What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (6 Viewers)

[Sa5150]

Is Welcome back , Kotter really in HD ? I see this across a few streaming platforms . Does it look any good , The dvds are brutal . They look as bad as Sanford and Son .

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[Doug Wallen]

Maverick
The Long Hunt (1.5) John Vohs, Richard Webb, James Anderson, Richard Crane, Tommy Farrell, Richard Reeves. Maxim – No good deed goes unpunished. Maverick finds this to be true when he attempts to give a dying man his final wish. A bank robber wishes to clear a prisoner in jail for a robbery he didn't commit. Clearing Crane seems like an impossible task without potential divine intervention. Plenty of surprises pop up as this episode concludes. Recommended.

Stage West (1.6) Erin O'Brien, Ray Teal, Edd Byrnes, Peter Brown, Chubby Johnson, Michael Dante, Jim Bannon. Gold fever has made some thieves deadly. Bret gets mixed up trying to save the widow of the mine's deceased owner.

Relic From Fort Tejon (1.7) Maxine Cooper, Fredd Wayne, Dan Tobin, Sheb Wooley, Tyler MacDuff, Oliver Blake. Camel – the animal not the cigarette is attached to Bret. Poker and the returning camel make for an interesting and entertaining episode. A camel is a handy animal to own if there is a desert chase.

Hostage (1.8) Jack KellyLaurie Carroll, Don Durant, Stephen Bekassy, Wright King, Trevor Bardette, John Harmon. The introduction of Bret's brother Bart. This episode finally feels like the series I vaguely remember. Gambling, Riverboats and a con. I really enjoyed this episode and am looking forward to continuing this journey.

M Squad
Diary Of A Bomber (3.28) Debbie Megowan, Robert Carricart, Maggie McCarter. Who do you call when a mischievous child enters an apartment looking for her ball and walks away with a detonating device. The worried Mom brings it to a precinct who then involves M Squad and Detective Ballinger. Can they find the targets and prevent the bombing? Do I really need to ask?

Let There Be Light (3.29) Les Tremayne, K. T. Stevens, Gary Walberg, John Zaremba. During a robbery, a criminal is blinded. The gang then kidnaps a doctor for an emergency session. Only problem, the doctor is the only surgeon who can restore sight to a young girl and the window for her operation is swiftly closing. A race against time episode.

A Gun For Mothers Day (3.30) Marvin Kaplan, Jeremy Slate, Ed Nelson, Frances Morris. An incarcerated mama's boy is broken out of jail. Mama and son also release another inmate (Nelson). The three of them go on a crime spree until Nelson becomes fearful for his own life and helps Ballinger catch them.

Man With The Ice (1.31) Jean Willes, Stan Irwin, Linda Lawson, Joe Flynn, Jimmy Cross. Another episode where Ballinger goes undercover. He poses as an out of state hood to help uncover a diamond theft ring.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Demon In Lace (1.16) Keenan Wynn, Kristina Holland, Andrew Prine, Carolyn Jones. A succubus is on the prowl for recently deceased young women so it can inhabit the women to seduce and kill college students. Captain Siska returns and it is great to see him ignore Kolchak again.

Legacy Of Terror (1.17) Ramon Bieri, Pippa Scott, Sorrell Booke, Victor Campos, Erik Estrada, Carlos Romero. Aztecs are terrorizing Chicago's citizens by removing hearts. Every 52 years, the hearts are needed to keep a mummified god on life support until he can be fully resurrected. Early Estrada appearance.

The Knightley Murder (1.18) John Dehner, Hans Conried, Robert Emhardt, Jeff Donnell, Shug Fisher, Bryan O'Byrne, Sidney Clute. A stalking suit of armor is killing folks because it doesn't want a medieval museum to become a disco. I can sympathize with that.

The Youth Killer (1.19) Cathy Lee Crosby, Kathleen Freeman, Dwayne Hickman, Demosthenes, Eddie Firestone. Computer dating is used to allow the owner (Crosby) to retain her youth for eternity.

The Sentry (1.20) Kathie Browne, John Hoyt, Albert Paulsen, Frank Marth, Tom Bosley, Frank Campanella. A retelling of Trek's “Devil In The Dark”. At last McGavin's wife (Browne), makes an appearance as Lt. Lamont. I believe that the monster costume was rented from Dr. Who.

End of the line, I guess Kolchak's son(?) (Fox Mulder) would learn about searching for the “truth that is out there!”

Kung Fu
Blood Of The Dragon Part 1 & Part 2 (3.1, 3.2) Patricia Neal, Eddie Albert, Edward Albert, Season Hubley, Clyde Kusatsu, Tom Reese, Kay E. Cuter, Dean Jagger in flashback. An existential story that weaves in and out of reality. Excellent acting and the real aspects are a strong story. The fight that occurs between Caine and Caine is mind blowing. Very interesting way to begin the season. Not sure if this continues for the entirety of this final season or not.

A Small Beheading (3.3) William Shatner, France Nuyen, Rosemary Forsyth, Yuki Shimoda, James Hong, Frances Fong. Shatner and Nuyen in a loveless marriage who are attempting to con Caine into returning to China. They are looking for the reward.

The Valley Of Terror (3.4) Sondra Locke, Jan Sterling, Ken Swofford, Howard Duff, John Quade, James Hong. Caine comes to the rescue of a woman who has visions. She has been placed in a mental institution and believes she has demons and is unwilling to accept them as a part of herself. Caine helps her find balance.

Rawhide
Incident At Quivira (5.13) Royal Dano, Claude Akins, Donald Losby. The drovers offer shelter to a half crazed drifter (Dano) who is searching for lost gold. He entices Mushy and they run off, Rowdy follows. They all encounter a lost military troop that has been searching years.

Incident Of Decision (5.14) Douglas Lambert, Carlos Romero, Hugh Sanders, Sheila Bromley. A crippled teen with a mechanical gift believes he has what it takes to be a drover. Rowdy disagrees. Johnny (Lambert) follows and is told again that he is unable to do the job. After he leaves, he runs across rustlers who use him to steal. Coincidences keep the two groups near each other as Rowdy searches for Johnny. Johnny eventually learns what he can do.

Incident Of The Buryin' Man (5.15) King Donovan, Constance Ford, Richard Devon. A con man/counterfeiter is on the run from his former partners. He is traveling as a “buryin' man” (mortician), who is being followed by Indians.

Incident Of The Trail's End (5.16) Harold J. Stone, George Brenlin, King Calder, Glenn Strange. Gil feels obligated to hire a former boss who has just received a death sentence from his doctor. He has a serious vision issue that creates tension on the drive.

End of Volume 1.

Peter Gunn
Regular Cast – Craig Stevens, Lola Albright, Herschel Bernardi, Hope Emerson.

The Kill (1.1) Gavin MacLeod, Jack Weston. Episode opens with the removal of the old crime boss by up and coming new boss (MacLeod). His first act is to increase the strength of his extortion by going after Mother. When she doesn't accept the offer, her business is bombed. Obviously this enrages Peter who sets his sights on bringing them down. Excellent atmosphere in this and the other episodes I viewed.

Streetcar Jones (1.2) Patricia Powell, Leigh Whipper, Carlo Fiore. Gunn is hired by Lodi (Whipper) to prove one of his musicians was framed for murder. Seems that the musician refuses Gunn's help.

The Vicious Dog (1.3) Virginia Christine, Paul Dubov, J. Pat O'Malley, Tyler McVey. Attack dogs are being used by a shady businessman/crime boss. Great action set piece to close out episode.

The Blind Pianist (1.4) Richard Ney, Barbara Stuart, Barney Phillips, Herbert Ellis, Ned Glass, E. J. Andre. A blind pianist (Phillips) is a witness to a murder. Twist – the pianist is not blind. Another good entry.

The Frog (1.5) Whit Bissell, Jean Inness, Arthur Kendall, Stubby Kruger, Dick Crockett, Robert Bain. Gunn's appointment fails to show. A shot silenced the Frog and Peter is off to secure justice. In this one, he finds some unusual support from someone other than Lt. Jacoby.

Excellent introduction to Peter Gunn and his supporting players. I'll be looking to add the other two seasons when I can find them at a good price.

 

[Wiseguy]

Is Welcome back , Kotter really in HD ? I see this across a few streaming platforms . Does it look any good , The dvds are brutal . They look as bad as Sanford and Son .

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Was Kotter filmed or taped? If taped the DVD won't look so great. Sanford was definitely taped.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Gunsmoke
I enjoyed my last little binge of early 30-minute episodes, so spun through a few more, taut, tough-minded stories all.

