The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

The Old Mixer · Sep 11, 2022

50 Years Ago This Week

September 10

Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and became, at age 25, the youngest Formula One world champion.
Frank Shorter of the United States won the marathon at the Olympic games in Munich, finishing with a time of 2:12:19.8.
The United States used its United Nations Security Council veto power for only the second time since the formation of the UN in 1945, killing a General Assembly resolution that demanded a halt to Israel's reprisals against Palestinian guerillas in Syria and Lebanon.

September 11

At the request of White House aide John Ehrlichman, John Dean met with IRS Commissioner Johnnie Walters and gave him a list of 490 individuals to investigate. Walters consulted with Treasury Secretary Schultz the next day, who directed him to do nothing.
Died: Max Fleischer, 89, American animator and founder of Fleischer Studios

September 12

Nearly four years after it was proposed by President Nixon, the federal revenue sharing plan, which would transfer $5.3 billion of U.S. government revenues to state and local governments, was approved by the Senate, 64–20. The measure had passed the House, 275–122, on June 22.
The television show Maude premiered on CBS-TV at 8:00 pm, opposite the premiere on ABC of Temperatures Rising.

September 13 – Fifty-four North Korean members of its Red Cross delegation crossed the border at Panmunjom at 10:00 a.m. and were welcomed by their South Korean counterparts, in the first visit by North Korean officials since the end of the Korean War.

September 14

Pope Paul VI issued a motu proprio, rejecting calls to allow women to have any formal ministerial role in the Roman Catholic Church. "In accordance with the venerable tradition of the Church," the Pope proclaimed, "installation in the ministries of lector and acolyte is reserved to men."
More than 33 years after the outbreak of World War II, West Germany and Poland restored diplomatic relations. East Germany had been an ally of Poland since that nation's establishment in 1949.
The Waltons, based on producer Earl Hamner's reminiscences of his rural childhood, began a ten-season run on CBS. The setting was the fictional "Jefferson County, Virginia" in the 1930s.

September 15

A federal grand jury indicted the five Watergate burglars, along with E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy. On the same day, White House staff attorney John Dean met with President Nixon for the first time. In the meeting, which lasted from 5:27 to 6:17, and discussed the covering up of the White House role in the Watergate break-in. Dean would testify about his memory of the discussion at the Watergate hearings on June 25, 1973, unaware that Oval Office conversations were all recorded at Nixon's request. Nixon, Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, and Dean, discussed plans to take revenge on the President's enemies. "They are asking for it and they are going to get it," commented Nixon, adding "We haven't used the Bureau and we haven't used the Justice Department, but things are going to change now. They're going to get it right."
South Vietnam's army regained control of the city of Quảng Trị, more than three months after the provincial capital had been captured by North Vietnamese forces.
SAS Flight 130 was hijacked over Sweden by three members of the Croatian National Resistance terrorist group, after taking off from Gothenburg to Stockholm. The four crew and the other 83 passengers were held hostage as the DC-9 jet was diverted to Malmö. As a condition of release of the hostages, seven Croatian terrorists imprisoned in Sweden were set free and allowed to leave the country.

September 16

The Bob Newhart Show began a successful seven season run on CBS, giving the master of the telephone monologue a situation comedy role as Chicago psychologist Dr. Robert Hartley. A variety show of the same name had appeared on NBC from 1961 to 1962.

"Deep Throat" (later revealed to be FBI Associate Director W. Mark Felt) listened over the telephone to reporter Bob Woodward's draft of a story on Watergate and confirmed an anonymous tip that money from Maurice Stans had been used to finance the Watergate break-in.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Black & White," Three Dog Night
2. "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me," Mac Davis
3. "Alone Again (Naturally)," Gilbert O'Sullivan
4. "Saturday in the Park," Chicago
5. "Back Stabbers," The O'Jays
6. "Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)," The Hollies
7. "Rock and Roll, Part 2," Gary Glitter
8. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Looking Glass
9. "Honky Cat," Elton John
10. "I'm Still in Love with You," Al Green
11. "The Guitar Man," Bread
12. "Go All the Way," Raspberries
13. "Ben," Michael Jackson
14. "Power of Love," Joe Simon
15. "Beautiful Sunday," Daniel Boone
16. "Everybody Plays the Fool," The Main Ingredient
17. "Play Me," Neil Diamond
18. "Popcorn," Hot Butter
19. "Run to Me," Bee Gees
20. "Nights in White Satin," The Moody Blues
21. "You Don't Mess Around with Jim," Jim Croce
22. "Burning Love," Elvis Presley
23. "Speak to the Sky," Rick Springfield
24. "Pop That Thang," The Isley Brothers
25. "Use Me," Bill Withers
26. "My Ding-a-Ling," Chuck Berry
27. "Join Together," The Who
28. "Hold Your Head Up," Argent

30. "Goodbye to Love," Carpenters
31. "The City of New Orleans," Arlo Guthrie
32."(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right," Luther Ingram
33. "Garden Party," Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band
34. "Motorcycle Mama," Sailcat
35. "Get on the Good Foot, Pt. 1," James Brown
36. "Lookin' Through the Windows," Jackson 5
37. "Starting All Over Again," Mel & Tim
38. "Why" / "Lonely Boy", Donny Osmond
39. "You Wear It Well," Rod Stewart

