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

[Purple Wig]

Devlin (Hanna-Barbera, 1974) - disc 1:
1.01 - "Victory Over Fear" (9/7/1974)
When Ernie tries to jump over 23 cars, he crashes and ends up going to the hospital after which he has second thoughts about being a motorcycle stunt rider. But when some Boy Scouts are trapped on an island (after the waters were knocked off the bridge), he faces his fears and jumps over the river to rescue the scout troop.

1.02 - "Hero Worshiper" (9/14/1974)
A runaway named Pete idolizes Ernie Devlin and wants to be a motorcycle stunt rider just like him. However, the Devlins teach this kid there's more to being a star rider.

1.03 - "Save That Lion" (9/21/1974)
When Prince, a circus lion, runs off, Sandy fears he'll be killed. Instead, he is brought back alive after being subdued with a tranquilizer dart.

1.04 - "Todd's Triumph" (9/28/1974)
After coming up with a super roller coaster stunt for Ernie, Todd feels unimportant and left out after Hank tells a reporter about the mechanical side of the team. A representative from a rival circus offers Todd an important job as a chief mechanic. But when a tornado strikes the city, Hank is trapped in his jeep after a tree falls on it, so Todd uses his brains to rescue Hank.

1.05 - "Up, Up and Away" (10/5/1974)
A police safety inspector threatens to close Hank's circus over violations caused by the Gomez family's hot air balloon and Ernie's double-loop ramp.

1.06 - "The Challenge" (10/12/1974)
A motorcycle rider named Speed Simmons challenges the stunt rider to a motorcycle race.

1.07 - "Sandy's Choice" (10/19/1974)
Aunt Martha and Uncle Fred visit the Devlins when they head to their town. Aunt Martha feels that Sandy should live at their home, instead of traveling with the circus.

1.08 - "Sandy's Idol" (10/26/1974)
Sandy likes the idea that Hank hires a rock band for his circus. The band's name is Lucifer, and its lead singer goes by that stage name as well. Ernie and Todd don't like the idea of Sandy idolizing that band. But Lucifer shows his true colors by acting obnoxious and rude towards the people of the circus.

~Ben

Wow, Devlin. I remember being unsettled by "Sandy's Idol", probably when originally broadcast.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Devlin (Hanna-Barbera, 1974) - disc 1:
1.01 - "Victory Over Fear" (9/7/1974)...
~Ben

Never heard of Devlin before, Ben. Must have missed this one growing up...think it was just a few years before my peak cartoon watching days. Looks to be another Warner Archive Collection H-B special. Thanks for the episode breakdowns!

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Petticoat Junction - 1.4 "Is There a Doctor in the House"
When railroad CEO Norman Curtis (Roy Roberts), who everyone in Hooterville thinks is just a hobo, accidentally breaks the throttle lever of the Cannonball, it looks like the annual Shady Rest Jamboree will have to be cancelled. So Curtis calls in some heavy-hitting reinforcements to help save the day. Uncle Joe is a bit of a jerk to "Nutty" Norman, and even Kate begins to have her doubts. Another very enjoyable entry in this, one of my favorite recent classic TV discoveries.

The Beverly Hillbillies - 2.1 "Jed Gets the Misery"
As much as I like Bea Benederet in Petticoat Junction, I was growing tired of Cousin Pearl, and her uncomfortable romantic pursuit of oilman Mr. Brewster, in season one of this show...so I decided to skip forward to the beginning of season 2. Turned out to be a good choice. In this very funny episode, Jed pretends to be sick to cheer Granny up, and she commences to "doctoring" him back to health. Before long, Mr. Drysdale and his own doctor (familiar prune-face Fred Clark) are subjected to Granny's "cures."

Jethro: "I couldn't find no wretchweed or dogbane either. Couldn't find no lizard eggs nor dried beetles."

Granny: "How can you be a doctor in Beverly Hills without the proper medicine?"

