The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[The Old Mixer]

50th Anniversary Album Spotlight
(Part 2 of 2)

Abbey Road
The Beatles

The album's most distinctive feature is the medley that occupies most of side 2, but the side begins with a couple of standalone songs. The first is George's other outstanding contribution to the album, "Here Comes the Sun" (#28 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Beatles Songs)...one of those album tracks that's so well known that it could have easily been a single (in fact, it's reported to be the most downloaded track from Abbey Road). It was written at Eric Clapton's house when George was playing hooky from an Apple meeting.

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Data from two meteorological stations in the London area show that April 1969 set a record for sunlight hours for the 1960s. The Greenwich station recorded 189 hours for April, a high that was not beaten until 1984. The Greenwich data also show that February and March were much colder than the norm for the 1960s, which would account for Harrison's reference to a "long, cold, lonely winter".

...just to demonstrate that Beatles geeks can be every bit as geeky as Trek geeks.

In 1977, astronomer and science populariser Carl Sagan attempted to have "Here Comes the Sun" included on a disc of music accompanying the Voyager space mission. Titled the Voyager Golden Record, copies of the disc were put on board both spacecraft in the Voyager program in order to provide any entity that recovered them with a representative sample of human civilization. Writing in his book Murmurs of Earth, Sagan recalls that the Beatles favoured the idea, but "[they] did not own the copyright, and the legal status of the piece seemed too murky to risk." When the probes were launched in 1977, the song was not included.

"Because" isn't officially considered part of the medley, but to my ear it always sounded like a sort of prelude to it. It features gorgeously ethereal three-part harmony by John, Paul, and George...which is triple tracked, effectively resulting in nine voices. The electric harpsichord melody is based on Beethoven's moonlight sonata, with the chords being played backwards...which John was inspired to do when he heard Yoko playing the sonata on piano. Overall, this number makes a strong argument for listening with earbuds...or headphones, if anyone still has those.

The medley officially begins with Paul's "You Never Give Me Your Money". Reportedly also inspired by Apple issues, it serves as a sort of mini-suite within the medley, consisting as it does of three distinct sections.

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The medley was really Paul's baby, and his contributions to it were in my book stronger than his material on Side 1. John's contributions, on the other hand, were reluctant and....would half-assed be too strong? Crammed all together, they pretty much serve as filler in what might have worked better or just as well as a Paul solo effort. The first and most substantial of John's three medley tracks is "Sun King," which was always a bit of a snoozer to me. It was musically inspired by the Fleetwood Mac instrumental "Albatross," which had been a #1 in the UK early in the year.

The next two song fragments are enjoyable for their liveliness at least. "Mean Mr. Mustard" is superficially connected to the proto-punkish "Polythene Pam" by the renaming of Mustard's sister, who had been Shirley in earlier takes of the song.

Paul takes the wheel for the rest of the album, beginning with "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window". The song was inspired by an incident in which a group of "Apple Scruffs"--the female fans who waited outside of the Beatles' workplaces and residences at the time--broke into Paul's London home a couple of blocks from EMI's Abbey Road studios. Serving here as the de facto penultimate piece of the medley before the inseparably intertwined final three tracks, a cover of it will be coming our way soon as Joe Cocker's first Top 40 hit in the US.

One couldn't have asked for a better climax than that provided by the combination of "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight, " and "The End". Coming as they do at the end of the album that is both the last recorded by the Beatles and the last released prior to their break-up, together they serve as the group's grand finale...and the lines "And in the end / The love you take / Is equal to the love you make" as its epitaph.

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Those three tracks pack more of an emotional wallop for me than ever when experienced in the context of immersive 50th anniversary retro.

"Carry That Weight" includes a partial reprise of "You Never Give Me Your Money". "The End" features Ringo's only drum solo for the Beatles, and dueling guitar solos by each of the others...two bars each by Paul, George, and John, in that order, twice.

The complete medley ranks #23 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Beatles Songs...which is kinda cheating. I could see treating "Golden Slumbers" / "Carry That Weight" / "The End" as one entry, but not the entire medley.

Following a 15-second silence (which is officially part of "The End" in the digital age) comes the album's second "surprise ending"...Paul's song fragment "Her Majesty"--a "hidden track" not listed on the sleeve or label of vinyl releases, it had originally been intended to fall between "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam".

August 20, 1969, while they were working on the final sequencing of this album, was the last time that all four Beatles were in the studio together.


Next up: The Band

 

[RJDiogenes]

The Brady Bunch

I was never much of a Brady Fan. I did have kind of a crush on Marcia, but I'm not sure how it happened, since I don't remember watching the show that often.

The bit with the parents discovering that each also wrote a letter for the same reason but didn't send it occurs in the coda.

Did they reveal what they wrote in their letters? Maybe they really did hate each others' kids all that time.

Eventually the school finds out what the situation is and has a heart about it, resulting in the resolution mentioned in the summary.

Well, they didn't have much of a heart for restricting it to one parent to begin with. I'm surprised all the angry parents didn't show up with their torches and pitchforks.

Alice seems satisfied when she hears Carol enthusiastically telling Mike how she feels like a wife and a mother now...yep, still the '60s.

More like the 50s.

Mike and Carol discuss the situation in (the same!) bed

There's the 60s. They're just missing Ted and Alice.

I don't remember if this might have been mentioned in the pilot, but Alice says that she's been with the Brady men for seven years.

Did she break a mirror or something?

They pretty much established that there were no guns involved. And Linc got a moment where he talked to Harper and was disillusioned to see what a figure whom he'd looked up to was really like.

Yeah, I'd be disappointed in somebody who tied me to a chair, too.

Yeah, I assumed it was due to temporary circumstances when it was happening last season, but it's still going on.

Strange. There's nothing on the Wiki page.

Ann and Donald fight over custody of a couple of paintings from Sears.

There was talk in the episode about machismo as a factor that was motivating Manolo's attitude and actions. And a beat that kind of didn't go anywhere where Manuel Sr., while not agreeing with what his son was doing, took up a rifle himself, deciding that if his son was going to get himself killed, he'd stand with him. That was when Ironside had the street cleared.

They were kind of all over the place.

Awww. Did he hit the kids over the head with his hat?

I don't know, but if I was one of those kids, I would have asked him to.

Don't think so. Do each of the castaways represent a sin?

Pretty much. There's several different variations, like this one.

It was written at Eric Clapton's house when George was playing hooky from an Apple meeting.

I love that.

...and the lines "And in the end / The love you take / Is equal to the love you make" as its epitaph.

I didn't realize that. A fitting epitaph indeed.

August 20, 1969, while they were working on the final sequencing of this album, was the last time that all four Beatles were in the studio together.

No, Taylor, they never got back together.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I was never much of a Brady Fan.

I might have mentioned this when I reviewed the pilot, but it has a nice sign-o-the-timesy vibe for me and straddles that line between the '60s and things that I can actually remember from early childhood. I think I was watching The Brady Bunch while it was still in first run as well as in syndication.

Did they reveal what they wrote in their letters?

Everybody wanted to know who wrote the original letter.

Well, they didn't have much of a heart for restricting it to one parent to begin with. I'm surprised all the angry parents didn't show up with their torches and pitchforks.

It was based on the size of the auditorium. They had too many kids in this show and not enough seats.

There's the 60s. They're just missing Ted and Alice.

They're just missing Ted. Will Sam the Butcher do?

Mike & Carol & Sam & Alice

(When Allan Melvin came up on The Mod Squad and I mentioned a couple of his other roles, I forgot that he was also Sam.)

Did she break a mirror or something?

Harsh.

Yeah, I'd be disappointed in somebody who tied me to a chair, too.

I guess it's not everybody's bag....

They were kind of all over the place.

I didn't even bring up Manolo's girlfriend character (Socorro Serrano), because none of her beats really went anywhere.

Pretty much. There's several different variations, like this one.

That one cheats by giving two of the sins to the Skipper. I'd think Gilligan could be Sloth or Gluttony (if his appetite is an ongoing thing as I vaguely remember).

No, Taylor, they never got back together.

Taylor? Is this a POTA reference?

_______

From Fantastic Four #94 (cover date Jan. 1970), in which the FF pay their first visit to Agatha Harkness:

 

[RJDiogenes]

I might have mentioned this when I reviewed the pilot, but it has a nice sign-o-the-timesy vibe

That's for sure.

