What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (18 Viewers)

[danielanderson4500]

Just earlier: finished 2-hr. maiden voyage of China Beach (OAD Tuesday, April 26, 1988 on ABC), from first partial go in StarVista's all-in-one.

It's difficult for me to describe exactly what it's about, but I think this ABC promo for that maiden voyage (from KABC in L.A.; includes ABC Sunday Night Movie commercial bumper w/the late, great Ernie Anderson) should suffice:

China Beach was one of several shows that really were part of my childhood, along with The Real Ghostbusters, The Smurfs, and American Gladiators at that time.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
"The Skull in the Stone (S3E6)

Sometimes I think I wander too deep into the fog of older classic TV series. This show is an example. So was my recent post of Tombstone Territory--which heard mostly crickets as to interest. I seem to get more hearty responses when I stay in the lane of "later" series, e.g. Hazel, Cannon, Partridge Family, Perry Mason, et al. Understandable, as those shows garnered more relational viewership. Guys like me past 70 years old still have nostalgic memories of the 50's when TV screen tubes were basically round and crowned with "rabbit ears" antennae wrapped in tin foil with hopes of receiving a clearer picture. Ah well, to each his own. At least I've avoided Car 54 Where Are You? So far.

"This is the Yukon--a vast territory patrolled by Sergeant Preston..." intones narrator Vic Perrin. Pretty damn big territory to patrol for one guy on a horse. I guess the Northwest Territory was not yet privy to helicopters, airplanes or other modes of transportation suited far better to covering large tracts of land. In this episode, we're exposed to the Beaufort Sea--a large body of water practically touching the outer edges of the North Pole. Stuck fast in its ice is the ship Snowbird, commissioned by the Royal Geographic Society to discover a sea passage to said Pole. On board are the Society's two explorers Sir Phillip Northrup (Paul Cavanaugh) and Anthony Colville (Patrick Aherne)--all by themselves as the captain and crew had long abandoned the ship and most likely headed south for Miami. Discovering the sea passage may have been undertaken to develop the area as a destination vacation spot for a new Hilton. The North Pole could use a decent breakfast buffet.

Sgt. Preston and Yukon King; one mad Eskimo; you got one of these when buying a box of Quaker Oats way back then

Also left behind on the ship is a small stone in the shape of a human skull. These nifty little items kept showing up every time the exploration experienced a disaster. Bad juju, no doubt. Sgt. Preston learns of the ice-bound frigate from a tribe of Eskimos who were encountered by the captain and crew as they headed south. In no time flat, Preston heads for the ship, unaware that his progress is about to be impeded by some rogue Eskimos who fear that the Royal exploration was angering the gods. Eskimo gods never did cotton to ships, exploration or even Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Thus they left behind the tiny stone skulls as a warning.

Meanwhile, Northrup and Colville are still stuck aboard and surviving on an endless supply of canned Hormel Chili & Beans while the ship is slowly being crushed by the surrounding ice. It's a treacherous journey for Preston, especially when sabotaged by zealous Eskimos. On top of that, Colville hijacks Sir Northrup in hopes of getting rid of the man, probably to end his ceaseless farting. Despite coming up against scenery made mostly of cardboard, paper mache and fake snow, Sgt. Preston overcomes the Eskimos and traitorous Colville to rescue Northrup.

However, no North Pole passage was discovered, so Hilton sold their land rights to Best Western since nobody ever stays in those hotels anyway.

 

[BobO'Link]

Episode Commentary
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
"The Skull in the Stone (S3E6)

Sometimes I think I wander too deep into the fog of older classic TV series. This show is an example. So was my recent post of Tombstone Territory--which heard mostly crickets as to interest. I seem to get more hearty responses when I stay in the lane of "later" series, e.g. Hazel, Cannon, Partridge Family, Perry Mason, et al. Understandable, as those shows garnered more relational viewership. Guys like me past 70 years old still have nostalgic memories of the 50's when TV screen tubes were basically round and crowned with "rabbit ears" antennae wrapped in tin foil with hopes of receiving a clearer picture. Ah well, to each his own. At least I've avoided Car 54 Where Are You? So far.

