What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (1 Viewer)

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

The Powers of Matthew Star (1982-83)

~Ben

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 7

Episode #7
“Damon’s Road, Part I”
written by Richard Carr and Robert Lewin
directed by Michael O’Herlihy
assistant director Lee H. Katzin
music by Rudy Schrager
song by Bruce Geller (lyrics for “Bet It Up Boys”)
guests: Fritz Weaver, Barbara Eden, Sean McClory, Robert Sorrells, Curt Conway, Walter Mathews, Paul Comi

It’s a light one and another proto-Mission: Impossible entry but it’s wild and picturesque. Gil Favor and his men are conned and forced to work for a crook couple, railroad man Jonathan Damon (actor Fritz Weaver) and saloon dancer Goldie Rogers (actress Barbara Eden). Here’s the con: Jonathan Damon invites Gil Favor and his men to lure them into a trap: free drinks, lossless casino gamings while watching four lady entertainers called Goldie and the Kumquats doing a musical number. A fight is triggered by Damon, Goldie hits Favor from behind to abduct him and lock him in her room. The morning after, Favor realizes the manipulation of Goldie—who removed his boots—and escapes from the bedroom. Favor ends up in a cell because Goldie stages a phony felony. The cowboys of Favor are forced to sign a three months contract to avoid a jail sentence. Drover Yo Yo returns from “A Man Called Mushy”.
This is the second and last two-parter after the season 6 “Incident at Deadhorse”.

Continued Next Week.

Wonderful all the way! Recommended too!

Actress Barbara Eden returns from the season 6 “Incident at Confidence Creek” and still playing an entertainer teaming up with a crook. Many crafstmen will work on Mission: Impossible: see writer Robert Lewin, director Michael O’Herlihy, assistant director Lee H. Katzin, actors Fritz Weaver and Walter Mathews. You can recognize the tune “Ten Tiny Toes” played by a pianist at the C & L railroad bar.



RAWHIDE SEASON 7

Episode #8
“Damon’s Road, Part II”
written by Richard Carr and Robert Lewin
directed by Michael O’Herlihy
assistant director Lee H. Katzin
music by Rudy Schrager
song by Bruce Geller (lyrics for “Ten Tiny Toes”)
guests: same as part 1

The second part starts with the cell ending of the first part. This outcome part shows the revenge of barefooted Gil Favor over crook Jonathan Damon but it’s done in a Machiavellian, light, comedic and surreal way. Jonathan Damon bribes the entire crew of Gil Favor, including Rowdy Yates and Wishbone and Mushy, but except Jim Quince who keeps up the herd. Both Favor and Yates are caged, behind bars. Gil Favor uses the same devious method of Jonathan Damon to overcome: he sends a phony message concerning the payroll money of Jonathan Damon to fool a bunch of former railroad workers so that he raises an army against Damon and his men. Underneath that light story, find a variation on Faust and the real name of Jonathan Damon should be read as “Demon” because of the diabolical way he treat, seduce, manipulate and corrupt people. The funniest thing is the tag scene in which Favor painfully pronounces the immortal motto with his broken face.

The plot anticipates the season 2 “Charity” (with actor Fritz Weaver) from Mission: Impossible that highlights a crook couple too. The new musical number in the saloon The Pink Garter features the song “Ten Tiny Toes” that will be re-used and be performed by actress Barbara Bain in the season 3 episode entitled “Illusion” (with actor Fritz Weaver again) from Mission: Impossible. The music for the character of Goldie is the musical rendition of the song “Ten Tiny Toes”.

Recommended all the way!

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Bronco - 1.20 "Red Water North"
This was a really terrific episode, as Bronco becomes the pilot for a riverboat and faces all manner of danger and complications, on board and off. Like several early Maverick episodes, this plays like a full-length western B movie, packed with incident and interesting characters...perhaps a bit too packed for its own good, but I enjoyed the largesse. With Karl Swenson, Dorothy Provine and Michael "Apollo" Forest.

The Fugitive - 4.20 "There Goes the Ball Game"
Kimble is the lone witness when the daughter of a powerful publisher (the always-excellent Martin Balsam) is kidnapped. This is a tired, defeated Kimble near the end of his rope, and Janssen's performance reflects that. Kimble is mostly sidelined here, and shows little of his old resourcefulness and initiative, until the last act. Still a pretty interesting drama, with good performances from a super young and very pretty Lynda Day (soon to be George), Gabriel Dell (as the meaner of the two kidnappers) and Vincent Gardenia as a sympathetic police captain.

