The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by The Old Mixer, Jan 11, 2016.

  1. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Why? Nobody has ever escaped from Stalag 13!

    But this is the last we see of her. Perhaps Klink finally turned to Hogan for assistance. :rommie:

    I remember this one. I love that poem about hair. :rommie:

    Miss USA is Mandy from Dallas.

    The humble beginning of an icon.

    Aww, cute. :rommie:

    Trapper John, MD-- later in life.

    Surak, Janos Skorzeny.

    Was Jack Lord on the box? :rommie: Or was that Wheaties that had the celebrity boxes?

    Yeah, not much excitement until the end.

    That's fascinating. It sounds like the show basically knew what they were talking about, though, and we can probably chalk up the inconsistencies to artistic license.
     
  2. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    The Old Mixer, Somewhere in Connecticut
    55 Years Ago This Week



    Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

    Leaving the chart:
    • "Michelle," David & Jonathan (9 weeks)
    • "Night Time," The Strangeloves (8 weeks)
    • "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)," The T-Bones (13 weeks)
    • "We Can Work It Out," The Beatles (12 weeks)
    • "A Well Respected Man," The Kinks (14 weeks)

    Recent and new on the chart:

    "One More Heartache," Marvin Gaye

    (Feb. 19; #29 US; #4 R&B)

    "Inside, Looking Out," The Animals

    (Feb. 26; #34 US; #12 UK)

    "What Goes On," The Beatles

    (B-side of "Nowhere Man"; #81 US)

    "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)," Cher

    (#2 US; #3 UK)

    "Good Lovin'," The Young Rascals

    (#1 US the week of Apr. 30, 1966; #325 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)


    And new on the boob tube:
    • The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 18, episode 25
    • Branded, "Call to Glory: Part 2"
    • 12 O'Clock High, "Decoy"
    • Batman, "True or False-Face"
    • Batman, "Holy Rat Race"
    • Gilligan's Island, "Operation: Steam Heat"
    • The Wild Wild West, "The Night of the Two-Legged Buffalo"
    • Hogan's Heroes, "Psychic Kommandant"
    • Get Smart, "The Amazing Harry Hoo"

    _______

    Yeah, you've gotta wonder why they're so obsessed with new security measures. Maybe somebody up the chain isn't clueless about how much underground activity goes on in the area.

    Adam Cartwright, earlier in life.

    The guy who was going to nuke a little girl picking flowers...wait, was that somebody else?

    That would have been awesome! :lol: Somebody needs to Photoshop that!
     
  3. Shaka Zulu

    Shaka Zulu Commodore Commodore

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    Of course, John returned it in 1968.


    Still a great song.

    One of their best, with a great cover version in 1976:



    [/QUOTE]
     
  4. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    It sounds nice, but it's not a classic.

    I don't think I ever heard this before, but I like it.

    Not bad, but definitely a B-Side.

    I like it, but it's not as good as other early Cher numbers.

    Now this is an official Oldies Radio Classic.

    Ah, that's right. I didn't watch a lot of Westerns back in the day.

    Boris Karloff? :rommie:

    Do you have a screencap? I can do that.

    Devo was one of the best experimental bands, although they never matched the brilliance of that first album.
     
  5. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    50 Years Ago This Week



    Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

    Leaving the chart:
    • "Bell Bottom Blues," Derek & The Dominos (2 weeks)
    • "Groove Me," King Floyd (20 weeks)
    • "If I Were Your Woman," Gladys Knight & The Pips (15 weeks)
    • "It's Impossible," Perry Como (17 weeks)
    • "Let Your Love Go," Bread (10 weeks)
    • "Lonely Days," Bee Gees (14 weeks)
    • "We Gotta Get You a Woman," Runt (17 weeks)

    New on the chart:

    "Lucky Man," Emerson, Lake & Palmer

    (#48 US)

    "We Can Work It Out," Stevie Wonder

    (#13 US; #3 R&B; #27 UK)

    "Put Your Hand in the Hand," Ocean

    (#2 US; #4 AC)

    "Joy to the World," Three Dog Night

    (#1 US the weeks of Apr. 17 through May 22, 1971; #46 R&B; #24 UK; #1 on Billboard's 1971 Year-End Chart of Pop Singles.)


    And new on the boob tube:
    • Hogan's Heroes, "Hogan's Double Life"
    • Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Season 4, episode 25
    • All in the Family, "Edith Has Jury Duty"
    • Hawaii Five-O, "The Grandstand Play (Part 2)" (season finale)
    • Ironside, "The Accident"
    • Adam-12, "Log 56: Vice Versa"
    • The Brady Bunch, "Alice's September Song"
    • The Partridge Family, "A Partridge by Any Other Name"
    • That Girl, "Soot Yourself"
    • The Odd Couple, "What Makes Felix Run"
    • Love, American Style, "Love and the Fuzz / Love and the Groupie / Love and the Housekeeper / Love and Women's Lib" (season finale)

    _______

    1969.

