The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by The Old Mixer, Jan 11, 2016.

  1. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Probably the same, because we had a few with that generic description.

    Not in this episode. :rommie:

    Yup, I saw her. I also saw Barbra Streisand's sister, who I didn't even know existed. And another performer that you may have notes on who was really good, but I've forgotten her name-- a Black woman who sang and played the piano.

    I hope so. I want to get your opinion on the grand finale.

    Yeah, it's pretty cool.
     
  2. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    Spotted the Matt Mason Space Station in David's room today (now that I knew to look for it).

    I keep some performer/date notes for episodes that I'm saving for future 50th anniversary business...just enough so that I'll know what to watch when. For ones from earlier dates that I'm watching and deleting, I don't keep notes, though I may jot something down if I want to post on it. The performer rings a vague bell, but I couldn't say who she was.

    The tv.com info isn't without error, either. I thought I'd had a performance from Oct. 1, 1967, in a mixed episode based on a search, but further research indicated that the performer in question did the show a lot more times than were coming up as search results, and that the one in question was from Apr. 1968.

    _______

    Kung Fu

    "Flight to Orion"
    PC 166270
    Originally aired February 22, 1975
    It seems to me that if Corbino is looking for Danny Caine's hideout and Caine and companions are heading there, he'd be more interested in letting them lead him to Danny rather than in stopping them to get Zeke.

    In these episodes they continue to paint Danny Caine as a dashing rogue, which Tim McIntire doesn't really sell for me.

    Corbino puts up a $10,000 reward for Caine and his companions; and in the next episode, a reward of the same amount for Danny. No wonder Jack McGee couldn't capture the Hulk, the Register's Fugitive Reward didn't account for 100 years of inflation.

    Caine's nephew triggers a flashback! A brief, dialogueless one, but there it is.

    We get a really blatant case of a character's age seeming tailored to flatter the actress...Delonia is described as being about 30...Lois Nettleton was pushing 50 at the time. But it gets worse...see below. It seems a waste that they only brought her into the story to kill her off so soon. I thought Caine would whip out his badass healing mojo.

    I like how Caine tries to pay for food her took from the Indian camp with his flute...but it's ultimately some clumsy setup for Caine to undergo The Ordeal, which really just serves as a distraction so Zeke can temporarily change hands.

    Guesting Ned Romero as the Indian leader.


    "The Brothers Caine"
    PC 166273
    Originally aired March 1, 1975
    This time we get a proper flashback sequence, albeit of a type they've already done more than once--a morally challenged stranger comes to the monastery for help--and it feels like it's missing a third story beat. Radames Pera's voice definitely sounds like it's changing here

    Still more long-lost relatives of Zeke's stumble into the story...his maternal grandfather and his foster mother! This storyline really starts to feel like it's more about Zeke than about Kwai Chang and Danny. And Zeke just has a little too much whiny angst going on for my taste.

    Caine badass moment: Accosted by four toughs while sitting in the lotus position, he defeats them all without getting up.

    Notable guest: John Vernon as Zeke's grandfather, General Cantrell. It seems that he did a lot of superhero voice work...including playing Iron Man and Sub-Mariner in the '60s Marvel cartoon...



    But here's the "worse" part--Vernon was five years younger than the actress who played his daughter!


    "Full Circle"
    PC 166274
    Originally aired March 8, 1975
    As mentioned some time back, I like the bit where Danny persuades Kwai Chang to ride a horse. There are some other good bonding moments between them as well.

    It struck me in this episode that Vernon might have made a better Danny, such that I wonder if he was considered. His resonant voice reminds me of John Carradine's.

    And now the ranch's ramrod, Tigre, is revealed to be Cantrell's bastard son...giving Zeke yet another long-lost relative in this storyline. At this point, it wouldn't have phased me if they'd revealed that Zeke was related to his damn horse.

    We get one last, climactic bit of flashback with Master Po, informing Caine's choice to move on...though I had to turn on the CC'ing to interpret Caine's final, mumbled words to that effect, buried as they were by the swelling music. Might have been nice to get a shot of him actually hitting the road, Lonely Man-style.


