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

Rustifer

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Character Commentary
Perry Mason
Paul Drake (William Hopper)

It's getting pretty chilly here in Central Indiana. My wife is a firm believer that cold air is healthy for a body, so she keeps the house no warmer than 66 degrees. For my old bones and semi-compromised circulatory system, this makes changing channels on the remote very difficult while wearing mittens. But she's a lovely woman, and despite all my bad habits, has kept me alive for the past 37 years. I really can't complain.

Pardon my short digression. So, in my uneducated and chilled opinion, I submit that Paul Drake is the most interesting character in the Perry Mason series (second only to Della Street). Paul's the silver-haired, natty dressing, chain-smoking dude who adds a certain dimension to the stereotypical private investigator. He also has an eye for the ladies, continuously greeting Della Street with "Hi, Beautiful!" Della, no slouch in catering to strong men's egos, simpers in girlish appreciation.

Paul also displays guts. He's the guy willing to admonish Perry--the epitome of Law and Order--not to illegally break into a hotel room to search for murder clues. Of course, Paul sheepishly follows Perry into the room anyway since he's getting paid big bucks by the country's most famous lawyer. Speaking truth to power goes only so far when one's wallet is concerned. It's not that Paul himself isn't successful. He runs a reputable investigative agency that apparently has more clients than just Perry Mason. But all it takes is Perry instructing Della to "get Paul on the phone", and in two minutes the detective is knocking at Perry's personal entry into his office, even if it requires him dropping a murder case against a U.S. senator.

Paul rarely gets a full feature in the series, except maybe for "The Case of Paul Drake's Dilemma", when Perry has to defend him against blackmail and murder charges. Paul's better served, though, being Perry's wing man--doing all the drudgery stuff to assist Perry's defense case. This includes outsmarting or outrunning the dual ogre partnership of Hamilton Burger and Lt. Tragg. In the end, Paul and Perry generally indulge in a martini and have a satisfying chuckle at the stupid people they've outsmarted. Della, of course, mixes the martinis.

It's probably known to all in here that William Hopper was the son of Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, which surely afforded him some decent press when mommy revved up her formidable PR machine. After being discharged from the Navy with a Bronze Star, William knocked around Hollywood selling cars until mom convinced William Wellman to give her son a try in one of his films. At that time, no one turned down a request from Hedda if they expected their career to continue. William got his part and was on his way to a fairly lucrative career as an actor, dying at the young age of 55--four years after the conclusion of the original Perry Mason series.

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Paul with a couple of his best friends; mom Hedda Hopper
 
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BobO'Link

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Howie
Character Commentary
Perry Mason
Paul Drake (William Hopper)

It's getting pretty chilly here in Central Indiana. My wife is a firm believer that cold air is healthy for a body, so she keeps the house no warmer than 66 degrees. For my old bones and semi-compromised circulatory system, this makes changing channels on the remote very difficult while wearing mittens. But she's a lovely woman, and despite all my bad habits, has kept me alive for the past 37 years. I really can't complain.
My wife, also, controls the house temperature. However, her need for cooler air is due to her asthma as she breaths easier if it's colder in the house. So I just bundle up when necessary. Funny thing is, I'm quite OK with the colder temps in the summer but in the winter, with the exact same temps, my feet get cold and once that happens I stay cold. I'll get them under a blanket, take an hour to warm up, only for her to ask me to do something so I get up to comply and my feet are cold again in seconds! Sigh... And my comfy chair is right next to the fireplace that we can't use because of her asthma (that one mostly due to the smell of burning wood - one of her triggers). We looked into getting it plumbed for gas a few years back to install a gas insert and balked at the several thousand they wanted just to extend the gas line.
 
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Rustifer

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Episode Commentary
Tombstone Territory
"The Tin Gunman" (S1E27)

I will freely admit I know nothing of this series--never heard of it, never saw it--although I understand for a while it aired right before 77 Sunset Strip Fridays on ABC. Which makes it even stranger that I wasn't aware of the show. I just happened to catch an episode on FETV earlier this week and decided to wade into a commentary about it. Hopefully, our resident Westerns pro, John Hopper, can fill in any holes I inadvertently leave out or misspeak. The premise of the series seems to arise from articles printed in the Tombstone Epitaph, which touts "the town too tough to die" in the 1880's. However, instead of stories about our usual Tombstone characters--Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, et al--we're introduced to soft-spoken, tough minded Sheriff Clay Hollister (Pat Conway).

In this particular episode, the local Birdcage Theater is featuring Billy Denver (Neil Grant), billed as "The Fastest Gun in the World". Not just the West. The world. How Billy got this designation is anyone's guess, but he has no problem enveloping the title with an ego as large as a Winnebago. The stupidity of it, however, is that it opens the door for every gunslinger within a hundred miles to test Billy's self-proclaimed expertise. And show up they do. Fortunately for us, Billy's assistant who helps showcase his expertise is Miss Lizette, played by lovely Lisa Gaye--mostly attired in a scandalously skimpy stage outfit which she fills out quite nicely. It helps divert attention from Billy's incessant preening and bragging.

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Nobody drops gum wrappers on my street, buster; Easy-on-the-eyes Lisa Gaye; Tombstone Epitaph editor begs for ad revenue

Billy quickly lives up to his reputation by dispatching a challenger in short order. Sheriff Hollister, a stickler for rules regarding rogue bullets flying through the town's airway, warns Billy to take the first stage out of town. But Billy's head continues to grow and he spurns Hollister's advice. In the end, Billy finds one gun faster than his--yep, Sheriff Hollister's. One must respect Hollister's holster, so to speak.

This one episode I watched was fairly well scripted and certainly had a capable cast. I'd say it was very indicative of Westerns in that era such as Lawman, The Rifleman and Have Gun Will Travel. I'll likely catch a few more episodes to get more familiar.
 

BobO'Link

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I got into a 70s kind of mood after watching so much Hazel. No, I don't know why. I broke out the Taxi (1978) box set (a megapak with the entire series) and started watching it a few days back. I'm about half way into S2 right now.

I'd originally purchased the stand alone S1 release as I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this one today. I watched it most of the time and generally enjoyed it during its original airings so it was a somewhat safe purchase. Then the complete series box set went on sale at an excellent price so I sucked it up and purchased that. Five years ago... I guess that's a good thing as it appears to be OOP today. I never did open and watch that S1 set to see if I still liked the series.

I found S1 to be pretty good with all of the characters hitting the ground running with the first episode. None of that "Well... maybe it'll take a few episodes to hit that good point" stuff here. Marilu Henner isn't quite as "hot" as I remembered - but still quite attractive. I still don't much care for Alex (Judd Hirsch), who's pretty much the main character of the series, but don't find him quite as abrasive as I recall from those original viewings. Frankly, this is one of those series where the whole is better than the parts as most of the characters really aren't that interesting or compelling to watch with most being rather cliche' one note types (especially Tony Danza's and Jeff Conaway's characters). It's more the group dynamic that's interesting. This is also the only thing I've seen Andy Kaufman in where I like his character, although I recall liking him less and less as the show progresses.