They're just missing Ted. Will Sam the Butcher do?

Mike & Carol & Sam & Alice

Now that is a fantastic idea for a Brady Bunch movie.

Harsh.

I guess it's not everybody's bag....

I suppose it would depend on who's doing the tying up....

That one cheats by giving two of the sins to the Skipper. I'd think Gilligan could be Sloth or Gluttony (if his appetite is an ongoing thing as I vaguely remember).

I agree, I prefer the one-to-one versions. But the idea of Gilligan as Satan is pretty funny.

Taylor? Is this a POTA reference?

Indeed! "I wonder if the Beatles ever got back together."

From Fantastic Four #94 (cover date Jan. 1970), in which the FF pay their first visit to Agatha Harkness:

Ah, the days when each new issue of the FF was a cause for joy.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I was never much of a Brady Fan.

Occasionally watched as a small child, but it was never a major TV experience for me, and it was lacking even when it still on ABC.

Did they reveal what they wrote in their letters? Maybe they really did hate each others' kids all that time.

HA! That would have been a priceless turn for the show--completely subvert what was--at the time--one of truly "nice family sitcoms" almost right out of the gates! I can hear it now: Carol saying "Look at that Bobby...he's got teeth like a damn donkey!", or Mike writing, "How on Earth did Cindy's head get so large? What's keeping it on her neck? What--she's only six, right? ..and Jan...could you ever find a more frowned-up kid?"

More like the 50s.

Come on--a large number of women felt that way in the 60, and there's women today who feel that way about being a wife and mother.

 

[The Old Mixer]

In relation to an ongoing discussion in FoT, I looked up CBS All Access's content, as I'm planning to get it when Picard starts. It turns out they're the current streaming home of Mission: Impossible! As well as The Brady Bunch, though Me is also airing that.

Indeed! "I wonder if the Beatles ever got back together."

Was that a line in one of the films? The sequel that's coming up next year?

Ah, the days when each new issue of the FF was a cause for joy.

But did you catch the reference?

HA! That would have been a priceless turn for the show--completely subvert what was--at the time--one of truly "nice family sitcoms" almost right out of the gates! I can hear it now: Carol saying "Look at that Bobby...he's got teeth like a damn donkey!", or Mike writing, "How on Earth did Cindy's head get so large? What's keeping it on her neck? What--she's only six, right? ..and Jan...could you ever find a more frowned-up kid?"

No love for the Bradys in these parts, I guess, but...appearance-shaming little kids? Really?

Come on--a large number of women felt that way in the 60, and there's women today who feel that way about being a wife and mother.

Carol's pride in her role certainly wouldn't have made me bat an eyelash in the '70s...my mom was a housewife.

 

[RJDiogenes]

HA! That would have been a priceless turn for the show--completely subvert what was--at the time--one of truly "nice family sitcoms" almost right out of the gates! I can hear it now: Carol saying "Look at that Bobby...he's got teeth like a damn donkey!", or Mike writing, "How on Earth did Cindy's head get so large? What's keeping it on her neck? What--she's only six, right? ..and Jan...could you ever find a more frowned-up kid?"

We can integrate that with the Mike & Carol & Sam & Alice movie.

Come on--a large number of women felt that way in the 60, and there's women today who feel that way about being a wife and mother.

Sure, but I was talking about TV trends-- plus I was setting up the Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice joke.

In relation to an ongoing discussion in FoT, I looked up CBS All Access's content, as I'm planning to get it when Picard starts. It turns out they're the current streaming home of Mission: Impossible! As well as The Brady Bunch, though Me is also airing that.

Yeah, I was looking through their inventory when I had it, and they have some really good retro stuff in there.

Was that a line in one of the films? The sequel that's coming up next year?

It's one of the last things that Taylor says before going into hibernation at the beginning.

But did you catch the reference?

Barnabas? Yeah. That would have made me giggle at the time, since Dark Shadows was forbidden to me back then. I used to go upstairs to my Grandmother's apartment where my infamous Uncle Mike would let me watch it.

Carol's pride in her role certainly wouldn't have made me bat an eyelash in the '70s...my mom was a housewife.

My Mother was an Irish Catholic Church Lady who hated the idea of Women's Lib and the Sexual Revolution.

 

[The Old Mixer]

55 Years Ago This Week

November 23 – First UK release of the 'I Feel Fine'/'She's a Woman' single.

November 24 – Belgian paratroopers and mercenaries capture Stanleyville, but a number of hostages die in the fighting, among them American Evangelical Covenant Church missionary Dr. Paul Carlson.
November 28

• Mariner program: NASA launches the Mariner 4 space probe from Cape Kennedy toward Mars to take television pictures of that planet in July 1965.
  
• Vietnam War: United States National Security Council members, including Robert McNamara, Dean Rusk, and Maxwell Taylor, agree to recommend a plan for a 2-stage escalation of bombing in North Vietnam, to President Lyndon B. Johnson.
  
• France performs an underground nuclear test at Ecker, Algeria.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Leader of the Pack," The Shangri-Las
2. "Baby Love," The Supremes
3. "Come a Little Bit Closer," Jay & The Americans
4. "She's Not There," The Zombies

7. "You Really Got Me," The Kinks
8. "Time Is on My Side," The Rolling Stones
9. "Last Kiss," J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers
10. "Mountain of Love," Johnny Rivers
11. "I'm Gonna Be Strong," Gene Pitney
12. "Ask Me," Elvis Presley
13. "Come See About Me," The Supremes
14. "Have I the Right?," The Honeycombs
15. "Dance, Dance, Dance," The Beach Boys

17. "Is It True," Brenda Lee
18. "Everything's Alright," The Newbeats
19. "I'm into Something Good," Herman's Hermits
20. "Reach Out for Me," Dionne Warwick
21. "Oh, Pretty Woman," Roy Orbison
22. "Big Man in Town," The Four Seasons

24. "Goin' Out of My Head," Little Anthony & The Imperials
25. "Ain't That Loving You Baby," Elvis Presley
26. "The Jerk," The Larks
27. "Sidewalk Surfin'," Jan & Dean
28. "Sha La La," Manfred Mann
29. "Walking in the Rain," The Ronettes
30. "Saturday Night at the Movies," The Drifters
31. "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," Manfred Mann
32. "Let It Be Me," Betty Everett & Jerry Butler
33. "I Don't Want to See You Again," Peter & Gordon
34. "Little Honda," The Hondells

37. "We'll Sing in the Sunshine," Gale Garnett

41. "Oh No Not My Baby," Maxine Brown

44. "Gone, Gone, Gone," The Everly Brothers

46. "Any Way You Want It," The Dave Clark Five

50. "Too Many Fish in the Sea," The Marvelettes

55. "Willow Weep for Me," Chad & Jeremy

59. "Amen," The Impressions

65. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," Marvin Gaye

71. "Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun)," Del Shannon

81. "As Tears Go By," Marianne Faithfull

83. "Love Potion Number Nine," The Searchers

Leaving the chart:

• "Dancing in the Street," Martha & The Vandellas (14 weeks)
  
• "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)," The Dave Clark Five (8 weeks)
  
• "I Like It," Gerry & The Pacemakers (9 weeks)
  
• "I'm Crying," The Animals (9 weeks)
  
• "Tobacco Road," The Nashville Teens (11 weeks)

New on the chart:

"As Tears Go By," Marianne Faithfull

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(#22 US; #9 UK; written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Andrew Loog Oldham)

"Love Potion Number Nine," The Searchers

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(#3 US; originally a #23 for The Clovers in 1959)


And new on the boob tube:

• 12 O'Clock High, "Interlude"

_______

It's one of the last things that Taylor says before going into hibernation at the beginning.

Wait, is this from the sequel? Or a prophetic line from the first film, and it somehow completely escaped my attention last year?

 

[RJDiogenes]

"As Tears Go By," Marianne Faithfull

Yep, Marianne Faithfull covered that song.

"Love Potion Number Nine," The Searchers

A classic silly song.

Wait, is this from the sequel? Or a prophetic line from the first film, and it somehow completely escaped my attention last year?

