The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

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

  1. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    51st Anniversary Cinematic Special

    Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
    Starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton, Cecil Kellaway, Beah Richards, and Roy E. Glenn
    Directed by Stanley Kramer
    Premiered December 11, 1967; General release: December 12, 1967
    Winner of 1968 Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Katharine Hepburn) and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen (William Rose); Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Spencer Tracy), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Cecil Kellaway), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Beah Richards), Best Director (Stanley Kramer), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Robert Clatworthy, Frank Tuttle), Best Film Editing (Robert C. Jones), and Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment (Frank De Vol)


    I've always though of this as a Sidney Poitier film, but I guess Tracy and Hepburn were kind of a big deal as well. Poitier certainly seemed to think so....

    Mr. Drayton doesn't bat an eyelash when he thinks Dr. Prentice is just an acquaintance of his daughter's, and he makes clear that he has no issues with John as a person. It's how the rest of the world will treat the couple that most concerns him. That a marriage between John and Joanna would be against the law in several states (at the time the film was being made) comes up in the story. There's a 14-year age difference as well, but I think that was actually more acceptable in those days than it is now, oddly enough.

    Sign o' the times reference...
    Even more sign o' the times--at one point Mr. Drayton compares the situation to "if Joey came home with some fuzzy-wuzzy," implying that he'd draw the line at a damn, dirty hippie! :lol:

    It's a nice touch that Tillie the maid (whom I didn't recognize as future "Mrs. J" Isabel Sanford) is more openly disapproving of the relationship that anyone. Movies! cut out a use of what I assume was the N-word from her.

    Mrs. Drayton firing Hilary on the spot following her reaction is a good moment:

    Love that last line! :lol:

    The title of the film isn't figurative; a dinner that expands to include the couple and both sets of parents is the dramatic centerpiece. The fathers are on the same page about the relationship, as are the mothers with their respective page. The drama is intensified by a ticking clock...John makes an agreement with the Draytons that if they have any reservations, he'll call the wedding off. But Joanna, not knowing about this, has decided at the last minute to leave with John on an overseas trip that he's making that night, thus putting her parents in the position of having to yea or nay the marriage that night.

    John gives his father a nice speech about generational differences, even though the younger Prentice is well over 30:


    In the climax, the situation is resolved by a big speech of Mr. Drayton's, presented in part here:


    Compared to the other two 1967 Poitier films I've watched, this one is slow and talky with a limited setting that they should have invested more in. The painted backdrop of the Bay at the Drayton home is distractingly obvious. The music was a little easy listening, with lots of instrumental variations of "The Glory of Love" in the score. There was an admirable attempt at groovy music with sitar playing in the delivery boy's van. And Monsignor Ryan gives the Beatles a shout-out!

    _______

    Nobody's saying that he didn't. The assertion by the song's Wiki article was that it was one of his last major contributions before leaving the band, not that it was his only contribution in their entire career. It goes on to quote Jagger on this point from an interview: "That was the last time I remember Brian really being totally involved in something that was really worth doing." The article for the album paints a picture of Jones having been mostly sidelined at this point, with his contributions having become inconsistent and often irrelevant to what was being worked on.

    By whom? Not by the record-buying public of 1968-69, who put the White Album at the top of the Billboard album chart for a total of nine weeks, while Beggars peaked at #5 for three weeks. Not by the rock musicians, critics, and industry figures who voted for Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which ranks the White Album #10 and Beggars #57.

    I didn't say that, RJ did.

    I think that you are. But regardless of the terminology used, my point was that MMT had the through-line device of the bus tour to hang its randomness on. Head was just random. I'll grant you that Head had more to say than MMT did, but that's a separate thing from the point that I was trying to make.

    Aw, I like that one.

    I learned when looking into the song that Al Hirt also gave us the TV version of the Green Hornet theme.
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2019
  2. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    This is just one of the greatest achievements of American culture ever. But, wow, did everyone get nominated for something except Sidney Poitier? :wtf:

    Who? :rommie:

    Humility is only one of his many virtues.

    There have to be some standards. :rommie:

    Which was very true then, and probably more true now (despite the so-called "inter-racial" demographic being the fastest growing in the country).