2.11 “No Indians”
Matt strongly suspects that a series of brutal killings of local settler families are not the work of Paiute raids but are actually being carried out by white men. This is about as angry as I’ve ever seen James Arness allow Matt Dillon to be protrayed, as he and Chester (Dennis Weaver) lure the slimeball murderous gang into a trap and ambush them without remorse.

2.19 “Executioner”
Smug fast-draw drifter Tom Clegg (Liam Sullivan) goads a rancher into a gunfight and kills him. The dead man’s grief-stricken brother (Michael Hinn) then follows Clegg into Dodge and, unarmed, dogs his every step, driving him batty and setting in motion a fatal showdown between Clegg and Marshal Dillon.

3.10 “Never Pester Chester”
An exhausted Matt lets Chester attempt to dissuade a couple of mean Texas cowboys from harassing women on the street. The bigger of the two (played by huge former boxer Buddy Baer) lassoes poor Chester and drags him out of town behind his horse, leaving him a broken up and bloody mess out on the prairie. As one might expect, this pisses Matt off mightily. While Chester fights for his life under the watchful eye of Doc Adams, Matt sets out with a vengeance to bring in the two scumbags responsible…and let’s just say, he does not treat them gently. Easily my favorite of these four episodes.

3.12 “How to Kill a Woman”
Pernell Roberts, a few years before finding fame as smooth elder Cartwright brother Adam on Bonanza, shows up here as snarling baddie Nat Pilcher, who has been tormenting stationmaster Jesse Daggett (Barry Atwater) by robbing the stagecoach and killing his passengers in cold blood. Matt and Chester head out to investigate and end up hanging out at the station, playing poker with dried beans while they wait for things to develop…but when Pilcher shoots and kills a female passenger, that’s all she wrote: time for Matt to punch Pilcher’s ticket. Some nice humorous touches in this one, as Chester flirts with a pretty young woman (Jolene Brand) while riding on the stage, unaware that she's married to the much older man sitting beside her.

Man of the World – 2.3 “Double Exposure”
Photojournalist Mike Strait (Craig Stevens) is tapped by the CIA to pose as a chauffeur to the elderly Ms. Rosewall (Cicely Courtneidge) on her holidays, in order to investigate whether a military leader behind the Iron Curtain is actually dead and now being impersonated by somebody else. Erika Remberg plays Trina, their government-appointed interpreter, who develops something of a Ninotchka-like relationship with Strait. The MVP here is Ms. Courtneidge as the sly old lady who proves instrumental in helping Strait sneak the photographic evidence - and the comely Trina - out of the country. Nigel Davenport is also on hand as a suspicious member of the secret police. Another strong, entertaining entry in this early '60s ITC series.

The F.B.I. – 1.3 “A Mouthful of Dust”
A Native American, Joe Cloud (Alejandro Rey), who served under Erskine during the Korean War, catches a man trying to rape his wife and kills him in a rage. Cloud flees custody and Erskine, joining a posse led by the local sheriff (R. G. Armstrong), attempts to bring Joe in alive. The recently-deceased Robert Blake has a few good scenes as Joe’s brother, Pete. An average entry in this solid if slightly staid procedural, helped by some nice desert location work (purportedly Arizona, but it could be somewhere in California). Urbane Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. looks a bit uncomfortable on horseback. The episode closes with some guff about how Joe Cloud is, quote "quite a man." To which I say, yeah, quite a stupid man, that is, one who screws himself over by going on the run in the first place, not to mention assaulting a police officer and, later, an innocent rancher in the process.

The Avengers – 3.18 “Mandrake”
The mysterious death of a former colleague of Steed’s, and his subsequent burial in a rural Cornish churchyard, leads Steed and Mrs. Gale to uncover a sinister murder-for-hire scheme run by a small-time businessman (Philip Locke) and a doctor (John Le Mesurier). This is the one where the lovely, judo-trained Honor Blackman kicked a stuntman in the face during a fight scene and accidentally knocked him unconscious. (Needless to say, Ms. Blackman was mortified.) Future ITC regular Annette Andre pops up as a flirtatious salesclerk who sparks with Steed. Also with George Benson as an eccentric reverend and Madge Ryan as Mandrake Investments' newest client.

The Jimmy Stewart Show – 1.5 “Another Day, Another Scholar”
Professor James Howard (Stewart) ends up with trouble at both school and at home when he finds himself briefly entangled in a compromising position with a sexy student stalker (Margaret Markov). Another pleasant entry in this early ‘70s sitcom, helped by the always welcome presence of the acerbic John McGiver as Jim’s colleague and friend, Dr. Luther Quince…and by the absence of Jonathan Daly (IMO miscast as Stewart’s eldest son). Also starring a still-gorgeous Julie Adams as Stewart's wife, as well as a brief appearance by M. Emmet Walsh as another professor. Randall covered this one quite a while back in a very fine photo essay which shows striking blonde Ms. Markov off to good advantage. The ace in the hole here, of course, is Jimmy Stewart, whose enormous charm easily keeps the entire enterprise afloat.

The Outer Limits – 2.7 “The Invisible Enemy”
I recently received Kino’s S2 Blu-Ray set as a gift from a generous friend, and this was the episode I chose to watch first (i.e., the one with the sand sharks). While it’s far from the series’ best, it’s one that I vaguely remember from my misspent youth frequently parked in front of the tube. When a two-man team of astronauts on an exploratory mission to Mars go missing, seemingly killed by an unseen force, the U.S. military dispatches a second mission – under the command of resolute Adam West – to discover what went wrong. While the script is full of dumb characters doing dumb things that wind up getting them killed, the episode remains a fun call back to gung-ho ‘50s sci-fi flicks like It! The Monster from Outer Space and similar cheesy but enjoyable fare. Pluses include some imaginative (if biologically improbable) monster designs by Wah Chang and an impressive Martian surface set. Also with Rudy Solari, Robert DoQui, Joe Maross, Chris Alcaide and Anthony Costello. I watched this one twice, once by itself and then again accompanied by Craig Beam’s entertaining commentary track.

Bonanza
A trio of well-done but decidedly grim, fatalistic episodes, with “Broken Ballad” the best of the bunch, thanks to typically fine work from guest star Robert Culp.

2.24 “The Dark Gate”
Ross Marquette (James Coburn), a neighbor and former friend of Adam’s, appears to be going crazy, beating his wife, rustling his neighbors the Cartwrights' cattle, robbing a stagecoach and killing several men. Adam desperately tries to help his old friend, but in the end, the only thing left to do is put him down like a rabid dog. An action-packed episode, but the script gives Coburn little nuance to work with in depicting his mental deterioration and downward spiral into violent behavior. The recent news of CBS/Paramount's upcoming release of a remastered S2 DVD set is most welcome, as the image quality of this episode (from the previous release) does not look good compared with that found on the other seasons.

3.6 “Broken Ballad”
It’s that old chestnut, about a reformed gunslinger trying unsuccessfully to start a new, peaceful life and live down his past. Ed Payson (Robert Culp) returns to Virginia City and is met with hostility by shopkeeper Will Cass (Dabbs Greer), who wants Payson gone or better yet, dead, in revenge for killing his soon in a fair gunfight years before. Abigail Shelton plays Cass’s cutie-pie daughter, Sally, who takes a shine to the soulful Payson, despite her father’s hatred. Adam steps in when Cass and a young suitor for Sally’s affections (Ray Dailey) try to force Payson off his land. The seasoned western viewer will know where all this is heading, but the talented Culp elevates the material and makes the episode special…and he sings! (As does Pernell Roberts, far more robustly).

7.20 “Peace Officer”
Four drunk and disorderly punks accidentally kill a deputy in a Virginia City saloon and go on the run, one of them subsequently shooting and seriously wounding Hoss. With Sheriff Coffee out of town, the mayor (Ted Knight) calls in famed lawman Wes Dunn (Rawhide’s Eric Fleming) to bring the fugitives in. Against Ben’s wishes, Little Joe teams up with Dunn, but soon discovers him to be a ruthless, “shoot first whether they’re armed or not” kind of guy. Fleming, suitably implacable here, would return the following season on the opposite end of the spectrum, as a pacifist Mormon in the two-part “The Pursued.”

