What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (11 Viewers)

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
Hazel
"Number, Please" (S1Ep24)

Yeah, yeah...I can hear the groans from everyone in here--a commentary on the series Hazel?! Well, I always found the show charming and frequently funny. Not to mention that I could stare at things a hell of a lot worse than Whitney Blake. Oh yes, a lot worse.

So which of the following premises do you think the Hazel writers could fashion an entire episode?

• George Baxter's (Don DeFore) largest law client is an efficiency expert
• Hazel (Shirley Booth) beats the snot out of a group of ladies at Monopoly (she has hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place)
• The Baxter household is getting annoying telemarketing calls
• An unlisted phone number is more trouble than it's worth

Why, all of the above get folded into the story like ingredients in well-baked artisan bread. George decides to get an unlisted number in order to curtail all further unsolicited calls to the house. The phone company sends their new number on a small card, which George memorizes. The card is left on the phone desk and is unwittingly thrown away by Hazel while cleaning.

Whitney Blake, Don Defore, Shirley Booth, Dub Taylor

Of course, George thinks he remembers the number but transposes a digit or two and is therefore unwittingly handing out to his clients the number to a cab company. To make matters worse, George is expecting an important call from his big efficiency client from London. He's going to have to hang around the dumpy cab company, run by cabbie Mitch (the incomparable Dub Taylor) to retrieve the call at an ungodly hour. George decides to take a nap at home first. "Would you like me to come up and read you a bedtime story?" inquires wife Dorothy (Whitney Blake) alluringly. George idiotically whiffs her inference and most likely misses out on the 'nap' of his life. Duh.

Needless to say, George ends up reenlisting his old listed number. Hazel continues to beat the old ladies at Monopoly. Dorothy persists in stretching out tight sweaters in a most agreeable manner, and son Harold (Bobby Buntrock) easily remains the most nerdiest kid in town. In other words, the Baxter household returns to normal.

Randoms:
Pretty easy to see the Mother-Daughter resemblance:

Whitney Blake, Meredith Baxter

Mom and daughter had a dreadful relationship. Whitney was selfishly focused on her own career and took considerable umbrage at Meredith's success as an actress. Meredith was forced to refer to her mother as "Whitney" because "Mom" was considered too age defining. Whitney felt that her children were a hindrance to her youthfulness and beauty. Probably never volunteered as a Home Room Mom.

Shirley Booth is one of the few performers to win all three major entertainment awards (Oscar, Tony, Emmy)--having won two Emmys for her Hazel role. Interesting to note that her actual personality was about as unlike that of Hazel's as mine is to Dwight Eisenhower.

 

[Rustifer]

Wouldn't it have been ironic had Honor Blackman been selected and then replaced by the Avengers - Just sayin'

Sure will never forget Ms. Blackman in her "Goldfinger" role, Pussy Galore.
"I must be dreaming", muses James Bond upon hearing her name.

 

[BobO'Link]

Sure will never forget Ms. Blackman in her "Goldfinger" role, Pussy Galore.
"I must be dreaming", muses James Bond upon hearing her name.

View attachment 55486

My dad threw a hissy fit when a commercial for Goldfinger came on the TV and that name was mentioned. He was quite offended... I asked "What name?" - of course I knew but wanted to see if he'd say it. He just said "That Galore name." It made me want to see the movie but with 1 single screen theater in town and me being too young to drive (9) it would have been obvious if I said I wanted to go to a movie when it was playing. I'd have probably been grounded just for asking. Of course back then any James Bond movie was considered prurient at my house. After all, he was a single playboy spy! Just what every 9yo boy wants!

 

[Rustifer]

It made me want to see the movie but with 1 single screen theater in town and me being too young to drive (9) it would have been obvious if I said I wanted to go to a movie when it was playing.