    You don't mess with Katharine Hepburn. I hear one of her descendants commanded a starship.

    I absolutely love this scene, especially the line, "You think of yourself as a colored man-- I think of myself as a man," which really summed up a lot of issues. The use of the word "colored" really pinpoints this moment in the midst of the Civil Rights Era-- it went out of fashion after this because it essentially divided the world into White versus Everybody Else. A couple of decades or so later, I knew the Left Wing was going off the rails when they started calling people "colored" again.

    Another great scene by another colossal talent.

    I like slow and talky. :rommie: But can you imagine a movie like this being released today?

    And he was making a brilliant pun at the time.

    It's not bad at all, but it's just a slow week overall.

    Now that you mention it, I can hear it.
     
  3. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    50th Anniversary Viewing
    (Part 1)

    _______

    The Ed Sullivan Show
    Season 21, episode 11
    Originally aired December 29, 1968
    As represented in The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show

    This week is represented by odd bits of business from two separate Best of installments.

    Ed introduces Lainie Kazan with a humorous nod to her having been Barbra Streisand's understudy in Funny Girl. Lainie then proceeds to treat the Easy Listening crowd to an overwrought rendition of the Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure" that completely misplaces the beauty of the original. There's a studio version on YouTube, but it sounds different still...more soft-loungey and less aggressive than her Sullivan performance.

    The onscreen caption tells us that they're actually the Jovers. And their performance shows us that they're a balancing act who use what seem to be difficulties as a source of physical comedy.

    Also in the original episode according to tv.com: What the flying fuck!?! We got Lainie Kazan, but they left out Sly & the Family Stone!?! :wtf:


    _______

    The Avengers
    "Killer"
    Originally aired December 30, 1968 (US); January 22, 1969 (UK)
    Well this is a twist at this point in the series...now Tara's got an understudy filling in for her (played by Jennifer Croxton). I wanted to like her but she suffered from weak delivery and a lack of screen presence, making me better appreciate what Thorston brought to the show. Per the usual formula for episodes with subs, Tara's in the beginning and end. You'd think Steed would have been informed that she was going on holiday prior to the last minute, but they are working for an ostensibly secret agency.

    Steed's looking into missing agents, and finding bodies of those killed directly by REMAK, which have each suffered death by multiple methods and been immaculately tidied up and wrapped in polythene. As usual, contacts are being killed off just as Steed and Lady Di are calling on them. All of the investigating agents seem to be working under the assumption that REMAK is an enemy agent...so, thanks for the spoiler, Wiki author!

    In Act IV, it's Steed who infiltrate's REMAK's domain and evades its attacks while it delivers a play-by-play via typewriters. One of the attacks, a device meant to strangle Steed that drops from the ceiling, crushes his bowler instead. And when Steed uses his jacket as a diversion for another attack, REMAK cleans it for him. Lady Di ultimately causes REMAK to self-destruct by typing the command on one of its typewriters!

    In the coda Tara brings back a souvenir...a little snuff box that deploys a large, inflatable dinghy when opened (filling up Steed's living room).

    Mother's just in a wheelchair this week, but in a distinct-looking room that's purpose I can't identify. It has rows of wooden chairs and some barrels. I want to say that it probably has something to do with drinking.

    _______

    Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
    Season 2, episode 13
    Originally aired December 30, 1968
    Don Rickles and Sally Field only appear in footage from Laugh-In receiving an Emmy Award.

    As one might expect, this one has some New Year's business, which first comes up in the opening dialogue. Here it is along with the cocktail party:


    Another segment covers 1968 election highlights:

    Note the acknowledgment of Nixon's appearance on the show.

    Mod World looks at Man and Woman / the Battle of the Sexes:

    In the Robot Theater part, Judy and Arte lose their composure.

    Laugh-In's Discovery of the Week, for what it's worth.

    This week's Fickle Finger of Fate goes to Russia.

    The closing Joke Wall:


    _______

    The Mod Squad
    "The Guru"
    Originally aired December 31, 1968
    Julie: Oh c'mon, Captain, you know how it is..."You hippies are ruining the neighborhood."
    Linc: Now ain't progress grand! We used to get blamed for all of that.​

    The episode establishes early on that one of the paper's employees, a barefoot plain Jane named Daphne (Jane Elliot), has unrequited feelings for the guy running the paper, Rick (Adam Roarke), when he takes a shine to Julie. Dabney Coleman plays Daphne's brother, John, who disapproves of her lifestyle. It turns out that Rick was behind the bombing, to give his paper publicity, and he follows up by fake-ransacking the office.

