Post-58th Anniversary Viewing
The Invaders
"The Peacemaker"
Originally aired February 6, 1968
Frndly said:
When the Pentagon commissions David to set up peace talks with the invaders, the mission is jeopardized by both sides.
David and Colonel Archie Harmon (Lin McCarthy reprising his role from "Counter-Attack") bring a captured alien (Jan Merlin, I think) to a military facility and lock him up. But as they're bringing down General Samuel Arlington Concannon (Special Guest Star James Daly, almost unrecognizable sporting a Thaddeus Ross look), a junior offithem (Jack Bannon) slips a pill through the cell door window, which the handcuffed alien eats off the floor. As he glows up, the air policeman on guard (Ed Deemer) shoots Junior, who also glows up, this time before the general's eyes. Disintegration residue becomes a plot point again as the general gathers the ashes into an envelope for analysis.
The QM Narrator said:
For two years, David Vincent has been waging war on two fronts: one, against the alien invaders; the other, an attempt to enlist allies in high places while there is still time. Now, finally, with some help from friends in the military, David Vincent is opening the second front.
Harmon is abducted in a parking garage by a pair of
them who want their captured man back. Archie produces the envelope with the remains of the inside man who would have informed
them of the prisoner's death. They take the colonel back to his apartment, unaware that David and Scoville are waiting for him there. Harmon makes some noise in the hall to alert them, so that the stunt doubles can get a jump on the alien agents. David's brawl with one inside the apartment ends in shooting the alien into glowing up; while the second alien slugs Harmon in the hall and gets away. Archie reports that the remains were only cellulose fibers, then brings David with him to see Concannon, who says that he's consulted with the president and declares that the government knows about the threat and is looking to take action. The general questions his guests about
their military strength, then reveals his angle--wanting to negotiate with
them to reach an agreement to help them settle on Earth peaceably. But his leverage is to threaten
them with a doomsday device that would go off in the event of an invasion. David proceeds to track down the escaped alien (Willard [Craig Huebing], I think) and talk to him from behind a gun; while Concannon, while hinting at ulterior motives that Archie's in on, takes Harmon to his home. The general becomes concerned to learn from his wife, Sarah (Phyllis Thaxter, who'll become known for raising a more benevolent and less vulnerable alien), that he's been talking in his sleep about Armageddon. Things take a dark turn when, after Archie exits for the dining room with the Concannons' teenage son, Billy (Pat Cardi), the general threateningly chastises his wife for making an offhand comment that he's getting too old for his work.
Concannon next brings everyone's old friend Edgar to his office to question him about options for building such a doomsday device; but Scoville isn't comfortable with the notion of a machine that could automatically destroy the world. Meanwhile, after an offscreen incident that could have been a deleted scene, the alien has gotten the better of David and has the invasion leader (Alfred Ryder, who's clearly signaled to be playing the same character as in his previous appearance) brought to a Virginia farmhouse hideout to talk with Vincent. Justifying a concern of David and Archie's, Willard tries to warn the leader that this could be a tactic to expose and unite the world against them. But the leader sends David to arrange things and has Willard tail him as he's picked up by Scoville and taken to Concannon's home, where the general and colonel discuss their shared history together at Bataan. During the ride, Ed shares another bit of revelatory history, telling David of how Concannon tried to scapegoat him for a human error-caused rocket launch explosion that killed two astronauts. Ed drops David off, following which Willard continues to tail his car.
As Concannon's sitting down to discuss developments with David and Archie, he has a violent reaction to the lobster he's eating and declares that he's been poisoned. While the general's recovering in bed, a house call-making Dr. Bill Jacobs (Larry Thor) confirms that it was a deliberate poisoning; though David doesn't believe that
they're responsible, not seeing why they'd try to kill the general in such a manner. David goes back to see the leader, whom he now addresses by name as Mr. Ryder, and gets the meeting back on, calling Concannon to make arrangements. When the general's alone with his wife, he accuses her of poisoning him, and she admits it, claiming that she was trying to nonlethally derail the meeting after hearing in bed what he planned to do there. Billy expresses concern for what he's overheard of his parents' confrontation.