Reverend Jim makes his first, and only S1, appearance in the episode where Latka (Kaufman) is about to be deported as his VISA's expired. Alex finds a hooker who'll marry Latka so he can stay in the country, Jim performs the ceremony, the bride immediately leaves, and immigration authorities are happy. I've never understood why as they did absolutely zero background checks or follow ups on the fake marriage in spite of asking "You're not doing this just to stay, are you?" several times. IIRC this gets resolved in a later season when Latka meets the "love of his life" in a series of episodes I recall not particularly liking.

There are no truly stand out episodes with most telling several smaller stories over the course of the episode. Sure, there's an underlying "main" story but it typically gets little more time than the shorter ones and doesn't necessarily tie into any of those shorter ones. It's just a slight, mostly comfortable, easy going, and light comedy series. Considering some of the names involved in the series' creation I'd expect it to be much better. Right now, like I felt when it originally aired, it's OK but nothing special. It pulled respectable ratings but also greatly benefited from its lead in program, Three's Company with competition from CBS's Tuesday Night Movie and NBC's "Big Event," neither of which were a ratings powerhouse. When ABC moved it to Wednesday's a couple of years later it dropped out of the Top 30 shows.
 

Doug Wallen

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Been a busy weekend for me.

M Squad - The Complete Series
The Trap (2.5) Robert Fuller, Virginia Gregg, Percy Helton, Betty Lynn. Fuller plays a troubled youth who mistakenly believes he murdered a storekeeper. Ballenger is trying to find him before he actually does commit a serious crime. Good episode.

Force Of Habit (2.6) Robert Knapp, Margaret Field. Val Mooney, hiding out from the cops, sees the perfect opportunity to evade them. When his wife's brother is killed in a massive warehouse fire, he forces her to identify the body as-- VAL MOONEY. Ballenger finds the "death" a bit to convenient and begins poking around. Another good episode.

The Phantom Raiders (2.7) Ed Nelson, Yvette Vickers. Ballenger gets to do the "Wild One". A pair of high-speed motorcycle thugs are robbing gas stations across Chicago. When one attendant gets shot, Ballinger goes undercover as a biker to crack the case.

Gunsmoke - Seasons 10-12
Malachi (11.9) Harry Townes, Jack Elam, Edward Andrews. In order to impress his visiting brother, a man pretends to be Matt Dillon. This is a plan conceived by Festus.

The Pretender (11.10) Tom Simcox, Tom Skerritt, Julie Sommars, Nehemiah Persoff. An elder brother took the blame for the younger as both were sent away for cattle rustling. When they return home, the younger is not done with doing wrong, nor with asking his brother to cover his tracks.

South Wind (11.11) Bruce Dern, Pat Cardi. A twelve year old boy witnesses his father's death and has vowed revenge. He is exhausted and is rescued by Doc. He remains silent until he sees the killer in Dodge.

The Hostage (11.12) Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Willis Bouchey, Vito Scotti. Twenty-two men escape from a territorial prison. The remaining 4 kidnap Matt hoping to get safe passage into Mexico. One of them has another agenda which he reveals to Matt as they get closer to the border.

The Avengers - The Complete Emma Peel Megaset
The Girl From Auntie (4.17) Liz Fraser, Bernard Cribbins, Alfred Burke, Sylvia Coleridge. Mrs. Peel has been replaced. Such a fun episode. Barrett, Barrett & Wimpole; John, Paul, George and Fred :).

The 13th Hole (4.18) Patrick Allen, Hugh Manning, Peter Jones. Steed and Mrs. Peel join an exclusive golf club to catch a government scientist passing secrets to the Iron Curtain.

Quick-Quick Slow Death (4.19) Eunice Gayson, Maurice Kaufmann. When a foreign agent is caught trying to dispose of a body, the investigation leads Steed and Mrs. Peel to a dancing school that's infiltrating the country with enemy spies.

Matlock - Season 1
Diary Of A Perfect Murder (1.1) Alex Hirson, Steve Inwood, Jack Bannon, Lawrence Pressman, Dennis Lipscomb. Ben Matlock and his daughter Charlene defend a TV journalist accused of killing his ex-wife.

The Judge (1.2) Dick Van Dyke, Michael Durrell, Brian Lane Green, Piper Laurie. Judge Carter Addison murders his cheating mistress and frames her lover. Then the judge presides over the man's trial with Ben Matlock as the defense counsel.

The Stripper (1.3) Kerrie Keane, Judith-Marie Bergan, John CArter, Anne Haney. An exotic dancer is accused of killing her ex-husband.

Rawhide - Season 5 Volume 1
Incident Of El Toro (6.26) James Best. Everything is going wrong on the trail. Men are being killed and injured, the herd is late, a river is flooding ahead and Kiowa Indians are a threat. A massive wild bull is distracting the herd and a reckless drover adds to the problems. According to IMDB this is a season 6 episode, but it is on season 5 disc 1.

Incident Of The Hunter (5.1) Mark Stevens, Gregory Walcott. A man looking for a job is recognized by Rowdy and Clay. Rowdy knows him as a fellow Confederate soldier while Clay knows him as a bounty hunter. When he admits it, everyone begins to think he is after them causing the men to revolt.

Incident Of The Portrait (5.2) John Ireland, Nina Shipman, Ted De Corsia. After unintentionally killing a blind girl's father, a man signs on as a drover with Favor. When Favor is asked to escort the girl to another town. Favor unwittingly assigns the man as her driver where he comes to cherish her company.

Incident At Cactus Wells (5.3) Keenan Wynn, Robert Hagerthy, Dan Haggerty. Forrester notices a man trailing the herd for a few days but he's elusive. After one of the men stampedes the herd, the man drives in a few strays and asks for a job. The men are suspicious of his actions and they soon learn he has a past.

The Big Valley - Season 1
Palms Of Glory (1.1) Boy Howdy! So glad I finally have this first season. Found a used copy on ebay within my price range. Still suprised Heath was able to describe himself correctly in a '65 prime time series. Great introduction to his character as well as defining their relationships. One of my favorites from this era. Oh well, truth be told, I just really like westerns.

Forty Rifles (1.2) Andrew Duggan, John Milford. As Heath settles into life in the Valley, his authority is questioned by the men employed to aid him in a huge cattle drive, which is further complicated by the arrival of a former general with plans of his own.

Boots With My Father's Name (1.3) James Anderson, Jeanne Cooper, Beah Richards. The Barkleys prepare for the unveiling of a statue dedicated to family patriarch Tom, prompting Victoria to visit Heath's birthplace and learn about Tom's secret past.

