What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (8 Viewers)

[The 1960's]

Law Of The Plainsman (1959-1960)
Stars Michael Ansara Gina Gillespie Dayton Lummis​

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Law of the Plainsman is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960. The character of Native American U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart was introduced in two episodes ("The Indian" and “S01E38 The Raid") of the popular ABC Western television series The Rifleman starring Chuck Connors. As with The Rifleman, this series was produced by Four Star Productions in association with Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions. Law of the Plainsman is distinctive in that it was one of the few television programs that featured a Native American as the lead character, a bold move for U.S. network television at that time. Ansara had earlier appeared in the series Broken Arrow, having portrayed the Apache chief, Cochise. Ansara, however, was not Native American but of Lebanese descent…Continue @ Wikipedia

This is a series that was mostly unknown to me until a fellow HTF member sent me 24 of the 30 episodes. I’m really loving it and I’m puzzled why it’s never received a proper release. It had to be a groundbreaking premise for it’s time with Michael Ansara as Sam Buckhart, an Apache Indian who was gifted a financial reward for saving the life of a U.S. Cavalry officer in an Indian Ambush. He took that money to educate himself into the world of the White Man by attending Harvard University. He then returned to his home in New Mexico and became a Deputy Marshal working under Marshal Andy Morrison.​

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S01E01 Prairie Incident (Oct.11.1959)
Stars Michael Ansara Dayton Lummis Gina Gillespie Nora Marlowe Richard Devon Harry Swoger William D. Gordon Pat O'Malley John Rice Rick Warick​

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The story begins with Sam discovering a murdered man. The man’s daughter, a little girl named Tess Wilkins, (Gina Gillespie) was found huddled in his wagon. A very touching interaction ensues considering the violent nature known to westerns of that era. He’s able to gain the trust of Tess after burying her father and saying prayers at his grave. Then he convinces her to accompany him to Santa Fe where he finds someone to take care of her. There they search for two outlaws, one of whom is bonifide psychotic Johnny Varga, (played to the hilt by Richard Devon). Tess tells Sam that Varga murdered her father and she will identify him. Gina Gillespie, now 72 years young, was discovered by Alfred Hitchcock. Best known for this series and for her roles in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958) I will always remember her as Jenny Ammory in The Fugitive “The Witch” (1963).​

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You can stream it here. (The Entire Series Here)



Law Of The Plainsman Introductions …

The Rifleman S01E21 The Indian (Feb.17.1959)

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The Rifleman S01E37 The Raid (Jun.09.1959)

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[Purple Wig]

Been taking a bit of a break but did watch 2 episodes of Danger Man and a Barnaby Jones this week.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Here are my latest musings.

Maverick
Stampede (1.9) Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Pamela Duncan, Joan Shawlee, Chris Alcaide, Mike Lane, Pat Comiskey. First of several appearance from Zimbalist as Dandy Jim Buckley. Nice foil for Bret and a very entertaining episode.

The Jeweled Gun (1.10) Kathleen Crowley, Miguel Landa, Roy Barcroft, Stephen Coit, Dean Fredericks, Doug McClure (cameo). Bret and Bart introduce this mostly Bart episode. Bart is hired as a reluctant bodyguard to a spoiled rich (wife?).

The Wrecker (1.11) Bartlett Robinson, Patric Knowles, Karl Swenson, Murvyn Vye, Thomas Browne, Maurice Manson. Another Bart centric episode utilizing movie footage of tall ships. Bret and Bart earn a chance to bid on a ship full of treasure.

The Quick And The Dead (1.12) Marie Windsor, Gerald Mohr, John Vivyan, Sam Buffington, Robert Keys. Introduction of the (in)famous Doc Holliday (Mohr). Best episode on this disc.

Now is the time for some 30 minute series. I felt the need for a change.

WKRP In Cincinnati
The Painting (3.9) Herb feels obligated to purchase something at a charity auction hosted by the “Big Guy”. He buys a painting that he doesn't want and continually loses money as he works to get rid of it. Funny episode.

Daydreams (3.10) While Mr. Carlson is rehearsing a speech, the crew is sent into wacky daydreams.

Frog Story (3.11) Kenneth Tigar. Herb accidentally paints his daughter's (Bunny) frog. He takes the sick pet to work where it expires.

Venus And The Man (3.12) Kenny Long, Veronica Redd. Venus is asked to talk a potential dropout into staying in school.

Dr. Fever And Mr. Tide: Part 1 & Part 2 (3.13, 3.14) Plays as a one hour episode, not two half-hours. What if Johnny takes a part-time job as a Dick Clark style dance party host, who then becomes the media darling of Cincinnati . He then feels the need to have a separate identity for TV as well as remaining Dr. Fever at WKRP. It seems the Hesseman must have had loads of fun becoming a split personality as he seems to be having a blast as Mr. Tide. Best scene, the confrontation between Johnny/Tide and Mr. Carlson, Andy and Herb.

Ask Jennifer (3.15) Eileen Barnett. The station attempts to break into the personal advice programming scene.

The Virginian
Vengeance Is The Spur (1.22) Michael Rennie, Nina Foch, Denver Pyle, Ed Kemmer, Ross Elliott, John Bryant. The Virginian is fooled into helping a bitter woman (Foch). She is looking for the man who killed her daughter and wishes to exact revenge.

The Money Cage (1.23) Steve Forrest, Joanna Moore, Bethel Leslie, Ron Foster, Cyril Delevanti, Rusty Lane, Dayton Lummis. A con man (Forrest) and his team arrive in Medicine Bow with the intent to scam the citizens with potential oil strike as the bait. While laying the ground work he romances the banker's daughter (Leslie) and develops feelings. A banking crisis brings out the best in him, a decided shock to him.

The Golden Door (1.24) Karl Boehm, Robert Duvall. John Hoyt, Paul Carr, Ilza Taurins, Russell Thorson, Don “Red” Barry, John Bryant. An immigrant learns the intricacies of the American judicial system as he is accused of murder, protests his innocence, is defended by Judge Garth, is acquitted and eventually confesses only to learn that his confession does not release the falsely accused man that has been arrested. Complex issues presented with no easy answers.

Public Defender
A Call In The Night (1.19) Barbara Whiting, James Flavin, Ruth Lee, Robert Patten, Claudia Barrett, Sally Fraser. When good girls go bad. Parents are presented as essentially clueless in their desire to provide the advantages they believe their children deserve.

