Average song, but I like how she's carrying on with the Pips on the cover. This is a good anti-war song. Not their best, but a nice, lively song. I was never a big James Taylor fan, for no discernible reason. I don't think I ever heard that. Oh, yeah. All this moving back and forth through time makes me dizzy. That's cool. He certainly did some great work. Now that's a good idea. I never thought of that. Maybe he even had his own gang of guys: Schultz's Swashbucklers. Yeah, I think you're probably right about that. Yeah, I saw that. Gavin MacLeod was very cool. If you watch Mary Tyler Moore and Love Boat, it's hard to believe he's the same guy. And BJ gave us a bunch of great songs, including a couple of immortal classics.
50th Anniversary Album Spotlight Paranoid Black Sabbath Released September 18, 1970 (UK); January 1971 (US) Chart debut: February 20, 1971 Chart peak: #12 (April 17, 1971) #130 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) Sabbath remains not quite my cup of tea, but this one is an improvement with its duo of stone-cold classic numbers. The album isn't shy about opening with its longest track, the nearly eight-minute "War Pigs / Luke's Wall": Next is the much more radio-friendly signature number that the album was ultimately titled after, "Paranoid" (charted Nov. 28, 1970; #61 US; #4 UK; #250 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time): Can't help bangin' the head a little with this one...it's reflexive. Following that is the trippily mellow respite of "Planet Caravan"... The first side closes with the album's other uber-classic number, "Iron Man" (charts Jan. 29, 1972; #52 US; #310 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time): Side two opens with "Electric Funeral," which "contains apocalyptic imagery dealing with nuclear warfare." The band slips in some more down-to-earth social commentary with "Hand of Doom": The album takes a brief instrumental turn with "Rat Salad"... The album closes with "Jack the Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots": The album was also the source of some controversy of a sort that would continue to inform heavy metal's reputation into my adolescence... _______ She like her men merry. A bit obscure and maybe a little too on the nose. Sounds like the '60s. How about the song? And he has a Sirius program on Sunday nights, which I sometimes catch. Soviet
I like Sabbath and Ozzy in the sense that I like some of their singles (and can never keep track of which is which). And this is one of them. Great music and lyrics, with kind of a stealth plaintiveness. This is interesting. Certainly very different for them, and the lyrics are very poetic. It's kind of funny how they seem to bounce back and forth from awkward and naive to melodic and insightful. This is another one, of course. Driving and relentless but it never gets boring. Wow, that's amazing. The guy is right-- this is the kind of thing that you almost never heard in pop culture. Of course, I'm sure hardly anybody understood what they were talking about, but bonus points for the inspiration. They just went up a few notches in my estimation. In terms of artistry, the lyrics here are so much more incisive than the vague and imitative piousness of "War Pigs," because it's something they experienced first hand and were touched by. This sort of thing still goes on today and probably always will. Can't say anything bad about it. It's a great sentiment, and even has similarities to "Bridge Over Troubled Water." I have no reason for not liking it except that I don't like it.
55th Anniversary Album Spotlight If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears The Mamas & The Papas Released February 28, 1966 Chart debut: March 12, 1966 Chart peak: #1 (May 21, 1966) #127 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) The album consists of just over half original numbers, all written or co-written (with various other members) by John Phillips. Backing instruments were played by members of the oft-referenced Wrecking Crew. The album's cover was censored in the day for having a toilet on it...this was usually covered by a promotional banner, the contents of which varied with different issues of the album. The album opens with the band's new single at the time of release, which holds the distinction of being their only chart-topper, "Monday, Monday" (charted Apr. 9, 1966; #1 US the weeks of May 7 through 21, 1966; #3 UK; 1967 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal): Next is a catchy if lightweight pop rocker, "Straight Shooter" (B-side of "Twelve Thirty" in 1967; bubbles under Sept. 2, 1967, at #130 US). That twangy electric guitar makes me think of the Monkees. I was previously familiar with the lovely "Got a Feelin'" from its inclusion on a compilation that I once owned on CD. This track was also the B-side of "Monday, Monday". I wish the album had a few more obscure gems like this one. Following that we get the album's first and best-regarded cover, a novel arrangement of Lennon-McCartney composition "I Call Your Name," originally recorded by the Beatles in '64: Not as impressive is their laid-back cover of Bobby Freeman's "Do You Wanna Dance" (issued as a single in 1968; charts Nov. 23, 1968; #76 US). The first side closes with one of the album's better-known tracks, "Go Where You Wanna Go," which was given a limited promotional release as the group's first single: A cover of this song will be the 5th Dimension's debut hit in 1967. Side two opens with the Mamas and the Papas' own debut hit and evocative signature single, "California Dreamin'" (charted Jan. 8, 1966; #4 US; #23 UK; #9 UK in 1997; inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001; #89 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time): One of the album's better covers is an enjoyably airy version of Ben E. King's 1960 hit "Spanish Harlem" (written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector). "Somebody Groovy" was originally released as the B-side of the "Go Where You Wanna Go" and "California Dreamin'" singles, and sounds pretty similar to "Straight Shooter". The last original number on the album is perhaps its most forgettable, "Hey Girl" (B-side of "Glad To Be Unhappy" in 1967; bubbles under Oct. 26, 1967, at #134 US). Note that this shouldn't be confused with the much more memorable Goffin & King song of the same name that was originally recorded by Freddie Scott in 1963. Steve Barri and P. F. Sloan composition "You Baby" was originally recorded by the Vogues in 1965, but is best known for the version by the Turtles that was a current hit at the time of this album's release. The album closes with Billy Page composition "The 'In' Crowd," which was originally a hit for Dobie Gray in 1964. Overall this album is a breath of fresh air compared to some of the 50th anniversary material I've been working through, though it's somewhat uneven and starts to peter out early on its second side. _______ I wish I could say that about the whole album, but like many of them, it lost me at some point. There was a part that I didn't quote where one of the band alluded to fans and/or critics latching onto one line in the song and seeing it as pro-drug, when the overall song is anti-drug. "War Pigs" is all about the riff, I think. But insightful comments overall...you found pros and cons in these songs that I wasn't enthusiastic enough to work at. I'd imagine that you don't like the song because you associate it with James Taylor, whom you don't like for vague/unknown reasons.
I oppose censorship, but.... An Oldies Radio Classic, and I'm surprised it's their only chart topper. Now that you mention it, it has an overall Monkees sound to it. Another goodie. I would have expected this to be another chart topper. Would have expected a chart topper here, too. Kind of ironic that it was a Boston station that gave it a push. I wonder which station it was in those days. Probably WMEX or WRKO. Most albums are like that for me. Yeah, I like their singles, but I've never felt compelled to buy any of their albums. There's a few like that. "Cocaine" springs to mind. That's probably exactly it.
