recently. I never understood why dramatic studio affairs from the Beeb had that very distinctive look while most of the comedy series did not. I don't much like "the stage" so those type of productions pretty much remain "lost" to me. With all the talk I took a chance on the Tom Baker BR "S1" set. It mostly still has that "stage bound" look to it, which was hard to get past, but the stories were interesting enough, although generally overly drawn out (a 4 episode story could be told in 2 or 3). I have another season of Tom Baker and one of his successor to watch - both of which are part of the earlier stage-bound Doctor period.

Then I purchased a couple of the "New Who" sets - those with more film like production values. I'm enjoying those more than the earlier version of the series, although the stories still borderline on silly at times - like it's stuck in the Flash Gordon era of story telling. Right now I have all of the New Who series up until the Doctor became a woman. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that twist but will pick up a season or two to find out should the prices drop enough.

Based on your comments I believe we pretty much look at the earlier version of the series the same way. Check out the season with Christopher Eccleston (it's pretty short) or the first one with David Tenant. I like both of those more than the Tom Baker series I watched, although Baker is pretty good in the role - it's the production style where they tend to lose me on those. The stories are still a bit on the silly side (especially those with the Daleks and Cybermen - quite over-the-top cheesy stuff) but fun.

Doctor Who is definitely not everyone's cup o' tea. If one can't get past the low-budget aspect, then it can be a hard sell. The budget for the original series was parsimonious in the extreme, and taking that into account, I think the ingenuity and creativity shown by the production team shines through more often than not. I can look past poor effects if the stories are engaging and the acting good, which I'd argue they definitely are, more often than not, in the Classic series. I have more trouble with the reverse, which is what we tend to get in what passes for science fiction in film and TV nowadays...excellent effects with no story or originality to speak of.

I find the new series of Doctor Who far sillier and slighter than the Classic series, myself (farting aliens and burping trash bins, anyone?), but each to their own. The slicker special effects and more polished, shot-on-film look of new Who are undeniably more to the taste of the modern viewing audience. However, I do think that the more you watch the Classic series, the more you'll realize just how varied it is in content, ideas and execution. There are some marvelous stories in there - and some stinkers, too. If you find you're not so keen on one particular story - or Doctor - then there is likely to be another one much more to your taste right around the corner. I guess for most fans of the show, the good to great stories far outweigh the bad. As always, your mileage may vary. One needs to remember, too, that it was originally conceived as a children's show - hard as it is to believe, with all the violence, death, horror and maniacal madmen found throughout the series' history. It soon morphed into more of a family-oriented show that many adults enjoyed, and remained that way throughout most of its run.

The stage bound "filmed on video" aspect has never bothered me, personally; I guess I've gotten used to it in the majority of British TV productions of the time, and tend to find it comforting, but I can see how that would be a stumbling block for some. Frankly, I don't see British sitcoms as coming across any less stagey than dramas...perhaps it's easier to cut them some slack in that respect, as so many US sitcoms have that "filmed on stage in front of a studio audience" feel, from I Love Lucy on.

I do believe you're right, though, Howie, that Russ might enjoy the new series a bit more, as its production style is more in line with most of his other modern British faves.

And I'm still not that sure about the premise. I know the Doctor is the last of the "Time Lords" and zips all over time/space fixing things. OK... but they rarely deal with time travel paradox issues, often creating some themselves, apparently with little ill effect.

It's more complicated than that...certainly what you describe, Howie, fits the new incarnation of the show. In the Classic series, the Time Lords are a race capable of traveling through time and space but who just sit back and observe, doing nothing despite the many injustices and evil deeds being carried out through the universe. The Doctor goes rogue, steals a TARDIS and travels around, in his first "old man" incarnation, at first trying not to get involved in changing history or events, but eventually his character grows into a interstellar troubleshooter whose TARDIS - which he can only erratically control - seems to bring him to planets (including Earth, for obvious budgetary reasons) in dire need of his help. He is endlessly curious, has a love of discovery and adventure, despises tyranny, and feels compelled to help out those in need or being persecuted. He has a strong constitution and can live for hundreds of years, but if his current body "dies," he then regenerates into a new version of himself, who retains all the memories of his previous selves, but with his own new, unique personality. (This was the writers' incredibly clever way to keep the series going when the lead actors wanted to move on to other projects...or in William Hartnell's case, were becoming too old or ill to cope with the series' at the time brutal production pace...and is the chief reason for the show's longevity).

