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

[Jeff Flugel]

Have been watching more season 2 Have Gun - Will Travels will my Dad, and enjoying them very much.

2.5 "Duel at Florence"
2.6 "The Protege" (with a young Peter Breck)
2.7 "The Road to Wickenburg" (w/Harry Carey Jr.)
2.8 "A Sense of Justice"
2.9 "Young Gun" (w/Dick Foran)
2.10 "The Lady" (with the voluptuous Patricia Medina)

Bonanza - 2.20 "The Fugitive"
Adam heads down south of the border to investigate the supposed death of an old friend (James Best). The usually slick Cartwright son makes a number of boneheaded mistakes in this episode, but redeems himself with a sweet behind the back pistol shot at the finale. Also with Veda Ann Borg and Frank Silvera.

Starsky & Hutch - 2.9 "The Vampire"
Fun banter between the leads as they investigage weird killings of young women, tied to a courtly dance instructor (John Saxon). Saxon's so buff here he makes Soul and Glaser look like weeds. Some lack of motivation for the killer is the only real problem with this one. Suzanne Somers has a small role as a drugged-out stripper.

Coronet Blue - 1.1 "A Time to be Born"
Was pretty impressed with the stylish direction and energy of the opening episode of this series. It does play a bit like a spy / Hitchcockian take on Route 66. Very 60s, but very cool.

My Three Sons
1.1 "A Chip off the Old Block"
1.4 "Countdown"
1.9 "Raft on the River"
In a way, it would be better if CBS/Paramount hadn't included two episodes (the first and third) with original music in this season 1, volume 1 set, as then the replacement Mark Heyes noodlings wouldn't be quite so apparent. Yes, the music replacement problem is a big one. But these first season episodes are so good, I'm just happy to be able to see them (since I have no access to the unaltered originals). "Countdown" esp. was a wonderful "gimmick" episode. Just a delightful show...and a real shame it's had its underscore butchered.

 

[JohnHopper]

Great screen caps, John! Those 3 consecutive episodes represent a very satisfying story arc and were heavily promoted by CBS at the time, February sweeps of 1961. They're brilliant and near perfect in my view. And for a casual fan who's just curious about Clint Eastwood's old timey show, they would make a perfect trilogy. And along the way, some of these casual fans would discover there was a hell of a lot to love about it, way beyond Clint himself. They might become fans of Eric Fleming, Sheb Wooley, Paul Brinegar, Steve Raines and the rest of the drovers. Man, I wish season 4 looked this good.

The third season of Rawhide was top-notch because the stories were gripping and the performances all excellent.
Actor Eric Fleming was the star of the show and Clint Eastwood was the supporting actor whose character
was considered as a youngster which was odd because we now know his career and what he represents as a star.
I remembered that CBS stated that season 4 will finally be restored and distributed through the download format
and not the physical media.
More to come. “Head' Em up! Move' Em out!”

 

[Ed Lachmann]

The last two episodes of "It's About Time" and a couple of episodes of the "Season One-My Little Margie" set. But, where is Season Two?

 

[Doug Wallen]

This was a light weekend, busy with activity, Netflix and enjoying some purchases from the last Kino sale. I did manage to get in some classic viewing.

Dark Shadows
The Fan Favorites - Nine episodes with introductions

The Outer Limits - Season 1 Bluray
The Children of Spider County (1.21) Kent Smith, John Milford, Crahan Denton - Daddy wants his boys.

Perry Mason - Season 4
The Case of the Difficult Detour (4.21) Jeff York, Jason Evers, Mort Mills, Neil Hamilton - Construction mayhem and murder.
The Case of the Cowardly Lion (4.22) Fred Beir, Carole Eve Rossen, Phyllis Coates, Paul Birch, Betty Lou Gerson - Zoo murder.
The Case of the Torrid Tapestry (4.23) Conrad Nagel, Paula Raymond, Robert H. Harris - Art forgery (?) and arson.
The Case of the Violent Vest (4.24) Myrna Fahey, Hayden Rorke, Sonya Wilde, Erik Rhodes - Gambling, blackmail, unrequited love and vests.