Now I'm not sure. I tried to find it on YouTube and Google and I may be remembering something from the Marvel adaptation in the 70s. I'll have to check my DVD and see if I can find it.

 

[The Old Mixer]

50 Years Ago This Week

November 24 – Apollo program: The Apollo 12 spacecraft splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean, ending the second manned mission to the Moon.
November 25 – John Lennon returns his MBE medal to protest the British government's involvement in the Nigerian Civil War.

...with a long letter explaining his reasons which include 'Britain's involvement in the Nigeria Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against "Cold Turkey" slipping down the charts.' His inclusion of this last point does not help to attract much public sympathy for his action.

November 29 – In basketball, South Korea defeats the Philippines 95 to 86 to win the 1969 ABC Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Come Together" / "Something", The Beatles
2. "And When I Die," Blood, Sweat & Tears
3. "Wedding Bell Blues," The 5th Dimension
4. "Take a Letter Maria," R.B. Greaves
5. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," Steam
6. "Smile a Little Smile for Me," The Flying Machine
7. "Leaving on a Jet Plane," Peter, Paul & Mary
8. "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday," Stevie Wonder
9. "Down on the Corner" / "Fortunate Son", Creedence Clearwater Revival
10. "Eli's Coming," Three Dog Night
11. "Someday We'll Be Together," Diana Ross & The Supremes
12. "Baby It's You," Smith
13. "Backfield in Motion," Mel & Tim
14. "Baby, I'm for Real," The Originals
15. "Cherry Hill Park," Billy Joe Royal
16. "Suspicious Minds," Elvis Presley
17. "I Can't Get Next to You," The Temptations
18. "Holly Holy," Neil Diamond
19. "Sugar, Sugar," The Archies
20. "Going in Circles," The Friends of Distinction
21. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," Crosby, Stills & Nash
22. "Undun," The Guess Who
23. "Try a Little Kindness," Glen Campbell
24. "Eleanor Rigby," Aretha Franklin
25. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," B.J. Thomas
26. "Mind, Body and Soul," The Flaming Ember
27. "Tracy," The Cuff Links
28. "Is That All There Is," Peggy Lee
29. "Friendship Train," Gladys Knight & The Pips
30. "These Eyes," Jr. Walker & The All Stars
31. "Up on Cripple Creek," The Band
32. "Heaven Knows," The Grass Roots
33. "Reuben James," Kenny Rogers & The First Edition

35. "Groovy Grubworm," Harlow Wilcox & The Oakies

37. "Midnight Cowboy," Ferrante & Teicher
38. "Evil Woman, Don't Play Your Games with Me," Crow
39. "Let a Man Come In and Do the Popcorn Part One," James Brown
40. "A Brand New Me," Dusty Springfield

43. "Jam Up and Jelly Tight," Tommy Roe

45. "Whole Lotta Love," Led Zeppelin
46. "Kozmic Blues," Janis Joplin
47. "Cold Turkey," Plastic Ono Band

49. "Ain't It Funky Now (Part 1)," James Brown
50. "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You," Bob Dylan
51. "I Want You Back," The Jackson 5

54. "La La La (If I Had You)," Bobby Sherman

60. "Jingo," Santana

62. "Early in the Morning," Vanity Fare

66. "Ballad of Easy Rider," The Byrds

73. "Don't Cry Daddy" / "Rubberneckin'", Elvis Presley

80. "Walkin' in the Rain," Jay & The Americans

85. "Volunteers," Jefferson Airplane

88. "One Tin Soldier," The Original Caste

90. "Jingle Jangle," The Archies

Leaving the chart:

• "Ball of Fire," Tommy James & The Shondells (8 weeks)
  
• "Fortunate Son," Creedence Clearwater Revival (4 weeks)
  
• "Hot Fun in the Summertime," Sly & The Family Stone (16 weeks)
  
• "Something," The Beatles (6 weeks)
  
• "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," Dionne Warwick (10 weeks)

Note that "Fortunate Son" and "Something" seem to have been removed from the chart at this point, in favor of the double A-sides that they're each a part of...and the double A-sides have each bumped up, no doubt because of this.

New on the chart:

"Jingle Jangle," The Archies

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(#10 US; #37 AC)

"Don't Cry Daddy," Elvis Presley

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(#6 US as double A-side w/ "Rubberneckin'"; #3 AC; #13 Country; #8 UK)

"Rubberneckin'," Elvis Presley

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(#6 US as double A-side w/ "Don't Cry Daddy")


And new on the boob tube:

• Mission: Impossible, "Mastermind"
  
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Season 3, episode 11
  
• That Girl, "Kiss That Girl Goodbye"
  
• Ironside, "Five Miles High"
  
• Get Smart, "The Apes of Rath"
  
• Hogan's Heroes, "The Defector"
  
• Adam-12, "Log 123: Courtroom"

_______

Yep, Marianne Faithfull covered that song.

Hers was the original version...the Stones didn't record it until later. Mick and Keith were reportedly forced to write it by their manager, Oldham, and were embarrassed by the result, feeling it wasn't their style. Now I listen to the song in the context of this point in their careers, when they're still struggling to really break out, and think, "They had a song like that, and they gave it to somebody else?"

A classic silly song.

I love this...a classic of the era. The Clovers' original Is quite enjoyable as well:

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[RJDiogenes]

"Jingle Jangle," The Archies

Happy and catchy, but it's no "Sugar, Sugar."

"Don't Cry Daddy," Elvis Presley

This is such a sad song, and I think all the more effective for its ambiguity and brevity. "Together we'll find a brand-new mommy" is such a cutting line-- you don't know if she died or ran away or what, but it doesn't matter in the midst of the paralyzing sadness.

"Rubberneckin'," Elvis Presley

And there's the other Elvis.

Hers was the original version...the Stones didn't record it until later. Mick and Keith were reportedly forced to write it by their manager, Oldham, and were embarrassed by the result, feeling it wasn't their style. Now I listen to the song in the context of this point in their careers, when they're still struggling to really break out, and think, "They had a song like that, and they gave it to somebody else?"

Yeah, that's amazing. "As Tears Go By" is so Stonesey. I can't believe they were embarrassed by it.

I love this...a classic of the era. The Clovers' original Is quite enjoyable as well:

Indeed, both are equally fun.

Now I'm not sure. I tried to find it on YouTube and Google and I may be remembering something from the Marvel adaptation in the 70s. I'll have to check my DVD and see if I can find it.

I checked that scene on my DVD, as well as the whole sequence after they crashed, and it's not there! I must be remembering it from the Marvel mag. There's the power of imagination, because I can literally hear him saying it. Now I'm wondering how it got into the adaptation. Was it in an earlier draft of the script, or did Doug Moench just throw it in there?

 

[The Old Mixer]

55th Anniversary Viewing

12 O'Clock High
"Appointment at Liege"
Originally aired November 20, 1964

A pilot major assigned elsewhere when his crew was killed in combat, suffers a guilt complex and becomes reckless with his missions and the lives of his subordinates.

Drop the rank and the comma and that one reads fine. Anyway, this week's pilot major and his co-guest star lieutenant, are played by future Trek alumni Gary Lockwood and Nancy Kovack. Lockwood's character, Major Gus Denver, has taken to acting recklessly since he was temporarily assigned to special duty in the States and his entire crew bought it over Liege on their first mission in his absence. Denver is eager to fly a mission there, naming his new bomber "Gus's Revenge". Savage needs to use him for a dangerously low-altitude but high-priority mission on Maastricht, which is in the vicinity of Liege, but Stovall, who's had a chance to talk with Denver, doesn't think it's a good idea, as he thinks that Denver has come back looking to die.

On his first mission, which was supposed to be a milk run, Denver uses a wounded radio operator and malfunctioning oxygen as an excuse to break formation, go lower-altitude, and dump his bombs on an AA battery (which is what he's been itching to do, since that was what killed his old crew)...an action during which he loses his co-pilot and navigator, which causes the bombardier who watched them both die to go over the bend. Back on the ground, Savage doesn't buy Denver's explanation for his actions, making it clear that the oxygen should have been caught in the pre-flight check.

Next time you try to kill yourself, Denver, you find a bridge someplace and you jump off it alone. Those nine men you tried to take with you today might have had other plans!