    Overall, Season 3 had its up and downs. In particular, it felt like the Order of the Avenging Dragon needed another appearance, given all that set-up.

    _______
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2017
  3. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    And Doctor Strange in the '90s Spider-Man animated series, and Thunderbolt Ross in the '90s Hulk animated series. Oh, and Rupert Thorne in Batman: TAS, of course.
     
  4. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    I read that he did his Iron Man voice by putting a styrofoam cup over his mouth.
     
  5. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    To me, having grown up in the 1960s, Cosby will always be one of the funniest standup comics in the history of show business. Many of his routines have become classics. He was also a good natural actor in I Spy, with his laid-back, easygoing style. But his attempt at singing? Hell, I sing better than that in the shower. Why is it that every actor wants to sing, every model wants to act, every clown wants to play Hamlet, and everybody wants to direct?

    There was also the "other" Bill Cosby Show -- the 1969-1971 half-hour sitcom in which he played a high school athletic coach. I can't remember whether it was any good or not.

    BTW, it's I Spy (no comma). It's a simple declarative sentence. "What do I do for a living? I spy!"
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2017
  6. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    I found her: Nina Simone. According to Wiki, not quite as sweet as she appeared. :rommie:

    His adventures in exotic foreign lands are changing him.

    I loved those awful cartoons. :rommie: I'm not sure if it was just local or not, but we also had a guy in a Captain America costume who introduced them.

    Heh. I'd like to do everything, too, but I'm smart enough not to try. I suppose when you're famous and showered with praise, you forget your limitations.

    I remember that it existed, but nothing else about it.

    Ah, okay. I thought he was pretentiously declaring his identity.
     
  7. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    That was supposed to say Danny Caine...the whole persona that Tim McIntire wasn't really selling for me.
     
  8. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    It's actually a play on the old childrens' guessing game -- "I spy with my little eye... something beginning with J" or whatever.
     
  9. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    One of today's Best of installments drew its material from a noteworthy date: Feb. 2, 1964. Hope Ed told them to tune in next week....
     
  10. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Ah, I see.

    And not eight days later....
     
  11. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    Then they'd be lamenting about...yesterday.

    Which reminds me that I saw one the other day in which the Lettermen did a medley of Beatles songs. :barf2:

    ETA: Ah, and it seems that showing the Feb. 2 episode wasn't a coincidence. Yesterday's other episode, which I recorded belatedly because of more cable info/DVR hijinks, was that episode....

    For an example, the cable info for what turned out to be the Feb. 9, 1964, episode is:
    The only Beatles song they showed was "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and that was edited. While they showed a number from Oliver, oddly it wasn't the one that Davy Jones sang. Frank Gorshin was prophetic with his routine about actors getting into politics.
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2017
  12. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    I'm pretty sure I've seen a Beatles cover, but I can't remember what and who.

    That reminds me of another schedule error: The guide listed Oliver (the singer), but he never showed.

    Frank Gorshin stand up? I want to see that. :rommie:
     
  13. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    He was on one of yesterday's, from 1971.

    Doing impersonations. His first was Brando, quite good.

    _______

    51st Anniversary Viewing

    _______

    The Rat Patrol
    "The Wildest Raid of All"
    Originally aired September 26, 1966
    Their daring capture involves Troy allowing himself to be captured and the Germans allowing Hitch to stay at the wheel of the Jeep while Troy has his hands on his head. It's almost a mini-IMF operation with the ruses they pull to send Dietrich's force on a wild goose chase and plant their bomb disguised as a canteen under the cover of negotiating over the general.

    Would the TV Fu knockout chop be authentic to the era for American personnel?

    There's a too-cutesy coda in which an Arab girl trades water for some private time with Hitch.

    _______

    TGs1e4.jpg
    "I'll Be Suing You"
    Originally aired September 29, 1966
    Ballantine looks distractingly like Putin.

    Sign o' the times: They're in court because the damage to Donald's car was less than Ann's $50 insurance deductible.

    The incident is related in flashback as court testimony. They don't use the opportunity to give Putin his own biased flashback sequence, however. Thus we're left with what seems like a ridiculously clear-cut case, as he walked into her car while she was stopped at a red light. The his word against hers situation is resolved when Ann's late-arriving witness turns out to be a Catholic priest.