Young Marauders (1.4) Sean Garrison, Buck Taylor. A handsome stranger saves Audra's life during a horse stampede and she quickly becomes attached to him, unaware of his involvement in a series of robberies in the Valley.

Seven Days - Complete Series
Deloris Demands (3.6) Lennie Loftin. Someone who calls herself Deloris calls Neverland and knows about Backstep and is making threats, which they don't take seriously. But she then gets a sample of Frank's voice and makes a phone call which makes them think Frank has gone mad. But when they learn it was Deloris, they send Frank back to deal with her. And when he arrives, Deloris wants to play games with him. So he carries it out while they try to find out who Deloris is.

The Fire Last Time (3.7) Gary Graham. Parker suffers nightmarish flashbacks over the deaths of his comrades in Somalia and guilt over his own survival.

Tracker (3.8) Anna-Louise Plowman. The brother of a Chechnyan terrorist Parker killed on a previous Backstep, vows to stop Parker and the Backstep program.

Top Dog (3.9) When Bradley appears to be having a breakdown because he is talking about Backstep among other things, he is relieved of duty and Ramsey replaces him. Later they learn that his breakdown was caused by something that could be treated. So they ask to Backstep so they can help him but their superiors refuse to grant it.

Adam & Eve & Adam (3.10) A top secret weapon project test gone awry seemingly kills all life on Earth except Parker, Olga, and Owsley who are deep underground in a secret government facility. Now they must make it back in time to Backstep.
 

JohnHopper

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Oct 31, 2010
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Gunsmoke - Seasons 10-12
Malachi (11.9) Harry Townes, Jack Elam, Edward Andrews. In order to impress his visiting brother, a man pretends to be Matt Dillon. This is a plan conceived by Festus.

The Pretender (11.10) Tom Simcox, Tom Skerritt, Julie Sommars, Nehemiah Persoff. An elder brother took the blame for the younger as both were sent away for cattle rustling. When they return home, the younger is not done with doing wrong, nor with asking his brother to cover his tracks.

South Wind (11.11) Bruce Dern, Pat Cardi. A twelve year old boy witnesses his father's death and has vowed revenge. He is exhausted and is rescued by Doc. He remains silent until he sees the killer in Dodge.

The Hostage (11.12) Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Willis Bouchey, Vito Scotti. Twenty-two men escape from a territorial prison. The remaining 4 kidnap Matt hoping to get safe passage into Mexico. One of them has another agenda which he reveals to Matt as they get closer to the border.

The cream of the crop remains:

“The Hostage”
After “Seven Hours to Dawn”, it’s another good episode in which Matt Dillon is hurt pretty bad by the outlaws done by the tandem of writer Clyde Ware and director Vincent McEveety. Above all, it’s a revengist plot. Thad is present. Actor McGavin talks with a broken voice. How odd that both McGavin and Oakland will end up in the same series (Kolchak: The Night Stalker) in the next decade and here the social position is reversed because McGavin orders Oakland playing a stubborn cut throat. For the record, director Vincent McEveety will manage one episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker entitled “The Knightly Murders”. After Morton Stevens and Richard Shores and Fred Steiner, find the fourth composer working on The Wild Wild West but also participated at Rawhide.

“Malachi”
It’s a fun light dual story episode that is served by a good guest cast: Jack Elam, Harry Townes, Edward Andrews. In a way, it plays like a spoof of John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Matt Dillon leaves Dodge at the start of Act 1. Thad is absent. This is the second score of CBS music head Morton Stevens after “Seven Hours to Dawn”.

The Avengers - The Complete Emma Peel Megaset
The Girl From Auntie (4.17) Liz Fraser, Bernard Cribbins, Alfred Burke, Sylvia Coleridge. Mrs. Peel has been replaced. Such a fun episode. Barrett, Barrett & Wimpole; John, Paul, George and Fred :).

The 13th Hole (4.18) Patrick Allen, Hugh Manning, Peter Jones. Steed and Mrs. Peel join an exclusive golf club to catch a government scientist passing secrets to the Iron Curtain.

Quick-Quick Slow Death (4.19) Eunice Gayson, Maurice Kaufmann. When a foreign agent is caught trying to dispose of a body, the investigation leads Steed and Mrs. Peel to a dancing school that's infiltrating the country with enemy spies.

The cream of the crop remains:

“The Girl from Auntie”
I find it good on the whole because we have a tight intrigue and a shocking reveal. It’s a solo Steed episode in which he returns from holidays—nice personal background touch—and meets an impostor posing as Mrs Peel. It shares two aspects from a previous episode entitled “Two’s a Crowd”: a secret room—Steed plays the cat burglar into the warehouse of Gregory Auntie—and a Soviet official—Colonel Ivanoff. I enjoy the pace of the episode in which Steed travels from place to place as if he was still on holidays. But he did it with the actress-impostor who become his new partner. The outcome make you learn that Mrs Peel is a merchandise (Lot 17) to be traded in the tradition of the brain trust but it is lightly translated with the giant-sized cage. The shocking reveal concerns the old granny which happens to be a man in drag—Steed removes his latex mask: proto-Mission: Impossible, you might say—and tackles the theme of double identity: old/young and female/male. In the end, you witness two impostors: the actress (Mrs Peel) and the male killer (old granny). After “Room Without a View”, this is the second one in which Mrs Peel is imprisoned. The episode title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to television (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. becomes “The Girl from Auntie” and Auntie is the last name of an illegal merchant named Gregorie: sic).

Rawhide - Season 5 Volume 1
Incident Of El Toro (6.26) James Best. Everything is going wrong on the trail. Men are being killed and injured, the herd is late, a river is flooding ahead and Kiowa Indians are a threat. A massive wild bull is distracting the herd and a reckless drover adds to the problems. According to IMDB this is a season 6 episode, but it is on season 5 disc 1.

Incident Of The Hunter (5.1) Mark Stevens, Gregory Walcott. A man looking for a job is recognized by Rowdy and Clay. Rowdy knows him as a fellow Confederate soldier while Clay knows him as a bounty hunter. When he admits it, everyone begins to think he is after them causing the men to revolt.

Incident Of The Portrait (5.2) John Ireland, Nina Shipman, Ted De Corsia. After unintentionally killing a blind girl's father, a man signs on as a drover with Favor. When Favor is asked to escort the girl to another town. Favor unwittingly assigns the man as her driver where he comes to cherish her company.

Incident At Cactus Wells (5.3) Keenan Wynn, Robert Hagerthy, Dan Haggerty. Forrester notices a man trailing the herd for a few days but he's elusive. After one of the men stampedes the herd, the man drives in a few strays and asks for a job. The men are suspicious of his actions and they soon learn he has a past.

The masterpiece remains:

“Incident Of The Portrait” because of the guest character a la The Fugitive played by actor John Ireland and its sentimental dilemma.
The film-making by Ted Post is excellent.

