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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    Back-door pilot, I wonder?

    How old were these folks? The turn of the century was in living memory, but barely.

    It would have been great if he had turned out to actually be Crippen. :D

    As opposed to an in-the-wall explanation.

    "Liberated."

    Could have had a McCloud crossover here.

    Well, that was anticlimactic.

    Cracks me up every time. :rommie:

    It's too bad Hogan's Heroes wasn't like M*A*S*H and lasted longer than the war. Or maybe not.

    Indeed. :rommie:

    Oh. Uh. Oops.

    While Trek never claimed that human nature had changed, it did indeed imply that racism had been weeded out of terrestrial culture. I don't recall Stiles being racist, just suspicious of Spock's loyalties once the appearance of the Romulans was revealed. Tracey was batshit crazy. And Decker's comment about Vulcans lying was at worst benign, and could even be interpreted as admiring.

    Also, the point at which the alien analogies fail in Trek is that the aliens are actually alien, with legitimate biological and psychological differences from humans, whereas there are no actual races dividing humanity-- the idea of race is a complete fiction.
     
  2. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    Dragnet 1967
    "The Interrogation"
    Originally aired February 9, 1967
    And that new undercover narcotics officer, Paul Culver, is none other than Kent McCord, this time billed under that name. They must like this guy, maybe he's got a future with Mark VII....

    Well, that's the most generic intro voiceover yet...guess Friday was saving his speechifyin' voice for later. This one also uses different, all-percussion opening and closing themes. And it's very much a bottle show, with McCord as the only credited guest.

    Wednesday, November 16: Friday and Gannon are working out of Internal Affairs Division. As their interrogation of Culver begins, he's maintaining his undercover dress and mannerisms...that he's actually an undercover cop is revealed to the audience as a twist a bit in. He has a very detailed story about his activities earlier that night, but loses his cool when he finds out that he has to participate in a line-up to give the liquor store owner the opportunity to identify him.

    We come back after the line-up to find that Culver was positively identified. As the interrogation resumes, the detectives find holes in his story and press Culver on those, and he continues to lose his cool. He takes a between-scenes lie detector test and assumes that he flunked afterward. They can tell from the results that he's hiding something, and deduce that he's engaged...or recently was. Culver reveals that he and his fiancee recently broke up, because she didn't want to be married to a cop. Friday follows up this revelation with a lengthy, insightful monologue about the drawbacks of being a police officer:

    I think maybe I can understand how she feels. It's awkward having a policeman around the house. Friends drop in, a man with a badge answers the door, the temperature drops twenty degrees. You throw a party and that badge gets in the way. All of a sudden there isn't a straight man in the crowd, everybody's a comedian. "Don't drink too much," somebody says, "or the man with the badge'll run you in." Or "How's it goin', Dick Tracy, how many jaywalkers did you pinch today?" Then there's always the one who wants to know how many apples you stole. All at once you've lost your first name--you're a cop, a flatfoot, a bull, a dick, John Law, you're the fuzz, the heat, you're poison, you're trouble, you're bad news. They call you everything...but never a policeman. Maybe she's right.

    And then there's your first night on the beat. When you try to arrest a drunken prostitute in a Main Street bar and she rips your new uniform to shreds, you'll buy another one, outta your own pocket. And you're gonna rub elbows with all the elite: pimps, addicts, thieves, bums, winos, girls who can't keep an address and men who don't care; liars, cheats, con men...the class is Skid Row. And the heartbreak...underfed kids, beaten kids, molested kids, lost kids, crying kids, homeless kids, hit-and-run kids, broken-arm kids, broken-leg kids, broken-head kids, sick kids, dying kids, dead kids. The old people that nobody wants--the reliefers, the pensioners, the ones who walk the street cold, and those who tried to keep warm and died in a three-dollar room with an unvented gas heater. You'll walk your beat and try to pick up the pieces. Got real adventure in your soul, Culver? You'd better have, 'cause you're gonna do time in a prowl car. Oh, it's gonna be a thrill a minute when you get a trouble call and hit a back yard at two in the morning, never knowing who you'll meet--a kid with a knife, a pill-head with a gun, or two ex-cons with nothing to lose. And you're gonna have plenty of time to think. You'll draw duty in a lonely car, with nobody to talk to but your radio.

    Four years in uniform, you'll have the ability, the experience, and maybe the desire to be a detective. If you like to fly by the seat of your pants, this is where you belong. For every crime that's committed, you've got three millions suspects to choose from. Most of the time you'll have few facts and a lotta hunches. You'll run down leads that dead-end on ya. You'll work all-night stake-outs that could last a week. You'll do legwork until you're sure you've talked to everybody in the State of California. People who saw it happen, but really didn't; people who insist they did it, but really didn't; people who remember, those who try to forget; those who tell the truth, those who lie. You'll run the files until your eyes ache. And paperwork? Oh, you'll fill out a a report when you're right, you'll fill out a report when you're wrong, you'll fill one out when you're not sure, you'll fill one out listing your leads, you'll fill one out when you have no leads, you'll make out a report on the reports you've made. You'll write enough words in your lifetime to stock a library. You'll learn to live with doubt, anxiety, frustration, court decisions that tend to hinder rather than help you--Dorado, Morris, Escobedo, Cahan. And sometimes you're not gonna be happy with the outcome.

    Maybe your girlfriend's right, Culver, but there's also this: There are over five thousand men in this city who know that being a policeman is an endless, glamorless, thankless job that's gotta be done. I know it too, and I'm damn glad to be one of 'em. ​

    Immediately afterward, Gannon gets a report that they've just apprehended another man who's a dead ringer for Culver and has admitted to the robbery in question and several others. Culver is immediately let off the hook, and finds out that he passed the polygraph.