As a teen, I found Bond movies were best seen at the local drive-in theater. Especially with a date. She'd get excited over Sean Connery and I, likewise, over the Bond females. On a hot Summer night, in the dark, in the privacy of a car--the drive-in was a perfect venue for a memorable evening. Or so I dimly recall.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Episode Commentary
Hazel
"Number, Please" (S1Ep24)

Yeah, yeah...I can hear the groans from everyone in here--a commentary on the series Hazel?! Well, I always found the show charming and frequently funny. Not to mention that I could stare at things a hell of a lot worse than Whitney Blake. Oh yes, a lot worse.

So which of the following premises do you think the Hazel writers could fashion an entire episode?

• George Baxter's (Don DeFore) largest law client is an efficiency expert
• Hazel (Shirley Booth) beats the snot out of a group of ladies at Monopoly (she has hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place)
• The Baxter household is getting annoying telemarketing calls
• An unlisted phone number is more trouble than it's worth

Why, all of the above get folded into the story like ingredients in well-baked artisan bread. George decides to get an unlisted number in order to curtail all further unsolicited calls to the house. The phone company sends their new number on a small card, which George memorizes. The card is left on the phone desk and is unwittingly thrown away by Hazel while cleaning.

View attachment 55485

Whitney Blake, Don Defore, Shirley Booth, Dub Taylor

Of course, George thinks he remembers the number but transposes a digit or two and is therefore unwittingly handing out to his clients the number to a cab company. To make matters worse, George is expecting an important call from his big efficiency client from London. He's going to have to hang around the dumpy cab company, run by cabbie Mitch (the incomparable Dub Taylor) to retrieve the call at an ungodly hour. George decides to take a nap at home first. "Would you like me to come up and read you a bedtime story?" inquires wife Dorothy (Whitney Blake) alluringly. George idiotically whiffs her inference and most likely misses out on the 'nap' of his life. Duh.

Needless to say, George ends up reenlisting his old listed number. Hazel continues to beat the old ladies at Monopoly. Dorothy persists in stretching out tight sweaters in a most agreeable manner, and son Harold (Bobby Buntrock) easily remains the most nerdiest kid in town. In other words, the Baxter household returns to normal.

Randoms:
Pretty easy to see the Mother-Daughter resemblance:

Whitney Blake, Meredith Baxter

Mom and daughter had a dreadful relationship. Whitney was selfishly focused on her own career and took considerable umbrage at Meredith's success as an actress. Meredith was forced to refer to her mother as "Whitney" because "Mom" was considered too age defining. Whitney felt that her children were a hindrance to her youthfulness and beauty. Probably never volunteered as a Home Room Mom.

Shirley Booth is one of the few performers to win all three major entertainment awards (Oscar, Tony, Emmy)--having won two Emmys for her Hazel role. Interesting to note that her actual personality was about as unlike that of Hazel's as mine is to Dwight Eisenhower.

Don't think you'll hear anyone complain about any coverage on Hazel in this thread, Russ. Several members have chimed in about their love of the show in the past. I appreciate the commentary myself, as I've yet to see an episode. I had some reservations about Shirley Booth's Hazel, as I'm no fan of obnoxious "busybody" characters...but I've been assured that she is quite a charming presence in the show. And of course, having Whitney Blake in the cast is an added attraction (though she sounds like a real piece of work in real life). Beauty is only skin deep, and all that. Still...

I've heard enough good things about the show that I'll probably pick up a season on DVD at some point in the near future. It won't be season 1, though...not for it's going price of $99. Looks like S2 just went OOP too, although it's still available from Marketplace sellers for decent prices. Ah, the travails of DVD and Blu-Ray collecting on a budget...

 

[BobO'Link]

Well... I'm glad I purchased Hazel when I did. Even then I paid ~$20/season which I felt was a bit on the high side. I really liked the show as a kid, although by S5 it was getting old. I was pleasantly surprised to find I still enjoy it today. While Hazel can be a bit abrasive and pushy she has a good heart and is doing it out of love for her employers and friends. That pretty much softens the character. And, yes, it doesn't hurt that Whitney Blake is in the show. I had a crush on her when the series originally aired.