_______ 55.5th-ish Anniversary Viewing _______ The Ed Sullivan Show Season 18, episode 4 Originally aired October 3, 1965 As represented in The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show All of these segments were kept together in the same Best of installment. Spoken intros about portraits on a piano tie together a medley consisting of "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Louise". Ed then prompts her to do "Some of These Days". The Metacritic listing says that the medley also included "When My Baby Smiles at Me," "My Man," and "If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)". Tom gives a characteristically overwrought performance of a song not previously covered that was his current hit at the time (charted Aug. 28, 1965; #27 US; #3 AC; #13 UK). Next Ed does a live interview of a filmed Peter Sellers, who's in character as a Fellini-type director. As with many Best of segments, it's awkwardly edited from a longer original version. The real McCoy shows us what the male imitators are all about as she performs "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". Vernon's deadpan, self-deprecating routine transitions from his eating habits to his pet watermelon. Judy brings a lot of bombast to "By Myself," after which she takes some half-bows and blows some kisses with Ed beside her onstage. Other performances: _______ Branded "I Killed Jason McCord" Originally aired October 3, 1965 A man refreshing himself at a stream hides when he sees Jason coming to do the same and fill his canteen. He knocks Jason out with a rock and steals his jacket, money, gun belt, and horse. (This would have been a good set-up for an amnesia episode.) The man (I didn't catch a character name, so don't know who he might have been in the credits) proceeds to a saloon flashing his ill-gotten cash and tries to force himself on a girl who works there, Lorrie Heller (Karen Steele). Her beau, Tuck Fraser (Larry Pennell), ends up in a draw with the man and shoots him, following which the locals find belongings on the man's horse that lead them to mistakenly identify him as Jason. A rancher named Archie Fletcher (Bruce Bennett), whose son was killed at Bitter Creek, gives Tuck a $200 reward and offers him a job. While everyone's hailing Tuck as a hero, Jason shows up in a bad mood wanting to know who rode in on his horse. When he tells them that he's Jason McCord, Tuck doesn't want to believe him, and won't give up the broken sabre without a fight. The Sheriff (Baynes Barron) intervenes, believing Jason's story because nobody else would want people to think that he was a renowned coward. With the help of the undertaker (Billy Beck), they determine that the man was an escaped prisoner. The guys at the saloon now tease Tuck (though none of them are played by William Christopher), and Fletcher tells him that if he wants to keep the money, he'll have to finish the job everyone had thought he'd done. Lorrie tries to talk Tuck out of this, then goes to warn Jason, who won't run from the problem, but instead goes to the ranch to talk with Fletcher. He describes how Fletcher's son Bucky Bobby sacrificed himself to save Jason's life by taking the reins of a runaway, burning munitions wagon. Fletcher doesn't welcome this news, but Jason underscores that if Fletcher kills him, he'll be rendering his son's sacrifice meaningless. When Jason returns to town, Tuck's itching for a showdown. Jason informs him that the reward for the escapee he shot is more than what Fletcher was offering for him; and when he points out that he's unarmed, several guns are tossed his way. Jason refuses to take the bait, so Tuck removes his gun, initiates a brawl, and becomes the latest guest character to get the crap beat out of him by a renowned coward in front of the whole town. Fletcher then rides in and declares that he's willing to give Jason enough benefit of the doubt that he won't have Jason's blood on his hands...and offers to let Tuck keep the money and the job. The matter resolved, Jason retrieves his things and heads out. _______ 12 O'Clock High "The Idolator" Originally aired October 4, 1965 https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-classic-retro-pop-culture-thread.278375/page-76#post-12292761 The episode opens with Lt. Josh McGraw (Gary Lockwood, in his second role in the series) cockily flying in, buzzing the field and then landing without radioing in or getting permission. This perturbs Gallagher, who's watching from his office, and McGraw indicates to his co-pilot, Lt. Guy Kelly (Robert Hogan), that that's the idea. As mentioned in the original review, they've got Komansky subbing for Stovall this week, which seems unlikely not just because of their respective ranks, but also because they were just playing up last week how Gallagher was looking for leadership growth in Sandy. Now Komansky's barking relayed orders in the phone like it's business as usual for him. Gallagher turns out to be very happy to see his old childhood friend, whose father is also a general. A flight comes back from a rough mission, and the plane of the mission's leader, Captain Newman, bursts into flame upon landing, following which Gallagher gets serious with McGraw. McGraw indicates to Kelly afterward that he's got a chip on his shoulder about being compared unfavorably to Gallagher. McGraw takes a call for Gallagher from Britt, whom Gallagher later confers with at Wing HQ... Gallagher: There's one sure way of getting out of this war--join the 918th and convince Colonel Gallagher that you're good enough to lead a mission or two. He's actually acknowledging that substitute mission leaders are always dead meat! The phenomenon is treated as a plot point this episode, as it's established that Britt won't let Gallagher lead all the missions, Gallagher's been losing a string of mission leaders, and he's motivated to play ball with McGraw because he sees in his old friend the right stuff to step up to the role. Gallagher has to break a date with Capt. Phyllis Vincent (Lee Meriwether), a member of General Britt's staff, to attend a meeting about some bridges that need to be bombed on the Eastern Front. He arranges for Josh to meet Phyllis at the Star & Bottle so that he can meet up with them later. As he's arriving, a German bomber is making a pass in the area, Josh and Phyllis take cover outside, and Josh starts making some moves, with Gallagher catching them kissing. Back on duty, Josh takes offense at he and his crew being assigned to fly with 918th veterans for their first missions, and takes his grievance directly to Britt. He also tries to make a date with Phyllis, so she sets one up with Joe to let him know what Josh is up to. The first bridge mission, with Josh as Gallagher's co-pilot, goes well. The second bridge mission has Josh taking the pilot's seat, with Gallagher as his co-pilot, and is also successful. Josh makes another visit to Wing HQ and questions Gallagher's tactics in front of Britt. Being a keeper, Phyllis lets Joe know about this too. For the next mission, Josh is given command of his own plane. Josh deliberately breaks formation to take out another of the bridges on his own. He's successful, but Britt isn't pleased about his insubordination, though Gallagher wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. Gallagher tries to get across to Josh that they're on the same team and he wants McGraw to be as good as he is, but Josh maintains his attitude. On his next mission, McGraw shoots down the German bomber that attacked Archbury, nicknamed Bed Check Charlie, which Britt had indicated they were letting go for intelligence reasons. Britt's ready to arrest McGraw over this, but Gallagher intervenes, pleading to handle it his own way. Gallagher has Josh brought in and confronts Josh with how he deliberately went after the other bridge. Then he brings Britt in and makes McGraw explain his incidents of insubordination to the general. Britt has a private talk with McGraw and makes it clear how much Josh has to prove before he's ready to be a lead pilot. But he then lets Gallagher decide what to do with Josh, and Gallagher gives Josh the choice of whether he wants to stay. On the next mission, McGraw's bomber starts breaking formation because of engine damage; Gallagher orders him to go home, but he ignores the order. After the bomber takes another bad hit, Josh orders his crew to bail. He then flies solo to the targeted tunnel, crashing