In his office, the general assembles his delegation for the meeting, which includes Scoville, a General Cullenbine (Byron Keith), and a couple of others. He arranges for the party to rendezvous at the farmhouse the next day and gives them sealed orders to be opened then. Scoville expresses concern, but Concannon asserts that he's acting under orders. When he's alone with Harmon, Concannon makes a call to arrange a practice bombing run with the colonel at the same time as the meeting; then makes a recording for posterity explaining why he's sacrificing some good people to destroy the alien menace that threatens their country. Archie exhibits secthe general opens his door to reveal a guard outside. Harmon proceeds to accompany the general in his car. After Concannon says goodbye to his family, David catches up with them, and the general promises to pick him up for the meeting later. Afterward he expresses his relief to Archie that the "fine boy" won't have to be killed with the others.
As Concannon and Harmon are taking off in an unconvincing-looking B-52 cockpit (I'm pretty sure those things run on more than two crew), Sarah tells David that Archie filled her in on the plan and wanted her to have David get the delegation away from the farmhouse. But Scoville has already left and the aliens don't have a phone, so he races there by car with the Concannon family. Sarah explains to Billy how his father, who hasn't really been working with the president, has to be stopped from killing his friends and starting a war. In the air, the general learns of how Archie's turned on him, and when Harmon tries to warn him of the consequences of alien retaliation, the general clubs the colonel with his pistol and proceeds to fly the mission solo. David and company reach the farmhouse, where Ed has arrived awkwardly early, and secures Ryder's permission to use the radio in
their ubiquitous van outside. David puts on Sarah, who tries unsuccessfully to talk her husband down. David then apologizes to her for having no other choice, given the potential local casualties, and asks Ryder about his options for taking down the bomber. Ryder calls in a saucer, and a revived Archie smiles at the sight of the unexpected cavalry, which uses a ray to blow up the jet within sight of the farm and Concannon's family.
In the Epilog, David and Scoville's pleas with a departing Ryder to be open to arranging more legitimate talks are met with cynicism.
The QM Narrator said:
David Vincent returns to his war against the invader. He returns to his search for another day and another place where the powers from both sides will meet again and an armistice will become a reality.
Photos:
The Invaders
"The Vise"
Originally aired February 20, 1968
Frndly said:
Racial feelings create problems for David, who tries to convince a Senate investigator that a nominee for a space program post is an invader.
David and Scoville are staking out a service station that they believe to be the contact point for an invader. When their suspect (William Gehrig [Austin Willis]) pulls in as a customer and hands the station attendant (Red Boyd Morgan) a briefcase, David follows the latter into the garage while Scoville keeps an eye on Gehrig. Inside, a scuffle ensues over the case in which the attendant glows up, setting a pile of rags that the case falls into on fire. Gehrig takes off when Scoville blocks him from interfering. Going through the charred papers in the case, which are in code, both believers recognize a photo of Arnold Warren (Roscoe Lee Browne), who's been nominated to head a tracking station for the space program, which could be used for the invaders' purposes.
The QM Narrator said:
For two days, a Senate subcommittee has been meeting to consider the nomination of a man named Arnold Warren for an important post in the international space program. David Vincent has reason to believe that Warren is an alien. He has 24 hours to prove it.
In L.A. posing as Washington with the help of establishing shots of the Capitol, David sees the subcommittee's investigator, James A. Baxter (Raymond St. Jacques), wanting background info on Warren from the report that Baxter's supposed to turn in the next day. Along the way, David meets Baxter's wife, Celia (Janet MacLachlan), and young son Michael (Pepe Brown). Baxter is skeptical of David's suspicion that Warren's background is phony, but takes interest when David points out that Warren claims to have served in the 101st on D-Day, a unit that wasn't integrated until after years the war. Baxter later confronts Warren about this with Gehrig present, but Warren dismissively claims to have been a cook who saw some action. (Do paratroopers bring cooks with them when they parachute behind enemy lines?)
After David reports to Scoville by payphone, Gehrig and an accomplice try to run him over. At home that night, Baxter pores over his report, while Celia notes that the post would be an important achievement for a black man (the episode uses the then-considered-polite other n-word), and that their son needs heroes. David drops in and begs Baxter to meet with him and Scoville the next morning. Baxter is initially dismissive, but silently considers the offer afterward. The next day, Scoville, who attends the meeting from Syracuse via closed-circuit TV, tells Baxter of an incident when Warren was working in South America and was the one of several survivors of an accident, but the only one who didn't bleed. Baxter takes interest in a photo of Warren with his hand raised, discovering another tell for certain invaders--his palms aren't lighter than the rest of his skin.