    Intended or not, this episode kind of adds a meta layer to Reed's ongoing interest in detective work.

    Dragnet08.jpg
    I could've taken the cap before the blurb in the lower left popped up, but it's just too fitting. :D

    _______

    What you did say was...
    We didn't see policewomen on Mod Squad revealed to prostitutes either, unless it was in a later episode. "Policewomen revealed to be prostitutes" are evidently made of straw.

    Wow, that's some impressive goalpost-moving...including taking one of my own quotes completely out of context by leaving out the sentences that clearly grounded it in humanity's own racial issues. My argument was always against the following assertion...
    Clearly, Trek's version of humanity had found a solution to the "real world racial conflicts" of the 1960s, and you've offered absolutely nothing to disprove that. Microaggression against imaginary aliens is not a "real world racial conflict".

    In their 70s. The actress delivering the line was born in 1896, so she was a child at the turn of the century.

    It definitely lasted longer than American involvement in Europe.
     
  3. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Ah, I remember this episode very well.

    Although I didn't remember that.

    He sure can write pretty speeches, can't he? If I remember correctly, Channel 56 used to use that first paragraph as a promo.

    That is kind of perfect. :rommie:

    Makes sense. That's one of those things, the way that lifetimes overlap like that, that makes you feel that the past is not really so distant.

    So I see by checking Wiki. I didn't realize that it was one for six seasons-- I would have guessed three.
     
  4. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    In fiction--particularly as crafted by TOS as a TV & movie series--used racism to paint our humanity as still unenlightened where race was concerned. The Ekosians and Zeons of "Patterns of Force" were merely humans of another world, but they represented humankind, just as Stiles, Tracey, The Undiscovered Country's Cartwright, Scotty & Chekov were our "real" humans from ST's future earth, but they also shared that kind of mindset--meaning its an inherent trait of human beings.

    Watch the episode again, and listen to the line delivery: Kirk forcefully admonishes Stiles in this exchange:

    UHURA: "Cryptography is working on it, sir."
    STILES: "Give it to Spock."
    KIRK: "I didn't quite get that, Mister Stiles."
    STILES: "Nothing, sir."
    KIRK: "Repeat it."
    STILES: "I was suggesting that Mister Spock could probably translate it for you, sir."
    KIRK: "I assume you're complimenting Mister Spock on his ability to decode."
    STILES: "I'm not sure, sir."
    KIRK: "Well, here's one thing you can be sure of, Mister. Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the Bridge. Do I make myself clear?"
    STILES: "You do, sir. "

    Later, in the briefing room--

    STILES: These are Romulans! You run away from them and you guarantee war. They'll be back. Not just one ship but with everything they've got. You know that, Mister Science Officer. You've the expert on these people, always left out that one point. Why? I'm very interested in why.
    KIRK: Sit down, Mister.

    Stiles was not merely being suspicious--he jumped to aggressive, hot-headed accusation based only on race. He had absolutely no other evidence on which to base suspicion or his surly accusations.

    Insanity (questionable in Tracey's case) is not a cover-all or stand-in for racial hatred. In James Blish's Star Trek 10 adaptation of "The Omega Glory"--based on the shooting script from Roddenberry--Tracy shows just how racist he is:

    TRACEY: "I've yet to meet a Vulcan capable of friendship. Certainly this one is doing his best to sabotage ours! And you know what's in his computer mind, too!"

    From the start, Tracey makes a sweeping racial judgement about all Vulcans, then employs a long-lived, dehumanizing form of slur with "this one," as if Spock (and by association, his race) are a part of "others" unlike himself. This was not Tracey being matter-of-fact about any differences between humans & Vulcans, he was firing off a series of negative (false) distinctions based on racial hatred. Roddenberry obviously intended Tracey to be that kind of man, but the scene--like others found in the shooting script and Blish adaptation--did not make the final edit of the aired episode, but the point remains.

    Listen to the delivery--and watch his expression. I'm not seeing the admiration there--especially against a person he's was fighting against almost from the moment he beamed aboard the Enterprise.

    That might apply say, to the Horta, but even there, that message about man's inherent nature was the driving force of that episode.

    You can call it fiction, but the undeniably unfortunate truth is that the reality/curse of racism has shaped the course of humanity for thousands of years, despite the fight of various individuals against it, the Bible's "...And hath made of one blood all nations of men.." or any other stand to offset its effects. Legislation against racial discrimination exists because it not only acknowledges / tries to protect against crimes committed based on the race, but idea (i.e., acceptance) that race exists.
     
  5. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    50th Anniversary Fly-on-the-Wall Listening

    This week in 1969 saw the Fabs recording several songs-in-development for the Get Back / Let It Be sessions that would eventually be released on Disc 2 of Anthology 3 (1996).

    "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"

    (Track 2; Recorded Jan. 22; its final version would be released earlier than the rest, on 1969's Abbey Road)

    "Dig a Pony"

    (Track 3; Rec. Jan. 22)

    "I've Got a Feeling"

    (Track 1; Rec. Jan. 23)

    "Two of Us"

    (Track 4; Rec. Jan. 24)

    "Teddy Boy"
    (Track 6; Rec. Jan. 24 & 28; this song would be revisited by Paul for his 1970 debut solo album, McCartney)

    "For You Blue"
    (Track 5; Rec. Jan. 25)

    "Let It Be"

    (Track 21; Rec. Jan. 25)

    _______
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2019
  6. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Culture and inherent traits are two different things. The fight-or-flight syndrome is an inherent trait, but contemporary culture frowns on punching somebody out or abandoning your family when under stress. Again, human nature hasn't changed in Trek, but culture has evolved-- and alien races which are not part of Earth or Federation culture are used as analogies for various issues that need addressing.