his plane into it. In the Epilog, they're still holding onto the slim hope that Josh managed to parachute out, but Gallagher is prepared to write a letter to his father. _______ Gilligan's Island "Smile, You're on Mars Camera" Originally aired October 7, 1965 While Gilligan's gathering bird feathers for Mr. Howell to make a pillow for Mrs. Howell, the scientists at Cape Kennedy fret over landing their probe. It ends up on the island, and these crack scientific minds assume they're looking at pictures of Mars when they see palm trees and grass huts. Their unmanned space program is years ahead of the real world's, but their knowledge of other planets in the solar system is at least a century behind. Back on the island, the Professor deduces the probe's purpose, and the castaways listen to news reports about life having been found on Mars and learn that the camera has been damaged. The Professor needs to repair it, which means searching for a missing lens. Unlikely situations ensue. (How is it that the Howells can be searching on one side of a rock, and Ginger and Mary Ann on the other, and they don't hear each other?) It turns out that Gilligan found the lens without knowing what it was, but promptly breaks it by accident. The reporter who interviews Professors Corwell and Bancroft (Colman and Peterson) about the status of the lander is from CBS, of course. Back on the island, Gilligan goes to fetch some tree sap for gluing the lens back together. Super-sticky mishaps ensue, but the Professor manages to repair the probe. The castaways prepare signs for their camera moment, but Gilligan leaves a covered pot of glue boiling. While the castaways are waiting, it explodes, covering them with glue, following which the others chase Gilligan into the supply hut where he's been keeping the feathers. They run out covered in feathers and the scientists assume that they're looking at Martian chicken people. Gilligan goes to grab the signs and knocks a strut out from under the lander, breaking it for good. In the coda, while the Professor and Skipper continue to work on the probe, Gilligan serves time as a supply hut-based cuckoo clock as punishment. This is one that I distinctly remembered from childhood, at least the climax with the chicken people. _______ The Wild Wild West "The Night of Sudden Death" Originally aired October 8, 1965 Masked tumblers break into the Carson City US Mint with the help of a security guard accomplice (Harlan Warde) who opens a high window. A tumbler releases gas into the room via a hose connected to a street lamp. The thieves knock out the man who helped them, set an explosive, and escape without taking any money. The mint workers end up in critical condition, some dying from burns and concussions, and it's discovered that the thieves switched real plates for counterfeit ones. Artie speculates that it's an attack on the US economy. Jim checks into a hotel and is attacked in his room by a tumbler perched on the ceiling, who gets away. A woman named Corinne Foxx (Julie Payne) tells Jim to go see her father, the mint guard, at the hospital. When he does, he finds that he's been attacked, and that the people at the hospital knew nothing about his daughter. The dying Foxx gives Jim a cryptic warning about Corrine. At a restaurant meeting, Jim and Artie are served a deadly type of acid that smells like almonds (cyanide?), and see a poster indicating that Corrine is a bareback rider at the circus in town. There we see her being interrogated on an archery wheel by Warren Trevor (Robert Loggia), assisted by Janet Coburn (Antoinette Bower). Outside, unmasked tumblers attack Jim, and a flaming arrow leads him into the tent. He recognizes Trevor as a famous big game hunter, and Janet is introduced as his animal trainer. Jim asks to look around on the premise of guarding against the counterfeit loot being distributed via the circus. Janet shows him around a bit and Jim flirts with her a bit; then he's approached by a performer in a tutu with a parasol (Elisa Ingram), who claims that Corrine wants to see him, but lures him into a pond with an alligator. Jim takes out the gator with a knife, is found by Janet, and hears what sounds like a printing press nearby. She takes him back to her tent, gets him into some circus clothes to dry off, and invites him to a dinner they're hosting for an African chieftain. Jim drops pretenses and asks her outright where the plates are, but she remains coy. Trevor's propositioning the chief, Vanoma (Joel Fluellen), about buying land in Africa. Corrine warns Jim during the dinner that they won't get out alive. Artie is on the scene as a clown, and tosses explosive balls to give them an opening to escape, but they're stopped. Following this spectacle, the chief leaves in a huff. Jim, Artie, and Corrine are wrapped in drying animal skins on a platform outside--the idea being that the shrinking skins will kill them. Jim gets out of his by rolling around and dangling off the side of the platform, making it split. They head to the tent where the press is, extract the plates, and Artie stays behind to burn the ill-made money but is captured. Janet tries to stop Trevor from pursuing Jim, but he shoots her pet tiger and pursues his most dangerous game. He and Jim end up in a melee in which Trevor is tossed into the pond, where there's still a gator that's healthy enough to take care of him. Jim and Corrine go to free Artie and Janet from the cage they've been put in. In lieu of a train coda, we get a gag about Jim leaving Artie in the cage, but Artie getting himself out with Janet's hairpin. _______ Hogan's Heroes "The Late Inspector General" Originally aired October 8, 1965 While planning a hit on an ammo train, the prisoners actually pretend to be doing something else when Schultz walks in. When Hogan sees thank Klink is being visited by Inspector General von Platzen (John Dehner, whose German accent is M:I bad), he tries unsuccessfully to call off the explosive diversion for their latest operation, meant to simulate a bomber attack, and then foils Olsen's (Stewart Moss, reprising his role from the pilot) escape via the dog truck. But it turns out that Klink was in better shape reputation-wise than he or Hogan expected, and von Platzen announces that he's going to promote Klink to being in charge of all camps...from Berlin. During a barracks inspection, the prisoners turn on a hidden radio that picks up the BBC and have Newkirk lift the general's monocle and wallet and plant them on Klink. When von Platzen walks back to Klink's office, the ground collapses under him, revealing a tunnel. Schultz seems concerned during these incidents, like he still has a good idea what's going on. When the general tries to leave, it's discovered that the engine of Klink's staff car has been taken. Hogan thinks this is going too far, so he arranges for the next car to have Carter and LeBeau in front. Hogan and Klink listen from the camp to the sound of the general's train blowing up. In the coda, Schultz has to turn up the hidden radio, and doesn't want to have to search the barracks--as if he has a pretty good idea what he might find--so Kinch opens a trunk full of watches, radios, and other contraband to hand him one. In addition to Olsen appearing, von Platzen refers to the stalag as Camp 13. Out! OUT! _______ Get Smart "Our Man in Toyland" Originally aired October 9, 1965 After reporting to the Chief via his car's cigarette lighter while on a stakeout, Max uses the car phone to light his cigarette. In the department store, Max makes contact with Agent 12...the store's Santa. Other agents are posing as a reflection in a mirror and a mannequin and hiding in a serving cart, while 99's embedded as a perfume counter clerk. Max meets the manager, Mr. Bunny, who pets a fake blue rabbit. 99, who thinks they're on to her, later disappears, as do the other three agents in the store. It turns out that 99's evaded capture and is in hiding, and shows Max one of the dolls. While they evade a search after closing, Fang brings the doll to the Chief with a recorded message from Max. The agents end up overcoming their pursuers by fighting them with relatively dangerous toys. In the coda, the apprehended Bunny pulls out a gun and ends up shooting Max with a suction-tipped dart. _______ I checked to see if they might have used the same session guitarist, but it seems they didn't. I only left that nugget in there for you, y'know.