    A lot of the comedy involves Ann trying to be Perry Mason but not getting it right. Oddly, she refers to Donald as "Don" to the judge, as if that were the more formal version of his name.

    In addition to the punnery in the title, some sew/sue punnery comes up in the episode.

    One of the local business proprietors that Ann questions while trying to find a witness thinks he's on Candid Camera (though the show isn't named).

    "Oh, Donald!" count: 5 (all in the same scene within a minute and fifteen seconds)

    _______

    50th Anniversary Daytime Viewing

    Dark Shadows

    Episode 331
    Originally aired October 2, 1967
    Roger and Elizabeth respond to David's cries for help, but are highly skeptical of his claim that he was attacked by a bat. When Liz finally consents to listening to what he has to say, the boy immediately leaps to the conclusion that Cousin Barnabas sent the bat after him because he wants David to die. Cue money shot of Barnabas staring out his window.

    Barnabas visibly shifts down from ominous mode as Roger comes calling at the Old House. Roger proceeds to infodump recent developments in David's storyline on his favorite cuz, and some of the details break Barnabas out of the smug satisfaction that he momentarily showed the audience when he heard that his plan had worked. All the while, the master of the Old House shows nothing but concern for David to the boy's father.

    Back at Collinwood, David provides a parallel infodump to Doc Woodard, who's paying a house call on the boy. Woodard's interest is piqued by information about Sarah's appearances to David and Willie's innocence. Downstairs, Liz insists to Roger that he can't send his own kid away to a school. When Woodard comes down they ask about a psychiatrist, but find that the good doctor is interested in what David has to say.

    The now much more ghostly Sarah visits David in his room to emphasize that he should stay away from the Old House, and especially the basement, because going there is dangerous. Yeah, that's gonna work. She gives David a large, wooden antique toy soldier and tells him to keep it on himself at all times for protection. I'm guessing that the previous owner she hints at is her brother. While admiring his "keen" gift, David turns away from Sarah just long enough for her to go into special effect mode for her disappearance.


    Episode 332
    Originally aired October 3, 1967
    At the Old House, Barnabas gives Dr. Hoffman the ol' choking treatment over David's last uninvited visit. She argues that Barnabas is safe, and will remain that way if he doesn't do anything that might attract attention to himself...like killing her or David...tonight! Or...tomorrow night! Or...the night after that!

    At Collinwood, Roger is so pensive about having more episodes lately that he forgets his brandy and takes tea from Undercover Hoffman instead. She learns about David being attacked by the Batpole and how Roger told Barnabas all about his son's fears of Barnabas. When David overhears discussion about sending him away to school, he's torn between his internal voiceover and Sarah's voiceover doing a Lost in Space Robot impersonation--DANGER! DANGER, DAVID COLLINS! But David finds courage in the form of his new pocket pal, Corporal Keen.

    Victoria catches the boy on his way out, learns about the soldier, and tries to persuade him to show it to Hoffman. David shakes his tutor by pretending to go study, and later sneaks out while Hoffman learns of the soldier from Vicki. Hoffman says that she saw a similar soldier being held by a young boy in a family album.

    At the Old House facade, David uses purloined spare keys to go in through the front door (which used to just open for him back in the day). Meanwhile, Hoffman realizes that he's gone there and goes after him...and of course, the sun is setting. Barnabas rises just before the boy goes downstairs to find the open coffin...and dramatically closes the lid to get David's attention....



    Episode 333
    Originally aired October 4, 1967
    Following a recap of yesterday's climax, Barnabas questions David while acting very intimidating...but his threat of punishment isn't delivered on thanks to Hoffman's timely arrival. The Old House master lets the frightened boy go home after taking the set of spare keys. Following the boy's departure, Barnabas at first acts concerned...then a candle appears over his head, figuratively speaking....