Lawman - 1.36 "The Wayfarer"
When Doc Holliday (Adam West) shoots and kills a thug in self-defense, the dead man's father (Jeff York) and brothers seek revenge. Marshall Troop tries to get Doc out of town, but Holliday has other plans. IMDB falsely lists Hugh O'Brien as a guest star (as Wyatt Earp)...he's nowhere to be seen, but West holds his own with tough, authoritative John Russell. West also appeared as Doc Holliday in Lawman's Warner western stablemates, Sugarfoot and Colt .45 (hey, Warner Archive, why isn't this show on DVD yet?)

The Dakotas - 1.6 "Crisis at High Banjo"
The highlight of this particular batch of shows for me. It's taken me a while to warm to this gritty, hard-edged series, but this episode won me over. When the man who shot and killed his wife several years before is captured and set to be hanged, Marshall Ragan (Larry Ward) tries to find out who hired him. When he eventually uncovers a conspiracy leading to a power-hungry newspaper magnate (Warren Stevens), Ragan finds himself teetering on the edge between justice and revenge. Ward does fine, simmering work here, but good ol' Jack Elam steals the show as former gunslinger-turned-lawman, J.D. Smith. Elam's character, with his wolfish leer and less scrupulous morality, is frickin' awesome, and is given all the best lines, including this one (thanks to John Hopper for posting this in another thread):



A strong story with a lot of incident crammed in, featuring some great western character actors doing fine work. Aside from Warren Stevens (other than the doctor in Forbidden Planet, did this guy ever play a good guy? Whenever I see his face in a classic TV show, I just know he's up to no good) and Michael Pate (ditto), we also get a nuanced performance from another well-known heavy, Robert J. Wilke. And of course, amidst all the macho face-offs, we get some welcome eye-candy, in the form of Karen Sharpe.

The Invaders - 1.6 "Nightmare"
David Vincent (the always-intense Roy Thinnes) arrives in a small, midwestern farming town and uncovers an alien plot to turn insects into a controlled, carnivorous force. It's a pleasantly outlandish, B-movie plot device for this oh-so-sober show, but the end result doesn't quite rank with the best of the series...basically because the idea is a little too big to be done full justice to in a single episode. It's still an exciting hour of television, with a nicely sinister performance from Robert Emhardt (and an overly neurotic one from Kathleen Widdoes).

 

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

Never heard of Devlin before, Ben. Must have missed this one growing up...think it was just a few years before my peak cartoon watching days. Looks to be another Warner Archive Collection H-B special. Thanks for the episode breakdowns!

It was a standard-issue, 16-episode series.

~Ben

 

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

I've just finished...

Devlin (Hanna-Barbera, 1974) - disc 2
1.09 - "The Big Blast" (11/2/1974)
The mayor of Turtle River doesn't want Hank's circus to open, because the last traveling carnival/circus ripped off their money. When some boys (who founded an Ernie Devlin fan club) sneak in to visit Ernie, he gives a free performance for his fans. When the mayor finds out, he has Ernie arrested and thrown in jail. A forest fire breaks out near the city; Ernie helps a townsman reach the lumber mill, so he can blast the trees blocking the water supply.

1.10 - "Innocent or Guilty" (11/9/1974)
Hank wants Uncle Jack, the oldest member of the circus crew, to retire. After a fire breaks out at the big top, one of the crew finds Jack's pipe and Hank thinks that it was his carelessness. So Uncle Jack and his dog run away. When they get the new canvas for the circus, Ernie discovers that cinders coming from a nearby lumber mill, which made small burns on the new canvas, were the cause of the fire and not Uncle Jack.

1.11 - "Like Father, Like Son" (11/16/1974)
The circus caravan is stuck in a blizzard. Ernie's fear of snow reminds him of when his dad, a motorcycle cop, died during his duty. With less food and shelter for the animals, Ernie decides to overcome his fear and get help. Todd turns his motorcycle into a snowmobile.

1.12 - "Jester's Secret" (11/23/1974)
When Jester the clown learns that the circus is heading to Southfield, he asks Hank to make a few changes: that he'd be the new ringmaster (with Hank as his assistant), and that he'd go by his real name (Harry). Why? Because he has a daughter in college, and doesn't want her to know that he's really a clown.

