MeTV's SuperSci-Fi Saturday Night
- Thread starter JD
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FYI: Tonight Svengoolie is airing "Weird Woman," which is the first movie version of the novel "Conjure Wife" by Fritz Leiber. As I recall, the movie is not as good as the classic novel, but I'm curious to check it out for the first time in years.
Leiber's novel has since been filmed a few more times, with the best version being "Burn, Witch, Burn," scripted by Richard Matheson. (Which was released in the UK as "Night of the Eagle.")
Leiber's novel has since been filmed a few more times, with the best version being "Burn, Witch, Burn," scripted by Richard Matheson. (Which was released in the UK as "Night of the Eagle.")
Posting my Hulk review early, since I kinda have plans for tonight:
“Behind the Wheel”: Ahh, the majestic mountains of Newark. Is this show set in the same universe as Rumble in the Bronx?
The musical sequence that opens this episode is an extended version of the music that opens “Terror in Times Square” in season 1. I was confused when that music was so brief; I guess I get that episode mixed up with this one. Anyway, I’ve always associated that music with New York (to the point of humming it to myself on some of my trips there), but the map on the cab company wall did say Newark, despite the very Los Angeles-esque locations.
There are some fun bits here, with the charming but tricksterish Colleen and McGee’s interactions with David and the Hulk. They finally found another way for Bixby and Colvin to share a conversation. I wish Bixby had done a better job disguising his voice, though. McGee must have a really bad ear for voices.
The pacing was kind of slow at times, though, and some bits were odd. The bad guy sideswipes David and he ends up stalled on a railroad track… and he just drives off, no problem? I thought for sure he’d be stuck there and would have to Hulk out to save the pregnant lady from an oncoming train. But instead they went with a riff on the gas shortages of the time. Why even stage that shot on a railroad crossing, then? It just gets our hopes up for nothing.
“Behind the Wheel”: Ahh, the majestic mountains of Newark. Is this show set in the same universe as Rumble in the Bronx?
The musical sequence that opens this episode is an extended version of the music that opens “Terror in Times Square” in season 1. I was confused when that music was so brief; I guess I get that episode mixed up with this one. Anyway, I’ve always associated that music with New York (to the point of humming it to myself on some of my trips there), but the map on the cab company wall did say Newark, despite the very Los Angeles-esque locations.
There are some fun bits here, with the charming but tricksterish Colleen and McGee’s interactions with David and the Hulk. They finally found another way for Bixby and Colvin to share a conversation. I wish Bixby had done a better job disguising his voice, though. McGee must have a really bad ear for voices.
The pacing was kind of slow at times, though, and some bits were odd. The bad guy sideswipes David and he ends up stalled on a railroad track… and he just drives off, no problem? I thought for sure he’d be stuck there and would have to Hulk out to save the pregnant lady from an oncoming train. But instead they went with a riff on the gas shortages of the time. Why even stage that shot on a railroad crossing, then? It just gets our hopes up for nothing.
Damn. Well, I'll definitely be watching Kolchak when my usual Sunday at 9 stuff is not on or a repeat then. I'm assuming since it's an old show there isn't any kind of arc I need to follow?
H&I's been running a bumper spot today commemorating Van Williams.
"Behind the Wheel"--
David is hired by Coleen Jensen--owner of the Majestic Cab company; David mentions that his license is from another state, but Collen is not concerned. She eagerly accepts his legal shortcomings due to her need for drivers (let go due the effects of the gas crisis), especially drivers who can read a map (her mechanic Eric has trouble knowing how to tell north from south on a map). Jensen suddenly suffers from an attack of angina, but takes some kind of medication (probably an anti-hypertensive drug), refusing to rest.
Soon, David begins working as Majestic's lone driver--catching the attention of a loan shark/drug dealer Jensen is indebted to named Swift. Jensen owes Swift enough that he's using the debt to force her to hand over Majestic; Jensen argues that she's been slow to pay off the debt because she cannot earn when they continue to frighten her drivers away, making Swift both the self-generated problem and equally self-generated solution. Swift reminds her that he can legally get Majestic in a month, once her note is due...
To eliminate Jensen's last hope of earning, Swift orders Sam to target David....
Jensen talks to David about what he might face on the road; David does not seem to be too bothered by it, only for Jensen to reply--
Jensen: "Excuse me for saying so, hon, but you're still green..."