    Back at Collinwood, Burke and Doc Woodard have randomly appeared to discuss David's disappearance.
    At Woodard's urging, the two start to compare notes about Barnabas just as David returns home. He wastes no time telling them about the coffin, as well as jumping to speculations about its owner...
    Hoffman appears in a timely fashion again to do some damage control. She spins the coffin as a figment of David's imagination. Hoffman shows the camera a look of guilt as the boy accuses her of being Barnabas's friend. Woodard campaigns for getting to the truth by going to the Old House to see for themselves what's in the basement. Roger, already well past his usual limit on appearances, will have nothing to do with it, so Woodard and Burke go.

    At the Old House, Barnabas teases out his reaction to being asked to show them the basement, initially refusing his visitors...but it was obvious where this was going. When he finally consents to showing them the basement, they find...an oddly stacked assortment of trunks and boxes where the coffin usually is. Barnabas's visitors apologize and begin to leave, as he smugly displays his satisfaction to the viewers at home.

    If I were going back and rewatching, I'd keep a count of episodes in which Mrs. Johnson is mentioned but doesn't appear. There's some drinking game material.


    Episode 334
    Originally aired October 5, 1967
    IMDb tells me that this is Robert Gerringer's last appearance as Doc Woodard. He was replaced when he wouldn't work during a strike.

    At Collinwood, David pensively waits with Vicki for word from Burke and Woodard. The pair return to be let in by Roger, who's getting really cranky now, chiding his visitors for their foolishness and ranting about how the family portraits hated him when he was a boy. They leave Roger with his childhood tormentors and go upstairs to report their findings to his son.

    Insisting that The Evil Is Out There, David reluctantly tells them about the secret room in the mausoleum, which angers Sarah into blowing open his window and playing an angry tune. Hitting the brandy and invoking his cousinly man love for Barnabas, Roger is reluctant to allow them to take David to the crypt, but ultimately relents, while sharing his concern that David is in need of professional help and reminding us of Vicki's engagement subplot.

    The Scooby Gang arrives at the mausoleum, but the ring that opens the panel won't give, even for the grown men. David gains some benefit of the doubt from Woodard when he finds Sarah's flute on one of the coffins.



    Episode 335
    Originally aired October 6, 1967
    And as goes Robert Gerringer, so go I. I should know by Monday if Decades is planning to run a Dark Shadows Binge the weekend before Halloween.

    _______
     
  14. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Right, I remember seeing some of his impressions, probably on Johnny Carson.

    I'm probably picturing that differently than it actually happened.

    He does, doesn't he? :rommie: It's too bad he's not around anymore.

    There's a plot twist that wouldn't work these days.

    I hope they show some later episodes, from the days when Kate Jackson and Quentin were around.
     
  15. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    You may not be....

    If they were to get more episodes than the six-month block that they run, I'd hope they move on consecutively from the ones that they've shown...but I suspect that, airing it only once a year, they'll stick with what they've got.

    If they were to get more episodes, I'd have mixed feelings about that at this point. It was convenient that most of the block they had ran during the 1967 hiatus. I'm invested enough now that I'd have to continue, but it's quite a commitment to keep up with it daily when there's so much else going on viewing-wise.

    Yesterday had a couple of noteworthy Sullivans...one drew its material, which included the Young Rascals and Joan Rivers, from Feb. 12, 1967, which tv.com tells me was the date that they showed the videos for "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane," though those weren't part of the Best of version. The other was from Dec. 14, 1969...marking the season with a holiday-themed Topo Gigio sketch...but the main event was the Jackson 5's first appearance on the show.
    Diana Ross was in the audience so they could spin that PR story about how she discovered them.

    I could get into John Davidson singing "Get Together," but I have to save something for my review two years and two months hence.

    And today...I guess 50 Year Flashbacks are over, both episodes were from 1966.
     
  16. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Interesting.... :rommie:

    Yes, I'd basically like them to continue onward and show all the episodes until the end.

    She discovered them.... performing on Ed Sullivan's stage. That quote from Ed is both prophetic and heartbreaking, though.
     
  17. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    I think they were going for a Bond vibe, but it felt more like Hitch was the traveling salesman in a farmer's daughter joke.