Gradually, the concept of the Time Lords took shape in Patrick Troughton's final story, "The War Games," was refined in the Jon Pertwee era of the show and the Time Lords became mainstays of the program from Tom Baker's reign on, though only appearing in the occasional story. It was Russell T. Davies who, when he successfully resurrected the show in 2005, decided to have the Doctor be this lonely "last of the Time Lords" figure...at least for a while, until he had sold the modern public on the series' basic concept first. The Time Lords do return at the end of the David Tennant era, though I don't believe they've been heard of since, other than the Doctor's archnemesis, The Master.

 

[Purple Wig]

Doctor Who is definitely not everyone's cup o' tea. If one can't get past the low-budget aspect, then it can be a hard sell. The budget for the original series was parsimonious in the extreme, and taking that into account, I think the ingenuity and creativity shown by the production team shines through more often than not. I can look past poor effects if the stories are engaging and the acting good, which I'd argue they definitely are, more often than not, in the Classic series. I have more trouble with the reverse, which is what we tend to get in what passes for science fiction in film and TV nowadays...excellent effects with no story or originality to speak of.

I find the new series of Doctor Who far sillier and slighter than the Classic series, myself (farting aliens and burping trash bins, anyone?), but each to their own. The slicker special effects and more polished, shot-on-film look of new Who is undeniably more to the taste of the modern viewing audience. However, I do think that the more you watch the Classic series, the more you'll realize just how varied it is in content, ideas and execution. There are some marvelous stories in there - and some stinkers, too. If you find you're not so keen on one particular story - or Doctor - then there is likely to be another one much more to your taste right around the corner. I guess for most fans of the show, the good to great stories far outweigh the bad. As always, your mileage may vary. One needs to remember, too, that it was originally conceived as a children's show - hard as it is to believe, with all the violence, death, horror and maniacal madmen found throughout the series' history. It soon morphed into more of a family-oriented show that many adults enjoyed, and remained that way throughout most of its run.

The stage bound "filmed on video" aspect has never bothered me, personally; I guess I've gotten used to it in the majority of British TV productions of the time, and tend to find it comforting, but I can see how that would be a stumbling block for some. Frankly, I don't see British sitcoms as coming across any less stagey than dramas...perhaps it's easier to cut them some slack in that respect, as so many US sitcoms have that "filmed on stage in front of a studio audience" feel, from I Love Lucy on.

I do believe you're right, though, Howie, that Russ might enjoy the new series a bit more, as its production style is more in line with most of his other modern British faves.



It's more complicated than that...certainly what you describe, Howie, fits the new incarnation of the show. In the Classic series, the Time Lords are a race capable of traveling through time and space but who just sit back and observe, doing nothing despite the many injustices and evil deeds being carried out through the universe. The Doctor goes rogue, steals a TARDIS and travels around, in his first "old man" incarnation, at first trying not to get involved in changing history or events, but eventually his character grows into a interstellar troubleshooter whose TARDIS - which he can only erratically control - seems to bring him to planets (including Earth, for obvious budgetary reasons) in dire need of his help. He is endlessly curious, has a love of discovery and adventure, despises tyranny, and feels compelled to help out those in need or being persecuted. He has a strong constitution and can live for hundreds of years, but if his current body "dies," he then regenerates into a new version of himself, who retains all the memories of his previous selves, but with his own new, unique personality. (This was the writers' incredible clever way to keep the series going when the lead actors wanted to move on to other projects...or in William Hartnell's case, were becoming to old or ill to cope with the series' at the time brutal production pace...and is the chief reason for the show's longevity).

Gradually, the concept of the Time Lords took shape in Patrick Troughton's final story, "The War Games," was refined in the Jon Pertwee era of the show and the Time Lords became mainstays of the program from Tom Baker's reign on, though only appearing in the occasional story. It was Russell T. Davies who, when he successfully resurrected the show in 2005, decided to have the Doctor be this lonely "last of the Time Lords" figure...at least for a while, until he had sold the modern public on the series' basic concept first. The Time Lords do return at the end of the David Tennant era, though I don't believe they've been heard of since, other than the Doctor's archnemesis, The Master.

Agree with everything in your post, Jeff. Much as I want to like the new series (and have enjoyed select episodes, like Dalek) more often than not I turn it off after 10 minutes, the quick cutting and slickness is kind of antithetical to what I liked about the classic series....give me low budget inventiveness and jarring electronic music anyday. Now if you took Peter Capaldi and applied the pacing and flavor of the Troughton or Pertwee eras, I’d be sold.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

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.
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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?

