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50th Anniversary Viewing
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The Ed Sullivan Show
Season 21, episode 9
Originally aired December 15, 1968
As represented in
The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show
Ed said:
"Fingertips" and "I Was Made to Love Her" established Stevie Wonder as a fantastic American singing star before he hit the real Jackpot with the song "For Once in My Life."
About time Ed got someone who knew how to do that song!
Ed said:
Now here are the ten guys and the one gal you know as the Brooklyn Bridge.
And here's the
Sullivan video, at least, of
"Worst That Could Happen". Interesting...the coda (particularly in the TV audio) makes these guys sound a little less '50s and a little more Gary Puckett & the Union Gap.
Ed said:
Here is Auntie Mame, the blonde and beautiful Jane Morgan!
Apparently she was starring in the musical
Mame, from which the song
"We Need a Little Christmas" originated.
Wiki said:
The original lyrics include the line, "But, Auntie Mame, it's one week past Thanksgiving Day now!" Since the time the song was written the phenomenon of Christmas creep has resulted in the normal holiday season beginning much earlier than it once did, which has led to more recent recordings changing the line to, "But, Auntie Mame, it's one week from Thanksgiving Day now!"
Ed said:
Now as a Christmas present in advance, why don't you enjoy this 1950 film clip of the young Italian star who just closed a tremendously successful engagement at the Waldorf Astoria. It is brilliant, young Anna Maria Alberghetti.
The briefly shown black and white clip is just an intro for her presumably live performance of
"Who Can I Turn To".
Ed said:
Here's America's Dean of Fractured English, Norm Crosby!
The routine shown on
Best of is presumably greatly edited down, given its brief length, but features the comedian demonstrating how he earned that nickname with comically mangled wordplay.
Ed said:
Now before the sensational Stevie Wonder sings his "For Once in My Life," now number one in the national polls, this word....
Now that was an awkward bit of business for the
Best of edit to include, underscoring as it does the reordering of the original performances. Anyway, it's the funky "You Met Your Match" that follows that word:
Which is followed in turn by a harmonica instrumental of "Alfie".
Also in the original episode according to tv.com:
--Jane Morgan - "It's Today" (production number from "Mame")
Comedy:
--Rich Little (comedian-impressionist) - imitates George Burns, Jack Benny, Rochester, Ed Sullivan, etc.
--Steve Rossi & Joe E. Ross - comedy team doing impressions.
Also appearing:
--Edward Villella (ballet dancer) - pas de deux with Patricia McBride, and a solo dance.
--Audience bows: Otto Preminger (movie producer), Jules Dassin (producer).
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Mission: Impossible
"The Bargain"
Originally aired December 15, 1968
Wiki said:
In Miami, "the Syndicate" must be prevented from funding an exiled dictator's (Albert Paulsen) plan to launch a counter-revolution.
The reel-to-reel tape in the control booth of a roller rink that plays really crappy music said:
This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.
There's no portfolio this week, and the gang's all here.
This week's scheme involves Chef Barney, accompanied by Serving Maid Cin and Cook Willy, infiltrating the household of General Neyron (Albert Paulsen), whose right-hand man is Colonel Santagura (Nate Esformes). Neyron is in the process of working out a deal with Syndicate boss Frank Layton (Warren Stevens), whose right-hand man is Arnold Grasnik (Phillip Pine). But there's another shady character who seemingly wants in on that action: Old Mobster Rollin, whose right-hand man is Jim.
The IMF employs a number of gadgets and gimmicks in the scheme, including a powder that picks up and transfers writing; a briefcase that shape-changes into a doctor's bag, allowing Right-Hand Jim to be seen walking into and out of Neyron's home, while it's Dr. Jim who calls on Neyron inside; trick cards that, aided by some piped-in audio, make Neyron think that he's got temporary precognition (which Dr. Jim tells him is an actual medical syndrome!); a remote that opens Neyron's wall safe once a small device is planted in it; and video projection that's sold as being more immersive than the usual variety.
Fed Rollin makes Layton think that Neyron's secretly making a deal with Old Mobster Rollin, which is corroborated by Right-Hand Jim being caught by Grasnik after his visit as Dr. Jim. The core of the scheme involves the IMF using drugging, sound effects, projection, and the wall safe remote to make Neyron think he's having a vision of Layton taking back his money and shooting him. Thus when Real Layton shows up and starts behaving the same way, Neyron shoots him preemptively. And the IMF drives off in Barney's gourmet catering truck as the police arrive.