    1977.

    :p

    Yeah, it's alright, but sounds a bit like one or two of his other singles of the era.

    This one I like when it's on, but I couldn't tell you how it goes two seconds later.

    Poor Ringo. :p "What Goes On" has the dubious distinction of being my least favorite track on my favorite Beatles album. As the original UK albums go, this track is following the pattern of the previous album, Help!...Ringo is given a country song that opens side two. In this case, instead of doing a Buck Owens cover, they came up with an original...which is noteworthy for being the only song in existence to bear a Lennon-McCartney-Starkey songwriting credit.

    This one's a bit of a snoozer for me. And is Cher starting the "guy shoots his girlfriend" song trend...?

    And made it to the top despite that hard break. One of the Sirius DJs very annoyingly always plays random, goofy audio clips during the break.

    Go to town!
    H549.jpg
    H551.jpg

    So Decades is doing a Route 66 Binge this weekend, starting at the beginning and getting partway through Season 2. I'd initially been planning to record a handful of episodes for squeezing in whenever based on IMDb ratings. But now that I seem to have a lot more DVR space, I've decided to put it to the test and just record the whole damn thing for whenever I might get around to it.
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2021
  6. J.T.B.

    J.T.B. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Pernell Roberts never seemed to have a problem about going without a hairpiece. Michael Ansara, too.

    All seasons of Route 66 are also streaming on Shout!TV, free with ads.
     
  7. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Lovely. An amazing confluence of talent was EL&P.

    Stevie seems to have done a nice, but superfluous, cover of "We Can Work It Out."

    A very nice Oldies Radio Classic.

    You just can't go wrong with Three Dog Night.

    That about sums it up.

    :(

    I didn't even know there was such a trend until this thread. Anyway, she did her share of shooting, too. :rommie:

    It does seem a quantum moment too long, especially when you're singing along.

    [​IMG]

    :D

    Nice. I'd love to hear your reviews of that show. It's a true (and unappreciated) classic. Like Perry Mason, each episode is like a mini classic movie.
     
    The Old Mixer likes this.
  8. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    _______

    50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 2)

    _______

    Ironside
    "The Summer Soldier"
    Originally aired March 4, 1971
    The episode opens with Eve calling in late while giving friend Adrina Hovanesian (Linda Marsh) a lift, which includes dropping by the shop of her uncle, Arschag Divinian (Theodore Bikel)...and Armenian immigrant with an endearingly spotty command of English whose hero is a misquoted Teddy Roosevelt. Afterward nephews Leo and Ara (Walter Koenig[!] and Andrew Rubin) visit, he threatens to go to the police over something that he finds on them, and a struggle ensues in which he's superficially injured. Later Adrina has Eve and Ed meet her at the club of another uncle, Bedros Demirjian (Vincent Beck)--where she works as a waitress, and Ed is entertained by a belly dancer (Joyana Frederics)--to share her suspicion that Uncle Arschag is in some kind of trouble.

    Ed gets the idea of giving tobacco to Commissioner Randall as a birthday present from the team, so he and Eve go to Arschag's shop, where Adrina mixes some of her uncle's special blend. Back at the Cave, the Chief can identify all of the tobacco types used, and detects a special ingredient--angel dust. Adrina insists that her uncle is innocent, so the Chief pays a visit to the shop under the pretense of ordering some more, and is allowed the rare honor of watching Arschag mix it. Ironside doesn't detect any signs of PCP in the mixing of this blend, but comes to suspect the nephews, whom he meets at the shop, in part because a university lab would be needed to create the PCP. Later Adrina finds her cousins' jar of angel dust-laced moistening water and is interrupted by them while attempting to call Ironside. She confronts them, another struggle ensues, and she's accidentally impaled on a pointy hook sticking out of the wall, but lives. Arschag finds her and calls the police during the commercial.

    In the hospital, Adrina insists that she was alone and her injury was an accident. Some investigation of the nephews indicates that they're pushing the laced tobacco as pot to underaged kids who don't know better. Finding out that they spend a lot of time at Bedros's club, Eve fills in for Adrina there. The rest of the team uncovers that Arschag's life involves a suspicious lack of official documentation (e.g., no driver's license, never registered to vote, etc.). Going to see him again, the Chief evokes the episode title in persuading him to come clean with what he knows...and he drops the bomb that for 62 years, he's been the most-wanted man in America. It turns out that his crime is that he jumped a ship to immigrate, and never became a citizen...something that the nephews have held over him to secure his silence. The Chief offers to help him to apply for citizenship, on the condition that he cooperates with taking down the nephews.