 

[JohnHopper]

The F.B.I. – 1.3 “A Mouthful of Dust”
A Native American, Joe Cloud (Alejandro Rey), who served under Erskine during the Korean War, catches a man trying to rape his wife and kills him in a rage. Cloud flees custody and Erskine, joining a posse led by the local sheriff (R. G. Armstrong), attempts to bring Joe in alive. The recently-deceased Robert Blake has a few good scenes as Joe’s brother, Pete. An average entry in this solid if slightly staid procedural, helped by some nice desert location work (purportedly Arizona, but it could be somewhere in California). Urbane Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. looks a bit uncomfortable on horseback. The episode closes with some guff about how Joe Cloud is, quote "quite a man." To which I say, yeah, quite a stupid man, that is, one who screws himself over by going on the run in the first place, not to mention assaulting a police officer and, later, an innocent rancher in the process.

I tend to agree with you. Oddly enough, it was one of the season 1 episodes selected to promote season 1.

The FBI Tv Series Promo on ABC

The Outer Limits – 2.7 “The Invisible Enemy”
I recently received Kino’s S2 Blu-Ray set as a gift from a generous friend, and this was the episode I chose to watch first (i.e., the one with the sand sharks). While it’s far from the series’ best, it’s one that I vaguely remember from my misspent youth frequently parked in front of the tube. When a two-man team of astronauts on an exploratory mission to Mars go missing, seemingly killed by an unseen force, the U.S. military dispatches a second mission – under the command of resolute Adam West – to discover what went wrong. While the script is full of dumb characters doing dumb things that wind up getting them killed, the episode remains a fun call back to gung-ho ‘50s sci-fi flicks like It! The Monster from Outer Space and similar cheesy but enjoyable fare. Pluses include some imaginative (if biologically improbable) monster designs by Wah Chang and an impressive Martian surface set. Also with Rudy Solari, Robert DoQui, Joe Maross, Chris Alcaide and Anthony Costello. I watched this one twice, once by itself and then again accompanied by Craig Beam’s entertaining commentary track.

This flawed episode terrified me as a kid. Now, I only see the cheapness out of it. It plays like a forerunner for Jaws.
Funny how that season 2 looks very Fifties unlike the first season.
The astronaut characters all wear space suits recycled from Men Into Space.
I noticed that they didn't wear any suits on Mars! What a joke!

 

[Flashgear]

Wonderfully informative and evocative reviews of your shows watched, Doug and Jeff! As usual, you have me going back to dive into my collection to revisit the shows you just featured! Thank you!

As for myself...

Hogan's Heroes S4E5 To the Gestapo With Love (Oct. 26, 1968). W: Arthur Julian, Bernard Fein. D: Bruce Bilson. Starring Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, John Banner. W/ Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, Larry Hovis, Howard Caine. Guest starring Sabrina Scharf, Crhistiane Schmidtmer, Inga Jacklyn.

Hogan's Heroes is, of course, ridiculous in historical context. But nonetheless, comedy is not contingent on accurate historical context. Here, it is driven by the ridiculous scenario and accomplished by a truly expert ensemble cast of memorably realized absurdist characters...it is, to me, reliably funny! And the audience of 1965-71 seemed to agree, making Bing Crosby Productions' Hogan's Heroes a top 10 show in it's premiere season that lasted for a successful 6 year run.

Colonel Hogan (Bob Crane) and his fellow prisoners of Stalag 13 (Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, Larry Hovis) have accomplished another night of daring sabotage inside wartime Nazi Germany...blowing up one bridge and emplacing explosives under another, but forgetting to arm the detonator...but also leaving behind a U.S. uniform button found by a sentry...a sure sign that the nearby P.O.W. camp, Stalag 13, purportedly under the iron-grip control of ridiculous Luftwaffe Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer) with buffoonish Sergeant of the guards Schultz (John Banner), reputably the most escape-proof prison camp in all of Germany, must be the source of this sabotage!

Maniacal Gestapo Major Hochstetter (Howard Caine), long convinced of Klink's bungling incompetence, is determined to interrogate Hogan and his men...this time using a new Gestapo interrogation team made up of three beautiful young women (Sabrina Scharf, Christiane Schmidtmer, Inga Jacklyn) ...using their alluring feminine wiles on Stalag 13's stir-crazy and horny inmates should be torture enough...and sure enough, as the prisoners are 'interrogated' one-by-one with LeBeau (the recently passed Robert Clary) first-up, the lips are loose indeed...with LeBeau plied with Champagne and caviar and cuddling with the irresistible girls, he motormouths secrets of the French resistance aplenty...knowing how weak Newkirk, Kinchloe and Carter will be in the face of this seductive torment, and with Hogan's turn coming up and the explosives at the bridge so far undiscovered, Colonel Hogan must come up with an angle to 'psyche' out the seductive Gestapo girls...On the secret radio link with London, Hogan learns all he can in the way of personal details about the girls...personal secrets that only they (and Allied Intelligence) would know, and use against them! For instance, Hogan learns some juicy details about luscious Inga (lovely brunette Sabrina Scharf)...twice divorced from two bad marriages, her family's shame is that her brother is a communist and her father was kicked out of the Nazi party for embezzling funds!...and Hogan tells the surprised Inga that this secret gossip came from fellow Gestapo girl Heidi (Christiane Schmidtmer)...Hogan also let it slip that he's heard that Heidi and Anna (Inge Jacklyn) are dating the same Luftwaffe lothario and that Anna is also two-timing Major Hochstetter behind his back! A hilarious catfight soon ensues between the girls, clawing at each other with Hochstetter and Klink caught in the middle!

My screen caps from the CBS/P season 4 DVD set...

The regular cast is expert in extracting maximum laughs from the outlandish scenario...Bob Crane, Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, Larry Hovis all became household names...Werner Klemperer and John Banner, both actual anti-Nazi refugees from pre-war Germany, quickly became two of the most memorable characters of 1960s sitcom land...other supporting cast like Howard Caine and Leon Askin (General Burkhalter) hilariously represented Klink's Nazi bad bosses...Bernard Fox (inept British Col. Crittendon, and 'Dr. Bombay' on Bewitched)), Nita Talbot (seductive Russian spy Marya), Arlene Martel (sexy spy Tiger) and Kathleen Freeman (as Burkhalter's nutty sister Gertrude with the hots for Klink) all ably assisted the hijinks in this reliably funny series...

Robert Clary, who recently passed away, was an actual Holocaust survivor...for whom Hogan's Heroes must have represented a strange irony indeed...R.I.P. Robert Clary.

(Having no actual relevant accuracy as to the epic tragedy that was WW2, a total war on a global scale that killed approximately 100 million people...as a sitcom you need to set that aside if you're going to accept this as the silly but hilarious show it was...which is exactly how my Uncle Bill took it...as a navigator on a 102 squadron Royal Air Force Halifax bomber, he was shot down on a night raid over Berlin in January 1944...only two of the six crew survived in their parachutes...the other four, including the pilot who may have sacrificed himself to retain control of the plane while the others tried to bail-out, all died...Uncle Bill was imprisoned at the very-real Stalag IVB for 16 months, along with thousands of other allied airmen at that one camp alone...for the most part, they were treated reasonably, even honorably by their German Luftwaffe counterparts, but the deprivation was austere and extreme at times...war crimes like the murder of 'the fifty' escapers of The Great Escape reminded everyone what the Nazis were capable of as they simultaneously went about the despicable Holocaust of European Jewry...for Allied POWs, Red Cross parcels from neutral Switzerland were a Godsend, but they often knew hunger and malnutrition as chaotic Nazi Germany was buried under around-the-clock aerial bombings and ultimately invasion from East and West. As a further aside, where I live in Western Canada, there was a POW camp for German soldiers captured in North Africa...10 thousand German prisoners behind the wire, next to a city of only 14 thousand at the time!).

 

[Nelson Au]

Randall, that’s a good post about the oddity of Hogan’s Heroes having fun with the World War 2 prison camp. And I’d read about how several cast members were so linked to the actual war events. And I can’t imagine how it had to have been odd for your uncle who survived the war.

I happen to have watched The Great Escape last night too.

 

[Nelson Au]

I see the screen caps above of Robert Culp. i happen to see the Outer Limits episode, The Architects of Fear yesterday with Culp in the lead role. I never understood that episode until I got older and really could process the idea of what they were doing. Plus the double tragedy of the events for Alan Leighton’s wife. It’s quite an episode, who’d actual;y go through with such an act to be transformed into an alien in order to scare the people into working for peace in order to stop an external menace.

By the way, Decades TV is showing the 77 Sunset Street binge. I’d been aware of this series for ages and I’d only recently seen some episodes when Decades would do a binge. But I’d never seen any of the episodes from the 6th season where the format changes, Kookie, the other cast, Dino’s is all gone, only Efrem Zimbalist remains and the title of the show. The show has a very serious tone.

