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50th Anniversary Viewing
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Adam-12
"Sunburn"
Originally aired February 19, 1974
MeTV said:
Reed returns from vacation with a full-body sunburn, making for a miserable work day. Out on patrol, he and Malloy respond to a fiery traffic accident, use an informant's tip to track down a drug dealer, search for an armed robbery suspect based on a vehicle description and attempt to rescue two boys after their rowboat capsizes.
After two days off, Reed arrives late for roll call because he's dealing with the after-effects of having fallen asleep in the sun, which include having to wear his shoes untied. On patrol, the officers come upon a traffic accident in which one car has back-ended another, the rear of the front vehicle being in an obligatorily state of combustion. The officers pull an unconscious young woman whom we later learn is called Mrs. Gardener out of the front vehicle; while the driver of the back vehicle, Bill Johnson (Paul Picerni), explains that his brakes failed when the woman stopped suddenly in front of him. A fire engine, ambulance, and tow truck arrive--We don't need no stinkin' paramedics! At Not Rampart, a nurse (future Draconian princess Pamela Hensley) gives the officers updates on Johnson and Gardener, the latter of whom has a slight concussion and a cracked rib; and Jim consults a doctor (Sam Chu Lin) about treating his condition.
Reed takes his seven in the station's locker room, soaking his feet. His pain and swelling relieved somewhat, back on patrol he declines to ticket a Mr. Hayes (Dick Whittinghill) who failed to yield for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, while favoring the shade both out of the car and in, to the point of asking Pete to drive in the direction that will give him the shady side of the unit.
The officers spot a signal from a newspaper vendor informant named Charlie (Joseph Mell), who alerts them to a neighborhood where there's a lot of dope action, indicating a potential dealer on the block. The officers scope out the shabby suburban street on foot and follow a man inside one of the houses to find him shooting up and arrest him. (Don't they need a warrant for that?) Mac relays some follow-up from Charlie, who leaves a note at a police phone box, giving the officers the name and address of a William C. Roberts, who turns out to have a record for dealing and parole violation. The narc dicks being conveniently busy, the officers handle the bust themselves, staking out Roberts's apartment. After watching the arrival of likely hypes, the officers call in backup and swoop in, busting into the apartment, arresting the occupants, and readily finding evidence.
After a broadcast about a 211 at a jewelry store, the officers spot and follow a station wagon matching the description of the suspect's vehicle...and learn that the plate belongs to a Volkswagen. They pull the car over and call for the driver to get out and lie face-down on the pavement while staying behind the cover of their doors with guns drawn. It turns out that the driver, Theodore Gunderson (Tom Geas), is the husband of the Volkswagen owner, the two of them having recently moved from Indiana, and Gunderson realizes that when he got their new plates, he must have put them on the wrong vehicles. After a follow-up broadcast indicates damage on the suspect vehicle, the officers let Gunderson go and thank him for his cooperation.
Driving by Echo Park, the officers are flagged down by a woman (Alice Backes) who alerts them to two boys in the lake whose rowboat capsized. Reed dives in and pulls out each boy in turn; following which an ambulance promptly arrives and its crew puts the boys on oxygen, proving that the whole paramedic thing is nothing but a scam!
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Hawaii Five-O
"Killer at Sea"
Originally aired February 19, 1974
Wiki said:
A debt ridden comedian (John Byner) complicates McGarrett's investigation aboard a cruise ship of a bank robbery and a Congressman's murder.
Business manager Vincent Gordon (Keene Curtis) makes the rounds at a series of banks while accompanied by a heavy and being driven by a man in a straw hat whose face is obscured (but resembles Byner if you're looking for him). At each bank, Gordon makes a cash withdrawal from the account of one of the clients for whom he holds power of attorney, each in the neighborhood of $20,000. At the Oahu National Bank, the manager, Weber (Norman Wright), makes an excuse to slip away and call Duke, having gotten wind of the pattern from colleagues at the other banks. Getting nervous, Gordon tries to slip out, but Weber sounds the alarm when he spots that the heavy is holding a gun on Gordon. The heavy is shot by a guard in an exchange of fire, but the driver takes out the guard and a man in a suit who comes out and tries to use the fallen guard's gun. Five-O and HPD follow the car to the pier of the cruise ship S.S.