    He points them to the club, where they take their product. As the club is closing, Bedros catches the nephews trying to hide their stash in the back room because Ed and Eve are there, and tells them to get out and take their junk with them. Surprisingly, a struggle doesn't ensue. The Chief and Mark get there as the nephews are leaving, as does Arschag, who confronts them at the point of Leo's knife, causing Leo to back down and surrender.

    In the coda, the Chief is disappointed to find that, in celebration of having become a citizen, the meal that Arschag is treating him to isn't Armenian, but rather hamburgers and french fries.

    _______

    Adam-12
    "Log 16: Child in Danger"
    Originally aired March 4, 1971
    The first call is for a 211 in progress, where the officers arrive with another unit, and a man who was in the stockroom (Raymond Mayo, I'm assuming from elimination) warns them that the perps inside are armed with hostages. The officers sneak in through the back, with Malloy taking cover behind the bar and announcing himself, following which there's a brief exchange of fire in which one suspect goes down.

    Back on patrol, the officers stop a girl (Ronne Troup) who just committed a minor traffic violation and is getting out of her car to grab some food for her college friends, and warn her that she shouldn't be alone in the neighborhood.

    Their next call is a 415 at an apartment building. The manager (Beatrice Kay) says they're too late, but tells them that there had been a major fight going on. The officers go to the apartment in question, where they find young Mrs. Barstow (Susan Seaforth) beaten and hear a crying child. Mr. Barstow (John Chandler) then comes out, and she asks them to leave. He explains that he's been unemployed for months before sending the officers on their way.

    The officers subsequently find the young woman's car still in the same spot with men looking under her hood, then giving her a push, which involves one of them driving her car. Their car is conveniently identified as belonging to kidnap/rape suspects. The officers manage to lose it, but Air-10 spots the pair of vehicles behind a warehouse, where the suspects try to take the struggling woman out of her car but are quickly surrounded. Malloy explains to her how they took her distributor cap while she was in the store, then replaced it while pretending to help her.

    The next call is for a 459 in progress. They catch a man named Calder (that other John Sebastian) putting things in the back of his pickup truck; he claims that he's helping somebody move, but they find evidence of a break-in and arrest him. Then they hear muffled crying for help from the open garage, and find the man's partner (Don McArt, unhelpfully billed as "Man") locked in a freezer, where he was trying to hide. When they're back on patrol, Reed makes a crack about how he went "out of the freezer, into the cooler".

    Finally, the officers are called back to the Barstow apartment, this time by Mrs. Barstow. At first she tries to turn them away again, but her need to help her young daughter (Mia Bendixsen), still crying in pain, prevails. Wally comes out and tries to shut her up, but she tells him off for beating the girl. When the officers approach him, he flees outside, where he manages to sneak to his car while they're searching the parking lot for him, but is intercepted before he can drive out. He claims that he's not to blame because he never wanted the kid anyway.

    _______

    The Brady Bunch
    "Double Parked"
    Originally aired March 5, 1971
    Greg and Peter are practicing their pitching and catching when Marcia and Jan inform them that Woodland Park is going to become the site of a "dumb ol' building". Carol suggests that the kids exercise their right to protest, and decides to get her women's club involved. But just as the kids are put off by the time involved in the project, Carol is taken aback by being elected head of the committee. Mike is encouraging of their efforts, but is then informed by Mr. Phillips that he's being assigned to design the new courthouse. He still wants the family to do their own thing, but when their campaign goes so public as to picket city hall, Mr. Phillips sternly disagrees.

    Then Phillips goes for the carrot approach and calls Carol to try to smooth things over...but makes it clear that he expects her to drop the campaign. Carol and the kids want to comply to save Mike's job, but he insists that they stick to their guns. The next step is door-to-door petitions, which gives Bobby and Cindy a chance to be cute.

    "The man": You radicals sure start young!​

    When they're unsuccessful, Alice hits the same door and gets the man's signature by using a flirtatious approach.

    As the campaign's efforts prove to be a tiresome, uphill battle, Mike goes to work as their inside man...employing a brief montage sequence of architecting to draw up alternate plans for the courthouse to be built on the site of the city dump; and selling Phillips on the idea based on its superior location and economics. In the coda, Greg briefly puts the folks on by telling them that the city is now planning to move the dump to Woodland Park.

    _______

    The Partridge Family
    "Not with My Sister, You Don't!"
    Originally aired March 5, 1971
    Keith learns in the locker room of Lester Braddock's reputation for taking out half the girls in the school...then when he gets home, Laurie's gushing about having a date with him. Shirley cautions Keith that Lester's reputation may be undeserved, and not to get involved...but Danny prods him to take action. Keith approaches Lester (Michael Ontkean) at school to invite him to double date, and he comes on as a nice guy...but the girl Keith says he's seeing is somebody Lester just went out with, as is Keith's alternate choice. Keith and Danny very conspicuously use the bus to tail Lester and Laurie up to a "makeout point" spot with a gorgeous nighttime L.A. backdrop...which culminates with Danny actually going up to the car when it looks like Lester's trying to make a move.