I’ve sampled three episodes so far and they are quite good. Also surprising to see the guest stars so far; Elizabeth Montgomery with dark hair, Clovis Leachman, DeForest Kelly and Grace Lee Whitney, Brian Keith and Burgess Meredith.

 

[ScottRE]

Wonderfully informative and evocative reviews of your shows watched, Doug and Jeff! As usual, you have me going back to dive into my collection to revisit the shows you just featured! Thank you!

As for myself...

Hogan's Heroes S4E5 To the Gestapo With Love (Oct. 26, 1968). W: Arthur Julian, Bernard Fein. D: Bruce Bilson. Starring Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, John Banner. W/ Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, Larry Hovis, Howard Caine. Guest starring Sabrina Scharf, Crhistiane Schmidtmer, Inga Jacklyn.

Hogan's Heroes is, of course, ridiculous in historical context. But nonetheless, comedy is not contingent on accurate historical context. Here, it is driven by the ridiculous scenario and accomplished by a truly expert ensemble cast of memorably realized absurdist characters...it is, to me, reliably funny! And the audience of 1965-71 seemed to agree, making Bing Crosby Productions' Hogan's Heroes a top 10 show in it's premiere season that lasted for a successful 6 year run.

Colonel Hogan (Bob Crane) and his fellow prisoners of Stalag 13 (Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, Larry Hovis) have accomplished another night of daring sabotage inside wartime Nazi Germany...blowing up one bridge and emplacing explosives under another, but forgetting to arm the detonator...but also leaving behind a U.S. uniform button found by a sentry...a sure sign that the nearby P.O.W. camp, Stalag 13, purportedly under the iron-grip control of ridiculous Luftwaffe Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer) with buffoonish Sergeant of the guards Schultz (John Banner), reputably the most escape-proof prison camp in all of Germany, must be the source of this sabotage!

Maniacal Gestapo Major Hochstetter (Howard Caine), long convinced of Klink's bungling incompetence, is determined to interrogate Hogan and his men...this time using a new Gestapo interrogation team made up of three beautiful young women (Sabrina Scharf, Christiane Schmidtmer, Inga Jacklyn) ...using their alluring feminine wiles on Stalag 13's stir-crazy and horny inmates should be torture enough...and sure enough, as the prisoners are 'interrogated' one-by-one with LeBeau (the recently passed Robert Clary) first-up, the lips are loose indeed...with LeBeau plied with Champagne and caviar and cuddling with the irresistible girls, he motormouths secrets of the French resistance aplenty...knowing how weak Newkirk, Kinchloe and Carter will be in the face of this seductive torment, and with Hogan's turn coming up and the explosives at the bridge so far undiscovered, Colonel Hogan must come up with an angle to 'psyche' out the seductive Gestapo girls...On the secret radio link with London, Hogan learns all he can in the way of personal details about the girls...personal secrets that only they (and Allied Intelligence) would know, and use against them! For instance, Hogan learns some juicy details about luscious Inga (lovely brunette Sabrina Scharf)...twice divorced from two bad marriages, her family's shame is that her brother is a communist and her father was kicked out of the Nazi party for embezzling funds!...and Hogan tells the surprised Inga that this secret gossip came from fellow Gestapo girl Heidi (Christiane Schmidtmer)...Hogan also let it slip that he's heard that Heidi and Anna (Inge Jacklyn) are dating the same Luftwaffe lothario and that Anna is also two-timing Major Hochstetter behind his back! A hilarious catfight soon ensues between the girls, clawing at each other with Hochstetter and Klink caught in the middle!

My screen caps from the CBS/P season 4 DVD set...
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The regular cast is expert in extracting maximum laughs from the outlandish scenario...Bob Crane, Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, Larry Hovis all became household names...Werner Klemperer and John Banner, both actual anti-Nazi refugees from pre-war Germany, quickly became two of the most memorable characters of 1960s sitcom land...other supporting cast like Howard Caine and Leon Askin (General Burkhalter) hilariously represented Klink's Nazi bad bosses...Bernard Fox (inept British Col. Crittendon, and 'Dr. Bombay' on Bewitched)), Nita Talbot (seductive Russian spy Marya), Arlene Martel (sexy spy Tiger) and Kathleen Freeman (as Burkhalter's nutty sister Gertrude with the hots for Klink) all ably assisted the hijinks in this reliably funny series...

Robert Clary, who recently passed away, was an actual Holocaust survivor...for whom Hogan's Heroes must have represented a strange irony indeed...R.I.P. Robert Clary.

(Having no actual relevant accuracy as to the epic tragedy that was WW2, a total war on a global scale that killed approximately 100 million people...as a sitcom you need to set that aside if you're going to accept this as the silly but hilarious show it was...which is exactly how my Uncle Bill took it...as a navigator on a 102 squadron Royal Air Force Halifax bomber, he was shot down on a night raid over Berlin in January 1944...only two of the six crew survived in their parachutes...the other four, including the pilot who may have sacrificed himself to retain control of the plane while the others tried to bail-out, all died...Uncle Bill was imprisoned at the very-real Stalag IVB for 16 months, along with thousands of other allied airmen at that one camp alone...for the most part, they were treated reasonably, even honorably by their German Luftwaffe counterparts, but the deprivation was austere and extreme at times...war crimes like the murder of 'the fifty' escapers of The Great Escape reminded everyone what the Nazis were capable of as they simultaneously went about the despicable Holocaust of European Jewry...for Allied POWs, Red Cross parcels from neutral Switzerland were a Godsend, but they often knew hunger and malnutrition as chaotic Nazi Germany was buried under around-the-clock aerial bombings and ultimately invasion from East and West. As a further aside, where I live in Western Canada, there was a POW camp for German soldiers captured in North Africa...10 thousand German prisoners behind the wire, next to a city of only 14 thousand at the time!).

I agree, you really have to suspend disbelief and just get into the absurdity of the series. And just one look at the women in this episode, how they're dressed and styled, there is zero reality as they look like they're jumping out of 60's fashion magazine. Great post, Randall, especially that final paragraph.

 

[bmasters9]

Found something really neat on Amazon that might tie in with what this thread is about: a sort of notebook that will allow you to log in on paper all the television episodes you have seen, with their airdates, plus spaces for comments and ratings.

See on Amazon

 

[Sa5150]

Gunsmoke
I enjoyed my last little binge of early 30-minute episodes, so spun through a few more, taut, tough-minded stories all.

2.11 “No Indians”
Matt strongly suspects that a series of brutal killings of local settler families are not the work of Paiute raids but are actually being carried out by white men. This is about as angry as I’ve ever seen James Arness allow Matt Dillon to be protrayed, as he and Chester (Dennis Weaver) lure the slimeball murderous gang into a trap and ambush them without remorse.

2.19 “Executioner”
Smug fast-draw drifter Tom Clegg (Liam Sullivan) goads a rancher into a gunfight and kills him. The dead man’s grief-stricken brother (Michael Hinn) then follows Clegg into Dodge and, unarmed, dogs his every step, driving him batty and setting in motion a fatal showdown between Clegg and Marshal Dillon.

3.10 “Never Pester Chester”
An exhausted Matt lets Chester attempt to dissuade a couple of mean Texas cowboys from harassing women on the street. The bigger of the two (played by huge former boxer Buddy Baer) lassoes poor Chester and drags him out of town behind his horse, leaving him a broken up and bloody mess out on the prairie. As one might expect, this pisses Matt off mightily. While Chester fights for his life under the watchful eye of Doc Adams, Matt sets out with a vengeance to bring in the two scumbags responsible…and let’s just say, he does not treat them gently. Easily my favorite of these four episodes.

3.12 “How to Kill a Woman”
Pernell Roberts, a few years before finding fame as smooth elder Cartwright brother Adam on Bonanza, shows up here as snarling baddie Nat Pilcher, who has been tormenting stationmaster Jesse Daggett (Barry Atwater) by robbing the stagecoach and killing his passengers in cold blood. Matt and Chester head out to investigate and end up hanging out at the station, playing poker with dried beans while they wait for things to develop…but when Pilcher shoots and kills a female passenger, that’s all she wrote: time for Matt to punch Pilcher’s ticket. Some nice humorous touches in this one, as Chester flirts with a pretty young woman (Jolene Brand) while riding on the stage, unaware that she's married to the much older man sitting beside her.