The Twilight Zone
1.13 "The Four of Us Are Dying"
1.27 "The Big Tall Wish"

Watched these two rock-solid early Zone episodes after listening to the Goldsmith Odyssey podcast about them. Jerry Goldsmith's scores add a lot of class and energy. Both are very different scores, each one well-suited to the stories.

"The Four of Us Are Dying" featured very stylish (and stylized) direction from John Brahm. Harry Towne plays a lowlife with the power to take on others' identities (including Ross Martin, Don Gordon, and Philip Pine.) But Beverly Garland takes the acting honors in a white hot, sexy turn as a sad-eyed torch singer whose dead lover (Martin) the sleazeball main character impersonates. Not sure if Ms. Garland did her own singing, but it sounds like it. Lucky Ross Martin gets to do some passionate necking with her. Tough gig.

Ivan Dixon is outstanding as boxer Bolie Jackson, on the downslide of a losing career in "The Big Tall Wish," an episode notable for its matter-of-fact focus on mostly black characters. The story is a moving one, with a very good performance from Steven Perry as the young boy who idolizes Bolie and has the power to make a "big tall wish" and magically alter events. The only downside is the overt makeup on Dixon to make him look older and scarred...it's distracting and unnecessary.

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE 7

Episode #9
“The Backshooter”
written by Richard Carr
directed by Herschel Daugherty
assistant director Lee H. Katzin
film editor Paul Krasny
music by Rudy Schrager
guests: Joseph Hoover, Louis Hayward, Slim Pickens, Holly McIntire, Terry Becker, Robert Yuro, George Keymas, Steve Gravers, Roy Engel, Frank Maxwell

It’s a solo Rowdy Yates adventure, i.e., actor Clint Eastwood dominates the human drama in a small town. Yates first has a horse accident, shoots his horse and is helped by bandit Sam Jefferson (actor Joseph Hoover) who asks him one small favor: to bring his own body to town to get the $5,000 reward and give it to his wife. Things gets messy when Jefferson is shot in the back by a mysterious rider. Yates stops at the office of the sheriff (actor Slim Pickens) and delivers the body. The executive of Wells Fargo (actor Louis Hayward) tells Yates he must obtain the 24 hours confirmation to pay him the “blood” money while the blacksmith (actor Terry Becker) warns the three accomplices (actors Robert Yuro, George Keymas, Steve Gravers) of Jefferson that their friend was gunned down in the back by Yates. On his way to pinpoint the wife of the late Jefferson, Yates meets hostility from the townspeople but struggles by all cost while Wishbone arrives and quits later. It’s a tight bandit revenge story coupled with a two-faced Wells Fargo executive fooling Yates. The film-making is inspired and dynamic, including a nerve-wracking dual funeral/telegraph scene a la High Noon.

Features the ominous “The Meeting” cue from Jerry Goldsmith’s Gunsmoke score entitled “Doc Judge”.

Actor Roy Engel as the bartender returns from the two season 5 “Incident of the Lost Woman” and “Incident of the Married Widow” and will be later casted as President Grant on The Wild Wild West.

Many crafstmen will work on Mission: Impossible: see assistant director Lee H. Katzin, composer Rudy Schrager, film editor Paul Krasny, actors Robert Yuro, Roy Engel and Frank Maxwell.

Recommended!

 

[John*Wells]

Scooby Doo Where are You Season 3

 

[bmasters9]

The Streets of San Francisco, first-season episode "In The Midst of Strangers," OAD Sat. Nov. 25, 1972 on ABC; main guest star was the late David Wayne as San Francisco Chronicle paper vendor Wally Sensibaugh, who has his vacation savings stolen (and he is in the background of one of these screenshots). However, the guest star I wanted to spotlight here is Robert Foxworth, who was Dennis Hailey, leader of a trio of thieves of others' money and jewelry (and he is credited as Dennis Hailey at the top of the show, something that, IIRC, was only done in this episode; most guests were simply billed by name). He would be in one more episode of this ABC police/detective series (a second-season one called "Shield of Honor," OAD Thurs. Nov. 15, 1973), before becoming a more prominent part of another San Francisco-set series, the CBS Friday serial Falcon Crest (he was Chase Gioberti there from 1981-87).