Savage grounds Denver, but in yet another example of the brass being on a completely different page from Savage in the name of generating conflict, Crowe and his new colonel lackey, Chandler (Burt Metcalfe), want Denver, to get a Silver Star for his heroism. Savage's general superior, is not pleased that Savage intends for Denver not to fly the mission over Maastricht, and therefore thinks it should be called off. This actually causes Crowe to question Savage's ability to lead the group--what a friend general he, turned out to be!

At the beginning of Act IV, Savage, gets some encouragement in the form of a visit from his ladyfriend civilian Liz, on what he learns is the anniversary of the death of her husband rank unknown (I, assume) in North Africa. Savage then confronts Denver (whom we'd learned in an earlier scene was found abandoned as a newborn and had grown up in a series of foster homes) with the truth that he blames himself for the loss of his crew. The most pointed part of the exchange probably doesn't pass PC muster in this day and age, but...

You say you lost a family...alright. You've lost them, it happens. But when it does happen, you don't throw yourself into the fire like an Indian widow, you acquire another family!

Denver runs off, finds his co-guest star lieutenant whom he'd, met at the officers club earlier in the episode, and proceeds to start having an emotional breakdown. Crowe is in Savage's office threatening to replace him with Chandler when Denver runs into the office and collapses in Savage's arms. Rub your nose in that, Crowe! In the coda, Crowe, having tasted his namesake, backs Savage's judgment to postpone the mission on Maastricht.

Y'know, if Crowe thought that Chandler was qualified to replace Savage, why couldn't Chandler have just replaced Denver instead? My respect for Crowe is in the latrine at this point.

Crowe mentions in this episode that Savage took over the 918th from Col. Davenport--I had to check, but yes, that jibes with the movie.

In the mission during which Denver breaks formation, the squadron leaders are using "Green Arrow" as a callsign...e.g., "Green Arrow One," "Green Arrow Two".

Gus was named for the month and city in which he was found. ETA: I just came across a bit of trivia that may have informed this story point. Robert Lansing's stage name was taken from the city of Lansing, Michigan, which is where he was working when he had to join the Actor's Equity Association, who wouldn't let him use his actual name of Robert Brown because another actor had dibs on it.

What this episode lacked in character credibility it made up for with strikingly moody source lighting.

_______

55th and 50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing

_______

Gilligan's Island

"Wrongway Feldman"
Originally aired October 24, 1964

Famed aviator Wrongway Feldman is discovered living on the island with a damaged plane, so the castaways offer to help fix it.

This is Hans Conried's first of two appearances as Feldman. The castaways initially find his plane, Spirit of the Bronx, in the jungle, estimating that it's been there for 25 or 30 years. The Howell's recognize the name of the plane and know of its pilot, who was lost 33 years ago in the early '30s.

Gilligan has a scene with Feldman in which he goes over some of the things that the stranded avaiator missed, like the Second World War...

So that's what that was--I always wondered what that noise was!

While the castaways get to work on helping to fix his plane, Ginger and Mr. Howell (who offers his teddy bear) proposition Wrongway to take them with him while he's trying to sleep.

There are a couple of unsuccessful attempts to get the plane going, following which Wrongway disappears. Gilligan learns that Feldman was sabotaging the plane because he's afraid to fly again, so he tries to teach Gilligan how to fly it for him, using a dummy plane with fruit for controls. Ultimately Wrongway musters up the courage to take off in the plane himself.

In the coda, the castaways are listening to a radio report about Wrongway's return to civilization, but Wrongway's calculations are said to be so confused that the island could be anywhere between the Bay of Naples and the Arctic Ocean; and Wrongway's story about the castaways is being dismissed as a tall tale. Now that's kind of poor continuity, since radio-reported search efforts for the castaways were so recent.

Good continuity point: Skipper mentions the gun that no longer has any bullets. Bad continuity point: Skipper says that he was a cook on an aircraft carrier, which doesn't jibe with him having been in combat on Guadalcanal.


"President Gilligan"
Originally aired October 31, 1964

When Mr. Howell and the Skipper square off over who is in charge, the castaways decide they need to elect a leader.

The context one loses when watching in syndication or binging is that this was a presidential election season episode.

The issue of who's in charge comes up when Howell and the Skipper give Gilligan contradictory orders. The idea of holding an election is Ginger's. "Microcosm of civilization" hijinks ensue in which each tries to woo the island's tiny electorate. Howell gets Ginger in his camp, and she tries to turn Gilligan.

At this point the castaways have got an outdoor shower, which they convert into an election booth. Gilligan gets three write-in votes, from Mrs. Howell and apparently Mary Ann and himself, winning the election. The Skipper and Mr. Howell kiss up to Gilligan for positions of power, becoming Vice-President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, respectively. But once Gilligan's in office, he can't get the other castaways to pitch in and dig a well that they need, and ends up digging it himself while the others argue over him. Mr. Howell moves to impeach Gilligan based on his own election bribe, and Gilligan, declaring his intention to quit, throws down his shovel and finally strikes water.

The coda has Gilligan still in office, but everyone makes excuses to get out of helping on his next project, building a lookout tower.

_______

The Brady Bunch

"Katchoo"
Originally aired October 24, 1969

Jan's allergies are acting up, so Carol keeps her home from school. Alice and Carol are worried, and Alice fears it might be Mike or one of the boys. When it seems that Jan is allergic to Tiger, the family fear they might have to lose their pet dog, until they discover that she's only allergic to his new flea powder.

Attempting to find the source of Jan's sudden allergy, Carol and Alice initally try exposing her to various flowers...and flour, based on Alice's first guess. Then they get the idea that it's Mike when he comes home for lunch and Jan's sneezing starts up again. Nobody notices at the time that Tiger was lying next to her bed. Shortly after that, Tiger gets on the bed while Mike's out of the room and the adults realize that the family dog is the source of Jan's allergy.

When Mike has to break the news to the boys...

Where's Jan gonna live?

Then there's a cute scene in which the boys try to break the news to Tiger, but he's too busy enjoying a bone to pay any attention to them.

Marcia gets the idea to give Tiger a bath; and Greg gets the same idea separately, but has a much harder time getting Tiger into the tub. Later, when the kids are in bed, Carol and Alice also give him a bath; and later still, when Carol's asleep, Mike gives him one. Everyone's being tight-lipped about Tiger's baths, not wanting to get the others' hopes up. Jan still reacts to Tiger the next day, so Mike resolves to take him to Grandma's, and everyone has to say goodbye.

You stupid dog...get outta here!

Once Mike is outside, somebody remembers that Tiger will need his flea powder so they hand it to Jan, and her reaction comes as a great relief to everybody.

The coda has Jan sleeping soundly while Tiger lies on the bed with her.

Brady family continuity point: We learn that Tiger is older than Bobby. Going by Mike Lookinland's age, Bobby would have been around 8 at the time...or 8-1/2 in kid parlance.


"A Clubhouse Is Not a Home"
Originally aired October 31, 1969

Interpersonal relations among the kids reach a low after the boys refuse the girls entry to their clubhouse. Mike tries to reason with Carol that men sometimes need a place of their own. In the name of gender equality, Carol and the girls attempt to build their own clubhouse. They do a shoddy construction job and Cindy is nearly injured. Mike and the boys rebuild the clubhouse but the boys' clubhouse suddenly collapses: Bobby had pulled out the nails from the boys' clubhouse to finish the girls' clubhouse.

Guest stars: June Foray as Sandra (voice only; uncredited), Hans Conried as Lance (voice only; uncredited)

Note: This was the second episode filmed.

It does indeed play like an earlier installment. Carol and the girls are literally just moving in, with tension caused by the boys having to carry in their boxes. Even Mike, who puts the boys in their place, finds himself exasperated by Carol occupying more than her share of closet space. Various conflicts between the boys and girls cause Mike to declare a "share and share alike" directive, which is when the girls try to redecorate the clubhouse. Mike's principles are put to the test, as he feels strongly that the clubhouse should remain the boys' space, which upsets Carol.

Alice gets caught in the middle again as not only Greg and Marcia, but Carol and Mike, each come to her to weigh in on the issue. She resists their efforts, but is finally inspired to intervene by a soap opera that she's watching (which is where the voice-only credits above come in), and give Carol the idea of having the girls build their own clubhouse despite their comical ineptness at the work, in order to get the men to chip in and build it for them. The result is a much better-constructed girls' clubhouse...and after their own clubhouse collapses, the shoe's on the other foot as the boys find themselves wanting to use it.