Escape (1.20) Brett King, Anne Kimbrell, Peter Hansen, Harry Lewis, John Banner, John Harmon, Sally Mansfield. An inmate receives a “Dear John” letter, escapes to have words with the flighty female who has “directed” his life as a fighter for several months.

High Stakes (1.21) Steve Brodie, Randy Stuart, Bill Kennedy, Lyle Talbot, Frank Marlowe, Alan Dexter. A compulsive gambler is enticed to reignite his gambling passion that eventually places him with a tremendous debt. He is offered an “out” if he will steal his office payroll.

Lisa (1.22) Rita Corday, Peter van Eyck, Donald Curtis, Tom Brown, Peter Adams, Stafford Repp, Madge Blake. A reporter feels obligated to find a way to assist a woman (former movie star) who has been arrested for theft. What happened and how can it be fixed?

The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriett
A Doctor In The House (5.11) Frank Cady, Elvia Allman. Doc Williams is a house guest at the Nelsons, as usual he keeps getting asked for free medical advice.

The Busy Christmas (5.12) Frank Cady, Lyle Talbot, Isabel Randolph, Phil Arnold. Ozzie is unable to say “No” to any holiday request. He has no time to do all of the familiar things his family looks forward to due to his commitments.

The Day After Christmas (5.13) Ozzie would like for the family to come together for an ice skating trip like they used to do after Christmas. No one has the time as they all have plans.

Ozzie's Double (5.14) Isabel Randolph, Mary Castle, Sally Hughes, Barney Phillips. Did you ever wonder what would happen if you met your double? Ozzie finds out since his double is a thief.

Hairstyle For Harriet (5.15) Maurice Marsac, Barney Phillips. Rick channels Elvis while Dave channels Yul Brynner. Harriet is intrigued by a lecture from a French hairstylist and books an appointment to change her 15 year old style.

The Puppy (5.16) Dick Elliott, Mary Castle. Ozzie and the boys decide to get Harriet a puppy. They try to keep the puppy a secret.

The Borrowed Tuxedo (5.17) Frank Cady, Parley Baer, Hal Smith. Ozzie feels that borrowing is not how friends should act, until he needs Doc Williams newly fitted tuxedo. Cute scene with a chimpanzee.

Like Father, Like Son (5.18) Carol Byron, Frank Cady. Does history repeat itself. Harriet does. David and his new date seem to be repeating the pattern that Ozzie and Harriet did while they were dating.

The Duena (5.19) Barney Phillips, Lucita, Lina Romay, Skip Young. David has a date with a Spanish speaking girl and she agrees if a chaperon can accompany then. Ozzie agrees and then realizes she believes he is her date.

The Hot Dog Stand (5.20) Lucien Littlefield, Parley Baer, Hal Smith, Joseph Kearns, Skip Young. David and friends purchase the campus hot dog stand and things start going wrong with grades and social activities.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Crack Of Doom (2.9) Robert Horton, Robert Middleton, Gail Kobe, Dayton Lummis, Kay Stewart, Francis de Sales. One long tension filled flashback concerning poker and theft. Excellent episode.

Jonathan (2.10) Georgann Johnson, Corey Allen, Douglas Kennedy, Walter Kingsford. A son (Allen) with an unhealthy attachment to his father (Kennedy), dislikes his father's second wife. After his father dies, he goes home and learns the secret behind his father's death.

The Better Bargain (2.11) Robert Middleton, Henry Silva, Don Hammer, Kathleen Hughes, Jack Lambert. A criminal (Middleton) with a trophy wife believes his wife is cheating. A private eye verifies this. He then contracts a killer (Silva) to take care of the problem. There is an issue preventing the contract being fulfilled. Nice twist for this little play.

The Rose Garden (2.12) John Williams, Patricia Collinge, Evelyn Varden, Ralph Peters. A murder is examined through a fictional story. Justice is served.

Mr. Blanchard's Secret (2.13) Robert Horton, Meg Mundy, Mary Scott. When you have a wife who writes mysteries, nothing ever appears to be what it is. Poor husband (Horton) is trying to keep his wife calm but her imagination just keeps working.

John Brown's Body (2.14) Leora Dane, Russell Collins, Hugh Marlowe, Edmon Ryan, Walter Kingsford. A philandering wife helps her lover drive her husband crazy, mistake as he was the brains behind their financial success.

Crackpot (2.15) Biff McGuire, Robert Emhardt, Mary Scott, Michael Fox. Undercover methods taken to the extreme in order to uncover the identity of a woman's murder.

Nightmare In 4-D (2.16) Henry Jones, Barbara Baxley, Norman Lloyd, Virginia Gregg, Percy Helton, Minerva Urecal. A quiet unassuming, henpecked husband finds himself accused of murder. Nice turn by Norman Lloyd, an executive producer on this series.

Now back to our regularly scheduled one hour dramas.

Bonanza
Logan's Treasure (6.5) Dan Duryea, John Kellogg, Virginia Gregg, Tim McIntire, Ray Teal, Russ Bender. Sam Logan (Duryea) spent 20 years in jail for a robbery he says he did not commit. Virginia City does not want him, Ben believes him and has offered his home. Turns out that Sam is guilty and is being followed by a bounty hunter who never believed in Sam's innocence.

The Scapegoat (6.6) George Kennedy, Sandra Warner, Richard Devon, Jon Lormer, Troy Melton, Bill Catching. Waldo (Kennedy) has no reason to live and is attempting to end it when Hoss encounters him and brings him to the Ponderosa. Seems that Waldo has troubles that have been following him.

A Dime's Worth Of Glory (6.7) Walter Brooke, Bruce Cabot, Charles Maxwell, Dal Jenkins, Preston Pierce. A writer, Finch (Brooke), pens dime novels. He is on a stage with Ben and Adam who act heroically during an Indian attack. He writes a novel about them assuming that they would want the fame. They turn him down. Finch then sets his sights on a has been Sheriff Larrimore (Cabot), nearly the town drunk living off of his past glory. He then becomes a bully who browbeats the man in jail, allows him to escape and nearly shoots him in the back, all for glory.

Square Deal Sam (6.8) Ernest Truex, Nydia Westerman, Sandy Kenyon, Bung Russell, Shug Fisher. Cons and orphans and a very well used trope all play out in this overly predictable episode.

Gunsmoke
The Noonday Devil (16.13) Anthony Zerbe (dual role), Warren Vanders, Ernest Sarracino, Annette Charles. Amazing performance by Zerbe examining the dual nature of man and how they are alike as well as different.