David smiles at Jensen's unknowing dual reference to his other half, but needs the job enough to endure the kind of people he might encounter. Days later, David drives Jean--a pregnant woman--to the hospital, but needs to refuel, lest they go empty on the expressway, but fails to notice Swift's bone-breaker Sam tailing them. Without warning, Sam rear-ends and side-swipes the cab, sending it spinning across railroad tracks, then speeds away. Shaken, but undeterred, David races to gas station--only to run smack into long gas lines. David moves from car to car, begging on behalf of his passenger for the next spot to a pump, only getting hostile, dismissive responses. As Jean's experiences contractions, David calls Jensen for help (asking for an ambulance), but the situation grows critical thanks to the gas station now sold out of its daily allotment.
Sam locates the cab, waiting to make his next move.
David pleads with the station attendant (pointing to Jean) but has a door slammed on his fingers, then pushed to the ground...triggering a Hulk-out. The Hulk tears his way through the garage (Sam watching nearby), but runs to the cab as he hears the cries of Jean's newborn baby--just as the ambulance arrives. The Hulk runs off.
The next day, David tries (unsuccessfully) to tell Jensen why he has to leave; Jensen almost assumes he's quitting because of the loan sharks, but (once again) spins it all in the direction of the "mugger" story. Frustrated, Jensen takes this opportunity to fill Banner in on her story--
Jensen: "Personal matters. I don't have time for personal matters. My dad died and left me Majestic and a whole stack of bills. Nearest thing to a marriage I've known. Let me tell you, Majestic is one lousy provider, but it is mine."
Jensen suffers yet another angina attack; her doctor told her to avoid stress, but under current conditions, that is easier said than done..however, it is enough for David--against his instinct for self preservation--to stay on as a driver...for a couple of days.
At Swift's HQ, his henchmen measure out bags of cocaine, while Swift is not ready to believe Sam's story about seeing a "huge green creature," but orders him to finish David off. Sam follows David's cab to a hotel, where Banner quickly disguises himself (with sunglasses & a Majestic cap) when his fare turns out to be Jack McGee needing a ride to the Hulk-ravaged gas station. Steeling himself for the trip, David heads out, but sells his "regular guy cabbie" act to the hilt--
McGee: "Any of your boys out around that station, this morning?"
David: "Don't know."
McGee: "Did you hear what happened?"
David: "No."
McGee: "The Hulk showed up! Busted up the station!"
David: "Hulk?"
McGee: "Yeah, the Hulk! He's a big, green man--more like a creature--very strong!"
David: "Oh, yeah, yeah, I think I heard something about that."
McGee: "My name is McGee. I'm a reporter. Have you been with Majestic for long?"
David: "Couple of years."
McGee: "Got any new guys around there?"
David: "Ah, it's a big company...w-what...uh..what are you doing? Running an article on cabbies or something?"
McGee: "Yeah, well...uh, I might be, maybe--why?"
David: "W-why don't you write it about me--my wife would get a big kick out of it!"
McGee: "Well, I don't think you exactly fit my needs."
David: "Well, how come? I've been driving a hack a long time--and know the ins and outs!"
McGee: "Sorry."
David: "You're positive, now? I don't like talking about myself--would you like hearing about when I was a kid?"
McGee: "Not really. Yeah, but thanks. Thanks, anyway."
David: "Okay, you know...my wife--she woulda liked that."
Sam intercepts the cab--and tries to run headlong into the driver's end, but David speeds out of the way, forcing the exposed Sam to take off--for the moment. McGee makes it to the gas station, where the attendant's first concern is the Register's reward; he identifies the cab driver he believed transformed into the Hulk as...David. Overhearing that, David drives off, leaving McGee utterly speechless at the idea he was within arm's reach of the elusive John Doe.
Back at Swift's HQ, Sam makes yet more excuses for failing to kill David, but Swift is no longer interested in Sam's stories, or use as a henchman--particularly with his drug deal promising bigger things. The rejected Sam works himself up in a frenzy, determined to kill David.
Speaking of David, the man on the run is packed and ready to run; expecting McGee to track him down to Majestic, he asks Jensen to tell him as little as possible. As David stresses his need to leave, Jensen has another angina attack, but drops her tablets. Inspecting the pills, David not only concludes that they are simply saccharine tablets...but Jensen's angina is a sham--used whenever she's in an uncomfortable stuation. Jensen owns up to her game, her lies and the trouble she's facing. David accepts her situation, but cannot stick around. As he leaving, Sam knocks Banner out--the attack witnessed by McGee, now running toward Majestic; Jensen also sees the attack, tells McGee to call the police as she drives off in hot pursuit of Sam's car. Instead of following her request, McGee hops in another cab and joins the chase.