41. "Tight Rope," Leon Russell

44. "Freddie's Dead (Theme from 'Superfly')," Curtis Mayfield

51. "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues," Danny O'Keefe
52. "Listen to the Music," The Doobie Brothers

55. "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her," Simon & Garfunkel
56. "If I Could Reach You," The 5th Dimension

62. "Witchy Woman," Eagles

66. "From the Beginning," Emerson, Lake & Palmer

70. "Midnight Rider," Joe Cocker & The Chris Stainton Band

73. "I Can See Clearly Now," Johnny Nash
74. "I'll Be Around," The Spinners

85. "Summer Breeze," Seals & Crofts

87. "I Am Woman," Helen Reddy

90. "Spaceman," Nilsson

98. "Keep On Running," Stevie Wonder

Leaving the chart:

"Coconut," Harry Nilsson (14 weeks)
"The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.," Donna Fargo (16 weeks)
"Sealed with a Kiss," Bobby Vinton (14 weeks)

Re-entering the chart:

"I Am Woman," Helen Reddy

New on the chart:

"Keep On Running," Stevie Wonder
(#90 US; #36 R&B)

"Midnight Rider," Joe Cocker & The Chris Stainton Band
(#27 US)

"Spaceman," Nilsson
(#23 US)

"I'll Be Around," The Spinners
(#3 US; #31 AC; #1 R&B)

And new on the boob tube:

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Season 6, episode 1
Hawaii Five-O, "Death Is a Company Policy" (Season 5 premiere)
Adam-12, "Dirt Duel" (Season 5 premiere)
The Odd Couple, "Gloria, Halleluljah" (Season 3 premiere [unavailable])
All in the Family, "Archie and the Editorial" (Season 3 premiere)
Emergency!, "Decision" / "Problem" (Season 2 premiere)
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "The Good Time News" (Season 3 premiere)
The Bob Newhart Show, "Fly the Unfriendly Skies" (series premiere)
Mission: Impossible, "Break!" (Season 7 premiere)

_______

Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki page for the month.

_______

DarrenTR1970 said:
I'd like to see this thread continue, even if on an infrequent basis. There's a lot of stuff that happened before I was born or when I was a toddler that I'm learning about by participating in this thread.

RJDiogenes said:
Whatever you want to do, I'm here. This thread is part of my morning routine.

I guess I should clarify...the larger thread will keep going...50 Years Ago This Week posts, 50th Anniversary Viewing, Post-55th Anniversary Viewing and Album Spotlights, 70 Years Ago This Season posts (destined to change their frequency as we get into the rock & roll era proper). I'm just talking about stopping the weekly 55 Years Ago This Week posts as they're overlapping material that was already covered upthread five years ago.

RJDiogenes said:
A victory for the Bro's, but another nail in their coffin.

Kind of a pity that nobody I know of was running this show to be covered as 50th or 55th anniversary business.

He was a brave man, that's for sure. I wonder if he's one of the guys who turned up at the bottom of Lake Mead....

I'm sure they would have mentioned that.

Pink Floyd started out as the Beatles. I kid. Good song.

The song is on the R&RHOF list, and it's on the American version of Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which is on the RS albums list...an early peek at a band that still hasn't broken out on this side of the pond five years later...

Kinda reminds me of the last episode of The Prisoner.

"Dandelion" and "We Love You" both feature a couple of guest backing vocalists named John and Paul.

A pleasant enough song.

Mildly enjoyable but kinda generic for the Tops.

I love this. I'm not sure how I even know it, because it never got any play on Oldies Radio that I recall.

It came up here five years ago, for one thing. Pretty sure I did have occasion to hear this on oldies radio.

Yeah, that's true. Censorship is so arbitrary, though. It may have been an edict from the parent company or something.

Or maybe there was prior uproar over that specific episode.

_______

Some recent 50th anniversary odds and ends from the world of comics that I've been meaning to cover...

Earlier this year, Dave Cockrum began his stint on the Legion of Super-Heroes--currently a backup feature in Superboy that's only sporadically running new stories. His relatively brief tenure will see the Legion taking over as the book's main feature, and wasted no time in beginning to redefine the group visually for the 2970s...starting with rolling out a distinctive new model of Legion Cruiser in Superboy #184 (cover date April), which makes its second appearance in #191 (October):

Looks like he might've been inspired by something he saw on TV, doesn't it...?

Over at Marvel, in monthlies cover dated September (which would have been on the shelves in June), Stan Lee announced that he was stepping down from active writing and his role as editor-in-chief:

Back at DC, Jack Kirby's Fourth World series is winding down...Forever People and New Gods both ended their original runs at their respective #'s 11 (bimonthly cover date November). Jack had already left Jimmy Olsen some months prior to pursue new projects for DC, and Mister Miracle will continue until its bimonthly issue #18 in 1973 (cover date Mar. 1974). New Gods and Mister Miracle will both be briefly revived later in the decade by new creative teams, picking up the numbering of the original series.