Mission:Impossible - Season 2
The Widow (2.1) William Windom, Joe Maross - Heroin dealers trying to strong arm the buyers.
Trek (2.2) Daniel O'Herlihy, Mark Lenard, Michael Pate - Stolen art treasures and a blind man leading the way.
The Survivors (2.3) Albert Paulsen, Lawrence Dane, John McLiam - An earthquake or is it?
The Bank (2.4) James Daly, Pierre Jalbert, Gene Dynarski - A banker wants to revive the Nazi party.

Streets of San Francisco - Season 3
Asylum (3.21) Belinda J. Montgomery, James Olson, Robert Walker Jr., Fred Sadoff, Bettye Ackerman - Mercy (?) killing in a psych ward.
Labyrinth (3.22) Don Gordon, Julie Adams, Michael StrongMichael McGuire, Bing Russell - A friend of Mike's overcomes his fear.
Solitaire (3.23) Tony LoBianco, Norm Alden, Sabrina Scharf, Bill Quinn, Vic Perrin - Street cop pursuing druglord in unorthodox way.

That brings my run of Streets to an end. I didn't have fond memories of this as it ran while I was in high school, so it has been enjoyable visiting these streets. I do not see this as something I will continue as this was essentially a "blind buy" for the first three seasons. Enjoyable but not something I need all of, since I know that Michael Douglas does not stay for the full run.

And now back to those Kino titles .

 

[bmasters9]

That brings my run of Streets to an end. I didn't have fond memories of this as it ran while I was in high school, so it has been enjoyable visiting these streets. I do not see this as something I will continue as this was essentially a "blind buy" for the first three seasons. Enjoyable but not something I need all of, since I know that Michael Douglas does not stay for the full run.

I've been pretty much in it for the long haul (I'm almost to cross the border between Douglas and Hatch [from season 4 to season 5], although I will have taken a few detours to get there).

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 3

¶ Find a triptych ("Incident of the Big Blowout", "Incident of the Fish Out of Water", "Incident On the Road Back") of interconnected personal stories defined as end of the trail/off-duty segments in which the main protagonists wear their civilian/city dweller costumes and enjoy their salary/days off work. These particular stories used to pop-up at the end of a long season as a conclusion but not in the middle of it. Both are related to the town of Sedalia, Missouri.

¶ Episode #15
"Incident of the Fish Out of Water"
written by Albert Aley
directed by Ted Hang'Em High Post
guests: Dorothy Green, George Wallace, Jock Gaynor, Candy Moore, Barbara Beaird, Fred Graham

Mr. Favor returns to the hometown of Philadelphia to join his family: his sister-in-law Eleanor Bradley and his two little daughters: Gillian and Maggie. The only difficulty for Mr. Favor is cultural and social: he lives like a Texan cattleman in a Northern urban city with his strict sister-in-law who refuses his manners. Mr. Favor is supported by Pete Nolan and Wishbone to free an enslaved Indian named Ogalla from a circus. Features a new opening and end titles and no sign-off scene but Maggie recites the famous catch-phrase ("Head'Em Up! Move 'Em Out!") to the coach driver that leads her father to the train station.

 

[bmasters9]

Have completed through four seasons' worth of The Streets of San Francisco; crossing the border into Hatch territory very soon!

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 3

¶ Find a triptych ("Incident of the Big Blowout", "Incident of the Fish Out of Water", "Incident On the Road Back") of interconnected personal stories defined as end of the trail/off-duty segments in which the main protagonists wear their civilian/city dweller costumes and enjoy their salary/days off work. These particular stories used to pop-up at the end of a long season as a conclusion but not in the middle of it. Both are related to the town of Sedalia, Missouri.