Sergeant Holly (16.14) Forrest Tucker, Albert Salmi, Vito Scotti, Med Flory. Hey look, it's Sergeant O'Rourke from F Troop, not really, but it sure appears so. This is a comedy that falls short of the mark. Tucker is overly loud and broad in this one.

Jenny (16.15) Lisa Gerritsen, Rance Howard, Steve Ihnat, Steve Raines. A bad guy (Ihnat) is wanted everywhere, but he has a daughter (Gerritsen) that he wants to see since her mother is dead. Newly finds her father and makes an amnesty deal to give him two days to spend with her before he surrenders. A zealous Judge (Howard) forces Newly to arrest him right now. Jenny finds out the truth and blames Newly and will not speak to him or her father. Doc Adams finds the way to “fix” Jenny's voice. Excellent episode.

Captain Sligo (16.16) Richard Basehart, Salome Jens, Royal Dano, Stacy Harris, Robert Totten, Geri Reischl. A star crossed lover's story that is absurd to me. A home built to look like a ship??? What a waste of talented actors.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
David Nelson’s bride-to-be June Blair makes her first appearance on the show in these two episodes from S9, before becoming a regular (as herself) the following season. Despite her Playboy Playmate background and statuesque figure, Ms. Blair comes across here as a very demure, exceedingly sweet young lady (though already 27 at the time of filming, a few years David Nelson’s senior). From what I’ve read, this seems to have been representative of Ms. Blair’s actual personality (she reportedly had no real taste for the Hollywood limelight).

9.4 “His Brother’s Girl”
Dave and Rick pair up with a couple of cuties from one of their college classes. However, Dave soon finds himself falling for Rick's initial pick, Jane (Blair), and the feeling is more than mutual. Dave tries to resist but he’s only human. He ends up inviting Jane to a fraternity dance and can't decide how to break the news to his brother. Luckily, Rick is similarly conflicted, sparking more with Dave’s girl, Terry (Janet Lake). Skip Young shows up for his usual reliable quotient of laughs as Wally, here trying to scam a dime from the boys to buy a Coke.

9.10 “David Hires a Secretary”
Dave’s boss at the law firm, Mr. Kelley (Joe Flynn, still amusing but way laid back compared to his broad work on McHale’s Navy) gives Dave the responsibility of hiring a temporary replacement secretary when the highly-efficient Miss Edwards (Connie Harper) goes on vacation. Dave ends up hiring a girl (Blair again) more for her looks and sweet disposition than her secretarial skills. When her work typing out an important legal brief doesn’t pass muster, Dave ends up recruiting his whole family – plus Wally – to re-type the thing. Gotta love the Nelsons, they’re just such nice folks. A pre-Petticoat Junction Lori Saunders (billed as “Linda Hines”) pops up briefly as a co-ed.

Bonanza – 9.1 “Second Chance”
Joe and Hoss encounter an Indian raiding party in the desert, which results in Joe taking an arrow in the shoulder. With Joe desperately needing medical attention, Hoss comes across a small wagon train of initially-hostile misfits, heading East. Luckily for Joe, there’s a terminally-ill doctor among the party (played by Joe de Santis) who agrees to treat him. Before long, the survivors of the wagon train, now joined by a concerned Ben and an Army officer, are holed up at a deserted station stop, greatly outnumbered. It’s up to a disgraced, alcoholic former soldier (James Gregory) to redeem himself and save his devoted daughter (Jane Zachery) and the others with a desperate final gambit. Another solid desert survival story, though perhaps peopled with too many characters for them all to receive full attention from the script. Douglas Kennedy and Bettye Ackerman co-star.

Cheyenne – 3.4 “Border Affair”
Cheyenne (man mountain Clint Walker, who gets his shirt off once again here to titillate the average harried ‘50s housewife) gets involved in Revolutionary troubles down Mexico way. Captured by the French, Cheyenne soon escapes, and comes to the aid of a young runaway Spanish princess (lovely Erin O’Brien), who doesn't like her much older intended husband, the brutal Gen. Debeauchaie (Sebastian Cabot). Along the way, the spoiled yet pure-hearted princess and the big Yank fall in love, as one might expect. Lots going on in this fun, fast-paced tale, full of robust action and intrigue. Also with Joy Page, Linda Watkins, Naomi Stevens and the always-welcome Michael Pate, once more showing that he’s the man of a thousand foreign accents (here a French colonel in hot pursuit of the princess).

Fantasy Island – 1.8 “Treasure Hunt / The Beauty Contest”
Stu Chambers (Michael Callan), his wife Andrea (cutie pie Jo Ann Harris) and Stu’s business partner, Jim Defoe (Peter Haskell) go in search of a lost treasure worth a cool million…but Stu’s jealous nature may fulfill a dreaded murder curse said to haunt the loot. Meanwhile, Sally Quinn (a post-Brady Bunch Maureen McCormick) hopes to be crowned “Miss Fantasy Island” to follow in her late mother's footsteps and gain the attention of her wealthy but neglectful father (Gene Barry). The beauty pageant storyline is pretty insipid stuff, really, and the treasure hunt one is only marginally better…this Saturday night Aaron Spelling jiggle joint is held together mostly by Ricardo Montalban’s charisma as the mysterious Mr. Roarke, plus the chance to see the occasional big star slumming it on tropical locations.

Cannon – 3.23 “Triangle of Terror”
Cannon (William Conrad, looking alarmingly heavy here) is called to the West Indies by Jackie Akers (Dana Wynter) to investigate the death of her father, Sir Arnold Masters. As smarmy bastard specialist Lloyd Bochner is on hand as Wynter’s hubby, we know that something fishy’s going on, and he's up to his neck in it. The episode is nicely shot on Catalina Island, which – while hardly convincing as a stand-in for the West Indies – does add some quality maritime atmosphere. Also with Don Knight, Maidie Norman and Thalmus Rasulala, as the local chief of police who is at first frosty towards our tough, rotund private dick, but quickly teams up with him to bring the killers to book.

