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50th Anniversary Viewing
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All in the Family
"Judging Books by Covers"
Originally aired February 9, 1971
Wiki said:
Archie learns about judging people after incorrectly declaring an effeminate friend of Mike and Gloria (Anthony Geary) to be gay--only to learn that one of his old football buddies is homosexual himself.
As the episode opens, Mike and Gloria are having a friend named Roger (Tony Geary), who's visiting from England and sporting mod clothers, over for dinner. Archie's put off that they bought fancy cashews and smoked salmon for him, and it turns out that he's already acquainted with Roger and considers some vintage euphemisms for homosexuality to apply to him, though Mike and Gloria insist that he's just a glasses-wearing intellectual. Archie leaves for Kelsey's Bar--the future locale of the show's latter-day continuation, notably making its first appearance--where he chews the fat with Steve (Philip Carey), Barney (Bill Halop, not Allan Melvin), and Nick (Billy Sands). Steve is a former pro football player, whom Archie clearly admires. Mike and Roger drop in, and it turns out that Steve and Roger already know each other. Tommy Kelsey (Bob Hastings) asks Mike about Roger specifically because of that, letting Mike in on Steve's sexual orientation.
Back at the house, despite Archie's continued comments about Roger, Mike holds back from letting him in on what he's learned. Mike and Gloria change the subject by showing Archie the trick where women can lift a chair while bent over and men can't. Then it comes up that Roger taught them the trick, and Mike finally lets Archie in on the secret, which infuriates him as besmirchment. Archie returns to Kelsey's, where the guys are watching a fight. Sitting alone with Roger afterward, Archie asks him about how he knows Roger. When Archie lets on to what Mike told him, Steve matter-of-factly informs him that Mike's right. Archie insists that Steve's putting him on. At the house again, Archie meets a friend of Mike and Gloria's named Jerry whom he mistakes as a young man from behind (Linn Patrick).
Archie: Nowadays you can't bet on nothin'.
This is the episode that infamously got discussed on one of the Nixon tapes, with Tricky Dick casting aspersions on the show--with which he hadn't been previously familiar--for glorifying homosexuality. The YouTube clip of it that I found dated the tape as being from May, which fits with something that I heard or read...that the show picked up viewers during the rerun season. The episode in which Archie writes the president also gets referenced, by someone who was already watching the show. One striking aspect is how they continually refer to Archie as a "hardhat" and a "slob". They were also under the impression that Roger had been gay, against what the episode had been trying to say on the subject.
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Hawaii Five-O
"The Gunrunner"
Originally aired February 10, 1971
Wiki said:
A munitions dealer arranges for the kidnapping of his own wife so that he can induce a beleaguered government to pay a higher price for the arms shipment.
That is a HUGE fucking spoiler to put in a capsule description. What they didn't spoil is that the munitions dealer, Ben Cunningham, is played by Paul Burke--the Gallagher brothers together again!
Claire, a.k.a. Mrs. C (Marian McCargo), is abducted from their home by a small group of intruders who kill a guard dog and knock out Ben's right-hand-man, Hank (George Murdock). One intruder is found shot and identified as a native of Arasunda, an island known to have a separatist movement that opposes the sovereign Malanesian government...which is a helpful clue, because Mr. C doesn't want to violate his current client's confidentiality, even to save his wife. Five-O has his phone tapped, and McGarrett pays a visit to the Malanesian consulate, where he's informed by the Consul (Arthur Batanides) that the dead intruder was working for a separatist leader named Kanjil (Daws Dawson). The van that the intruders used is found, and it belongs to a Mr. Bajano (Phillip Pine), who says that the dead intruder was his cousin and that he was coerced to help the separatists at gunpoint.
Mr. C gets a call from kidnappers, who'd previously left a note that he didn't share with McGarrett, and want him to send the shipment to them instead of his client. The call is traced, but turns out to have been routed through a pair of joined payphone receivers. In McGarrett's office, Mr. C seems more desperate to cooperate at this point, but McGarrett wants him to buy them some time rather than go through with the deal. Mr. C goes to the consulate, as it turns out that the weapons were originally meant for Malanesia, and lets them in on the kidnapping; under the circumstances, they offer him more money for the shipment, and he tells them where the weapons are being stored. Kanjil's separatists are tipped off and raid the place. There's a firefight, which Five-O and the police help break up with their arrival. Kanjil is shot by Mr. C, but tells McGarrett before he dies that he didn't kidnap anybody.