Give the people what they want. Still pretty funny, though. Kind of an early version of Steven Wright. It was also the setup for a Have Gun, Will Travel. Funny how these guys' sixth-sense fails them when the plot requires. Be funny if it was actually Jason McCord. The massacre at Bitter Creek makes Custer's Last Stand look like the OK Corral. I think Jason says this about everybody. He might want to consider moving to Boston, where it's vaguely possible that he won't meet people who know him every week. Gary Lockwood excels at cockiness. You'd think that people would start to see him as a jinx. Josh has Gallagher envy. I think the problem is that he has too much to prove. There goes a very troubled guy. Well, this is an entirely different universe, so you never know. Think of all the possible sitcoms set in the Gilliganverse: We've got Gilligan's Island, and It's About Time, the seven people in the Andes with the Yeti, and now some astronauts stranded on Mars with alien chicken people. All those parrots and cockatoos. I never noticed that. That is definitely one of the most memorable moments. They should have taken money, too, as a distraction (and to pay for lunch). That seems unusually gruesome. I think they usually just say a couple of people were killed or something. The restaurant is in league with the traveling circus? "Say, Janet, is this a gator or a croc? I can never tell the difference." I wonder if they ever considered doing two half-hour episodes per week. Well, that sounded like a fun one. I don't think it made a lick of sense, but that's why they call it Wild Wild West. Interesting how they seem to play it both ways in this episode. Maybe they're slowly hypnotizing him in stages or something. He will be allowed to take his favorite prisoners with him, where they will build even better tunnels and go after Hitler himself! And if Hogan thinks something is going too far.... Apparently they just hadn't really decided about who Schultz was yet. That's a cool idea. It would have been funny to cast Telly Savalas as Mr Bunny. Another canis ex machina. Thank you, I thought as much.
I meant to clarify...the clip I posted is the full version. Best of had it edited down from that, and awkwardly. Or maybe just when they're thirsty. Somewhere out there, there must be hardcore Branded fans who keep notes on everything that was established about Bitter Creek, and have no doubt found a discrepancy or two. Maybe, but remember that a Season 1 episode established that his reputation precedes him even back East...he went to Washington, IIRC, and there was a newspaper headline about the coward coming back home with his tail between his legs or somesuch. On the contrary, this is the only lead pilot who survives his missions. 918th crewmen are probably bucking to get on the Lily. Yeah, there wasn't much to like or sympathize with in this character. This is where I'm reminded of the early episode in which the castaways were starving because of a crop blight, there apparently being a distinct lack of meat options on the island. (Of course, they haven't found the giant spider yet...) That, or one server was. Neither can I. TUNE IN TOMORROW--SAME WILD-TIME! SAME WILD-CHANNEL! Keep in mind that he wouldn't be playing Blofeld for another four years. I mean, if the city were Cleveland, I'd assume that nobody gave a shit.
Ah, okay, I thought that was the clipped clip. Gotta keep hydrated! Probably. There seems to be a fandom for everything. I have a friend who loves the Emergency guys and she found a huge archive of Emergency fan fiction. Oh, that's right. Yeah, they should have said it was the middle of tropical bird migration season or something. It's a plot that would work better in a modern remake-- the Castaways could all be Millennial Vegans who all starve to death in the midst of plenty. Nobody can. Some people just pretend they can. I was actually thinking of that Twilight Zone with the talking doll. Cleveland is very famous. Not every city has rivers of fire.