The Big Valley - Season 1
Palms Of Glory (1.1) Boy Howdy! So glad I finally have this first season. Found a used copy on ebay within my price range. Still suprised Heath was able to describe himself correctly in a '65 prime time series. Great introduction to his character as well as defining their relationships. One of my favorites from this era. Oh well, truth be told, I just really like westerns.

Forty Rifles (1.2) Andrew Duggan, John Milford. As Heath settles into life in the Valley, his authority is questioned by the men employed to aid him in a huge cattle drive, which is further complicated by the arrival of a former general with plans of his own.

Boots With My Father's Name (1.3) James Anderson, Jeanne Cooper, Beah Richards. The Barkleys prepare for the unveiling of a statue dedicated to family patriarch Tom, prompting Victoria to visit Heath's birthplace and learn about Tom's secret past.

Young Marauders (1.4) Sean Garrison, Buck Taylor. A handsome stranger saves Audra's life during a horse stampede and she quickly becomes attached to him, unaware of his involvement in a series of robberies in the Valley.

The pilot is superb and highly recommended!
 

JohnHopper

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The Avengers

The cream of the crop remains:

“The Girl from Auntie”
I find it good on the whole because we have a tight intrigue and a shocking reveal. It’s a solo Steed episode in which he returns from holidays—nice personal background touch—and meets an impostor posing as Mrs Peel. It shares two aspects from a previous episode entitled “Two’s a Crowd”: a secret room—Steed plays the cat burglar into the warehouse of Gregory Auntie—and a Soviet official—Colonel Ivanoff. I enjoy the pace of the episode in which Steed travels from place to place as if he was still on holidays. But he did it with the actress-impostor who become his new partner. The outcome make you learn that Mrs Peel is a merchandise (Lot 17) to be traded in the tradition of the brain trust but it is lightly translated with the giant-sized cage. The shocking reveal concerns the old granny which happens to be a man in drag—Steed removes his latex mask: proto-Mission: Impossible, you might say—and tackles the theme of double identity: old/young and female/male. In the end, you witness two impostors: the actress (Mrs Peel) and the male killer (old granny). After “Room Without a View”, this is the second one in which Mrs Peel is imprisoned. The episode title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to television (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. becomes “The Girl from Auntie” and Auntie is the last name of an illegal merchant named Gregorie: sic).


The old granny character also is a nod to the fake widow fight of James Bond's Thunderball
and in a way, it foreshadows a silly skit about a gang of grannies from Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Thunderball Movie CLIP - My Sincere Condolences (1965)


Monty Python: Hell's Grannies
 

JohnHopper

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_____________________________________
I'm still exploring season 9 of Gunsmoke and I'm at Disc #6.​
Festus returns again and the first entry still depicts him as doubtful.​
 

BobO'Link

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I finished S2 of Taxi. It was enjoyable enough but, like S1, nothing all that special or great.

Reverend Jim joins the cast full time part way into the season. I recalled really enjoying his character during the original airings and noticed that Christopher Lloyd pretty much built a career on that character, using it in various incarnations in many screen appearances. Now, it's just not as good with an episode that features him and his befuddlement feeling somewhat sad due to the way it's treated as a huge joke. It was somewhat made up by him hooking up with Tony's sister, who loved him for just how he is in spite of Tony's "horror" at the thought of a drug addled person dating his sister. That one made Tony look quite bad due to his reactions to Jim.

Latka's home country enters a civil war and it's revealed that Latka's a general back home. It was quite silly, bordering on ridiculous, with an "army" of his compatriots bumbling their way through drills when they show up to try and get him to go home with them and fight.

There was a somewhat 2 parter with Tony fighting a champion for charity. The charity was an orphan boy who'd had an operation and Tony felt bad about possibly beating the kid's idol - the champion. The next episode sees the kid recover fully and turn into a manipulative brat who plays on Tony's good nature and desire to help the kid by providing him a good home. All the kid wanted was rich parents who'd let him do whatever he wants.

In another 2 parter, the cabbies go on strike due to poor upkeep on the cabs. And, again, they don't know who the shop steward is (a scene that was in S1 and played almost identically in this episode). Tony's elected, Louie buys him off in a few minutes, Tony's voted out and Elaine winds up with the job. Elaine delivers the driver's demands and Louie counters with "Go on a date with me and I'll do what they want." So she does. Overall, a rather lack luster double episode.

And *another* 2 parter follows in a few episodes, the last 2 of the season, when Herve Villachez (yes, Tatoo) leaves personal photos in Tony's cab and the cabbies fantasize about how they'd like things to be. Yawn...

I truly believe this series got the better ratings it did those first 2 seasons due to its lead in shows and that there was little competition on the other networks (mostly movies, so it'd depend on the movie being shown). That pretty much played out with S3 which failed to break the top 30 after it had been #9 in S1 and #13 in S2.

Here's some fun trivia. In the open, the cab is being driven across New York City's Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge. The same one mentioned in The King of Queens theme song and the same one Simon and Garfunkle made famous with "The 59th Street Bridge Song" (although the song really isn't about the bridge - just named after it).
 

bmasters9

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And *another* 2 parter follows in a few episodes, the last 2 of the season, when Herve Villachez (yes, Tatoo) leaves personal photos in Tony's cab and the cabbies fantasize about how they'd like things to be. Yawn...

The same one who would be on Fantasy Island for the first 6 gos of that ABC adventure series (early 1978 to 1983); the late Christopher Hewett would be in for the final go (1983-84) as Lawrence (who pressed a button to ring the bell, instead of climbing the tower as Tattoo did).
 