¶ Episode #16
"Incident On the Road Back"
written by Louis Vittes
directed by George B. Templeton
guests: Gene Evans, Arch Johnson, Jeanne Cooper, Lane Bradford, Brian Hutton, Adrienne Hayes, Mark Tapscott

Our broke drovers join back Mr. Favor at Sedalia for a new drive from San Antone that follows the meeting of blind sheriff Wilson and his troubled wife at the ghost town of Orinsville. Prior to that, Mr. Favor buy 48 horses at the train station of Sedalia and is later arrested because a big proprietor accuses him of stealing one single black horse from his remuda. Scout Pete Nolan is absent and Mushy tries to get an education with a female school teacher in love with him. The same end titles is used from episode #14 and no sign-off scene. One thing I like about season 3 is the work of the music editor who has the knack the select the right cue from the CBS music library, a library also used for The Twiligt Zone.

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 3

¶ Episode #17
“Incident of the New Start”
written by Charles Larson
story by associate producer Endre Bohem
directed by Justuss Addiss
guests: John Dehner, Burt Douglas, Jan Harrison, William Erwin

It’s the sequel to the Sedalia triptych in which the outfit of Mr. Favor ends up in San Antone, Texas, to hire new cow hands and obtain a new drive back to Sedalia. Unfortunately, Mr. Favor is summoned at the Cattlemen’s Association and the biggest owner (1600 heads) named Jubal Wade refuses to hire him as a trail boss but as a ramrod and Mr. Favor turns down the offer. Later on, Pete Nolan returns and begs Mr. Favor to lend him $100 to pay his gambling debt therefore Mr. Favor accepts the demoted job of ramrod under Wade's command. In the process, you find some fun saloon scenes in San Antone, old and lonely iron owner Wade with a younger wife problem—a generation gap of four decades that leads the wife Charity to be attracted by young drovers: Yates at first and a new one named Webb Church who runs out with her. As usual, actor John Dehner is brilliant.

 

[bmasters9]

1/6 of the way through the final season's worth (the Hatch season) of The Streets of San Francisco-- 5 discs' worth, and then it'll be all over!

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 3

¶ Episode #19
“Incident Near Gloomy River”
written by John Dunkel
directed by R. G Springsteen
guests: John Cassavetes, John Ericson, Leif Ericson, Rosemary de Camp, Anne Helm

It’s a torn-inside family drama with hidden links between two families that lead to conflicts.
The episode has a splendid cast not to miss. As usual, actor John Cassavetes is typecasted
as a maverick and a troublemaker. Notice two actors from the same family: the Ericson’s.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

1/6 of the way through the final season's worth (the Hatch season) of The Streets of San Francisco-- 5 discs' worth, and then it'll be all over!

How are you enjoying the Hatch episodes, Ben? Never seen any of those...

 

[Jeff Flugel]

RAWHIDE SEASON 3

¶ Episode #19
“Incident Near Gloomy River”
written by John Dunkel
directed by R. G Springsteen
guests: John Cassavetes, John Ericson, Leif Ericson, Rosemary de Camp, Anne Helm

It’s a torn-inside family drama with hidden links between two families that lead to conflicts.
The episode has a splendid cast not to miss. As usual, actor John Cassavetes is typecasted
as a maverick and a troublemaker. Notice two actors from the same family: the Ericson’s.

Nice write-ups on these Rawhide episodes, John! I recently picked up season 3, and am looking forward to watching the "end of the trail" trilogy especially someday soon.

 

[bmasters9]

How are you enjoying the Hatch episodes, Ben? Never seen any of those...

It's a quite different experience from Michael Douglas, I'll tell you that at the very least-- I know that on the "Thrill Killers" two-parter that set up Richard Hatch's entrance, the closing credits had a longer version of the Golden Gate Bridge/S.F. skyline flyover, which I really enjoyed.

I also noticed that the credit for the film editor was shortened to "Editor"-- I don't know why that was done for that final go.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Plowing through Lou Grant.

One thing I've noticed... MTM Lou always seemed half in the bag. I suppose that was due to the misery of being in TV news. Back at his real love, a newspaper, he seems more upbeat.