Man of the World – 2.3 “Double Exposure”
Photojournalist Mike Strait (Craig Stevens) is tapped by the CIA to pose as a chauffeur to the elderly Ms. Rosewall (Cicely Courtneidge) on her holidays, in order to investigate whether a military leader behind the Iron Curtain is actually dead and now being impersonated by somebody else. Erika Remberg plays Trina, their government-appointed interpreter, who develops something of a Ninotchka-like relationship with Strait. The MVP here is Ms. Courtneidge as the sly old lady who proves instrumental in helping Strait sneak the photographic evidence - and the comely Trina - out of the country. Nigel Davenport is also on hand as a suspicious member of the secret police. Another strong, entertaining entry in this early '60s ITC series.

The F.B.I. – 1.3 “A Mouthful of Dust”
A Native American, Joe Cloud (Alejandro Rey), who served under Erskine during the Korean War, catches a man trying to rape his wife and kills him in a rage. Cloud flees custody and Erskine, joining a posse led by the local sheriff (R. G. Armstrong), attempts to bring Joe in alive. The recently-deceased Robert Blake has a few good scenes as Joe’s brother, Pete. An average entry in this solid if slightly staid procedural, helped by some nice desert location work (purportedly Arizona, but it could be somewhere in California). Urbane Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. looks a bit uncomfortable on horseback. The episode closes with some guff about how Joe Cloud is, quote "quite a man." To which I say, yeah, quite a stupid man, that is, one who screws himself over by going on the run in the first place, not to mention assaulting a police officer and, later, an innocent rancher in the process.

The Avengers – 3.18 “Mandrake”
The mysterious death of a former colleague of Steed’s, and his subsequent burial in a rural Cornish churchyard, leads Steed and Mrs. Gale to uncover a sinister murder-for-hire scheme run by a small-time businessman (Philip Locke) and a doctor (John Le Mesurier). This is the one where the lovely, judo-trained Honor Blackman kicked a stuntman in the face during a fight scene and accidentally knocked him unconscious. (Needless to say, Ms. Blackman was mortified.) Future ITC regular Annette Andre pops up as a flirtatious salesclerk who sparks with Steed. Also with George Benson as an eccentric reverend and Madge Ryan as Mandrake Investments' newest client.

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The Jimmy Stewart Show – 1.5 “Another Day, Another Scholar”
Professor James Howard (Stewart) ends up with trouble at both school and at home when he finds himself briefly entangled in a compromising position with a sexy student stalker (Margaret Markov). Another pleasant entry in this early ‘70s sitcom, helped by the always welcome presence of the acerbic John McGiver as Jim’s colleague and friend, Dr. Luther Quince…and by the absence of Jonathan Daly (IMO miscast as Stewart’s eldest son). Also starring a still-gorgeous Julie Adams as Stewart's wife, as well as a brief appearance by M. Emmet Walsh as another professor. Randall covered this one quite a while back in a very fine photo essay which shows striking blonde Ms. Markov off to good advantage. The ace in the hole here, of course, is Jimmy Stewart, whose enormous charm easily keeps the entire enterprise afloat.

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The Outer Limits – 2.7 “The Invisible Enemy”
I recently received Kino’s S2 Blu-Ray set as a gift from a generous friend, and this was the episode I chose to watch first (i.e., the one with the sand sharks). While it’s far from the series’ best, it’s one that I vaguely remember from my misspent youth frequently parked in front of the tube. When a two-man team of astronauts on an exploratory mission to Mars go missing, seemingly killed by an unseen force, the U.S. military dispatches a second mission – under the command of resolute Adam West – to discover what went wrong. While the script is full of dumb characters doing dumb things that wind up getting them killed, the episode remains a fun call back to gung-ho ‘50s sci-fi flicks like It! The Monster from Outer Space and similar cheesy but enjoyable fare. Pluses include some imaginative (if biologically improbable) monster designs by Wah Chang and an impressive Martian surface set. Also with Rudy Solari, Robert DoQui, Joe Maross, Chris Alcaide and Anthony Costello. I watched this one twice, once by itself and then again accompanied by Craig Beam’s entertaining commentary track.

Bonanza
A trio of well-done but decidedly grim, fatalistic episodes, with “Broken Ballad” the best of the bunch, thanks to typically fine work from guest star Robert Culp.

2.24 “The Dark Gate”
Ross Marquette (James Coburn), a neighbor and former friend of Adam’s, appears to be going crazy, beating his wife, rustling his neighbors the Cartwrights' cattle, robbing a stagecoach and killing several men. Adam desperately tries to help his old friend, but in the end, the only thing left to do is put him down like a rabid dog. An action-packed episode, but the script gives Coburn little nuance to work with in depicting his mental deterioration and downward spiral into violent behavior. The recent news of CBS/Paramount's upcoming release of a remastered S2 DVD set is most welcome, as the image quality of this episode (from the previous release) does not look good compared with that found on the other seasons.

3.6 “Broken Ballad”
It’s that old chestnut, about a reformed gunslinger trying unsuccessfully to start a new, peaceful life and live down his past. Ed Payson (Robert Culp) returns to Virginia City and is met with hostility by shopkeeper Will Cass (Dabbs Greer), who wants Payson gone or better yet, dead, in revenge for killing his soon in a fair gunfight years before. Abigail Shelton plays Cass’s cutie-pie daughter, Sally, who takes a shine to the soulful Payson, despite her father’s hatred. Adam steps in when Cass and a young suitor for Sally’s affections (Ray Dailey) try to force Payson off his land. The seasoned western viewer will know where all this is heading, but the talented Culp elevates the material and makes the episode special…and he sings! (As does Pernell Roberts, far more robustly).

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7.20 “Peace Officer”
Four drunk and disorderly punks accidentally kill a deputy in a Virginia City saloon and go on the run, one of them subsequently shooting and seriously wounding Hoss. With Sheriff Coffee out of town, the mayor (Ted Knight) calls in famed lawman Wes Dunn (Rawhide’s Eric Fleming) to bring the fugitives in. Against Ben’s wishes, Little Joe teams up with Dunn, but soon discovers him to be a ruthless, “shoot first whether they’re armed or not” kind of guy. Fleming, suitably implacable here, would return the following season on the opposite end of the spectrum, as a pacifist Mormon in the two-part “The Pursued.”

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Jimmy Stewart Show from those caps looks like in HD , Are those from dvds ?

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Jimmy Stewart Show from those caps looks like in HD , Are those from dvds ?

Yes, from the Warner Archive DVD set.

 

[Sa5150]

Is Welcome back , Kotter really in HD ? I see this across a few streaming platforms . Does it look any good , The dvds are brutal . They look as bad as Sanford and Son .

​

​

A update , Pretty shocked but the peacock HD stream of Sanford and Son blow away the Sony dvds , The sound is much clearer and you can finally hear all the dialog much easier . The title theme track has some nice kicking bass I never heard before . Picture is definitely much clearer then the dvds and colors are more accurate . Not a miracle considering there video taped but goes to show you any old video taped show can look and sound better enough to upgrade if they did blurays even just to make a nice slim set . (hate it when people say they can't be improved) ... Yes they can !
You still get a couple commercial breaks which suck's that interrupt the flow (not paying for premium plus ) not enough material I will watch on peacock worth my time and money) .

Three's Company needs a restoration badly . DLT still own the show ?

​

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Lawman
"Riding Shotgun" (S1E29)

Another entry into this straightforward Western which features stoic law officer Dan Troop (John Russell). Serious as pancreatic cancer, Troop doesn't suffer the numerous rowdies that ride into Laramie after having amassed an impressive list of dutifully enrolled criminals into the hoosegow.

One of those, reformed gunman Larry DeLong (Alan Case) has found a legitimate job of riding shotgun on the Laramie stagecoach. When it's robbed and the driver shot and killed, suspicion falls squarely on the shoulders of DeLong--who seems most likely to have committed the crime, thus projecting Chamillionaire's observation of try'na catch me ridin' dirty.
Most definitely in the choir box of DeLong's guilt is lead townsman Jess Brubaker (Jack Lomas) who firmly believes DeLong is still ensconced in the notorious Marraday gang.

Troop tries to put a stop to all the nonsense but the odds are against DeLong and his standoffish ways. Lawman often went against type by exposing a whole realm of gray acreage between good and bad. DeLong was surely once a bad guy, but is it possible to have turned a corner? Troop counsels Larry to take a more friendly approach to folks, admonishing "A man with a prison record needs friends." But Larry is a firm believer of innocent until proven guilty, regardless of attitude.