1.13 - "The Stowaway" (11/30/1974)
After shows in Phoenix, Hank's circus travels to Desert City, Arizona. Along the way, the border patrol stops to inspect if there are any illegal immigrants boarding the circus caravan. When arriving in Desert City, the Devlins discover a stowaway (and runaway) named Juan. Juan wants to be part of the circus by helping Floyd out with the animals, since he's good with them. But Hank tells him that because he's a minor and his tourist visa expired, he can't work. Juan explains that he ran away from Mexico because his dad wanted him to be a lawyer, like he is, but Juan likes working with animals a lot better.

1.14 - "Sandy's Turn" (12/7/1974)
Sandy meets Tina, a little league ballplayer, who is a fan of the Devlins' act. After seeing the billboard Hank came up with, Tina thought Sandy was the star of the circus; that got Sandy into thinking of buying her own motorbike. But Ernie insists that Sandy learn the mechanics of the bike as well as driving around in circles, to handle turns.

1.15 - "Sandy's Decision" (12/14/1974)
After doing a show, the Devlins discover an intruder in their mobile home; it turns out to be a stray dog. Sandy decides to adopt the dog and name her Muffin. But before moving to the next city, Ernie decides to place an ad in the local paper regarding the lost dog. Thirty days have passed and the real owner finally shows up to claim his dog, Bridget (her real name).

1.16 - "The Storyteller" (12/21/1974)
The Devlins meet their dad's old police partner. He impresses the circus with his adventures since leaving the police force. Ernie and Todd don't buy his stories, though Sandy thinks they're true at first. When a pair of black panthers arrive at the circus, Floyd asks for his help, since he claimed to have experience with panthers. But then he admits the truth -- all his stories were tall tales. However, Hank gives him a job as an assistant ringmaster.

Clue Club (Hanna-Barbera, 1976) - disc 1
1.01 - "The Paper Shaper Caper" (8/14/1976)
The News Press has the press running Mr. Kitrich's notice. The Clue Club have a lead on Ms. Twitchell and Dottie has a lead to the Apex Printing Company. While getting abducted in the theater, Larry, D. D. and Pepper find out about a counterfeiting scheme organized by Mr. Whitaker.
THE SUSPECT: Mr. Whitaker

1.02 - "The Case of the Lighthouse Mouse" (8/21/1976)
The Clue Club investigate a museum robbery in which the jewels are swiped one by one and Uncle Salty is suspected to be the thief. There seems to be a connection with the lighthouse Uncle Salty once worked in. Larry recreates the crime scene to expose the thief as Mr. Gooch and his trained mouse Barrymore.
THE SUSPECTS: Mr. Gooch, Barrymore

1.03 - "The Real Gone Gondola" (8/28/1976)
The Clue Club investigates a mysterious disappearance of Ms. Coldwell caused by someone named Vortex. After traveling between home and Blizzard Mountain and avoiding mysterious encounters, they conclude Tom Coldwell caused all this in order to scare away the interested buyers of the ski resort.
THE SUSPECT: Tom Coldwell

1.04 - "Who's to Blame for the Empty Frame?" (9/4/1976)
The Clue Club investigate a stolen million-dollar painting in the Castle Museum. Woofer and Whimper are assigned to guard a Ming vase, they get stolen, but they meet up with the Clue Club soon. Larry reveals the heist was caused by a pantomimist, Mr. Carlotte, and the cleaner, Mr. Tobias.
THE SUSPECTS: Mr. Carlotte, Mr. Tobias

1.05 - "The Weird Seaweed Caper" (9/11/1976)
The Clue Club investigate the dock area where a sea monster dwells. What spooks them is someone named Doomsday who seems to be observing them. After combing the shorelines the Clue Club and Sheriff Bagley catch the three diamond smugglers who were able to conceal the diamonds in golf balls.