"This is the Yukon--a vast territory patrolled by Sergeant Preston..." intones narrator Vic Perrin. Pretty damn big territory to patrol for one guy on a horse. I guess the Northwest Territory was not yet privy to helicopters, airplanes or other modes of transportation suited far better to covering large tracts of land. In this episode, we're exposed to the Beaufort Sea--a large body of water practically touching the outer edges of the North Pole. Stuck fast in its ice is the ship Snowbird, commissioned by the Royal Geographic Society to discover a sea passage to said Pole. On board are the Society's two explorers Sir Phillip Northrup (Paul Cavanaugh) and Anthony Colville (Patrick Aherne)--all by themselves as the captain and crew had long abandoned the ship and mostly likely headed south for Miami. Discovering the sea passage may have been undertaken to develop the area as a destination vacation spot for a new Hilton.

View attachment 84252 View attachment 84253 View attachment 84254
Sgt. Preston and Yukon King; one mad Eskimo; you got one of these when buying a box of Quaker Oats way back then

Also left behind on the ship is a small stone in the shape of a human skull. These nifty little items kept showing up every time the exploration experienced a disaster. Bad juju, no doubt. Sgt. Preston learns of the ice-bound frigate from a tribe of Eskimos who were encountered by the captain and crew as they headed south. In no time flat, Preston heads for the ship, unaware that his progress is about to be impeded by some rogue Eskimos who fear that the Royal exploration was angering the gods. Eskimo gods never did cotton to ships, exploration or even ice cream. Thus they left behind the tiny stone skulls as a warning.

Meanwhile, Northrup and Colville are still stuck aboard and surviving on an endless supply of canned Hormel Chili & Beans while the ship is slowly being crushed by the surrounding ice. It's a treacherous journey for Preston, especially when sabotaged by zealous Eskimos. On top of that, Colville hijacks Sir Northrup in hopes of getting rid of the man. Despite coming up against scenery made mostly of cardboard, paper mache and fake snow, Sgt. Preston overcomes the Eskimos and traitorous Colville to rescue Northrup.

However, no North Pole passage was discovered, so Hilton sold their land rights to Best Western since nobody ever stays in those hotels.

Nah... you can never wander too deep into TV history. I somehow missed your prior post - just fixed that.

I'll turn 66 in a few months and, while I normally only saw a handful of episodes, remember some of these "older" shows, several of which ran in syndication when I was a wee lad, though I've never seen an episode of Sgt. Preston. I'd hear about some of these shows and wish I'd been alive when they aired and/or old enough to watch some of them. I loved growing up in the 60s and was the exact right age to get the best and mostly miss the worst of that decade, it also helped that I grew up in a small town, but the 50s sounded really cool, too, when it came to TV shows and music. I watched every western I could back then with some of my earliest TV viewing memories being The Lone Ranger, Maverick, and Have Gun Will Travel (and I'm constantly amazed at some of the shows my parent's allowed me to see vs. what was off limits). So much so that by the time I hit age 10 I was pretty much burned out on them. It was decades before I'd watch them again, TV series or movie, with any kind of regularity.

I challenge you to watch an episode or three of Car 54, Where Are You? as well as a couple of My Mother the Car. While you're at it, toss in a few of I Married Joan and My Little Margie (a pair of 50s favorites) or even Mr. Peepers (Wally Cox in a pretty good 50s sitcom).

 

[Rustifer]

I challenge you to watch an episode or three of Car 54, Where Are You? as well as a couple of My Mother the Car. While you're at it, toss in a few of I Married Joan and My Little Margie (a pair of 50s favorites) or even Mr. Peepers (Wally Cox in a pretty good 50s sitcom).

Oh, I'll get around to those one of these days, never you fear Howie. You and I may be the only ones who'll read those commentaries though.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Oh, I'll get around to those one of these days, never you fear Howie. You and I may be the only ones who'll read those commentaries though.