A posse is mounted to go after the Marraday gang, headed by 'Pop' Marraday (Paul Fix), in hopes of proving a connection with Larry DeLong. The motive for the stage robbery and driver's death is murky as it was carrying no loot whatsoever. Troop continues to stabilize the citizenry as evinced by the gray streaking his forelocks as if stressed by years of confronting frontier stubbornness. In the end, Larry Delong displays a fair amount of courage and maturity in dealing with town prejudice and Pop Marraday's malice. Sometimes its not the big issues that define a man's character, but rather the ability to dodge the curveballs of life's little injustices. Larry takes time off to go fishing.

 

[Nelson Au]

Guys, I went into a Battlestar Galactica sort of binge this past weekend. I’ve had the Definitive Edition of the 1978 series on blu ray since it came out, but had not opened the set. I watched the pilot episode Saga of a Star World which is a long one 2 hours and 19 minutes. I had seen the series when it originally aired in my very youthful days. The last time I saw the theatrical cut of Saga of a Star World on DVD probably over 20 years ago. So it was kind of fun to see it again in its TV version. Initially my thinking was the show would feel very dated with the 1970’s kind of look, and in some scenes it indeed does feel dated in that way. What I’d totally forgot was what Dirk Benedict’s portrayal of Starbuck was like. More tongue and cheek and swashbuckling which made it fun. Richard Hatch was serious as Apollo. And Lorne Greene was serious too as the authority figure. It was interesting as I’m very familiar with the series, but I had not actually watched the show as I said since it initially aired. So it was interesting. It was engaging me more then I expected as I expected it to be a bit cheesy. I also watched the next episode, part one of Lost Planet of the Gods. That had some fun moments too. Jane Seymour was so young and I remember her being in it. And a pre-magnum Larry Manetti was a Viper pilot! I remember those days of going to Star Trek conventions and seeing many fans in Galactica costumes.

I was really curious about going back to the 2003 re-imagined series too. So after I watched the pilot for the 1978 series, I watched parts 1 and 2 of the Ron Moore re-imagined series. this will be the 20th year since it’s broadcast. I never watched the show initially as I didn’t have cable. So when the Blu rays came out shortly after the show was on sci-fi, I watched the series that way. I recall the initial furor by the fans of a re-imagined Galactica. So it was interesting to see the show then. I thought it was good. On my second viewing this weekend as I only saw the series once on the discs back then, and after watching the original 1978 pilot episodes, I can appreciate how Ron Moore and David Eick re-worked the premise. And it made sense. I liked how they wanted to make the show more modern and realistic. I saw the behind the scenes extra of how they wanted to re-make the genre as an adult serious drama that is realistic. But really, I think they took away some of the stylistic choices used on shows like Star Trek and the original Galactica with uniforms that looked more contemporary and the civilian clothing was contemporary verses the draping cloth used on the original show. A robotic race out to kill humans was still in the world of science fiction!

What I had not realized until this viewing is how cool the imagery of the Viper pilots were in the cockpits over the original Egyptian/Mayan looking helmets. What I took from it was a pulp imagery of the science fiction novel book covers from the 1930’s to 1950’s. But modern. I like how the names Apollo and Starbuck are now call sign names and the characters have actual human names.

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stick with it, but I might try to keep going with the original series Amd the re-boot. It’s hard to believe that the series only ran 24 episodes and it’s had such a huge impact on the audience. The re-boot was very well done and it had a more Star Trek approach as being a way to talk about contemporary issues with the science fiction backdrop of allegory.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Doctor Who – 14.1 “The Masque of Mandragora”
After an encounter with a alien intelligence called the Mandragora Helix, the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companion, Sarah (Elizabeth Sladen), are transported in the TARDIS to 15th century Renaissance Italy, where they find themselves in a power struggle between a forward-thinking young Duke (Gareth Armstrong) and his sadistic uncle (John Laurimore, lip-smackingly evil). The Doctor soon realizes that the Mandragora Helix has followed the TARDIS to Earth and has possessed court astrologer Heironymous (Norman Jones), the leader of an ancient cult called the Brethren of Demnos, with the intention of taking over the world. Prime Phillip Hinchcliffe classic Doctor Who stuff right here, a lively four-part historical adventure to open the 14th season, directed with gusto by Rodney Bennett and making terrific use of the Italianate village of Portmeirion in Wales (a location made famous by The Prisoner). Tom Baker is on terrific, commanding form, and sparks well with the adorable Liz Sladen. Also with Tim Pigott-Smith and Robert James.

Emergency! – 1.3 “Botulism”
Paramedics John (Randolph Mantooth) and Roy (Kevin Tighe) handle the usual assortment of problems, including rescuing a construction worker hanging precariously from a tower (in the pre-credits sequence), saving a young boy trapped when a run-down abandoned building collapses, and an outbreak of botulism brought on by homemade beef Stroganoff prepared by a pretty young woman (Susan Seaforth). As usual, the actual scenes featuring the paramedics and doctors at Rampart hospital doing their thing in a low-key, efficient manner remain compelling in this series' straightforward way, but the side stories - John trying to get back at a practical jokester at the station, nurse Dixie (Julie London) and Dr. Brackett (Robert Fuller) having a spat over Brackett’s dressing down an inexperienced nurse – are pretty thin gruel. Also with Anne Whitfield (all grown up from White Christmas) and Jack Webb regular featured player Virginia Gregg, who gets a single scene as a nurse.

The Fugitive
1.22/1.23 “Angels Travel Lonely Roads” Parts 1 and 2
2.10 “The Cage”
It’s been a while since I spent some time with the great David Janssen in his signature role of Dr. Richard Kimble in this phenomenal drama series. The fabulous two-parter “Angels Travel Lonely Roads” allows a little sunshine and light, however brief, to shine on the haunted, hunted Kimble, as he assists Sister Veronica (Eileen Heckart, who turns in an excellent performance) cross over the mountains to Sacramento in a beat-up old pickup. The seemingly serenely confident Sister Veronica is actually undergoing a crisis of faith, and plans to renounce her vows once she reaches her destination. Despite the lighter touch, there is still plenty danger dogging Kimble’s trail…and, as usual, some good-looking women who respond to his downcast, gentle manner - in this case, stacked Shary Marshall in part one and in part two, lovely Ruta Lee, as a lonely widow running a mountain lodge who wants Kimble to stay on for a while. Albert Salmi is also on hand as Lee’s brutish brother-in-law, who clashes with Kimble early on and eventually alerts the local sheriff (Sandy Kenyon) to his whereabouts. Ken Lynch gets a few scenes as a Lincoln City police chief out to nab Kimble. With squeaky-voiced Percy Hilton (as a hobo), Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. and Lane Bradford.

Despite the likely danger of discovery, the conscientious Kimble can’t avoid alerting authorities when an outbreak of bubonic plague hits the fishing village where he’s been working as a custodian in S2’s “The Cage.” Things get even more tricky when Carla (luminous Brenda Scott), the nubile teenage daughter of headstrong fisherman Vardez (Joe de Santis), becomes smitten with Kimble. Tim O’Connor returns for his third and final appearance in the series as a doctor called in to ensure quarantine procedures. Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. also returns briefly as the father of a young man (Richard Evans) jealous of Carla’s interest in Kimble. While not up to the heights of “Angels…”, this is a typically fine, suspenseful entry in a remarkably consistent series, anchored by nuanced, quietly intense work by the charismatic Janssen.

Mannix – 2.5 “The End of the Rainbow”
When a born loser is found dead in a hit-and-run with Mannix’s card on his body, ironhead Joe unravels a complicated case involving a $6 million robbery, a thug (Carlos Romero) who was suspected to be involved, the widow (Kathryn Hays) of a cell mate of the dead man, a ruthless hitman (Buzz Henry), and a twitchy insurance company executive (Jack Ging). As usual, it's a lively, action-packed episode, though the crime plot is rather convoluted. Lucky Mike Connors gets to make out with hot femme fatale Kathryn Hays. Also with Marti Stevens and Telly Savalas’s brother George as a police sergeant.

The Jimmy Stewart Show – 1.7 “The Identity Crisis”
Jim (Stewart) is on vacation from the university but can’t help feeling restless and hemmed in by his raucous family. His friend, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Luther Quince (John McGiver), talks him into a weekend getaway to San Francisco, where he plans to take Jim to some of his less salubrious haunts. It’s a treat to see the great Beulah Bondi, who played Stewart’s mother in several films (most famously in It’s a Wonderful Life), once again play his mother here. Unfortunately, Luther and a sozzled Jim’s visit to a San Fran strip club dubbed "The Purple Hen" occurs offscreen.

Have Gun - Will Travel
2.18 “Lady on a Stagecoach”
Paladin (saturnine Richard Boone, equal parts courtly and intimidating) shares a stage with a beautiful Apache princess (Vitina Marcus), some stuck-up, racist passengers and a large shipment of gold. The stage gets held up by outlaws, the leader of which (John Doucette) is immediately smitten with the regal princess...which gives Paladin the chance to turn the tables.