One of Jack's new projects has been featured in recent DC house ads. I think somebody mentioned having been a fan...

DarrenTR1970 · Sep 11, 2022

gblews said:
And speaking of Fleetwood Mac, didn’t they go through kind of a kind of similar metamorphosis?

Since you asked

Fleetwood Mac
Line Up #1 – Live Appearances
Peter Green
Jeremy Spencer
Mick Fleetwood
Bob Brunning

Line Up #2 – Peter Green’s “Fleetwood Mac”, Mr. Wonderful
Peter Green
Jeremy Spencer
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie

Line Up #3 – Then Play On, Blues Jam At Chess
Peter Green
Jeremy Spencer
Danny Kirwin
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie

Line Up #4 – Kiln House
Jeremy Spencer
Danny Kirwin
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Christine McVie (Uncredited)

Line Up #5 – Future Games, Bare Trees
Danny Kirwin
Bob Welch
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Christine McVie

Line Up #6 - Penguin
Bob Welch
Dave Walker
Bob Weston
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Christine McVie

Line Up #7 – Mystery To Me
Bob Welch
Bob Weston
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Christine McVie

Line Up #8 – Heroes Are Hard To Find
Bob Welch
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Christine McVie

Line Up #9 & #12 – Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, Tango In The Night, The Dance
Lindsey Buckingham
Stevie Nicks
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Christine McVie

Line Up #10 – Behind The Mask
Stevie Nicks
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Christine McVie
Billy Burnette
Rick Vito

Line Up #11 - Time
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Billy Burnette
Bekka Bramlett
Dave Mason

Line Up #13 – Say You Will
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Lindsey Buckingham
Stevie Nicks

Line Up #14 – Live Appearances
Mick Fleetwood
John McVie
Christine McVie
Stevie Nicks
Mike Campbell
Neil Finn

Featuring Line Up #5
This is a poem by W.H. Davis that Danny Kirwin set to music and released as a stand-alone single

Taken from the album 'Future Games' where it's titled 'Lay It All Down'. This version is done at a much faster pace and features backup vocals from Christine and Danny and an extended coda not heard on the album. It's actually closer to the 'Previously Unreleased' version found on the box set '25 Years: The Chain'.

Line Up #8 Featuring two songs from 'Mystery To Me'. This line up probably had the most potential to break through in the states prior to Buckingham/Nick's, but it was derailed by Bob Weston having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's then wife Sarah Boyd, sister of Jenny Boyd. (Yes, at one point George Harrison and Mick Fleetwood were brother-in-law.)

The first features Christine McVie

This one features Bob Welch

If pressed, I would say that 'Bare Trees' and 'Mystery To Me' are two of the strongest post Peter Green, pre Lindsey Buckingham/Stevie Nicks Fleetwood Mac albums.

DarrenTR1970 · Sep 11, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
The Waltons, based on producer Earl Hamner's reminiscences of his rural childhood, began a ten-season run on CBS. The setting was the fictional "Jefferson County, Virginia" in the 1930s.

Earl Hamner says in 'The Twilight Zone Companion' that the episodes 'The Hunt', 'Jess-Belle' and 'The Bewitchin' Pool' can all be considered dry runs for 'The Waltons' with supernatural elements thrown in.

DarrenTR1970 · Sep 11, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
That's terrible. I'm sure she was heartbroken to have to do that.

The relevant part starts at 20:25.

RJDiogenes · Sep 12, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
Died: Max Fleischer, 89, American animator and founder of Fleischer Studios

Now there was an amazing talent. Those Superman cartoons are unsurpassed to this day-- and always will be, because he didn't have the CGI tools that people have today. His Popeye cartoons were also amazing.

"They are asking for it and they are going to get it," commented Nixon, adding "We haven't used the Bureau and we haven't used the Justice Department, but things are going to change now. They're going to get it right."

What a weasel. :rommie:

The Bob Newhart Show began a successful seven season run on CBS

One of my favorite comedians and sitcoms of all time. He never fails to crack me up. Also, Suzanne Pleshette rocks.

"Keep On Running," Stevie Wonder

I don't think I've ever heard this one before, but it's decent.

"Midnight Rider," Joe Cocker & The Chris Stainton Band

Good one.

"Spaceman," Nilsson

Good one.

"I'll Be Around," The Spinners

Very good one.

I guess I should clarify...the larger thread will keep going...50 Years Ago This Week posts, 50th Anniversary Viewing, Post-55th Anniversary Viewing and Album Spotlights, 70 Years Ago This Season posts (destined to change their frequency as we get into the rock & roll era proper). I'm just talking about stopping the weekly 55 Years Ago This Week posts as they're overlapping material that was already covered upthread five years ago.

Ah, I see. Yeah, if 70 Years Ago is going to ramp up, then it's probably best to skip anything that overlaps.

Kind of a pity that nobody I know of was running this show to be covered as 50th or 55th anniversary business.

That would be very cool.

I'm sure they would have mentioned that.

I know, I was kidding. :rommie:

"Dandelion" and "We Love You" both feature a couple of guest backing vocalists named John and Paul.