And midway through season 3, a young Michael J. Fox appeared out of nowhere for one scene. I should've figured he had done stuff before Family Ties, I had just never seen any. And that also brings up the Gary David Goldberg connection, since he was a producer/writer on Lou Grant.

I'm also still happily surprised at how good Nancy Marchand was in her role as Mrs. Pynchon, since I only remembered her as queen of all evil bitch mothers, Livia Soprano.

And one more "hey, it's that guy"... Kurtwood Smith, who has apparently always looked the same, had a small role in the episode Brushfire. Unfortunately, he didnt call Rossi a dumbass.

Lou Grant... a fun, if a bit heavy on occasion, show.

 

[JohnHopper]

Nice write-ups on these Rawhide episodes, John! I recently picked up season 3, and am looking forward to watching the "end of the trail" trilogy especially someday soon.

You will enjoy that fabulous trilogy. I don't review all episodes but I tend to select a bunch because of the guest cast or the unusual stories, by the way. But there are also good entries that I don't review like the one ("Incident of The Running Iron") I watched last night in which Quince is on the verge of being hanged by the local authorities because he is caught in the act of branding and smuggling a beeve. Head'em up! Move'em out! Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'.

 

[bmasters9]

Finished through 4.5 seasons' worth of The Streets of San Francisco; on the final half-go now; this has very much been another to add to my short list of selects, not least because of Karl Malden, but also due to Douglas and Hatch!

 

[Doug Wallen]

Back into the Night Gallery - Season 3, the half hour episodes. Not sure about that revamped theme. I thought the original theme expressed the weird and strange nature of the show much better.

Return Of The Sorcerer (3.1) Vincent Price, Bill Bixby, Tisha Sterling and various body parts achlumping around the old castle.
The Girl With The Hungry Eyes (3.2) James Farentino, Joanna Pettet. John Astin - Photographer and a model (life-sucking vampire?) .
Rare Objects (3.4) Raymond Massey, Mickey Rooney - Gangster looking for a way out.
Spectre In Tap Shoes (3.5) Sandra Dee, Dane Clark, Chris Connelly - Twins death in a haunted house.
You Can Come Up Now Mrs. Millikan/Smile, Please (3.7) - Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Nelson, Roger Davis, Lindsay Wagner, Cesare Danove - On the amusing side even though the "gotcha" for the stories are easily seen. Humor in these actually works for me, not like the majority of stories.
The Other Way Out (3.8) Ross Martin, Burl Ives - Best episode out of the batch that I watched.
Fright Night (3.3) Stuart Whitman, Barbara Anderson, Ellen Corby - Haunted trunk and haunted house.
Finnegan's Flight (3.9) Burgess Meredith, Cameron Mitchell, Barry Sullivan, Kenneth Tobey, Roger Mosley - Escape through hypnosis.

Seems to be some discrepancy with episodes on the discs and the imdb database.

It is not only the theme song that took a dive in season 3, the stories certainly seem off, unfocused and some just plain don't make sense. I do plan to finish this set but there may be a long interval before I finish the last disc.

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 3

¶ Episode #21
“Incident of his Brother’s Keeper”
written by Buckley Angell
directed by Ted Hang’Em High Post
guests: Jack Lord, Susan Oliver, Jeff Richards, Norman Leavitt, Viola Harris

It’s a ruthless marital drama between two ranchers brothers (Jubal and Paul Evans) and a dubious woman in between. It’s also a scout Pete Nolan episode that starts with the support of Wishbone suffering from his back and stops into town to go to a spa. It’s interesting to notice a character situation because actor Jack Lord plays a cripple stuck on a wheelchair which will happen in another cowboy series: Stoney Burke, in the episode entitled “The Test”. After actor Robert Culp in “Incident at the Top of the World”, find another sick character. The voice-over opening narration returns here but with season 1 footages.


Rancher Paul Evans is sat next to scout Pete Nolan at the spa.

Portraits of the Evans brothers.

Paul Evans is mad at Pete Nolan and is ready to shoot him up!

 

[John*Wells]

Dallas Season 12 and 13