    The brothers try to apologize afterward, but neither Laurie nor Lester will speak to them. Danny pops up outside Lester's car at makeout point again--when he's with another girl (Cindy Crosby, I assume from the cast list)--but this time it's part of an effort to get him to go on another date with Laurie, to make things up to her. Keith approaches Lester at school again to apologize and invite him to one of their shows...where the Partridges perform the opening track of their new album (Up to Date), which will also be their next single, "I'll Meet You Halfway" (charts May 8; #9 US; #4 AC):

    Lester enjoys the show, but Keith and Danny wait up for Laurie while she's dating him afterward. Reuben shows up first, in his robe with his night mask on his head, because Danny called him telling him that Laurie was missing, and Reuben assumed an abduction. Then Laurie returns, having walked home after Lester started proving his reputation...and she's sore at Keith for having arranged the date!

    In the coda, Keith's met a seemingly ideal girl who's interested in him, but can't take her out because she's Lester's sister.

    _______

    That Girl
    "Two for the Money"
    Originally aired March 5, 1971
    That episode description is kinda writing its own prequel, which doesn't quite match the actual story details. As the episode opens, Ann's already doing her shoot at the racetrack. They might as well have used an indoor studio in-story, because that's too obviously what they used in reality. She's already been tasked with placing the bet, but can't remember the horses' numbers when she gets to the booth and has to dig them out of her purse. As her shoot resumes, she's distracted by the race announcements (voiced by an uncredited Dick Van Patten). It turns out that both of her horses win in consecutive races--Santana and Fearless Lover. But as advertised, when she's at the booth she can't find her ticket. She finds Charlie, the guy who sold her the ticket (Michael Lerner), but he informs her that she actually has to present it. She calls Donald to inform him of the situation, then scours the litter on the floor after hours trying to find the ticket, but to no avail. She wants to pay Donald's friends the $15 they gave her, but Donald insists that, according to the "Code of the Gambler," she now actually owes them $500.

    He wants to spot her for it, but she insists that if she post-dates the check, she should have the money in the bank by then. They meet the Guys of the Week from the Office at Nino's, and before she can give them the check or explain the situation, they insist that she put all the money on another horse the next day. Donald's certain that Lucky Model can't win, so Ann doesn't need to put down any money and is off the hook. So much for the Code of the Gambler...though he does consider them responsible for paying off the bet should the horse happen to win. At the track, as Lucky Model starts gaining, Ann roots against her...but she wins. Then there's a follow-up announcement that Lucky Model bore in and has been disqualified...immediately after which the photo shoot's wardrobe lady (Bunny Summers) comes up to Ann, having found the winning ticket from the day before in the coat that she was wearing. Donald insists that she can keep the money because it's supposed to have been lost in the bet, but she doesn't feel right about it, so she rushes out, to either place an impulsive bet on a horse named Annie's Guy, or to give the money to its jockey as she'd just been contemplating...I wasn't clear which.

    In the coda, Donald learns that for weeks afterward, Ann has been placing imaginary bets on horses and following the races on the radio, keeping track of her imaginary winnings and losses...the latter of which firmly outweigh the former.

    "Oh, Donald" count: 7

    _______

    The ampersand isn't used for the abbreviation. Guess this would be the "prog rock" thing coming in...basically psychedelic experimentalism rebranded for the new decade. Sounds quite similar to what the Moody Blues were doing a few years before. But definitely a classic rock radio staple.

    I'd say that he put a distinctive musical spin on it...the song didn't used to funk like that. And Paul liked it. Stevie played it when Paul was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1990 Grammies (along with Ray Charles doing "Eleanor Rigby").

    I don't know that I've ever heard this one on oldies radio...and I didn't get it because it's pretty much outright gospel, though with a contemporary vibe.

    Definitely this week's star.

    Is there an incident with firearms in her past, or are you referring to another song?

    :guffaw: Jack Lord would've had you booked for parting his hair the wrong way! And is that Danno on the milk carton? I actually thought of suggesting that!

    The show has generated some discussion in these parts (or maybe those other parts) in days of yore. I was a bit put off by the style of the show when I was first exposed to it, but I think I'm ready for some meatier drama in my retro TV diet, whenever I might get around to actually watching it.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2021
  9. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    They punch a clock?

    Alfred Bester! Also, former member of The Beatles 2260.

    Having read the Holmes monograph.

    Interesting. I don't remember Angel Dust being around that early, at least as a public concern.

    "That was great stuff!!!1!"

    Yikes. Those pointy wall hooks are usually fatal out of all proportion to their size and pointiness.