This episode includes multiple uses of a heavy piano motif of the M:I theme that I haven't noticed if it's come up before.
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The Avengers
"The Rotters"
Originally aired December 16, 1968 (US); January 8, 1969 (UK)
Wiki said:
Steed investigates a firm named WormDoom, whose proprietor, a businessman widely thought a bit of a rotter, is killing off his business competitors, all experts on timber decay. To get at his victims he has stolen a new chemical that, while simulating dry rot, causes wood to rot instantaneously: turning doors, walls and windows all to powder.
A group of former researchers for the Institute of Timber Technology are getting killed off one by one as Tara and Steed are investigating them, per the usual formula. The pair of killers used in this episode are somewhat entertaining in their mannerisms, at least. In their attacks they employ the chemical described above, which is effectively treated as a disintegration gimmick, which wooden doors, walls, and buildings just instantaneously disappearing. At one point Steed finds himself waiting in a parlor with the killers, making small talk. He sniffs them out when they play along with a background detail about the person they're waiting for that he'd just made up.
This one includes a good moment of surreal humor: When one of the victims is dramatically rasping out his last word, Tara mistakes his "dry...dry..." as a request for water, and he responds, "No, thank you," in a normal, matter-of-fact voice, then proceeds to finish his dramatic rasping.
This week's prize for inept spycraft goes to the bad guys. When Tara gets captured, again per formula, she's locked in an ankle chain with a bottle of acid conveniently within reach.
The villain behind the killings turns out to be one of the group of researchers, who'd discovered the rotting chemical years before and sworn to keep it a secret. His evil plan, which falls somewhere between Bond and Batman, is to use the spray on a national scale via large, remote-controlled dispensers disguised as letter boxes. Steed gets ahold of one of the handheld chemical sprayers and uses it to his advantage in the climax...yet again, per formula.
Mother's Idiosyncratic Roost of the Week is a room of inflatable furniture.
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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 2, episode 12
Originally aired December 16, 1968
The Wiki list of guest appearances said:
Barbara Bain, Billy Barty, Jack Benny, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Rock Hudson, Martin Landau, Guy Lombardo, Otto Preminger
If Billy Barty was in it, I didn't see him.
As the last new episode before the holiday, this one includes lots of Christmas business.
Mrs. Claus: Y'know, Sant, I still prefer the old-fashioned Christmas.
Santa: Yeah...when Tiny Tim said, "God bless us, every one," instead of "Tip-Toe Thru the Tulips".
Laugh-In comments on violent toys with
this musical number.
Nixon's inauguration is only a month away, but
Laugh-In's not done with LBJ yet. Here Douglas Fairbanks Jr. reads "A Political Christmas Carol," featuring Lyndon Baines Scrooge:
This week's Fickle Finger of Fate goes to toy manufacturers.
Laugh-In looks at the Christmas Spirit:
Martin: Hi, my name is Martin Landau.
Barbara: Hmm...so that's what you really look like.
Martin, standing over a lamp: A lot of people don't realize that Barbara is also a master of disguises. Aren't you, dear?
Barbara's voice, coming from the lamp: You bet your sweet bippy!
Barbara: Just think, if Martin Landau and Barbara Bain adopted Arte Johnson, he'd be Landau Bain's Johnson.
REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR...SMASH A TRANSISTOR RADIO
The German soldier said:
Good night, Lucy. And Merry Christmas to you, Matt Dillon, and The Avengers, and all of you lovely people in Peyton Place.
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Star Trek
"Elaan of Troyius"
Originally aired December 20, 1968
Stardate 4372.5
H&I said:
The Enterprise must escort an alien princess to her marriage to seal an interplanetary alliance, but she becomes attracted to Kirk.
See my post here.
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Adam-12
"Log 122: Christmas - The Yellow Dump Truck"
Originally aired December 21, 1968
Wiki said:
Community service-based episodes would be a hallmark of Adam-12 holiday episodes throughout the series run, and the first sees Reed learn about the importance of performing charity work when he and Malloy distribute Christmas care boxes to families in need. Bob Hastings guest stars in a husband-wife dispute that gets out of control
It's become a holiday tradition to catch this episode on whichever channel has
Adam-12 at the moment...now I get to experience it in immersive 50th anniversary context!
'Tis the night watch before Christmas, and all through the precinct, patrol officers are delivering sacks of donated toys to needy homes. At one such residence, Reed and Malloy chat it up with a cute kid named Harvey who's outspoken about the only thing that he wants from Santa....
Harvey: What I want is a dump truck!