First, Robert in this Streets show:

Then, his credit on Falcon Crest:

(Screenshots of Streets episode from Disc 3 of first-season, first-volume release; screenshot of his Falcon Crest credit from YouTube clip of sixth-season opening)

 

[JohnHopper]

The Streets of San Francisco, first-season episode "In The Midst of Strangers," OAD Sat. Nov. 25, 1972 on ABC; main guest star was the late David Wayne as San Francisco Chronicle paper vendor Wally Sensibaugh, who has his vacation savings stolen (and he is in the background of one of these screenshots). However, the guest star I wanted to spotlight here is Robert Foxworth, who was Dennis Hailey, leader of a trio of thieves of others' money and jewelry (and he is credited as Dennis Hailey at the top of the show, something that, IIRC, was only done in this episode; most guests were simply billed by name).

That's one of the best season 1 episodes all the way because of the realistic film-making, the cast of the thugs trio.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Scooby Doo Where are You Season 3

I take it you mean the Scooby-Doo All Stars/ The Scooby-Doo Show...? Wasn't aware that there was a 3rd season to the original Scooby Doo, Where Are You? cartoon.

How do those episodes hold up compared to the original 1969-71 run? So far, I've found the New Scooby-Doo Movies fun enough, but with inferior animation to the original.

 

[bmasters9]

I discovered one other (and only one other) episode of Streets where a guest star was jointly billed as the character: another first-season episode, "Tower Beyond Tragedy," OAD Sat. Oct. 28, 1972 on ABC, w/the late Edward Mulhare as Amory Gilliam, and Stefanie Powers (later on Hart to Hart) as both Toni Craig and Kim Ahern (Powers was billed as Kim Ahern, albeit by voiceover; her title credit has an "And" on it, though); screenshot from Disc 2 of first-season, first-volume release

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE 7

Episode #10
“Corporal Dasovik”
written by Lionel E. Siegel
directed by Bernard Kowalski
guests: Nick Adams, John Drew Barrymore, Ron Soble, Howard Caine, Sherwood Price, John Dierkes, Barry Atwater, Cyril Delevanti, George Sawaya (uncredited)

“Hey. We didn’t go through ten years in this here Army to act like a bunch of sheep, did we?”
—Mutineer Private Harry Eccles

It’s a rough edges and existential blue coat drama paired with a solo Gil Favor adventure and an Indian issue. After the death of his superior officer Lt. Albright, young and unexperienced Corporal Dasovik (actor Nick Adams) must continue the tough assignment of his predecessor, meaning escorting Indian prisoners to the Lawpai reservation while crossing the hot desert but things turns wrong because of a mutiny inside the blue soldiers led by long hair Harry Eccles (actor John Drew Barrymore) and the intrusion of Indian renegades on their way to kill traitor Chief Ollocot (actor Barry Atwater). But before that, Gil Favor is shot down by a bunch of blue soldiers stealing his cows in order to feed their outfit and the prisoners. Later on, Corporal Dasovik is held prisoners by his own men but the Indian leader helps him to get his command back. We learn later the background of Corporal Dasovik: a Polish American coal miner from Montana fleeing his world to get a life in the army. The outcome is moral and explains the behavior of mutineer Harry Eccles: the fear of commanding is showned as a curse or a burden. Find another solemn but gritty funeral scene after “The Backshooter”.

The way the writer treats or mistreats leading character Gil Favor shows the revisionist leaning of the new production team. Besides the blue soldiers are depicted as a bunch of thugs, dirty, badly-shaved, with beard or long hair but in 1964! Actor John Drew Barrymore foreshadows the look of Robert Redford in his 1970’s savage mode and his performance is so good that he will be casted as a gang leader in the iconic Gunsmoke episode “Seven Hours to Dawn”. Picture a mini Major Dundee or Wild Bunch done on television. Director Bernard Kowalski uses a crane. The Indians are played by standard American actors.

Actor Barry Atwater returns from the season 7 “The Enormous Fist” and actor John Drew Barrymore from the season 2 “Incident of the Haunted Hills”.

Many crafstmen will work on Mission: Impossible: see director Bernard Kowalski, actors Ron Soble, Barry Atwater, Cyril Delevanti, George Sawaya.

Recommended!