1.06 - "The Green Thumb Caper" (9/18/1976)
The Clue Club investigate multiple robberies at Mr. Cosgrave's manor, caused by some masked person in the dark. A trail leads to the suspects, the butler Mr. Wilkins and the nursery gardener Ms. Carter, who smuggled the jewels in Venus Flytraps.
THE SUSPECTS: Mr. Wilkins, Ms. Carter

1.07 - "The Disappearing Airport Caper" (9/25/1976)
A pilot, Corky, requests the Clue Club clear his name of an X7 plane hijack, which carries insurance. After a major check through on Brock's cow pasture, Larry reveals that a fake airport had been temporarily placed here and Eddie himself stole and hid the plane after getting Corky to land.
THE SUSPECT: Eddie

1.08 - "The Walking House Caper" (10/2/1976)
Mr. Lean asks the Clue Club to check out a top security safe. The safe gets taken clean away. Mr. Benchley tells Larry that Mr. Lean's house moves around while everyone else is pursued by a Sasquatch. Larry reveals that the safe was never stolen, but they were taken to an exact matching house by Mr. Benchley.

~Ben

 

[JohnHopper]

Lawman - 1.36 "The Wayfarer"
When Doc Holliday (Adam West) shoots and kills a thug in self-defense, the dead man's father (Jeff York) and brothers seek revenge. Marshall Troop tries to get Doc out of town, but Holliday has other plans. IMDB falsely lists Hugh O'Brien as a guest star (as Wyatt Earp)...he's nowhere to be seen, but West holds his own with tough, authoritative John Russell. West also appeared as Doc Holliday in Lawman's Warner western stablemates, Sugarfoot and Colt .45 (hey, Warner Archive, why isn't this show on DVD yet?)

This is the best ever Warner western series. It was Warner's answer to CBS' Gunsmoke.
Season 1 has the best stories, very Film Noir.

The Dakotas - 1.6 "Crisis at High Banjo"
The highlight of this particular batch of shows for me. It's taken me a while to warm to this gritty, hard-edged series, but this episode won me over. When the man who shot and killed his wife several years before is captured and set to be hanged, Marshall Ragan (Larry Ward) tries to find out who hired him. When he eventually uncovers a conspiracy leading to a power-hungry newspaper magnate (Warren Stevens), Ragan finds himself teetering on the edge between justice and revenge. Ward does fine, simmering work here, but good ol' Jack Elam steals the show as former gunslinger-turned-lawman, J.D. Smith. Elam's character, with his wolfish leer and less scrupulous morality, is frickin' awesome, and is given all the best lines, including this one (thanks to John Hopper for posting this in another thread):

A strong story with a lot of incident crammed in, featuring some great western character actors doing fine work. Aside from Warren Stevens (other than the doctor in Forbidden Planet, did this guy ever play a good guy? Whenever I see his face in a classic TV show, I just know he's up to no good) and Michael Pate (ditto), we also get a nuanced performance from another well-known heavy, Robert J. Wilke. And of course, amidst all the macho face-offs, we get some welcome eye-candy, in the form of Karen Sharpe.

It's a fine maverick western series from Warner. The pilot is fabulous.

The Invaders - 1.6 "Nightmare"
David Vincent (the always-intense Roy Thinnes) arrives in a small, midwestern farming town and uncovers an alien plot to turn insects into a controlled, carnivorous force. It's a pleasantly outlandish, B-movie plot device for this oh-so-sober show, but the end result doesn't quite rank with the best of the series...basically because the idea is a little too big to be done full justice to in a single episode. It's still an exciting hour of television, with a nicely sinister performance from Robert Emhardt (and an overly neurotic one from Kathleen Widdoes).

The locust issue reminds me Hitchcock's The Birds.

 

[Rustifer]

This is the best ever Warner western series. It was Warner's answer to CBS' Gunsmoke.

John, I agree with you and Jeff about Lawman. John Russell was the embodiment of the Rule of Law. There was no spittin' on the street in his town, by golly.
I put that show up there right alongside Maverick as the best of WB Westerns. I wish it was still on MeTV.

 

[Rustifer]

David Vincent (the always-intense Roy Thinnes) arrives in a small, midwestern farming town and uncovers an alien plot to turn insects into a controlled, carnivorous force.

Roy Thinnes was just perfect as David Vincent in this iconic series. Unfortunately, he was one of Hollywood's many one-hit-wonders in that his career pretty much started and ended with The Invaders. Oh sure, he had other roles, but who remembers those?

Roy's been married 4 times, so I guess he found other stuff to do. Although now 80, he might be a tad slow in rounding up any carnivorous insects.