    Barry Williams pops up to get tough with Linc for selling papers on his corner! :lol: After Rick sees Linc having a rendezvous with Greer, he manipulates Julie into admitting that they're cops on a concealed tape recorder. But he turns up murdered shortly after, with indications that it would have been by somebody he knew.

    Following this, the Squad finds Daphne OD'ed from a suicide attempt. She's saved at the hospital and confesses to having killed Rick, but the Squad find holes in her story and realize that she's covering for her brother. You kinda knew that Dabney Coleman would end up being the villain of the piece one way or another, because why else would Dabney Coleman be in the episode?

    In the coda we learn that Daphne and Jack (another employee who was standoffish and very dedicated to the paper, who primarily seemed to be in the story as a red herring; played by Max Julien) are working to get the paper going again. Pete, who was building a rapport with Daphne earlier in the episode, does his part to buoy up her confidence with a date and some smooth words.

    _______

    You noticed that too? Well, Tracy did die shortly after completing the film.

    They were a little before a little before my time. :p

    If you're referring to what I think you are, "people of color" is in vogue, but "colored" is still considering derogatory...which is an odd distinction to draw, but there you go.

    For contrast, I just watched Avengers: Infinity War on Netflix last night. While I found the film thoroughly enjoyable, there was so damn much going on that it was exhausting me only an hour in. It took me the better part of four hours to get through a two-and-a-half-hour film, because I had to take breaks...which just reinforces a couple of the main reasons that I don't see films in the theater anymore.

    Which totally flew over my...well, you know.

    Things should be picking up quite soon, as mass hysteria inflicts our nation's youth of the time and we start using invasion metaphors.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2019
  4. J.T.B.

    J.T.B. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I don't disagree, but for whatever reason observers pretty much agree that Brian had largely checked out of the band by that point. Jagger/Richards had become the creative center of the group. Which isn't to say that Brian's contributions were not still valuable.

    I don't know how often Keith has claimed to be a true blues musician, but have read quotes where he has said he considers himself more a songwriter who happens to play guitar than an instrumentalist. His toolbox as a lead guitarist is fairly limited; he plays Chuck Berry riffs because that's what he can play. As a rhythm player, he was in a new formative period around this time, getting heavily into acoustic guitar and picking up the open-G from Ry Cooder and Nashville tuning from Gram Parsons, and when Taylor joined, Keith really locked in to the rhythm role with abandon. But as a songwriter his dive into acoustic blues is obvious on "Beggar's" and for the next few albums.
     
  5. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    More ostracized than checked out. Start with Richards not caring about stealing Anita Pallenberg; even if she wanted that, he was supposed to be Brian's friend, which should have stopped Richards from going there, but of course he did. Taking the friendship angle out of it, as bandmates, no one in their right mind (or who ever worked at a real job to know the do's and don'ts of personnel dynamics) would have pulled such a cutthroat move and expect any semblance of normalcy in the band....unless Richards despised Brian at that point, and if it pushed Jones away, so be it, if that was the intention.


    By spending many years not giving Mick Taylor credit for bringing that "next phase" blues sound to the group, which vanished almost overnight the second Taylor left. Richards was quite comfortable letting music "journalists" paint him as some architect of the Stones' sound from the beginning, and certainly during the Taylor era. Only in recent years has he begrudgingly given Taylor any credit at all, but that's after a near lifetime of using reputations he did not earn.

    Another Richards myth designed to wipe Jones from the important role he played. On page 62 of the book Brian Jones - The Making of the Rolling Stones, Dick Taylor--who was there to see it all happen from the beginning--proves that Richards lied about who influenced him to use Open-G tuning:

    What only Taylor seemed to have noticed is that Keith's trademark guitar style--his Open G Tuning, a blues tuning with a distinctive country lilt--comes from Brain too. Curiously, for at least the last thirty years, Keith has been describing how he took the style from Ry Cooder, a guitarist he met in 1968, 'Brian used that tuning for things like "Feel Like Going Home" and "I Can't Be Satisfied," says Taylor. 'Keith watched Brian play that tuning and certainly knew all about it. Why he says he got it from Ry Cooder I don't know. Its strange.'