Malloy: No kidding.
Harvey: A yellow dump truck!
Reed: What would you do with it?
Harvey: Put stuff in it and raise up the back and dump it out!
Malloy (to Reed): Even you oughta know that.
Harvey's mother, Mrs. Ward, wants the officers to rendezvous with her away from home so she can put the toys in her car and bring them in later when the children are asleep. Back in the squad car, Reed finds that there doesn't happen to be a yellow dump truck amongst the toys, which makes him want to buy one for Harvey. Trying to discourage his rookie partner from getting too involved, Malloy relates an anecdote about a Christmas during the war when all he got was a sack of marbles. Somewhere in telling this story, Malloy talks himself into pulling up outside a toy store and asking to borrow a few bucks, much to Reed's amusement.
Reed (from the car as Malloy walks into the store): Remember, it's gotta be yellow!
When Mrs. Ward sees the dump truck, it brings her to tears, which makes me a little misty-eyed.
Back on patrol, the officers pull over a very drunk driver and take him back to the station for a breathalyzer test. They see Mrs. Ward there and learn that her car had been stolen at a Christmas tree lot with the toys still inside. They talk to Sgt. Miller, who's so overworked that he doesn't expect to get home until 2 in the morning, but gives them a tip about where they might try looking for joyriders who would have stolen the car, though he doesn't think it'll do them much good.
Searching fruitlessly, the officers get a call about a family dispute at a familiar home, that of Chrles and Reba Beuhler (Bob Hastings and Eunice Christopher), whose feuding was previously featured in "Log 131: Reed, the Dicks Have Their Jobs, and We Have Ours". She's upset that he bought an expensive ham when she'd wanted him to take her out to dinner, while he's upset about her getting an artificial tree. He's about to leave the house for the night when Malloy encourages them to open up their gifts from each other. This results in a brief moment of tenderness between the couple before things flare up again when Mrs. B realizes that Mr. B's gift to her was expensive, and he could've taken her out to dinner...!
On patrol again, the officers hear radio chatter about Walters and Brinkman pursuing Mrs. Ward's car. The car is recovered and the thief arrested, but Malloy's concerned that the toys will be held as evidence. Back at the station, Reed points out a loophole that Sgt. Miller takes advantage of to release the toys to the officers.
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Get Smart
"Schwartz's Island"
Originally aired December 21, 1968
Wiki said:
While on their honeymoon, Max and 99 become stranded at sea because the boat they were sailing on exploded (due, as usual, to Max's inept behavior). They end up on an island in the Caribbean which, as it turns out, is synthetic and was designed by KAOS scientist Schwartz. Stationed on the island are Siegfried and Shtarker, who are there running a massive electromagnetic device. Their plan is to attract the entire U.S. Sixth Fleet, which will just happen to pass by the island in a short amount of time. The episode is a spoof of Gilligan's Island, a show produced by Sherwood Schwartz.
Hey, continuity!
This one doesn't actually have much in the way of
Gilligan's Island-specific spoofery, but when Starker discovers Max and 99 on the island, he's hiding in the bushes wearing a German helmet and finds the turn of events "verrry interesting". At another point, he spoofs on the classic Timex commercial, declaring straight into the camera, "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"
Siegfried uses his giant magnet to bring the Chief to the island from a Coast Guard cutter, made possible by the steel-helmeted diving suit that the Chief is wearing. When the CONTROL trio escape after disabling the magnet, Max and 99 use the Chief in his inflatable suit as a life raft.
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Hogan's Heroes
"Will the Real Colonel Klink Please Stand Up Against the Wall?"
Originally aired December 21, 1968
Wiki said:
Carter, disguised as Klink, is spotted while on his way to a sabotage job. While the team takes out the targeted train, Hogan must concoct an alibi for Klink before the firing squad is assembled.
General Burkhalter and Major Hochstetter are both is this one.
Sgt. Schultz said:
I swear, sir, I haven't done anything! I always do nothing. I see nothing, I hear nothing, and above all...I know NOTH-ING!
Getting Klink off the hook comes down to discrediting Captain Herber, the Gestapo agent who's been assigned to Klink as an aide, over his claim that he made a call to a stationmaster (who was actually Newkirk, intercepting the call) while the phone lines were down. One does have to roll with how easily Hogan's men impersonate Germans in Germany by doing bad German accents.
DIS-missed!
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Nothing like a good pro-prostitute song.
I guess I don't care much what a song is trying to say if the music is lousy.
I guess I had to be there.
If you weren't,
here's what you need to know.