_______

Happy and catchy, but it's no "Sugar, Sugar."

But how does it stack up to their lower-charting debut single, "Bang-Shang-A-Lang"?

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This is such a sad song, and I think all the more effective for its ambiguity and brevity. "Together we'll find a brand-new mommy" is such a cutting line-- you don't know if she died or ran away or what, but it doesn't matter in the midst of the paralyzing sadness.

The song lays it on a tad thick for my tastes, but it's alright. Another example of this era's Elvis taking on more serious subject matter.

And there's the other Elvis.

The fun Elvis!

I checked that scene on my DVD, as well as the whole sequence after they crashed, and it's not there! I must be remembering it from the Marvel mag. There's the power of imagination, because I can literally hear him saying it. Now I'm wondering how it got into the adaptation. Was it in an earlier draft of the script, or did Doug Moench just throw it in there?

As the comic series started years later in the mid-'70s, I'm sure that it would have been added in hindsight. Roy Thomas's adaptation of Star Wars took tons of liberties with the dialogue.

 

[RJDiogenes]

On his first mission, which was supposed to be a milk run, Denver uses a wounded radio operator and malfunctioning oxygen as an excuse to break formation, go lower-altitude, and dump his bombs on an AA battery (which is what he's been itching to do, since that was what killed his old crew)...an action during which he loses his co-pilot and navigator, which causes the bombardier who watched them both die to go over the bend.

That could have been the episode right there. The endless cycle of misery.

The most pointed part of the exchange probably doesn't pass PC muster in this day and age, but...

I don't think I've ever heard that expression before.

Crowe, having tasted his namesake

My respect for Crowe is in the latrine at this point.

The Peter Principle.

This is Hans Conried's first of two appearances as Feldman.

Good old Wrongway. He would have made a good permanent addition.

so he tries to teach Gilligan how to fly it for him

Yeah, Gilligan would be my first choice to pilot an aircraft.

"President Gilligan"

On the other hand, President Gilligan sounds pretty good right about now.

Attempting to find the source of Jan's sudden allergy, Carol and Alice initally try exposing her to various flowers...and flour, based on Alice's first guess.

Maybe she's just allergic to the unique synergy of the Brady Bunch.

Once Mike is outside, somebody remembers that Tiger will need his flea powder so they hand it to Jan, and her reaction comes as a great relief to everybody.

Now everybody has fleas, but at least the family is together!

But how does it stack up to their lower-charting debut single, "Bang-Shang-A-Lang"?

Actually not as good as that one either.

The song lays it on a tad thick for my tastes, but it's alright.

I'm a soft touch, what can I say?

The fun Elvis!

Right.

As the comic series started years later in the mid-'70s, I'm sure that it would have been added in hindsight. Roy Thomas's adaptation of Star Wars took tons of liberties with the dialogue.

You must be right, because it just dawned on me that the Beatles were still together when Planet of the Apes was filming.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Plus which, the actors and characters are wonderfully appealing (with the possible exception of Tina Louise).

From my view, Tina Louise was one of the funnier performers, as her character was sharp and often found the over-the-top reactions to island life annoying, which added a balance to the tone of the show you would get if it was all hijinks all of the time.

Ugh, I hate colorization, as well as things like upgrading special effects. Next thing you know, they'll be dubbing silent movies. And why? It's not like MeTV doesn't have tons of black-and-white shows.

It's not like they have to appeal to Millennials who are afraid of black-and-white cinematography.

But they do, as you're not going to find a lot of older viewers demanding colorized TV series, so it should be assumed that rights owners allow this to happen as a way of appealing to younger generations. It is best to wave them away, as I think its not a stretch to say they are not the majority of anyone watching or buying old movies or TV series, and they have been so conditioned against anything that's not of their "world"/up t the second, that they (unlike some members of past generations, such as Boomers and early-mid Generation X) would not be one to actively go back to discover anything older than...an older sibling.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

This is such a sad song, and I think all the more effective for its ambiguity and brevity. "Together we'll find a brand-new mommy" is such a cutting line-- you don't know if she died or ran away or what, but it doesn't matter in the midst of the paralyzing sadness.

This (along with 1970's "Kentucky Rain") was the last ounce of relevance from Elvis. That sentiment could not be applied to the flip side of this singe. Egad.

This song's writer--"Mac" Davis (very talented in that capacity)--would go on to have big chart success, with 1972's "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me."

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing

_______

Mission: Impossible
"Submarine"
Originally aired November 16, 1969

A fanatic ex-SS officer plans to fund neo-Nazis with stolen money upon his release as a prisoner. The IMF team simulates a submarine journey to trick him into divulging his Swiss bank account number.

This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.

This episode uses what seems to have become a standard plot template for the series...Bad Guy has Lots o' Dough stashed away with which he plans to do Nebulous Evil Deeds, so the IMF have to immerse him in a Zany Alternate Reality to get him to spill his Swiss bank account number. We just got another example of this five episodes ago.

More noteworthy about this installment is that it features our first recurring female guest
agent:

And oh, yeah, these guys, too:

What, are they doing Gilbert & Sullivan productions when they're not engaged in elaborate top-secret schemes to save the world on extremely short notice? Anyway, for once we actually see a couple of them attending the briefing, standing nice and quietly behind the regulars.

Ex-Nazi Kruger Schtelman (Stephen McNally) is about to be released by the East European Republic after twenty-five years of being interrogated to find out where the Vast SS Horde of Stolen Money is stashed, with which Schtelman plans to kick-start a neo-Nazi coup that's been hanging around out there waiting for him to get out. His last in a long line of interrogators is Colonel Sardner (Ramon Bieri). Sardner's interrogation routine involves having Schtelman routinely transferred between the prison and police headquarters, so the IMF sets up a ruse involving two cheese trucks that have spilled their loads, driven by Jim and Paris disguised as monks, that separate the vehicle carrying Schtelman from the ends of the convoy while making the radio-connected end cars think that they're seeing the same truck.

The IMF Gang takes the unconscious prisoner into a nearby warehouse where they've got a couple compartments' worth of Fake Submarine rigged up, with Barney and some of the repertory company outside manning the special effects (very much like the Fake Train they had rigged up in an earlier-season episode). On the inside, Schtelman finds himself sharing bunk space with Tracey posing as another of Sardner's interrogatees, who's apparently broken and spilled whatever secrets she was holding. Schtelman learns from Kap'n Jim and SS Officer Paris that he's being taken via U-Boat to SS Headquarters. That these things exist in the late 1960s doesn't make Schtelman bat an eyelash, so this neo-Nazi coup must already be pretty well-funded. And of course, the IMF had under three days to set all this up! There's a ticking clock with tangible consequences involved, as Sardner has a several-block area around the escape point cordoned off and slowly but methodically searched toward the center.

Tracey fake succumbs to her injuries and Kap'n Jim has her proactively fake jettisoned out the torpedo tube. It's only at this point that the viewer gets an outside look at Barney's new toy:

It soon becomes clear to Schtelman that his Fake Fellow Nazis think that he must have broken, and he's eager to prove that he hasn't. No Fake U-Boat is complete without a Fake Destroyer Attack, so the IMF puts on a Fake Depth Charging. And to play out the Obligatory Fake Rivalry between Jim and Paris's characters, when Kap'n Jim wants to Fake Fake Having Been Hit, he forces SS Officer Paris out the escape hatch to serve as Fake Convincing Debris. But the sub's Fake Damage is such that there's a Fake Real Need to Evacuate, so Schtelman, afraid that he might not survive the ascent to the surface at his age, over-readily begs Kap'n Jim to remember his Nazi Hoard Account Number to prove to the Fake 1960s SS that he never broke.

The IMF have one more trick up their sleeve to escape from the area as Sardner and his men close in on the warehouse...dressed as members of the EER police, they stage a Fake Firefight outside the warehouse during which they slip away. When Sardner gets into the warehouse to find the submarine set, complete with an astonished Schtelman just crawling out of the Fake Escape Hatch, the episode ends on a novel closing note...Sardner laughing at the elaborate ruse that's been played on both of them.

