MartinP.
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I was watching a couple episodes of THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. this week.
Another fine array of series' reviews, Jeff. I'm unfamiliar with most of them--but due to your commentaries will be watching for any of them to show up on a local channel at some point.
The Rebel was always of favorite of mine when I was a lad---Nick Adams had that "cool" factor to which kids my age would gravitate. He actually made the Confederate biscuit hat look hip.
Too bad his life was wrapped in some salaciousness and a suicide-induced death at age 36...
Stuff I watched this week:
Rifleman
Bewitched
Midsommer Murders
Sgt. Preston
Have Gun Will Travel
Columbo: "Murder by the Book" (Season 1, Episode 1, 1971) DVD
Columbo: "Death Lends a Hand" (Season 1, Episode 2, 1971) DVD
Columbo: "Dead Weight" (Season 1, Episode 3, 1971) DVD
Columbo: "Suitable for Framing" (Season 1, Episode 4, 1971) DVD
Columbo: "Lady in Waiting" (Season 1, Episode 5, 1971) DVD
I was a doofus and snoozed on picking up the remastered DVD sets when they first came out...they're OOP and quite expensive now.
Sgt. Preston is a bit dated, but still fun to watch. I didn't realize it made it to DVD...Good shows, all. It would be cool to see Sergeant Preston again...it's been a looong time since I've seen it. I was a doofus and snoozed on picking up the remastered DVD sets when they first came out...they're OOP and quite expensive now.
Gilbert: "Excuse me, lady, but this dumb kid lost the money you gave him yesterday."
Lee Meriwether: "For the Community Chest?"
Gilbert: "Yes, ma'am. His father's making him find out what everybody gave him, so he can make it up."
Lee Meriwether: "Oh, well, I think I gave him a dollar."
Gilbert: "Some of the people are giving him the money again, 'cause they feel sorry for him, for being so dumb!"
Funny stuff, Peter! And a nice photo essay. Man, I don't think I've ever seen Lee Meriwether looking so young!
I prefer these LITBs where Jerry Mathers is still (just barely) in the "cute little kid" zone. If I remember right, he goes through quite a growth spurt in those last few seasons and is no longer able to quite pull off that "adorable little squirt" act of his. Are you in for the long haul (i.e. all 6 seasons) with the show?
Between all the positive buzz you, Russ and Tim have been giving LITB lately, you're slowly convincing me to check some of these early episodes out.
Good to hear, but these episodes I'm currently talking about are pretty late in the series' run... I'm watching the 1961-62 season (the most shocking change is June Cleaver's bigger/different hairdo!), and only have a little over a season-and-a-half left to go!
Seasons 3 & 4 are the sweet spot for Leave It To Beaver in my opinion, although all of it can be enjoyed. I think I like those seasons because of Beaver's age and the greater involvement of his and Wally's friends.Funny stuff, Peter! And a nice photo essay. Man, I don't think I've ever seen Lee Meriwether looking so young!
I prefer these LITBs where Jerry Mathers is still (just barely) in the "cute little kid" zone. If I remember right, he goes through quite a growth spurt in those last few seasons and is no longer able to quite pull off that "adorable little squirt" act of his. Are you in for the long haul (i.e. all 6 seasons) with the show?
Between all the positive buzz you, Russ and Tim have been giving LITB lately, you're slowly convincing me to check some of these early episodes out.
I just finished a trifecta of episodes of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. that are pretty much guaranteed to completely turn you off of this series. Anyone who was still watching in 1966 probably had huge second thoughts after watching these episodes:
"The Abominable Snowman Affair" (IMDB 4.7) - Solo and Kuryakin investigate a plot in Ghupat, a nation in the Himalayas.
When the opening scene has a "native" who looks like a mole man you know you're in trouble.
"The My Friend the Gorilla Affair" (IMDB 3.7) - Kuryakin is captured while investigating a mysterious threat in an African country. Solo is sent to pick up his trail. The agent encounters a woman simply named Girl who has a pet gorilla named Baby. For reasons not readily apparent, Solo at one point dances with the gorilla.