Bachelor Father – 1.2 “Bentley vs. the Girl Scouts”
Horndog bachelor Bentley Gregg (John Forsythe) pulls out all the stops to woo his niece Kelly's (Diane Corcoran) attractive troop leader, Marilyn (Diane Brewster), during a girl scout camping trip in Griffith Park. His wiles work a little too well, though, and Kelly is crestfallen, realizing that Uncle Bentley has no intentions of marrying Marilyn (who has cancelled a date with her fiancé to have dinner with him). Bentley shows that he’s not really a cad at heart, though, coming up with a plan to dampen Marilyn’s ardor. That said plan involves a pair of hotties (including the aforementioned June Blair, plus Cecile Rogers) stopping by his bachelor pad and planting some serious smooches on him, is a mere side benefit. Cute show, and wiseacre Sammee Tong (as Peter, Bentley’s Chinese valet) and the debonair Forsythe make a winning pair of rascals. Watched a decent print of this one on YouTube.

Shotgun Slade – 1.30 “Crossed Guns”
Also watched via YouTube, though it was not in the best of shape, to say the least. Hook-handed former gunslinger Mort Phillips (Barry Atwater, a good fifteen years before achieving fame of a sort as vampire Janos Skorzeny in The Night Stalker), is fresh out of prison and nursing a grudge against Slade (big, menacing slab of beef Scott Brady) for putting him away for five years. He lures Slade to Grover's Bend for a showdown with his fast-draw young protégé, Billy. The town’s citizens, led by the sheriff’s forthright daughter, Lydia Prescott (Sue Ane Langdon, in a non-ditz role for a change) hire Slade to look into Phillips’ spurious claims on their property. This jazzy late ‘50s P.I. noir riff on a traditional western works surprisingly well, helped by gruff Marlowe-esque narration from gravel-voiced Brady.

 

[JohnHopper]

Gunsmoke
The Noonday Devil (16.13) Anthony Zerbe (dual role), Warren Vanders, Ernest Sarracino, Annette Charles. Amazing performance by Zerbe examining the dual nature of man and how they are alike as well as different.

Sergeant Holly (16.14) Forrest Tucker, Albert Salmi, Vito Scotti, Med Flory. Hey look, it's Sergeant O'Rourke from F Troop, not really, but it sure appears so. This is a comedy that falls short of the mark. Tucker is overly loud and broad in this one.

Jenny (16.15) Lisa Gerritsen, Rance Howard, Steve Ihnat, Steve Raines. A bad guy (Ihnat) is wanted everywhere, but he has a daughter (Gerritsen) that he wants to see since her mother is dead. Newly finds her father and makes an amnesty deal to give him two days to spend with her before he surrenders. A zealous Judge (Howard) forces Newly to arrest him right now. Jenny finds out the truth and blames Newly and will not speak to him or her father. Doc Adams finds the way to “fix” Jenny's voice. Excellent episode.

Captain Sligo (16.16) Richard Basehart, Salome Jens, Royal Dano, Stacy Harris, Robert Totten, Geri Reischl. A star crossed lover's story that is absurd to me. A home built to look like a ship??? What a waste of talented actors.

The cream of the crop remains:

Episode #13
“The Noonday Devil”
written by William Kelley
directed by Philip Leacock
music by Johny Parker
guests: Anthony Zerbe, Warren Vanders, Ernest Sarracino, Anthony Cordova, Pepe Callahan, Natividad Vacío, Annette Charles, Fred Coby, Tony Davis, Julio Medina, Bert Madrid

It’s a good twin brother dilemma and a metaphysical drama that adapts the fallen angel (Satan) that is well-served by the inspired performance of actor Anthony Zerbe playing double duty in the German tradition of the doppelgänger that raises the question of identity: in short, we watch the two sides of the same man. It’s also a solo Dillon adventure in Mexico that is the second one after “Chato”. To understand this story, you must know that writer William Kiley once studied for the priesthood and his last film script was for the 1985 Harrison Ford vehicle Witness. Find the last episode produced by Joseph Dackow after four seasons in Mantley’s team, starting from season 13 as a mere associate producer and from season 15 as a full-time producer.

 

[JohnHopper]

COLUMBO SEASON 2

Episode #3
“The Most Crucial Game”
guest starring Robert Culp carrying his iconic Persol four glasses from I Spy.


View attachment 178943

Hello Jeff,

I received Culp’s pair of Persol for my birthday. Find below.

 

[The 1960's]

Hello Jeff,

I received Culp’s pair of Persol for my birthday. Find below.

View attachment 182613

John what we really need is a picture of you wearing your new sun glasses.

Happy Birthday!

 

[ScottRE]

Steve Canyon (A salute to the Air Force men of America!)
Episode 28
Operation Intercept
Written by David Haft and Frank Benedict
Directed by Arthur Marks

Dean Fredericks sets the tone with his narration: "these three men are dead. All that is left is for them to go through the formality of dying." We cut to two boys having a carefree day shooting at tin cans on just outside the Air Force base.

One bullet ricochets off the plane, cracking the window while the jet engines rev up. Nobody is aware. We sit and watch as the plane takes off and the glass cracks until it blows. The pilots slump over.

Steve is called away from a romantic evening at home when the plane misses its turnaround point and just keeps going, radio silent. He takes his plane to intercept...

What he sees chills his blood...

Nathan Scott's music screams.

"They look like snowmen," Steve grimly tells General Connors in the base below.

The shattered porthole destroyed the environmental system and at their altitude, they froze to death in minutes. The problem is, the plane is on autopilot and is heading to the West Coast. The tailwinds are so strong, the plane could very well reach Soviet airspace before running out of fuel. Connors gives the order for Steve to shoot the plane down, but there's no way to confirm whether the navigator is alive or not. His position is within the aircraft. The General says there's no choice and the man is probably dead. Steve, who will never be certain, reluctantly obeys.

"God forgive me." He shoots the plane down.

When he returns to base, his friend Major Williston (Jerry Paris) has a drink ready.

"Where are you going?" Williston asks.
"Is it still Saturday?"
"Yeah."
"I started out with a date this afternoon," Steve says. "I wonder if she's still there."
"Why wouldn't she be?"
"Ten years is a long time to keep a girl waiting."

This is one of the darkest episodes of the series and really my favorite. This series could easily have been strictly for kids, but many episodes are aimed older and this one is just nightmarish in the situation they put Steve into. He know he has no choice and even the General is sympathetic. The dialog rings absolutely true. While the shot of the frost covered pilots isn't necessarily graphic, it and the music, hammer it home.

Surprisingly, nobody ever realizes what caused the accident, but in the end it doesn't matter. This is sobering drama and a great, but certainly not fun, half hour of television.