    I think they'd have to have it in a regular daily slot to practically accomplish that. When I was Googling for hints about their plans with DS this year, I found a DS site post about how Hulu's plan going forward was to have a block of the early Barnabas episodes always available as a starting point for new viewers, and a rotating block of episodes progressing through the series for those who wanted to watch it all, as having 1,225 episodes available at all times wasn't practical. I've never used Hulu, but it looks like they currently have episodes 210 through 290 and 372 through 573 available.

    He specifically said that she discovered them in Gary, Indiana. She must have been at the airport waiting for the jet from Chicago.

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    50th Anniversary Viewing

    _______

    Mission: Impossible
    "The Bank"
    Originally aired October 1, 1967

    Vinyl isn't dead, it seems--Phelps gets his orders from an old-fashioned wind-up phonograph...
    Well, that's got the final groove of Sgt. Pepper all beat! And yes, there is such a thing.

    This mission includes a guest agent who's an ex-bank robber, and I think it has Phelps's first use of an accent.

    This is also the source of the other bit used in that MeTV spot: "I understand completely."

    I found the details of the plot a bit hard to follow, but the story nevertheless had a good pace.

    TOS guests include James Daly (Flint, "Requiem for Methuselah"; also memorably starred in The Twilight Zone, "A Stop at Willoughby") and Gene Dynarski.

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    The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
    "The Prince of Darkness Affair: Part I"
    Originally aired October 2, 1967
    Open Channel Death Ray McGuffin. And the big, red lines that the Prism leaves in its wake look absolutely nothing like red paint....

    Solo and Kuryakin are split up this time, though we don't get the tired old babysitting formula. Solo infiltrates undercover while Illya teams up with Bradford Dillman to break into the vault of the scientist who made the Prism. It turns out that Dillman's character, Luther Sebastian, is the real bad guy of the story, who somehow manipulated UNCLE into helping him secure the Prism for his own ends. He was rather conspicuously the center of attention in this part, not only being an outside agent crucial to UNCLE's plan, but having Carol Lynley's character, Annie, pursuing him the entire episode (and interfering with Solo's end of the operation along the way).

    I know it was supposed to be a more liberal country before the Shah was deposed, but it doesn't seem much like Iran with so many miniskirt-wearing blondes running around.

    After Solo and Azalea are freed from the sand trap, they don't look or act much like they've been buried up to their shoulders in sand. We don't even get the requisite pounding sand out of the shoes beat.

    A so-so installment...it kept things moving, but has the same sort of "wants to be a more clever show than it is" tone as the Season 3 episodes.

    _______

    The Rat Patrol
    "The Darers Go First Raid"
    Originally aired October 2, 1967
    This week the Patrol faces the challenge of raiding the impenetrable German fortress at Vasquez Rocks. Pissed off at getting their asses handed to them on California soil, they devise a desperate plan. After some complications and improvisations centering around a patato masher-fetching dog, they liberate the painted American tank and achieve their objective.

    This is a tight little episode with only the main cast credited, though there are some uncredited tank crewmen with (German-)speaking roles.

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    Batman
    "The Sport of Penguins"
    Originally aired October 5, 1967
    This would be the first of the season's multi-part episodes that H&I scheduled so bizarrely around.

    Extra Special Guest Villainess Ethel Merman's delivery seems very artificial here. She was much more natural on That Girl...but she was playing herself there.

    They sure did get around to Penguin again quickly enough...and Barbara makes it sound like his appearance in the season premiere happened longer ago than it did for us.

    There are more obvious story shortcuts here...e.g., the Dynamic Duo just happen to be in the Commissioner's office when Barbara calls about the bomb. The Bat Shield sporting optional bomb-grabbing tongs was a nifty gimmick.

    And the Bat-Computer not only has voice recognition, but responds to any odd musings within earshot.

    This time Batgirl gets involved via a tip from Alfred--a source that she's obviously coyly hiding when she attributes her being on the scene to "a woman's intuition." And she gets on the scene just in time to make a difference in the fight, while Robin's down for the count. Batgirl joining a fight in progress has the added benefit of triggering a switch to her fresher theme music. We also get another instance of the Batgirl Disappearing Trick (aided by a scene cut).

    But Barbara has an Emergency Library Prowler Signal in her apartment...? :wtf:

    He doesn't make as big a deal about it this time, but once again the Caped Crusader makes a point of referring to a villainess only by her real name (Lulu Schultz).