    "I'll call the police during the commercial. You just hang in there!"

    How old is this guy?

    :rommie:

    Welcome to America. :D

    "This hostage is loaded! Don't make me use her!"

    And then leave her alone in the neighborhood.

    His dreams were his ticket in.

    DIS-missed! :rommie: Actually, that was a good one.

    Oh, okay, you can go. Straight to Hell.

    And they all chain themselves to the trees naked. Best Brady Bunch ever!

    Mike is the Man! Although I don't know if the details of this conflict would stand up to scrutiny.

    It really is the Alice show.

    Mike should be running for office.

    Or he may be more successful with women than you. Deal with it!

    The little Agent Provocateur!

    Whatsisname from The Rookies. Also, other whatsisname from Twin Peaks.

    Because Keith is a jerk? Because Lester won't let her? Because she has a grudge against Keith?

    The odds against this happening make it a mathematical impossibility-- but that is no obstacle to a Black Magic Woman!

    I have no idea what the photo shoot was about, but I've been imagining her doing all this stuff in a string bikini.

    ...you got to know when to run.

    The whole thing seemed to kinda descend into chaos.

    There's an app for that.

    I didn't even know there was an official abbreviation. :rommie:

    Yeah, Art Rock was another term that was used, I think.

    I hear this one a lot, or used to. Nice sentiments, though expressed in religious terms. But that's their voice.

    I was thinking of "Dark Lady," another early Cher goodie.

    Yeah, Danno is on the drink. :D I did have to flip Jack to make him look right, but I didn't even think of his hair-- for which he'd book me twice, no doubt.

    It is very stylized, in the manner of shows like Twilight Zone, but I like that. We probably talked about how every episode was written by the uber-talented Stirling Siliphant, who was as prolific as he was talented (at least until he was wooed into the movie world).
     
  10. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    The Old Mixer, Somewhere in Connecticut
    More or less. They have a grouchy boss who expects punctuality.

    Hey hey, he's a Monkee...Gene said so.

    Just got that one the third time around...

    Good question--Bikel was definitely playing older, though it's possible that I misheard 52 years; and I didn't make note of the date reference that I think they gave. I want to say it was in the 1910s.

    They're not bodyguards.

    She's just the wacky neighbor live-in.

    Because he was embarrassed after giving the guy such a hard time for dating his sister.

    Dammit, I meant to work in a "Black Magic Woman" reference!

    Nope. Posing on a horse and stuff.

    It helps them from sounding more like a utility provider than they already do.

    Ah yes...had to look up the lyrics there.

    You may recall me commenting on the propensity for characters in the show to break into flowery monologues.

    And following up on @J.T.B. 's tip, I scoped it out last night and ShoutFactoryTV does have Route 66, with no signup or payment method involved. Skipping through an episode, I wasn't getting stopped by any commercials either. So I may just delete those episodes that I spent the weekend recording, though I'd be taking my chances that the series doesn't change hands.

    They also have The Saint, which is next weekend's Binge, also starting from the beginning.
     
  11. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    Well, I suppose when you only have one scheduled hour on TV a week....

    Ah, I knew he was a member of the Misspelled Menagerie.

    :D

    In those days, he could have been hired in his teens (I'm assuming he was working on the ship), so that could make him 70ish. Which is fine, but there seems to be quite a discrepancy between his age and his niece and nephews-- not so much that would be inexplicable, though.

    Okay, points to Keith on that one.

    I'm glad you didn't, because that episode didn't give me much to work with. :rommie:

    Hah. I always thought they sounded like a law firm. "When Bob Smith's insurance company refused to pay for his mesothelioma treatments, he turned to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer-- oh, what a lucky man he was!"

    There was a brief period early in her solo career that she did some really cool stuff.

    I like those, too. Shakespeare. Stan Lee. Steve Englehart. All the best writers give their characters flowery monologues. :rommie:

    I'll have to check out this ShoutFactoryTV.

    The Saint is pretty good. We've watched that on Saturday mornings occasionally, although I don't recall seeing it on the schedule lately.
     
  12. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

    Joined:
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    _______

    50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 3)

    _______

    The Odd Couple
    "Oscar's New Life"
    Originally aired March 5, 1971
    Oscar comes home angry after having been sacked for having not attended a badminton championship at which a shooting happened to occur. Oscar isn't worried because he's sure from past history that he'll be rehired...and his chief, Mr. Donnelly (Edward Platt), is indeed planning to rehire him...until Felix pays him a meddlesome visit that turns him in the other direction. Felix tries to compensate by encouraging Oscar to set his sights higher than being a sports writer, and arranges for him to meet our Heff stand-in, Buffingham, for whom Felix is doing a shoot. Buff is interested because he's read erotic subtext into Oscar's writing, so he offers Oscar 20 percent more than he was making at the paper, personalized cufflinks, an expense account, and the luxurious office that they're meeting in.