_______ 55.5th-ish Anniversary Viewing _______ The Ed Sullivan Show Season 18, episode 5 Originally aired October 10, 1965 As represented in The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show The only segment from this episode on Best of is Lilly Yokoi, who does a balancing routine on a bicycle, which she eventually converts to a unicycle. We were just talking about the repeated musical pieces used on Best of...this features one that I don't distinctly remember having heard before. Not on Best of... Petula Clark, "Round Every Corner": (She also did a song called "A Foggy Day in London Town".) The Supremes, "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You": The Little Step Brothers: Somebody wake up Grandma! Wayne Newton, "Remember When": (Also did a medley consisting of "Alabamy Bound," "Mammy," "Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye," "Shuffle Along," and "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee".) And of course, Topo Gigio: Other performances: Kate Smith, "More" and "The Lord's Prayer" Woody Allen _______ Branded "The Bar Sinister" Originally aired October 10, 1965 The episode opens with Jason being winged by somebody wanting to settle a score concerning Bitter Creek; Jason kills him in self-defense. At the local cemetery, he intervenes in a dispute between Neela (Marian Seldes), the Indian housekeeper of a friend he was there to visit, Sam Whitlaw, and Whitlaw's cousin, Mayor Caleb Reymer (Stephen McNally), over custody of Sam's son, Jimmy (Michel Petit). Jimmy wants to stay with Neela, and she's determined to keep him. Jason surveyed Whitlaw's land, which belongs to Jimmy now, and determined that it includes Sandy Creek's main waterway, giving the mayor an ulterior motive for wanting custody. At the homestead, Jason has to put a henchman named Mills (Howard Curtis) in his place, and Reymer threatens to starve them into compliance. In the coming days, Jimmy comes to reflect Reymer's prejudice against Neela. She reveals to Jason that she's Jimmy's mother, which the boy doesn't know. She and Sam were married in an Indian village, but she produces a judge's deposition recognizing her as Sam's wife. Jason goes to have a man-to-man talk with Jimmy about his attitude toward Neela and her heritage, then takes him back to the house so she can tell him the truth. They find that she's been abducted by Reymer, and Jimmy doesn't want to help her, so Jason drops the bomb on him. He doesn't want to believe it, or for others to know that he's half Indian. Jason gives him a stern chiding about what really matters, then proceeds into town to confront Reymer. He has to deal with Mills again, disarming him with the trusty ol' hurled broken saber. Reymer's trying to get the townsfolk not to listen to what Jason has to say based on his reputation from Bitter Creek when Jimmy rides in and tells everyone that Neela is his mother. Jason produces the deposition, and underscores that this puts Neela in de facto control of the land despite the law not allowing her to own it, which makes Reymer a little more willing to compromise. Jason: Too bad, isn't it, that so many people are accepted for what they have, and not what they are. A young townswoman hands Jason his saber as he departs. _______ 12 O'Clock High "Big Brother" Originally aired October 11, 1965 My previous review of this episode was minimal. Straggling behind the rest of the group after an unplanned landing following a shuttle raid, Gallagher's bomber is running low on fuel. He's told that the refueling runway in North Africa is rained out and obstructed with stuck vehicles, and that the rest of his group went to an alternate location 100 miles away. This happens to be where Joe's older brother, Lt. Colonel Preston Gallagher (Jack Lord), is currently operating, so Joe takes his chances to make it there. Preston, Lt. Col. Frank Bailey (Robert Colbert, reprising his role from the season premiere), and MSgt. Orland (Ken Lynch) watch as the Lily fights off attacking German fighters while landing. The Gallagher brothers have a huggy reunion, but when Joe asks about getting refueled, he finds Pres to be less than helpful. Joe sees the rough conditions under which Pres and his men are living, and watches them in action as they fight off a stock footage German air raid that trashes the airfield. Afterward, Bailey tells Joe that Preston took the fuel from the group's planes for his trucks. When Joe confronts Pres about this, Pres informs him that he also plans to blow up the planes so his unit can move on from the airfield. Lt. Betty Russo (Julie Adams), who's sweet on Pres, tells Joe about how his brother is showing signs of combat fatigue. Joe tries to bargain with Pres about getting enough fuel to have a few planes operational to complete his mission, which he considers very strategically important, as hitting France from this direction could cause major changes in German air defenses. But Pres doesn't want to play ball, concerned only with getting the survivors of his unit and the Australian forces out alive before a German motorized division arrives. When Joe orders Bailey to stop the officer in charge of blowing up the planes, Pres first reacts violently, then collapses. The unit's doctor (Douglas Henderson) tells Gallagher that Pres is suffering from exhaustion. Joe radios for a supply plane, and has to persuade Major Dutton (Bernard Fox) to hold the airfield long enough for them to land. (Apparently Adams with her bad English accent and Fox with his very English accent are both supposed to be playing Aussies.) The plane bringing in gas is jumped by fighters, and Joe mans a machine gun to help fight them off. Nevertheless, the plane crash-lands and explodes. Pres leaves bed during the commotion and gets wounded, but proves that he's come back to his senses. He declares that he now intends to hold the airfield against the division. He also permits Joe to get back the gas that he needs. Pres briefs his commanders on his plan to entrap the German forces. Joe sends Bailey and Sandy with the operating planes to go get some ordnance and come back to attack the German column. As the Germans approach, Joe tensely has trouble establishing radio contact with the returning bombers. Just as the Germans get close enough for Pres to give the order for his men to open fire, radio contact is established and Joe directs Bailey to his target, which the bombers unload on. In the Epilog, Pres and Betty have an affectionate moment of contemplation about their place in the war, while Joe and his full flight of bombers proceed to their target in France. Pres's childhood nickname for Joseph Anson was--get this--Danzo. _______ Gilligan's Island "The Sweepstakes" Originally aired October 14, 1965 Howell has a private club for the purpose of this episode, which, in one of those absurd microcosms, has a membership consisting of himself and Lovey, though Gilligan works as their waiter. Once they catch the radio report about Gilligan's ticket having the winning number, the Howells start primping him to be a member, giving him a blazer and lessons in golf and tea parties. Gilligan starts handing out his IOUs so that everyone can get in...though when he offers Ginger $50,000, she initially gets the wrong idea. Feeling like he's been had after Gilligan can't produce the ticket, Thurston settles into bed with his teddy and goes into a dream sequence in which he's an old prospector who just struck gold. The Professor, in the role of the town's assayer, gives him a ticket in exchange for the gold, and Howell finds himself writing out $50,000 IOUs to the other castaways in various roles--Gilligan as the marshal, Ginger as the town's Miss Kitty, Mary Ann as a girl who needs money to save her ranch, and Skipper as a crooked gambler who "wins" a game with Howell at gunpoint. Despite the circumstances, when Howell can't produce the ticket for the Skipper, Gilligan arrests him and he's dragged outside to be hanged. After waking up, Howell goes to wake up Gilligan and finds the ticket pinned to Gilligan's hammock post. Howell lets everyone else back in the club, and only then is it brought up, between the Howells in private, that the sweepstakes ticket is two years old and not worth anything (which I'd been wondering about). Gilligan finds this out for himself in the coda when he hears a radio report about the real winner having claimed his money; and we get a near-huggy moment in which Gilligan declares that Howell is really a sweet guy (though another way of looking at it would be that he's highly manipulative). _______ The Wild Wild West "Night of the Casual Killer" Originally aired October 15, 1965 Tom Hendrix (an uncredited Ed Gilbert) from the attorney general's office rides into the area occupied by outlaw leader John Avery (John Dehner), accompanied by Marshal Kirby (Bill Williams) and a deputy, to take Avery into custody; but the party is surrounded by riflemen standing on rock formations and Hendrix is shot in response. Later the train's butler, Tennyson (Charles Davis), lets Army Captain Davis (uncredited Curtis Taylor) and Marshal