    Strange? No. Just more attempts to write Jones out of the band he created.
     
  6. The Old Mixer

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

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    Here's what the Wiki article for the album has to say about Brian's participation:
     
  7. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Wiki is essentially quoting Jagger's oft-repeated story. Then again, its a Wiki article, so I'm not expecting in-depth research.


    Would this be the same White Album that is near universally known as the beginning of the end of the Beatles, an album with no coherent structure? The same WA that was an undeniably troubled recording period where the band was not getting along at all--and that's putting it mildly (Ringo quit during its production, before being coaxed back), Harrison resenting McCartney's alleged lack of recognition of as an equal partner, John resenting Paul and George over their mistreatment of studio fixture Yoko, and on and on and on. That was just the icing on top of the chaotic mess of a cake that was the WA's very hit & miss tracks. There was a completely opposite reaction for Beggars' Banquet, which was seen as nothing less than a rebirth of the Stones after their thankfully brief fall into Beatle-whimsical/psychedelia. That's not a coincidence. Who cites the WA as the Beatles' creative zenith? I'm not sure, but BB is certainly ranked high in any discussion of the Stones' best albums and greatest of the 60s.

    Anyway you spin it, a bus tour is not a plot. Its more travelogue than script., or the aforementioned post card lines. This was apparent to the viewers who rejected outright at the time. Paul has claimed he intended it to have some kind of story (remember, he was the big planner at that time, much to the annoyance of John & George), but he did not know that the bus/oddball notion was did not mean it had any framework to be anything resembling a narrative, anymore than trying to make an entire film based on the idea of a squirrel running by your window.

    On the other hand, Head's plot was easy to understand, with its aforementioned biggest failing being Brockman's self-promoting, incomprehensible marketing, which had nothing to do with the film, or its message.

    The fact you can see Head as having more to say means that is its takeaway. It was understood, rather than MMT, which earned a massive "WTF?". That, or

    Yes, and was he ever the "evil establishment man" in this episode.

    Jack was portrayed by Max Julien, who became what I consider a negative cultural icon (to some) as the star of the infamous blaxploitation film The Mack (Cinerama Releasing Corporation, 1973). Julien and Adam Roarke (Rick) probably landed their roles based on their previous connection in two exploitation films: Psych-Out with Jack Nicholson and Dean Stockwell, and the biker gang film The Savage Seven (both AIP, 1968) starring Robert "Charlie X" Walker, Jr.
     
  8. The Old Mixer

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

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    Whatever each album's respective place in the creative peaks of its band, it is clearly possible to consider the White Album the better album of the two. That it suffered from adverse studio conditions doesn't make it a bad album. Adversity sometimes leads to success...or produces great art.

    No it wasn't, because it had none to speak of. It was a series of random vignettes. That some of the vignettes expressed a theme didn't make for a plot.

    Not really evil. More of an asshole who got into a heated dispute with another asshole in which a gun was involved.

    I'd edited in the actor's name just under an hour ago, FWIW.

    _______

    ETA: Just went to watch this week's episode of That Girl and found the show missing from Me's site again. I'm going to stay cool and check back in to see if it pops back up like it did before...but it could be a New Year's change....
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2019
  9. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    I remember this. She was trying a bit too hard.

    Maybe they're in another best-of episode. I like his opening quote, "Don't hate the Black, don't hate the White-- if you get bitten, just hate the bite." Different world back then.

    I saw this one, too, but I can't remember if I liked the understudy or not.

    I wouldn't be a bit surprised. :rommie:

    Mess with the Bradys, learn a lesson.

    And not well. A sad end for a magnificent actor.

    More than just odd, I think, especially since "colored" and "of color" were used interchangeably.

    I had a similar experience with the first Avengers and haven't bothered to watch any others.

    :rommie:

    Sweetness.

    That sucks. Maybe it's on YouTube. Speaking of which, the latest email came yesterday and still no mention of any schedule changes for the new year.
     