    Enthusiastic about his new job, Oscar brings in Felix to show him all his new toys, including four TV screens--so that he can simultaneously watch all three networks plus PBS, Elvis-style--and a hidden bedroom. But later Felix catches Oscar missing out on a bash with a nude rock band to catch a ball game in his office. Felix goes back to Donnelly, who relents because Oscar's replacement, the chief's nephew (Britt Leach), isn't working out. Felix doesn't manage to secure Oscar any new benefits, but Oscar's enthusiastic to get his status quo back anyway...though there's a gag at the end where he has a couple of Buff's girls tending to them at the apartment.

    _______

    Love, American Style
    "Love and the Duel / Love and the Note / Love and the Young Unmarrieds"
    Originally aired March 5, 1971

    "Love and the Duel" opens with a swank bash being held at the San Ernesto Embasssy, with bare-midriffed actress Lola Moore (Tina Louise), who made a picture in the country, as the guest of honor. When Captain Rafael de Sueva of the Presidential Guard (Cesar Romero) proves to be an over-enthusiastic admirer, her agent, Ira (George Lindsey), intervenes and is challenged to a duel. Back at home, his friend, Larry (Bob Hastings), sees it as an opportunity for Ira to turn Lola on...and seems to be on the mark when she pays Ira a visit inviting him to a romantic getaway. As Ira gets to choose the weapon, Larry encourages him to find an extremely obscure one so that de Sueva won't have an advantage. They go with a 12th-century Chinese weapon called a nufoi (according to closed captioning; I couldn't find a match), two of which they secure from a magician. At the site of the duel, it turns out that nufois are cannons, to the surprise of both duelists. They attempt to fire their weapons, but bunny rabbits come out of Ira's, while de Sueva's comically misfires. Lola embraces Ira as her protector and defender...and wants him to deal with a few other guys that she knows...

    "Love and the Note" features Caruthers and Henry (James Brolin and Henry Gibson) as office-mates sharing gossip about their love lives. Henry's is less than ambitious, but Caruthers has recently been receiving a series of anonymous notes from somebody signing as Ducky Wucky who shows a great interest in him. The writer proves to not be either of the secretaries, Arlette and Dolores (Julie York and Mary Grover), when Caruthers tries to make a move on each of them. He then comes up with the idea of him and Henry having lunch in the closet to catch the person who's been leaving the notes at that hour. A woman named Gladys (Pamela Curran) comes in and he thinks he's caught his admirer, but it turns out that she thought his desk was Henry's.

    _______

    Mission: Impossible
    "The Party"
    Originally aired March 6, 1971
    In the States, Alexander Vanin (Frank Marth) makes a hurried call to his wife, Olga (Antoinette Bower), asking her to memorize a series of three numbers...as American agents electronically eavesdrop and record the conversation. The agents then pursue him on an L.A. rooftop chase, which culminates in his capture.
    Willy gets the opening credits spot--I guess seniority and being able to lift stuff counts for something. The gang isn't disavowed this week because they're working with the full cooperation of the prison. In addition to the full Gang of the Season, also present at the briefing is a very elaborate time bomb of Barney's, with a fake real charge but real detonator, already set to go off in 52 hours, 57 minutes. Jim's neighbors must love him.

    Willy rigs a stop light and goes into a utility tunnel. At the EERP consulate, an American prison guard named Fitzgerald (Robert Sampson) reports to Mishenko as an inside man. Jim and Doug visit Vanin posing as agents of his country, arranging for his repatriation, which involves giving him a thorough exam/interrogation to verify that he didn't talk...while Fitzgerald eavesdrops. Back in the EEPR, Major Lazlo of the secret police (we'll always have Paris...well, for one more episode anyway) visits Dr. Olga at her office to inform her of the repatriation and take her to the States immediately. A man at the office tries to follow her out, but is decoyed by Dana, who's wearing the same distinctive fur hat. Fitzgerald reports to Mishenko about the prison visit, both of them well aware that Jim and Doug are American agents.

    Willy, overseen by consulate man Valenkoff (Arthur Batanides), delivers booze for a party celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the EEPR. The top crates contain real samples of vodka, but the whole stack parts open to reveal...who else?
    MI67.jpg
    Barney places his bomb in the boiler room, but is then caught and the bomb found, now set to go off in one hour. This is all part of the plan, which has Barney posing as a Cuban. Mishenko has the building evacuated except for Valenkoff and Barney, as persuasion for him to disarm the bomb...which involves carefully chipping away at a concrete block that part of it is encased in. Along the way, we find Willy back to work in the utility tunnel (I suspect an editing issue here). Paris arrives in the States with Olga, with a fake radio announcement about the exchange of her husband playing in the limo for her benefit.