Kirby board to brief Jim and Artie, who've been assigned to bring Avery in alive. President Grant has a political interest in bringing Avery before the Senate, as Avery used to be a confidante. The agents ride into Avery's turf on a show wagon, pretending to have lost their way, and are escorted into the otherwise abandoned town where Avery and his gang are holed up. While Artie sets up the stage for a command performance, Jim is confronted by Avery's men, led by Mason (Len Lesser) and Harper (Mort Mills), who start to rough him up. Jim takes it, staying in character as a harmless dandy. Avery then takes Jim hunting, where he tests him and finds that Jim knows more about guns than he lets on. Later Jim is escorted to the well-furnished lair behind an abandoned laundry where Avery lives with Laurie Morgan (Ruta Lee), a singer whom he picked up in Frisco. After Jim leaves, Marshal Kirby comes in from another room to confirm West's true identity and purpose. Outside, Jim tries to gain Laurie's confidence, offering to help get her out. The show goes on, with Jim performing magic despite heckling via gunfire. Artie then takes the stage in costume to perform Hamlet's soliloquy. Under the cover of inviting Jim to supper at Avery's, Laurie warns Jim backstage about the lawman on Avery's payroll. Jim continues to maintain his cover during dinner, through veiled conversation about Jim's nature as an actor. Eventually Avery drops pretenses and identifies Jim, but finds that the guard outside has been replaced by Artie. Now Jim and Artie have Avery captive in his own lair, but have to get him out past all his men. Laurie nonverbally gives Jim clues as to the location of Avery's emergency exit, a cabinet that opens into a cellar. After Artie scopes it out, the quartet proceed down, and at the sound of pursuit, Jim uses an explosive pocket watch to cause a cave-in behind them. They make it to the tunnel exit to find Avery's men waiting...Avery having left a clue in his lair in the form of which hat he left behind. Jim holds the men off with a rifle, but they spread out into positions of cover. Artie pulls out his gift of mimicry to give Avery's men orders from afar while wearing his hat. They then ride a pair of mining cars down the rail while Jim tosses sticks of dynamite that Artie had concealed in his Hamlet costume. At the end of the ride, Jim takes down one last shooter with a pistol. The train coda has Avery as a guest on the trip back East (while we're told that Kirby will be sharing the train's unseen cell with him), but Laurie disembarks, revealing that she's going in opposite direction. This episode establishes that Artie hails from a stage background, which he has a hankering to return to. _______ Hogan's Heroes "The Flight of the Valkyrie" Originally aired October 15, 1965 Baroness Lili von Schlichter (Louise Troy) is smuggled into the camp via the dog truck and doghouse tunnel entrance, and is impressed by the Hogancave. Klink summons Hogan and mentions several strange things that have happened in previous episodes, as well as a recent incident involving a shot-down plane and pilot who disappeared. He then brings in Crittendon, whom he's had transferred from another camp to displace Hogan as senior POW. Crittendon's all business about getting things spit and polish, and is dismayed that there have been no escapes. Asked hypothetically about the prisoners' current operation, Crittendon says that he'd turn in any info about espionage activities to the commandant. The prisoners' plan is especially ambitious, as it involves sending the baroness out on the crashed plane--which was brought to the camp in pieces and is being reassembled in a tent under cover of fake orchestra practice (the prisoners playing a Wagner record loudly)--with its pilot. Crittendon stumbles upon this while doing some escape tunneling, so Hogan drops a wrench on his head and tries to convince him when he comes to that the tunnel caved in and what he saw was a delusion. Crittendon continues to press for an escape plan, noting how poor the camp's security is, and Hogan plays along, assigning Newkirk and Carter to assist him. Schultz catches the baroness wandering the camp, and assumes that she's a spy but brings her directly to Hogan to avoid trouble. Then Crittendon walks in on her, she appeals to his sympathy, and he agrees to look the other way for 24 hours. Schultz then walks into the tent where they're working on the plane and sees noth-ing! Crittendon snips a wire in the fence and the whole section collapses, having been rigged to do so by his assistants. The plane comes out of the tent and takes off through the collapsed section. Crittendon is caught attempting to escape, but Hogan convinces Klink to have him transferred back to his old camp in order to protect Stalag 13's record. Klink didn't say anything, but I guess you can go. _______ Get Smart "Now You See Him...Now You Don't" Originally aired October 16, 1965 Max's pad makes its first appearance when Smart is visited by Dr. Paul Haskell (Gregory Morton), physicist. The two of them are held up by a pair of invisible KAOS agents, one holding a visible Luger. Haskell is abducted with the briefcase containing his invisibility ray plans, and the gunman knocks Max out with gas. The Chief is skeptical of Max's account, but puts a plan into action, which includes installing the invisible wall in Max's apartment; and Max demonstrates some security devices that he's already had installed. During this sequence, we get our first "Sorry about that, Chief" that I've noticed. Later two visible KAOS agents with Lugers (Val Avery and Welcome Back, John Sebastian) confront Max at his apartment. Max is emboldened by the invisible wall, until he realizes that he's standing in front of it. Max is taken to Ehrlich (Joseph Ruskin), who introduces him to a couple of invisible associates and a sultry-sounding assistant named Sophie (Donna Walsh). Ehrlich then slips into a control room where the three people--one of them Haskell--are operating wires to fake the invisibility. They bumble things a bit, making Max suspect an extortion hoax, though he confuses things by trying the dummy ray himself and being convinced that he's invisible even though he can see himself. 99 is brought in and Haskell demonstrates his trick briefcase with a very-visible-wire-mounted Luger. The KAOS operatives take Max and 99 back to Max's apartment, where Max tries to give the arranged signal out his window but doesn't have a match; then tries to use his security devices, but fumbles each time so that they all get used on him. Eventually, though, he and 99 manage to use the fireplace fan on Ehrlich, sucking him up the chimney. In the coda Max demonstrates one more device to 99, a sleeping gas system, which knocks them both out. Isn't 99 sleeping at Max's place kinda naughty for 1965 TV? _______ Largely slash, I imagine. Ah...Talking Tina. My ex's favorite TZ episode. Was that referenced in a song lyric somewhere...?
I did that once. Ouch. "I know a place downtown around every corner...." The puppetry is actually very good, if not very flashy. Simon? I remember when I found out that Bar Sinister is a synonym for bastard-- my appreciation of Underdog became even greater. "My second cousin twice removed drank from Bitter Creek and it was bitter cause of you!" If Jason ever finds a place called Freshwater Creek, he needs to build a house and settle down. He's lucky he didn't get a public pummeling. I wouldn't really trust a guy who resorted to starving people out and kidnapping. What was the purpose of that kidnapping, anyway? Well said, Jason. Take a hint, Jason! Oh, man. Jack Lord is his older brother? My sympathy for him just increased by an order of magnitude. The Lady From the Black Lagoon. Betty already said that, doc. Doctor Bombay! Colonel Crittendon! And carrying fuel. Damn. No survivors there. "Aargh! My hair!" No handshake for Pres and Joe? "Bomb 'em, Danzo!" They even brought clothes for other people! She's fine with it, though. And this is what makes Gilligan's Island a great show. That's the thing. They're all a bit imperfect, but basically decent people. I wonder if Tennyson is really just a butler or trained to deal with prisoners and such. That would have been an interesting angle. Which he eventually did, I think. Isn't that what he was doing in the first reunion movie? Continuity?!? Which is actually a legitimate ethical conflict. This is like an MIT prank. I remember that. I've decided that the best explanation for Schultz is that he just couldn't handle the war and had a psychotic break. Thanks. I'll just leave through the big hole in the fence. Didn't see that coming (ironically). So how did they do that in Max's apartment? Especially under the influence of a drug! No, she wouldn't go for that. And the impression I got of the site was that they wouldn't host stuff like that (or maybe in a separate adult section or something). At least once that I kind of know about. Somebody played it for me a long time ago when I referenced the incident. Talking Heads, maybe? I'll have to see if I can find it.
