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

[bmasters9]

I haven't watched an episode of The Brady Bunch since the late 70s / early 80s, when it was running in syndication. I know it's popular for its "kitsch" elements, but does it hold up as an entertaining sitcom?

That's what I'm waiting to find out-- I've only seen the first few first-season outings!

 

[Jeff Flugel]

You're a braver man than I. I think I'll stick to the 60s high-concept sitcoms when it comes to U.S. comedies...not much for me to like when it comes to the 70s variety. Now 70s cop shows, on the other hand, I can watch all day long.

 

[JohnHopper]

Rawhide (season 5)
Episode #3
“Incident At Cactus Wells”
written by Albert Alley
directed by Christian Nyby
guest: Keenan Wynn
review: an unusual character’s study on a bitter revengist who observes the outfit of Gil Favor at a remote distance like an intruder during two days and joins in to spot the guilty one while the sheriff stops at the camp to get his head for the charge of murdering his wife.

 

[Montytc]

Watched a mini Raymond Burr-athon last night
Perry Mason Sn.2 Episode 5: The Case of the Curious Bride
Ironside Sn.2 Episode 4: The Sacrifice - This episode was probably most notable for guest star Ricardo Montalban playing the central roll of a cop trying to cover up a crime committed by his son. I enjoyed this one.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Watched a mini Raymond Burr-athon last night
Perry Mason Sn.2 Episode 5: The Case of the Curious Bride
Ironside Sn.2 Episode 4: The Sacrifice - This episode was probably most notable for guest star Ricardo Montalban playing the central roll of a cop trying to cover up a crime committed by his son. I enjoyed this one.

Always like seeing Montalban guest star on various series in the 60s and 70s (before he got his own show). He made for a memorable killer in an episode of Columbo, a formidable foe in one of the more fantastical stories on The Wild Wild West...and of course, who can forget Khan in "Space Seed"?

 

[bmasters9]

..and of course, who can forget Khan in "Space Seed"?

Or Kirk yelling "Khan!!!!!!!!" in that second O-R Trek film in 1982?

 

[Bob Gu]

Montytc, upthread you said the 74 minute version of MOD SQUAD's pilot /first episode was never shown. I know Wikipedia says that, but I have the TV GUIDE for that week and it shows that MOD SQUAD premiered in a 90 minute slot. Or are you saying there was a version of the pilot that was 90 minutes long? (I don't have a scanner so I can't post the schedule page from the TV GUIDE.)

I did not see MOD SQUAD's premiere, that night, I was watching LANCER which also premiered Tuesday Sept. 24,1968, with the same start time. LANCER had a "Special Presentation" premiere with no commercials and may have run as long a 59:30 minutes in a 60 minute slot.

What am I watching? My LANCER recordings from DECADES and YouTube, and MAGNUM P.I. on COZI, and the HAWK episodes on GetTV.

 

[BobO'Link]

You're a braver man than I. I think I'll stick to the 60s high-concept sitcoms when it comes to U.S. comedies...not much for me to like when it comes to the 70s variety. Now 70s cop shows, on the other hand, I can watch all day long.

I agree. Some of my all-time-favorite "cop shows" are from the 70s.

I'm sitting on The Brady Bunch myself, although it started in 1969 I'd call it a 70s era sitcom. It certainly has that flavor. I prefer it's somewhat higher class cousin, The Partridge Family. Of course I watched both if I was home (Friday nights and I turned 14 the spring before TBB premiered so I was frequently out with friends after getting my DL in spring 70).

Just for kicks I took a look at the comedies that premiered in the 70s as I distinctly recall that decade as the one where I began wishing "good" TV would return. These are the ones I watched enough to say I watched. The others of that decade received a viewing of an episode or two and were never watched again. Those with an * in front are ones for which I own at least one season with a ** indicating the full series.