  10. The Old Mixer

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

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    Not this performance from this date.

    As they have for a while, Stadium Media has the premieres of the first three seasons up for watching, and Seasons 1 and 2 for purchase. Otherwise it looks like I'd have to subscribe to Hulu or Amazon Prime.
     
  11. J.T.B.

    J.T.B. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That's not really surprising, as Brian was really into slide playing and those were slide parts. Keith did not play slide much and when he got heavily into open tunings it was with a completely different technique. No doubt Keith nicked a lot of stuff from a lot of people, but open-tuned riffs like "Brown Sugar" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" don't owe much to any of Brian's playing that I've heard.
     
  12. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    I've got Prime. It's too bad I can't loan digital episodes like I can DVDs.
     
  13. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    50 Years Ago This Week

    (Sounds like something they'd wanna see a doctor about.)



    Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

    New on the chart:

    "Games People Play," Joe South

    (#12 US; #6 UK; 1970 Grammy Award for Song of the Year)


    And new on the boob tube:
    • The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 21, episode 12, featuring Diana Ross & the Supremes, Burns & Schreiber, Shani Wallace, and Henry Mancini & Johnny Mathis
    • Mission: Impossible, "The Exchange"
    • The Avengers, "My Wildest Dream"
    • Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Season 2, episode 14
    • The Mod Squad, "The Sunday Drivers"
    • That Girl, "The Eye of the Beholder" :scream: :brickwall:
    • Ironside, "Up, Down, and Even"
    • Star Trek, "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
    • Adam-12, "Log 36: Jimmy Eisley's Dealing Smack"
    • Get Smart, "The Day They Raided the Knights"
    • Hogan's Heroes, "Who Stole My Copy of Mein Kampf?"

    _______

    Or...you could watch and review the rest of the series for me! That way the work goes on...the cause endures...the hope still lives...the dream shall never die...all that shit.

    Now iTunes is selling That Girl at $14.99 per season...which comes to less than 60 cents per episode. That is sorely tempting....Think I might wait and see if it pops back up on the Me site, though.

    _______

    They probably meant to say that it was at the top of the chart for four weeks in 1967...!
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2019
  14. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    "The Venereal results are coming in, comrades!"

    It's been ages since I've heard this. I like it.

    That possibility occurred to me briefly, but, aside from time issues, it just wouldn't be the same coming from me, since it's a favorite of yours.

    Prime has the first two seasons for 99 cents each-- which is either a mistake or some kind of sale, because individual episodes are $1.99 each. Seasons three, four, and five are $14.99.
     
  15. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    55 Years Ago Spotlight

    IntroducingtheBeatles.jpg




    Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:
    Take a good, long look at this mostly American chart. Next week the British establish their beachhead.

    Leaving the chart:
    • "She's a Fool," Lesley Gore (15 weeks)
    • "Walking the Dog," Rufus Thomas (14 weeks)
    • "Wonderful Summer," Robin Ward (10 weeks)

    Recent and new on the chart:

    "Baby, I Love You," The Ronettes

    (Dec. 21; #24 US; #6 R&B; #11 UK)

    "See the Funny Little Clown," Bobby Goldsboro

    (#9 US; #3 AC; #3 Country)

    _______

    In addition to having a couple of hits of his own in this era, Joe South was the writer of such hits as 1965's "Down in the Boondocks" (Billy Joe Royal), 1968's "Hush" (Deep Purple), 1970's "Rose Garden" (Lynn Anderson), and 1971's "Yo-Yo" (The Osmonds).

    I don't know how Prime works, but I was under the impression that you could stream it if you have Prime, and purchase it otherwise. Xfinity now has an option to play Amazon Prime content...I wonder if that would apply to videos purchased via Amazon? I'd probably just play it safe and get it on iTunes, which would definitely let me play it on my phone and iPod.
     
  16. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I specifically said:

    "That was just the icing on top of the chaotic mess of a cake that was the WA's very hit & miss tracks"

    ...meaning whatever major level of creative capitol was earned (just going back to the Sgt. Pepper's period), it was dashed to pieces by the extremely disjointed WA sessions where one band member was never fully on board with the songs written by another. Its of no wonder why Lester Bangs once described it as "..the first album by The Beatles or in the history of rock by four solo artists in one band"--there was no unity, and as such, the mounting creative fire of a Rubber Soul or Revolver was but a shadow of the past during the WA's creation.