Featuring a "Tarzan" yell that sounds like it was lifted from one of Jane's calls in the Weissmuller Tarzan movies.
"The Jingle Bells Affair" (IMDB 5.1) - The leader of a country (who appears to be modeled on Nikita Kruschev) is visiting New York City. Solo and Kuryakin must protect him from assassination attempts.
Also features "Santa Claus," a sick boy, Macy's, and Santa battling the baddies.
I think the IMDB scores are a bit generous for these three episodes. They aired on December 9th, 16th, and 23rd in 1966. Maybe they thought no one would be watching during the month or would be watching Christmas Specials on another channel. They certainly provided no reason to watch U.N.C.L.E. those weeks. I can say with certainty that I'll not bother with them again. Since all three are on the same disc it's tempting to label the disc "Skip - not worth the time."
Seasons 3 & 4 are the sweet spot for Leave It To Beaver in my opinion, although all of it can be enjoyed.
Good review - I haven't watched this since I was a kid.Episode Commentary
Jeff's Collie
"The Raft" (S2E24) 1956
Even today, when I hear the theme song to Jeff's Collie (Secret of the Silent Hills), it warms the cockles of my heart ("cockles" being what?). A great series that easily made do with just five main stars: Jeff (Tommy Rettig), Ellen Miller (Jan Clayton), Gramps (George Cleveland), Porky (Donnald Keeler), and of course, Lassie (Lassie). The simple one-camera shot of the yard between the Miller's house and the barn (despite being an obvious studio set) remains one of the more iconic scenes of my childhood. I sooo wanted to live on a farm, with a bedroom widow that was open and able to be crawled in and out of by boy and dog.
This story engenders the age-old desire of boys to construct a raft and float down a river as pirates in search of treasure. Jeff and Porky are busy trying to build a seaworthy craft using old lumber and Gramps' gruff instructions. Porky bangs his thumb while hammering in a nail and Gramps advises sucking his thumb to relieve the pain. Seconds later, Gramps does the same--with Jeff gleefully echoing "Suck it, Gramps!" A good phrase Jeff could have used about a 100 times to the cantankerous old coot over the years.
View attachment 55810 View attachment 55811
Tommy Rettig and Lassie, Jan Clayton, George Cleveland
Jeff and Porky finish the rickety craft. Ellen wants the them have lunch first before launching, to which Jeff complains wanting to get supplies on board, "We've got to get loaded, Mom!" Oh, way too easy for me to hit that line hard...
Finally, the boys get the raft on the creek and float a bit down the waterway before putting ashore to dig for treasure off a map that Gramps secretly devised. After digging a hole deep enough for a coffin and finding nothing, Porky then digs into a basket of goodies (pie, cake, prime roast, stone crab, caviar) that Ellen has thoughtfully provided and does justice to his moniker. Oink. Meanwhile, the untended raft drifts off as dark storm clouds gather and lightning flashes. Using the combined acumen of mayonnaise, the boys and Lassie jump into the creek to swim back home seemingly unafraid of being fried alive by a lightning strike. Ellen and Gramps, nearly prostrate with grief, hurry to the creek to rescue the kids. All ends well with everyone soaking their feet in tubs of warm water in the kitchen. More pie, anyone?
Randoms
Jan Clayton, although playing the consummate careworn mom in the series, was actually a fine figure of a woman and had extensive Broadway creds before landing her iconic role. After her 16-year old daughter died in a car accident, she sank into alcoholism, but was a able to recover before her death at age 66.
View attachment 55812
Jan, looking a bit less mommy-like...
George Cleveland was a native of Nova Scotia. His death pretty much put an end to Jeff's Collie series, which then reverted to the pool-sized saccharine opus that featured Timmy (Jon Provost). Tommy Rettig always had a subtle sharpness to his character, which Provost totally lacked--having about as much edge as a marble.
Jeff's Collie was filmed nearly entirely on Stage 1 of KTTV in Los Angeles, occasionally venturing out to surrounding farm-like hills nearby.
Oftentimes you can hear the echo of a sound stage in the scenes around the house and barn.