Ahh, cool. Kind of an under-the-radar supergroup.

It came up here five years ago, for one thing. Pretty sure I did have occasion to hear this on oldies radio.

I remember it from when I was young, but I have no associated memories. It may even have been the Time-Life cassettes where I heard it first, but I'm almost sure I knew it in the 70s.

Or maybe there was prior uproar over that specific episode.

That could be.

Looks like he might've been inspired by something he saw on TV, doesn't it...?

I recall at least one other Trek homage he did in X-Men, where he basically recreated the bridge of the Enterprise-- it might even have been the first appearance of the Shi'ar, but I'm not positive.

Over at Marvel, in monthlies cover dated September (which would have been on the shelves in June), Stan Lee announced that he was stepping down from active writing and his role as editor-in-chief:

"Californy is the place you want to be...."

One of Jack's new projects has been featured in recent DC house ads. I think somebody mentioned having been a fan...

Oh, yeah, I loved Kamandi. One of Jack's most memorable creations.

DarrenTR1970 said:
Earl Hamner says in 'The Twilight Zone Companion' that the episodes 'The Hunt', 'Jess-Belle' and 'The Bewitchin' Pool' can all be considered dry runs for 'The Waltons' with supernatural elements thrown in.

If Waltons kept those Twilight Zone elements, I would have watched it. :rommie:

DarrenTR1970 said:
The relevant part starts at 20:25.

I don't think that's the right time stamp.

The Old Mixer · Sep 13, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
I don't think I've ever heard this one before, but it's decent.

This is the single edit of a track from Music of My Mind, which is on the list. I got the album version in acknowledgment of that, but probably won't get the whole album. It seems unremarkable knowing what Stevie has in store for the decade.

Good one.

The most interesting thing here is realizing that we missed a stone-cold classic Allman Brothers track because the single (released in '71) didn't chart, and its album, 1970's Idlewild South, isn't on the list:

Good one.

Not feelin' it for this one.

Very good one.

Finally an oldies radio classic, and I've never seen an official vinyl video before...

I recall at least one other Trek homage he did in X-Men, where he basically recreated the bridge of the Enterprise-- it might even have been the first appearance of the Shi'ar, but I'm not positive.

It was a Shi'ar bridge, in one of their early appearances.

I almost forgot to post this...a week or two back, when I was watching one of the Sullivan clips on YouTube, this came up as the next video--an amazing little time capsule, a film that somebody made of a 1967 battle of the bands in Croton-on-Hudson (about an hour west of me):

RJDiogenes · Sep 13, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
The most interesting thing here is realizing that we missed a stone-cold classic Allman Brothers track because the single (released in '71) didn't chart, and its album, 1970's Idlewild South, isn't on the list:

"Midnight Rider" never charted? That is amazing.

It was a Shi'ar bridge, in one of their early appearances.

Thought so. I'm also remembering an LOC that complained about them ripping off Trek, and the answer explained the concept of an homage. And that tickles another memory: Didn't they have a cutesie name for the anonymous letter answerers, like Mail Room Nebbish or something? No, the Nebbish was the Crazy guy. But there was something.

I almost forgot to post this...a week or two back, when I was watching one of the Sullivan clips on YouTube, this came up as the next video--an amazing little time capsule, a film that somebody made of a 1967 battle of the bands in Croton-on-Hudson (about an hour west of me):

That is very cool. That lead singer with the glasses looks just like I did, except maybe ten years older. :rommie:

The Old Mixer · Sep 13, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
And that tickles another memory: Didn't they have a cutesie name for the anonymous letter answerers, like Mail Room Nebbish or something? No, the Nebbish was the Crazy guy. But there was something.

Doesn't ring a bell; but I recall John Byrne revealing in a text page for Next Men that it was usually the writer who answered the letters.

That is very cool. That lead singer with the glasses looks just like I did, except maybe ten years older.

You might've been old enough to make the Bad Habit (3:25, I presume).

David Rynerson in the video description said:
Croton-on-Hudson, NY. 1967. Battle of the Bands. The Hairy Things rock. The Tradewinds roll. The Bad Habit await puberty. Tim Smith and The Active Ingredients just crush it. The people shuck and jive. Feel the Love!

Nerys Myk · Sep 14, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
I recall at least one other Trek homage he did in X-Men, where he basically recreated the bridge of the Enterprise-- it might even have been the first appearance of the Shi'ar, but I'm not positive.

J.T.B. · Sep 14, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
It's particularly ironic that an F-4 Phantom made this historic kill. While Major Phil Handley was flying a later model that included an interior cannon, the F-4 was notorious for having been designed not to have a gun--somebody having prematurely decided that missiles had made dogfighting obsolete.

Not really. The original Phantom was designed for one mission: Long range, all-weather fleet air defense. Its whole purpose in life was to blast off the carrier deck, rain or shine, day or night, climb like hell, vector on the bogey, burn up the air with that big radar, and shoot missiles at the bad guy BVR, long before he could launch anything at the ships. Obviously a gun had no purpose in that scenario, and for the weight of cannon and ammo you could carry a couple more missiles. If it came down to close-range dogfighting, the carrier had that covered, too: The F-8.