Is that the tiniest bit of a ponytail peeking out behind his neck? Gotta give the old guy props for hair growth.

 

[albert_m2]

I've been on a It Takes a Thief kick this lately. Going though a couple season 2 discs right now.

 

[Rustifer]

My memory of Starsky & Hutch was much the same as yours...I remembered it as a dark and gritty show, and have been surprised by how lighthearted many of the episodes are.

Remember when David Soul decided to leverage his popularity from the series into a singing career? His "Don't Give Up On Us" made fingernails on a chalkboard sound like harps from heaven in comparison.
He did play a pretty nasty bad dude in "In the Line of Duty: The FBI Murders", which I only mention because of one of the co-stars--Teri Copley.

Lord, do not strike me blind yet....

 

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

Now finished with Clue Club (Hanna-Barbera, 1976) - disc 2:
1.09 - "The Solar Energy Caper" (10/9/1976)
The Clue Club visit a science fair. Just then, the new solar generator is stolen. With many suspects in mind, Larry, D. D. and Pepper check out Reed's Electronics. A final check reveals that a hologram was placed within the exhibit instead of the actual device, all devised by the scientist Mr. Foster.
THE SUSPECT: Mr. Foster

1.10 - "The Vanishing Train Caper" (10/16/1976)
The Clue Club witness a train with a gold bullion vanish past a mountain. The only clue is iron pyrite pointing to the ghost town of Dobson City. In an old mine nearby, the Clue Club find the stolen train and its gold which was diverted by an alternate track in the mountain, carried out by the train dispatcher.

1.11 - "The Dissolving Statue Caper" (10/23/1976)
At the Fun Mountain amusement park, the Clue Club are presented with a magnificent statue owned by Bobo Cahuna. The statue then vanishes. Finding out that this statue was made of sugar, the evidence indicates that Mr. Crane crafted it and his monkey dissolved it and the real statue remained in the cargo it was shipped in. Before Mr. Crane is carried away, he asks one of his workers to watch his pet monkey while he is away.
THE SUSPECT: Mr. Crane

1.12 - "The Missing Pig Caper" (10/30/1976)
At the county fair, Sally takes the Clue Club to see her prize pig, Sweet Pea, except he has been taken away. Dottie notifies a suspicious character, Mr. Glut's butler Mr. Cleek. After looking in the Glut residence, the pignapper is revealed to be an ice cream man who had the means to sell the pig to Mr. Glut.

1.13 - "One of Our Elephants is Missing" (11/6/1976)
The Clue Club go to the zoo to search not just for a missing elephant, but also some other animals. D. D.'s idea of disguising as a chimpanzee to stake out the thief doesn't work. At the docks, Chris Carloff and his accomplice Dr. Henkan are proved to be the thieves that smuggled the zoo animals.
THE SUSPECTS: Chris Carloff, Dr. Henkan

1.14 - "The Amazing Heist" (11/13/1976)
At the Rock Festival, the Crown of Dileria gets swiped. While searching, D. D. and Pepper are pursued by a werewolf. Dottie briefs a likely suspect, Mr. Grayson. The whole theft was schemed by Madame Hortense who strongly believes the crown is hers by birthright.
THE SUSPECTS: Mr. Grayson, Madame Hortense

1.15 - "The Circus Caper" (11/20/1976)
On a trip to the circus, the Clue Club see the acrobat, Karelli, vanish. The case seems complicated since many people have their views against Karelli, who was going to leave the circus anyway to work for someone else. The acrobats, Tonio and Peter, are revealed to be the ones trying so hard to get rid of Karelli to become the best team.
THE SUSPECTS: Tonio, Peter

1.16 - "The Prehistoric Monster Caper" (11/27/1976)
During a filming shoot of a cavepeople and dinosaur-themed movie, Mr. Simmons vanishes. D. D. and Pepper are chased by a dinosaur in their search for clues. Brett Winsome reveals the definite way Mr. Simmons disappeared. Mr. Wolf posed as Mr. Simmons and made it seem like the director disappeared.
THE SUSPECT: Mr. Wolf

On episodes 11 and 15, during some of the circus scenes we're hearing the circus-style re-arranging of the Devlin theme tune.

