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50th Anniversary Viewing
(Part 1)
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The Ed Sullivan Show
Season 21, episode 21
Originally aired March 9, 1969
As represented in
The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show
Ed said:
Now ladies and gentlemen, here's the girl whose "Harper Valley PTA" record has been nominated for the Grammy Award as best of the year. Jeannie also is nominated as the greatest new artist. So ladies and gentlemen, here from Anson, Texas, Jeannie C. Riley.
Ed seems very proud of himself that he got all that straight. Jeannie does a really brief bit of her hit song from last year, followed by an introduction to her new single, which she's sensibly here to promote....
Jeannie said:
I want to thank you for helping to make "Harper Valley PTA" such a big success; and now here is a new song that I hope you'll like.
The new song, "There Never Was a Time" (charts May 29, 1969; #77 US; #5 Country), looks back fondly on a life of poverty in rural America, with the refrain "but there never was a time we didn't love". It's a nice sentiment, but I can see why it wasn't a crossover success. I couldn't find a clip of the performance, but here's the studio recording:
Also in the original episode according to tv.com:
Music:
--Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Proud Mary" & "Good Golly Miss Molly."
--The Association - "Goodbye Columbus."
--Carol Lawrence - "Startime."
Comedy:
--Norm Crosby (comedian)
--Will Jordan (comedian, does celebrity impressions)
Also appearing:
--Mickey Mantle - is interviewed by Ed, who asks about Mantle's plans to retire from baseball.
--Greg Morris (actor, from "Mission Impossible") - sings and recites "For Once In My Life."
--Valente & Valente (juggling team)
--The American Legion Drill Team from Chicago.
--Audience bows: Pierre Gallent (author), John Gary (singer).
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Mission: Impossible
"The Bunker: Part 2"
Originally aired March 9, 1969
Wiki said:
In the conclusion of the previous episode, the IMF must rescue the scientist (Milton Selzer) and his wife (Lee Meriwether) before another nation's master of disguise can assassinate him.
After the Customary Long-Ass Recap, Willy makes it up the chimney with Mrs. R--no, that's not supposed to be a crude metaphor--then covers her with a tarp and resumes his Undercover Painter role. Meanwhile, Fake Mrs. R (Cin), is brought to the Titular Secure Underground Facility so that Col. Z can threaten her in front of her Not Husband. Major Jim intervenes, suggesting that she be allowed to visit with Dr. R. He realizes she's not his wife instantly, but she manages to keep him from spilling the beans while whispering instructions to him in her normal voice.
Back From a Hard Day of Pretending to Paint Willy takes Real Mrs. R into the back of Barney's van--no, still not trying to suggest anything--and Barney puts his Remote Control UFO--having just been loaded with a freshly mixed hypodermic by Major Jim--into action, tracking its progress via lights on vertical and horizontal maps of the complex, as demonstrated in last week's briefing. I could say something about how Mrs. R watches with intense interest as he demonstrates his skill in navigating shafts despite some performance issues, but that might be pushing it. Anyway, the UFO gets to Dr. R with its payload, which includes an instruction note telling him to inject himself with it and that it will simulate the symptoms of a heart attack. Y'know, it's a good thing that Jim and Cin aren't the Rival Power assassins, because he'd be a goner. He follows the instructions, and this is where Rollin's briefly established heart surgeon cover comes into the picture.
But Fake Captain Praedo--who really is Rival Power Assassin, for those who missed the Customary Long-Ass Recap--gets Dr. Rollin alone, knocks him out, and once again we're treated to the novelty of somebody else disguising himself as Rollin. Extra-Fake Dr. Rollin returns to Dr. Rojak (gotta switch to his full surname now) and silently starts to prepare a hypodermic. Major Jim takes him aside to ask him why he isn't on script, and we get treated to a VERY nifty "unforeseen kink in the plan" moment when both simultaneously realize that the other isn't who he appears to be. A struggle ensues, Major Jim starts to pull off Ventlos's Rollin mask, and Ventlos shoots his way to the control panel bearing the winner of the Least Convincing Gellerese Signage Award:
FÜEL MIX
DÄNJER
Ventlos is taken down, but not before he's changed the setting to Blow Up Real Good in Minutes...which is just fine, as we have less than 10 left at this point. Titular Secure Underground Facility evacuation commences, and the IMF team members--including a conveniently revived Real Fake Dr. Rollin--make off with Dr. Rojak in the confusion, aided by Major Jim performing a TV Fu Chop on Col. Z--a move that this show doesn't lean on as much as some. After a tensely slow elevator ride, they make it to
GRUND LEVÜL and escape from Titular Secure Underground Facility in the nick of time...leaving Col. Z and Whiny Enemy Power Scientist Who Was Desperate for Rojak's Respect and Wasn't Really Worth Mentioning Until Now (George Sperdakos) to their fiery, explosive deaths. Dr. and Mrs. Rojak are reunited in the back of Willy and Barney's ambulance van.