_______

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 3, episode 10
Originally aired November 17, 1969

Sid Caesar, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Diana Ross, Peter Sellers

We gave you Twiggy, we gave you the Beatles, and we gave you me...and this is the thanks we get: Laugh-In.

I wasn't able to find a lot of clips from this installment.

Uncle Al shows us a magic trick:

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Laugh-In takes a quick look at wife swapping, but I couldn't find a video.

The Fickle Finger of Fate goes to United Airlines:

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_______


"Fix My Screen and Bug Out"
Originally aired November 20, 1969

Ann's former boyfriend becomes her new landlord and wants to marry her, much to Don 's chagrin.

When Bobby Miller (Michael Callan) sees his old flame for the first time in four years, he instantly starts hitting on her. New Ruthie and another neighbor lady (Lillian Adams) see an opportunity to get good service from their new landlord and make Ann the chairwoman of their new Grievance Committee.

Donald learns about Ann's new landlord when Bobby leaves an overbearing message for Ann at her and Donald's favorite restaurant...and on that front, it looks like it's a bottle of red:

When Ann goes to Bobby's office, the secretary (who might look a bit familiar)...

...lets Ann in right away.

What right do you have not to keep me waiting!?!

Bobby makes Ann's neighbors jealous by redecorating her apartment first, but she confronts him, stands firm about her lack of interest in him in that way, and gets him to agree to pay equal attention to the other apartments.

The phone with an extra-long cord that can reach into the next apartment comes up again...as I recall, this was an early Season 1 gag.

"Oh, Donald" count: 0
"Oh, Bobby" count: 1

_______

Ironside
"Programmed for Danger"
Originally aired November 20, 1969

Eve is used as bait to catch a rapist who uses a dating service to find his victims.

A woman named Veronica Keel (Barbara Mattes) is attacked, with the assailant using a partially tape recorded obscene phone call to get to her while she's leaving her apartment and thinks he's still on the phone. A neighbor causes him to flee, and Ironside gets on the case, in part because she's an old sorority sister of Eve's, and in part because this is the third victim matching this description...the less fortunate previous two having been beaten badly.

Ironside talks to Alice Flynn (Anne Baxter), who runs a dating service that all three victims used. After he leaves, we meet Roy, Alice's brother who works there (Roger Perry, who's conspicuously billed at the beginning of the episode...). After the Chief looks into some of the men who were referred to Keel (including an on-duty firefighter...at the station we see what might be a paramedic vehicle in the background), Eve registers with the service under an alias and quickly gets a call from Roy, who also uses an alias, posing as somebody who'd been matched with her to arrange a date.

Eve plays hard-to-get on her first date, while the Chief and Ed watch. They go back to the agency and ask Alice about a man matching his description, and then zero in on her brother as their suspect, having traced him via his car. Once Roy is in the room, he fesses up, making like he's just using the service for dating, and later calls Eve to confess his real identity to her. Eve thinks he's on the level (which causes Ironside to make a very sign-o-the-timesy comment about the uselessness of women's intuition), but Roy shows up at her place prior to their next date and acts suspiciously, which includes pretending to need to make a phone call and covertly unlocking her sliding door. He then changes up the plans for their date, throwing off the Chief's surveillance, and afterward takes her back to the dating service.

In the meantime, Alice has learned that Roy had somebody subbing for him at the agency at the time that Keel was attacked. She snoops around his place and finds wigs, which would explain Keel's assailant being blond. The Chief drops by to follow up with her and he and Mark search Roy's apartment, finding the tape that he used for his phone call to Keel. Alice confesses that Roy had been involved in a prior incident back east.

Back at the service, Roy confronts Eve with his knowledge of her true identity and holds her gun on her, which he somehow snuck out of her purse. He proceeds to tell her about the cheating ex-fiance with whom it becomes clear he's associating his victims. She manages to get under his guard enough to disarm him, but he starts to strangle her, and the rest of Team Ironside and the police arrive just in the nick of time. In the coda we learn that Roy is getting psychiatric help rather than a sentence.

This one seemed to be going more for suspense than mystery, with the culprit being made obvious early on, even though he was disguised sufficiently during the attack on Keel that I couldn't confirm it was Roger Perry. Perry will be coming up again on next week's Adam-12.

_______

Get Smart
"Physician Impossible"
Originally aired November 21, 1969

Max has Big Eddie Little in custody but his friends help him escape. Max is able to wound him but he gets away. While visiting their newborns at the hospital, Max and 99 are mistaken for a doctor and his nurse who are then kidnapped to Eddie's hideout to treat the gunshot wound inflicted by Max. The title is a spoof of Mission: Impossible.

Max is transferring Big Eddie (Henry Corden) by means of the two of them being disguised as participants in a walking marathon, along with the Chief and Larabee. When Eddie makes his getaway, Max misses with every bullet until he throws his gun to the ground in frustration and it goes off.

This week the twins are in an incubator as an excuse for 99 to still be in the hospital. They didn't look premature last week.

Once he's at Big Eddie's hideout pretending to be a doctor, Max gets lucky again when he slaps Big Eddie on the shoulder and the bullet flies out. Max makes an effort not to let the semi-conscious Eddie get a good look at him because Eddie has loudly vowed revenge. When Eddie's henchmen, Cortez (Than Wyenn) and One-Way Al (B.S. Pully), are about to kill Dr. Max and Nurse 99 anyway, Max bluffs by claiming that CONTROL agents have surrounded the cabin...and is more surprised than anyone when the Chief calls out on cue via bullhorn. Max convinces the trio to drop their weapons, which all go off, with a bullet hitting each.

_______

Hogan's Heroes
"The Big Gamble"
Originally aired November 21, 1969

When an American bomber crashes outside the gates, the team puts their forgery and card shark skills to work to swap out a vital piece.

The bomber manages to crash right outside the gates, with its forward fuselage intact. Shortly after, one of the bailed crew, Captain John Mitchell (Noam Pitlik), is brought to the stalag as a prisoner. He manages to get himself put in the cooler after trying to pass a note to Hogan saying that they need to talk...which Klink actually caught (though it's suggested afterward that Hogan let him see it)! So Hogan uses the secret cooler entrance to have a private chat with the captain while Schultz is being distracted by LeBeau.

Mitchell: Tunneling into jail?
Hogan: Anybody can tunnel out of jail.​

Hogan learns that the bomber has a top-secret direction finder box that has to be kept out of German hands. When Hogan shares his plan with the other prisoners, Newkirk makes noise about him and Carter having to disguise themselves in German uniforms...like they've never done that before. Seems kind of odd to come up this late in the series. Anyway, efforts to get into the fuselage first are thwarted by the presence of Major Feldkamp of the SS (Ben Wright, in one of his five appearances on the show, and his second of two in this role), so the prisoners plot to get to the expert being brought in to inspect the fuselage, Dr. Wolfgang Becker (Chet Stratton).

Becker's only known vice is gambling, so Hogan steers Klink into setting up a temporary casino at the camp to raise money for the Winter Relief Fund. Becker is leaving for Berlin that night, but manages to find an hour to indulge while the DF box is in a briefcase attached to his wrist. The prisoners create a fire scare, turn out the lights, knock Becker out, and switch the box with a Carter-created fake under a gaming table.

DISSS-missed!

_______

Adam-12
"Log 93: Once a Junkie"
Originally aired November 22, 1969

An ex-junkie is the suspect in an assault and robbery case and Reed and Malloy are assigned the case.

It's not just any ol' ex-junkie, it's recurring informant Tee Jay (as he's inconsistently billed here, a.k.a. Robert Donner). Reed and Malloy are on patrol discussing how the station got a tip about Tee Jay being back on smack when they receive a call for a 211 at the Our Lady of the Backlot Church. There they find a priest (John Kerr) who was slugged from behind while opening the church's safe and came back around to find the money inside stolen and Tee Jay standing over him, only to quickly run off. The officers catch him running in the street nearby and take him into custody. He claims that he was pursuing the thief, but didn't get a good look at him. Follow-up investigation turns up some more circumstantial evidence against Tee Jay...that he was recently fired from a dishwashing job that Malloy lined up for him, because his boss, Duke Dukowski (George Brenlin, in his first of four appearances in the role), saw him passing money to a known active junkie.