Oh, there are plenty of us lurkers who read your posts and smile at the fond memories they bring. You really should check out Car 54 and My Mother the Car. I feel sad about the dire reputation the latter was saddled with, because as sixties sitcoms go, while it's no classic, it's far from the worst of that era either. It's just got the most ridiculous premise, from a time when so many sitcoms had silly premises.

 

[BobO'Link]

I dived into S5 of Leave it to Beaver over the past few days. I have very strong recollections of really enjoying S1-S3 and the series falling off beginning with S4 as Beaver was just too old for some of the rather childish things he did for a kid that age in those later seasons. When I watched S4 some time back it seemed to cement that feeling so I'd put off continuing the series.

S5 surprised me completely with stories quite befitting a kid of Beaver's current age in the series. He's matured and so have the stories. His group of friends has expanded with Whitey, Richard, and Gilbert while Wally's group has settled into him, Eddie Haskell, and Lumpy. I noticed that Connelly and Mosher are given "stories approved by" type credits on every show, no longer writing all of the episodes. I wonder if that has anything to do with the more mature story lines for Beaver. No matter, they work, and work well.

Beaver talks Ward into getting him a season pass at the ice skating rink. Ward had initially balked saying "First you'll want the pass, then new skates, then a new sweater, and who knows what then?" but Beaver counters with "I can use the junky skates they rent you and my old sweater will be great!" so Ward agrees. A week or so later Beave's looking at an ad for skates on sale at a local shoe store - and they're only $15 (that'd be around $130 today)! "Surely (don't all me Shirley!) dad'll spring for 'em once I whine a bit!" he tells a typically non-sympathetic Wally who responds with "But you told dad those crappy rentals would be super good!" Beaver says "Yeah... but I didn't know how bad they'd really be once I figured out what I was doing!" So he goes to dad, dad agrees, and it's off to the shoe store where the shyster salesman sells him shoes 3 sizes too big (they're out of Beaver's size) telling him "When you put on 3 pairs of wool stockings to keep your feet warm they'll fit like a glove!" Only they *don't* fit! Beaver, with Wally as his muscle, tries to take them back but the salesman points to the "No exchanges or returns on sale items" sign and refuses while pointing out the skates are quite scuffed. "What do you expect when they're so large they slip sideways on my feet and drag the ice!" says Beaver to deaf ears. What's dad going to say when *he* finds out!?

And there are quite a few Wally episodes. Wally purchases an old junker, for only $25, telling Ward he's going to fix it up. Of course Wally has no driver's license but by the time he gets one he'll have the car running. Sounds kind of OK to Ward so he gets to keep the car. Problem is, it's parked behind Ward's car and when he and June leave for a dinner party Ward has to push it out of the way. Apparently the transmission's in such poor condition that it's really in gear and locks up when it's pushed. Ward and June have to take a Taxi to the party so Wally calls on his pals to come and help get the heap running before they get home. Ward and June arrive to a practically stripped car in the driveway but at least it now rolls so the boys push it into the yard where it becomes the neighborhood eyesore. 2 days after promising he'll get it running and out of the yard Wally still doesn't have a hope of a positive outcome, barely knowing where things go. Ward, frustrated with the lack of movement, calls the local junk yard to have it hauled away (and the guy'll even pay $15 for the car because it has all its parts). In the mean time, Wally's friends show up and, realizing there's no hope for the heap, start to buy parts off the clunker to use on their own piles of junk. The junk man shows up, fumes that the car is *not* complete, and is ready to leave when Wally asks "How much to haul it off?" They come to an agreement on the price, the car's hauled off, and Wally proudly proclaims he's made a $2.50 profit!