Flashgear

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Randall
Reverend Jim joins the cast full time part way into the season. I recalled really enjoying his character during the original airings and noticed that Christopher Lloyd pretty much built a career on that character, using it in various incarnations in many screen appearances. Now, it's just not as good with an episode that features him and his befuddlement feeling somewhat sad due to the way it's treated as a huge joke. It was somewhat made up by him hooking up with Tony's sister, who loved him for just how he is in spite of Tony's "horror" at the thought of a drug addled person dating his sister. That one made Tony look quite bad due to his reactions to Jim.
Taxi, though it's not one of my absolute favorites, certainly has it's moments...among them, that beautiful episode where we finally see 'Reverend' Jim's apartment...a real hole, badly scorched black by a previous fire and never repaired...the episodes where we got the back story about scholarly Jim's college years transformation into a spaced-out druggie burnout and his tortured relationship with his disappointed and contemptuous father played memorably by Victor Buono...that wonderful moment where Jim discovers an old cassette tape in his deceased father's coat jacket...he puts it on, and it plays Stevie Wonder's You Are the Sunshine of my Life...a message left behind for his son to acknowledge the love he still felt for him...I don't have the DVDS of Taxi, is that song retained in the DVD release? I sure hope so...
Here's some fun trivia. In the open, the cab is being driven across New York City's Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge. The same one mentioned in The King of Queens theme song and the same one Simon and Garfunkle made famous with "The 59th Street Bridge Song" (although the song really isn't about the bridge - just named after it).
I can hear that Bob James smooth jazz theme now...The Queensboro bridge certainly features strongly in so many NYC filmed, (or partly filmed for effect), classic shows...it's a photogenic bridge and offers so many great upper East Side panoramas with Roosevelt Island, the Tramway, FDR Drive, Riverwalk Parkway, the 'Great Gatsby' lore, etc.,...my favorite appearances of the 59th St. Queensboro bridge (now also tagged as the 'Ed Koch' bridge, though that handle has never really caught on) are found in Naked City's episodes The Contract, where James Shigeta appears to scale the upper superstructure in a suicide bid, followed on by Paul Burke...and the notorious Rip Torn / Tuesday Weld episode A Case Study of Two Savages, which opens with a magnificent and spectacular helicopter shot of their old car crossing the bridge as the murderous pair embark on their rampage into Manhattan...the Herbert B. Leonard / Sam Manners Naked City crew liked to film around the upper East Side as it was relatively close to the Biograph Studios in the Bronx where the production company was based and some interiors were shot, very little as it turned out as this unique series (and Route 66) exemplified location shooting as a routine virtue to a standard never exceeded in the many years since...there's some great upper East Side location filming in Decoy, Mike Hammer, The Defenders S1, NYPD, Kojak, McCloud etc., some in Car 54 Where Are You? (mostly the Bronx), Brenner, Johnny Staccato, Coronet Blue...love the NYC filmed shows!

I took some screen caps from the Mike Hammer complete series DVD set recently...here's Darren McGavin and sultry Joan Marshall with the Queensboro Bridge in the background...
Joan Marshall 20.JPG

Joan Marshall 23.JPG

Joan Marshall 26.JPG

Joan Marshall 22.JPG


I took these caps from the Image DVDs of Naked City The Contract...eye popping location filming...they're filming on the Queensboro bridge upper superstructure, for cryin' out loud!
Contract 7.JPG

Contract 8.JPG

Contract 10.JPG

Contract 14.JPG

Contract 13.JPG

Contract 17.JPG

Contract 23.JPG

Contract 18.JPG
 
Last edited:

BobO'Link

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Taxi, though it's not one of my absolute favorites, certainly has it's moments...among them, that beautiful episode where we finally see 'Reverend' Jim's apartment...a real hole, badly scorched black by a previous fire and never repaired...the episodes where we got the back story about scholarly Jim's college years transformation into a spaced-out druggie burnout and his tortured relationship with his disappointed and contemptuous father played memorably by Victor Buono...that wonderful moment where Jim discovers an old cassette tape in his deceased father's coat jacket...he puts it on, and it plays Stevie Wonder's You Are the Sunshine of my Life...a message left behind for his son to acknowledge the love he still felt for him...I don't have the DVDS of Taxi, is that song retained in the DVD release? I sure hope so...
That episode where he returns home is in S3 - I watched it last night and thought it was pretty good. Did you know that Christopher Lloyd and Victor Buono were born the same year? Buono was roughly 8 months older than Lloyd.

The episode where Jim's dad has died is in S5. I've not seen that season since it originally aired and have no idea about the song but will make a note to be on the lookout when I get there and will put it in my comments.
 

Jeff Flugel

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Nero Wolfe – 1.1 “The Golden Spiders”
A young boy, who works a NYC street corner washing car windows, witnesses a frightened woman mouthing “Help! Police!” from inside a car, and comes to a bemused Nero Wolfe for help. Wolfe and Archie take the case only half-seriously - until the boy is run down by the same car and winds up in the hospital. Further bodies start to pile up and it’s up to Wolfe to solve the twisty case.

After recovering from my initial disappointment that this adaptation of Rex Stout’s series of detective novels had a contemporary early ‘80s setting rather than the period setting from the previous pilot movie (which starred the creepy Thayer David as Wolfe), I quite enjoyed this. William Conrad is an inspired choice to play the rotund Wolfe, gourmand, breeder of rare orchids, and eccentric, grumpy genius detective. A pre-Matt Houston Lee Horsely is also a good fit as Wolfe’s amiable, skirt-chasing legman, Archie Goodwin. The mystery was pretty good, too, helped by the fact that it was adapted from the 1953 novel of the same name.

Robin of Sherwood – 1.1 / 1.2 “Robin Hood and the Sorcerer" Parts 1 and 2
I have strong memories of renting the VHS movie versions of several two-part episodes of this popular and influential HTV drama, which ran in the U.K. from 1984 to 1986, and was subsequently aired on Showtime in the States. I recently received Network’s Blu-Ray set of the complete series, which has been lovingly restored in HD from original 16mm film elements. This series, the brainchild of former actor-turned-writer Richard Carpenter, was shot nearly entirely outdoors in lush, beautiful natural surroundings, and offers a fresh take on the Robin Hood mythos, with one foot in the dark, mystical Celtic world of ancient magic, and the other firmly rooted in gritty, authentic historical detail.

Michael Praed stars as Robin of Loxley, who is tasked by the shamanic Herne the Hunter (John Abineri) to fight the tyranny of the Norman invaders, led by the smoothly odious Sheriff of Nottingham (Nicholas Grace), his corrupt brother, Abbott Hugo (a pre-Inspector Japp Phillip Jackson), and the cruel but ineffectual Sir Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addy). This opening two-parter cherry picks several iconic moments from the Robin Hood legend, including the famous “splitting the arrow” archery contest, but also goes off in interesting directions of its own, including a climactic showdown between Robin and an evil sorcerer, the Baron de Belleme (Anthony Valentine). Now famous tough guy Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, etc.) boosted his career profile by playing an angry Will Scarlet here, and Judy Trott is a luminously beautiful Maid Marian. Praed seems very young but makes a suitably dashing Robin. He left the show after two seasons and 13 episodes, resulting in Jason Connery taking over as Robert of Huntingdon, a different character, this time of noble blood, who reluctantly assumes the mantle of the Hooded Man for a third and final season of 13 episodes.

This was a very expensive show for the time (each episode reportedly costing 350,000 pounds), and is overall very slickly produced and well-made, but it must be said that this initial two-parter is a bit rough around the edges, mainly in the occasional leaps in action and plot that take place, as if there just wasn’t enough money to completely film some narrative pieces to fill in the blanks. Nothing crucial, the story still makes complete sense, but some moments that seem a trifle rushed or truncated could perhaps have used a bit more development. For instance, after Robin and Marian’s “meet cute” moment in her boudoir in Nottingham Castle, their romance seems to escalate with little build-up. Overall, though, this is a minor niggle, and otherwise the series remains a visually striking, lively rendition of the Robin Hood tale, boasting many elements (the "raging lunatic" Sheriff of Nottingham, the noble Saracen swordsman who joins the Merry Men, etc.) that would be picked up by subsequent film and television versions. The series is also famous (or infamous, depending upon your musical tastes) for featuring a main theme and incidental music by the Celtic band, Clannad. I think the subdued, electronic score and sighing vocals really work for this show, and help cement the vaguely otherworldly, Medieval vibe it's going for. The series was shot with a slightly diffused, soft look, so this HD remastering doesn’t "pop" quite like similar 16mm restorations Poirot or Miss Marple, but rest assured, this is a MAJOR upgrade from the DVDs. The set also includes a slew of special features, including a three hour, three part making of documentary covering all three seasons. Highly recommended if you like this sort of swashbuckling sword and sorcery stuff.