At a quarry site, Swift meets with his clients--understandably concerned about the security of the location; Sam drives to the quarry, hoping to redeem himself in the eyes of Swift, but only angers his boss. Ordered to get rid of David, Sam dumps his body in a rock grinder--its force pulling the now conscious--and triggered David under. While solid boulders are turned to shattered pieces, the machine cannot harm the Hulk. The creature escapes, attacking Sam. Meanwhile, Jensen (and McGee) reach the quarry--Jensen is nearly taken to the grinder, but is saved by the Hulk, who takes down the rest of Swift's crew.
McGee tries to sneak up on the Hulk...preparing to hit him in the head with a sledgehammer, but the creature turns on the reporter, staring at him with a look pretty much saying, "try it." McGee nervously tosses the sledgehammer away, impotently watching the Hulk escape again.
Back at Majestic, McGee tries and fails to grill Jensen about the identity of John Doe. After McGee leaves, David comes out of hiding, wishing Jensen well--and she should be: with Swift losing the cocaine, he's in serious trouble with the so-called syndicate, leaving Jensen free to get her business in the black again.
NOTES:
This is not a cure-related episode.
Self-interested McGee tries to hit the Hulk in the head with a sledgehammer. It matters not if McGee knows the Hulk is super-powered--the act of hitting any living creature with a sledgehammer is nothing less than an extremely violent, potentially deadly act. Yes, he would rather capture the Hulk alive (to exploit him as The Register would with--as he put it--the "King Kong sideshow"), but he could not know what kind of physical damage a sledgehammer would cause. Far from the anti-hero as some have argued.
Timely reference: Jensen mentions the second American gas crisis of 1979 (the first of the decade started in 1973), triggered by the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which (fair or not) was one of the finishing nails in the coffin of Jimmy Carter's presidency.
The aerial shot of a backed up gas station was repurposed news footage of one of the 1973 gas lines.
David tells the pregnant woman he would like to refuel before continuing, but from the rear window (over the woman's shoulder) a 76 gas station is seen in the distance. I guess David did not like their brand of unleaded? Long lines at the pump?
When David is putting on McGee, he says he's been "driving a hack"; the word "hack" is usually a slang for the taxi driver, not the vehicle.
I'm not sure where the episode is set, but the scenes of David driving McGee are clearly taking place on West Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank, California. Forever a cost-cutting location for endless Universal productions.
McGee benefited from plot convenience by finding a cab with the keys in the ignition. Most in-service vehicles have their keys returned to the office.
GUEST CAST:
It goes without posting (but I will) that Esther Rolle (Colleen Jensen) is best known for her role as the matriarch of the Evans family from the astoundingly offensive Good Times (CBS, 1974-79). After leaving Norman Lear's "relevant" exercise in race humor, Rolle's fantasy credits (aside from TIH) were limited to two productions--
David is hired by Coleen Jensen--owner of the Majestic Cab company; David mentions that his license is from another state, but Collen is not concerned. She eagerly accepts his legal shortcomings due to her need for drivers (let go due the effects of the gas crisis), especially drivers who can read a map (her mechanic Eric has trouble knowing how to tell north from south on a map). Jensen suddenly suffers from an attack of angina, but takes some kind of medication (probably an anti-hypertensive drug), refusing to rest.
Soon, David begins working as Majestic's lone driver--catching the attention of a loan shark/drug dealer Jensen is indebted to named Swift. Jensen owes Swift enough that he's using the debt to force her to hand over Majestic; Jensen argues that she's been slow to pay off the debt because she cannot earn when they continue to frighten her drivers away, making Swift both the self-generated problem and equally self-generated solution. Swift reminds her that he can legally get Majestic in a month, once her note is due...
To eliminate Jensen's last hope of earning, Swift orders Sam to target David....
Jensen talks to David about what he might face on the road; David does not seem to be too bothered by it, only for Jensen to reply--
Jensen: "Excuse me for saying so, hon, but you're still green..."
David smiles at Jensen's unknowing dual reference to his other half, but needs the job enough to endure the kind of people he might encounter. Days later, David drives Jean--a pregnant woman--to the hospital, but needs to refuel, lest they go empty on the expressway, but fails to notice Swift's bone-breaker Sam tailing them. Without warning, Sam rear-ends and side-swipes the cab, sending it spinning across railroad tracks, then speeds away. Shaken, but undeterred, David races to gas station--only to run smack into long gas lines. David moves from car to car, begging on behalf of his passenger for the next spot to a pump, only getting hostile, dismissive responses. As Jean's experiences contractions, David calls Jensen for help (asking for an ambulance), but the situation grows critical thanks to the gas station now sold out of its daily allotment.
Sam locates the cab, waiting to make his next move.
David pleads with the station attendant (pointing to Jean) but has a door slammed on his fingers, then pushed to the ground...triggering a Hulk-out. The Hulk tears his way through the garage (Sam watching nearby), but runs to the cab as he hears the cries of Jean's newborn baby--just as the ambulance arrives. The Hulk runs off.