~Ben

 

[Doug Wallen]

Well, I finally finished up Dan August. Maybe not the best looking set, but I have enjoyed re-viewing this series. Such a pleasure watching Norman Fell act, not play a clown. I just never did enjoy his mugging in Three's Company.

Prognosis: Homicide (1.25) Fritz Weaver, Susan Oliver, Jerry Ayres, Ahna Capri. A wino dies, cause of death - poison. Dan believes the poison was meant for the original recipient of the tainted bottle. Through police work and luck, the bottle is traced back to a prominent surgeon (who, naturally, operated on Dan). An interesting case because the actual target is reluctant to cooperate with Dan. An ending that surprised me explains his reluctance.

The Assassin (1.26) Gary Collins, Joan Hackett, Carolyn Jones, John Beck, H. M. Wynant. Fine guest cast is wasted in this very unoriginal story using one of the 70's biggest tropes, the shooting of a "major" character ( Dan's boss - Chief Untermeyer). I found this episode hard to finish. The only bright spot was the guest appearance of Carolyn Jones. I wish these final two episodes had been swapped in their air date order.

Doctor Who - Peter Davison Complete Season 1 (Season 19) Bluray
Time-Flight (19.23, 19.24, 19.25, 19.26) Anthony Ainley, Richard Easton, Keith Drinkel, Michael Cashman, Nigel Stock. The TARDIS again makes a mistake when heading to Earth and ends at Heathrow, namedropping Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and U.N.I.T. in order to help investigate a the disappearance of a Concorde SST, apparently in prehistoric times. Sounds like an interesting story that ends up involving to many people and lots of exposition as well as an unbeleivable landing strip (the planes should have been destroyed).

Doctor Who - Tom Baker Complete Season 7 (Season 18) Bluray
The Leisure Hive (18.1, 18.2, 18.3, 18.4) Adrienne Corri, Lawrence Payne, John Collin, David Haig. The "death" of K-9. Apparently the BBC got some new editing tools and this story was used to show them off. Not a fan of the "talking head" demonstration. Although we are told this is a planet designed for pleasure/leisure, I can't recall seeing anyone actually enjoy that. Seems like all the natives are dying. Best part of this story was Tom Baker as the ancient Doctor (forgetful and slow). Excellent portrayal and under his breath remarks. Nice trick with all of the clones being the wrong person. At least this season ends on a stong note.

Gunsmoke - Season 6
The Cook (6.14) Guy Stockwell, Sue Randall, John Pickard, John Milford. Sandy King is one lucky individual. He owes a bill at Delmonico's, so he becomes the cook and is great at it. Customer complains, he hits with a frying pan and kills him. On the run, he falls for a beautiful girl whose father doesn't approve. Before he can be shot, Matt and Chester pull up and arrest Sandy. Back in Dodge, there is a near riot as Sandy is jailed until Matt finds out that the victim was a wanted man with a price on his head. Sandy refuses the reward and can't wait to be on the road again. Delightful episode.

Old Fool (6.15) Buddy Ebsen, Hope Summers, Linda Watkins. Hannibal Bass is taken by the widow next door and is ready to throw his 30 year marriage away. His wife sees through the widow and fires upon her as she fights for her man. Lighthearted episode for Ebsen to play with a startling ending. I liked this one also.

Brother Love (6.17) Gene Lyons, Lurene Tuttle, Kevin Hagen, Dabbs Greer. Mr. Jonas is robbed. Which of two brothers did it? the Cumbers always take care of their own. Interesting tale of how one family punishes the misdeeds that are committed.

Bad Sheriff (6.18) Ken Lynch, Russell Arms, Harry Carey, Jr., Don Keefer, Sam Haskell. What will you do for stolen money? Can you trust travelling lawmen? Questions asked by this episode.

Unloaded Gun (6.19) William Redfield, Lew Brown. Matt chases two outlaws, possibly wounding one. Matt becomes ill and returns to Dodge whereupon Chester notices how dirty Matt's gun is. Chester does a good deed and cleans the gun putting Matt's life in danger. Watch the episode to see how this plays out.