Beaver and Gilbert (why is it Gilbert who always gets Beaver in trouble?) are playing in the car (Ward and June are out of town - but don't have the car). Beaver manages to take it out of gear and it rolls into the middle of the street. Wally comes home just as a half dozen or more cars are being blocked, honking, and yelling at Beaver to get the car out of the way (and none of them offer to help)! Wally pulls the car back into the driveway just as a police officer comes along. Of course Wally has no license so gets a ticket for driving without a license in spite of the boys attempting to tell the officer what had happened. It's off to court where a, IMHO, rather unsympathetic judge lectures the boys as if they'd driven cross country for a case of Coors. It was kind of unrealistic (in my home town the police would have listened, given a brief lecture, warned mom & dad, and left) but still a pretty good episode.

In other episodes:
Beaver has his first "date" to the school dance and Wally's a chaperon. That's great as Beaver is going to rely on big brother's advice on how to handle things. Problem is, the girl doesn't realize she's Beavers "date" and makes time with other boys!

Beaver has a crush on a cute girl he has taken to the house (and they're in the bedroom, door closed, on a weekday!). Wally comes in, Beaver tells the girl she'll have to leave because Wally's going to take a shower. Wally's really just going to "clean up" but the girl recognizes him as an athletic star who she has a crush on. Instead of Beaver walking her home, she gets Wally to do it. Beaver's mad but Wally's already rejected her as being too young and Beaver won't listen. But now she's got her eye on Beaver again.

Wally and Beaver are supposed to clean out the garage, clean up the yard, and call the trash man to come haul it away only to be distracted with old toys they find which puts them too late to call the trash man so they hire Lumpy and Eddie to haul the trash away with predictable results,

Wally, Lumpy, and Eddie need a 4th for discounts to the amusement park. Beaver shoehorns his way in but becomes scared when his buddies start to tell about the dismemberment's and sickness caused by the roller coaster. Beaver goes anyway but is afraid he'll ruin his pants after he sees the huge wooden coaster and hears the screams of the patrons. Reluctantly he gets on the ride with Lumpy and Eddy taunting and teasing him all the way. But it's not Beaver who's scared! After a couple of dips and turns Beaver is having the time of his life!

Richard and Beaver take Richard's families laundry to the laundromat because their washing machine's broken. Richard loses the money and comes up with them taking it to Beaver's house and using the Cleaver's machine. But no one's home to approve or help so they go ahead and try themselves.

What an excellent season! I enjoyed the episodes so much and got so many laughs I almost watched it again.

 

[BobO'Link]

Oh, there are plenty of us lurkers who read your posts and smile at the fond memories they bring. You really should check out Car 54 and My Mother the Car. I feel sad about the dire reputation the latter was saddled with, because as sixties sitcoms go, while it's no classic, it's far from the worst of that era either. It's just got the most ridiculous premise, from a time when so many sitcoms had silly premises.

My Mother the Car is one of those series I watched occasionally but the competition was just too strong to make it regular. Combat! was on ABC with Rawhide on CBS in the Fall, switching to Daktari in the Winter. I loved Combat! and watched it almost every week with the occasional foray into My Mother the Car. My sister and I both liked Daktari and it won the slot when it premiered in the Winter. If the first half of Combat! wasn't all that good I'd switch to Please Don't Eat the Daisies which followed My Mother the Car but it, too, was only an occasional viewing. Couple all that with a 6:30 (Central time) slot and it was a formula that worked against the show.

The rest of my life I'd constantly heard My Mother the Car heading the list of the "Worst TV series ever." So when it came out on DVD I purchased a copy to find it's not nearly as bad as its detractors would have you believe. Like you said, it's no classic, but there were far worse sitcoms in the 60s and its premise isn't too far detached from some true classics. Shows like Bewitched, or I Dream of Jeannie, or The Flying Nun, and others. I believe it's the whole "Mom was reincarnated as a car" bit that gave it that moniker and likely what killed it in the 60s as people had a much more difficult time grasping that concept than genies, witches, or a girl who can fly because of her Nun's cornette.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Speaking of ludicrous premieses, does anyone remember Tommy Smothers as Dick's deceased brother who comes back as an angel?

 

[BobO'Link]

Speaking of ludicrous premieses, does anyone remember Tommy Smothers as Dick's deceased brother who comes back as an angel?