    ...in the case of Simon and Garfunkel's landmark Bridge Over Troubled Water (for one example)...yes. That perfectly fits your comment. The White Album...no, as evidenced by its own internal decay and head-butting that would never be reversed or healed.

    ...and yet anyone knowing the history of The Monkees at the time (instead of a-hole "critics" with an axe to grind about that "video quartet" as some called them in the 60s) clearly understood the film's plot in relation to the band's often publicly stated interests. To tis day, Head is often considered a breakthrough sub-genre of its own, and laid out for the public something revealing that most bands were too collectively egocentric to do. On the other hand, Magical Mystery Tour was just the swirling mess of a man who was too full of himself at the time, much to the irritation of Lennon, who said:

    "George and I were sort of grumbling, you know, 'Fuckin' movie, oh well, we better do it'."

    Both felt they were being forced into something they did not want to do, and made "not a lick of sense," as the expression goes. The British TV viewers' almost universal rejection / battery of the "Aren't We So Quaint and Creative" film was never questioned. They knew crap on TV when they saw it.


    I think Dick Taylor was calling Richards out for pretending he never knew of Open-G tuning until Ry Cooder came along in 1968, when he was witness to/intimately aware of one of the ground floor champions of it (among white/European rock bands) since the earliest days of the band. Again, it just comes off as another way of Richards trying to erase Brian from his incalculable shaping and contributions to what the world would know as the Rolling Stones.[/quote]
     
  17. The Old Mixer

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

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    And if you're going to play the public popularity card...how well did Head do at the box office?

    Public popularity would also indicate that the White Album is clearly superior to Beggars Banquet, as indicated by the aforementioned chart performance.

    So...the public has spoken. Case closed.
     
  18. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    The review you're about to read is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

    Dragnet 1967
    "The LSD Story"
    Originally aired January 12, 1967
    Series premiere
    Dragnet03.jpg
    Dragnet02.jpg
    (Yeah, you're humming it.)

    For the purposes of this episode, LSD is treated as something new enough that Friday and Gannon receive a lot of exposition about it from a forensic chemist. It probably was a relatively unknown thing to a lot of the audience at the time. It's also still legal when most of the story takes place, which is over a large period for time, from March to December. The year isn't specified, but the days and dates given line up with those on 1966's calendar.

    Despite LSD still being legal when they arrest Blue Boy in March, Friday and Gannon want to keep him in custody for his own safety, but his parents are in denial about his addiction despite his face paint.
    And when Benjie comes out of court in a subsequent scene, he is indeed wearing an English suit.

    On Wednesday, October 5, a law against LSD is scheduled to go into effect in 48 hours. Friday and Gannon have had their eyes on Blue Boy in the months since his arrest, as his name has been turning up repeatedly as that of a major supplier. By October, Benjie is 18 and can be tried as an adult...and Mrs. Carver is a little more aware of the trouble that he's gotten himself into.

    With the help of a couple of cute girls who are disgruntled former customers, Friday and Gannon get the address of a party that Blue Boy is supposed to be attending. The detectives arrive at the location to find the door open, a bunch of tripping youth, and a good-sized stash of LSD and marijuana lying out in the open. Blue Boy isn't there, but they proceed to track him down...only to find him dead in a hotel room with a surviving buddy character played by an uncredited Bruce Watson.

    Dragnet04.jpg

    This was definitely a worthy sign-o-the-times watch. The show takes a lot of heat in hindsight for getting the youth culture of the time wrong, with this particular episode often held up as an example, but it's insightful as a pulse-reading of that Middle American Silent Majority in those turbulent times.

    At one point, Friday lists off several pseudonyms for LSD in his voiceover, but I don't think that the term "acid" ever came up in the episode. A bit of Wiki browsing indicates that LSD became illegal in the State of California on October 6, 1966.

    Interestingly, Cozi showed the full end credits, which isn't usually their bag, man.

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    Last edited: Jan 6, 2019
    GNDN18 likes this.
  19. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    Sigh. Such an amazing sound and such a lovely voice.