 

[Flashgear]

Steve Canyon (A salute to the Air Force men of America!)
Episode 28
Operation Intercept
Written by David Haft and Frank Benedict
Directed by Arthur Marks

Dean Fredericks sets the tone with his narration: "these three men are dead. All that is left is for them to go through the formality of dying." We cut to two boys having a carefree day shooting at tin cans on just outside the Air Force base.

When he returns to base, his friend Major Williston (Jerry Paris) has a drink ready.

"Where are you going?" Williston asks.
"Is it still Saturday?"
"Yeah."
"I started out with a date this afternoon," Steve says. "I wonder if she's still there."
"Why wouldn't she be?"
"Ten years is a long time to keep a girl waiting."

This is one of the darkest episodes of the series and really my favorite. This series could easily have been strictly for kids, but many episodes are aimed older and this one is just nightmarish in the situation they put Steve into. He know he has no choice and even the General is sympathetic. The dialog rings absolutely true. While the shot of the frost covered pilots isn't necessarily graphic, it and the music, hammer it home.

Surprisingly, nobody ever realizes what caused the accident, but in the end it doesn't matter. This is sobering drama and a great, but certainly not fun, half hour of television.

Beautifully constructed review, critical insight and great screen caps from Steve Canyon's greatest episode, Scott!

It surely is an extraordinary and shocking episode, especially so in considering the context of the rest of this series, the era of the show itself (although other TV shows of this era would on occasion go equally grim, and Milton Caniff's syndicated comic strip was deeply reverential and patriotic, with noble sacrifice often seen), and especially considering Steve Canyon's previous full collaboration with the USAF and SAC! The technical consulting and public affairs USAF officer would never have signed off on this script officially...though you just know that the actual risk-taking aviators (and their families) of SAC would have been deeply appreciative! I would think that General Tommy Power (head of SAC at the time) General Hoyt Vandenburg (Chief of Staff USAF) and General Curtis LeMay (creator and first commander of SAC, soon to be Chief of Staff USAF), all WW2 heroes who had seen awful carnage and desperate sacrifice, would have approved Steve Canyon's Operation Intercept as the fine tribute to USAF aviators that is was! Although it probably didn't help in recruiting.

When I finally viewed this remarkable episode on the great John Ellis DVD set, I thought that this story must be (at least partly) inspired by an actual incident involving the B-47 Stratojet bomber (or the B-29, B-36, B-52 etc.)...try as I might in browsing online all manner of data bases (official and private) with pertinent search terms in multiple tries, I couldn't find anything approximating this scenario, though the story itself is completely plausible. As a guy with an interest in history including the Cold War, I have these great recently published books among others...

Neal..great write-up and screen caps as usual on Law of the Plainsman! Michael Ansara was quite good in exemplifying his educated, literate and noble frontier lawman caught in between his two worlds...I also envied that guy for being married to Barbara Eden in real life! I collected Law of the Plainsman off of Canada's short-lived Lonestar cable channel, along with the other contemporary Four-Star Westerns Black Saddle, Johnny Ringo and The Westerner. Of course, only The Westerner with Brian Keith made it to licensed DVD, thanks to it's strong Sam Peckinpah connection.

Doug...great, incisive, informative and interesting reviews of a multitude of great and varied shows...everything from Alfred Hitchcock Presents to WKRP! You have excellent taste in vintage TV! Always has me going back to re-watch a show you just featured!

Jeff...likewise a tremendous and epic post on both well known and more obscure shows...great screen caps from Ozzie and Harriet, Fantasy Island and Bachelor Father (wow, Diane Brewster is yummy!) You're also the first guy in a long time to mention Shotgun Slade...Noir cinema tough guy Scott Brady's TV Western with a Jazz score! Revue studio's Peter Gunn of the old west! The series lasted two seasons with 78 episodes, several bootleg collections of high quality film sources are available on DVD, Platinum Video put out a nice two disc, 15 episode release. A lot more episodes are on YT as Jeff said. My favorite episode features Scott Brady in a sweaty and brutal hand-to-hand knife fight with sexy hardbody Gloria Talbott!

John, nice review of that Anthony Zerbe Gunsmoke episode that Doug also featured! Nice Robert Culp retro sunglasses you have, and happy birthday to you!

 

[Bryan^H]

Gunsmoke "The Wiving"
October 14, 1974

Harry Morgan stars in this episode as an ornery, but caring father that wants nothing more than to see his three sons get married. Obviously the hillbilly sons get more than they bargained for when they decide to kidnap three very kind saloon gals for their mates, and take back on the farm. Seeing Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls Little House in the Prairie) as the sassiest and worldly of the three Bar woman doesn't compute in my brain.

Not the best Gunsmoke episode, but of course with a light hearted story like this there has to be a happy ending.

 

[JohnHopper]

Gunsmoke "The Wiving"
October 14, 1974

Harry Morgan stars in this episode as an ornery, but caring father that wants nothing more than to see his three sons get married. Obviously the hillbilly sons get more than they bargained for when they decide to kidnap three very kind saloon gals for their mates, and take back on the farm. Seeing Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls Little House in the Prairie) as the sassiest and worldly of the three Bar woman doesn't compute in my brain.

Not the best Gunsmoke episode, but of course with a light hearted story like this there has to be a happy ending.

GUNSMOKE SEASON 20

Episode #6
“The Wiving”
written by Earl W. Wallace
directed by Victor French
music by Bruce Broughton
guests: Harry Morgan, Karen Grassle, John Reilly, Linda Sublette, Herman Poppe, Michele Marsh, Dennis Redfield , Fran Ryan, Robert Brubaker, Rod McGaughy, Bobby Clark

It’s a light and comical entry about forced and clumsy hill farmer wedding. Find the return of barkeep Floyd and the first appearance of the new owner of the Long Branch named Hannah (actress Fran Ryan)—who looks like a shrewish old maid who reluctantly accepts the task of the saloon—even tough we’re introduced to Miss Lyla in the two-parter “The Guns of Cibola Blanca”. This is the second episode directed by Gunsmoke guest actor Victor French. As in “Thirty a Month and Found”, Dillon wears an unusual blue shirt. For the anecdote, actress Karen Grassle—who looks like a television Vera Miles—will become associated with the western family series Little House on the Prairie (1974) as Mrs. Caroline Ingalls as well as actor-director Victor French.