3.27 “The Gladiators”
Paladin reluctantly accompanies a seductive Southern belle (Donna Donlon) back to New Orleans to try and put a stop to a foolish duel between her pretentious old gasbag of a father (Paul Cavanaugh) and another so-called “gentleman” (George N. Neise) and ends up forced into the duel himself, against Texas gunslinger Sledge (James Coburn). Both Paladin and Sledge find the proceedings distasteful, and try to figure a way out of the situation, but fate plays an unexpected hand.

Ripcord
2.5 “Devil’s Canyon”
Tombstone Territory’s Pat Conway guest stars as escaped convict (and former paratrooper) Johnny Bicker, out for revenge on his former employer Bill Dean (Paul Birch), who is camping solo in the remote Devil’s Canyon. The Ripcord team unwittingly drop Bicker at the site and have to scramble to save the life of his target. Foxy Audrey Dalton appears as Dean’s concerned wife. As you can tell from the screencaps below, the transfers on TGG's S2 DVD set are not pristine but still watchable, with nice color but lacking sharpness. Still very happy to have this modestly entertaining slice of early '60s action/adventure released in the first place.

2.19 “The Last Chapter”
While instructing their pretty client Tanya Rovag (Dolores Faith), Ted McKeever (Larry Pennell) and Jim Buckley (Ken Curtis) become involved in trying to save her father (John Wengraf) from being killed by two Communist agents who have accompanied him into the mountains while he finishes writing a political exposé. I always get a kick out of seeing Ken Curtis playing a “normal” square-jawed hero in this show, far removed from his famous Festus persona on Gunsmoke.

Man in a Suitcase – 1.5 “Find the Lady”
Unfairly disgraced former CIA agent turned private detective McGill (Richard Bradford, all brooding, Method actor intensity) is at loose ends in Rome when he is approached by the scruffy Mori (John Garrie), an old informant from McGill’s Agency days. Mori tells him that he knows how to get in contact with master thief Giulio (Maxwell Shaw), who has recently stolen the Rossini jewels, killing the owner in the process. McGill gets approval from the local carabinieri Commandante (Patrick Cargill) to attempt to reclaim the necklace and capture Giulio for a $30,000 finders fee from the insurance company. McGill has Mori arrange an exchange, cash for the jewels, but things go pear-shaped quickly, as the cunning and ruthless Giulio evades McGill in the catacombs and later murders Mori, who has stashed the jewels someplace safe, with only the phrase “find the lady” as a cryptic clue. A seething McGill paces his hotel room like a caged tiger, eagerly waiting for Giulio to make his move so he can avenge Mori’s death. Exotic beauty Jeanne Roland guest stars as Francesca, a fellow guest at the hotel who shows an interest in McGill. She seems on the level, but McGill has learned the hard way to trust no one. Enjoyable crime caper served up with the usual slick ITC panache. Cargill, who also memorably starred as one of a long line of Number Twos in The Prisoner, is a standout as the clipped and menacing, but ultimately fair, Commandante.

Bearcats! – 1.12 “The Return of Estaban”
Kathryn Hays (looking smashing!) and Brioni Farrell play seamstress sisters who hire principled soldiers of fortune Hank Brackett (Rod Taylor) and Johnny Reach (Dennis Cole) to rid their town of the vengeful Russell (William Smith), who’s hellbent on blowing up the town’s silver mine and thus destroying the town's livelihood. Hank and Johnny forego their usual blank check fee in exchange for a new wardrobe courtesy of their comely clients, but need to call in their old compadre, devil-may-care pilot Estaban (Henry Darrow, channeling his charming Manolito persona from The High Chaparral), for aviation help. Taylor’s burly charisma anchors this short-run, amiable period adventure from creator Douglas Heyes (who invests this with some of the same lighthearted charm of his earlier work on Maverick). Climaxes with an exciting action sequence which includes some fisticuffs between Taylor and Smith - a rematch of sorts between the two brawny actors, who brawled to memorable real-life effect while filming the impressively violent end fight in 1970’s Travis McGee adaptation, Darker Than Amber.

 

[BobO'Link]

Guys, I went into a Battlestar Galactica sort of binge this past weekend. I’ve had the Definitive Edition of the 1978 series on blu ray since it came out, but had not opened the set. I watched the pilot episode Saga of a Star World which is a long one 2 hours and 19 minutes. I had seen the series when it originally aired in my very youthful days. The last time I saw the theatrical cut of Saga of a Star World on DVD probably over 20 years ago. So it was kind of fun to see it again in its TV version. Initially my thinking was the show would feel very dated with the 1970’s kind of look, and in some scenes it indeed does feel dated in that way. What I’d totally forgot was what Dirk Benedict’s portrayal of Starbuck was like. More tongue and cheek and swashbuckling which made it fun. Richard Hatch was serious as Apollo. And Lorne Greene was serious too as the authority figure. It was interesting as I’m very familiar with the series, but I had not actually watched the show as I said since it initially aired. So it was interesting. It was engaging me more then I expected as I expected it to be a bit cheesy. I also watched the next episode, part one of Lost Planet of the Gods. That had some fun moments too. Jane Seymour was so young and I remember her being in it. And a pre-magnum Larry Manetti was a Viper pilot! I remember those days of going to Star Trek conventions and seeing many fans in Galactica costumes.

I was really curious about going back to the 2003 re-imagined series too. So after I watched the pilot for the 1978 series, I watched parts 1 and 2 of the Ron Moore re-imagined series. this will be the 20th year since it’s broadcast. I never watched the show initially as I didn’t have cable. So when the Blu rays came out shortly after the show was on sci-fi, I watched the series that way. I recall the initial furor by the fans of a re-imagined Galactica. So it was interesting to see the show then. I thought it was good. On my second viewing this weekend as I only saw the series once on the discs back then, and after watching the original 1978 pilot episodes, I can appreciate how Ron Moore and David Eick re-worked the premise. And it made sense. I liked how they wanted to make the show more modern and realistic. I saw the behind the scenes extra of how they wanted to re-make the genre as an adult serious drama that is realistic. But really, I think they took away some of the stylistic choices used on shows like Star Trek and the original Galactica with uniforms that looked more contemporary and the civilian clothing was contemporary verses the draping cloth used on the original show. A robotic race out to kill humans was still in the world of science fiction!

What I had not realized until this viewing is how cool the imagery of the Viper pilots were in the cockpits over the original Egyptian/Mayan looking helmets. What I took from it was a pulp imagery of the science fiction novel book covers from the 1930’s to 1950’s. But modern. I like how the names Apollo and Starbuck are now call sign names and the characters have actual human names.

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stick with it, but I might try to keep going with the original series Amd the re-boot. It’s hard to believe that the series only ran 24 episodes and it’s had such a huge impact on the audience. The re-boot was very well done and it had a more Star Trek approach as being a way to talk about contemporary issues with the science fiction backdrop of allegory.

I watched the first few episodes of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica as they aired (and was incredibly irritated that they interrupted the airing of the pilot movie with a very lame Camp David update "Special Report" - at least they picked up where they interrupted for that "update") - and then bailed. It was too "kidified" and cheesy and had significant re/overuse of the same half dozen vfx shots and the incredibly cringe worthy made up profanity. After purchasing the series on DVD (because it was cheap - ~$20) and rewatching it I found I pretty much felt the same as when it first aired. It was still quite cheesy, practically laughable at times, with lots and lots of 70s chic/cliche stuff on the screen. Typical screenwriting of a SF series by people who really didn't understand what made good SF.

Then a super deal on the "Definitive Collection" BR came up ($25 - yes, you read that correctly - for a new set from a reputable vendor) so I purchased that. Yep... it still hasn't aged well at all and the WS versions are simply abominations (and it's a shame that the non definitive set is WS only with the only way to get OAR is by purchasing the more expensive set - what a rip off! At least it's only ~$12 more these days.) with incredibly poor cropping to create that WS image.

I watched Ron Moore's reimagined series, also when it originally aired, and really, really, liked it. It, too, has been purchased twice - once on DVD and again on BR. And I *still* like it. It's aged well and is good, compelling, SF though also suffers a bit from made up profanity (though it's not as bad as the original).

I've watched the original series twice - once on DVD and again on BR and am unlikely to revisit it often, if at all. By contrast, I've watched the reimagined version at least a half dozen times and will likely watch it again within the next couple of years.