55 Years Ago This Week June 5 – Gene Cernan made the second American spacewalk (and only the third ever), spending a record two hours and seven minutes outside of the Gemini 9 capsule as it orbited the Earth. During the time between Cernan's departure from the capsule at 10:59 a.m. Florida time, and his return at 1:06 p.m., the spacecraft made one complete orbit, which some likened to Cernan making a walk around the world. The Gemini craft landed safely the next day. June 6 – The day after African-American activist James Meredith began his "March Against Fear", walking the 235 miles from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, to "tear down the fear that grips Negroes in Mississippi", he was shot from ambush. Near the town of Hernando, Mississippi, Aubrey James Norvell came out from underneath a culvert on U.S. Highway 51, aimed his 16-gauge shotgun, and fired three blasts at Meredith, striking him in the head, right shoulder and leg. Because Norvell had loaded his gun with birdshot shells, Meredith's wounds were not life-threatening. Norvell was arrested by the DeSoto County and several deputies, although a witness said that the police had done nothing to stop the sniper when he had first appeared. Meredith was not alone in his march, and his was accompanied by five friends, as well as newsmen and police. One of the newsmen, Jack R. Thornell, took a photograph of Meredith, lying on the ground in pain, which also appears to show Aubrey James Norvell standing in a wooded area in the background. The photo would later win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Meredith would recover from his wound and rejoin the march before it reached Jackson. During his march, 4,000 African-Americans in Mississippi would register to vote. Norvell would be released from the Mississippi State Penitentiary after two years incarceration. June 8 A North American XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber prototype is destroyed in a mid-air collision with an F-104 Starfighter chase plane during a photo shoot. NASA pilot Joseph A. Walker and USAF test pilot Carl Cross are both killed. Topeka, Kansas is devastated by a tornado that registers as an "F5" on the Fujita scale, the first to exceed US$100 million in damages. Sixteen people are killed, hundreds more injured and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, and the campus of Washburn University suffers catastrophic damage. June 10 First UK release of the 'Paperback Writer' single. It is reported that American impresario Allen Klein has bet the wife of record producer Mickie Most that he will represent the Beatles in the USA before the end of 1966. Janis Joplin made her debut as a rock vocalist, appearing with Big Brother and the Holding Company at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week: Leaving the chart: "Eight Miles High," The Byrds (9 weeks) "Gloria," The Shadows of Knight (12 weeks) New on the chart: "Sweet Pea," Tommy Roe (#8 US) "The Pied Piper," Crispian St. Peters (#4 US; #5 UK) "Lil' Red Riding Hood," Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs (#2 US; #46 UK) "Paperback Writer," The Beatles (#1 US the weeks of June 25 and July 9, 1966; #1 UK) "Rain," The Beatles (B-side of "Paperback Writer"; #23 US; #463 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time) _______ Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki pages for the month or year and Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day, with minor editing as needed. _______ Beats sleeping in the subway. Yeah, somebody earned their check that week. Ah, I was wondering what that meant. He could take up ranching and raise a son... I'll have to remember to use that next time! He was going to have Neela sent to a reservation. I'd make a crack about offering him a place to sheathe his saber, but it just makes me wince... He's lucky his hair was there, it was the only thing that saved him. I think their final parting of ways happened during the commercial, but I'm sure there was hugging. That's the joke I wasn't finding! Dammit, I had a comment prepared about that and forgot to add it! Yes, Mr. Howell not only brought his embroidered club blazer, he brought a spare embroidered club blazer! It seemed a bit tacked on, though...it didn't scan with how the situation played out in the rest of the episode. And IIRC, we got another coda like that involving the Howells in a previous episode...I think it was the one with the auditions for the play. Dunno, haven't watched it yet. Yep. Keep in mind, this is a show that will establish a lot of recurring characters. He sure couldn't handle the Russian Front, then! The gun actually came out of the scientist's briefcase, mounted on a larger wire which they tried to handwave away as being less visible in dimmer lighting while one was tired late at night. It makes me cringe just to type that.
A little insight into how the general population were trying to get their heads around space travel. Oh, yeah, I forgot about this. This is another one of those tunes that you'd hear people singing when they felt like bursting into song. I love this one. An Oldies favorite. This is also a goodie. One of my favorite, if not my very favorite, Beatles songs. Not so familiar with this one, but it's really nice. And how young they look in these videos! True. Hmm, and change his name... Oh, jeez. It took me a couple of tries. In Gilligan's size. He has to keep up appearances. In any case, I found it very touching as a kid. Yeah, that's true. Unless he was really a Russian. "Hold your fire for a sec, I'm coming home."