 

[Purple Wig]

My Three Sons s4e36 “Huckleberry Douglas”

Daktari S1e2

 

[Jeff Flugel]

It's been a week of cops and private eyes here at casa Flugel:

Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (a.k.a The New Mike Hammer)
1.6 “Dead on a Dime”
A former cop who once tried to have Hammer’s (Stacy Keach) P.I. license revoked suddenly shoots a man in a restaurant for no reason and forces Hammer to blow him away in self-defense. Hammer is determined to find out why the man went all Manchurian Candidate on him, with the only clues being a slinky blonde and a marked dime. The trail leads him to a psychiatric clinic run by sexy yet aloof Dr. Crane (Amanda Horan Kennedy). Hammer surprisingly doesn’t sleep with any of the beautiful big-haired 80’s ladies he encounters, instead doggedly following clues and confronting suspects like...well, a proper detective. Of course, he doles out plenty of knuckle sandwiches along the way. Stacy Keach is terrific as Hammer, not stinting on the macho tough guy stuff, while wisely sanding down some of the meaner edges the character exhibits in the novels.

Bourbon Street Beat – 1.26 “Wagon Show”
Rex Randolph (Richard Long) saunters off on a cushy week-long assignment, leaving his P.I. partner Cal Calhoun (Andrew Duggan) to take on the strange case of a disappearing, and possibly murderous, chimpanzee named Darwin. Cal’s hired by diminutive circus owner Napoleon Gunther (Walter Burke) to try and track down the chimp before it attacks and harms someone. But when flirtatious trapeze artist Anna Cremona, who "likes big men" and "mixes a mean martini" (played by gorgeous Saundra Edwards, sadly not around as long as one would hope) is found strangled, Cal begins to suspect a human culprit. Fun mystery with a unique setting, anchored by Duggan’s laid-back yet assured screen presence. Though the chimp is obviously played by a man in a hairy suit and fake-looking mask, the performer in the costume, Janos Prohaska, specialized in these kind of animal roles, and does a fine job capturing realistic ape movements. Also with Horace McMahon, Paul Picerni, Kathleen Freeman and Patricia Michon. The following screencaps were taken from the copy available to view on archive.org.

The Champions – 1.21 “The Body Snatchers”
NEMESIS agent Richard Barrett (William Gaunt) is called in by a journalist contact (J.G. Devlin) to investigate strange goings-on at a country estate in Wales, where vicious criminal Squires (Bernard Lee, believably nasty) is forcing a scientist (Ann Lynn) to perfect her cryogenic technology experiments. Squires plans to use the results to keep a missing American general with a head full of secrets in suspended animation long enough to sell him to the highest foreign bidder. Richard is eventually captured, but his super strength and resistance to extreme cold temperatures keeps him alive until his fellow Champions Craig Stirling (Stuart Damon) and Sharron Macready (stunning Alexandra Bastedo, a mere 20-years-old when shooting this series) arrive on the scene for a climactic smackdown. Pacy and entertaining episode of this cult ITC series, which has been slowly growing on me over time, to the point where I’m eager for it to one day receive Network’s patented HD remastering treatment…though to be fair, the DVD transfers look pretty good as is, and Network’s complete series set includes some fab extras, including a very good documentary on the series which reunited the three lead actors for the first time in nearly 40 years. Their instant camaraderie and joy at seeing each other again is a real pleasure to behold. They also teamed up for two very entertaining commentary tracks on the first (“The Beginning”) and last (“Autokill”) episodes, respectively.

Adam-12 – 2.13 “Log 34: Astro Division”
Gary Crosby plays an obnoxious officer assigned to the new police chopper unit, which assists patrolmen Reed (Kent McCord) and Malloy (Martin Milner) apprehend some armed robbers in a rather exciting chase finale. The officers also take part in the rescue of two elderly burglary victims who were locked in their high-security vault and are running out of air. Kenneth Tobey appears as a lieutenant in charge of the “Astro” helicopter division.

Most Wanted – 1.17 “The Driver”
Pernell Roberts guest stars as a disgraced former cop who runs a stunt driving school and has been extorting city officials for $100,000 apiece, fatally running them off the road if they don’t pay up. Marlyn Mason (with her severe haircut and pinched demeanor, almost unrecognizable from her Longstreet days a few years earlier) plays the latest victim, the manager of a state environmental department, who goes to Captain Linc Evers (reliably no-nonsense Robert Stack) for help. Linc and his team, Sgt. Charlie Benson (Shelley Novack) and Officer Kate Manners (Jo Ann Harris - yum!), must work quickly to save the woman, fearful of threats to her young daughter’s life, from capitulating to the murderers’ demands by accepting a bribe from a construction magnate (Paul Lambert). As befits the plot, we get lots of muscular car chase action in this one. I’ve watched a handful of episodes from this single-season last gasp in super producer Quinn Martin’s output, and I’ve found it a really solid and enjoyable cop show, benefiting greatly from a consistent run of high-caliber guest performances as the “big bad” of the week.

Finished up by indulging in a little marathon of rare vintage programming, courtesy of YouTube:

Four Star Playhouse – 1.2 “Dante’s Inferno”
Neal a.k.a. The 1960’s posted about this one in the Obscure Classic TV Show thread, and, as I’ve always been a big fan of Dick Powell, especially in his later, hard-boiled tough guy phase, decided to check it out. Powell plays Willie Dante (rhymes with “scanty”), owner of Dante’s Inferno, a tony restaurant with an illicit casino hidden in the back. Dante sparks up a conversation with a troubled female patron (Virginia Grey), who claims that her husband is going to kill her. Later that night, two homicide detectives (one played by Regis Toomey) accost Dante at his apartment and question him about his connection to the woman, who was found beaten to death, her face nigh recognizable. Dante soon uncovers a set-up with him as a pigeon, and doles out some rough justice to the perpetrators (Paul Richards and Marvin Miller, always effective at playing menacing creeps). Lots of talent in front of and behind the camera here, with Powell on fine form, relishing Blake Edwards’ snappy dialogue and Robert Florey’s stylish direction. Herb Vigran is on hand as Dante’s sarcastic, seen-it-all bartender. Powell starred in eight “Dante” adventures throughout Four Star Playhouse’s three-season run, before resurrecting the character for the short-lived 1960-1961 series Dante (this time starring Howard Duff in the title role).