The officers subsequently get a call for a 484 at a sleazy hotel. The desk clerk's gun ha been stolen, and the hotel happens to be where Tee Jay's staying. Tee Jay's not in, but the clerk thinks that Tee Jay has been using again based on noises he's heard from that floor. The officers go back to the church to find Tee Jay working there, as he'd indicated earlier. He doesn't have the gun, but tells them that it was probably taken by Andy, a neighboring junkie at the hotel whom Tee Jay had been lending money to at the restaurant and who Tee Jay now says had robbed the church. The officers bring Tee Jay along in the car to look for Andy and get a call for a 211 at a liquor store. They find Andy on the street in the vicinity of the robbery, in possession of the gun--which is empty--and suffering withdrawal symptoms.

In the coda, the officers pay a visit to Tee Jay at the church to tell him that Malloy put in another word for him with Duke.

The detective investigating the church robbery is familiar face Barney Phillips.

_______

You must be right, because it just dawned on me that the Beatles were still together when Planet of the Apes was filming.

And released...the White Album was still months away when POTA came out 50 years ago last year.

But they do, as you're not going to find a lot of older viewers demanding colorized TV series, so it should be assumed that rights owners allow this to happen as a way of appealing to younger generations.

This reminds me of my sister telling me how my nephew (a Millennial who was then in his pre-teens or teens) had gotten into watching Gilligan's Island.

 

[RJDiogenes]

From my view, Tina Louise was one of the funnier performers, as her character was sharp and often found the over-the-top reactions to island life annoying, which added a balance to the tone of the show you would get if it was all hijinks all of the time.

Ginger was a good character (although my least favorite), but I just didn't like Tina Louise's attitude.

But they do, as you're not going to find a lot of older viewers demanding colorized TV series, so it should be assumed that rights owners allow this to happen as a way of appealing to younger generations. It is best to wave them away, as I think its not a stretch to say they are not the majority of anyone watching or buying old movies or TV series, and they have been so conditioned against anything that's not of their "world"/up t the second, that they (unlike some members of past generations, such as Boomers and early-mid Generation X) would not be one to actively go back to discover anything older than...an older sibling.

Right, I don't think colorizing or any of those other tricks will help them get a younger audience.

More noteworthy about this installment is that it features our first recurring female guest agent:

Lee Meriwether was in multiple episodes? Cool.

so the IMF sets up a ruse involving two cheese trucks that have spilled their loads

Pretty cheesy plan.

That these things exist in the late 1960s doesn't make Schtelman bat an eyelash, so this neo-Nazi coup must already be pretty well-funded.

Or way over budget.

the episode ends on a novel closing note...Sardner laughing at the elaborate ruse that's been played on both of them.

"In another reality, Mr Phelps, I might have called you friend."

When Ann goes to Bobby's office, the secretary (who might look a bit familiar)...
...lets Ann in right away.

And she discovers that he has the dead body of his mother propped up in a rocking chair.

The phone with an extra-long cord that can reach into the next apartment comes up again...as I recall, this was an early Season 1 gag.

We had a super-long phone cord on the kitchen phone when I was a kid, making it possible to hide in the closet for those special calls that I didn't want my parents to overhear, which they could probably easily hear through the door anyway.

"Oh, Donald" count: 0
"Oh, Bobby" count: 1

Now there's cause for jealousy.

In the coda we learn that Roy is getting psychiatric help rather than a sentence.

And that is definitely a sign o' the times.

Max is transferring Big Eddie

That sounds more like an organized crime character than KAOS (and the plot is out of an old gangster movie as well).

This week the twins are in an incubator as an excuse for 99 to still be in the hospital. They didn't look premature last week.

They might just be underweight because they're twins. In those days, maternity and newborn lengths of stay were longer, and precautions more conservative, in any case.

Max convinces the trio to drop their weapons, which all go off, with a bullet hitting each.

The bomber manages to crash right outside the gates, with its forward fuselage intact.

Ooh, a 12 O'Clock High crossover!

Newkirk makes noise about him and Carter having to disguise themselves in German uniforms...like they've never done that before.

He's getting pretty tired of this scheiss!

And released...the White Album was still months away when POTA came out 50 years ago last year.

Right.

This reminds me of my sister telling me how my nephew (a Millennial who was then in his pre-teens or teens) had gotten into watching Gilligan's Island.

That gave me a brief flickering of hope for the future.

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

55th & 50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing

_______

Gilligan's Island
"Sound of Quacking"
Originally aired November 7, 1964

A duck lands on the island. Food is scarce, but Gilligan is determined to protect the duck. Mel Blanc voices the duck. Ironically, the dream sequence was filmed on the set of Gunsmoke, which replaced Gilligan's Island in its time slot for season 4, cancelling the show.

That's not exactly how cancellation works, but whatever. More notably for the time the episode was aired, Gunsmoke was on later the same night on the same network, CBS.

Blight has destroyed the castaways' vegetable food supply, so they're on strict rations. Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Professor are in the jungle looking for edible plants when they discover the duck. Not eating the duck is initially the Professor's idea, as he recognizes it as a migratory bird who might carry a message back to civilization. To attach a message, however, they have to lure it in. Once they do, the castaways get even hungrier as their meager rations are fed to the duck, which Gilligan names Everett. But once they try to let Everett go, he doesn't want to leave. Shortly after, Gilligan learns that Everett is an Emily when he sees her lay an egg. Now the duck is back in danger if they can't get her to leave the island with her message.

Then we get our first dream sequence (presented in sepia in this colorized version) as Gilligan sleeps clutching Emily protectively to his chest as the other castaways lurk nearby. The sequence even opens and closes with the Gunsmoke theme. Gilligan imagines himself as the marshal, guarding Emily, who's locked in a cell. Skipper is his deputy (but has to turn in his star when Gilligan finds utensils on his person); Ginger makes a seduction attempt done up like Miss Kitty; and the Professor and Mr. Howell are gunslingers who are described as the lynch mob. Mr. Howell says that he only uses gold bullets (and appears to be wearing golden boots as well). There's a showdown but, as it's a dream, all of the lynch mob's shots miss Gilligan at arm's length and he scares them away without firing a shot. Marshal Gilligan then fires his pistols in the air in triumph, and Emily comes falling to the ground.

Back in the waking world, Emily is saved when she eats some plants that the Professor thought were poisonous, proving that they're safe. In the coda, the castaways finally get Emily to fly off, but Gilligan realizes that he forgot to attach the message.

Sign o' the times: Ginger's worried about losing too much weight because she's an actress!

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The Brady Bunch
"Kitty Karry-All Is Missing"
Originally aired November 7, 1969

After Cindy and Bobby get mad at each other, Cindy loses her doll. She accuses Bobby of "doll-napping" and won't believe him when he promises he didn't take it. This causes a rift between boys (who believe Bobby is innocent) and girls (who believe Bobby is guilty). A mock trial is held for Bobby, during which Jan suddenly votes Bobby as innocent (against Marcia's expectations) and Peter votes Bobby as guilty (against Greg's expectations), which then causes a rift between Marcia and Jan and between Greg and Peter. Next, Bobby's kazoo goes missing, and he retaliates by blaming Cindy for stealing it. Bobby realizes that Cindy is very sad, and he spends all of his money on a new doll for her, but she will not accept it. After it goes missing too, the clues then lead to the real culprit: Tiger.

Apparently The Brady Bunch was trying to get its own version of the Mrs. Beasley craze going. The doll disappears after Bobby had been making disparaging comments about it, hence Cindy's suspicion. At first this puts the boys and girls at odds, so the parents institute a house-wide search. When Mike looks in the oven...

If I'd known you wanted a doll so bad, I would've baked one.

Eventually even the boys turn against Bobby, so he becomes a backyard pariah. Mike gives Greg and Marcia a stirring speech (complete with requisite music) about the principle of being presumed innocent until proven guilty. The children then stage their mock trial, with Greg and Marcia as counsel for the defense and prosecution, Peter and Jan as the jury, and Alice, while stirring batter and with a roast in the oven, as judge.