    He had a particular issue with Romulans due to his family history. Whether you want to consider that racial or cultural, it was very specific and no indication that racism was endemic to the culture of the time.

    I'm not entirely sure what that means, but Tracey's insanity was not questionable-- he was a wild-eyed mass murderer. Again, not evidence of any endemic racism. The evidence to that has always been to the contrary, such as in "Day of the Dove" and the Abraham Lincoln episode whose name I can't remember.

    I completely disagree. Decker was in conflict with Kirk and Spock (and everyone else) because of his obsession, but he had no hatred for anyone. His expression in that scene is just grudging admission that his ploy failed because he's not willing to carry it any further. In fact, that moment was a little glimpse into what Decker was like in normal times, acknowledging that Spock is a respected fellow officer.

    The messages there were not to judge by appearances and not to be too quick to jump to conclusions about motivation-- the message of Star Trek was really not that Man is inherently evil. :rommie:

    It's still not real. There have been a lot of laws and customs and endeavors based on myth and folklore-- that doesn't make any of it real.

    Nothing bad here, that's for sure. The only ones I'm previously familiar with are "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," which is pretty good (although one of the greatest titles), and "Let It Be," which is a classic.

    I keep forgetting to mention that last Saturday's MeTV email announced their lineup changes that start in February. There's nothing of real import, except that TOS returns to Saturday night, but in a late-night slot-- I think it's replacing BSG.
     
  7. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Not in matters of racial identity. There are cultures known for having extreme hatred of certain races, which date back to antiquity. Racism is not some novelty idea that just pops up like a fad--its a core idea tied to the very identity (and internally-argued survival concerns) of a people/culture, which is why its next to impossible for racism from one specific group to another to ever be eradicated, as seen in the United States, where millions easily buy into politicians or ballot issues that favor one race over another, or "fight" against something that seemingly favors another race, as is the state of the most fiery of dialogue in America right now in matters of the so-called "Culture War" (race being a core battle within that), Affirmative Action, gentrification, bills proposed to permanently remove Confederate flags, statues, etc.

    You cannot separate a racist mentality--human nature from the culture. Its a belief that is both natural and is also passed on from one generation to the next, and in the ST framework, would not suddenly cease to be the same old racism simply because its directed at an alien. It comes from somewhere long-lived within the species.

    See my post above, and again watch the scenes in question. His instant attacks on Spock were intended to be racist by the episode's writers, and to show that racism still exists in humanity. Considering that "Balance of Terror" was such an early episode, Roddenberry was sending a message that race still mattered in that universe from the start. Even Kirk's "leave any bigotry..." line simply meant he's acknowledging racism still exists, since he was not shocked by Stiles' behavior (as one would be if racism had been some long-dead behavior of their past, so it caught Kirk off guard), but angered by that Stiles brought that still-living behavior front and center on what he believed what his well-ordered ship.

    Stiles actually leaping to his feet and getting in Spock's face (briefing room scene) is not at all suspicion about Spock's loyalty (and if so, what is the specific characteristic of Spock to lead Stiles to question that?). Its not just about Stiles family history--that kind of aggression in word and physical action is about hatred. Hell, I've experienced that kind of reaction, so its unmistakable in what the episode was saying about Stiles.

    It means charges of insanity cannot erase or take the place of racism where evident. Tracey's dialogue had nothing to do with the stresses of his situation, nor will said stress lead him to male sweeping judgements about Vulcans (who had nothing to do with the conflict between Tracey, or the native races), as seen in the adaptation dialogue.

    You're thinking of "The Savage Curtain", which is the odd-story-out, considering the series depicted racism before it, and had it continue in-universe decades later by several characters in The Undiscovered Country.

    Decker's "they" is not admiration, respect or anything other than his making a direct reference to Spock's race. He could just as easily replied with something in reference to his being a Starfleet officer, who are expected to work by certain ethical standards, or offered a "I wouldn't know anything about that", but he made a direct comment about Vulcans. There's always a painfully narrow reason why someone would do that.

    Tell that to millions who have killed or been killed because of race. Tell that to millions who have had their lives upended or placed in a constant state of oppression due to laws based on race, or millions who had only laws to help them fight against racism. Race is arguably the most natural, real trait, belief and exchange between humans.

    Good. BSG...what a seaming pile of crap that was--and I'm talking about how I viewed it back in 1978, as well. MeTV needs to keep it off schedule for at least another 2 or three yahrens....
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2019
  8. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    It was Spock who made a direct comment about his own race, saying "Vulcans never bluff." Decker, realizing he was outmatched, grudgingly agreed with him. That's all.
     
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  9. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Traditions of animosity between two specific groups is culture. The reflex to fear outsiders is a survival trait from when people were living in trees. Two different things.

    Those trees that I mentioned? It hasn't been such a long time since people were living in them. If anything, it's amazing that so much progress has been made so quickly (assuming the Millennials don't undo it all).

    How about the defeatist mentality? Can you separate that?

    Which we know, because, as I've repeatedly said, human nature won't change in three hundred years, just like it hasn't in the last ten thousand. The people of the 23rd century still have all the instinctive reflexes that people have always had. But the culture of the 23rd century has changed from the culture of the 20th just as the culture of the 20th has changed from the culture of the 17th.

    No, it acknowledges that Kirk isn't ignorant and Stiles is an outlier with specific motivations.

    Again, it demonstrates that he's an outlier. A crazy nut who kills people. He's not the president of the John Birch society. Another outlier. Not representative of Federation culture.

    So... not a good example since it contradicts what you want to believe. :D

    "They" means any group of people you're talking about. "Some people are determined to see the human race in the worst possible light." "Yes, I suppose they are."