50 Years Ago This Week June 6 Soyuz 11 (Vladislav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev) is launched. A midair collision between Hughes Airwest Flight 706 Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom jet fighter near Duarte, California, claims 50 lives. John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear on stage at the Fillmore East auditorium in New York with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. [Recordings from this performance will be featured on side four of John & Yoko's craptacular 1972 double album, Some Time in New York City.] June 7 – The three Soyuz 11 cosmonauts become the first humans in history to step aboard an orbiting space station after their capsule successfully docked with Salyut 1. June 10 The U.S. ended its trade embargo of the People's Republic of China, more than 21 years after China came under control of the Chinese Communist Party. U.S. President Richard Nixon authorizes the American export of "nonstrategic items" and lifted all controls on imports from China. The U.S. and the Soviet Union exchanged samples of lunar soil after representatives met in Moscow to sign an agreement on expanding co-operation in space research. NASA official Lee R. Scherer provided six grams of material gathered by the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions, and Aleksandr V. Vinogratov of the Soviet Academy of Sciences gave Scherer three grams collected by the unmanned lunar probe Luna 16. Corpus Thursday: A student rally on the streets of Mexico City is roughly dispersed. June 11 The Occupation of Alcatraz came to an end after 19 months during which American Indians from various tribes occupied Alcatraz Island off of the coast of California and lived in the closed Alcatraz federal penitentiary. A group of 79 Indians had seized control of the island on November 20, 1969; by the time that the last group was evacuated, only 15 were occupying the island. At O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, TWA Flight 358, with 26 people on board preparing to depart for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, was boarded by armed hijacker Gregory White, who demanded to be flown to North Vietnam, and killed a passenger, Howard Franks. The passengers stampeded, and White was apprehended by an armed Deputy who shot and wounded the hijacker while the airliner landed safely at New York. Franks, 65 years old, became the first U.S. airline passenger to be killed during a hijacking. Neville Bonner becomes the first Indigenous Australian to sit in the Australian Parliament. June 12 – In the last wedding to be held at the White House in Washington DC, U.S. President Nixon's daughter Tricia Nixon married attorney Edward F. Cox at the White House Rose Garden. Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week: Leaving the chart: "I Don't Blame You at All," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (12 weeks) "Stay Awhile," The Bells (14 weeks) "Timothy," The Buoys (17 weeks) New on the chart: "Caught in a Dream," Alice Cooper (#94 US) "Rings," Cymarron (#17 US; #6 AC) "Draggin' the Line," Tommy James (#4 US; #6 AC) _______ Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki pages for the month or year and Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day, with minor editing as needed. _______ Sweet and kinda chewy and you can blow bubbles with it. Never got into this one much, but I have it. Very light, fluffy pop. I always thought this one sounded like the Stones, which may have been deliberate. And we seem to have a little storybook theme going on this week. And now we get our first releases from the Revolver sessions, though not included on either version of the album. So much love for "Paperback Writer"...it sounds nice, but I'd long bought into a criticism I'd read that this was an example of how at this point, anything the Beatles released as a single was pretty much guaranteed to top the chart, and that it was rather eclectic and British compared to their other hit singles. And on second thought, I don't think that Ed would have looked any more awkward or out of place in this video than Ringo does! They should have had him pounding his drumsticks on the ground or something. Also, some people may have liked this song better the second time, when it was called "Last Train to Clarksville". To repurpose a memorable quote from somebody, now they're cooking with acid! Note especially the backtracking in the song's coda...I believe this was their first release to use it. I always thought that it sounded kinda like John was singing "Stare it down and worries won't come near," but it's a line from the song played backwards. And Ringo looks much more in his element here, as he gets to play his instrument. He's said that this was his favorite piece of drum work that he did with the group. Note also that we're getting Paul in his chipped tooth period...from a moped accident he had in late '65. https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/12/26/paul-mccartney-moped-accident-liverpool/ That much we might chalk up to Mrs. Howell's tailoring skills.
Interesting factino. Weddings in the White House is something I seldom think about. I'm not sure if I've heard this. Certainly not one of his blockbusters. Another favorite. Definitely a sunny day song. I love the line, "With a happy tune, anybody can be a singer," which kind of fits in with "Sweet Pea." And here's another good one. And catchy. It was in my head half the day, along with memories of Dorchester. It seems to me that fable or folklore kind of imagery was popular in those days all over. "Red Riding Hood." "Pied Piper." "Lady Godiva." "White Rabbit." Also in comics and other media. It's more of a feeling than anything I've given any thought to. I wonder if anyone else has ever done a study. Well, this is one of those things that became a favorite more because of personal appeal than quality. It's not even very flattering, really. Interesting. I never caught that resemblance. True. Or Mary Anne's. This is why I try to avoid comments and national conversations these days. My opinion of Humanity doesn't need to get any lower at this point.
50th Anniversary Cinematic Special Escape from the Planet of the Apes Directed by Don Taylor Starring Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman, Natalie Trundy, Eric Braeden, and Ricardo Montalbán Released May 21, 1971 The film takes us to an alternate near-future of 1973 in which our space program is much more advanced (it's said to be two years since Taylor's spacecraft was lost), William Windom is president, and Bradford Dillman and Ricardo Montalban are good guys. Milo is a new character who's been retconned into the situation. The ape civilization in the previous films didn't seem nearly advanced enough to study and use the spacecraft (which, IIRC, was lost underwater with the apes never having seen it). Somewhere in here there's some social commentary about apes believing that they were created in God's image. 3955 is said to have been the date of Earth's destruction...I don't know offhand if that's consistent with what the previous films established. The generally lighthearted nature of this part of the film belies how badly things will end for Cornelius, Zira, and the swapped chimp, setting the story up as a proper tragedy. The film is carried by McDowall and Hunter's charismatic and sympathetic portrayal of their now-leading characters. Hasslein puts forth the premise of alternate futures, which both informs his actions in this film, as he believes that he can prevent the future that the apes come from, and sets up how apes history plays out differently that described here in the future films. Hasslein is the film's bad guy, and is nasty in his methods, but is actually trying to save humanity and the world. President Windom is pretty reasonable and contemplative about the idea of apes taking over someday and doesn't take the idea of altering the future lightly. As the situation escalates later in the film, he also tries to reign Hasslein in. Quite a contrast to the guy who was occupying the Oval Office at the time. Joining our list of familiar faces and Trek guests in particular, Jason Evers is one of the CIA interrogators. The apes know a lot about how apes rose despite Earth's history being a surprise to them in the first film...there's an attempt at a handwave with Cornelius revealing that he had access to "secret scrolls". The ape uprising and Aldo first speaking is said to happen in 300 years...as I recall, the equivalents to these events happen much sooner in the next film, which takes place when Milo II is a young adult. Zira (on humans): We've met hundreds since we've been here, and I trust...three. The camera trick used when Milo repeatedly says "Mama" is too obvious. Overall, this was a very watchable film that sets up future installments better than the last one did; but as sci-fi classics of the era go, it's not in the same league as the original movie. _______ When I toured the White House several years back, there was an exhibit about this in the Visitor Center. This is included because the album is on the list, and the next one due for a write-up. I find it to be an enjoyable bit of '70s rock. I haven't gotten this one yet as the version available for download differs from the single version, though it may have been the album version. I'm always suspicious of re-recordings when it's a one-hit wonder that's not available from a major label. I just might have heard this one on oldies radio back in the day, though it doesn't stick out in my memory. This one is definitely a familiar oldies radio track. I read that the album was mostly about James expressing his Christian devoutness...didn't know that about him. Can I have some tonic and a bite of your spucky? The last example, at least, was informed by the trippiness of the subject matter. I should note that both songs have great examples of Paul's signature melodic bass lines. It's not a coincidence that the first Monkees single sounds so much like what was, at the time they were making it, the Beatles' most recent chart-topper. She wasn't in on the private club scene yet, though. ETA: And now, Clarence Williams III. Michael Cole is the last Mod standing.