    At first I thought I never heard this, but it started to tickle at my memory as I listened. Not a bad song.

    I don't remember "Yo-Yo," but the others are all good songs.

    Even with Prime, some things you have to pay for-- either renting or buying. That Girl is indeed available to stream for free, but you also have the option of purchasing seasons or episodes.

    Nobody is innocent!

    And when it came to drugs, they were right. This is definitely a classic episode and, in its own way, a cultural touchstone as much as Room 222 or Love, American Style.
     
  20. 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
    _______

    50th Anniversary Viewing
    (Part 2)

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    Ironside
    "In Search of an Artist"
    Originally aired January 2, 1969
    The friend is Denny Fielder (William Burns), who was married to the daughter of a reformed mobster and signed left a note indicating that he'd killed her alleged lover, their chauffeur, then apparently died by driving his car off a cliff. Their investigation takes Team Ironside South of the Border, where credibility is stretched a bit when Ironside stumbles upon another example of Fielder's work in the open market of a randomly selected village. Ironside turns up Fielder and learns that he was taking the fall for his wife, Leona (Lorraine Gary), whom he'd found unconscious at the scene of the murder.

    A couple of hitmen try to take Team Ironside and Fielder out while they're still in Mexico. It turns out that the victim's wife's brother, who'd been questioned earlier in the episode, did it, while the wife's father, Jack Stuart (Broderick Crawford) had hired the hit men, though the episode didn't explain why--To get at Denny? For helping the killer to cover it up? Denny and Leona, who was just the recipient of passes by the victim, are reunited.

    This one was pretty meh, being chock full of contrivances and hampered by Burns's weak acting.

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    Star Trek
    "Whom Gods Destroy"
    Originally aired January 3, 1969
    Stardate 5718.3


    See my post here.

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    Adam-12
    "Log 81: The Long Walk"
    Originally aired January 4, 1969
    They transition through the lecture on officer presence at roll call (by the looks of it part of the original edit). Maybe some of us wanted to hear what Sgt. MacDonald had to say! It's not like you could just Google it back then.

    Once on patrol, Reed and Malloy respond to a call to back up Adam-18 in investigating a robbery at a gas station, where they find the attendant pistol-whipped. Then Adam-12 proceeds to search for the suspect in the direction that he was seen heading. I never would have noticed it myself if I hadn't read it on IMDb, but when they're talking about searching for a red convertible, one drives right by them in the rear projection! :lol:

    The officers then respond to a call from a guest home about a "found adult"...a very senior gentleman (Richard Hale) who showed up out of the blue to unofficially join the community. In questioning him, they learn that he's from Deadwood, South Dakota. It gets a bit confusing after that, as he seems to think he got to the home from his daughter's place in Santa Monica in her car, but the officers doubt that he could have driven it...so I'm not sure what the episode was trying to imply--That he walked and only thought he drove? That his daughter dropped him off?

    They then respond to a call about a prowler...this time from a fully dressed babysitter. Investigating some noise outside, they find that the perp is a raccoon in a tree.

    Reed: One-Adam-Twelve, request Code Seven at Pico and Sepulveda.
    Dispatch: One-Adam-Twelve, continue patrol and a call.​

    That's more like it--She just saves calls waiting for Reed to request a Code Seven! :lol: Anyway, it's for a 459 silent at a warehouse. The officers are fired at upon entering, but Malloy manages to sneak to a light switch in the dark. Two perps are shot before Malloy gets the drop on the remaining two, only to reveal once Reed's covering him that he's been holding the perps at gunpoint with an empty pistol. Reed realizes that this was an example of "officer presence" at work.

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    Get Smart
    "Hurray for Hollywood"
    Originally aired January 4, 1969
    Parody? It is the title, save for a spelling variant. And do we really need witty asides in episode synopses? I think that the Wiki contributor doing these Get Smart write-ups could take a little advice from Joe Friday.

    Max and 99's acting coach, Pedechefsky (Ivor Francis), does a dramatic reading of what he says is a verse from "Do You Know the Way to San Jose"...except that it's not.

    In his rehearsal as the butler in the play, Max does his lines Cagney style. The KAOS agents learn that Max and 99 are CONTROL agents when Max makes a call to the Chief on a house phone. How convenient that he didn't use a certain well-known fixture of the show....