    Okay: Race does not exist. It's a complete fiction that arises from ignorance and superficial thinking which can be cured by education and cultivation. If common sense isn't enough to demonstrate that, then we can always resort to the science of genetics.

    Right, that's very true. The show, and Spock in particular, was always comparing and contrasting humans and Vulcans because they actually are different races (i.e. species). This is where the analogies of racism break down.
     
  10. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    No.

    Even after centuries of cross-cultural exchange (by free will or force), trade, personal relationships and alleged intellectual growth, racial identity (and its motivators) continue. Its not some "ape-brain" trait man just cannot shake off, or talk himself out of.

    According to...? Racism is not some rare genetic disorder only found in one out of every 1 million individuals. It is everywhere on earth on one form or another, to one degree to another, because its a of the world's great evils that is inherent to human nature, culture and beliefs. That means that it is impossible for Stiles--even in the imagined 23rd century--to be some rare, isolated case, as his beliefs are--by human essence--not rare, isolated to the Stiles family (and the episode did not suggest it, either). Kirk acknowledged "bigotry" because he not only knows it exists, but is enough of a problem that he had to smother Stiles' racial flames as he knew where that would go. That comes from life experience.

    If 23rd century "Trek People" were so far removed from its real world nature, Kirk would not have had such a seething reaction to Stiles. There's no 23rd century guidebook that one could refer to when facing some allegedly long-buried belief/trait, because one, it would not be necessary when one knows it still exists, and two, in consideration of real world humanity's nature, there's no rational way to assume it to be an isolated case.


    One, there's no evidence Tracey was insane. He was under stress from losing his crew and believed he would be stranded thanks to a horrifying disease) on a war-torn world.. Before the 1701 landing party arrived he was in survival mode. That is completely separate from his racist opinions about Spock & Vulcans in general, which has not a thing to do with mental illness.

    You love referring to characters as outliers, but "The Savage Curtain" is the true outlier when racism was presented in episodes before it, and was one of the undeniable main themes of the final TOS movie Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country set in-universe decades later. Sorry--Star Trek just worked that way for a reason.

    You are either dancing around Decker's meaning, and/or trying to see TOS as the kind of Pollyannas in Space that later productions like The Next Generation were. Decker's meaning was clear to me, as I've heard the same in conversations and/or arguments were the race of person was the topic. His emphasis on "they"--one word--speaks volumes. Just watching Windom's performance said it all--which was not respect, admiration (what the--??) or any other relatively benign thought/emotion.

    Please do not take the following response to this quote to be offensive, but--

    "Race does not exist. It's a complete fiction that arises from ignorance and superficial thinking which can be cured by education and cultivation"

    --Is utter nonsense. The United States has spent billions over the course of several generations on programs designed to reshape the very thoughts and behavior of children as well as adults on race--from school programs (including revised teaching tools), outreach initiatives, revised national historical exhibits, and on and on and on, and that has not brought the U.S. even a good 20 steps closer to "curing" racism. In 2009--a moment ago in time--former Attorney General Eric Holder said as part of an address during Black History Month:

    "One cannot truly understand America without understanding the historical experience of black people in this nation. Simply put, to get to the heart of this country one must examine its racial soul.

    Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. Though race related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion, and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race."

    Again, that was 2009, Just a moment ago on the road of time.. Despite money, programs and "good intentions" being thrown at the problem for generations, there is no magic prescription of "education and cultivation" that will erase what every group on earth sees as its identity, culture, survival interests and fight for whatever "rightful" place they believe they have based only on the very thing you deny exists. If Holder (being black himself) and innumerable others who intimately know that race exists--believe that America indeed has a "racial soul," then not only can it not be denied (and he and others has certainly said more on race since that time), but it also means that there are problems that are not going to be easily flushed out of the hearts and minds of humanity. Holder is just one example of what is the general opinion on the magnitude of racism, and how there are no easy answers to (in effect) "rewire" humanity.

    TOS used Spock's own harsh judgements about humans to illustrate racism. The show was speaking to real life human beings, not nonexistent species in space, so when Spock and McCoy took shots at each other, Roddenberry, et al. were making a direct comment on the racially charged nature of people in the period the series was produced.
     
  11. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    50 Years Ago This Week




    Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

    Leaving the chart:
    • "Abraham, Martin and John," Dion (14 weeks)
    • "Bella Linda," The Grass Roots (9 weeks)
    • "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," Otis Redding (9 weeks)
    • "A Ray of Hope," The Rascals (8 weeks)
    • "Who's Making Love," Johnnie Taylor (14 weeks)

    New on the chart:

    "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

    (#30 US; #11 R&B; #26 UK)

    "Do Your Thing," The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band

    (#11 US; #12 R&B)

    "This Girl's in Love with You," Dionne Warwick

    (#7 US; #2 AC; #7 R&B)

    "Dizzy," Tommy Roe

    (#1 US the weeks of Mar. 15 through Apr. 5, 1969; #1 UK)


    And new on the boob tube:
    • The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 21, episode 15, featuring Shirley Bassey and Marvyn Roy
    • Mission: Impossible, "The System"
    • Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Season 2, episode 17
    • The Mod Squad, "Shell Game"
    • Ironside, "Rundown on a Bum Rap"
    • Star Trek, "The Lights of Zetar"
    • Adam-12, "Log 33: It All Happened So Fast"
    • Get Smart, "I Shot 86 Today"
    • Hogan's Heroes, "Watch the Trains Go By"

    _______

    Indeed. There are people around now whose lives overlapped with those of Civil War veterans; and there were people around then whose lives overlapped with those of the Founding Fathers. It doesn't take that many degrees of separation to go back a long way.

    Thanks for the news, underwhelming though it is. I still hold out hope that they'll put M:I or Hawaii Five-O back in their lineup eventually.
     