You can pick up S1 in the $25-$30 ranged used. While I think that's a bit steep I also feel the show in the early seasons is worth the little bit extra.

 

[Rustifer]

Don't think you'll hear anyone complain about any coverage on Hazel in this thread, Russ. Several members have chimed in about their love of the show in the past.

Good to hear. I was afraid Hazel would be too pedestrian for everyone's taste. I'm a late-comer to the thread, so I'm a bit behind on prior conversations and topics. I'm kinda catching up by tomorrow on stuff discussed yesterday.

 

[Mysto]

Good to hear. I was afraid Hazel would be too pedestrian for everyone's taste. I'm a late-comer to the thread, so I'm a bit behind on prior conversations and topics. I'm kinda catching up by tomorrow on stuff discussed yesterday.
View attachment 55518

I'll give you a pass on Hazel but when you start on My Mother the Car...

 

[Rustifer]

I'll give you a pass on Hazel but when you start on My Mother the Car...

No need. If I ever start on My Mother the Car, I will personally commit myself to the local community looneybin.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Some more '70s goodness recently watched:

McCloud - 1.4 "The Concrete Corral"
Another fun early hour-long episode. When a rodeo star is murdered, McCloud gets personally involved in the case when the unpopular husband of an old flame (Joanna Moore) becomes the prime suspect. Once again it's not the plot that is particularly memorable here, as it's pretty easy to peg who the real killer is early on. What makes this such an entertaining show is watching Dennis Weaver do his thing, as well as the guest stars, the terrific N.Y.C. location photography, and the wall-to-wall, super funky incidental music by David Shire. Also starring Albert Salmi, Nancy Malone, Bill McKinney and, in a self-referential (and self-deprecating) ending cameo, Doug McClure. Joanna Moore is still sexy as can be as McCloud's smoky-voiced former girlfriend.

Petrocelli - 1.4 "Edge of Evil"
Great guest cast in this one: William Shatner, Susan Oliver, Glenn Corbett and a young (and rather stiff) Harrison Ford! The set-up is dramatic stuff, as Tony is asked to defend the man (Shatner) accused of killing a close friend (Corbett). It's a good episode, but the ending courtroom wrap-up seems a bit rushed...this one might have benefited from a longer runtime. The main trio - the intense Newman, as the scrappy, principled attorney, Susan Howard as his loyal and sexy wife, and Albert Salmi as their genial ex-cop legman (who seems to work for beer and promises) - are all very likeable and have great chemistry together. Shatner doesn't have many scenes but does well and keeps the ham in check. Susan Oliver is cursed with a very unflattering hairdo but is always a warm, welcome presence. The only false note is the actress playing Shatner's wife, Lynn Carlin, who gives a flat and uninteresting performance.

The Immortal - "The Immortals" (TV movie pilot)
This was a very good pilot...so good, in fact, that I wonder if the short-lived series that followed can live up to it. Christopher George stars as Ben Richards, a test driver whose donated blood rejuvenates a ruthless, dying tycoon named Braddock (Barry Sullivan). The kindly doctor (Ralph Bellamy) who figures out that Richards' blood carries immunity to disease and aging, warns him that he will become a target of powerful and unscrupulous men like Braddock, but Richards' wish to use his special blood to help others soon backfires on him. Braddock imprisons him in a high-tech basement compound, but Richards manages to escape and now must go on the run, ala The Fugitive, forever parted from the love of his life (Carol Lynley).

This is the series that Christopher George turned down Dan August for, and it's not difficult to see why, judging from the intriguing premise and potential for interesting storytelling here. I always have liked George as an actor, and while he seems much more comfortable careening around the countryside behind the wheel of a green Mustang in the rousing car chase finale than in trading lovey dovey talk with his fiancee, overall he makes for an engaging, sympathetic lead and it's nice to see him get another chance at headlining a series post-Rat Patrol, even if the show wasn't ultimately a success. Lynley can sometimes come off as spacey, but she acts her little socks off here and looks as cute as can be in her pastel minidresses. Jessica Walter also does good, knowing work as Sullivan's trophy wife. And of course Sullivan was always adept at playing creeps. Looking forward to digging into the series proper.