While Baxter delays the hearings and questions Warren's humanity, David assumes the alias of Bob Tobin to pay a call on the elderlyman who's supposed to be Warren's father (Joel Fluellen), following which he's questioned by a couple of police officers. David takes in the black officer's palms and struggles with him over his gun, resulting in the officer glowing up. At the Baxter home, when Jim voices various discrepancies in Warren's background, Celia accuses him of being harder on Warren because of his skin color, and Jim describes how he has to work twice as hard to be seen as a respectable member of the community. Running from the police, David slips into a seedy bar run by a guy named Ollie (Louis Gossett) to use the phone. He tries to call Baxter about the trouble he's in, but Celia answers and hangs up on him.
As
them police comb the neighborhood, David hides out in the bar and Ollie becomes wary, prepping his gun. Gehrig arranges for a regen van to be brought in as the hearings are now running up against Warren's timetable. Jim, who's been expecting a call from David, finds the phone off the hook, assumes that Michael is responsible, and slips out with his gun. Brandishing his firearm under a towel, Ollie bids David to split, not wanting trouble with the cops. David confesses to having killed a cop and asks Ollie to call the station house so that reporters will come to the scene. Ollie's doing so as two of
them policeman come in and start searching the place. He learns on the phone that
them police are phony and intervenes when
they find and frisk David, which the crowd also objects to. Ollie lets David leave and an exchange of fire ensues in which one of
them officers is wounded. The officer manages to stumble out the back after Celia screeches up to give David a ride, and glows up before her eyes. David takes the wheel and gets away as the other them cop fires at the car.
David takes Celia to the TV studio where Warren's to give a speech and finds Jim just before the regen van pulls in. As the aliens hook up power lines, Celia voluntarily goes into the studio posing as a columnist to delay Warren, but he recognizes her. Jim and David overcome the van
them, then come to Celia's rescue as she's being taken outside. Jim ends up shooting Warren as he's stumbling to the van, and then one of
them who's in a brawl with David. Both glow up, while Gehrig takes off in the van with a power line dragging behind him. As onlookers gather, Jim flashes his badge.
In the Epilog, David departs as Jim's about to testify about Warren before the subcommittee.
The QM Narrator said:
James A. Baxter, special investigator for a Senate subcommittee--a formidable ally for David Vincent, who will join the battle against an alien race...the invader from the sky.
Photos:
And this catches us up to where I'm at now viewing-wise.
50th Anniversary Midnight Special
July 16, 1976
Hosted by Helen Reddy
Featuring Elvin Bishop; Kiki Dee; Elton John; B.B. King
...and Doris Day...Matt Busby!...; Gladys Knight & The Pips; Flora Purim; Salute to Harry Chapin
This clip's YouTube page has an out-of-order list of performances, but no clickable index. Gladys & The Pips are first up.
Kiki & Elton appear via music video, which is said to have been taped specifically for TMS. It appears to be a different take/edit of the same video that I'd previously posted from Elton's account, shot in the same location and outfits but cut differently.
The salute appears in the usual place, 23 minutes in.
Also 50 years go this week:
Recent in comics biz...
Black and Blue may not be the Stones at the height of their powers, but it got them in the funny books:
So mundane, and yet amazing beyond belief.
Nothing mundane about it, though I suppose that it could be taken for a shot of an Earth desert.
I was vaguely aware of all of this happening at the time, but was too young to appreciate its significance.
The crew were heard yelling from the guardrails, "This is Antarctica, no?"
"Tell us, where do we find Skipper and Little Buddy?"
Both Viking 1 and 2 performed tests for the presence of life. The results were ambiguous then-- and are even more ambiguous now.
This NASA documentary gets into some of that. It's from before the landing and doesn't cover the pictures or actual findings.
Because that's exactly what it is.
Good one. Strong nostalgic value. This was a very different Hall & Oates from what they became in the 80s.
Good Grief. Layin' it on a bit thick there, Red.
I don't have this one and it's digging a bit deeper chart-wise than I normally do, but I have some memory of it from the day, and my parents were all into the CB craze at the time.
Good one. Strong nostalgic value.
It has a pleasant sound, but isn't terribly distinctive among their hits from this period.
This was a good period for Starship, and also very different from their 80s work.
An all-too-appropriate recent nod to the song:
That's certainly a very useful feature.
For instance, when I'm recording a season of
Emergency!, it will record airings on MeTV and FeTV; when recording MTM, it will record airings on Catchy and UPtv when it's playing the series in its apparently rotating daily lineup.
Possibly the MeTV+ airings of
The Invaders aren't recording because I set it to record when they weren't showing the series. I honestly don't know. I'm so close to the end that it's not worth resetting the recordings at this point.
Pretty much.