Here's a link to a trailer for the "Michael Praed" Blu-Ray set:



robin-of-sherwood-tv.jpg

english-actress-judi-trott-pictured-dressed-in-character-as-lady-of-picture-id554487371



Also had a chance to watch some more new-to-me Christmas-themed episodes from the '50s and '60s:

The Twilight Zone - 3.37 "The Changing of the Guard"
I've seen "Night of the Meek" several times, but somehow I had never gotten around to watching this, the other, less-heralded Christmas episode of this iconic series. A gentle, elderly English Lit professor (Donald Pleasance) at a boy's school learns that he's being forced into retirement, and contemplates suicide, feeling that he hasn't contributed anything of value in his life...but the ghosts of several of his past pupils appear to show him that he has made far more of an impact than he ever could have realized. Though it retains a few eerie touches (this is The Twilight Zone, after all), this is a sweet, moving and nicely-directed episode, Rod Serling's paean to dedicated teachers everywhere. Donald Pleasance gives a frankly astonishing performance here, aided by effective old age makeup work by the legendary William Tuttle.

Green Acres – 2.13 “An Old-Fashioned Christmas”
Oliver (Eddie Albert) is determined to cut down and decorate a real tree for Christmas, much to the stupefied amazement of the wacky residents of Hooterville. Such is the spectacle of a non-aluminum or plastic Christmas tree, that several townsfolk assemble at the Douglas’ household to witness it…though they practically trample each other on their way out the door once they catch a whiff of Lisa’s quite literal interpretation of a “fruits” cake. Ridiculous piffle, but quite entertaining...and I, for one, wouldn't have minded being caught under the mistletoe with the glamorous Eva Gabor...

MV5BN2NjMGFhZTYtZGY2Mi00ODFkLWFlOWUtMTI2MzI2ZTJiOGM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUxNDg0Nzc@._V1_.jpg

0947d66f8f0e50a066162ccaa64b25e9.jpg



Medic – 1.12 “Red Christmas”
I admit to being a little taken aback at first to find out that nominal lead Richard Boone was only acting as host to this episode, but Robert Bray, taking center stage here (and, with his long face and wiry frame, looking somewhat similar to Boone), does a good job as the doctor on call on Christmas Eve when a young secretary is wheeled into the ward. The woman has received terrible facial injuries in a car accident while being driven home from a wild office Christmas party by her drunken boss (Stafford Repp, unrecognizable to me as the guy who would go on to play Chief O’Hara on Batman a decade later). There’s a sober, docudrama-like feel to this episode, which is downbeat but well-played and with a worthy message.

The Amos & Andy Show – 2.13 “The Christmas Story”
Andy wants to buy his goddaughter - Amos’ adorable little girl, Arbadella (Patti Marie Ellis) - the talking doll she wants for Christmas, but is short on funds, so he takes a temp job as a department store Santa to buy it for her. I’d never seen this show before, and really enjoyed this charming tale. Frankly, I fail to see why there has been such furor over this series both then and now, as – judging from this episode, at least – it seems to be a gently amusing sitcom with an all-black cast of likable characters acting like real human beings. I could tell that the guy playing Kingfish (Tim Moore) was a real scene-stealer from his one funny scene, but Spencer Williams was quite capable of carrying most the episode on his own. Alvin Childress also gets his time to shine at the end, as Amos explains the Lord’s Prayer to his daughter to close out this very sweet episode, which aired Christmas Day, 1952.

The Adventures of Long John Silver – 1.3 “The Orphans’ Christmas”
Jim Hawkins (Kit Taylor) meets a bunch of orphans under the dubious care of a termagant old maid who refuses to let her charges celebrate Christmas. When Jim, an orphan now enjoying far better circumstances himself, returns downcast to the inn where he lives with his pirate pals, rascally old Long John Silver takes matters into his own hands to ensure the tykes get a Christmas party to remember. Robert Newton, reprising his role from Disney’s Treasure Island (1950), chews the scenery here to memorable effect, in this Australian series, its single season filmed in 1954 (but aired in the U.S. in 1955). Nicely produced in color, this is an enjoyable and unique little seasonal outing.
 
Last edited:

Jeff Flugel

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...The Queensboro bridge certainly features strongly in so many NYC filmed, (or partly filmed for effect), classic shows...it's a photogenic bridge and offers so many great upper East Side panoramas with Roosevelt Island, the Tramway, FDR Drive, Riverwalk Parkway, the 'Great Gatsby' lore, etc.,...my favorite appearances of the 59th St. Queensboro bridge (now also tagged as the 'Ed Koch' bridge, though that handle has never really caught on) are found in Naked City's episodes The Contract, where James Shigeta appears to scale the upper superstructure in a suicide bid, followed on by Paul Burke...and the notorious Rip Torn / Tuesday Weld episode A Case Study of Two Savages, which opens with a magnificent and spectacular helicopter shot of their old car crossing the bridge as the murderous pair embark on their rampage into Manhattan...the Herbert B. Leonard / Sam Manners Naked City crew liked to film around the upper East Side as it was relatively close to the Biograph Studios in the Bronx where the production company was based and some interiors were shot, very little as it turned out as this unique series (and Route 66) exemplified location shooting as a routine virtue to a standard never exceeded in the many years since...there's some great upper East Side location filming in Decoy, Mike Hammer, The Defenders S1, NYPD, Kojak, McCloud etc., some in Car 54 Where Are You? (mostly the Bronx), Brenner, Johnny Staccato, Coronet Blue...love the NYC filmed shows!

Wow, some great shots there from both Mike Hammer and Naked City, Randall! I have that episode "The Contract" on my "Best of" Naked City release...will have to give that one a spin soon.
 

Rustifer

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Episode Commentary
Bonanza
"Woman of Fire" (S6E17)

I guess by Season 6, Bonanza considered itself to be television's literary equivalent to Shakespeare by attempting its mangled version of "The Taming of the Shrew". Highly snarky Mexican heiress Margarita--played by Joan Hackett (who was born in Harlem NY and about as Hispanic as I am)--voraciously chews up nearly all the stage scenery and insolently burps it out in wafts of prejudicial pomposity. I was tired of her inside the first two minutes of the show.