The next day, David tries (unsuccessfully) to tell Jensen why he has to leave; Jensen almost assumes he's quitting because of the loan sharks, but (once again) spins it all in the direction of the "mugger" story. Frustrated, Jensen takes this opportunity to fill Banner in on her story--
Jensen: "Personal matters. I don't have time for personal matters. My dad died and left me Majestic and a whole stack of bills. Nearest thing to a marriage I've known. Let me tell you, Majestic is one lousy provider, but it is mine."
Jensen suffers yet another angina attack; her doctor told her to avoid stress, but under current conditions, that is easier said than done..however, it is enough for David--against his instinct for self preservation--to stay on as a driver...for a couple of days.
At Swift's HQ, his henchmen measure out bags of cocaine, while Swift is not ready to believe Sam's story about seeing a "huge green creature," but orders him to finish David off. Sam follows David's cab to a hotel, where Banner quickly disguises himself (with sunglasses & a Majestic cap) when his fare turns out to be Jack McGee needing a ride to the Hulk-ravaged gas station. Steeling himself for the trip, David heads out, but sells his "regular guy cabbie" act to the hilt--
McGee: "Any of your boys out around that station, this morning?"
David: "Don't know."
McGee: "Did you hear what happened?"
David: "No."
McGee: "The Hulk showed up! Busted up the station!"
David: "Hulk?"
McGee: "Yeah, the Hulk! He's a big, green man--more like a creature--very strong!"
David: "Oh, yeah, yeah, I think I heard something about that."
McGee: "My name is McGee. I'm a reporter. Have you been with Majestic for long?"
David: "Couple of years."
McGee: "Got any new guys around there?"
David: "Ah, it's a big company...w-what...uh..what are you doing? Running an article on cabbies or something?"
McGee: "Yeah, well...uh, I might be, maybe--why?"
David: "W-why don't you write it about me--my wife would get a big kick out of it!"
McGee: "Well, I don't think you exactly fit my needs."
David: "Well, how come? I've been driving a hack a long time--and know the ins and outs!"
McGee: "Sorry."
David: "You're positive, now? I don't like talking about myself--would you like hearing about when I was a kid?"
McGee: "Not really. Yeah, but thanks. Thanks, anyway."
David: "Okay, you know...my wife--she woulda liked that."
Sam intercepts the cab--and tries to run headlong into the driver's end, but David speeds out of the way, forcing the exposed Sam to take off--for the moment. McGee makes it to the gas station, where the attendant's first concern is the Register's reward; he identifies the cab driver he believed transformed into the Hulk as...David. Overhearing that, David drives off, leaving McGee utterly speechless at the idea he was within arm's reach of the elusive John Doe.
Back at Swift's HQ, Sam makes yet more excuses for failing to kill David, but Swift is no longer interested in Sam's stories, or use as a henchman--particularly with his drug deal promising bigger things. The rejected Sam works himself up in a frenzy, determined to kill David.
Speaking of David, the man on the run is packed and ready to run; expecting McGee to track him down to Majestic, he asks Jensen to tell him as little as possible. As David stresses his need to leave, Jensen has another angina attack, but drops her tablets. Inspecting the pills, David not only concludes that they are simply saccharine tablets...but Jensen's angina is a sham--used whenever she's in an uncomfortable stuation. Jensen owns up to her game, her lies and the trouble she's facing. David accepts her situation, but cannot stick around. As he leaving, Sam knocks Banner out--the attack witnessed by McGee, now running toward Majestic; Jensen also sees the attack, tells McGee to call the police as she drives off in hot pursuit of Sam's car. Instead of following her request, McGee hops in another cab and joins the chase.
At a quarry site, Swift meets with his clients--understandably concerned about the security of the location; Sam drives to the quarry, hoping to redeem himself in the eyes of Swift, but only angers his boss. Ordered to get rid of David, Sam dumps his body in a rock grinder--its force pulling the now conscious--and triggered David under. While solid boulders are turned to shattered pieces, the machine cannot harm the Hulk. The creature escapes, attacking Sam. Meanwhile, Jensen (and McGee) reach the quarry--Jensen is nearly taken to the grinder, but is saved by the Hulk, who takes down the rest of Swift's crew.
McGee tries to sneak up on the Hulk...preparing to hit him in the head with a sledgehammer, but the creature turns on the reporter, staring at him with a look pretty much saying, "try it." McGee nervously tosses the sledgehammer away, impotently watching the Hulk escape again.
Back at Majestic, McGee tries and fails to grill Jensen about the identity of John Doe. After McGee leaves, David comes out of hiding, wishing Jensen well--and she should be: with Swift losing the cocaine, he's in serious trouble with the so-called syndicate, leaving Jensen free to get her business in the black again.