 

[JohnHopper]

I discovered one other (and only one other) episode of Streets where a guest star was jointly billed as the character: another first-season episode, "Tower Beyond Tragedy," OAD Sat. Oct. 28, 1972 on ABC, w/the late Edward Mulhare as Amory Gilliam, and Stefanie Powers (later on Hart to Hart) as both Toni Craig and Kim Ahern (Powers was billed as Kim Ahern, albeit by voiceover; her title credit has an "And" on it, though); screenshot from Disc 2 of first-season, first-volume release

Another top season 1 episode that you can't afford to miss!

 

[Jeff Flugel]

As posted in the "Christmas TV" thread:

Watched a couple of episodes off the Merry Sitcom DVD set of vintage Christmas specials, "A Christmas Story" from Father Knows Best and "A Very Merry Christmas" from The Donna Reed Show. Both were first time viewings, not only of the episodes, but of the shows themselves (I know, I know...) I enjoyed both episodes, but especially The Donna Reed Show one. The story was very heart-warming (and still timely, with its opening Xmas shopping frenzy), with a fun guest turn from the one and only Buster Keaton. And Ms. Reed, who I've always been enamored with after multiple watches of It's a Wonderful Life, was just a luminously beautiful woman.

While the Father Knows Best one was obviously a chopped-up syndicated print, I noticed some odd insert shots in The Donna Reed Show episode. During the finale, there were several close-ups of Donna (or of Donna and TV hubby Carl Betz) that were definitely pick-up reaction shots, filmed separately from the main action in the hospital children's ward. Didn't ruin the episode or anything, I just thought it was more obvious than those sorts of shots usually are, and a bit clumsily done.

Also watched:

The Wild Wild West - 3.2 "The Night of the Firebrand"
John H.'s posting of a YouTube clip of this episode on the previous page made me pull my WWW set out and give it a spin. This is a light-hearted and even more action-packed than usual entry in this series. Pernell Roberts hams it up as the villain, sporting a pretty bad "Oirish" accent. The running joke of Jim West using pressure points to put the beautiful but annoying femme fatale (the bodacious Lana Wood) to sleep wouldn't fly in today's political climate but kept me amused. But it's really the first-rate action choreography, including lengthy outdoor chases, and rousing music by Richard Shores which makes this one work. I also love the early scene where the whole garrison watches Jim West work his magic to escape from certain death and save the entire fort. It's rare for anyone other than Artie to witness West do his Houdini routine; West even gives a little bow at the end to acknowledge the cheers.

The Rockford Files - 2.10 "2 into 5.56 Won't Go"
Rockford looks into the suspicious death of his former commanding officer from his days in the Korean War, and ends up tangling with some nasty arms smugglers. Another case where Rockford has to deal with an emotional roller coaster of a female client (this time played by Jesse Welles), but otherwise this is a strong episode with a slam-bang (if brief) action finish, which once again shows that Rockford, while perhaps not a conventional hero, is still not a man to be messed with, and can handle himself in a gunfight. Mitchell Ryan and Charles Napier co-star.

 

[JohnHopper]

The Wild Wild West - 3.2 "The Night of the Firebrand"
John H.'s posting of a YouTube clip of this episode on the previous page made me pull my WWW set out and give it a spin. This is a light-hearted and even more than usual action-packed entry in this series. Pernell Roberts hams it up as the villain, sporting a pretty bad "Oirish" accent. The running joke of Jim West using pressure points to put the beautiful but annoying femme fatale (the bodacious Lana Wood) to sleep wouldn't fly in today's political climate but kept me amused. But it's really the first-rate action choreography, including lengthy outdoor chases, and rousing music by Richard Shores which makes this one work. I also love the early scene where the whole garrison watches Jim West work his magic to escape from certain death and save the entire fort. It's rare for anyone other than Artie to witness West do his Houdini routine; West even gives a little bow at the end to acknowledge the cheers.

I second your enthusiasm for this fine action-packed entry. I love Pernell Roberts as the colorful Sean O'Reilly.
And Artie poses as two characters: a drunk Canadian trapper and a dandy gentleman that comes to the rescue of Jimbo.
The theme of the military impostors will be treated in another season 3 episode: “The Night of the ”Arrow.

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 7

The more I watch that particular season the more I understand that Geller was launching the rough basis of his future Mission: Impossible. In short, Rawhide season 7 is Mission: Impossible in the old west!

 

[bmasters9]

TMNT 1987-96 series, second-season episodes "Splinter No More" and "New York's Shiniest"

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Sorry, Ben - which show is TMNT?