  12. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Yes, that's exactly what it is: Instinct.

    Kirk knew what "murder" is, too, but that doesn't mean everyone on Earth was killing each other willy nilly.

    He was a gibbering lunatic. :rommie: So Decker was a racist and Tracey was a stable genius? I'm beginning to think your Internet connection is coming from the Mirror Universe. :D

    In "The Savage Curtain," Kirk and Uhura described 23rd century society. Other episodes presented individuals who failed to live up to those standards.

    Same here. It wasn't there for Decker. Spock spoke of Vulcans-- Decker responded using a pronoun instead of the proper name. That's it.

    I appreciate that, but never worry that you'll offend me by speaking your mind.

    In fact, an amazing level of progress has been made in the last century, and especially half century, even with the backsliding of the current generation. A couple of generations is nothing in the face of four billion years of evolution and ten thousand years of cultural inertia. I'd like an overnight cure, too, but that's not realistic. Like I said before, the human race is not that long down from the trees and there was no instruction manual waiting for us when we climbed down.

    You seem to be mixing up all kinds of things here. Nobody ever said anything about easy answers or rewiring people. In fact, educating and cultivating people is the only cure for ignorance and superstition. And the basis of that education is that race does not exist. It doesn't matter if Holder or anyone else believes that it does. It does not. Science is real. Believing in race is the same thing as believing in Creationism or a flat Earth. This knowledge used to be one of the cornerstones of Liberalism, back when there were Liberals-- and that's when the real progress was made.

    Exactly right. They were speaking to the people of today by telling stories about the people of tomorrow-- who had made several centuries of progress beyond where we are.

    Marvin Gaye got better later on, I think. :rommie:

    Good advice, bad song.

    Now that's more like it. :adore:

    This is a fun, catchy song.

    Yeah, exactly. This is one of the things I find so exciting about history.

    I'd kind of like to give Hawaii Five-O another try, but the one I'd really like to see is Ironside-- it sounds a lot better than I remember it.
     
  13. The Old Mixer

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

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    _______

    55 Years Ago Spotlight




    Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

    Leaving the chart:
    • "Drip Drop," Dion (11 weeks)
    • "Loddy Lo," Chubby Checker (13 weeks)
    • "Pretty Paper," Roy Orbison (7 weeks)
    • "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry," The Caravelles (13 weeks)

    New on the chart:

    "Abigail Beecher," Freddy Cannon

    (#16 US)

    "Dawn (Go Away)," The Four Seasons

    (#3 US)

    "Please Please Me," The Beatles

    (#3 US; #184 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

    Total Beatles songs on the chart: 3

    Next week:
    BeatlesArrival.jpg

    _______

    He had some pretty good, classic stuff going on earlier as well. For example, I didn't cover this one in the regular posts because it was sub-Top 20, but give me half an excuse...

    "Can I Get a Witness," Marvin Gaye
    (Charted Oct. 19, 1963; #22 US; #3 R&B; Backing vocals by The Supremes--I did not know that until just now!)

    At any rate, "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By" will be his last duet with Tammi to get into the Top 40.

    I want to like it more, but it is...rather low-key. One of those cases of a song that sounds like the warm-up of a song that never started.

    Always a pretty song, but I don't think that Dionne's version has anything on Herb's.

    A quality bubblegum classic!

    Hawaii 5-O is tantalizing to me because I was seeing in the months leading up to its 50th anniversary that it was in Me's lineup...then I get Me back and discover that it's gone!

    Ironside is still on Cozi (Do you get that?), so it probably won't be on Me anytime soon. I'm currently recording Season 4 (1970-71).
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2019
  14. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    This is cute. I don't know if I've ever heard it before.

    This is a good one. Hard to go wrong with The Four Seasons.

    It's funny how short some of these early singles are. This is good, of course. It's got that catchy Pop sound, but the understated cleverness of the lyrics is a hint of what's to come.

    You're right, that's a classic.

    He's got the classic version, but Dionne makes pretty much everything sound good.

    Yeah, actually I do have Cozi. Is that where I've been recording Avengers? Or is that This? In any case, I do have it, so I should be able to record it, if Mom is interested.
     
  15. 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

    _______

    The Ed Sullivan Show
    Season 21, episode 14
    Originally aired January 19, 1969
    As represented in The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show

    The Best of installment opens with Liza Minnelli doing a quirky number called "Frank Mills," which tv.com identifies as being from Hair.

    Next Gary Puckett & The Union Gap perform a perfectly nice cover of Glen Campbell's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix".

    After that is the now-famous bit where Victor the Bear eats an ice cream bar out of Ed's mouth, among other tricks:

    Not shown in that clip is the male trainer wrestling Victor prior to the ice cream trick. Victor's wearing a muzzle for that part.

    John performs "Didn't We," a trad pop song that seems familiar, possibly just from other Sullivan performances.

    Solidifying this episode's Easy Listening cred, we get the Lennon Sisters performing a number called "It's Today" from the musical Mame, mashed up in medley form with an a four-part harmony rendition of "Yesterday" that's actually rather pretty, I have to admit.

    Closing the Best of segment (and clearly their first performance in the original episode judging by the set dressing, which they were changing at the begging of "Phoenix"), Gary & the Gap do "Don't Make Promises," an upbeat but not particularly catchy number that apparently wasn't even a single, though they have one coming up fairly soon.

    _______

    Mission: Impossible
    "The Test Case"
    Originally aired January 19, 1969
    There's a nifty swirling smoke effect as the record self-destructs while in motion.

    The IMF's plan involves swapping Rollin with a political prisoner who's being used as the test subject. I was a little fuzzy on the specifics of how the testing worked, and thus how the IMF were sabotaging it, particularly the part involving the balloon. But they do play up that this is potentially putting Rollin in very real danger....