    :lol: For chronological context, I'll add that Gary Owens is coming to us here between his regular gigs on The Green Hornet and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (which becomes a regular series the middle of this TV season).

    _______

    Ironside
    "Eat, Drink and Be Buried"
    Originally aired October 5, 1967
    This one was a whodunnit with a few too many half-baked suspects...people we haven't spent enough time with to keep straight. It particularly confused me on first viewing that the husband and manager were cast with similar looking actors and had easily confused names to boot (Mitch and Vic). And to top things off, the latter was uncredited for some reason, so he didn't appear on the unexpanded IMDb cast list, which I glance at as a tool for keeping characters straight.

    One of the red herrings was the era-ubiquitous Richard Anderson as the columnist's publisher. Another noteworthy guest, whose jazz musician character was an informant rather than a suspect, was legendary musician, composer, and record producer Quincy Jones, whose name appears in the closing credits of each episode of the series because he wrote the title theme. I'll give him his due as a musical guest downpost. His character also drops a reference to Cannonball Adderley, whose guest appearance on an episode of Kung Fu was recently covered upthread.

    This episode could have used more character moments with the cast. There was a cute early scene of Ironside and Mark playing pool. And I think that maybe Ironside's thing for chili might be a running gag.

    A note on something that Batgirl's been criticized for: Eve also makes a quip about women's intuition being in her arsenal, and she's a fully trained police officer. I also just came across an instance of Sue Richards invoking women's intuition in a contemporaneous issue of Fantastic Four. So it seems to have been a pretty common thing for fictional heroines of the era to bring up.

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    TGs2e5.jpg
    "The Apartment"
    Originally aired October 5, 1967
    If you haven't watched this, all I can ask is...why not?

    TGcredit.jpg

    Of course, Ann can only spend the night at Donald's apartment when he's out of town (in Boston, no less); and the comedy of this episode is driven by the inappropriate situation of Ann finding herself alone there with a strange man.

    First Harry-Out--Blasted with a spray gun:
    TGHO1.jpg
    -16:24.

    Ensuing hijinks include the ludicrous only-in-a-sitcom scenario of Harry at one point nailing the door of Donald's bedroom shut from the inside to serve as a barrier between the two of them.

    Second Harry-Out--Hitting his own thumb with a hammer:
    TGHO2.jpg
    -7:00 (and accompanied by a good off-camera Bixby scream).

    Mr. Marie comes visiting from Brewster at 2 in the morning after Harry answers the phone. But in the end it's Donald who acts suspicious/jealous of the bond that's developed between Ann and Harry.

    I see that Bixby and Thomas had worked together before on an episode of My Favorite Martian...I'll have to check that out when my viewing isn't so backed up. They had good comic chemistry here...had things been different, he could have been a good Donald.

    "Oh, Donald" count: 3
    "Oh, Daddy" count: 1
    "Mr. Banner" count: 9

    Episode-Specific Lonely Harry Sequence:
    TGLMS.jpg

    Jack Colvin does not appear in this episode...but he will be popping up in Season 3!

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    Tarzan
    "The Blue Stone of Heaven: Part I"
    Originally aired October 6, 1967
    TOS guests include first-timer Jason Evers and return appearances by Lloyd Haynes and William Marshall.

    Marshall does some good scenery-chewing as Colonel Takakombi, and makes a dramatic entrance swooping in via helicopter to stop an attack by tribesmen. The Colonel wants the legendary titular object, which is supposed to bring great power (and turns out to be a big, blue statue). His plans are complicated by a conspirator who's more interested in gold.

    Tarzan, Jai, and Cheeta are assembled in this adventure.

    Our female guest of the week at one point dismissively likens Tarzan to "ski bums and surfers." I'd think a lord of the jungle has a little bit more going for him than that...!

    In one scene, Tarzan escapes from a burial chamber via an underground water passage...any time he goes diving, it just makes me miss the giant clam. :sigh:

    _______

    Star Trek
    "Mirror, Mirror"
    Originally aired October 6, 1967
    Stardate Unknown


    See my post here.