T.H.E. Cat – 1.7 “Moment of Truth”
Was quite surprised to find a decent-looking print of this rare, late ‘60s half-hour action/adventure, which stars Robert Loggia as Thomas Edward Hewitt Cat, a former cat burglar turned bodyguard. Here he is tasked with protecting a famous but now crippled former matador (Peter Mark Richman), who has had a few very public attempts made on his life since arriving in San Francisco. Linda Cristal plays a singer at the club Cat co-owns (the Casa del Gato) – and also Thomas’ current squeeze - who is terrified of the visiting matador, her one-time fiancée from long ago, who she believes covets her still. Richman chews into his juicy part with his customary gusto, and makes a fine foil for Loggia, who brings a convincing physical dexterity and light-on-his-feet grace to his character. Also with Robert Carricart (as Cat’s business partner and friend, Pepe) and R.G. Armstrong as a police captain. The print on YT seems to be pretty much complete, and includes a slew of period commercials, mostly for Winston cigarettes. This is one of those ‘60s “grail” series, along with Run for Your Life, The Green Hornet and The Outsider, that are crying out for an official home video release.

The Detectives – 1.13 “Karate”
An interesting and somewhat unusual storyline here, as Capt. Holbrook (Robert Taylor, taciturn but authoritative) is targeted for death by an old enemy from his high school days (John Anderson), who’s turned himself into a lethal weapon in anticipation of finally wreaking his revenge…the irony being that Holbrook hardly even remembers the man or their long ago spat. Ted Post directs with nice, noirish flair, and caps things off with an energetic final fight between the two men. Lee Farr, Tige Andrews, and especially Russell Thorson lend solid support as members on Holbrook’s detective squad. (As shown in the image below, a pre-Batman Adam West would replace Thorson as sergeant in the series' third and final season.) Frank DeKova (as an ex-con) and Teru Shimada (as Anderson’s unwitting karate master) also appear. I liked this one a lot and will be watching more if I can find some in similarly decent video quality.

 

[JohnHopper]

T.H.E. Cat – 1.7 “Moment of Truth”
Was quite surprised to find a decent-looking print of this rare, late ‘60s half-hour action/adventure, which stars Robert Loggia as Thomas Edward Hewitt Cat, a former cat burglar turned bodyguard. Here he is tasked with protecting a famous but now crippled former matador (Peter Mark Richman) who has been targeted for death. Linda Cristal plays a singer at the club Cat co-owns (the Casa del Gato) – and also Thomas’ current squeeze - who is terrified of the visiting matador, her one-time fiancée from long ago, who she believes covets her still. Richman chews into his juicy part with his customary gusto, and makes a fine foil for Loggia, who brings a convincing physical dexterity and light-on-his-feet grace to his character. Also with Robert Carricart (as Cat’s business partner and friend, Pepe) and R.G. Armstrong as a police captain. The print on YT seems to be mostly complete, and includes a slew of period commercials, mostly for Winston cigarettes. This is one of those ‘60s “grail” series, along with Run for Your Life, The Green Hornet and The Outsider, that are crying out for an official home video release.

---

Thank you very much for your review and the announcement of the available print on YT. A little delight.
Peter Mark Richman is as good as ever: see his Rawhide and Wild Wild West performances.
I enjoyed the 1966 feel! The Mexican/Spanish trend/folklore reminded me The Wild Wild West and A Shot in the Dark. Olé!

T H E Cat Moment of Truth Original Network Broadcast with Commercials

 

[JohnHopper]

---

Thank you very much for your review and the announcement of the available print on YT. A little delight.
Peter Mark Richman is as good as ever: see his Rawhide and Wild Wild West performances.
I enjoyed the 1966 feel! The Mexican/Spanish trend/folklore reminded me The Wild Wild West and A Shot in the Dark. Olé!

T H E Cat Moment of Truth Original Network Broadcast with Commercials

La Casa del Gato reminded me this club from A Shot in the Dark. Olé!

 

[ScottRE]

---

T H E Cat Moment of Truth Original Network Broadcast with Commercials

Wow, this is a great print for this show.

Does Cat announce his name at the start of every episode, ala The Saint? That's one of the common threads I've noticed about very few episodes I've run into.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Star Trek
"Shore Leave" (S1E15)

C'mon! Our hard-working Enterprise crewmembers deserve a break every now and again, don't you think? Oh sure, they're all happily serving aboard a starship the size of Minneapolis--equipped with everything from a nice bar/nightclub to food courts where--at the press of a button--you can have lobster newburg if that's your taste, not to mention clean restrooms, molecule-shifting transport services, a reasonable 401K plan and female crewmembers who all look like they've dropped right out of the pages of a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. This is all available 24/7 on the Enterprise. But gosh, wouldn't it be nice to beam down to a place that offers a fully unregulated LSD experience where your innermost thoughts and desires explode into tangible reality? If you want to know what it's like to be bonking Salma Hayek on your private Lear jet while flying to Paris for lunch, then we've got a planet for you. Act now, reservations are limited!

It's been a tough three months aboard the Enterprise, so Dr. McCoy and Sulu are doing a bit of advance scouting of a planet as to its suitability for crew leave. Suddenly, McCoy is confronted by a large rabbit (possibly named Harvey) chased by a young girl decked out in a gingerwear frock. McCoy's imagination rises like a fart in a sauna as he tries to absorb what he's just witnessed. Not to be outdone, Sulu randomly finds a Police Special handgun that he's long needed for his collection and NRA membership validation. Such whimsical joy prompts Spock to encourage a tired Captain Kirk to take a break on the planet for his own well-being. No dummy, Kirk chooses to beam down with stunning Yeoman Tonia Barrows just in case there's a Motel 6 nearby for "resting" purposes. But delaying whatever his intentions, Kirk implausibly encounters his old academy nemesis Finnegan--an impish Irish troublemaker whose obsession is picking fights with the Captain. Beating each other's brains into banana custard is what passes as fun for the two of them.

Yeoman Barrows' come-hither look, Ruth dazzles Kirk with a hairdo, McCoy interviews some potential ship nurses

So as more crewmembers beam down, each experience their own fantasies coming true. Sulu is chased by a Samurai who may or may not actually be an off duty Benihana chef. Yeoman Barrows runs into a very handsy Don Juan while Kirk finds his long lost love, Ruth, accompanied by what Star Trek producers deem as "long lost love" background flute music. Ruth sports a hairdo of curls that could only be accomplished by a hairdresser equipped with a Waring blender, Flex Seal gel and a snoot full of high grade weed.