    Willy sneaks Dana and a throng of repertory agents through the tunnel into the consulate, to throw the now-fake bash. Once inside, Dana coaches the performers on their roles. The rigged traffic light allows separate IMF trucks to pull up just in time to block Mishenko's view from across the street of Jim and Paris's separately arriving limos. Vanin arrives to a fake ovation and is greeted warmly by Dana, his favorite tune being played on the accordion. Dana feeds Vanin a story of how Mishenko has been acting against his interests when Olga enters. As the couple reunites, Paris tells Vanin that they'll be flown home the next day. Valenkoff, holding Barney at gunpoint while he works on the bomb, briefly hears music from the party through a ventilation shaft and heads up to see what's going on, but is TV Fu'ed by Doug before he can spoil things.

    Paris takes Valenkoff's place to maintain walkie-talkie contact with Mishenko, and Barney defuses the bomb just in the nick of time. While Vanin and wife are in the next room discussing their plans, they realize that they no longer hear the party and walk out to find the embassy empty, just as Mishekno re-enters to inform them how they've been had...Mishenko having even realized that the bomb was part of the ruse. Vanin is desperate to prove that he didn't talk, and tells of how he hypnotized himself not to remember where he hid the list. This prompts Olga to share the numbers that he gave her, which trigger his memory that it's the number of a bus where he hid it under a seat. The IMFers are listening in as he reveals this information--which Mishenko also realizes--and somehow Jim knows right off the top of his head where the bus with that number is garaged, sending Willy there in advance. When Vanin's pals and gals arrive, the list has already been taken...but before Mishenko can off Vanin, the IMFers enter the bus, covers dropped, to take him back to prison. Jim tells Mishenko that he can have Vanin in 19 years...which should be right around when the EEPR collapses anyway. Mission: Accomplished.

    _______

    The Mary Tyler Moore Show
    "The 45-Year-Old Man"
    Originally aired March 6, 1971 (season finale)
    As Mary enters the newsroom, she has to explain to Murray that she has yellow feathers on her dress because she had to console children's program star Big Chicken, who was fired by new station manager Barry Phelps. (Note that Big Chicken was the name of Gavin MacLeod's recurring sleazeball on Hawaii Five-O.) This concerns Ted, as Big Chicken drew higher ratings than him. Lou isn't concerned because he's seen managers come and go, but Wild Jack Monroe, who personally hired him, is still that owner. Then everyone in the newsroom (including Gordy this week) is called up to see Phelps (Richard Roat)...except Lou. It becomes clear to them that Lou's the one in the crosshairs, and when they return, Lou tries to encourage them that none of them will be fired...which is met with awkward silence and an emotional reaction from Mary. Everyone avoids Lou, until Mary finally comes clean. Lou makes a show of taking it in stride, and makes a call to a party who'd formerly been interested in acquiring him, but now considers him too old at 45. (Asner was actually only 41 at the time...it's hard to believe that Asner then was a full decade younger than I am now.) Lou mentions having formerly worked at a newspaper, so I guess his later career change hadn't come out of nowhere for the sake of continuing the character in a new show. Regarding his age, Lou observes that "if I was in politics, they'd call me 'the kid'."

    There's a meeting at Mary's about having a strike, but it isn't union-authorized. As an alternative, the gang comes up with the plan of having Mary visit Monroe (Slim Pickens), a former Western B-movie actor, at his "ranch" outside of Minneapolis. It turns out that Monroe is only vaguely aware of who Grant is, and doesn't like to meddle in how his businesses are run. Back at WJM, Lou has proactively cleaned out his desk and is about to leave when Monroe bursts in and briefly reacquaints himself with Lou before offering him a job in Boise, Idaho. Monroe then realizes that he already has a news director there, so he transfers Lou back to his current job.

    In the coda, we learn that Big Chicken has also gotten his job back, because his show is Wild Jack's favorite.

    _______

    Which network were you watching it on? I think it had been on This a bit back, but it seems to have since changed hands back to the Weigel networks.
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2021
  13. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    And John Astin. An all-star cast.

    Felix has a more interesting life than I thought.

    Erotic subtext in his sports articles? Hmm....

    Oh, Oscar, Oscar, Oscar. :(

    Hereafter referred to as "the penthouse."

    Does she have a belly button? :rommie:

    Me neither, but it's probably something real-- that's when cannons were invented.

    Nice. :rommie:

    This is the life of the Top Gun.

    Sounds like a job for the IMF.

    Classic LAS twist. :rommie:

    I wish I could lift stuff.

    They retire them young in this business.

    Looks like he may have consumed that vodka to make room. "Ducky Wucky is in the house, Jim!"

    Good plan. They never clean under there. :ack:

    Coincidentally, it's the bus he takes to the flower shop.