    Willy: What happens if Rollin actually gets the disease?
    Jim: He'll die, in about ten agonizing minutes.​

    Reporter Cin makes the developer of the virus, Dr. Beck (David Hurst, appearing here two days after "The Mark of Gideon" aired) a covert offer for the virus. Meanwhile, Barney starts his end of the operation sneaking around on some rooftops--nice to see him getting some sunshine and fresh air for a change! Military Doctor Jim and Red Army Willy help Rollin switch places with the test subject. Rollin evidently fakes being exposed to the virus. There's a pill involved that apparently causes his vitals to make it seem like he's died.

    Jim claims to the state security guy, Captain Olni (Noah Keen), that Cin made him an offer for the virus. He describes her as being in her late 20s...flattering Bain to the tune of about 10 years. This is part of a trail constructed by the IMF to make it look like Beck is planning to sell out, which leads to a fatal confrontation; Barney's reverse balloon gimmick somehow exposes Captain Olni to Barney's fake virus, which causes the same symptoms but is said to be non-lethal. Barney, back to hiding in crawlspaces at this point, switches the real culture for an explosive that destroys the cultures in the vault. The IMF gets away with Rollin and the original test subject.

    Overall, I found this one a bit hard to follow, and perhaps fillerish in places. It just didn't grab me.

    Paul Carr is also in the episode, as Dr. Zeped.

    _______

    The Avengers
    "The Interrogators"
    Originally aired January 1, 1969 (UK); January 20, 1969 (US)
    Mother's back, and his Roost of the Week is an indoor garden, which is accessed through a phone box with a hidden door for a back.

    Some uniformed Red Chinese types are behind the fake training academy, led by a fake British officer named Colonel Mannering--played by Christopher Lee! They're interrogating military intelligence types to get identities of contacts and killing them. One of the targeted contacts is a one-man band who goes by the monicker Izzy Pound and His Incredible Marching Sound; another is a balloon salesman named Mr. Puffin.

    The bad guys are conning their subjects into thinking their interrogations are part of an officially assigned training course, and even use a recording of Mother's faked voice to lure in their subjects, including Tara. They persuade their subjects to not talk about the course by making them think that attempts to make them talk are tests of their training. Mother and Steed get info from one of the subjects, which results in Steed following a carrier pigeon via helicopter to find Mannering's camp. Mannering sends the trainees after Steed as a "test," telling them that their guns are loaded with blanks, but Tara sees through it. Steed uses the inside of his bowler to protect him from the bayonet of one of the Chinese soldiers, and ultimately turns the tables when he tells the students to try shooting Mannering, leading to the Colonel's surrender.

    _______

    Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
    Season 2, episode 16
    Originally aired January 20, 1969
    This one aired on Inauguration Day, and it's the first thing that they mention in the intro, which includes a film of Dan & Dick with Tricky Dick at some public ceremony in Burbank:

    I wonder if the John Lennon blurb was a reference to the Two Virgins album?

    The News from the Future includes mention of President-Elect Ringo Starr.

    Jack Riley does Moses a la LBJ. He also appears as LBJ to deliver the first of the buzzwords that precede the commercials, "inaugurate". The other buzzwords are "incumbent," "Millhouse," "Spiro," and "flag".

    The Legarde Twins return.

    The Fickle Finger of Fate goes to the Bureau of Land Management.

    Nancy Sinatra participates in a group musical number about meter maids:


    Laugh-In looks at the Police / Law & Order:


    At one point in the "say goodnight" segment, Nancy says "Goodnight, Dad," and they go to a brief film clip of somebody else doing Arte Johnson's German Soldier bit, complete with helmet...I think it was Frank, but it was hard to tell and Googling / YouTube searching didn't turn up anything to that effect.

    _______

    The Mod Squad
    "Flight Five Doesn't Answer"
    Originally aired January 21, 1969
    The Mod Males, including Greer, are escorting Tony Lando (Will Kuluva), a syndicate boss who's been in prison for 15 years, has six months to live, and wants to talk to the Governor (guess that would be Reagan). Pete and Linc play a steward and the flight engineer, respectively, on the twin-engine puddle-jumper. Julie's left out of the mission because she's a girl, and it might be dangerous! She is in the episode, hanging out with Chief Metcalf (Simon Scott).

    Roy Glenn from Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is the pilot. Sonny's traveling companion, Max, is Whit Bissell. There's also a solder who gets on the flight at the last minute, Willoughby (Larry Casey, a.k.a. Hitch from The Rat Patrol), and is secretly one of the Syndicate's inside men. Willoughby creates a distraction for the hijacking...which doesn't go as planned, causing the plane's fuselage to end up scattered over the countryside...which makes me kinda nostalgic for 12 O'Clock High.

    When Willoughby tries to make off with Lando, there's a fight and Greer takes a bullet. One of the surviving passengers is an injured doctor who talks Linc through removing the bullet, and using makeshift tools to boot! Pete plays his assisting nurse, wiping Linc's brow and everything!

    In the climax, it comes out that Max was also working with the Syndicate. Lando dies, but passes on a locket with the location of his hidden stash of millions. Pete and Linc do their sans-Julie walk-off at the crash site--They're not really going anywhere, as they have to wait for the next chopper.

    _______

    Star Trek
    "That Which Survives"
    Originally aired January 24, 1969
    Stardate Unknown


    See my post here.

    _______

    Hogan's Heroes
    "My Favorite Prisoner"
    Originally aired January 25, 1969
    The plan involves an RAF pilot, Captain Sears, getting arrested trying to pass the fake plans to a contact. Hochstetter assigns Schultz to play the role of the contact, though Sears has to help Schultz along when the Sergeant can't get the passphrase straight. Then the prisoners have to spring Sears, while Hogan stays with the Baroness as an alibi.