Good on you for making an effort to try out the show, Russ, even if you weren't quite sure what to make of it most of the time. I'm also pleased that Howie has given the older version of Who the old college try. That's all you can ask of anyone, really. As I mentioned in my previous post, you are not alone in your bemusement about the series. While it certainly has its share of fans in the U.S., it's been my experience that many Americans, especially sci-fi aficionados who are used to much higher class F/X work in shows like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and the like, can't get past the creakiness of the special effects in Classic Who. It's inherent British eccentricity and general oddness also probably rubs some the wrong way (not talking about either of you guys here, as I know you both enjoy a lot of British TV shows).

No worries, if we all liked the same things, life would be pretty boring, right? At least now you can say you have seen the show, anyway, and can ignore us when we prattle on about it.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Agree with everything in your post, Jeff. Much as I want to like the new series (and have enjoyed select episodes, like Dalek) more often than not I turn it off after 10 minutes, the quick cutting and slickness is kind of antithetical to what I liked about the classic series....give me low budget inventiveness and jarring electronic music anyday. Now if you took Peter Capaldi and applied the pacing and flavor of the Troughton or Pertwee eras, I’d be sold.

Thanks, Alan! Like you, I want to like the new series more than I do. I blame the showrunners (especially Steven Moffat) for many of the aspects that I dislike. But hey, I'm glad many (including a lot of old geezer diehard fans of the Classic series) really rate the new version. It's popularity has helped raise the profile of the old show, which is a good thing.

 

[JohnHopper]

Doctor Who is definitely not everyone's cup o' tea. If one can't get past the low-budget aspect, then it can be a hard sell. The budget for the original series was parsimonious in the extreme, and taking that into account, I think the ingenuity and creativity shown by the production team shines through more often than not. I can look past poor effects if the stories are engaging and the acting good, which I'd argue they definitely are, more often than not, in the Classic series. I have more trouble with the reverse, which is what we tend to get in what passes for science fiction in film and TV nowadays...excellent effects with no story or originality to speak of.

I find the new series of Doctor Who far sillier and slighter than the Classic series, myself (farting aliens and burping trash bins, anyone?), but each to their own. The slicker special effects and more polished, shot-on-film look of new Who are undeniably more to the taste of the modern viewing audience. However, I do think that the more you watch the Classic series, the more you'll realize just how varied it is in content, ideas and execution. There are some marvelous stories in there - and some stinkers, too. If you find you're not so keen on one particular story - or Doctor - then there is likely to be another one much more to your taste right around the corner. I guess for most fans of the show, the good to great stories far outweigh the bad. As always, your mileage may vary. One needs to remember, too, that it was originally conceived as a children's show - hard as it is to believe, with all the violence, death, horror and maniacal madmen found throughout the series' history. It soon morphed into more of a family-oriented show that many adults enjoyed, and remained that way throughout most of its run.

The stage bound "filmed on video" aspect has never bothered me, personally; I guess I've gotten used to it in the majority of British TV productions of the time, and tend to find it comforting, but I can see how that would be a stumbling block for some. Frankly, I don't see British sitcoms as coming across any less stagey than dramas...perhaps it's easier to cut them some slack in that respect, as so many US sitcoms have that "filmed on stage in front of a studio audience" feel, from I Love Lucy on.

I do believe you're right, though, Howie, that Russ might enjoy the new series a bit more, as its production style is more in line with most of his other modern British faves.



It's more complicated than that...certainly what you describe, Howie, fits the new incarnation of the show. In the Classic series, the Time Lords are a race capable of traveling through time and space but who just sit back and observe, doing nothing despite the many injustices and evil deeds being carried out through the universe. The Doctor goes rogue, steals a TARDIS and travels around, in his first "old man" incarnation, at first trying not to get involved in changing history or events, but eventually his character grows into a interstellar troubleshooter whose TARDIS - which he can only erratically control - seems to bring him to planets (including Earth, for obvious budgetary reasons) in dire need of his help. He is endlessly curious, has a love of discovery and adventure, despises tyranny, and feels compelled to help out those in need or being persecuted. He has a strong constitution and can live for hundreds of years, but if his current body "dies," he then regenerates into a new version of himself, who retains all the memories of his previous selves, but with his own new, unique personality. (This was the writers' incredible clever way to keep the series going when the lead actors wanted to move on to other projects...or in William Hartnell's case, were becoming too old or ill to cope with the series' at the time brutal production pace...and is the chief reason for the show's longevity).