Meanwhile on the Air Force side... For the preceding ten years, the thing that TAC cared most about in its "fighters" was that they could drop small nuclear bombs around Eastern Europe, even the little F-100. When they got into real air-to-air scraps in Vietnam, they were coming up short. Looking at their options, they saw the Navy had a big, powerful fighter that looked like it could fit into whatever role they needed. So the Phantom became a USAF fighter, too.

So things heated up in the air over Vietnam. Air Force, Marine and Navy pilots all got into situations where they wished they had a gun. Sometimes for air-to-ground, sometimes air-to-air. But who was having the most success against the Migs? The F-8 guys. They were getting the best win-loss ratio of any fighters, and they were doing it mostly with Sidewinder, not 20mm.

The Navy realized what was going on: The Crusader squadrons had kept the spirit of dogfighting alive, had kept practicing. They knew how to outfly a bad guy, get him into position and shoot him. So they got those pilots to pass on their knowledge to the Phantom guys, in a school that became know as Top Gun. But despite the name, if you could get into cannon range, you should have already been in Sidewinder range, it was just a question of setting up for the shot. And indeed Navy Phantoms never did have a cannon, even as their air-to-air kill ratio went steadily up.

DarrenTR1970 · Sep 14, 2022

Nerys Myk said:

Yup. I had that issue back in the day. Even at my young age I noticed the 'Star Trek' similarities.

Nerys Myk · Sep 14, 2022

DarrenTR1970 said:
Yup. I had that issue back in the day. Even at my young age I noticed the 'Star Trek' similarities.

Dave Cockrum would later draw the comic book adaptation of Star Trek the Motion Picture.

DarrenTR1970 · Sep 14, 2022

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the album 'Close to the Edge' by YES. It would peak at #4 on the UK album charts and #3 on the US Billboard Top 200. In 2020 'Close to the Edge' was ranked #445 on Rolling Stone's '500 Greatest Albums Of All Time'. In honor of its release, here is the title track performed live at The Rainbow Theatre. This tour would mark the late Alan White's debut on drums, replacing Bill Bruford, who departed YES on 19 July 1972 to join King Crimson.

RJDiogenes · Sep 14, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
Doesn't ring a bell; but I recall John Byrne revealing in a text page for Next Men that it was usually the writer who answered the letters.

That's true. You could generally tell by the voice. Roy Thomas and Steve Gerber sounded nothing alike. And Marv Wolfman was always talking about moose. :rommie:

You might've been old enough to make the Bad Habit (3:25, I presume).

I was thinking that one of those kids looks like the youngest kid in The Brady Bunch.

Nerys Myk said:

That's the baby. That first panel is exactly what I was thinking of.

DarrenTR1970 said:
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the album 'Close to the Edge' by YES.

Now there's an impressive band.

The Old Mixer · Sep 15, 2022

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 1)

_______

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 6, episode 1
Originally aired September 11, 1972

The Wiki list of guest appearances said:
Isaac Hayes, Kent McCord, Martin Milner, Jill St. John, John Wayne

The opening, which hails the beginning of the sixth season, is done in the style of an old-fashioned football game announcement, with Gary Owens talking through a megaphone. Richard Dawson joined the cast in our missed previous season. Among the many new cast members for the final season are Willie Tyler & Lester, whom I remember seeing around elsewhere in the '70s. ShoutFactory includes Gary identifying the sponsor, Ultra Brite.

One of the cast members does a spoof of Sinatra, teased as an actual appearance without the singer being named.

Lily Tomlin is still hanging in there, as Ernestine and Edith Ann.

Laugh-In Salutes the Summer of '72:
There's a Godfather spoof in the segment.

Willie Tyler & Lester do a spoof of the All in Family opening, titled All in the Ghetto.

In my previous seasons of searching for Laugh-In clips, I was wondering when this would come up!

And when I saw that they'd appeared in multiple episodes the previous season, I was afraid that we'd missed this one:

The news segment:
That's how you do ventriloquism--nobody's watching Willie Tyler when Lester's talking.

At the end of the show, Dan and Dick turn tapes and snapshots over to the Duke for agreeing to appear on the show. Now they're actually doing a brief preview segment of the next episode, rather than teasing it only for Dick to interrupt.

_______

Hawaii Five-O
"Death Is a Company Policy"
Originally aired September 12, 1972
Season 5 premiere

Paramount Plus said:
McGarrett is puzzled when a computer programmed to help solve the slaying of an underworld figure's "business associate" indicates that the culprit is one of McGarrett's own people.

Odd note of interest: H5O's lead-in this season is Maude.