    _______

    The Prisoner

    "The Chimes of Big Ben"
    Originally aired October 6, 1967 (UK)
    I definitely get the vibe from the intro that Number Six's own people are responsible for the Village. But there's a suggestion in this episode that there might be a third party involved...a SPECTRE?

    Leo McKern I'm primarily familiar with from Help! I was set to say that I couldn't take him seriously because of that, but he's quite enjoyable here.

    Here Number 2 specifically wants to know why Number 6 resigned...though No. 2 indicates that's just the tip of the iceberg.

    I have to wonder how many of those in the Village are actual prisoners like Number Six, and how many are basically working there. No. 6's initial demeanor toward No. 8 was interesting, and it turned out that his caution was warranted. I'd hope that he'd be a little less trusting in the future. But maybe that's what his captors want....

    I knew that the arts & crafts contest would play into the plot. So No. 6 thinks he can escape from his place of confinement by building a boat? He obviously has a lot to learn about how things work in vintage TV Land! I got a big laugh when it turned out that he bought that hanging of No. 2 to serve as the sail!

    The scenes of No. 6 & Nadia talking through the boxes were cute, but I could sense the fake-out coming at that point. Notice how we never get an establishing shot of London and the blinds in the fake office are all down.

    Here we get one of the bits that causes fans to reorder the episodes...there's a mention of Number Six having been missing for months.

    The next competition's subject is "seascapes"...cute.

    This time around we get a chess-playing elderly general...it was an admiral last time.

    Sign o' the times: No. 6 makes a reference to wanting to be the first man on the moon.

    _______

    The Avengers
    "Death's Door"
    Originally aired October 7, 1967 (UK)
    I found this episode to be generally more effective than the last one...what's going on is a mystery to us, so we're not waiting for our heroes to catch up. In fact, Steed and Peel are fairly quick on the uptake in this one, getting ahead of the problem in the second half.

    Steed does an interesting bit of gimmickry putting a bullet in a hole in a fence and then striking it with something to make it fire into somebody on the other side--Would that actually work?

    We get an odd bit of background info about how Peel met Steed when she ran into the back of his car.

    Part of the episode takes place on Friday the 13th...and there was a Friday the 13th coming up in October of 1967, just as there is in October 2017.

    _______

    Get Smart
    "Witness for the Persecution"
    Originally Aired October 7, 1967
    The Chief is off this week, so Max occupies the chair in his office.

    Shades of this week's That Girl...Max doesn't want 99 to stay at his apartment because it wouldn't be appropriate. It seems like this episode covers a lot of the same territory as the one in which Max had a scientist posing as an agent and vice versa staying in his gadgeted-up apartment last season. They try to do some marital gags with Max and the CONTROL scientist he's staying with, but they fall flat for me. I like the L-shaped twin beds, but why does Bascomb have twin beds in his room when he lives alone?

    Max using the back seats of three cabs to cross the street seems inspired by A Hard Day's Night. While the cop acting oblivious to the sniper and ticketing Max for illegally crossing the street was a genuine source of humor, it's pretty stupid that our heroes will go to such lengths to get Max across the street instead of simply dealing with the sniper.

    _______

    Quincy Jones has a resume too sprawling to effectively cover here. Among some highlights that I caught upon skimming his Wiki page, his work has earned 28 Grammies; and earlier in the '60s he produced Lesley Gore's biggest hits, which were covered upthread. He's perhaps best known to my generation as the producer of three consecutive smash-hit albums for Michael Jackson--Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad--the middle of which remains the best-selling album of all time. Since I recently posted the "Billie Jean" video in the MeTV thread...

    "Beat It," Michael Jackson

    (Charted Feb. 26, 1983; #1 US the weeks of Apr. 30 through May 14, 1983; #1 R&B; #14 Rock; #3 UK; #337 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time; 1984 Grammy Award for Record of the Year)

    He also scored a few Top 20 singles as a musician back in the day, with other artists handling the vocals...