Yes, I watched that one. It's what lead me to watch The Smother's Brothers Comedy Hour when it aired.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Christmas Night with the Stars - 1972
This is one of the few surviving, complete 90-minute BBC Christmas variety specials which aired most years between 1958 to 1972, with a few more one-off follow-ups in 1994 and 2003. This one is hosted by famous comedy double act, The Two Ronnies (Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett), with musical guests Lulu and Cilla Black, and specially-filmed sequences from hit BBC sitcoms/sketch shows of the time, including The Goodies, The Liver Birds, Look: Mike Yarwood! and Dad's Army, and of course, skits and jokes by The Two Ronnies themselves (and very funny they are, too).

The song interludes are fine, but the real highlights here are all the sitcom and sketch bits. The only one that doesn't really work so well is the Mike Yarwood segment; he's an obviously talented impressionist, but as he's mostly doing impressions of early '70s British politicians, most of his material doesn't quite register, at least with this Yank. But all the other stuff is great fun. The Goodies appear in their frenetic "Traveling Instant 5 Minute Christmas" short film, which is crammed with great visual gags; The Liver Birds (sort of a Liverpudlian Laverne & Shirley-type sitcom) has fun with the girls' post-Christmas feast ramblings; and best of all, the Dad's Army crew make mincemeat of a planned radio broadcast that's due to go out live before the King's speech. The complete special (as well as the other surviving ones from 1964 and 1994) can be found on YouTube, as can the aforementioned The Goodies clip:




The Patty Duke Show - 1.15 "The Christmas Present"
Another never-before-seen sitcom for me, with Patty Duke doing double duty as the irrepressible Patty Lane and her more demure, intellectual cousin, Cathy. This one has a refreshingly different sort of plot for a Christmas episode, as Cathy's foreign correspondent father, expected at the Lane home for Christmas, is suddenly detained in prison overseas. The Lanes worry about Cathy, who has spent every Christmas of her young life with her globe-trotting father, no matter the circumstances. They come up with a plan in which Patty's dad (the wonderful (William Shallert) - also conveniently a twin - will don a fake mustache and impersonate Cathy's dad, to make sure her Christmas isn't ruined.

Russ came down pretty hard on this show a few pages back, and maybe it all went flat in later seasons...but I have to say, I quite enjoyed this S1 episode. The diminutive Duke (who looks about 4 feet tall next to her co-stars) is a good actress and pulls off the two distinct characters of Patty and Cathy convincingly. I wasn't expecting the episode to end with a cliffhanger of sorts (with Duke breaking to 4th wall and addressing the viewer to tune in next week). Guess I'll have to watch the follow-up episode "Auld Lang Syne" soon.

The Restless Gun - 2.13 "A Bell for Santo Domingo"
Vint Bonner (John Payne) reluctantly agrees to accompany a priest (John Litel) and two nuns (one of them played by exotic beauty Arlene Sax, nee Martel) deep into hostile Apache territory to check on the status of a remote mission there. No real Christmas trappings here, other than the theme of faith and charity winning out against seemingly impossible odds. Payne makes a pretty good cowboy hero and this is a decent episode overall, but as a Christmas outing, S1's "The Child" is better.

Arlene Martel, very much not a nun.

Wanted: Dead or Alive - 1.16 "Eight Cent Reward"
Bounty hunter Josh Randall (Steve McQueen) is getting ready to ride out to celebrate Christmas Eve elsewhere when he's hired by a little boy (Jay North) to track down Santa Claus. A pair of local yokels convince the kid that Josh can deliver ol' St. Nick, and the boy runs off home before Randall can tell him otherwise. Feeling responsible for inadvertently getting the kid's hopes up, Randall rides out to the sheep ranch where the boy lives. The kid's parents (Mort Mills and Virginia Gregg) are having a tough time of it, the wolves having decimated half of their flock. Their son has been wishing for something specific for Christmas, but it's a secret for Santa's ears only. Randall tries to cook up a plan to find out what the boy wants, involving the town drunk (Lloyd Corrigan) dressing up as Santa, but it backfires...until a quiet stranger is invited in from the freezing cold to warm himself by the family fire. The Miracle on 34th Street-style ending to this one is particularly fun. I find Jay North hard to take on Dennis the Menace, but he's fine here, and the rest of the supporting cast is strong.