 

[bmasters9]

Sorry, Ben - which show is TMNT?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 7

Episode #11
“The Photographer”
written by Clyde Ware
directed by Vincent McEveety
film editor Paul Krasny
music by Rudy Schrager
guests: Eddie Albert, Ben Cooper, William O’Connell, Richard X. Slattery, Morgan Woodward, Frank Richards, Kelton Garwood

It’s a light Rowdy Yates entry who teams up with a crazy idealistic photographer fascinated by the sociology of real bandits. The first scene that introduces the realm of photographer Taylor Dickson (actor Eddie Albert) is surreal: the cattle men of Gil Favor are frozen in their camp! Gil Favor orders Rowdy Yates to escort photographer Taylor Dickson to an Indian ceremony at Shoshones when they end up caught up by a band of mean outlaws. Dickson is a fancy talker and eventually persuades the bunch to pose for him but Yates resents the artistically initiative and only wishes to leave in a hurry to avoid a violent death. Dickson uses and treats Yates as Mushy! Two bandits shine as original characters: menacing leader Maddox (actor Morgan Woodward) and weird gunslinger Poet (actor William O’Connell) who recites holy scripts and Shakespeare’s works all the time. Oddly enough, one season 2 episode of Mission: Impossible will be entitled the same way. Actor William O’Connell returns from “The Lost Herd”. Writer Clyde Ware returns from “Piney”.

Actor Eddie Albert is known as Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres (1965) and as Frank MacBride on Switches (1975). His character of Oliver Wendell Douglas was so popular that he appeared on two series as a cross-over: Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies.

Recommended!

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE 7

Episode #12
“No Dogs or Drovers”
written by Sam Ross and Cliff Gould
directed by Vincent McEveety
music by Rudy Schrager
guests: Philip Abbott, Gilbert Green, Dabbs Greer, Leonard Stone, John Zaremba, Paul Comi

“One thing, with all your big talk about resources and progress and potential and planning about your town, there’s one thing that you forgot: … people.”
—Trail boss Gil Favor to Ben Dennis

It’s a ‘privatized’ and gentrified town story. Gil Favor stops at Junction City and negotiates the herd delivery with business man Ben Dennis (actor Philip Abbott) who invites him and Yates to have supper in a grand restaurant. Meanwhile the cattlemen are refused the services of the townspeople, supervised by the sheriff (actor Dabbs Greer) on the payroll of Ben Dennis and his associate Mr. Farnsworth (actor Gilbert Green). The hotel, the barber shop, the restaurant and the saloon work only with reservations and memberships. Gil Favor disregards his men because of the urgent business and Ben Dennis’ new economical plan for the town. By chance, drover Yo Yo meets a salesman named Sorry Brownstead (actor Leonard Stone) who provides him with a fancy suit to infiltrate the restaurant when the outfit steps in and later threatens to quit the job.

The story shows a case of social class gap between the cattlemen and the city dwellers upper class. The start of Act 1 is very unusual because the credits are highlit by a series of a freeze frames while the character of Yo Yo is cornered by his fellow cattle men.
Find the return of drover Yo Yo (actor Paul Comi) after “Damon’s Road”.

The episode features a brand new version of the end theme song.

Actor John Zaremba will be casted in the 1966 series The Time Tunnel.

 

[Montytc]

Jonny Quest Sn.1
Episode 2-Arctic Splashdown
I'm going to have a lot of fun with this series. It was one of the first ones I connected with as a small boy and it brings back great memories. Too bad there is only one season.

Flintstones Sn. 1
Episode 2 - Hot Lips Hannigan
A Fun episode

Rawhide Sn.1
Episode 1 - Incident of the Tumbleweed Wagon
John Hoppers great, detailed writing about this series made me finally pull this first season box off the shelf. I thought this first episode was very good with Gil and Rowdy trying to deliver a diverse and dangerous group of prisoners being transported in a wagon after the lawmen in charge of the job are killed and wounded. It is interesting to see Clint being the sidekick at this point. I'll be looking forward to seeing how his roll changes in coming episodes since he became the breakout star from this show. I don't know what season that will start to happen in.

Starsky and Hutch Sn.1
Pilot episode
Pretty good start to a show I watched as a young man. I even bought a Ford Torino although I didn't have the guts to buy the cool red and white one. I haven't watched this since back in the day, and I'm not sure I ever saw the pilot.