**The Brady Bunch - watched it some but didn't give it too much attention. Mostly saw it in syndication over the decades and even then watched if nothing else was available. It sort of grew on me but I've not seen an episode in ~20 years.
**The Partridge Family - Susan Dey. I need say no more... but there was also Shirley Jones, a few interesting scripts and mostly decent pop music with a few stand-out tracks.
**The Mary Tyler Moore Show - I liked the later years of this one more than the early years (basically once they got rid of Rhoda and/or Phyllis - two characters I've never much liked). Still do. But back then I didn't watch it every week during the first few years.
*All in the Family - I never liked this one. Watched only if at someone's house and they were watching. I did see many episodes in syndication, watching only if nothing better was on.
**Sanford and Son - Watched this one with a bit of regularity as I was a fan of Red Foxx. Overall, it felt choppy in its writing and pacing and was mostly acted poorly.
**M*A*S*H - This was more like it. A show that would do the 60s proud. Until it became "The Alan Alda Show" and got rather preachy in its later years. Even then it was better than most of the sitcoms on air in those years.
**Maude - Better than AITF, but only marginally. I watched it mostly because nothing better was on and it was the lead-in for Hawaii 5-0.
**The Bob Newhart Show - Pure genius. A reason to stay home on Saturday night, or at least wait until it went off to go out.
*Happy Days - I actually enjoyed the first few seasons before it became "Life with Fonzie."
Rhoda - Spun off MTM and a character I didn't care for in that series. I watched it mainly because there was nothing better on.
*Barney Miller - I really enjoyed this during first run but the syndication airings just didn't click with me. I've purchased the first few seasons to see if it holds up for me but haven't watched them yet.
The Jeffersons - More dreck from Normal Lear. Watched only if nothing better was on. The same in syndication. Never grew on me.
Phyllis - Another MTM spinoff I didn't like. Monday night in 1975: Rhoda/Phyllis/All in the Family/Maude. Zero on opposite worth watching (mostly sports - I very much dislike sports and would rather watch a Normal Lear "comedy"). I often read that night.
*Welcome Back Kotter - Not bad but not that great. Watched mostly to see Marcia Strassman.
Lavern and Shirley - What an awful show! Another of the "nothing better on/nothing opposite I liked" shows. I saw most of this one.
One Day at a Time - Watched for Valerie Bertinelli. Otherwise, another stagy Norman Lear type show with stilted dialog/acting.
**When Things Were Rotten - Hilarious! Lasted a half season and should have lasted much longer.
Alice - Enjoyable working class people type comedy - at least for the first few seasons. I recall liking it less as it went on.
**Three's Company - I watched the first season for Suzanne Sommers but felt the acting was sub-par. Scripts weren't much better. I watched it mainly for the "nothing better's on" reason. I actually purchased the "Big Box" set (got it for under $20). I enjoyed it much better on DVD but don't consider it to be the classic many others do. I vastly prefer its inspiration, the British series Man About the House.
**Soap - Quite enjoyable. I wish it had gone on a bit longer.
**WKRP - Another classic. I loved it and hated the way it was treated. It, too, should have had another couple of seasons.
**Taxi - Pretty good but I absolutely didn't, and still do not, like Andy Kaufman's character (or anything he's done for that matter) and how the series became somewhat focused on him too often.
The Ropers - Sigh... spin offs from comedy series rarely work for me. This one was no exception and was hurt by the fact that I didn't care much for it's parent show or the characters. Yet I watched it anyway, primarily because it came on opposite a choice of a movie I usually didn't care to see or a wrestling program.
Mork & Mindy - Simply awful. Watched only because there was nothing better on opposite. Because of this show I never liked Robin Williams and would generally avoid anything in which he appeared simply because he almost always played "Mork" with a different name.
Flo - Watched because we normally watched Alice. This was a Spring 1980 fill-in show so barely squeaks in.
*Benson - A very good comedy to wind down the decade, and a spin-off to boot.

You'll notice a few series where I own the entire thing in spite of not much caring for it. That's simply due to getting the full series at an excellent, very low, price.

There are precious few which, for me, have high rewatchability. Notably: M*A*S*H, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP, and When Things were Rotten. I pull those out at least once a year to watch a few episodes. I'd include Soap but it begs to be viewed in its entirety due to the nature of the stories.