NOTES:
This is not a cure-related episode.
Self-interested McGee tries to hit the Hulk in the head with a sledgehammer. It matters not if McGee knows the Hulk is super-powered--the act of hitting any living creature with a sledgehammer is nothing less than an extremely violent, potentially deadly act. Yes, he would rather capture the Hulk alive (to exploit him as The Register would with--as he put it--the "King Kong sideshow"), but he could not know what kind of physical damage a sledgehammer would cause. Far from the anti-hero as some have argued.
Timely reference: Jensen mentions the second American gas crisis of 1979 (the first of the decade started in 1973), triggered by the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which (fair or not) was one of the finishing nails in the coffin of Jimmy Carter's presidency.
The aerial shot of a backed up gas station was repurposed news footage of one of the 1973 gas lines.
David tells the pregnant woman he would like to refuel before continuing, but from the rear window (over the woman's shoulder) a 76 gas station is seen in the distance. I guess David did not like their brand of unleaded? Long lines at the pump?
When David is putting on McGee, he says he's been "driving a hack"; the word "hack" is usually a slang for the taxi driver, not the vehicle.
I'm not sure where the episode is set, but the scenes of David driving McGee are clearly taking place on West Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank, California. Forever a cost-cutting location for endless Universal productions.
McGee benefited from plot convenience by finding a cab with the keys in the ignition. Most in-service vehicles have their keys returned to the office.
GUEST CAST:
It goes without posting (but I will) that Esther Rolle (Colleen Jensen) is best known for her role as the matriarch of the Evans family from the astoundingly offensive Good Times (CBS, 1974-79). After leaving Norman Lear's "relevant" exercise in race humor, Rolle's fantasy credits (aside from TIH) were limited to two productions--
- Darkroom (ABC, 1981) - "Needlepoint"
- Poltergeist: The Legacy (Showtime, 1998) - "La Belle Dame Sans Merci"
- Rod Serling's Night Gallery (NBC, 1971) - "The Dark Boy"
- The Sixth Sense (ABC, 1972) - "I Did Not Mean to Slay Thee"
- Wonder Woman (CBS, 1978) - "My Teenage Idol Is Missing"
- The Greatest American Hero (ABC, 1982) - "Dreams"
- Whiz Kids (CBS, 1984) - "Watch Out!"
- The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (NBC, 1967) - "The High and the Deadly Affair"
- Stowaway to the Moon (CBS, 1975)
- The Invisible Man (NBC, 1975) - "The Invisible Man" - pilot
- Time Travelers (ABC, 1976) - Irwin Allen TV movie
- Day of the Animals (Multicom Entertainment Group, 1977)
- Capricorn One (Warner Brothers, 1977)
- The Manitou (Avco Embassy, 1978)
- Kiss Daddy Goodbye (Pendragon Film, 1981)
- The Greatest American Hero (ABC, 1982) - "Who's Woo in America"
- Tales from the Darkside (Syndicated, 1986) - "Dream Girl"
- Interceptor (Trimark Pictures, 1992)
- Asteroid (NBC, 1997)
- Moon of the Wolf (ABC, 1972)
- Mako: The Jaws of Death (Cannon Films, 1976)
- The Shadow of Chikara (Embassy, 1977)
- The Sword and the Sorcerer (Group 1 International, 1982)
- Trancers II (Full Moon Pictures, 1991)
- Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (Universal, 1994)
- Carnosaur II (New Horizon, 1995)
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Syndicated, 1998) - "Honor Among Thieves"
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC, 1975) - "Demon in Lace"
- The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC, 1975) - "The Bionic Woman: Part 2"
- The Howling (Avco Embassy, 1981)
Ah, I was wondering about the location, but hadn't caught the Newark map. I was guessing Los Angeles since it looked like L.A. and they were using their "big city" music.
Yes, Esther Rolle managed to make the character endearing despite deceptively getting David into a dangerous situation and faking her medical condition.
A truly classic close call scene. I thought David did a good con job despite the voice thing. (Hero characters who got away with not bothering to disguise their voices was pretty standard in superhero TV up to that point...Bixby's just asking for the same suspension of disbelief that George Reeves, Adam West, and Lynda Carter enjoyed.) And the John Doe angle is in full play as McGee tries to identify the cabbie who was involved in the Hulk incident, only to discover that it was his own driver as David speeds away.
It was surprising that he didn't change while the car was being bashed up with the pregnant woman in the back...the show has established that the Hulk can safely operate a motor vehicle (and land a jumbo jet).