It looks like H5O has done away with not just Kono, but the teasers--I was looking for the intro wave and got the opening credits instead! Said credits now include Al Harrington as Ben as well as new shots for Danno and Chin, as seen in the second version of the credits here:

Crime lord Piro Manoa (Michael Ansara) stages a meeting with former close associate Johnny Resko (Harry Williams), making a show of friendliness only to shoot Resko at close range and have him sealed in a barrel and dumped in the drink. But Resko left an "if you've received this" letter for McGarrett, offering details about evidence and a witness to an old murder that Manoa committed. The Five-Oers--including Duke (Herman Wedemeyer in the recurring uniformed officer role he established last season)--hold a meeting with D.A. Manicote (Glenn Cannon) and his assistants, Chris Lahani (George Chakiris) and Paul Drummond (Robert Witthans), to coordinate raids on the places of interest while maintaining airtight secrecy. But one location has been ransacked for its evidence, another burned down, and the third has a witness hanging from the ceiling. McGarrett orders a full investigation of everyone who was at the meeting, himself and Manicote included. Meanwhile, a stoolie named Runny Grose (Richard Morrison), who's been snooping around the capitol building, reports to Manoa and also ends up drinking through a drum, as he's the only other person who knows who the leak is.

Sensing that Runny, who's been playing both sides for years, must have been killed over something big, Ben tries to enlist the cooperation of Runny's girl, Angie Caroll (Jo Pruden). She's more interested in leaving the islands as she considers herself a target, but she hints at a high-placed informant. Back at the capitol, computer-assisted background checks turn up a series of conspicuously large deposits made to Duke, which he's at a loss to explain, though he shares that corresponding trips to Hilo were made to assist a disgraced sister and her out-of-wedlock child. Duke is forced to turn in his badge. Back at Manoa's obligatory seaside estate, the crime lord takes a call from his informant and tells his coldly efficient accountant Miss Simpson (Laraine Stephens) that Duke's been successfully set up.

Determined to prove that Duke's been framed, Steve sics his team on the condo company who made the deposits, obtaining records that list Duke as a shareholder and confirming that the checks have perfect copies of Duke's signature. When we get a conspicuous aside about how Lahani and Ben are old childhood pals, that plus Chakiris being the top-billed guest on IMDb tip us off that he's the inside man, but they get around to that quickly. Lahani's background check turns up that his Harvard tuition was paid by Bryce-Halsey Ltd., the same Swiss parent corporation that owns the condo company. Steve speculates about how Lahani was a long-term investment for the underworld, and Duke was set up years in advance as a means of protecting that investment.

Lahani is invited to a meeting in which he's brought in on how Angie Caroll has been taken into protective custody because she has info about the people who framed Duke. Lahani tries to get in to see her and manages to get a glimpse of the woman there, then verifies her identity against a photo in Runny Groses's computer-accessed dossier. Mike the computer operator (Walter Yoshimitsu) calls McGarrett to tell him that Lahani's taken the bait, while Lahani makes a coded call to Manoa to arrange an in-person meeting. When Manoa leaves, Simpson makes a call of her own, dictating a cablegram to Bryce-Halsey about their declining Hawaiian stock and notifying them that she's taking appropriate action. At scenic Makapuʻu Point, Five-O somehow manages to already have the area well staked out while Lahani waits for Manoa. When Manoa arrives and indicates that he already had Caroll hit on the mainland, they both realize that Lahani has been set up and try to split, but a helicopter rises above the cliffside, from which a sniper takes out both Lahani and Manoa. McGarrett returns fire with a rifle and the chopper turns into stock footage of an aircraft blowing up real good. The team surmises that the Bryce-Halsey was cutting its losses.

The episode ends with Duke entering Steve's office to have his badge tossed back to him.

When McGarrett demonstrates the computer's capabilities by flashing slides of his own personal records, we get a brief glimpse of a birth certificate with his baby footprints. Alas, I'm still having issues getting screengrabs from Paramount Plus.

_______

Adam-12
"Dirt Duel"
Originally aired September 13, 1972
Season 5 premiere

Wiki said:
A series of purse snatchings involving motorcyclists frustrates the LAPD, as they cannot follow them down the off-road trails they take. Reed holds a community meeting with the various motorcycle clubs, and the leader of one club [challenges] Malloy to a dirt bike race. Reed teaches Malloy how to ride a dirt bike, and while Malloy loses the race, he gains the respect of the club's leader, who helps them apprehend the suspects by blocking their escape route.

Adam-12 also has a new opening, which starts with a dash-perspective shot of the officers driving at night.

On day patrol, the officers see a pair of motorcyclists snatch an old woman's purse and pursue. The suspects ditch the purse and head up a chained-off dirt road in a hilly area. The officers proceed to a food stand where a group of bikers called the Kings Choppers hang out to check out the bikes there, and are given a hard time by a trio they're already acquainted with--Skinner ("Kookie" Edd Byrnes), Oiler (Micky Dolenz!), and Mouse (who's Keith Taylor?). Remember when I posted this a few years back?

The bikers defensively bring up a "car plan" meeting that Malloy's conducting at a high school that night, and Reed invites them to come, as Malloy's been having a problem with turnout. Mac's taken aback when they show up.

At the meeting, the officers discuss recent patrol activity with the members of the community who came, and the bikers complain about police harassment. A Mrs. McKay (Jack Webb hasn't forgotten Virginia Gregg) stands up to complain about the bikers, and Malloy tries to calmly defuse the situation. Skinner challenges Malloy to a bike race, and Malloy agrees, provided it's done legally at Indian Dunes motocross. After the meeting, Reed expresses his concern that Pete's not an experienced biker, but Pete thinks Skinner will also be at a disadvantage racing on dirt, and enlists Reed to train him about riding.