Really enjoyed that one, and the next was even better:

Have Gun - Will Travel - 6.15 "Be Not Forgetful of Strangers"
Paladin (Richard Boone), cold, hungry and weary, rides into a muddy little Texas town and enters a saloon in the midst of a raucous Christmas celebration. Soon after, a young cowboy (Duane Eddy) and his very-pregnant wife (Josie Lloyd) arrive, to complete indifference from the barkeep and drunken patrons. Paladin forces the saloon owner to let the couple use the store room. As the woman goes into possibly fatal labor, none of the revelers seem to care, and even Paladin in full-on intimidation mode appears to not be enough to appeal to their better natures.

I found this one - as I do most episodes of this series - quite compelling, a fresh and realistic old west updating of the Nativity story. Boone is starting to look a bit paunchy and ragged here, compared to the lean wolfish look he sported in the earlier seasons, but he's still a powerful screen presence, and expertly depicts Paladin's simmering anger and disgust at the shallowness of his fellow men. Of course, the spirit of Christmas ultimately wins out in the end, and we finish on a terrific final shot, as Paladin rides out, past a sign indicating the town's name: Bethlehem, Texas. Also featuring Robert Stevenson, Ed Faulkner, and veteran movie serial bad guy Roy Barcroft.

Great star, great episode, great series.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Episode Commentary
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
"The Skull in the Stone (S3E6)

Sometimes I think I wander too deep into the fog of older classic TV series. This show is an example. So was my recent post of Tombstone Territory--which heard mostly crickets as to interest. I seem to get more hearty responses when I stay in the lane of "later" series, e.g. Hazel, Cannon, Partridge Family, Perry Mason, et al. Understandable, as those shows garnered more relational viewership. Guys like me past 70 years old still have nostalgic memories of the 50's when TV screen tubes were basically round and crowned with "rabbit ears" antennae wrapped in tin foil with hopes of receiving a clearer picture. Ah well, to each his own. At least I've avoided Car 54 Where Are You? So far.

Rest assured, Russ - I always read every one of your reliably funny posts! I forgot to comment on your recent Tombstone Territory one...but I have reviewed a couple episodes of that show in past here, and, like you, I would put it in the upper-middle pack of TV westerns, a fine show indeed.

Sergeant Preston of the Yukon is a show I vaguely remember from syndication when I was a kid. I thought it was pretty cool at the time, but have no idea how it would hold up for me now. The radio show is still pretty neat, anyway.

And, now that you've threatened it, you need to follow through and review some Car 54, Where Are You? episodes...maybe next year?

 

[GMBurns]

I'm in my 50's and never saw Sergeant Preston until I purchased the Critic's Choice releases, but I really enjoy the show. It is hokey and predictable, but that is exactly what I love about it. Sergeant Preston is ramrod stiff, but he always gets his man. And it's a perfect 50's series to be in living color so you can see the bright red of his uniform, as well as the gorgeous scenery. I think I read somewhere that the series was filmed mostly in Colorado. Add in his dog Yukon King and his trusty horse Rex and you have some perfect late night viewing.

 

[Rustifer]

Russ came down pretty hard on this show a few pages back

I sure did. I just didn't find Patty Duke--as a sitcom--very funny or cleverly written. But--as you rightly pointed out--I might have caught a particularly flat episode. I did catch the series on occasion when it first aired, but I don't recall the show ever being on my "destination" viewing list.

And, now that you've threatened it, you need to follow through and review some Car 54, Where Are You? episodes...maybe next year?

Yeah, I could have some fun with that one. I'd also like to do Our Miss Brooks, Life of Riley, Burns & Allen and a few others that are deep in the fog of classic TV. This was at a time when TV programming was so infantile and boring (think: farm reports, religious discussions and dumb game shows) that series like these stood out like bright gems on a tarnished charm bracelet.