Gradually, the concept of the Time Lords took shape in Patrick Troughton's final story, "The War Games," was refined in the Jon Pertwee era of the show and the Time Lords became mainstays of the program from Tom Baker's reign on, though only appearing in the occasional story. It was Russell T. Davies who, when he successfully resurrected the show in 2005, decided to have the Doctor be this lonely "last of the Time Lords" figure...at least for a while, until he had sold the modern public on the series' basic concept first. The Time Lords do return at the end of the David Tennant era, though I don't believe they've been heard of since, other than the Doctor's archnemesis, The Master.

I also agree with you. I can't watch the new Who and for one good reason: the leads.​

The script of the new Who seems redundant and it plays like old dishes they try to heat up but taste awful.​

The fun of the original show was the performances of the actors: BBC quality. I like the stagey style, by the way.​

Anyway, you can't beat the UNIT family from the Patrick Troughton era to the Jon Pertwee era.​

I always enjoy the new guest characters on these eras.​

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Happy Days
"The Fosillectomy" (S5E6)

Way back in my Junior and High School days, our prototypical hoodlum was an acne-ridden, greasy-haired neer-do-well--a natural born bully with a tendency in strong-arming the weak. In reality, he could barely muster a decent game of dodge ball in gym class. Hoods were reportedly of loose morals and law-skirting tendencies. I usually found their reputations to be more manufactured than practiced. In general, self-proclaimed hoodlums were dumber than toad spit. looking forward to careers in auto service or the rear end of nowhere.

Not so with Happy Days' Arthur Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler), who--without his eponymous leather jacket--was more Wally Cleaver than Riff in West Side Story. Fonzie seemingly had the world on a tow rope with a downhill pull. In this episode, the Fonz--now living with the Cunninghams-- is in dire need of a tonsillectomy. However, in true bully fashion, he's just a wussy on the idea. He refuses to go to the hospital until Marion (Marion Ross) lays him flat with an ultimatum--the hospital or else.

Fonzie lands in the hospital's childrens' ward, wearing a sterile gown and motorcycle boots. Of course the laugh track goes berserk over his interactions with the kids in the ward. Be still our collective aching bellies.
"You're not a doctor," claims a pretty candystriper.
"No, but you should see me operate," boasts Fonzie. You could see it coming a mile away. Well, there's only so much hospital horseplay one can fit into a half hour sitcom. Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard....

Joanie prepares for the prom; Fonz proves he suffers no food stains on his t-shirt; Discussing stock index futures in the kitchen

The heart of the story is that Fonzie is going to miss the big Halloween party, thus leaving his girlfriend in the sights of swarming horny teenage boys. Among the party-goers--Joanie Cunningham (Erin Moran) is dressed in a Snow White costume, revealing the beginnings of an impressive chest and cleavage--proving that she was sexy for about 10 minutes of the entire series.
"I've had so much pumpkin pie I could turn into a pumpkin. Somebody just needs to stick a candle in my mouth," she complains. Oh, Joanie...you're making it soooo easy...
The rest of the Cunningham clan are dressed as Renaissance characters, causing the laugh track to almost smoke with mirth. In the end, Fonzie's tonsillectomy is a success and his girlfriend remains semi-virginal. Whew.

I kinda liked this show for its nostalgic value even though the characters hardly represented the era. Most of us from that time period spent less energy on silly antics and more vigor in blueprinting how to get into girls' pants.

 

[Montytc]

Episode Commentary
Happy Days
"The Fosillectomy" (S5E6)

Way back in my Junior and High School days, our prototypical hoodlum was an acne-ridden, greasy-haired neer-do-well--a natural born bully with a tendency in strong-arming the weak. In reality, he could barely muster a decent game of dodge ball in gym class. Hoods were reportedly of loose morals and law-skirting tendencies. I usually found their reputations to be more manufactured than practiced. In general, self-proclaimed hoodlums were dumber than toad spit. looking forward to careers in auto service or the rear end of nowhere.