Jim drums up a loaner bike for Pete and coaches him at the motocross, which includes practicing a jump. At the food stand, the officers learn that Skinner has gotten a more offroad-worthy cycle just for the race, and that he's taking his opportunity to show up Malloy very seriously.

At the race, Pete refuses a last-minute offer from Jim to take his place. Skinner leads on the first lap around the rough course, though Malloy manages to keep up with him. Pete takes the lead on the second lap, and successfully makes the jump thanks to Reed's training. When Skinner ends up falling head-first, Malloy goes back to check on him, and Skinner promptly gets back on his bike to take the lead. Skinner ends up winning by about a bike length, and while the tension between the competitors is visible, Malloy offers a handshake and congratulations.

On patrol, the officers pull over a car they suspect of being stolen because the back plate has no sticker and bugs on it, indicating that it's a repurposed front plate. The suspect (Larry Levine) tries to run and they arrest him. Later, the officers respond to a call about another purse snatching via motorcycles. They spot the suspects and try to pursue, having to stop when the bikers head up the dirt road again. But to the officers' astonishment, the Kings Choppers come riding over the hill in the opposite direction, stopping the suspects cold. Skinner angrily emphasizes that nothing's changed between him and Malloy, he just did it to get the fuzz off his back.

_______

DarrenTR1970 · Sep 15, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
Doesn't ring a bell; but I recall John Byrne revealing in a text page for Next Men that it was usually the writer who answered the letters.

RJDiogenes said:
That's true. You could generally tell by the voice. Roy Thomas and Steve Gerber sounded nothing alike. And Marv Wolfman was always talking about moose.

I know that Jim Shooter, Peter David, and Geoff Johns all wrote letters to Marvel/DC before they started writing for them. I remember a Geoff Johns letter in one of the Superman issues during the 'Death of Superman' run where he brought up the theory that Superboy was a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, and when he started writing for DC that is exactly what he ended up doing.

RJDiogenes · Sep 15, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
There's a Godfather spoof in the segment.

Which I'm sure would be considered politically incorrect today.

In my previous seasons of searching for Laugh-In clips, I was wondering when this would come up!

That was hilarious. :rommie:

And when I saw that they'd appeared in multiple episodes the previous season, I was afraid that we'd missed this one:

I'm pretty sure we did see it. Great stuff. :rommie:

That's how you do ventriloquism--nobody's watching Willie Tyler when Lester's talking.

Nobody can beat Edger Bergen, who did it on radio.

At the end of the show, Dan and Dick turn tapes and snapshots over to the Duke for agreeing to appear on the show.

I wonder how the actual conversations went.

Said credits now include Al Harrington as Ben as well as new shots for Danno and Chin, as seen in the second version of the credits here:

They barely changed the credits at all over the twelve-year run. Those extras would have looked considerably different if they got new shots. :rommie:

Piro Manoa (Michael Ansara)

One of those Klingon guys, and Barbara Eden's lucky husband.

sealed in a barrel and dumped in the drink.

Ah, I've missed the drink.

and also ends up drinking through a drum

Whoa, hard boiled talk!

Determined to prove that Duke's been framed, Steve sics his team on the condo company who made the deposits, obtaining records that list Duke as a shareholder and confirming that the checks have perfect copies of Duke's signature.

That's the extent of their research? They didn't look into the company's records and history and such? Like how long Duke has been listed as a shareholder and why he suddenly started getting large payments and so on.

that plus Chakiris being the top-billed guest on IMDb tip us off that he's the inside man

That would be a Police Squad!-style line. :rommie:

Lahani's background check turns up that his Harvard tuition was paid by Bryce-Halsey Ltd., the same Swiss parent corporation that owns the condo company.

Sounds like a potential gold mine of information waiting to be dug up there.

but a helicopter rises above the cliffside

And nobody hears it till it's in frame.

The team surmises that the Bryce-Halsey was cutting its losses.

Time to call the FBI or Interpol or whoever about Bryce-Halsey.

When McGarrett demonstrates the computer's capabilities by flashing slides of his own personal records, we get a brief glimpse of a birth certificate with his baby footprints.

Aww, cute. Did it list the planet of birth?

a trio they're already acquainted with--Skinner ("Kookie" Edd Byrnes), Oiler (Micky Dolenz!), and Mouse (who's Keith Taylor?). Remember when I posted this a few years back?

Yeah, they're a scary bunch. I know Kookie and Micky, but is Keith Taylor somebody?

Skinner challenges Malloy to a bike race, and Malloy agrees, provided it's done legally at Indian Dunes motocross.

And everyone wears all the proper safety equipment.

When Skinner ends up falling head-first, Malloy goes back to check on him
while the tension between the competitors is visible, Malloy offers a handshake and congratulations.

That's our boy Malloy.

They spot the suspects and try to pursue, having to stop when the bikers head up the dirt road again.