All this bliss hits the proverbial fan when the planet's fantasy island-producing machinery has a power outage, stranding the crew and turning their dream experiences into nightmares. It's going to need Spock to beam down, because nothing can restore reality faster than a stoic pointy-eared Vulcan. After order is restored, Kirk vows to take his next vacation in Lincoln, Nebraska--where absolutely nothing ever happens.

 

[GMBurns]

Episode Commentary
Star Trek
"Shore Leave" (S1E15)

C'mon! Our hard-working Enterprise crewmembers deserve a break every now and again, don't you think? Oh sure, they're all happily serving aboard a starship the size of Minneapolis--equipped with everything from a nice bar/nightclub to food courts where--at the press of a button--you can have lobster newburg if that's your taste, not to mention clean restrooms, molecule-shifting transport services, a reasonable 401K plan and female crewmembers who all look like they've dropped right out of the pages of a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. This is all available 24/7 on the Enterprise. But gosh, wouldn't it be nice to beam down to a place that offers a fully unregulated LSD experience where your innermost thoughts and desires explode into tangible reality? If you want to know what it's like to be bonking Salma Hayek on your private Lear jet while flying to Paris for lunch, then we've got a planet for you. Act now, reservations are limited!

It's been a tough three months aboard the Enterprise, so Dr. McCoy and Sulu are doing a bit of advance scouting of a planet as to its suitability for crew leave. Suddenly, McCoy is confronted by a large rabbit (possibly named Harvey) chased by a young girl decked out in a gingerwear frock. McCoy's imagination rises like a fart in a sauna as he tries to absorb what he's just witnessed. Not to be outdone, Sulu randomly finds a Police Special handgun that he's long needed for his collection and NRA membership validation. Such whimsical joy prompts Spock to encourage a tired Captain Kirk to take a break on the planet for his own well-being. No dummy, Kirk chooses to beam down with stunning Yeoman Tonia Barrows just in case there's a Motel 6 nearby for "resting" purposes. But delaying whatever his intentions, Kirk implausibly encounters his old academy nemesis Finnegan--an impish Irish troublemaker whose obsession is picking fights with the Captain. Beating each other's brains into banana custard is what passes as fun for the two of them.

View attachment 182970 View attachment 182971 View attachment 182972
Yeoman Barrows' come-hither look, Ruth dazzles Kirk with a hairdo, McCoy interviews some potential ship nurses

So as more crewmembers beam down, each experience their own fantasies coming true. Sulu is chased by a Samurai who may or may not actually be an off duty Benihana chef. Yeoman Barrows runs into a very handsy Don Juan while Kirk finds his long lost love, Ruth, accompanied by what Star Trek produces deem as "long lost love" background flute music. Ruth sports a hairdo of curls that could only be accomplished by a hairdresser equipped with a Waring blender, Flex Seal gel and a snoot full of high grade weed.

All this bliss hits the proverbial fan when the planet's fantasy island-producing machinery has a power outage, stranding the crew and turning their dream experiences into nightmares. It's going to need Spock to beam down, because nothing can restore reality faster than a stoic pointy-eared Vulcan. After order is restored, Kirk vows to take his next vacation in Lincoln, Nebraska--where absolutely nothing ever happens.

Russ, thanks for your (as always) witty and hilarious send-up of yet another classic Star Trek episode. I especially appreciated the inside info on how they got Ruth's hair to look that way.

 

[Rustifer]

Russ, thanks for your (as always) witty and hilarious send-up of yet another classic Star Trek episode. I especially appreciated the inside info on how they got Ruth's hair to look that way.

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[BobO'Link]

Episode Commentary
Star Trek
"Shore Leave" (S1E15)

C'mon! Our hard-working Enterprise crewmembers deserve a break every now and again, don't you think? Oh sure, they're all happily serving aboard a starship the size of Minneapolis--equipped with everything from a nice bar/nightclub to food courts where--at the press of a button--you can have lobster newburg if that's your taste, not to mention clean restrooms, molecule-shifting transport services, a reasonable 401K plan and female crewmembers who all look like they've dropped right out of the pages of a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. This is all available 24/7 on the Enterprise. But gosh, wouldn't it be nice to beam down to a place that offers a fully unregulated LSD experience where your innermost thoughts and desires explode into tangible reality? If you want to know what it's like to be bonking Salma Hayek on your private Lear jet while flying to Paris for lunch, then we've got a planet for you. Act now, reservations are limited!

It's been a tough three months aboard the Enterprise, so Dr. McCoy and Sulu are doing a bit of advance scouting of a planet as to its suitability for crew leave. Suddenly, McCoy is confronted by a large rabbit (possibly named Harvey) chased by a young girl decked out in a gingerwear frock. McCoy's imagination rises like a fart in a sauna as he tries to absorb what he's just witnessed. Not to be outdone, Sulu randomly finds a Police Special handgun that he's long needed for his collection and NRA membership validation. Such whimsical joy prompts Spock to encourage a tired Captain Kirk to take a break on the planet for his own well-being. No dummy, Kirk chooses to beam down with stunning Yeoman Tonia Barrows just in case there's a Motel 6 nearby for "resting" purposes. But delaying whatever his intentions, Kirk implausibly encounters his old academy nemesis Finnegan--an impish Irish troublemaker whose obsession is picking fights with the Captain. Beating each other's brains into banana custard is what passes as fun for the two of them.

View attachment 182970 View attachment 182971 View attachment 182972
Yeoman Barrows' come-hither look, Ruth dazzles Kirk with a hairdo, McCoy interviews some potential ship nurses

So as more crewmembers beam down, each experience their own fantasies coming true. Sulu is chased by a Samurai who may or may not actually be an off duty Benihana chef. Yeoman Barrows runs into a very handsy Don Juan while Kirk finds his long lost love, Ruth, accompanied by what Star Trek producers deem as "long lost love" background flute music. Ruth sports a hairdo of curls that could only be accomplished by a hairdresser equipped with a Waring blender, Flex Seal gel and a snoot full of high grade weed.

All this bliss hits the proverbial fan when the planet's fantasy island-producing machinery has a power outage, stranding the crew and turning their dream experiences into nightmares. It's going to need Spock to beam down, because nothing can restore reality faster than a stoic pointy-eared Vulcan. After order is restored, Kirk vows to take his next vacation in Lincoln, Nebraska--where absolutely nothing ever happens.

I'd bet it was Dippity-Do instead of Flex Seal gel. That stuff was quite popular in those years.

I never forgave them for not using Yeoman Barrows in more episodes... guess Roddenberry's "charms" ran her off...