Margarita and her father Don Miguel (Jay "what accent does the script require?" Novello) are staying at the the Ponderosa, awaiting for the arrival of her arranged--but never met--husband-to-be. It promises to be a stay as comforting as a tea party at the Alamo. Adam (Pernell Roberts) takes it upon himself to instill some civility in this "woman of fire"--an exercise about as inviting as catering lunch at a leper colony. The lesson begins with Adam literally spanking the woman over his knee. The Ponderosa menfolk, and even Don Miguel, express their admiration of Adam's approach--sort of a testimonial conditionality of the pioneer attitude that males who bring home the bacon have a systemic right to beat their women at will.

1608218490351.png
1608218533279.png
1608218569049.png

By golly she IS wearing underwear! Margarita accidently breaks wind; Gotta love whacking women, huh Dad?

The remainder of the episode is a series of somewhat comedic (I guess) altercations between Margarita and Adam that are just too repetitive to recount all of them here. Example--Adam fixes Margarita breakfast. "What is this," she snarls--eggs from a dodo? They taste like leather!" Why, who wouldn't choke with laughter at a line like that? ZZZzzzzz. Adam's patience (and mine) is rewarded with continuous abuse.

Eventually Margarita's respected betrothed, Don Luis Santana (Cesare Danova--who's actually Italian), arrives at the ranch. Eager to meet his wife-to-be, the entire household sucks in its breath for what is sure to be a horrific encounter for him. To everyone's surprise, Margarita is on her best behavior. But it turns out that Don Luis prefers fire-breathing dragons for women. A disagreement over whether the sun is the moon quickly returns Margarita to her bitchy self. She and Don Luis become welded as two rivets in a ship's hull.

Moral: Spank a woman for a happy ending.
 
Last edited:

Rustifer

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Nero Wolfe – 1.1 “The Golden Spiders”
A young boy, who works a NYC street corner washing car windows, witnesses a frightened woman mouthing “Help! Police!” from inside a car, and comes to a bemused Nero Wolfe for help. Wolfe and Archie take the case only half-seriously - until the boy is run down by the same car and winds up in the hospital. Further bodies start to pile up and it’s up to Wolfe to solve the twisty case.
Fascinating, Jeff, that I am completely unfamiliar with this version of Nero Wolfe. My wife and I were quite taken with the 2001-2002 Nero Wolfe Mysteries with Maury Chaykin and Timothy Hutton--and I wish I could find it on one of my streaming services (for free). However, I am intrigued by your description of of "The Golden Spiders" as I can absolutely imagine William Conrad as a fantastic Nero Wolfe.

I took some screen caps from the Mike Hammer complete series DVD set recently...here's Darren McGavin and sultry Joan Marshall with the Queensboro Bridge in the background...
Randall-
Much like my unfamiliarity with Jeff's Nero Wolfe version (above), so too am I in the same boat with Darrin McGavin's Mike Hammer, having been more attuned to the later 90's version starring Stacy Keach in the title role.

I need to check out both of these.
 

BobO'Link

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Nero Wolfe – 1.1 “The Golden Spiders”
A young boy, who works a NYC street corner washing car windows, witnesses a frightened woman mouthing “Help! Police!” from inside a car, and comes to a bemused Nero Wolfe for help. Wolfe and Archie take the case only half-seriously - until the boy is run down by the same car and winds up in the hospital. Further bodies start to pile up and it’s up to Wolfe to solve the twisty case.

After recovering from my initial disappointment that this adaptation of Rex Stout’s series of detective novels had a contemporary early ‘80s setting rather than the period setting from the previous pilot movie (which starred the creepy Thayer David as Wolfe), I quite enjoyed this. William Conrad is an inspired choice to play the rotund Wolfe, gourmand, breeder of rare orchids, and eccentric, grumpy genius detective. A pre-Matt Houston Lee Horsely is also a good fit as Wolfe’s amiable, skirt-chasing legman, Archie Goodwin. The mystery was pretty good, too, helped by the fact that it was adapted from the 1953 novel of the same name.

Robin of Sherwood – 1.1 / 1.2 “Robin Hood and the Sorcerer" Parts 1 and 2
I have strong memories of renting the VHS movie versions of several two-part episodes of this popular and influential HTV drama, which ran in the U.K. from 1984 to 1986, and was subsequently aired on Showtime in the States. I recently received Network’s Blu-Ray set of the complete series, which has been lovingly restored in HD from original 16mm film elements. This series, the brainchild of former actor-turned-writer Richard Carpenter, was shot nearly entirely outdoors in lush, beautiful natural surroundings, and offers a fresh take on the Robin Hood mythos, with one foot in the dark, mystical Celtic world of ancient magic, and the other firmly rooted in gritty, authentic historical detail.

Michael Praed stars as Robin of Loxley, who is tasked by the shamanic Herne the Hunter (John Abineri) to fight the tyranny of the Norman invaders, led by the smoothly odious Sheriff of Nottingham (Nicholas Grace), his corrupt brother, Abbott Hugo (a pre-Inspector Japp Phillip Jackson), and the cruel but ineffectual Sir Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addy). This opening two-parter cherry picks several iconic moments from the Robin Hood legend, including the famous “splitting the arrow” archery contest, but also goes off in interesting directions of its own, including a climactic showdown between Robin and an evil sorcerer, the Baron de Belleme (Anthony Valentine). Now famous tough guy Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, etc.) boosted his career profile by playing an angry Will Scarlet here, and Judy Trott is a luminously beautiful Maid Marian. Praed seems very young but makes a suitably dashing Robin. He left the show after two seasons and 13 episodes, resulting in Jason Connery taking over as Robert of Huntingdon, a different character, this time of noble blood, who reluctantly assumes the mantle of the Hooded Man for a third and final season of 13 episodes.

This was a very expensive show for the time (each episode reportedly costing 350,000 pounds), and is overall very slickly produced and well-made, but it must be said that this initial two-parter is a bit rough around the edges, mainly in the occasional leaps in action and plot that take place, as if there just wasn’t enough money to completely film some narrative pieces to fill in the blanks. Nothing crucial, the story still makes complete sense, but some moments that seem a trifle rushed or truncated could perhaps have used a bit more development. For instance, after Robin and Marian’s “meet cute” moment in her boudoir in Nottingham Castle, their romance seems to escalate with little build-up. Overall, though, this is a minor niggle, and otherwise the series remains a visually striking, lively rendition of the Robin Hood tale, boasting many elements (the "raging lunatic" Sheriff of Nottingham, the noble Saracen swordsman who joins the Merry Men, etc.) that would be picked up by subsequent film and television versions. The series is also famous (or infamous, depending upon your musical tastes) for featuring a main theme and incidental music by the Celtic band, Clannad. I think the subdued, electronic score and sighing vocals really work for this show, and help cement the vaguely otherworldly, Medieval vibe it's going for. The series was shot with a slightly diffused, soft look, so this HD remastering doesn’t "pop" quite like similar 16mm restorations Poirot or Miss Marple, but rest assured, this is a MAJOR upgrade from the DVDs. The set also includes a slew of special features, including a three hour, three part making of documentary covering all three seasons. Highly recommended if you like this sort of swashbuckling sword and sorcery stuff.