 

[Mysto]

Some more '70s goodness recently watched:

McCloud - 1.4 "The Concrete Corral"
Another fun early hour-long episode. When a rodeo star is murdered, McCloud gets personally involved in the case when the unpopular husband of an old flame (Joanna Moore) becomes the prime suspect. Once again it's not the plot that is particularly memorable here, as it's pretty easy to peg who the real killer is early on. What makes this such an entertaining show is watching Dennis Weaver do his thing, as well as the guest stars, the terrific N.Y.C. location photography, and the wall-to-wall, super funky incidental music by David Shire. Also starring Albert Salmi, Nancy Malone, Bill McKinney and, in a self-referential (and self-deprecating) ending cameo, Doug McClure. Joanna Moore is still sexy as can be as McCloud's smoky-voiced former girlfriend.

Petrocelli - 1.4 "Edge of Evil"
Great guest cast in this one: William Shatner, Susan Oliver, Glenn Corbett and a young (and rather stiff) Harrison Ford! The set-up is dramatic stuff, as Tony is asked to defend the man (Shatner) accused of killing a close friend (Corbett). It's a good episode, but the ending courtroom wrap-up seems a bit rushed...this one might have benefited from a longer runtime. The main trio - the intense Newman, as the scrappy, principled attorney, Susan Howard as his loyal and sexy wife, and Albert Salmi as their genial ex-cop legman (who seems to work for beer and promises) - are all very likeable and have great chemistry together. Shatner doesn't have many scenes but does well and keeps the ham in check. Susan Oliver is cursed with a very unflattering hairdo but is always a warm, welcome presence. The only false note is the actress playing Shatner's wife, Lynn Carlin, who gives a flat and uninteresting performance.

The Immortal - "The Immortals" (TV movie pilot)
This was a very good pilot...so good, in fact, that I wonder if the short-lived series that followed can live up to it. Christopher George stars as Ben Richards, a test driver whose donated blood rejuvenates a ruthless, dying tycoon named Braddock (Barry Sullivan). The kindly doctor (Ralph Bellamy) who figures out that Richards' blood carries immunity to disease and aging, warns him that he will become a target of powerful and unscrupulous men like Braddock, but Richards' wish to use his special blood to help others soon backfires on him. Braddock imprisons him in a high-tech basement compound, but Richards manages to escape and now must go on the run, ala The Fugitive, forever parted from the love of his life (Carol Lynley).

This is the series that Christopher George turned down the Dan August series for, and it's not difficult to see why, judging from the intriguing premise and potential for interesting storytelling here. I always have liked George as an actor, and while he seems much more comfortable careening around the countryside behind the wheel of a green Mustang in the rousing car chase finale than in engaging in lovey dovey talk with his fiancee, overall he makes for an engaging, sympathetic lead and it's nice to see him get another chance at headlining a series post-Rat Patrol, even if it wasn't a success. Lynley can sometimes come off as spacey, but she acts her little socks off here and looks as cute as can be in her pastel minidresses. Jessica Walter also does good, knowing work as Sullivan's trophy wife. And of course Sullivan was always adept playing creeps. Looking forward to digging into the series proper.

Petrocelli was a favorite for us when it was originally on although then it didn't get a lot of love. It's nice that the current release is building fans for what I think was/is a good show.