I have to imagine it was forged. He had no specified surname this episode, but I can't imagine he'd risk using David Banner's driver's license.
-30:33...not much earlier than the overall series average to date, but the earliest so far this season.
I had to wonder what that was about, Sam lurking around during the entire Hulk incident. He didn't make the John Doe connection despite David changing out in the open across the street from him while he watched...I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that David was obscured from view at that point, and thus the "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" rule was in effect. And the first Hulk-Out doesn't actually accomplish anything even for the immediate situation....The woman gives birth alone in the back of the cab (to a strangely clean-looking baby, despite nobody having brought her the requisite hot water).
David's Undercover Doctor status being used to comical effect for once. (There was also a UD angle last episode, though I neglected to mention it.)
McGee's all over this episode...being put to good use for a change. It definitely seems to help the story when McGee's more integrated in it...even helping to better integrate obligatory Hulk-Outs that otherwise don't serve much purpose.
(And it's oh-so-convenient that Colleen doesn't mention David by name on the cab radio....)
-08:12--also the earliest for this season so far, and more noteworthily on the early side overall. It's a sort of comedy of errors, with the stupid hood counterproductively going after David when David is trying to leave the cab company, followed by the boss ordering him to kill David when David's unconscious and hasn't seen anything of the drug operation. And David being taken to a quarry to be buried...seems like we've seen this before, though the situation is more colorful this time, with the Hulk wrecking things in broad daylight, and the shot of him lying calmly on the conveyor belt after the transformation.
A good comic beat...and McGee evidently knows that the Hulk isn't dangerous if he's not threatened.
Yet McGee conveniently doesn't seem to have told Colleen that the guy he was so interested in turns into the Hulk.
And once again the generic peacoat Lonely Man scene clashes with the shirt-sleeve weather that David was enjoying throughout the rest of the episode.
Your outspoken dislike for Norman Lear productions aside, it's also worth noting that her character on that show was spun off from Maude.
I'm several episodes past this one, but I've fallen behind in my attempt to binge the show the past few days...I have to get some more episodes watched....
I'm already up to season 4.
Rub it in why dontcha!?!
No, I probably didn't make it that far. Which is just as well, because Chic is the poster child for the Disco Apocalypse.Surely you at least recognize the sampling of Chic's "Good Times."
Interesting. Can't wait.
Yeah! I saw that in their email yesterday. I've got the DVD set, of course-- this is one of my all-time favorite shows-- but I'm so happy that it will be on the air for people to see again. Maybe we'll get some new fans.
Well, Burbank, though that's not the location in-story.
It was a stupid move--crying wolf is one of the most self-destructive games anyone could play. What if she really suffered a heart attack around someone who knows she's a fake? That moment of doubt could prevent attention, and lead to death.
Unlike Clark, Bruce and Diana, Banner's voice not being recognized has the distance of time on his side, since McGee has not heard a complete sentence from the man he (briefly) knew as Banner in two-plus years. McGee would not recognize the voice in the way Commissioner Gordon should be able to match Batman & Wayne, due to constant contact with both.
[Darth Sidious Voice]Heh-heh-heh...could you taste his failure?[/Darth Sidious Voice]
He was caught off guard; usually, his triggers are more the result of direct awareness of a threat, emotional event, sadness, etc., than a sudden event.
Probably. Season one's "Earthquakes Happen" established Banner not being afraid of using false identification when necessary.
Yep--this was one case where Providence did not need to smile on Dr. David Banner in order to protect his identity.
Movies and TV have a long traditon of delivering not only clean babies, but babies that are several months past delivery age...a blink and accept it situation.
That's hit and miss. For example, "Married" was one of the high points of the series--effective in more ways than one can count, and McGee was barely in the episode at all.
...and yet his desperation to catch King Kong had him seconds away from trying to bash the creature's skull in.
...although McGee was wearing an overcoat, and Jensen mentioned the cold weather toward the episode's conclusion.
...and Maude & The Jeffersons from All in the Family, and...ah, Hell. Someone just yell "Dy-No-Miiiittte!!!" to end all Lear references from this point forward!
It would do the series a good service if MeTV aired the two movies that started it all, but I doubt that's happening.
You're right--it was not as good as the novel. Universal's Inner Sanctum series was better in intent than execution; the radio series was an innovative classic of its kind, but the movies only had the promise of then-horror kings Universal behind it...yet failed to live up to the source.
At least it gave Lon Chaney jr. another horror series all to himself.
Ah yes...I'd forgotten about that. Maybe sometime between the pilots and series proper, David learned some tricks of the trade from an identity-forging guru.
Sure, but at least they usually have the requisite line where somebody's sent to fetch hot water to help explain it.