Blood is found in the van that doesn't match Mrs. C but does match the man found on the lawn, indicating that he was brought to the Cunningham home having already been shot by Mr. C's gun! McGarrett learns from Hank the extent of financial trouble that Mr. C's business has been in, and that Bajano was the middleman in an attempt by the separatists to buy the arms, so Steve deduces that Bajano's working for Mr. C in the scheme. But back at the kidnappers' hideout, Mrs. C wriggles loose from her bonds, removes her blindfold, and sees her kidnappers' faces...for which they determine that they'll have to kill her. Mr. C arrives at their lair with the money they've demanded--an advance from the consulate--and attempts to plead for his wife's life. He tries to make a move and gets fatally shot, but Five-O swoops in and manages to save Mrs. C. As McGarrett walks her away from the scene, Claire tells him that she plans to sink her husband's arms shipment into the ocean.
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The Brady Bunch
"The Liberation of Marcia Brady"
Originally aired February 12, 1971
Wiki said:
At school, Marcia is approached by a television news reporter Ken Jones (playing himself in a cameo) doing a story on the women's liberation movement. Greg watches the news report and tries to rebut his sister's comments. Marcia decides to make a point by declaring that she is joining the Frontier Scouts, an all-male Scouting organization to prove she is more than capable of completing the initiation tasks. Too old to be able to retaliate by joining Marcia's Sunflower Girls, Greg enlists Peter to join in his place. While Peter's attempt to sell cookies wilts under his gross embarrassment, Marcia proves she is well suited to join the Frontier Scouts by passing all the tests. Marcia ultimately does not join, she just wanted to make her point known.
It's established here that Marcia is still in junior high, which gels with Maureen McCormick's age. The interview gets her worked up on the subject of whether girls are equal to boys, even though she'd initially been noncommittal on the subject. Marcia then realizes that her brothers will be watching and unsuccessfully tries to prevent them from doing so. The boys tease her, with Greg calling her a kook. The subject having been brought up even causes a bit of friction between Mike and Carol. Marcia gets the idea about joining Greg's all-boys scouts organization while talking with the other girls. Mike's there as a scoutmaster when she comes in, and he and fellow scoutmaster Stan (Ken Sansom) can't find anything in the regulations preventing a girl from joining. Wanting to show her how silly she looks, Greg comes up with his Sunflower Girls idea, but has a look at the girls' guidebook and learns that the age requirement is between 10 and 14...which leaves only poor Peter, who already had his masculinity challenged recently for being in the glee club. (Mike Lookinland had recently turned 10 when the episode aired; I'm trying to remember how old they said Bobby was in an earlier episode.)
Marcia practices a resuscitation technique on Alice for her initiation test, which involves straddling her back. When the boys break the news about Peter, Marcia's actually supportive of the idea. The other boys prod him to go through with wearing the uniform and trying to sell cookies door-to-door, to his humiliation...the first potential customer (John Lawrence) thinks that he's on a hidden camera show, but goes through with buying a box because he admires Peter's nerve.
On her initiation day, Marcia has difficulty with tasks such as carrying her pack, putting up her tent, and starting a fire, but ultimately succeeds and starts to gain confidence. She manages to pass her last test--following a trail--despite Greg having left very small blazes for her to follow...for which Mike has a brief word with him. Even Greg, while still thinking that she's kooky, seems to gain some respect for her. Then Marcia bows out before the initiation ceremony.
In the coda, Peter looses his appetite for a plate of cookies that he's been enjoying when he learns that they're ones that the family had bought from him.
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The Odd Couple
"Bunny Is Missing Down by the Lake"
Originally aired February 12, 1971
Wiki said:
Oscar and Felix stay in a cabin, where they take refuge from the rain with a pretty camp counselor and three girls.
Felix is planning to go on a solo fishing trip in a borrowed cabin when Felix comes home after having seen Gloria with another man. Oscar insists on taking Felix with him, but as expected, a rustic cabin in the wilderness isn't in Felix's comfort zone. Oddly, the cabin has bunk beds. Felix lets Oscar sleep in until late morning, missing his opportunity to fish, and has also liberated his bait worms. A rainstorm clinches things, keeping them inside, but Oscar tries to keep both of them in good spirits. In the middle of the storm, a woman named Julie (E.J. Peaker) who's on a nature excursion shows up at their door. When she says she's with three other girls, they assume other mature young women, but Bunny, Cindy, and Lois turn out to be Lisa Gerritsen, Pamelyn Ferdin, and Gloria McCartney.
Oscar: I finally found a beautiful girl in this wilderness, she comes up here with the Brady Bunch!
Felix, however, takes an interest in entertaining the girls...bonding with the withdrawn Bunny by reading Shakespeare with her.
Bunny: Mr. Unger, I think you're a great actor--better than Bobby Sherman!