Here's a link to a trailer for the "Michael Praed" Blu-Ray set:



robin-of-sherwood-tv.jpg

english-actress-judi-trott-pictured-dressed-in-character-as-lady-of-picture-id554487371



Also had a chance to watch some more new-to-me Christmas-themed episodes from the '50s and '60s:

The Twilight Zone - 3.37 "The Changing of the Guard"
I've seen "Night of the Meek" several times, but somehow I had never gotten around to watching this, the other, less-heralded Christmas episode of this iconic series. A gentle, elderly English Lit professor (Donald Pleasance) at a boy's school learns that he's being forced into retirement, and contemplates suicide, feeling that he hasn't contributed anything of value in his life...but the ghosts of several of his past pupils appear to show him that he has made far more of an impact than he ever could have realized. Though it retains a few eerie touches (this is The Twilight Zone, after all), this is a sweet, moving and nicely-directed episode, Rod Serling's paean to dedicated teachers everywhere. Donald Pleasance gives a frankly astonishing performance here, aided by effective old age makeup work by the legendary William Tuttle.

Green Acres – 2.13 “An Old-Fashioned Christmas”
Oliver (Eddie Albert) is determined to cut down and decorate a real tree for Christmas, much to the stupefied amazement of the wacky residents of Hooterville. Such is the spectacle of a non-aluminum or plastic Christmas tree, that several townsfolk assemble at the Douglas’ household to witness it…though they practically trample each other on their way out the door once they catch a whiff of Lisa’s quite literal interpretation of a “fruits” cake. Ridiculous piffle, but quite entertaining...and I, for one, wouldn't have minded being caught under the mistletoe with the glamorous Eva Gabor...

MV5BN2NjMGFhZTYtZGY2Mi00ODFkLWFlOWUtMTI2MzI2ZTJiOGM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUxNDg0Nzc@._V1_.jpg

0947d66f8f0e50a066162ccaa64b25e9.jpg



Medic – 1.12 “Red Christmas”
I admit to being a little taken aback at first to find out that nominal lead Richard Boone was only acting as host to this episode, but Robert Bray, taking center stage here (and, with his long face and wiry frame, looking somewhat similar to Boone), does a good job as the doctor on call on Christmas Eve when a young secretary is wheeled into the ward. The woman has received terrible facial injuries in a car accident while being driven home from a wild office Christmas party by her drunken boss (Stafford Repp, unrecognizable to me as the guy who would go on to play Chief O’Hara on Batman a decade later). There’s a sober, docudrama-like feel to this episode, which is downbeat but well-played and with a worthy message.

The Amos & Andy Show – 2.13 “The Christmas Story”
Andy wants to buy his goddaughter - Amos’ adorable little girl, Arbadella (Patti Marie Ellis) - the talking doll she wants for Christmas, but is short on funds, so he takes a temp job as a department store Santa to buy it for her. I’d never seen this show before, and really enjoyed this charming tale. Frankly, I fail to see why there has been such furor over this series both then and now, as – judging from this episode, at least – it seems to be a gently amusing sitcom with an all-black cast of likable characters acting like real human beings. I could tell that the guy playing Kingfish (Tim Moore) was a real scene-stealer from his one funny scene, but Spencer Williams was quite capable of carrying most the episode on his own. Alvin Childress also gets his time to shine at the end, as Amos explains the Lord’s Prayer to his daughter to close out this very sweet episode, which aired Christmas Day, 1952.

The Adventures of Long John Silver – 1.3 “The Orphans’ Christmas”
Jim Hawkins (Kit Taylor) meets a bunch of orphans under the dubious care of a termagant old maid who refuses to let her charges celebrate Christmas. When Jim, an orphan now enjoying far better circumstances himself, returns downcast to the inn where he lives with his pirate pals, rascally old Long John Silver takes matters into his own hands to ensure the tykes get a Christmas party to remember. Robert Newton, reprising his role from Disney’s Treasure Island (1950), chews the scenery here to memorable effect, in this Australian series, its single season filmed in 1954 (but aired in the U.S. in 1955). Nicely produced in color, this is an enjoyable and unique little seasonal outing.

I'm a sucker for most things Robin Hood and did a blind buy of that series a few years back. I was quite pleased with the way it was done. It's very enjoyable, though I do wish Michael Praed could have done S3 as well. It's not that Connery is bad - I just like Praed a bit better. Is the BR set region free? I've not gone to a region free BR player yet... I need to though...

I absolutely love The Amos & Andy Show. I watched it as a kid and loved it then. Kingfish cracks me up! Like you, I just don't get what's so objectionable about the series. The stories could be done by a white or black cast with no changes and still be the same funny stuff. It really reminds me a bit of an upscale version of The Jacky Gleason Show at times with lots of stories that'd be right at home, unchanged, as episodes of I Love Lucy. I have a "grey market" copy of the entire series, minus 1 show (IIRC). It *needs* a proper release.

And I was surprised at how much fun The Adventures of Long John Silver is. that Robert Newton reprises his role from the Disney film is icing on the cake! I don't know anything about available masters or anything but it, too, could do with a proper release from restored materials. The Mill Creek set (I think that's what mine is) is not bad but absolutely looks its age - like an overused PD TV show.
 

Mysto

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Fascinating, Jeff, that I am completely unfamiliar with this version of Nero Wolfe. My wife and I were quite taken with the 2001-2002 Nero Wolfe Mysteries with Maury Chaykin and Timothy Hutton--and I wish I could find it on one of my streaming services (for free). However, I am intrigued by your description of of "The Golden Spiders" as I can absolutely imagine William Conrad as a fantastic Nero Wolfe.


Randall-
Much like my unfamiliarity with Jeff's Nero Wolfe version (above), so too am I in the same boat with Darrin McGavin's Mike Hammer, having been more attuned to the later 90's version starring Stacy Keach in the title role.

I need to check out both of these.
Hi Buddy - Tim HUtton's Nero Wolfe has several episodes on youtube. My favorite is an extended version never shown in the US. Has a bunch of additional by-play and jokes.
The 2000-2001 version is one of my personal favs. We have probably watched them thru 7 or 8 times.
Before I Die Extended WS
 

Jeff Flugel

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Hi Buddy - Tim HUtton's Nero Wolfe has several episodes on youtube. My favorite is an extended version never shown in the US. Has a bunch of additional by-play and jokes.
The 2000-2001 version is one of my personal favs. We have probably watched them thru 7 or 8 times.
Before I Die Extended WS

There's also a recent Italian version that I'd like to see (although it seems to depict Wolfe as a lot more mobile than usual):

 

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