 

[Rustifer]

Some more '70s goodness recently watched:

McCloud - 1.4 "The Concrete Corral"
Another fun early hour-long episode. When a rodeo star is murdered, McCloud gets personally involved in the case when the unpopular husband of an old flame (Joanna Moore) becomes the prime suspect. Once again it's not the plot that is particularly memorable here, as it's pretty easy to peg who the real killer is early on. What makes this such an entertaining show is watching Dennis Weaver do his thing, as well as the guest stars, the terrific N.Y.C. location photography, and the wall-to-wall, super funky incidental music by David Shire. Also starring Albert Salmi, Nancy Malone, Bill McKinney and, in a self-referential (and self-deprecating) ending cameo, Doug McClure. Joanna Moore is still sexy as can be as McCloud's smoky-voiced former girlfriend.

Petrocelli - 1.4 "Edge of Evil"
Great guest cast in this one: William Shatner, Susan Oliver, Glenn Corbett and a young (and rather stiff) Harrison Ford! The set-up is dramatic stuff, as Tony is asked to defend the man (Shatner) accused of killing a close friend (Corbett). It's a good episode, but the ending courtroom wrap-up seems a bit rushed...this one might have benefited from a longer runtime. The main trio - the intense Newman, as the scrappy, principled attorney, Susan Howard as his loyal and sexy wife, and Albert Salmi as their genial ex-cop legman (who seems to work for beer and promises) - are all very likeable and have great chemistry together. Shatner doesn't have many scenes but does well and keeps the ham in check. Susan Oliver is cursed with a very unflattering hairdo but is always a warm, welcome presence. The only false note is the actress playing Shatner's wife, Lynn Carlin, who gives a flat and uninteresting performance.

The Immortal - "The Immortals" (TV movie pilot)
This was a very good pilot...so good, in fact, that I wonder if the short-lived series that followed can live up to it. Christopher George stars as Ben Richards, a test driver whose donated blood rejuvenates a ruthless, dying tycoon named Braddock (Barry Sullivan). The kindly doctor (Ralph Bellamy) who figures out that Richards' blood carries immunity to disease and aging, warns him that he will become a target of powerful and unscrupulous men like Braddock, but Richards' wish to use his special blood to help others soon backfires on him. Braddock imprisons him in a high-tech basement compound, but Richards manages to escape and now must go on the run, ala The Fugitive, forever parted from the love of his life (Carol Lynley).

This is the series that Christopher George turned down the Dan August series for, and it's not difficult to see why, judging from the intriguing premise and potential for interesting storytelling here. I always have liked George as an actor, and while he seems much more comfortable careening around the countryside behind the wheel of a green Mustang in the car chase finale than in engaging in lovey dovey talk with his fiancee, overall he makes for an engaging, sympathetic lead and it's nice to see him get another chance at headlining a series post-Rat Patrol, even if it wasn't a success. Lynley can sometimes come off as spacey but she acts her little socks off here and looks as cute as can be in her pastel minidresses. Jessica Walter also does good, knowing work as Sullivan's trophy wife. And of course Sullivan was always good playing creeps. Looking forward to digging into the series proper.

You always dredge up some really nifty classics, Jeff. Especially some short-lived ones that were really good but soon forgotten, like Petrocelli. Barry Newman was one cool dude, and Albert Salmi was always a serviceable character actor. For years I swore that Salmi played the uncredited part of Tommy Smith, the kid that Ingrid Bergman teaches how to box in Bells of St. Mary's (1945). It sure looked like him, but it was actually Bobby Frasco.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Petrocelli was a favorite for us when it was originally on although then it didn't get a lot of love. It's nice that the current release is building fans for what I think was/is a good show.

Yes, the series seems to have been well liked by those (too few) who saw it first run, Marv. Though not pristine, the presentation on VEI's DVD set is rock solid, just like the show.

This was a blind buy for me, but as I like nearly every cop and detective show from that era, I figured it was a safe bet, and it was. Really digging the show. And compared to other one season (or less) wonders like Longstreet and The Immortal, Petrocelli's two seasons and 44 episodes (plus pilot movie) seems like a bounty.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

For years I swore that Salmi played the uncredited part of Tommy Smith, the kid that Ingrid Bergman teaches how to box in Bells of St. Mary's (1945). It sure looked like him, but it was actually Bobby Frasco.