When the subject of Gloria comes up again, Oscar recruits Julie to come on to Felix just enough to make him "feel lucky in love". As Julie starts trying to spend time with Felix, Bunny watches with envy in her eyes. While the couple are outside, Oscar tries to entertain the girls, but is criticized for not knowing what kids are into these days.
Cindy: You should watch Sesame Street, Oscar.
Bunny goes missing during a game of hide and seek. The search proves hazardous for Oscar, though Felix remains focused on finding her, and eventually does. Bunny admits her jealousy to Felix, and he agrees to a pact that they'll meet at the zoo if neither is married in 20 years.
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The Mary Tyler Moore Show
"The Boss Isn't Coming to Dinner"
Originally aired February 13, 1971
Wiki said:
Mary discovers the real reason Lou has been turning down her dinner invitations—he and his wife have separated.
Lou's youngest daughter has just gotten married, and Lou makes a lot of noise about how he and the wife will finally be alone at last. He rebuffs Mary's first invitation, and in the following week he seems in a foul mood--chewing Mary out for cleaning off his desk, so she spreads his neatly organized paperwork back on it. He refuses a couple more invitations--the last one after saying he wouldn't be busy that night--so Mary calls Mrs. Grant and learns of the separation.
Back at the office, Mary learns the source of the marital difficulties, which doesn't make Lou look good...that Edie's now going to college, studying home economics. She also learns that everyone else in the office already knew about the separation. Lou invites the crew (which includes Gordy this week) for cocktails after work. Mary feels uncomfortable amidst all the guy talk, then lets her opinion loose when the subject of "men's lib" comes up. After the gang mostly disperses (Ted hanging on), Lou calls Edie to tell her that he wants to come home, and gladly takes her grocery list.
In the coda, Lou gives Mary an invitation to come over for dinner with him and Mrs. Grant...the meal consisting of leftovers from her home economics test, for which she earned a C-minus.
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Lennon was an artist first and an entertainer second, while Paul was an entertainer first and an artist second-- and that created the magic of the Beatles.
An interesting observation, but I'm not sure that I'd 100% agree with it. My view has long been that John was more of a general artist...he could've become a painter, illustrator, poet, or writer if he'd applied himself in those areas (which he did dabble in), but focused on music. Whereas Paul was the one who truly had music in his veins, first and foremost.
His intolerance of other artists is not his most engaging feature.
Guess it depends on who the artist is. He was quick to dis all of the other Beatles' early solo works.
It actually got played on the radio?
He lost me at Zimmerman.
It's funny...I've been picking away at the
Lennon Remembers interview, and when Wenner asks him about referring to Dylan as Zimmerman, John goes off on a little rant about how that's his real name...yet he hadn't come to refer to the guy who was still drumming for him as Richard.
He definitely seems to be a man of extremes. I never met him, of course, but he strikes me as the kind of guy who gets a couple of drinks in him and corners you at a party, and then you spend the rest of your life avoiding him even though you agree in principal with a lot of what he says.
Ah, that's funny because it reminds me of something I read that a rock journalist back in the day wrote about Paul...that if he were your next-door neighbor, you'd be thrilled at first, but eventually you'd be politely nodding your head as he rambled on about stuff and trying to avoid him.
I find the comment from his therapist interesting, that they didn't have time to put him back together.
Yeah, I included that because I found it quite telling regarding where John was coming from at this point. He was effectively an emotional open wound.
He did actually become Alice Cooper eventually.
Ah, didn't know that.
I would give my highest recommendation to the complete soundtrack. It's one of the most epic, in the true sense of the word, creations of the 20th century, if not all time, both lyrically and musically.
That possibility is rattling around on the back burner, but I've already got such a busy album year between the two eras...
I'd be happy if they encompassed the entire decade of the 20s, which was like a "little 60s," or preview of the 60s, both culturally and artistically. Basically, it was liberalism's first attempt of the 20th century at making widespread change, until it was sidetracked by history. Then the 60s actually accomplished that widespread change, but was sidetracked by history before it was finished. Now we need liberalism to make a comeback in the 21st century for the next steps.
The stuff that made the R&RHOF list was specifically from genres that were seen as having shaped rock 'n' roll...the songs that went back to the late '20s were generally vintage blues. And what they were able to include from that decade may have been limited by the availability of recordings. The ones that I purchased on iTunes from that era were generally taken straight from scratchy old 78s.
The oldest song on the list (at least the version that I copied for reference several years back), from 1923:
After that it skips chronologically to 1927:
That one's influence on rock 'n' roll is pretty obvious...Carl Perkins and the Beatles covered it.