 

[GMBurns]

And Russ, while I don't usually have a lot of time to comment on your reviews, they always crack me up, so don't stop fileting some of those classics from the 50's. Your wry wit always brightens my day.

 

[Mysto]

I sure did. I just didn't find Patty Duke--as a sitcom--very funny or cleverly written. But--as you rightly pointed out--I might have caught a particularly flat episode. I did catch the series on occasion when it first aired, but I don't recall the show ever being on my "destination" viewing list.


Yeah, I could have some fun with that one. I'd also like to do Our Miss Brooks, Life of Riley, Burns & Allen and a few others that are deep in the fog of classic TV. This was at a time when TV programming was so infantile and boring (think: farm reports, religious discussions and dumb game shows) that series like these stood out like bright gems on a tarnished charm bracelet.

Boring - It was riveting. I remember watching two guinea pigs in a cage - while they played rag mop and scrolled the temperatures from around the world. (This is the honest truth) But it still beats the reality shows of today.

 

[Rustifer]

And Russ, while I don't usually have a lot of time to comment on your reviews, they always crack me up, so don't stop fileting some of those classics from the 50's. Your wry wit always brightens my day.

Why thanks, Glenn! I'll tell you a little secret: I bet have more fun writing these commentaries than anyone has reading them. I'd do it whether they were read or not. It has become my favorite retirement hobby.*

*Plus, my wife thinks it's a productive use of my time...an observation not often conferred on one who can waste time with the adroitness of a sailor on leave.

 

[Rustifer]

Boring - It was riveting. I remember watching two guinea pigs in a cage - while they played rag mop and scrolled the temperatures from around the world. (This is the honest truth) But it still beats the reality shows of today.

Marv, I suspect you were getting into the cooking sherry at a young age...

 

[GMBurns]

Marv, I suspect you were getting into the cooking sherry at a young age...

The politically correct term is "Holiday Cheer".

 

[Likecats]

Bewitched "A Vision of Sugar Plums"(1965 recut), Humbug Not to be Spoken Here", "Santa Claus Comes and Stays and Stays" "Sisters at Heart" The Walton's "The Homecoming"1971 pilot, "Christmas Story", "The Children's Carol", "Day of Infamy", "The Spirit".

 

[MatthewA]

LA Law: “Safe Sex” (11/11/1993): US Attorney Shale warns Stuart not to expect any special treatment for Jay Ellison, who is up for a bail hearing. Stuart wants a different prosecutor. Arnie wants some more security in the building. Ann and Jane defend ValuSquare, a department store chain accused of wrongful termination by a woman who had a relationship with a co-worker. Karl Bullen (Paul Dooley, Popeye) argues that she violated company policy against “family values.” Douglas, Leland, and Arnie hear a sales pitch for a security system from Gordon Hyuck (Harry Shearer, The Simpsons, This is Spinal Tap) who discovers some illegal hanky-panky in the janitorial department. Barry/Jay’s wife Faith (Tina Lifford), who is African-American, argues her husband did nothing wrong, while a potential witness (Dick Anthony Williams), a black man who was a Black Panther and served almost a decade in the same jail, is hesitant to testify because he’s put that era of his life behind him. Ann tells Jane to cut the proselytizing in court. Arnie and Denise get trapped in a safe together.

LA Law: “Pacific Rimshot” (11/18/1993): Arnie gets into a fender bender with a Chinese truck driver and then goes into a tirade about Asian drivers at work. When he meets the driver’s lawyer, Chu Ha (Vivian Wu), he tries to present a more enlightened self-image. As Jay Ellison goes to trial, Stuart tries to get a guard to tell the truth by offering to defend him if his job benefits end up at risk. As Eli prepares to take the California BAR, he talks to a motivational speaker named Roy Tomba (Dennis Dugan, Smile) whose wife Gretchen (Debra Jo Rupp) is divorcing him. Then Eli confides in Jinx about his second thoughts about leaving New York for Los Angeles as he tries to learn to drive her Ferrari.