    He gets him for five whole minutes. :rommie:

    Nice touch. :rommie:

    I have that thought a lot when watching these old shows.

    This episode seems to predict the WKRP vibe.

    And because it's a requirement of the Federal Witness Protection Program.

    It was This. And I'm still waiting for Decades to make its reappearance. :(
     
  14. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2002
    Location:
    The Old Mixer, Somewhere in Connecticut
    Tell me about it!

    I believe that she did!

    That's why he sent Willy to find it... :p

    I'm not sure it was deliberate, but it definitely struck me as funny.

    But '70s Ed Asner in particular...he's like the archetypal balding middle-aged guy with a gut.

    Big Chicken's got connections, see?
    H504.jpg

    In this age of streaming services, you really should have more control over specific channel selection/access. No wonder so many are cutting the cord.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2021
  15. gblews

    gblews Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    Location:
    So. Cal.
    I was a huge fan of Robert Palmer before he went totally commercial with that Addicted to Love crappola on MTV. He used to do nothing but this stripped down kind of eclectic island tinged rock/soul/reggae that was all his. He even used to cover Toots and the Maytals back in the day.

    I saw him live once in the late 70’s. It was just him and his band (which featured Leo Nocentelli of the Meters on guitar), for 2 solid hours playing his early songs and some covers.

    I remember this mash-up very well. Damn, he had a soulful voice and I loved hearing him apply it to these two Marvin hits,

    Great artist. Really was sad to hear of Palmer’s death.
     
    Shaka Zulu likes this.
  16. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    Poor little Willy. :(

    I wouldn't be surprised if it was something different in the original script that became a joke that made it on screen.

    True. He was pretty old for 41.

    Some elusive dude named Snuffleupagus.

    I really hope it evolves in that direction, because some channels-- TCM springs to mind-- really need more accessibility or they will just die.

    Yesterday's MeTV newsletter tells me that Ed Sullivan is returning in about a week or so, so I'm a happy camper. I'm not sure if it will be the same episodes as before, but that's fine if so.

    Nice Avatar, by the way. I noticed about three days ago, but managed to forget to mention it every day. :rommie:
     
  17. Shaka Zulu

    Shaka Zulu Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2013
    Location:
    Bulawayo Military Krral
    FYI, The Saint is also showing on the free streaming services Roku TV and (I think) Tubi.
     
  18. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2002
    Location:
    The Old Mixer, Somewhere in Connecticut
    "Hey, Ringo, you need someone to lift those drums for ya?"

    I neglected to mention that the yellow-feathered Big Chicken appeared briefly on screen in the coda, so I don't get the impression that the choice of character name was improvised.

    Has Me had it before? Checking their schedule, it is indeed Best of, the same as Decades plays...and Me will only be showing one episode a week, on Sunday night.

    Let me know if you want me to put a credit somewhere.
     
  19. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    That's good to know. I've been meaning to sign up for Roku, because not only do they have a bunch of good stuff, but my buddy Chris Mihm has his own channel on there.

    "Thanks. Just put them over there, on top of John and Paul."

    Bummer. I'd like to think there was some connection.

    I don't remember if they had it before. I was a bit disappointed at the one-episode schedule, but it's better than nothing.

    Nah, that's cool. The ghost of Jack Lord would haunt me if I tried to take credit for his face. :rommie:
     
  20. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2002
    Location:
    The Old Mixer, Somewhere in Connecticut
    55 Years Ago This Week




    Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

    Leaving the chart:
    • "Barbara Ann," The Beach Boys (11 weeks)
    • "Batman," Jan & Dean (5 weeks)
    • "Call Me," Chris Montez (10 weeks)
    • "Going to a Go-Go," The Miracles (12 weeks)
    • "I See the Light," The Five Americans (11 weeks)
    • "It Won't Be Wrong," The Byrds (5 weeks)
    • "Just Like Me," Paul Revere & The Raiders (15 weeks)
    • "Zorba the Greek," Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass (12 weeks)

    New on the chart:

    "Shapes of Things," The Yardbirds

    (#11 US; #3 UK)

    "Gloria," The Shadows of Knight

    (#10 US)

    "Kicks," Paul Revere & The Raiders

    (#4 US; #400 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

    "Secret Agent Man," Johnny Rivers

    (#3 US)


    And new on the boob tube:
    • Branded, "Call to Glory: Part 3"
    • 12 O'Clock High, "The Hollow Man"
    • Batman, "The Purr-fect Crime"
    • Batman, "Better Luck Next Time"
    • Gilligan's Island, "Will the Real Mr. Howell Please Stand Up?"
    • Hogan's Heroes, "The Prince from the Phone Company"
    • Get Smart, "Hubert's Unfinished Symphony"

    _______

    Petty revenge? Poor Ringo, indeed.