Tall Trapper (6.20) Strother Martin, Tom Reese, Jan Shepard. Jealousy in the west. A small man has a pretty wife he does not trust. Arriving in Dodge, he reports that his wife is dead. Upon investigation, it seems the wife was murdered and did not die as reported. A friendly stranger comes under suspicion.

Mr. Novak - The Complete First Season
I'm On The Outside (1.21) Teno Pollick, Adolina Pedrosa, Phillip Terry, Rusty Lane. Mr. Novak must be an easy target, here he is accused of being prejudiced against Hispanics. I did like how this episode examined where Mr. Novak overstepped his desire to help as opposed to doing the right thing. That is one of the things I find a bit overused in this series. I understand that Mr. Novak embodies the altruistic desire we wish all teachers start with and hope they can maintain, but sometimes it seems that if Mr. Novak is involved, everything is fine. This episode takes great pains in the final act to have Principal Vane, Mrs. Pagano as well as the education investigator all tell Mr. Novak that there are just some things he is not equipped to handle. i also appreciated that Mr. Novak didn't get angry and accepted his correction. Nice job all around.

Chin Up, Mr. Novak (1.22) Hermione Baddeley, Don Grady. Old age and forced retirement are examined as well as a student who is smart but would rather be the class clown. He doesn't realize that he is being cruel until the visiting teacher ends up as the butt of one of hi jokes.

Fear Is A Handful Of Dust (1.23) Brenda Scott, Tony Dow. A talented artist/cartoonist has not yet blossomed and is fearful of putting herself out there as she is constantly told by her mother that she just can't do anything right. Mr. Novak encourages her to take a step and try. I think there is an unstated story concerning her physical maturity that is holding her back. She is 15 going on 25. Really nice guest turn by Wally Cleaver, uh Tony Dow.

How Does Your Garden Grow? (1.24) Barbara Barrie, Terrie Garr, Marion Ross. A flu epidemic sets the stage for an influx of substitutes. One sub has plenty of knowledge but is unable to handle herself in the classroom. Mr. Novak helps her sort out her desires concerning teaching as a career.

The Tower (1.25) Heather Angel, Chris Connelly. A teacher is no longer effective in class and is forcibly retired by Principal Vane. She understands the necessity but is unable to accept the decision. Her retirement pary is a bust and she feels useless like some old discarded trophies. As a last ditch effort, she appears on the roof looking as if she will jump.

The High Chapparal - Season 2
Shadow Of The Wind (2.15) Luke Askew, Fabrizio Mioni, Charles Bail. Another interaction with real people, this time from Tombstone, Arizona. Buck is familiar with johnny Ringo, who is in town with lawmen to police a peace festival and then head to Apache land as scalphunters. Mano is involved as he is visiting a friend who hired these "outlaws".

No Irish Need Apply (2.16) John Vernon, Eddie Firestone, Charles Tyner, Robert Cornthwaite, Ed Peck. Unsafe mine practices that are causing problems for the Irish miners is a concern. Mano is willing to help within certain limits, but his Irish friend has brought some home practices to Arizona. Mano will not sanction terrorism and loses his friend.

The Last Hundred Miles (2.17) Robert Clary, Tom Tully, Walter Brooke. A crooked businessman wants to control the monopoly on overland shipping to Tucson. He fakes Apache Indian attacks in order to raise his shipping rates. Big John invites another company to look at bringing competition to town.

The Glory Soldiers (2.18) Frank Silvera, Anthony Caruso, Sean McClory, Elizabeth Allen. Mano is tired of responsibilities and leave the Chapparal to party. He crosses paths with El Lobo and his thieves as well as a Salvation Army troop heading to Tombstone to begin mission work. How does this story end???

It seems that from this disc, Mano must have been the breakthrough character.

 

[GMBurns]

As a series Lawman was the poor man's Gunsmoke, but I can't get enough of John Russell's portrayal of Dan Troop. Whereas Marshall Dillon would often give the bad guys just enough rope to hang themselves, Marshall Troop was right in your face. Definitely my favorite of the Warner westerns, and I wish it had run another season or two or three.