Music: “Green Onions” by Booker T and the MGs

LA Law: “Eli’s Gumming” (12/9/1993): Leland represents Arthur Emmerich (Richard Libertini, Soap, All of Me), a linguistics expert who offers to help Denise lose her Queens accent; a man named Francis Pencava (John Fiedler, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Bob Newhart Show) is suing him for fraud while representing himself. Arnie uses Jinx’s services in his latest divorce case. While prosecuting a record company A&R man (Matt McCoy, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle) accused of raping her, Tommy asks a prostitute (Marjorie Monaghan) about her past; Judge Carolyn Walker (Joanna Cassidy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) presides over the case. Eli chews a caffeinated Japanese gum while studying for the BAR exam as he and Jinx start to get closer to each other. Just as that happens, his ex-girlfriend Audrey Wilkes (Romy Windsor) shows up in the office.

LA Law: “Rhyme and Punishment” (12/16/1993): Jane and Denise discuss religion in the women’s restroom when Denise wears a flashy-looking cross as a necklace. Eli represents comedian Nat Pincus (Jerry Stiller, Seinfeld, Hairspray) against a woman 30 years his junior (Teri Austin) trying to get his money by having him declared incompetent and trying to keep him away from his son (Raymond Singer), who wants to spare him from embarrassment because he feels his old man is past his prime professionally and mentally. His agent (Norm Crosby) takes the stand as well to testify on his mental condition. Douglas handles the case of a poet (William H. Macy) in a lawsuit against a promoter (Frank Medrano) accused of stealing a mailing list and booking Mamie Van Doren to recite his poems. Roxanne returns to see Tommy to tell him the baby, Casey, is a girl, that she and Dave Meyer have remarried, and Dave wants to adopt her. This would require Tommy to relinquish parental rights. He needs to make a decision before they leave for Europe. When Tommy doesn’t want to give up his rights, Roxanne and Dave ask Arnie what to do. As Leland plays Santa at the office Christmas party, Douglas makes Mamie his date, and they can talk of Kipling.

Music: “Winter Wonderland”

One thing I notice that is new this season is that they seem to be using Steadicam shots more than they used to. At least they don’t do it to excess the way NYPD Blue, which was occupying most of Steven Bochco’s time by now, did.

Mamie Van Doren recites Allen Ginsburg’s “Howl,” which Pia Zadora recited in John Waters’ 1988 film Hairspray. William H. Macy was in Wild Dogs with John Travolta the same year he was in the movie musical Hairspray.

LA Law: “He Ain’t Guilty, He’s My Brother” (2/10/1994): Tommy takes Carolyn out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant where the cousin (Dean Hill) of a man she convicted confronts her. After that, Michael di Stefano (Jack Laufer), the defense attorney in a recent rape case she presided over, wants a mistrial after seeing her and Tommy together. He asks Leland what to do. Ann represents the defense in the case of a woman named Penny Tressman (Didi Conn, Grease, Benson) suing a man named Ed Freeling (Kurt Fuller) over sexual fraud for lying when he said he was a cop; he really owns a donut shop, and a real cop (Christopher Kriesa) calls him out on it. Daniel represents a young man named Luis Escala (Tony Colitti) who wants to turn himself in for armed robbery owned by a man named Len Bardach (George Poulos). He insists it was because he owed loan sharks money, but the store owner’s testimony suggests otherwise. Arnie asks Jane if she considers him a liar the way the other partners do, but he argues being attracted to her and interested in her beliefs are not mutually exclusive. She admits she has feelings for him, too. Luis’s brother Ramon (Geoffrey Rivas), an aspiring lawyer, has a shocking confession for Daniel.

This episode was co-written by Paul Haggis, who has been added to the staff as a creative consultant.

Episode director Dennis Dugan, also the director of Problem Child (which, scarily, is now 30 years old) was also a guest star a few episodes earlier.