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Land of the Giants: "The Bounty Hunter": Kind of a misnamed episode, since the wanted posters were barely a plot point and the titular hunter was just some random camper. Anyway, it feels like another early one, with the gang's relationships still tentative and the chain of command not established -- although it's late enough in production that the giants are speaking and writing English. The debate between Steve and Mark over taking and using the giant's gun is an interesting source of tension, and I like it that compassion wins out in the end. And it's interesting to see Valerie showing a more devious and manipulative side, making a change from Fitzhugh always being the troublemaker. Although, for someone who's supposed to be a devious criminal, Fitzhugh should be better at avoiding a tail than he was shown to be here.
The Time Tunnel: "The Night of the Long Knives": This is a bizarre one, since it's using the name of a historical purge from 1934 Nazi Germany and applying it to an imaginary tribal uprising in 1886 India and Afghanistan. Not to mention giving the supposedly Pashtun (?) tribal leader a Sikh surname, though that kind of confusion is only to be expected from '60s TV. And it has the time travelers meet Rudyard Kipling and then doesn't do much with the idea, beyond Tony and Doug being concerned about saving a famous guy from history, even though they know history is immutable so he'll survive no matter what they do. Plus it's amusing the convolutions the script goes to in order to put characters in the right uniforms to match the stock footage (from the Tyrone Power film King of the Khyber Rifles). And I think it's the first time we've seen Tony and Doug fade out without having their normal clothes magically return first, but of course they're still back in their usual duds in the vortex.
Meanwhile, the Tic-Toc gang are stuck with being unable to make contact for reasons that are never explained, and Jerry faces no consequences (or followup of any kind) for defying orders and risking the destruction of the Tunnel to renew contact. The most interesting parts are the nifty mountain/desert location they shot in and the really good incidental music (apparently by Herman Stein) accompanying the first big battle sequence.
Planet of the Apes: "Up Above the World So High": This is the final episode of the series's short run, and it's one of the few I remember much about, because the image of Galen in the hang glider is so distinctive -- although what stands out the most for me is that it's our best look at the fakey shoes the ape actors wore to simulate ape feet. Anyway, I'd completely forgotten the part about the chimp-supremacist (oh, sorry, they call it "alt-primate" now) scientist hoping to bomb the orang-gorilla power structure from the air. All in all, it's a pretty weird premise for this show -- how did a human ever get to the point of being able to develop anything close to gliding technology in this world where they've never even invented glue? If he actually had found the knowledge in old books, that I could buy, but it was implied he'd somehow figured it all out on his own with no resources or support. And yet he was treated by Virdon and Burke as a clumsy fool, rather than the supergenius he'd have to be to get even remotely close to flight in this primitive society. All in all, not great. I also wasn't too fond of Joanna Barnes's performance as Carsia, though since she turned out evil, I guess she wasn't supposed to be that appealing. She did have nice eyes, at least.
So anyway, that's the end for this series. Apparently MeTV is just starting over with the premiere next week -- I wonder how long they'll keep looping through these same 14 episodes before they replace the show with something else.
The Time Tunnel: "The Night of the Long Knives": This is a bizarre one, since it's using the name of a historical purge from 1934 Nazi Germany and applying it to an imaginary tribal uprising in 1886 India and Afghanistan. Not to mention giving the supposedly Pashtun (?) tribal leader a Sikh surname, though that kind of confusion is only to be expected from '60s TV. And it has the time travelers meet Rudyard Kipling and then doesn't do much with the idea, beyond Tony and Doug being concerned about saving a famous guy from history, even though they know history is immutable so he'll survive no matter what they do. Plus it's amusing the convolutions the script goes to in order to put characters in the right uniforms to match the stock footage (from the Tyrone Power film King of the Khyber Rifles). And I think it's the first time we've seen Tony and Doug fade out without having their normal clothes magically return first, but of course they're still back in their usual duds in the vortex.
Meanwhile, the Tic-Toc gang are stuck with being unable to make contact for reasons that are never explained, and Jerry faces no consequences (or followup of any kind) for defying orders and risking the destruction of the Tunnel to renew contact. The most interesting parts are the nifty mountain/desert location they shot in and the really good incidental music (apparently by Herman Stein) accompanying the first big battle sequence.