    After the Chief and one of his men arrest the KAOS agents onstage during the actual performance, the CONTROL and KAOS agents maintain the illusion that it's all part of the play by taking multiple curtain calls.

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    Hogan's Heroes
    "The Missing Klink"
    Originally aired January 4, 1969
    The plan is to set up the underground to capture General Burkhalter while Klink's giving him a ride, in order to exchange the General for an imprisoned resistance leader named Wagner. But Klink goes to the train station when Burkhalter was taking a plane, so Wagner's brother (Chris Robinson, formerly Sandy Komansky on 12 O'Clock High) just gets Klink.

    Hogan has to concoct a scheme to make Hochstetter think that Klink is really a highly placed British agent code-named Nimrod so that they'll go through with the exchange to get their hands on him. Once they do, Hogan's team defuses the situation by making them think that their assumptions about Klink's true nature were the result of a misunderstanding.

    In the coda, Hogan gets a set of plans and a message from the real Nimrod, who was aware of the Colonel's scheme...which would seem to suggest that Nimrod really is somebody close at hand....

    DIS-miiissed!

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    But do the Ronettes still sound like the '50s to you?

    So...how 'bout them Beatles...?

    I'm not too familiar with the Osmonds' work in general. Their major hits were mostly a bit early for me to remember firsthand, and the only one that I distinctly recall having heard on oldies radio is their #1 debut single, "One Bad Apple," which always sounded like a blatant Jackson 5 rip-off to my ear. I skipped them in working on my '70s playlists...time will tell if my attidtude softens when I get to them as 50th anniversary business....

    Insightful...I was under the impression from retroactive commentary about the show that it was generally considered massively uncool, but it seems that it does have its appeal to some of us who are aficionados of the era and its pop culture.

    Which brings us to...

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    Dragnet 1967
    "The Big Explosion"
    Originally aired January 19, 1967
    This episode has another future Mark VII series regular in it: Bobby Troup (Dr. Early on Emergency!) as bartender Al Amory, the owner of the loaned station wagon used in the robbery. Also noteworthy is that McCord is billed as Kent McWhirter, which is his real name.

    The episode commences on Thursday, September 15 (also apparently 1966, and thus falling within the extended timeframe of the previous episode). Friday and Gannon, working the burglary watch, are sent to investigate the robbery of high-velocity dynamite from a construction company. A hand grenade was thrown by the burglars in the robbery, and they took enough explosives to level two city blocks. In addition to whatever use the burglars intend to put it to, Friday and Gannon realize that there's additional danger of TV or radio transmissions unintentionally setting off the blasting caps, which could in turn detonate the dynamite if the caps are stored close to it. Thus, in contrast to the previous episode, this one takes place in a very tight timeframe, with two ticking clocks.

    Trailing the station wagon used in the robbery ultimately leads Friday and Gannon to Donald Chapman (Don Dubbins), who's on bail after non-fatally shooting somebody with whom he was involved in a minor traffic accident. They break into his apartment to find it filled with German war memorabilia (including a prominently displayed swastika), assault rifles, hand grenades, and hate literature. They also find the dynamite and blasting caps, stored close to one another as feared, such that they're careful not to use their radio to call it in. Once the bomb squad is on the scene, Friday makes the decision to risk legally contaminating the evidence to have the blasting caps removed from the premises immediately. Alas, the bomb squad discovers that half of the dynamite and several of the caps are missing.

    Chapman is caught coming home, and the detectives proceed to interrogate him in his apartment. He repeatedly asks for the time, and only spills the beans after Friday lies to him, telling him that it's past the next hour. Chapman then readily admits to having set the explosives at a school that was being integrated. Friday makes a quick call, the school is promptly evacuated, and the explosives--rigged to be set off by the morning school bell--are found in the nick of time.

    Dragnet05.jpg
    Dragnet06.jpg

    An odd detail in the episode: When Friday and Gannon are tracking down the station wagon, they go to the house of the previous owner, which has what looks like a two-story decorated Christmas tree in the background. That fits better with when the episode was aired than when it was said to take place.

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    Last edited: Jan 7, 2019