    "Just Once," Quincy Jones feat. James Ingram

    (Charted Aug. 15, 1981; #17 US; #7 AC; #11 R&B; #76 UK)

    "One Hundred Ways," Quincy Jones feat. James Ingram

    (Charted Dec. 19, 1981; #14 US; #5 AC; #10 R&B)

    "I'll Be Good to You," Quincy Jones feat. Ray Charles & Chaka Khan

    (Charted Nov. 18, 1989; #18 US; #30 AC; #1 Dance; #1 R&B; #21 UK)

    And Fun Fact for Classic/Retro TV fans...he was married for 16 years to The Mod Squad's Peggy Lipton, a union that produced two daughters.

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    Last edited: Oct 8, 2017
  18. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Whatever it's called, a record groove is a single continuous spiral from start to finish. That's kind of essential to how it works. As far as I'm concerned, a record has only two grooves -- one on each side.


    Yeah, it was a common expression. Men were supposed to be the intellectual, rational ones and women the emotional, intuitive ones.


    David's long-lost identical cousin?


    It was strongly implied that his own side was involved... but maybe the other side was too. Really, the overall theme of the series is that the distinction between Our Side and Their Side is illusory -- that both sides are complicit in the same game, both employing the same unethical means, with the ultimate end being simply to continue the game. So it really doesn't matter which side runs the Village. It would be the same either way.


    He's the standout among the Twos, and not just because he had the most appearances.


    I know the Mythbusters tested something like that, but I think they found it wouldn't work, that bullets and firing pins are designed so that the striker has to go inside the little hole in the back. Also, even if he could detonate the charge inside the cartridge, there'd be no barrel to direct the force, so the bullet would just sort of pop out at low velocity and fall down. Unless the fence is very thick...
     
  19. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2002
    Location:
    The Old Mixer, Somewhere in Connecticut
    But the run-out groove is kind of a distinct thing, as it's the part that didn't usually contain anything that, in old record players without automatic changers, the needle would stay in indefinitely if you left the turntable on after the record was done. That's why the Beatles put something in there for Sgt. Pepper (which was omitted from US pressings of the album). It's been included in the digital age as several-second thing that fades out, but in its original format it would keep playing in a continuous loop until you picked up the needle.

    Or an alternate-universe counterpart. We have a Robert Bruce Banner, a David Bruce Banner...why not Harold Bruce Banner?

    Ah, so there are recurring 2's....We are supposed to be taking these as distinct characters in-setting, right? As I recall, they made a point of switching 2's in the middle of the first episode.

    _______

    50 Years Ago This Week

    Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

    Leaving the chart:
    • "San Franciscan Nights," Eric Burdon & The Animals
    • "There Is a Mountain," Donovan
    • "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil," Jefferson Airplane

    Entering the chart:

    "Kentucky Woman," Neil Diamond

    (#22 US)

    "Lazy Day," Spanky & Our Gang

    (#14 US; #24 AC)

    "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need," The Temptations

    (#14 US; #3 R&B)

    "I Can See for Miles," The Who

    Audio-only for those who might find the video above disorienting and just wanna crank it up:

    (#9 US; #10 UK; #258 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)


    And new on the boob tube:
    • Mission: Impossible, "The Slave: Part I"
    • The Man from U.N.C.L.E., "The Prince of Darkness Affair: Part II"
    • The Rat Patrol, "The Love Thine Enemy Raid"
    • Batman, "A Horse of Another Color"
    • Ironside, "The Taker"
    • That Girl, "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Nervous"
    • Dark Shadows, episodes 336-340 (conclusion of the Decades block of episodes; not currently available for viewing)
    • Tarzan, "The Blue Stone of Heaven: Part II"
    • Star Trek, "The Apple"
    • The Prisoner, "A. B. and C."
    • The Avengers, "The £50,000 Breakfast"
    • Get Smart, "The Spirit Is Willing"
    _______
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2017
  20. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Yeah, I know that, but calling it a separate groove is just semantics. Physically, it's the innermost few loops of a single continuous spiral groove. It has to be continuous or the needle couldn't follow it.


    There are only two recurring Twos, McKern and Colin Gordon. The rest are one-shots. The implicit idea is that they all get sacked for failing to break Number Six, but it could also just be another facet of the Village's mind games, constantly keeping Six off guard and never knowing what or whom to expect.