Where are the police helicopters and motorcycle cops during all this?

Skinner angrily emphasizes that nothing's changed between him and Malloy, he just did it to get the fuzz off his back.

"Hey, you shave my back and I'll shave yours."

DarrenTR1970 said:
I know that Jim Shooter, Peter David, and Geoff Johns all wrote letters to Marvel/DC before they started writing for them. I remember a Geoff Johns letter in one of the Superman issues during the 'Death of Superman' run where he brought up the theory that Superboy was a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, and when he started writing for DC that is exactly what he ended up doing.

I remember seeing Peter David's name and some others in the old LOCs. I can't remember exactly who, though.

The Old Mixer · Sep 15, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
I'm pretty sure we did see it. Great stuff.

Oh, it's been posted before, but not in the context of its episode.

Seeing McCord and Milner in that reminds me of a video I saw after Milner died of McCord speaking at a tribute to him. He was saying that when Marty was cast for Adam-12, Glenn Corbett told him that he'd love the guy.

Nobody can beat Edger Bergen, who did it on radio.

Laugh-In did cheat a little with the close-ups of Lester.

They barely changed the credits at all over the twelve-year run. Those extras would have looked considerably different if they got new shots.

I was thinking that...they were using 1968 footage all the way into 1980. I think I read that the girl was a model.

Ah, I've missed the drink.

Be careful what you wish for...especially if you ever visit Hawaii... :shifty:

That's the extent of their research? They didn't look into the company's records and history and such? Like how long Duke has been listed as a shareholder and why he suddenly started getting large payments and so on.

They were looking into it. I indicated that Duke was being set up for years.

Sounds like a potential gold mine of information waiting to be dug up there.

I'm wondering if Bryce-Halsey will ever pop up again.

And nobody hears it till it's in frame.

The sound wasn't more powerful than the crashing surf...

Aww, cute. Did it list the planet of birth?

I'd have to go back and try to look, but P+ also minimizes the screen when you pause.

If I live long enough to stay with this until Season 12, will I ever get a good look at Steve's pad!?!

And everyone wears all the proper safety equipment.

Which in this era was a helmet and goggles; boots and tough pants optional.

Interesting thing here is that while Reed was played up as the one who had experience biking, even in the coaching sequence we never actually saw McCord on a bike. While I'm sure they used pro doubles for the racing, I imagine this was more Milner's bag.

That's our boy Malloy.

He's a class act...guy you could see yourself having a drink with, but don't do something to trigger one of his Fridayesque lectures...!

Where are the police helicopters and motorcycle cops during all this?

Dispatch did mention that Air One was unavailable. I'm guessing that the police bikes would be too heavy for that sort of work, like Skinner's usual chopper was for the race. Still, if this was a repeated M.O., you'd think they would have gotten some resources on it. I'm pretty sure they did offroad search & pursuit work in a previous episode.

"Hey, you shave my back and I'll shave yours."

Actually, Skinner's repeated taunt to Malloy was "Oink, oink."

RJDiogenes · Sep 16, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
Seeing McCord and Milner in that reminds me of a video I saw after Milner died of McCord speaking at a tribute to him. He was saying that when Marty was cast for Adam-12, Glenn Corbett told him that he'd love the guy.

Yeah, that affable personality comes through in both Route 66 and Adam-12.

Be careful what you wish for...especially if you ever visit Hawaii...

"Visit Hawaii, drink with the dolphins...."

They were looking into it. I indicated that Duke was being set up for years.

I suppose I should be more forgiving of pre-Internet crime investigation. :rommie:

I'm wondering if Bryce-Halsey will ever pop up again.

That would be good, especially if the CEO turns out to be... Wo Fat.

The sound wasn't more powerful than the crashing surf...

Hmm, okay, I'll buy that, at least for an adventure show.

I'd have to go back and try to look, but P+ also minimizes the screen when you pause.

Maybe you can use a dedicated screen recorder where you can specify the window.

If I live long enough to stay with this until Season 12, will I ever get a good look at Steve's pad!?!

Hopefully yes to both. :rommie:

Interesting thing here is that while Reed was played up as the one who had experience biking, even in the coaching sequence we never actually saw McCord on a bike. While I'm sure they used pro doubles for the racing, I imagine this was more Milner's bag.

They probably didn't consult Kent McCord when they wrote the episode. "Motorcycle? You're not getting me on a motorcycle!"

He's a class act...guy you could see yourself having a drink with, but don't do something to trigger one of his Fridayesque lectures...!

Never would I ever. :rommie:

Actually, Skinner's repeated taunt to Malloy was "Oink, oink."

TREK_GOD_1 · Sep 17, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
Adam-12
"Dirt Duel"
Originally aired September 13, 1972
Season 5 premiere

Mrs. McKay (Jack Webb hasn't forgotten Virginia Gregg)

Honestly, Webb should have just added Gregg to the cast of all of his series, with the opening credits sequence ending with, "...and Virginia Gregg as Everyone".

I remember watching this episode when it aired, and being surprised by Dolenz's role--absolutely nothing like his "character" on his second TV series.

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