This two-parter was the show in good form. It didn't feel too padded, and the second part in particular moved along with a pretty good pace. It could have been trimmed down to a single episode, but the Ventlos angle likely would have been the first thing they dropped, and that turned out to be the best part!
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The Avengers
"Pandora"
Originally aired March 10, 1969 (US); April 30, 1969 (UK)
Wiki said:
Tara is kidnapped by two brothers, who drug her and seek to brainwash her into believing that she is Pandora, a young woman she closely resembles, who was once engaged to their elderly father—a retired spy, codenamed the Fierce Rabbit. He had been a British agent in the First World War, and Tara has to be convinced that she is now living in the year 1915.
The two brothers are actually the elderly spy's nephews, and one of them, Rupert, is Julian Glover. The other brother, Henry (James Cossins), turns out to be the Controller in charge of the agency's files. These guys had an obsession with 54 years ago...I can relate to that. They're drugging Tara, but she seems to be playing along after a point--though there's never a big reveal moment in this area--keeping enough of her wits to investigate the situation a bit. It turns out that they're keeping the old man upstairs, and passing Tara off as his old fiancee is a ruse to trick him into telling them where the original Pandora's immense dowry is. When the old man reveals that it's hidden behind his portrait of Pandora and Rupert doesn't find anything obvious immediately, he destroys the portrait, only to learn that the treasure was a priceless Rembrandt concealed by the portrait.
Mother objects to being dragged from his "headquarters" (as if he had just one) to meet Steed at Tara's apartment following her abduction. Later when he goes to Steed's apartment, Steed asks, "What's happened, the balloon's sprung a leak?" At one point the bad guys burn up Tara's car with a female skeleton inside. Mother falls for it, showing how much he and his people know about forensics.
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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 2, episode 23
Originally aired March 10, 1969
The Wiki list of guest appearances said:
James Drury, Werner Klemperer, James Garner, Gina Lollobrigida, Doug McClure, Connie Stevens, Flip Wilson
Unintentionally on-the-nose News from 1989:
There was dancing in the streets today as East Germany finally tore down the Berlin Wall. The joy was short-lived, however, as the wall was quickly replaced with a moat full of alligators.
The Mod, Mod World of Senior Citizens:
Note an allusion to "When I'm Sixty-Four" in the song.
I wasn't able to find much in the way of clips for this episode, but I stumbled across the News segment from the Feb. 10 episode with Davy Jones:
And that's why I have so much trouble finding these things sometimes. They named the entire segment after one brief gag in it.
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You can never have too much Jack.
Years back I saw a page of his most bizarre creations, largely really weird, obscure stuff from his later years, that would make an argument against that. I wasn't able to dig up a definite match--there are similar pages out there, but the ones I found tended to focus more on his major Marvel/DC contributions than the one I recall seeing.
I knew that Fleetwood Mac had been around since the 60s and that Stevie didn't join until the 70s, but it was still kind of jarring to see that name in this context.
Mick Fleetwood and John McVie are there...that's where the name comes from. Fun fact about Peter Green-era Mac...they originally recorded
"Black Magic Woman," which was written by Green...the song that became one of Santana's signature hits.
Aw, that's too bad. It's really a shame that the boys never reunited, even for just one song.
Unless you count "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" from 15 years after John died.
Now there's a huge-ass Beatles novelty video for you--When it first came out, the people on the Beatles subforum I was hanging out on were poring over it, finding boatloads of visual song references. Good times.
I've always thought that Apollo Day should be a global holiday celebrating peace for all mankind.
How about a month-long religious cycle between Apollo 11 and Woodstock?