Not so with Happy Days' Arthur Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler), who--without his eponymous leather jacket--was more Wally Cleaver than Riff in West Side Story. Fonzie seemingly had the world on a tow rope with a downhill pull. In this episode, the Fonz--now living with the Cunninghams-- is in dire need of a tonsillectomy. However, in true bully fashion, he's just a wussy on the idea. He refuses to go to the hospital until Marion (Marion Ross) lays him flat with an ultimatum--the hospital or else.

Fonzie lands in the hospital's childrens' ward, wearing a sterile gown and motorcycle boots. Of course the laugh track goes berserk over his interactions with the kids in the ward. Be still our collective aching bellies.
"You're not a doctor," claims a pretty candystriper.
"No, but you should see me operate," boasts Fonzie. You could see it coming a mile away. Well, there's only so much hospital horseplay one can fit into a half hour sitcom. Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard....

View attachment 77068 View attachment 77070 View attachment 77071
Joanie prepares for the prom; Fonz proves he suffers no food stains on his t-shirt; Discussing stock index futures in the kitchen

The heart of the story is that Fonzie is going to miss the big Halloween party, thus leaving his girlfriend in the sights of swarming horny teenage boys. Among the party-goers--Joanie Cunningham (Erin Moran) is dressed in a Snow White costume, revealing the beginnings of an impressive chest and cleavage--proving that she was sexy for about 10 minutes of the entire series.
"I've had so much pumpkin pie I could turn into a pumpkin. Somebody just needs to stick a candle in my mouth," she complains. Oh, Joanie...you're making it soooo easy...
The rest of the Cunningham clan are dressed as Renaissance characters, causing the laugh track to almost smoke with mirth. In the end, Fonzie's tonsillectomy is a success and his girlfriend remains semi-virginal. Whew.

I kinda liked this show for its nostalgic value even though the characters hardly represented the era. Most of us from that time period spent less energy on silly antics and more vigor in blueprinting how to get into girls' pants.

Great review as always Rustifer. I have always enjoyed the first couple of seasons of Happy Days, but once it became "the Fonzie Show" I thought it went strait down hill until it had no connection to those early episodes. The slide is well under way by season 5 and is picking up downhill speed with just about every episode.

 

[BobO'Link]

Happy Days was a fun little show until the Fonzie Factor took over. Once it became "Fonzie and the Cunninghams" I pretty much tuned out. That was at least one season *before* the infamous "Jump the Shark" bit in the S5 opener (since you watched an early S5 episode I'm surprised you didn't watch that one). I actually watched S5E1 at work - an ABC affiliate - we'd finished evening production and were just sitting around shooting the bull waiting for 10:00 news production to start. Oh... the humanity! (wait... wrong show! That one was far superior to this).

 

[Purple Wig]

Thanks, Alan! Like you, I want to like the new series more than I do. I blame the showrunners (especially Steven Moffat) for many of the aspects that I dislike. But hey, I'm glad many (including a lot of old geezer diehard fans of the Classic series) really rate the new version. It's popularity has helped raise the profile of the old show, which is a good thing.

I’m not too versed in the current creative team, was under the impression that the show runner was said to be a diehard fan of the original, which made me expect to like the update more than I did. But agree, good to have more awareness and availability of the old show. I caught a few of the Pertwee episodes in the mid 70s, occasionally I would see Tom Baker episodes in the late 70s when visiting relatives, wasn’t shown where I lived. Around 1981 a cousin’s local PBS affiliate was airing it and he’d send me VHS tapes, including some Hartnell and Troughton episodes. They were being broadcast as entire stories rather than individual episodes. It was finally shown where I lived in the late 80s but by then my interest had waned somewhat. In the last 15 years though it’s been great to revisit or see for the first time a lot of Hartnell/Troughton/Pertwee stories. I’ve yet to see more than 1 or 2 McCoy or Baker episodes. Good to see John rate Troughton and Pertwee the highest, my favorites too.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Hard-boiled cop and private eye shows for me this past week…

Coronado 9 – 1.2 “Doomtown”
I missed picking up this final Revue Studios Rod Cameron series from 1960 on DVD, as Timeless’ set has since gone OOP. Luckily, all 39 episodes are still available on YouTube in decent-looking prints. It’s an enjoyable private eye / adventure show, with Cameron solving crimes and busting heads as former Naval intelligence officer turned detective, Dan Adams. In this one, Dan is visiting an old buddy (Richard Arlen) for some fishing when he discovers a dead girl floating in the river. Smelling a quick cover-up, Dan sticks around in the hostile small town to investigate. Like most Revue shows, there’s plenty of action and some good exterior filming. Also with Frank Ferguson as a corrupt lawman, and famed stuntman Hal Needham is credited as one of a pair of thugs who give Dan a working over.

State Trooper – 1.4 “Jailbreak at Tonopah”
Now this complete series DVD is still in print…need to snag it soon. This is another, earlier Revue production featuring Rod Cameron as – you guessed it, a state trooper - Lt. Rod Blake, who works for the Nevada Department of Public Safety. Though apparently a good deal of the show was filmed at the Iverson Ranch in California, some episodes definitely seem to have been shot on authentic locations around Nevada. I was surprised to see Jack Kelly (old Bart Maverick himself) pop up in this one, as a weak-willed member of a robbery gang, who keeps whining of headaches and refusing to answer Lt. Blake’s questions about where he stashed the loot. His wife and one of their partners in crime stage a breakout, which goes south quickly thanks to Blake’s quick intervention. There’s something solid and likeable about friendly, bear-like Rod Cameron and his deep, rumbling voice, and all the great outdoor footage, replete with likely now long-gone old store fronts, government buildings, winding mountain roads and dusty, boat-sized cars, paints a vivid picture of the American Southwest of the era.

Dragnet 1967
2.1 “The Grenade”
2.2 “The Shooting Board”
A couple of good episodes here, especially “The Shooting Board,” which puts phlegmatic Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) through a nerve-wracking couple of days, as he undergoes a departmental investigation after he exchanges gunfire with a young man attempting to steal coins from a laundromat. The crook flees with his runaway girlfriend and eventually dies from a wound from Friday’s gun. But when the scene of crime officers can’t find the bullet Friday claims was fired at him first, things start looking bleak for our hero, who obviously lives for his job and would be bereft if he lost it. Of course, we the viewer witnessed the shootout and know Friday is telling the truth, and in the comforting universe of Dragnet, we know that the truth will out.

“The Grenade” is fun also, as Friday and Gannon deal with an angry, unpopular teenage whose crimes escalate from pouring acid on the leather jacket of an arrogant cool kid (a very young Jan-Michael Vincent) at a movie theater, to holding a party hostage with a live grenade. There’s some weird feedback noise during this scene which I at first thought was a fault in the DVD audio, but appears to be part of the episode’s soundtrack...maybe representing the humming amp at the patio party where the tense final showdown takes place.

Adam-12
1.6 “Log 161 - And You Want Me to Get Married?”
1.20 “Log 73 - I’m Still a Cop”
Wow, I knew this show was long-running, but had no idea that it lasted seven seasons! I only have the first season set, and have been enjoying dipping into it from time to time. Martin Milner is another one of those TV stalwarts whose solid screen presence is a reassurance of quality, and he gets a lot to do in “I’m Still a Cop,” as Officer Malloy, taking classes at a local college and sharing coffee breaks with cutie pie teacher Anne Helm, gets involved with student protestors (including later romantic co-stars of Chisum, Pete Duel and Pamela McMyler), who rile him up by calling him “pig” and trashing his lovely new Mustang convertible.

Jerry Mathers’ younger brother, Jimmy (who looks so much like him that I could've sworn it was the Beav), shows up as one of a pair of polite youngsters walking on the wrong side of the road in “And You Want Me to Get Married,” which covers the usual gamut of trouble encountered in the daily life of cops on patrol: a car accident where a baby is thrown clear and somehow survives unharmed (thank God!), a liquor store owner who is the victim of two holdups in one day, and a bickering couple (Anne Whitfield and Paul Carr, who also shows up as a hostile teacher in “I’m Still a Cop”) who receive a noise complaint. The running joke here being that perpetual bachelor Malloy is not amused that his previously hot-to-trot girlfriend has started getting serious after going on a double-date with his happily-married partner Reed (Kent McCord) and his wife. Malloy has had it up to here with the earnest Reed’s harping on about the benefits of connubial bliss, and the nasty marital discord witnessed at the climax reinforces Malloy’s feelings on the subject. The irony, of course, is that Martin Milner was himself a long-time happily married father of four, obviously tickled pink to be leading a successful TV series that didn’t involve him carting his entire family around the country in a crowded station wagon, as he apparently did for most of Route 66.

Mike Hammer
1.6 “Dead Men Don’t Dream”
1.7 “Letter Edged in Blackmail”
Gotta love Mike Hammer. He doesn’t mess around with any namby-pamby “innocent until proven guilty” schtick, he hits the bad guys hard and fast with a right cross and a good old knee to the face. Another gem from Revue Studios, with Darrin McGavin surprisingly convincing as Mickey Spillane’s tough-as-nails private dick. These are a couple of first-rate episodes. In “Dead Men Don’t Dream,” Mike returns to the neighborhood where he grew up, after a childhood pal is viciously murdered, to find the locals terrorized by a protection racket. I had to laugh when Mike basically tells his police lieutenant pal Pat Chambers that he’s going on a one-man vendetta and Pat lets him go like a pitbull off the leash, with a mere rueful smile and a "Take care of yourself, Mike." Needless to say, justice is meted out in the roughest way possible. Sultry brunette Lisa Gaye has a small bit as a femme fatale who tries to lure Mike to a beating, but ends up passionately necking with him.

Another world-class babe graces “Letter Edged in Blackmail” – Angie Dickinson, as an errant, gambling-addicted wife who coos in Mike’s ear to get his help in recovering incriminating letters from a pair of nasty blackmailers. I love Mike’s eye-for-an-eye treatment of one of the creeps, who earlier had pushed an older victim down a flight of stairs…that’s right, Hammer serves the scumbag up the exact same way! Great stuff, and like pretty much all Revue TV series I’ve seen, there’s lots of neat footage shot around N.Y.C., which adds to the seedy ‘50s atmosphere.

Burke’s Law – 1.9 “Who Killed Wade Walker”
Finished up with a typically breezy, light-hearted and star-studded episode of this early ‘60s police procedural / whodunnit, starring smug Gene Barry as millionaire police chief Amos Burke. Now I’m used to this show featuring several beauteous starlets every single episode, but this one might just hold the record for sheer number of high-profile hotties. Burke is all set to spend a week’s vacation shacking up in a love nest with current squeeze Joan Staley, when he’s called to investigate the death of prominent boat designer Wade Walker. When the rich playboy’s airplane explodes mere hours after his birthday party, suspicion falls on his partner (singer Frankie Laine, doing a very creditable acting job) and the dead man’s four girlfriends, one of whom he was planning to marry before his fateful flight. Get a load of these suspects, in order of appearance:

Dana Wynter
​

Anne Francis​

Rhonda Fleming​

Martha Hyer​

It's obvious that dear departed Wade Walker had taste.

We also get Nancy Sinatra as the deceased’s sweet secretary, who flirts with handsome Detective Tilson (Gary Conway).

And of course, we mustn’t forget perhaps the best-looking policewoman in TV history (with all due respect to Angie Dickinson): Eileen O’Neill as Sgt. Gloria Ames.

Damn, that’s a lot of pulchritude for one episode to bear! We get the usual red herrings and ironic twists before Burke closes the case and heads back to his cottage for some too-long-postponed rumpy pumpy. The humorous coda finds blonde stunner Joan Staley dressed down for a beauty treatment, hair in curlers, face buried under a mudmask…which doesn’t stop the amorous Amos from planting a firm kiss on her slippery lips.

Former Playboy Playmate ("Miss November 1958") Joan Staley, as Burke's current gal pal, Laura:

But such beauty doesn't come without a price...

 

[JohnHopper]

I also agree with you. I can't watch the new Who and for one good reason: the leads.​

The script of the new Who seems redundant and it plays like old dishes they try to heat up but taste awful.​

The fun of the original show was the performances of the actors: BBC quality. I like the stagey style, by the way.​

Anyway, you can't beat the UNIT family from the Patrick Troughton era to the Jon Pertwee era.​

I always enjoy the new guest characters on these eras.​

"Doctor Who: The Missing Episodes"
Documentary - Omnibus

 

[Rustifer]

I do believe you're right, though, Howie, that Russ might enjoy the new series a bit more, as its production style is more in line with most of his other modern British faves.

Speaking of which, I've been caught up in PBS/Masterpiece Mystery's Endeavour--the prequel to Inspector Morse. At first I was having some difficulty in absorbing Shaun Evans as a young John Thaw/Morse--there's not a whole lot of resemblance there--but the story lines are so good that eventually I dropped the effort and just rolled with it.

Morse?...... Morse?

Finished up with a typically breezy, light-hearted and star-studded episode of this early ‘60s police procedural / whodunnit, starring smug Gene Barry as millionaire police chief Amos Burke. Now I’m used to this show featuring several beauteous starlets every single episode, but this one might just hold the record for sheer number of high-profile hotties.