There were other comedies I watched and/or sampled that decade but they were, IMHO, bad and/or forgettable, some of which I'd just turn the set off rather than watch them. I felt pretty much the same about the dramatic series of that decade but I generally prefer comedy so would watch a "bad" comedy over just about any dramatic program (unless it was a SF show - rare in that decade). I was finally out of the house on my own and could watch what I wanted but most nights presented few choices I felt worth my time. Frequently the TV would be on with the sound turned down while I listened to music or practiced my guitar. Other than the 2000s and later this is the least represented decade in my collection. My memories of the 80s is that decade wasn't significantly better as far as TV programming goes, although I do believe it's better represented in my collection.

**EDITED TO ADD The Mary Tyler Moore Show. How could I forget that one?**

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Great run-down of 70s sitcoms, Howie...though I must confess, nearly every single one of them would have me running for the door. Just not my taste at all. Frankly, compared to most of that list, The Brady Bunch isn't looking half bad.

 

[Jack P]

Spotlight: Anne Archer (Part 1). This is a case of watching someone who became a legit film star from the beginning of her career and working her way up from small part to more front-of-the line guest star appearances (and in between she was a regular in the short-lived TV version of the movie "Bob And Carol And Ted Alice")

Hawaii Five-O, S3-"Beautiful Screamer". She plays a murder victim and because she's Danno's steady girlfriend, James MacArthur gets his most powerful emotionally dramatic scenes in his entire 11 year run in the series.

The FBI, S6-"Downfall." Playing the daughter of Carl Betz, who is involved in a crooked jewelry stealing scheme with her boyfriend Michael Burns. Betz, post-Donna Reed *really* looks like Darren McGavin's twin brother at this point.

Mod Squad, S4-"Color Of Laughter, Color Of Tears." Anne is part of a circus run by Ed Asner (slipping away from MTM for this guest shot) that's being sabotaged.

Ironside, S5-"Murder Impromptu" (Boot). Anne is part of an improv theater group where a murder is committed on stage during a performance. The episode also has Roddy McDowall, top-billed, but the most significant things is that it's the one time Barbara Hale appeared on "Ironside". Really fascinating to see her and Burr in exchanges that are most definitely not of the Perry-Della variety!

Alias Smith And Jones, S2-"Shootout At Diablo Station"

Mannix, S6-"A Problem of Innocence."

Harry O, S1-"Guardian At The Gates."

 

[bmasters9]

**Sanford and Son - Overall, it felt choppy in its writing and pacing and was mostly acted poorly.

You're not the only one who felt that way-- I had Sony's condensed all-in-one, and it was uber-languid, so much so that 25 min. felt like 2 hrs. (at least on the few episodes I saw). Fortunately, it found a new home in Alabama w/my nephew Eli, and IINM, he's at the fifth season of it.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Harry O, S1-"Guardian At The Gates."

Of those, I've only seen the Harry-O episode, and it's a good one, with a strong, unsympathetic performance from Barry Sullivan and a world-weary, but warm and sexy turn from Linda Evans.

I always liked Anne Archer but never really focused on her TV work before.

Slow TV watching week for me, but I did just get a chance to spin another episode of Magnum P.I. (1.7 "Never Again...Never Again"), which I covered in the thread for that show. While I wasn't overly enamored with this particular episode, overall I'm really enjoying re-discovering this favorite show from my teenage years.

 

[JohnHopper]

Always like seeing Montalban guest star on various series in the 60s and 70s (before he got his own show). He made for a memorable killer in an episode of Columbo, a formidable foe in one of the more fantastical stories on The Wild Wild West...and of course, who can forget Khan in "Space Seed"?

That Wild Wild West entry was the memorable season 2 entitled "The Night of the Lord of Limbo"
in which Montalban plays a master of illusions and time traveling and send our two heroes back into the past.​

 

[bmasters9]

Slow TV watching week for me, but I did just get a chance to spin another episode of Magnum P.I. (1.7 "Never Again...Never Again"), which I covered in the thread for that show. While I wasn't overly enamored with this particular episode, overall I'm really enjoying re-discovering this favorite show from my teenage years.