That sure does look like a young Salmi, Russ! I'm used to seeing Salmi play scumbag heavies, so it's a pleasure to see him be so amiable and...well, normal in Petrocelli...though he seems criminally underused in the episodes I've watched so far. I like Newman a lot, too; he's in practically every scene and is perfect for this part.

 

[bmasters9]

This was a blind buy for me, but as I like nearly every cop and detective show from that era, I figured it was a safe bet, and it was. Really digging the show.

Pretty much the same way I've felt about The Streets of San Francisco-- a blind go, but very much worth it (as was Petrocelli).

 

[Purple Wig]

Albert Salmi is very convincing and sympathetic on a season 1 episode of Big Valley I watched a few months back.

The only episode of My Mother the Car I've seen was on YT and guest starred Bill Daily, so it was more than enjoyable.

A fave Anne Francis role is in the Invaders, "The Saucer".

Last couple of days around here, DVD-wise
Have Gun, Will Travel: "Birds of a Feather"
Mannix: "Scapegoat"
Wagon Train: "The Betsy Blee Smith Story".

Surprised at how many of these final season Wagon Train shows deal with things like supernatural phenomena, psychological issues. The show itself is relatively new to me, don't recall it being rerun anytime/place I lived when younger, basically only seen a handful of episodes on public domain and sampler DVDs.

YT: My Three Sons: "Robbie and the Chorus Girl". The chorus girl is Pamela Austin, the Dodge Rebellion GIrl!

 

[BobO'Link]

I'll give you a pass on Hazel but when you start on My Mother the Car...

I *badly* wanted to see this one during the original airings - but it came on opposite Combat, which I watched in the fall, and Daktari, which started in January (Rawhide came on in the fall). Daktari won as my sister wanted to see that one too. So... when it came out on DVD I purchased a copy. After decades of reading that it's "The worst sitcom ever made" I discovered it's not nearly as bad as its been made out to be. Mind you, it's not "great" but it's also not that bad. It's a pretty standard middlin' type sitcom.

And to think... Jerry Van Dyke passed on the role of Gilligan to do this series instead. How different would Gilligan's Island have been with Van Dyke? I just can't imagine him in that role.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Jeff, you are now watching two of my favorites. Petrocelli, The Immortal, Longstreet, The Magician and Dan August - thank you vei, inc. for rescuing these short run series. I have enjoyed all of the memories these series have ignited.

 

[Mysto]

Jeff, you are now watching two of my favorites. Petrocelli, The Immortal, Longstreet, The Magician and Dan August - thank you vei, inc. for rescuing these short run series. I have enjoyed all of the memories these series have ignited.

Sure you got The Magician but how about Blacke's Magic - no respect there?

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Looks like you polished off S1 of Mr. Novak in short order, Peter. What did you think of the series overall?

I quite liked it... a bit more social-issues-oriented than I normally prefer in my entertainment, but (for the most part) less preachy and heavy-handed than the wave of "relevancy" that swept through a lot of series in the very late 1960s and early 1970s; and it makes sense and works, given the public high school setting. In a way similar to The Naked City, I'd say it occupies a space somewhere between the hard-hitting social dramas of the time, like The Defenders and East Side West Side, and the more thoughtful but somewhat more apolitical series like Route 66 and The Fugitive. While Novak and company manage to straighten out some problem students and situations, I like how some of the stories don't have pat resolutions. Some kids still manage to fall through the cracks, and there aren't always happy endings. I'm also pleased there are some change-of-pace episodes, like "A Feeling for Friday".