 

[Rustifer]

Mr. Novak - The Complete First Season

One cool thing about this series is that it became a waystation repository for child actors that had moved past puberty but before becoming full time adults and generally limited from extended Hollywood careers . Tony Dow, Don Grady, Tommy Kirk, Tommy Rettig, Johnny Crawford just to name a few.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

One cool thing about this series is that it became a waystation repository for child actors that had moved past puberty but before becoming full time adults and generally limited from extended Hollywood careers . Tony Dow, Don Grady, Tommy Kirk, Tommy Rettig, Johnny Crawford just to name a few.

That's a good point, Russ...so many child actors who couldn't get much of an adult career. Also, some young actors on the way up (to at least temporary bigger stardom), like Walter Koenig and Marta Kristen.

Have never seen Mr. Novak before...looking forward to it. Gonna pull the trigger on that Warner Archive set any day now...

 

[Jeff Flugel]

As a series Lawman was the poor man's Gunsmoke, but I can't get enough of John Russell's portrayal of Dan Troop. Whereas Marshall Dillon would often give the bad guys just enough rope to hang themselves, Marshall Troop was right in your face. Definitely my favorite of the Warner westerns, and I wish it had run another season or two or three.

Agreed re: John Russell. The guy had a lot of charisma and oozed authority. I think Lawman is a really solid show, but I'm an even bigger fan of Russell in the more devil-may-care, Indiana Jones mode he displayed in Soldiers of Fortune. It's one of the best blind buys I've made in this TV-on-DVD hobby. Great action / adventure show, highly recommended, despite less than stellar picture quality.

I wrote about this series at length several years ago:

http://thestalkingmoon.weebly.com/the-small-screen/soldiers-of-fortune

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Remember when David Soul decided to leverage his popularity from the series into a singing career? His "Don't Give Up On Us" made fingernails on a chalkboard sound like harps from heaven in comparison.

Other than as Hutch, I most remember Davis Soul from the TV miniseries of Stephen King's Salem's Lot. Thought he was pretty good in that. Thankfully, I've been spared from listening to any of his supposed pop hits...

"In the Line of Duty: The FBI Murders", which I only mention because of one of the co-stars--Teri Copley.

Do not know of this Teri Copley...but now I want to!

 

[Bob Gu]

Hey, Jeff, you actually used my CHFB research in your fine, SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE, article. But you transposed Charles Bronson and Tim Holt. In the earlier incarnation, Tim Holt was Tim Kelly and Charles Bronson was Toubo Smith.

What I am watching, lately, is THE AVENGERS on, ThisTV . They are on the Tara King episodes now. I discovered them about midway through the Cathy Gale episodes, which I had never seen. ThisTV is showing the episodes in a 75 minute time slot so they must be unedited.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Hey, Jeff, you actually used my CHFB research in your fine, SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE, article. But you transposed Charles Bronson and Tim Holt. In the earlier incarnation, Tim Holt was Tim Kelly and Charles Bronson was Toubo Smith.

Whoa...I didn't know that was you on the CHFB, Bob! (You must have been member "Sharpe747"...I commented at the tail end of that thread, as "John T Chance." I'm wondering if the "MYSTO" on that same thread is our good ol' Marv of this here parish...) Sorry for the mix-up between Tim Holt and Charles Bronson...sure seems like the actors should have swapped roles, though. Thanks to you and the other guys on that old CHFB thread for tipping me off to this wonderful series.

Gotta love The Avengers. Though I must confess, I've not completely warmed to the Honor Blackman / Cathy Gale episodes. Her relationship with Steed is more frosty than I'd like, plus the videotape filming style of her era lacks the slickness that I associate with the Emma Peel years. That said, I need to give the Blackman episodes another shot some day.

The Tara King run is pretty good, some good stories in there, and Linda Thorson does well in the action scenes. Not a fan of her haircut, however. The New Avengers sequel series is good fun, too, and Laurie Johnson's new theme song for that series is particularly memorable.

Basically, I compare all other Avengers formats to the Emma Peel years, and it's not really fair. That kind of magic only happens very rarely...

 

[Bob Gu]

Not really up on the specifics of Linda Thorson's hairdo problems, but I think there was a nasty reaction to some hair dye and she had to wear wigs.

THE NEW AVENGERS was great fun!

The old New Avengers: