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

[JamesSmith]

Still working on Wild, Wild West season 4. It's going to take me awhile.

--james

 

[Purple Wig]

Route 66 - assorted episodes
Love Boat - assorted episodes
Ensign O’Toole - “Operation Benefit”
Mrs G Goes To College - “Gentleman Caller”
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - S1E1

 

[bmasters9]

Still working on Wild, Wild West season 4. It's going to take me awhile.

--james

I'm nowhere near there-- I'm stuck way back on the second go.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Route 66 - assorted episodes
Love Boat - assorted episodes
Ensign O’Toole - “Operation Benefit”
Mrs G Goes To College - “Gentleman Caller”
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - S1E1

Wow, Alan...I've never even heard of Mrs. G Goes to College!

 

[JohnHopper]

Still working on Wild, Wild West season 4. It's going to take me awhile.

--james

TOP WILD WILD WEST SEASON 4 EPISODES (in brodcast order)

1. “The Night of the Big Blackmail”
2. “The Night of the Doomsday Formula”
3. “The Night of the Sedgewick Curse”
4. “The Night of the Kraken”
5. “The Night of the Fugitives”
6. “The Night of the Fire and Brimstone”
7. “The Night of the Camera”
8. “The Night of the Avaricious Actuary”
9. “The Night of Miguelito’s Revenge”
10. “The Night of the Winged Terror, Part I & II”
11. “The Night of the Janus”
12. “The Night of the Pistoleros”
13. “The Night of the Diva”
14. “The Night of the Bleak Island”

 

[Rustifer]

The Adventures of Superman – 1.2 “The Haunted Lighthouse”
Oof. Apologies to boomers everywhere, but I’m afraid I found this episode pretty poor.

I remember this one, Jeff. I was anticipating watching it due to the Hardy Boy-ish title, only to find out that its spook factor was practically nil. I've also experienced more atmosphere in my bathroom on a Sunday morning than in this episode.
Man-boy Jimmy Olson's role was played by Jack Larsen--who I understand was a much more erudite, suave individual in real life than the bow-tied wussy character he played in the series.

Even at age 80, Jack couldn't seem to shake the bow tie image.

The Scooby Doo Show
3. 6 “A Highland Fling with a Monstrous Thing”
3. 10 “The Creepy Creature of Vulture’s Claw”

Kudos for taking on a Scooby Doo show. I find myself watching this series whenever I'm sick in bed--for some strange reason it comforts me. My wife can't stand the voice of Scooby Doo and threatens to leave me and wipe out the 401K in retribution.

 

[Purple Wig]

Wow, Alan...I've never even heard of Mrs. G Goes to College!

I probably had heard of it, due to a lot of time over the years spent exhaustively poring though the “Complete Guide To Prime Time Network Shows” book, but to be honest, what spurred this viewing was a thread on a different forum about forgotten sitcoms. I watched another episode this morning with a young William Windom playing a more brash character than usual, and a post-Blob/pre-Mayberry Aneta Corsaut. The episode even managed to fit in a small lesson on the theory of the four taste sensitivities.I like idealistic campus themed shows anyway. The episodes seem sourced from a recent run on get TV, image quality is good. Incidentally, I now live in an area where I get that channel, and from what I can tell it’s another network that started off showing more obscure programs but left that behind.

 

[Purple Wig]

A day of accomplishment

Hennesey S1E1
M Squad - “Pete Loves Mary”
Racket Squad - 3 episodes
Mrs G Goes To College -2 episodes
Pete & Gladys - 2 episodes
He & She - “The Old Man & the She”
Going My Way - “Hear No Evil”

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’ve settled into a nice routine where most every night, I watch an episode of Ozzie & Harriet before bed. If I get an early enough start, sometimes I’ll tack on an episode of Our Miss Brooks (the syndication edits help me squeeze it in). If somehow I’m still awake, I’ll do a few minutes of an old Star Trek TOS episode until I’m ready for bed. (Having all of my discs ripped to a HTPC setup really helps with watching TV like this - no waiting for discs to load or losing track of where I am in the series.)

Its really great to end the day with these more gentle shows. Nothing against new stuff, but for late night viewing for me, nothing beats that 1950s to early 1960s period.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

I’ve settled into a nice routine where most every night, I watch an episode of Ozzie & Harriet before bed. If I get an early enough start, sometimes I’ll tack on an episode of Our Miss Brooks (the syndication edits help me squeeze it in). If somehow I’m still awake, I’ll do a few minutes of an old Star Trek TOS episode until I’m ready for bed. (Having all of my discs ripped to a HTPC setup really helps with watching TV like this - no waiting for discs to load or losing track of where I am in the series.)

Its really great to end the day with these more gentle shows. Nothing against new stuff, but for late night viewing for me, nothing beats that 1950s to early 1960s period.

Great stuff, Josh...nice to hear from you in this thread! I agree completely with your preference for watching older, "gentler" shows at the end of the day. That's something we can certainly use more of in these trying times: a little peace, happiness and joy, courtesy of Ozzie and the gang, or whatever similar classic TV comfort viewing one cares to name.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

The Saint – 3.21 “Sibao”
This is a really terrific and, needless to say, atypical, black-and-white episode of the famous ITC action series, which takes a detour from its usual bread-and-butter of down-to-earth crime and espionage to fully embrace the mysticism and magic of voodoo.

When an undercover CIA operative is killed in Haiti under mysterious circumstances, a vacationing Simon Templar (Roger Moore, of course) takes over the investigation, and soon finds himself pitted against a ruthless Englishman (John Carson, who Hammer fans might recognize from Plague of the Zombies, Taste the Blood of Dracula and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter), out to learn the secrets of voodoo for his own power and glory. Gorgeous Jeanne Roland plays the titular voodoo priestess who uses her powers to protect the Saint.

Full of strong atmosphere, moody camera work and committed performances (very little eyebrow raising and humor from the normally insouciant Moore)…and, surprisingly, it avoids the usual TV action show trope of explaining the supernatural happenings away as so much jiggery-pokery (ala Scooby-Doo). Nope, this episode - adapted from the Leslie Charteris short story “The Questing Tycoon” by Terry Nation, and skillfully directed by Peter Yates (of Bullitt fame) - 100% walks the walk, taking all the weird magic on display, and the religion of voodoo itself, deadly seriously, right up to the fade-out. Bond fans will feel a slight sense of deja vu, as certain elements of Moore's first 007 flick are evident here, including an opening dance performance by Boscoe Holder, brother of Geoffrey Holder, who played Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die (1973).

Strange Report – 1.10 “Report 8944: Hand – A Matter of Witchcraft”
When the body of a young girl is found in an abandoned caravan in the English countryside, Inspector Graves (Keith Barron) calls in Adam Strange (Anthony Quayle) to assist in the investigation. Along with his young assistants, American chemist Ham Gynt (Kaz Garras) and artist/model neighbor Evelyn (Anneke Wills, famous for playing ’60 Doctor Who companion Polly), Strange discovers that a coven of witches is behind the murder, reenacting an old Druidic ritual of sacrificing three young women every 20 years. When Evelyn goes undercover in the art department where the dead girl worked, she soon finds herself the intended next victim...

Another rare foray into the eerie for an ITC action/crime drama series, with some fun spooky elements mixed in with the normal mystery solving. Lots of eccentric guest characters show up to enliven things (including Carleton Hobbs, Renee Asherson and Rosalind Atkinson), the late '60s décor and fashions are wonderfully colorful...and most of all, the friendly interplay between the three leads is always so warm and charming, leavening the darkness that frequently underlines the crime plots.

 

[BobO'Link]

I’ve settled into a nice routine where most every night, I watch an episode of Ozzie & Harriet before bed. If I get an early enough start, sometimes I’ll tack on an episode of Our Miss Brooks (the syndication edits help me squeeze it in). If somehow I’m still awake, I’ll do a few minutes of an old Star Trek TOS episode until I’m ready for bed. (Having all of my discs ripped to a HTPC setup really helps with watching TV like this - no waiting for discs to load or losing track of where I am in the series.)

Its really great to end the day with these more gentle shows. Nothing against new stuff, but for late night viewing for me, nothing beats that 1950s to early 1960s period.

Great stuff, Josh...nice to hear from you in this thread! I agree completely with your preference for watching older, "gentler" shows at the end of the day. That's something we can certainly use more of in these trying times: a little peace, happiness and joy, courtesy of Ozzie and the gang, or whatever similar classic TV comfort viewing one cares to name.

Same here. A nice 50s/60s half hour comedy has become by "go to" programming for just before bed. If I fall asleep it's easy to pick it back up, or just start it all over. They're comfort food TV.

This past week it's been S5 of The Andy Griffith Show, an old favorite. It's one I rarely missed during its original airings, even after Don Knotts left for the "greener" pastures of movies (and I really disliked Warren so that's really saying something). I'm curious about S6 as I've not seen many of those "Warren episodes" since the original airings and am curious to see if I still find him annoying. If I caught the show in syndication and it was a Warren episode I'd find something else to watch.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Kudos for taking on a Scooby Doo show. I find myself watching this series whenever I'm sick in bed--for some strange reason it comforts me. My wife can't stand the voice of Scooby Doo and threatens to leave me and wipe out the 401K in retribution.

Yep, classic Scooby-Doo is comfort viewing for sure, Russ. My wife likely has a similar reaction to yours when she sees me watching an episode, although, being Japanese, where comics and anime are taken seriously as an art form, she tends to be more accepting of such things. Not sure that she knew what to make of Ren and Stimpy, though...

 

[BobO'Link]

IMHO your wives have the correct response to Scooby-Doo. I've never liked it - and I was "privileged" to see it when it first aired (and only a couple of episodes after which I found something else to watch). My grandkids love it - and I don't know where they get that from as their mom doesn't like it either. So... I own a copy of the original series solely for them to watch on occasion. My oldest grandson once said: "You don't like Scooby-Doo, Pa, so why do you own it?" to which I replied: "Because *you* do."

 

[bmasters9]

My oldest grandson once said: "You don't like Scooby-Doo, Pa, so why do you own it?" to which I replied: "Because *you* do."

The same principle on why I have all of The Waltons (series and movies), notwithstanding me not really caring for it: because my mother enjoys (and has enjoyed) the heck out of it.

 

[Purple Wig]

Danger Man - “Don’t Nail Him Yet”. A mid afternoon viewing induces the desire to travel back to 1964 to a sharply dressed world boasting restaurants that weren’t too loud for conversation. As long as time travel is allowed might as well make hard liquor and cigarettes healthy as part of the bargain.


Target: the Corruptors - “The Malignant Hearts”. Harry Julian Fink-penned episode dealing with juvenile delinquents.

Cain’s Hundred - “Woman of Silure”. A great cast including Jack Klugman and Gavin MacLeod, from a rough print, watching it at 2:00 AM and falling asleep before the end made it perfect for replicating that feeling of catching it late at night in a nameless motel in some unknown decade.

 

[GMBurns]

The Saint – 3.21 “Sibao”
This is a really terrific and, needless to say, atypical, black-and-white episode of the famous ITC action series, which takes a detour from its usual bread-and-butter of down-to-earth crime and espionage to fully embrace the mysticism and magic of voodoo.

When an undercover CIA operative is killed in Haiti under mysterious circumstances, a vacationing Simon Templar (Roger Moore, of course) takes over the investigation, and soon finds himself pitted against a ruthless Englishman (John Carson, who Hammer fans might recognize from Plague of the Zombies, Taste the Blood of Dracula and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter), out to learn the secrets of voodoo for his own power and glory. Gorgeous Jeanne Roland plays the titular voodoo priestess who uses her powers to protect the Saint.

Full of strong atmosphere, moody camera work and committed performances (very little eyebrow raising and humor from the normally insouciant Moore)…and, surprisingly, it avoids the usual TV action show trope of explaining the supernatural happenings away as so much jiggery-pokery (ala Scooby-Doo). Nope, this episode - adapted from the Leslie Charteris short story “The Questing Tycoon” by Terry Nation, and skillfully directed by Peter Yates (of Bullitt fame) - 100% walks the walk, taking all the weird magic on display, and the religion of voodoo itself, deadly seriously, right up to the fade-out. Bond fans will feel a slight sense of deja vu, as certain elements of Moore's first 007 flick are evident here, including an opening dance performance by Boscoe Holder, brother of Geoffrey Holder, who played Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die (1973).

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Strange Report – 1.10 “Report 8944: Hand – A Matter of Witchcraft”
When the body of a young girl is found in an abandoned caravan in the English countryside, Inspector Graves (Keith Barron) calls in Adam Strange (Anthony Quayle) to assist in the investigation. Along with his young assistants, American chemist Ham Gynt (Kaz Garras) and artist/model neighbor Evelyn (Anneke Wills, famous for playing ’60 Doctor Who companion Polly), Strange discovers that a coven of witches is behind the murder, reenacting an old Druidic ritual of sacrificing three young women every 20 years. When Evelyn goes undercover in the art department where the dead girl worked, she soon finds herself the intended next victim...

Another rare foray into the eerie for an ITC action/crime drama series, with some fun spooky elements mixed in with the normal mystery solving. Lots of eccentric guest characters show up to enliven things (including Carleton Hobbs, Renee Asherson and Rosalind Atkinson), the late '60s décor and fashions are wonderfully colorful...and most of all, the friendly interplay between the three leads is always so warm and charming, leavening the darkness that frequently underlines the crime plots.

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Sounds like a perfect ITV evening, Jeff.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Sounds like a perfect ITV evening, Jeff.

Well, it was spaced out over two evenings, Glenn...but you're right, those two eps would have made an awesome double feature! (And thanks!)

 

[Rustifer]

Yep, classic Scooby-Doo is comfort viewing for sure, Russ.

Besides the cartoons, the live action Scooby Doo movie is also a favorite of mine, even though Matthew Lillard as Shaggy is wayyyy over the top. The main reason for watching, of course, is Linda Cardellini's Velma--who so aptly displays unmistakable librarian-ish sexiness that can only be found in bespectacled girls in low cut orange blouses.

According to a 2007 article in the Chicago Tribune, Linda admitted that while acting in a play in 6th grade--she had to stuff her bra to look older. "Not anymore", she admits, smiling. No, indeed.

 

[Rustifer]

Holiday Commentary
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Disney-1949

I'm writing this only because it's October--and watching this semi-feature cartoon is a staple in our family on Halloween night--accompanied by a sumptuous shish kebab dinner at midnight. Don't ask me how shish kebab wormed its way into this tradition--we've been doing it for 30 years or more so I can't remember the reason why its inception on Halloween. Preparation takes two laborious days, but mmmm-boy--it's well worth it.

Bing Crosby's narration of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow has all the pathos, joy and apprehension inherent in Washington Irving's 1790 story. I still get goosebumps as Ichabod rides his horse through the ghostly woods in the dark of night. Also, kudos to the animator who so nicely filled out Ichabod's amour, Katrina, with a decidedly un-Disney like figure.

The scenery backgrounds are shiver-inducing; Ahhh, lovely Katrina; Ichabod practices the Texas two-step

Though Mr. Toad's horse Cyril is this Wind and the Willows scene stealer, can anything depict shifty criminals better than a mess of sly weasels?
My favorite scene portrays Mr. Toad and his companions trying to steal back the deed to Toad Hall from the devious Mr. Winky. The animated acrobatics of the ensuing chaos is among the best and funniest ever produced by the Disney Studio.

BFFs; There's a reason why weasels are called weasels; Fishing for the deed

Although I doubt if there'll be much trick-or-treating in our neighborhood this year, we have every intention of maintaining our Halloween culinary routine:

Massive char-grilled meat and veggies, followed by a handful of Tums and expandable sweatpants