So you liked Magnum then, did you? I tried it at least twice on DVD (both in the double-sided releases, and in at least the first season's worth on singles), and could hardly get into it at all.

 

[BobO'Link]

Of those, I've only seen the Harry-O episode, and it's a good one, with a strong, unsympathetic performance from Barry Sullivan and a world-weary, but warm and sexy turn from Linda Evans.

I always liked Anne Archer but never really focused on her TV work before.

Slow TV watching week for me, but I did just get a chance to spin another episode of Magnum P.I. (1.7 "Never Again...Never Again"), which I covered in the thread for that show. While I wasn't overly enamored with this particular episode, overall I'm really enjoying re-discovering this favorite show from my teenage years.

I could never get into Magnum... I think by then I'd grown tired of all the PI and cop shows. Most of my favorite cop/PI shows were from or started in the 60s: The Mod Squad, Ironside, Hawaii Five-O, and Mannix.

Same as comedy: a * indicates owning a season or two, ** is the entire series.

Cannon - I remember sampling this one but it didn't pull me in.
**Longstreet - I really liked this one and was sad it only ran a single season. I have the DVD set but haven't yet watched it.
Barnaby Jones - Another I really enjoyed. Also one I've not yet purchased any seasons. I need to fix that.
The Streets of San Francisco - I liked it for a few seasons but recall it growing old/stale for me. I keep thinking I need to purchase a season to see if I like it better now that I'm older.
Kojak - Watched a handful of episodes and didn't care for Savalas or his character.
**McMillan and Wife - I really enjoyed this one. It's the only one of the 4 "Sunday Mystery Movie" series I'd watch every time.
Colombo - Tried a few times during its original airings and in syndication but it just never grew on me.
**The Rockford Files - I fell in love with this one from episode 1. It's an all-time favorite.
**Petrocelli - Another I really liked and was sad to see it cancelled after only 2 seasons.
Baretta - Didn't care for Robert Blake. He rubbed me wrong in The Little Rascal shorts and this series did nothing to improve my opinion.
Starsky and Hutch - It was OK but I didn't watch it much. Just didn't pull me in. I usually watched Petrocelli unless it was a rerun.
**Ellery Queen - Another I liked. It beat out TSOSF (ran opposite) while it was on.
Quincy, M.E. - Another favorite and the 1976 addition to the "Sunday Mystery Movie." I really disliked that "series" rotating nature as it meant 2 or 3 weeks a month was a show I didn't much care for. This is another for which I need to pick up a season or two.
*Charlie's Angels - I really enjoyed the first season. While I wasn't much of a Farrah Fawcett fan I liked Cheryl Ladd even less. Still, I watched until Kate Jackson left. I own S1-S3.
**Tenspeed and Brownshoe - While not "great," it was fun and certainly beat watching Archie Bunker's Place/One Day at a Time on CBS or CHiPs on NBC.

So... I really didn't watch a lot of crime type shows in the 70s, but more than I'd recalled.

One thing that struck me when looking over the 1970-1979 TV schedules is just how many nights had at least one movie on one of the networks. Many years you'd find 2 or more nights with 2 networks airing competing movies. No wonder I was waiting for "good" TV to return! The schedules were full of movies, sports, and half-baked variety shows! That explains why I watched a lot of what I did watch - there was truly not much playing opposite many shows and with no VCR to time-shift things that sounded half-way interesting you were pretty much stuck with mediocre programs most of the time.

 

[bmasters9]

**Petrocelli - Another I really liked and was sad to see it cancelled after only 2 seasons.

Glad you're after my own heart! That has been one of the few that I have actually completed-- not many have earned that distinction for me lately.

 

[JohnHopper]

Rawhide (season 5) • Episode #4 • “Incident of the Prodigal Son” (guests: Gene Evans, Carl Reindel)

 

[Jeff Flugel]

So you liked Magnum then, did you? I tried it at least twice on DVD (both in the double-sided releases, and in at least the first season's worth on singles), and could hardly get into it at all.