Planet of the Apes: "Up Above the World So High": This is the final episode of the series's short run, and it's one of the few I remember much about, because the image of Galen in the hang glider is so distinctive -- although what stands out the most for me is that it's our best look at the fakey shoes the ape actors wore to simulate ape feet. Anyway, I'd completely forgotten the part about the chimp-supremacist (oh, sorry, they call it "alt-primate" now) scientist hoping to bomb the orang-gorilla power structure from the air. All in all, it's a pretty weird premise for this show -- how did a human ever get to the point of being able to develop anything close to gliding technology in this world where they've never even invented glue? If he actually had found the knowledge in old books, that I could buy, but it was implied he'd somehow figured it all out on his own with no resources or support. And yet he was treated by Virdon and Burke as a clumsy fool, rather than the supergenius he'd have to be to get even remotely close to flight in this primitive society. All in all, not great. I also wasn't too fond of Joanna Barnes's performance as Carsia, though since she turned out evil, I guess she wasn't supposed to be that appealing. She did have nice eyes, at least.
So anyway, that's the end for this series. Apparently MeTV is just starting over with the premiere next week -- I wonder how long they'll keep looping through these same 14 episodes before they replace the show with something else.
And I'm sure he enjoyed starring in a Universal series that didn't involve long, grueling make-up sessions.
"Wait. I just have to wear a suit and tie . . .?"
Land of the Giants
"The Bounty Hunter"--
The threat of earth invaders sparking an official hunt was the natural progression leading up to the Kobick / SID period. At this point, Mark's disrespect for the leadership of Steve (and Dan as seen in "Underground") continues as a boiling issue. In fact, unlike Lost in Space, where John Robinson & Don West's differences (regarding survival) vanished early in the 1st season, Steve and Mark bumped heads/fought well into season two. Their difference of morals and procedure added a necessary edge to the survivors' struggle, instead of the "get along/we here for the ride" dynamic of LIS.
Despite Mark's hot-headed desire to use the gun, Steve's logical check list cut the legs out from under all of Mark's revenge-fueled reasoning--and not because of a "I'm the leader--that's why" kind of script not uncommon to TV past and present.
About the number of earth flights ending up on the giant planet: it should not be seen as unusual. LOTG never established that the "warp" or gateway responsible for transporting ships there was rare. In fact, Murray Leinster's expanded novelization of the pilot (based on the original scripts) reveals that two earth ships (the Marintha & the Anne) crashed on the giants' world before the Spindrift. Additionally, the novel introduces a female castaway who joins the Spindrift crew. The point being that the idea of other earth ships/castaways stranded on that world--and the heroes being aware of a few (e.g.,"The Weird World" & "The Golden Cage") was intended from the start.
"The Bounty Hunter"--
The threat of earth invaders sparking an official hunt was the natural progression leading up to the Kobick / SID period. At this point, Mark's disrespect for the leadership of Steve (and Dan as seen in "Underground") continues as a boiling issue. In fact, unlike Lost in Space, where John Robinson & Don West's differences (regarding survival) vanished early in the 1st season, Steve and Mark bumped heads/fought well into season two. Their difference of morals and procedure added a necessary edge to the survivors' struggle, instead of the "get along/we here for the ride" dynamic of LIS.
Despite Mark's hot-headed desire to use the gun, Steve's logical check list cut the legs out from under all of Mark's revenge-fueled reasoning--and not because of a "I'm the leader--that's why" kind of script not uncommon to TV past and present.
About the number of earth flights ending up on the giant planet: it should not be seen as unusual. LOTG never established that the "warp" or gateway responsible for transporting ships there was rare. In fact, Murray Leinster's expanded novelization of the pilot (based on the original scripts) reveals that two earth ships (the Marintha & the Anne) crashed on the giants' world before the Spindrift. Additionally, the novel introduces a female castaway who joins the Spindrift crew. The point being that the idea of other earth ships/castaways stranded on that world--and the heroes being aware of a few (e.g.,"The Weird World" & "The Golden Cage") was intended from the start.
Touching upon "Metamorphosis" again...it seems that handling electricity-generating stage equipment won't harm a rock star, and can actually be useful in driving back your hordes of zombie fans....
http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/what...ng-to-right-now.122812/page-588#post-11855597
http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/what...ng-to-right-now.122812/page-588#post-11855597
This was one of the only episodes where contact with Tony & Doug was lost for nearly the entire episode. As for Jerry defying orders, but being successful in his efforts and facing no consequences, well, this was to be his very last episode, so it can be interpreted that he was shown the door (elevator?, hatch in the sand?). Actually, Irwin Allen was told to cut budgets so his character was eliminated from this point forward.
This was also one of few episodes to feature actual location shooting, utilizing the Lone Pine area north of Los Angeles.
I'm not interested in whether fan rationalizations can be concocted after the fact, because they always can. I'm addressing the quality of the creative process, and it's poor writing to have no explanation for the loss of contact and no onscreen followup of Jerry's defiance of orders. It's a failure of story structure to have setup and no payoff. It could be that a scene was written and shot but cut out in editing, but that's still a weakness in the final episode.