Far apart from his skirt chasing image in Burke's Law, in 1983, producer Allan Carr asked Barry to audition for the role in “La Cage aux Folles” of Georges, the gay impresario of a drag nightclub and father of a son who is about to marry the daughter of a bigoted politician.

It was the first time in 30 years that Gene Barry had to audition for a part. He got it.

 

[GMBurns]

Doctor Who Story 1: An Unearthly Child. My first venture into the world of the legendary Doctor. An interesting four part story. Easy enough to follow, and not nearly as over-the-top as I expected. Reminds me a little of Time Tunnel in that it appears the Doctor doesn't have as much control over where the TARDIS takes him as he would like. So this story already sets up the next story.

I am a natural born sucker for b&w studio-bound British tv, so I will sign on for some more adventures with the Doctor and his traveling companions. Those BBC sets aren't cheap for one or two disc sets, but if I take my time I can add to my collection one "story" at a time. And there's not really anything else from the b&w era that is being released these days.

Thanks a lot to Jeff and Doug for the introductory explanations about the world of Doctor Who.

 

[bmasters9]

Finished brief first go on Kate & Allie; moving on to second one (1984-85)

First disc, and index:

 

[GMBurns]

"Doctor Who: The Missing Episodes"
Documentary - Omnibus

John, thanks for including this video. It was very interesting to watch. But sad that so many of the stories from the first two doctors are incomplete or missing entirely. The amount of effort that has gone into restoring or reconstructing these "lost" episodes is amazing, and speaks to the passion the show has generated among its fans.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
The Magical World of Disney
"The Story of Animated Drawing" (1955)

If you're fortunate enough to subscribe to Disney+, let me urge you to delve deep into the site's index of everything Disney. One of my favorites is Through the Decades Classic Collection--a whole host of animated and live action shows from the 1920's up to present day. This is where I found the fascinating feature where the great man himself, Walt Disney, explains the history of how animation eventually found its way from cave drawings into today's projection room. When this feature was produced in 1955, CGI wasn't even in Disney's vocabulary--so Fantasia represented the ceiling for sophisticated animation. It still stands strong today as a phenomena of animated excellence.

Earlier attempts at animation were almost literally done with smoke and mirrors. The French Theatre Optique from 1890 relied on a spinning wheel of mirrors reflecting simple static figures to produce a semblance of movement. Audiences were spellbound with what appeared to be awesome magic. I've often imagined if one could transport The Lion King back in time to this same audience, not a single one of them could have maintained consciousness from the marvel of what they were seeing.

Who better to explain animation?; Disney's first animated feature; This one scared the crap outta me as a kid

There's a great sequence featuring Winsor McCay's live-interaction with his animated Gertie the Dinosaur in 1914--where you can see the beginnings of animated technique that would underpin the later Felix the Cat, Steamboat Willie and the Silly Symphonies cartoons. Their simplistic line drawings and scripts were a long way from what we've become used to--but no less fascinating to those of us animation aficionados*.

The episode ends with a detailed look at the production of one segment of Fantasia--the "Nutcracker Suite". From the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra being conducted by Leopold Stokowski to the painstaking hand painted 20,000 cels that make up just this one sequence, one easily gets that Disney wasn't skimping on effort or originality. This is a fine 60 minute history lesson on animation for those of us who still fondly remember sitting on the living room floor watching TV, mesmerized by Saturday morning cartoons.

Notes:
Also check out Frank and Ollie, the story of two top Disney feature animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas--part of the renown Nine Old Men crew-- who lived next door to one another long after their retirements from the studio. Produced and directed with loving care by Frank's son Theodore in 1995, it's an often hilarious recounting of two men's interactions on some of Disney's most celebrated animated features.

*After I graduated college with a degree in art, I tried out to be an artist for Disney. I didn't make the cut. You have to be really good to get a gig like that.

 

[JohnHopper]

John, thanks for including this video. It was very interesting to watch. But sad that so many of the stories from the first two doctors are incomplete or missing entirely. The amount of effort that has gone into restoring or reconstructing these "lost" episodes is amazing, and speaks to the passion the show has generated among its fans.

I wish I could watch the entire Pat Troughton era: I simply adore his performance and his persona.
There are some seriously creepy stories like "Fury from the Deep".