    This episode reinforces the previous one's chronological assertion, with a reference to LeBeau having been in Stalag 13 for two years. Also, Hogan indicates that he's from Bridgeport, CT.

    DIS-miiissed!

    _______

    I wasn't familiar with it prior to getting it, either, and it is cute, but it's no "Palisades Park"--which is probably what the oldies radio DJs were thinking.

    Definitely one of their classics--but does it sound like the '50s to you...?

    This one has a lot of noteworthy historical bits. It was their second single single in the UK, and was historically generally referenced as their first #1 as it reached that position on two UK charts, but not the one that eventually became the UK Singles Chart, which is why it was left off the 1 album. It was also their first single in the States, released on Vee-Jay in early '63, though it only charted locally in Chicago at the time because that's where Vee-Jay was located and a disc jockey there was playing it (something that I just now read about). John's inspiration for the wordplay in the lyrics was the use of "please" and "pleas" in the Bing Crosby song "Please". It was originally conceived as a slower, Roy Orbison-style number, but when they needed an excuse not to use the professionally written "How Do You Do It?" (which went on to be a hit by Gerry & The Pacemakers) as their follow-up to "Love Me Do," they sped up "Please Please Me" and used that instead. (Paul in the Anthology documentary on the Beatles' attitude toward "How Do You Do it?": "We cannot go back up to Liverpool singing that--We cannot be seen with that song!")

    I am already finding that it's still an earworm either way.

    This has been recently playing The Avengers, but a couple years back it was on Cozi. Cozi is currently playing two back-to-back episodes of Ironside a week on Saturday night / Sunday morning, Midnight and 1 a.m. EST.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2019
  16. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    There are several songs from Hair that became hit singles-- this isn't one of them. :rommie:

    They call it the McCoy Pill.

    He sounds like an Art Rock band.

    At least it wasn't a trap door. :rommie:

    Sweet. I hope I've got that in my cue.

    How polite and respectful they were to the Trickster.

    Any mention of a Constitutional Amendment in the interim? :rommie:

    This is why I'd want to be a girl.

    Holy crap. That's atypical for a weekly crime drama.

    I wasn't thinking it, but, yeah, kinda.

    :rommie:

    Okay, cool, thanks. I'll check through the guide next week and see about recording a couple.
     
  17. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 24, 2006
    Location:
    Escaped from Delta Vega
    Instinct springs from inherent traits already built into the subject,

    Again--

    --that's one of the biggest messages of the episode that could not be more apparent, even if it was in the form of on screen copy blinking off and on over the actors' faces.

    What--specifically--was "insane" about Tracey's behavior? Personally, I do not use "insane" loosely to describe personalities that have far different motivations and outcomes. So again, what was "insane" about his behavior? Oh, and I said both Decker and Tracey had racist beliefs, which is not the result of a psychological disorder or stress.


    Yet, The Undiscovered Country--the future of that episode had most of the main human characters make racist statements to illustrate that it still exists among humans--not that its only applied to aliens but somehow, humanity "got over it".

    For anyone who has faced that kind of treatment, or is sensitive to it, inflection is everything, and Decker used it like knife.

    A few examples that disagree with exactly how much "progress" has happened:

    Eric Holder's speech would disagree with you. The ever-intensifying racial chaos (under the banner of unchecked immigration concerns) in the UK, Germany, Italy and other areas would disagree with you.

    Further, as socially liberal as the majority of the U.S. news media is (some might say to an ideologically one-sided degree), that so-called liberal outlook ends in its typical coverage of missing and/or exploited black (or Hispanic) children:

    • "Not all child victimization cases, however, are looked upon as equal in news worthiness. Race and gender are potential mediators for the assessment of newsworthiness for child victimization cases. Previous studies dealing with adult cases show that mainstream news in America typically overrepresents White victims, unfavorably depicts racial minorities, and objectifies and trivializes women (e.g., Byerly & Ross, 2006; Dixon & Linz, 2000;Entman, 1994; Keever, Martindale, & Weston, 1997"
    ..and that continues to be proven in the mass, and continued coverage of recent kidnapper escapee Jayme Closs, with her image on innumerable magazine covers, social and news media reports (part of what is known as the Missing White Woman Syndrome that turned Elizabeth Smart into an icon), yet the same kind of attention is next to never paid to black girls who were caught in the same situation.

    That same news media's coverage of crime:

    • "News bias favoring White individuals is well-documented. For example, Dixon and Linz (2000) found that African Americans and Hispanics are overrepresented as criminals, whereas White individuals are overrepresented as victims in television news coverage"

    Its not anecdotal, but a proven pattern of dyed-in-the-wool beliefs which informs their concerns and actions.

    "Cultivating and education" reads as a prescription / easy answer to me, as its never successfully argued against inherent, ancient racial belief. Billions of dollars, decades of programs later and America is sill a land where (for only a few examples) criminal prosecutions/imprisonment are heavily weighted against black Americans. Its the same country where the common experience of conflicts such as "driving while black" still exist. Where the standard perception is that if you're black and ever stopped by law enforcement, if you do not "act up" to the dominant society's idea of behavior, you have a good chance of being shot to death (hence decades of protests, lawsuits, Justice Department investigations of dubious value and ultimately, the creation of Black Lives Matter). That's part of the reality of race. Its part of what Eric Holder wrote in 2009, and the reason why its pointless and self-deceiving to think race does not truly exist, and/or can be weeded out through programs. Its been tried, and the examples above prove that it has largely failed.