Well, that's what makes this hobby interesting, Ben. One person's favorite does absolutely nothing for someone else. I can't imagine anyone not being able to get into Magnum P.I., but then there are many who couldn't understand my dislike of famous 70s sitcoms like All in the Family, Maude or The Jeffersons.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

I could never get into Magnum... I think by then I'd grown tired of all the PI and cop shows. Most of my favorite cop/PI shows were from or started in the 60s: The Mod Squad, Ironside, Hawaii Five-O, and Mannix.

Same as comedy: a * indicates owning a season or two, ** is the entire series.

Cannon - I remember sampling this one but it didn't pull me in.
**Longstreet - I really liked this one and was sad it only ran a single season. I have the DVD set but haven't yet watched it.
Barnaby Jones - Another I really enjoyed. Also one I've not yet purchased any seasons. I need to fix that.
The Streets of San Francisco - I liked it for a few seasons but recall it growing old/stale for me. I keep thinking I need to purchase a season to see if I like it better now that I'm older.
Kojak - Watched a handful of episodes and didn't care for Savalas or his character.
**McMillan and Wife - I really enjoyed this one. It's the only one of the 4 "Sunday Mystery Movie" series I'd watch every time.
Colombo - Tried a few times during its original airings and in syndication but it just never grew on me.
**The Rockford Files - I fell in love with this one from episode 1. It's an all-time favorite.
**Petrocelli - Another I really liked and was sad to see it cancelled after only 2 seasons.
Baretta - Didn't care for Robert Blake. He rubbed me wrong in The Little Rascal shorts and this series did nothing to improve my opinion.
Starsky and Hutch - It was OK but I didn't watch it much. Just didn't pull me in. I usually watched Petrocelli unless it was a rerun.
**Ellery Queen - Another I liked. It beat out TSOSF (ran opposite) while it was on.
Quincy, M.E. - Another favorite and the 1976 addition to the "Sunday Mystery Movie." I really disliked that "series" rotating nature as it meant 2 or 3 weeks a month was a show I didn't much care for. This is another for which I need to pick up a season or two.
*Charlie's Angels - I really enjoyed the first season. While I wasn't much of a Farrah Fawcett fan I liked Cheryl Ladd even less. Still, I watched until Kate Jackson left. I own S1-S3.
**Tenspeed and Brownshoe - While not "great," it was fun and certainly beat watching Archie Bunker's Place/One Day at a Time on CBS or CHiPs on NBC.

So... I really didn't watch a lot of crime type shows in the 70s, but more than I'd recalled.

It's funny, growing up in the 70s, I didn't care for most of the crime drama / cop shows you mention above. Guess they were too dark and gritty for my young tastes. (It's typical that the one I do remember watching often was the lighthearted Tenspeed and Brownshoe). Now, I enjoy almost every one of those shows highly. It took me some time to rediscover these shows, though. For example, I never liked Columbo at all until I first moved to Japan years ago and NHK TV were running it frequently in HD. I saw nearly all the original 7 seasons' worth of episodes in the span of a couple of years, and fell in love with the show.

Speaking of the NBC Mystery Movie wheel, I like nearly all of the detective shows from that umbrella program that I've been able to see, including McMillan & Wife, Banacek, Hec Ramsey, McCloud, etc.

Of the rest you list, I'm only really not keen on Baretta (never been a Robert Blake fan either, and the murder allegations certainly didn't help in that regard) and Charlie's Angels. Angel's has a lot of eye candy, to be sure, but it's pretty lightweight stuff crime fiction-wise. That said, I might eventually buy the first season, just to have a sampling of such an iconic 70s show in my collection. I haven't seen the show in years and you never know, I might come around to liking that one, too.

 

[JohnHopper]

For example, I never liked Columbo at all until I first moved to Japan years ago and NHK TV were running it frequently in HD. I saw nearly all the original 7 seasons' worth of episodes in the span of a couple of years, and fell in love with the show.

One more thing: what are your Columbo top list, by the way?