When the kazoo comes up missing, Mike has Bobby empty his pockets to check, and we learn that he carries more junk in them than Batman does in his utility belt! The doll that Bobby buys, with nearly all the money in his piggy bank, is a new Kitty Karry-All, but it's not the same to Cindy. The parents are in the room when Tiger carries off the new Kitty, which leads Mike to check the doghouse, where he finds the kazoo and both Kittys.

Bad continuity point: The clubhouses are nowhere to be seen in the backyard.

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Lee Meriwether was in multiple episodes? Cool.

Looks like she's due to pop up in four more...three of those the installments of a three-parter.

Or way over budget.

True!

That sounds more like an organized crime character than KAOS (and the plot is out of an old gangster movie as well).

Didn't catch if they identified him as KAOS or not.

They might just be underweight because they're twins. In those days, maternity and newborn lengths of stay were longer, and precautions more conservative, in any case.

I don't know how these things work, but it seemed odd to me that one week they were being held by their mother, eyes open and all of that, then the next week they were in the incubator.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Blight has destroyed the castaways' vegetable food supply, so they're on strict rations.

Castaways cannot live on fish alone?

Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Professor are in the jungle looking for edible plants when they discover the duck.

You'd also think there would be plenty of edible birds around a tropical island.

Shortly after, Gilligan learns that Everett is an Emily when he sees her lay an egg.

Eggs are also a tasty treat.

Then we get our first dream sequence

I love those dream sequences. The beanstalk one was my favorite.

Gilligan realizes that he forgot to attach the message.

Gilligan!

Sign o' the times: Ginger's worried about losing too much weight because she's an actress!

Depends on where she loses it, I suppose.

Mike gives Greg and Marcia a stirring speech (complete with requisite music) about the principle of being presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Those were the days.

The parents are in the room when Tiger carries off the new Kitty, which leads Mike to check the doghouse, where he finds the kazoo and both Kittys.

Any explanation as to Tiger's sudden kleptomania?

Bad continuity point: The clubhouses are nowhere to be seen in the backyard.

Check the doghouse!

Looks like she's due to pop up in four more...three of those the installments of a three-parter.

Whoa, that sounds epic.

I don't know how these things work, but it seemed odd to me that one week they were being held by their mother, eyes open and all of that, then the next week they were in the incubator.

Babies can be transferred to NICU from normal nursery, or put there as a precaution (especially with triplets), or need to go under the lights or whatever, but the real reason is that the writers probably had no idea.

 

[The Old Mixer]

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55th and 50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing

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Gilligan's Island
"Goodbye Island"
Originally aired November 21, 1964

Gilligan discovers the perfect, permanent glue from tree sap when trying to make pancake syrup. The castaways decide to use this "glue" to patch the wreckage of the Minnow.

The episode features outdoor shooting at the wreck of the Minnow. The Professor is having trouble making nails for patching the boat. Mary Ann's making pancake...that include wild duck eggs...and she's flirting with Gilligan. (Maybe she's just trying to get promoted to the opening credits.) When the castaways discover the properties of the syrup over dinner, the Professor runs out to the lagoon to test it and declares the glue to be absolutely permanent! But as the patching job commences, the combination of glue and Gilligan proves to be catastrophic, as he gets stuck to the boat; the Skipper gets increasingly stuck to him trying to help; and the two of them together get stuck to the boat again. The Professor realizes that Mrs. Howell's perfume could be used to dissolve the glue...and we learn that she brought several huge bottles.

After being freed, Gilligan discovers that the glue isn't permanent when his pancake from the dinner slips off the plate it was stuck to. He tries to tell the others as they're about to launch the boat, and as usual they don't want to listen, But when the Skipper pounds a fist on the boat to demonstrate how sturdy it is, it starts to come apart plank by plank...which doesn't make a lot of sense, as the parts that come apart are the ones that weren't patched. Gilligan goes into the boat to try to "save" it, and ends up standing in the middle of its remains, clutching the helm wheel.

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The Brady Bunch

"A-Camping We Will Go"
Originally aired November 14, 1969

Mike and the boys have gone camping once a year for several years and Carol and Mike insist on a camping trip for all the family. The girls do not want to participate, and the boys do not want them along either. The family trip starts out a failure, but things improve.

Aw, Dad, why cantcha understand? Girls on a camping trip is just too far out!

Alice comes along, too, playing drill sergeant to get the kids into the car in an organized manner...but even the station wagon has trouble fitting all nine of them and their gear. And there's a bit of departure delay when all of the kids and Alice end up going back inside to take care of business before the trip.

An attempt at family fishing goes awry, with the boys blaming the girls for scaring all the fish away, resulting in no useful catches for dinner. Fortunately, Carol and Alice packed a king-sized basket of "emergency rations" consisting of fried chicken, cold cuts, and cheese; but the boys balk that they're not living off the lay of the land like usual...

We might as well camp in a supermarket.

...before succumbing to their appetites.

Mike and Carol do sleep apart here, as the tents are divided by gender. Carol and the girls don't recognize the sound of an owl hooting...or of Alice's air mattress deflating, which they think is a rattlesnake! The girls try to save face by pulling a prank on the boys, casting a not-at-all-convincing shadow of a cutout bear on their tent via flashlight. The boys go running into the girls' tent, which collapses, but the desired quality of family togetherness is emphasized.

The daytime camping scenes are shot outdoors at Franklin Canyon Park (a.k.a. Miramanee's planet and Andy & Opie's fishing spot), but the audio is a little too obviously dubbed in. I wasn't sure if the nighttime outdoor scenes were on a set or a backlot, but they definitely didn't look like they were on location.


"Sorry, Right Number"
Originally aired November 21, 1969

A huge phone bill prompts Mike to have a pay telephone installed to teach the kids a lesson in financial responsibility. His plan nearly backfires when he is forced to use the payphone to close a deal. Thankfully, his client has three teenagers of his own and understands Mike's situation and even installs a pay phone in his own home!

Note: This is the first appearance of Allan Melvin as the recurring role of Sam Franklin.

Guest star: Howard Culver as Mr. Crawford

Sam is in the house--I think Mike & Carol need to get a bigger bed! Mike is surprised that Alice is getting a phone call. When Sam comes to pick her up, she'd putting on lipstick while looking in a spatula!

At first Mike just gets a second phone for the kids to use, which is Carol's idea. But they keep finding excuses to use the parents' phone in Mike's den, so he lays down a hard rule that they can't use it. Then when the kids are all in line arguing over how long others' phone calls are taking, they set a time limit. Then they get the bill. Apparently they're either getting charged for total calls or the kids are making a lot of toll calls--I wasn't sure which Mike was saying. He said it was five times the units they were allowed.

Alice gets the idea for the pay phone when she's visiting Sam at his shop. Mike has one installed and wrapped like a present on the wall. He even raises the kids' allowances to pay for two calls a day each--The kids are really put out by this, but I think it sound pretty damn generous! Mike has to use the pay phone when the woman that Carol's been talking to, who's altering a dress for her, leaves the phone on her end without hanging up...I do remember how that used to be! Mike's client, Mr. Crawford, is stuffy at first about working with someone who needs to use a pay phone, until Mike explains why he got one.

In the coda, the pay phone has been removed, having apparently served its purpose of the week.

And I'm sure they've learned a very valuable lesson.

There should be a charge for clichés.

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And that catches those shows up to their anniversary points, with a previously unannounced episode of GI coming in this week's regularly scheduled 55th Anniversary Viewing!

I should note that both of these shows are Sherwood Schwartz productions, and they share a quality that seems relatively novel among the shows I've been watching from this era...they're both ensemble shows that focus their stories squarely on their main casts, with typically few or no guest stars.

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Castaways cannot live on fish alone?

Good point, I didn't think that when I was watching. If the Brady men can...

You'd also think there would be plenty of edible birds around a tropical island.

Indeed, a story point was that they had to protect their new crops from the birds, and one early gag had Gilligan dressed up as a scarecrow trying to shoo a crow off his shoulder!

Eggs are also a tasty treat.

Hey, I thought you liked this show! Yeah, that one I was thinking while watching...though Gilligan fumbled and dropped it, so I suppose it broke.

Any explanation as to Tiger's sudden kleptomania?

Why don't you ask him?

Check the doghouse!

He's got Snoopy space in there!

Whoa, that sounds epic.

I'm sure we're due for some epic recaps, at least!