    The point being that we're are now nearing the third decade of the 21st century, and race as an inherent belief / cultural hallmark remains a powerful prime driver and influencer of society. That's why its use on TOS and TUC (an imagined far future) had any power at all--its saying there's no Pollyanna future where humans being racist is some remnant of a distant past. That was reserved for The Next Generation, which had to be somewhat pushed aside by DS9.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2019
  18. 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
    _______

    Dragnet 1967

    "The Masked Bandits"
    Originally aired February 16, 1967
    Tuesday, June 14: Working the day watch out of Robbery Division, Friday and Gannon are investigating the series of holdups when they get a tip that a car thief in custody in Juvenile knows about a group of four guys who drive around in a red Cadillac. The ensuing investigation leads to another juvenile, Larry Hubert, who's married to an older woman. When they go to his house to question him, they find a stolen gun and a red full-face mask. Questioning him leads to an accomplice named Donald Jones who'd recently been working at a tile factory, but left five or six weeks prior and didn't pick up his final check. In the meantime, Hubert confesses. Friday voiceovers his concern that because of the masks, they'll have to get confessions out of all of the robbery suspects or they won't have a case. Arresting Jones, they find two more stolen guns but no mask. His parole officer helps in persuading him to talk.

    Dragnet09.jpg
    Dragnet10.jpg

    Friday and Gannon each read a suspect their rights in this episode--I'm not sure if that had come up yet in the handful of previous ones. Typical of TV of the day, neither of the "juveniles" really looks underage. Ron Rusell, who played Larry Hubert, was in his early 20s at the time. There was a substantial age difference between him and Virginia Vincent, who played his wife--she was pushing 40 at the time. Mrs. Hubert was portrayed as being very polite, soft-spoken, and demure, which isn't quite what you'd expect from a woman married to a substantially younger juvenile who's in trouble with the law. When talking about her relationship with Larry, which the officers clearly disapproved of, she seemed more focused on being a surrogate mother to him than a wife.


    "The Bank Examiner Swindle"
    Originally aired February 23, 1967
    Monday, December 5: Friday and Gannon a working the day watch out of Fraud Division, Bunko Section, questioning seniors who'd recently been swindled by a ring posing as bank examiners who want to borrow money for catching thieves. One victim is an former minor actress in silent films who likes to present herself as having been a former star. In a tender moment, Gannon asks for her autograph after the questioning to lift her spirits. They also talk to an old man (played by Burt Mustin, who turns up a lot in the Mark VII shows) who's afraid that the city will cremate him now because he lost his burial money.

    When the detectives have gathered enough information on the suspects, they arrange to "put them on a job," setting up a sting operation with the help of a cooperative citizen who's a fan of detective magazines and has "always wanted to be in on a 'pinch'." Gannon poses as her son and arranges to see the phony examiners in his mother's place while Friday eavesdrops from the next room. Putting on an act of naivete, Gannon maneuvers the examiners into showing him everything the detectives need, including their phony IDs.

    "Agent Gleason": Here's my badge, we both carry them.
    Friday: So do we--You're under arrest!​

    Dragnet11.jpg
    DUHHHN-DUH-DUNDUN!

    Dragnet12.jpg

    _______

    To my ear, they're definitely strongly rooted in the doo-wop tradition, but have a distinctive sound of their own that I associate with the early-to-mid-'60s.

    Just remember, anything you get off of Cozi now will be around two years ahead of me.
     
  19. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    Well, that's what instinct is. It's like the Fight-or-Flight Syndrome-- something built in that you have to deal with (some people more than others).

    Everything? Mass murder? Going native in hopes of gaining immortality? Locking up McCoy and Spock? Fighting Kirk to the death? Trying to get more weapons to commit more mass murder? What did he do in the episode that wasn't insane?

    They were trying to adapt to making peace with lifelong enemies. Aside from some cute semantics about inalienable rights, which essentially means nothing-- especially in a multi-species Federation-- I don't recall anything that could be considered genuinely racist.

    I would say oversensitive to it, because there was nothing to indicate anything of racism in Decker at all.

    Okay, I'm convinced. The world has not changed a bit since 1919.

    Yup, this is a bad time. Two steps forward and one step back. Expecting linear progression is as naive as expecting four billion years of evolution and ten thousand years of social inertia to be overcome in a week.

    Why in the world would you think it's an easy answer? It's just the only answer and it has very much been successful-- that's how we've made all the progress that you refuse to see.

    And yet it remains a fact.

    Good point. And my Father died of cancer, which means that we've developed absolutely no treatments against the disease and never will.

    I think you must be the only person in the world who watches Star Trek to wallow in its hopeless vision of the future. :rommie: I'm sorry that you have such a dismal view of life and can't see how far we've come in such a short time, the Millennial Generation notwithstanding. I can only hope you take a second look at some point and see what's really going on.

    I guess it's easier to commit armed robbery than face those former co-workers. :rommie:

    Guess she didn't do too well with that.

    Aww. I think I remember that, actually.

    Yeah, that distinctive sound is why I don't think of them as 50s the way I do with other artists and songs.

    I shall reveal nothing that will result in alterations of the timeline.
     
  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 Fly-on-the-Wall Listening

    More songs from the Get Back / Let It Be sessions as released on Disc 2 of Anthology 3:

    "Medley: Rip It up/Shake, Rattle and Roll/Blue Suede Shoes"

    (Track 7; Recorded Jan. 26)

    "The Long and Winding Road"

    (Track 8; Rec. Jan. 26)

    "Oh! Darling"

    (Track 9; Rec. Jan. 27; final version was released on Abbey Road)

    "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues"

    (Track 11; Rec. Jan. 29)

    "Get Back"

    (Track 12; Rec. Jan. 30 from the iconic rooftop performance)

    _______
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2019