 

[Nelson Au]

Howie and others. I had a similar concern when I felt a bit compelled to re-watch the original Galactica. I was really curious to see it. So far, I’ve seen the pilot, Saga of a Star World and Lost Planet of the Gods Part 1 and 2. I tend to agree with your assessment of the series. Though the fake swear words don’t bother me as much as it does you. It’s kind of fun. I didn’t finish the part 2 of Planet of the Lost Gods as I didn’t want to see that final segment, I won’t spoil it if anyone hasn’t seen it.

i’ve ripped the entire series and I’ll see how far I can go, I may not make it, or just jump ahead to The Living Legend as I’m curious to revisit that. What got me into this was recalling that Michelle Forbes played Cain in the 2004 series and she’s been in the news as you probably know.

I’m going to rip the re-imagined series next and go on with that viewing too.

And there are two things in the original Galactica that I thought was good then and now on the eyes; Maren Jensen and Jane Seymour. I guess Miss Jensen decided to not pursue more acting. I meant to post these images early, but had trouble finding some good shots.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Man with a Camera – 1.9 “Two Strings of Pearls”
Mike Kovac (Charles Bronson) is in Rome finishing up a photo shoot, when he witnesses the arrival of a woman (Audrey Dalton) he is convinced he has met before on a Trans-Atlantic cruise, but is now going by a different name: Sharon Rogers, one of a pair of socialite sisters accompanying their “uncle” (King Calder). When Sharon totally ignores and then claims not to know him. Mike’s interest is piqued, and he starts poking around…eventually discovering that Sharon is involved in a con job to walk away with a cool $250,000 in pearls. Bronson’s star wattage is slightly toned down here early in his career, but he still easily commands the screen, and the script deftly handles Kovac’s and Sharon’s relationship in a mature and realistic manner.

Bat Masterson – 1.9 “The Treasure of Worry Hill”
Bat is in Tonopah, Nevada when he is approached by three cousins, one courtly (Ross Martin), one sultry (Audrey Dalton) and one impatient (Robert Anderson), who wish to hire his services as an intermediary and lead them to the place where their uncle has buried $100,000. Each cousin has a piece of a map leading to the treasure, but only when all three maps are overlapped together is the location clear. As the cousins don’t trust each other, it’s up to honest Bat to take possession of all three maps and lead the way...but he soon discovers that things are more complicated than they at first seem. Fun outing with Gene Barry on good – and slightly less smarmy than usual – form. Also with Harvey Stephens as a millionaire former partner of the dead uncle, who, in a nicely eccentric touch, resides in a castle in the middle of the desert (actually filmed at Shea’s Castle in Antelope Valley, California.)

Mr. Novak – 1.26 “One Way to Say Goodbye”
One night after a faculty meeting, Novak (James Franciscus) meets Jenny Peterson (Kathryn Hays), a former pupil of Jefferson High. They are immediately attracted to each other and soon begin a whirlwind romance. But Novak is quickly brought down to earth with a thud when a man (Glen Kramer) approaches him one morning at school and informs him that he is Jenny’s husband. Whoops! Meanwhile, Novak must deal with a recalcitrant student (Tom Nardini) who is verging on flunking out. A sensitive, literate script from series co-creator E. Jack Neuman, which allows each character to act in a refreshingly adult manner, nicely directed by Richard Donner. Ms. Hays, with her unusual though undoubtedly pretty face, trim figure and slightly husky voice, does fine work here, alternately playfully flirty, sophisticated and serious. And as always with this terrifically written and performed series, the work dynamics between various teachers and school staff feel very real and believable.

My Three Sons – 3.25 “Robbie Wins His Letter’
Robbie (Don Grady) is aghast to find his high school hipness factor drop precipitiously upon being nominated by his science teacher (William Sargent) for an inaugural Letter award for academic excellence. His cute but lazy and shallow girlfriend, Betsy (Brooke Bundy), no longer wants anything to do with him and the Neanderthal jocks are hassling him over his potentially treading into their Letterman sweater-wearing territory. When Robbie – who’s up for the award along with earnest Mildred Harper (Zeme North), who has a crush on him – considers playing dumb to put himself out of the running, his proud but concerned dad Steve (Fred MacMurray) works with Mildred’s psychologist mom (June Dayton) to come up with a plan to convince Robbie that being an “egghead” is, like, cool, man. The first step: give Mildred a makeover. Second, somehow finagle an appearance by Brig. Gen. Jimmy Stewart his very own self to give a stirring speech and present the award. A very enjoyable episode all around.

Sugarfoot – 3.19 “Funeral at Forty Mile”
Tom Brewster (lanky, likable Will Hutchins) arrives in the town of Forty Mile to help his cousin, Luke (Donald May), run for county sheriff…but soon finds himself investigating a series of cryptic messages targeting five men for the lynching of a young cowboy three years before. One of the five is Luke, who feels guilty over failing to prevent the lynching. Pretty good mystery with a fine supporting cast – including George Kennedy, Percy Hilton, Kent Taylor, John Qualen and a young and perky Louise Fletcher, as the fiancée of the dead man who Luke has feelings for. May briefly replaced lead Wayde Preston in S3 of Colt .45, when Preston walked off the show in a dispute with the stingy (and vindictive) Warner Brothers' brass.

The Wild Wild West – 2.2 “The Night of the Golden Cobra”
Even by the generally outlandish standards of this show’s second season, this episode is pretty out there. West, summoned out to the Pawnee Indian Reservation by Col. Mayo (Simon Scott), suddenly finds himself fighting two mounted Gurka soldiers, and is then bitten by a cobra. He awakens in a Hindu palace in the middle of the prairie, a “guest” of Mr. Singh (Boris Karloff), an Indian Maharajah who wants the famously resourceful Secret Service agent West to train his three bloodthirsty sons in the art of killing. West attempts to rescue the captive Colonel and escape with help from Singh’s daughter, Veda (Audrey Dalton). Lots of fights and colorful action in this one, albeit very little plot (at least, till the very end). The aging Karloff looks quite frail but is a welcome presence, his stately demeanor and wonderful, mellifluous voice still quite effective.

Last of the Summer Wine
Two entertaining and laugh-filled episodes from the peak “first Foggy” era of this, Britain’s longest-running sitcom.

5.4 “Deep in the Heart of Yorkshire”
Scruffy Compo (Bill Owen), timorous Clegg (Peter Sallis) and pompous windbag Foggy (Brian Wile) are up to their usual antics, traipsing around the scenic Yorkshire Dales and trading insults, when they see café owner Sid (John Comer) skulking about the trees with a bedroll. They immediately think he’s sneaking some nookie on the side – understandable, considering his wife is belligerent shrew Ivy (Jane Freeman). Later, the trio hear from Compo’s dour harpy of a neighbor, Nora Batty (Kathy Staff), that her henpecked hubby Wally (Joe Gladwin) has also scarpered off. What Sid and Wally are actually up to comes as a very funny surprise, which I won’t spoil here, other than to say that there’s a definite clue in the episode’s title.

5.5 “Earnshaw Strikes Again”
The usually irrepressible trio of Compo, Clegg and Foggy are feeling bored and listless. When Foggy poo-poos some supposed Yorkshire superstitions, Compo and Clegg wait for the inevitable bad luck to strike. Talented character actor David Ryall guest stars as a motorist who's in a partial body cast, preventing him from properly fixing his broken-down car. Foggy insists on “helping” him, with the expected disastrous results.

 

[JohnHopper]

The Wild Wild West – 2.2 “The Night of the Golden Cobra”
Even by the general outlandish standards of this show’s second season, this episode is pretty out there. West, summoned out to the Pawnee Indian Reservation by Col. Mayo (Simon Scott), suddenly finds himself fighting two mounted Gurka soldiers, and is then bitten by a cobra. He awakens in a Hindu palace in the middle of the prairie, a “guest” of Mr. Singh (Boris Karloff), an Indian Maharajah who wants the famously resourceful Secret Service agent West to train his three bloodthirsty sons in the art of killing. West attempts to rescue the captive Colonel and escape with help from Singh’s daughter, Veda (Audrey Dalton). Lots of fights and colorful action in this one, albeit very little plot (at least, till the very end). The aging Karloff looks quite frail but is a welcome presence, his stately demeanor and wonderful, mellifluous voice still quite effective.

I agree with your review: pure escapism, pure fantasy, no intricate plot.
One of my favorite scene is when Artie poses as a magician and performs the magic rope trick to save Jim from the three sons.
Note that Boris Karloff and Audrey Dalton previously worked together in the season 1 episode of Thriller entitled “The Prediction”.