The regulars are very well cast and play terrifically off each other. James Franciscus is perfectly cast as the idealized image of a high school English teacher, whose only flaw is that he cares too much (it's sometimes almost comical how earnest this guy is). I especially like Dean Jagger as school principal Albert Vane, who owns every scene he's in. He can believably portray a man who is both befuddled and yet also sharp as a tack and doesn't suffer fools gladly. People have to be on their toes around him, because a conversation that starts out sounding like praise can become cutting criticism, and vice versa. The lovely Jeanne Bal, as assistant principal Jean Pagano, provides able and formidable support for Jagger's Principal Vane. Marian Collier as Miss Scott is easy on the eyes and you want her to have a serious relationship with Novak... although the fact that he's something of a horndog at times prevents that from happening 100%. Steve Franken is always welcome when appears as music teacher Jerry Allen.

A couple of episodes are a bit odd, in that they clearly want to take a side on a particularly heated issue, but then a guest character or situation is written to balance things out a little, but in a weird, contrived way. For instance, "The Song of Songs", featuring ace character actor Edward Andrews, doing one of his patented tightly-wound, psychotically-angry-with-a-thin-veneer-of-civility roles. He blows up at the school in general, and Mr. Novak in particular, when he finds out his daughter (Brooke Bundy, who is embarrassed of him) has been reading, in his words, "pornographic" 19th century poetry as part of Novak's class assignment. It isn't, of course, since it's milder than anything out of Romeo & Juliet or Andy Hardy. One would think this was going to be about the scripter's idea of a religious fanatic... except Andrews also gets on the school's case, because he suspects they are injecting religion into their lessons (this was just within a year or so of the Supreme Court decisions prohibiting prayer in public schools). So it's Novak/Vane/Pagano versus a (presumably) atheistic, unhinged ultra-prude, who is somehow also a pillar of the community. Huh? I guess such people exist, but again, it seems kind of bizarre in the context of the episode.

That said, and while there is a clunker episode or two, I found Mr. Novak pretty engrossing, and am eager to see Season 2, even with Dean Jagger eventually replaced by Burgess Meredith. I hope Warner Archive is diligently working on it. WA tends to eventually finish TV series on DVD that they begin, so I guess it's only a matter of time, other than the apparent music rights hitch of the "Faculty Follies" two-parter.

I'd say some of the better episodes from Season 1, in my opinion, would be:

"First Year, First Day" (Episode 1)
"X Is the Unknown Factor" (Episode 4)
"A Single Isolated Incident" (Episode 5)
"The Risk" (Episode 6)
"Hello, Miss Phipps" (Episode 7)
"A Feeling for Friday" (Episode 9)
"Pay the Two Dollars" (Episode 10, possibly the best of all, and guest star Martin Landau is great in it)
"The Boy Without a Country" (Episode 12)
"The Exile" (Episode 17)
"The Death of a Teacher" (Episode 20)
"Fear Is a Handful of Dust" (Episode 23)
"The Tower" (Episode 25)
"One Way to Say Goodbye" (Episode 26)
"Day in the Year" (Episode 27)
"Moment Without Armor" (Episode 28)
"Fare Thee Well" (Episode 29)

Also, one minor thing... probably because I watched the entirety of Season 1 in a short amount of time; I've gotten fixated on the anonymous brunette girl in the striped dress, just behind and to the left of Mr. Novak in the show's opening credits--

No, it's not a romantic fixation. Rather, it's one of those unanswerable questions: going by her body language, she's obviously grooving to some music, but it must be crazy music playing in her head, since none of the other kids in the hallway appear to be reacting to anything tuneful, and she doesn't appear to have a transistor radio on her person. Could it be that she's the only one who can hear the show's theme music? It's a puzzler! Maybe a future episode ("A Distant Drummer"?) will revolve around her and her mounting musical delusions seriously affecting her grade point average or something, and only Mr. Novak can possibly reach her...

(And hey, isn't that "Son of Sam" David Berkowitz in the background, framed between her and Novak in this screen shot? Nah, that's impossible. He was a lifelong New Yorker, and only would've been 10 years old in 1963. Unless...)