Monterey, where the driver checks in a black bag holding what we learn is a total of $500,000 and boards the ship. When Gordon is found by the police, indicating that he'd jumped out of the car and been fired at by the driver, McGarrett takes him aboard the ship to try to find the killer. But the captain (Kent Bowman) won't delay the ship's departure for a thorough search. The stakes rise when McGarrett is informed that the civilian shot by the driver at the bank was Congressman Chang, who's since died. McGarrett decides to stay on the ship with Danno, Duke, and Gordon in order to flush the killer out.
Otherwise having the full cooperation of the captain, McGarrett briefs the ship's officers regarding his plan, which includes holding Gordon under guard in a classified cabin and occasionally taking him out so the killer will have a chance to see him. While Danno's scoping out the baggage area, he runs into Byner's character, whom he recognizes as nightclub comedian Duffy Malone, and who says he's looking for the ship's doctor to treat a back problem. McGarrett takes Gordon to the dining area to try to spot the killer, and when asked asserts that Duffy--who's volunteered to provide entertainment--isn't their man. An attractive woman at another table, Elena Lewis (Gail Strickland), has champagne brought to McGarrett, which he declines to indulge in. Meeting her later in the corridor, he learns that she's a curious feature writer who's well aware of who he is...as, it turns out, is Duffy, who takes Steve aside to ask for protection, having received a threatening note from a shady debtor. While McGarrett is with Duffy, Gordon is shot at twice through the door of the cabin where he's being guarded by Duke, which leaves him frightened but unharmed.
Ben radios from the mainland that Duffy is a gambling addict who's in debt to a Vegas syndicate; and that the only passenger with a record is Frank Fallon (William Devane), a former Vegas dealer who was caught skimming and cruise ship card shark. McGarrett visits Fallon, who's been keeping to his cabin, to question him. The black bag of interest is found, now only containing the driver's straw hat, and the proximity of laundry bags leads Steve to have that avenue explored. Meanwhile, he's arranged a fire drill to get everyone on deck and have Gordon look them over, but while Gordon pauses in front of Lewis and Fallon, he claims that the killer isn't among them. During Duffy's act, Steve takes interest at Fallon and Lewis acting casually familiar. After his John Wayne impersonation, Duffy is mingling with audience members when somebody slips something ominous into his pocket.
Chin further reports that Lewis is licensed to carry and belongs to a gun club. Another fire drill turns up no results, and Steve takes an interest in a sealed cargo hold that's been ruled out because nobody's supposed to have access. An officer named Parkins (Peter Leeds) takes him down there and it's found that the alarm system and door seal have been tampered with, indicating a possible inside man among the officers. With the clock running out again as the ship approaches Frisco, an announcement is made that all luggage will be searched by the police as the passengers are disembarking. Duffy follows his note to the main salon, where he's knocked out by a mysterious figure with a flashlight. While the inspection is in progress, Duffy tells McGarrett about the note he was responding to if he "wanted to stay alive"...and Steve realizes that it's all a diversion. Meanwhile, the mystery figure sneaks into the cargo hold...and is revealed to be Fallon, who's addressed by McGarrett remotely via speaker, informing him he's under arrest. Fallon has to abandon his money bag to squeeze through a sealing bulkhead, and almost makes it off the ship but is apprehended by McGarrett and Williams.
Steve: Frisk him, Danno.
While Fallon is being driven away, it seems like everything's over when McGarrett has a local detective take Gordon into custody--accusing him of having been Fallon's partner all along, having been tipped off by powder burns on Gordon's jacket when he was supposed to have been fired at while fleeing.
Five-O's phone number is spoken aloud in this episode. A quick search indicates that this number was used several times on the show, both as Five-O's and that of a cab company. And, regretfully, it was note a fictious 555 number, but an actual one in use by an unsuspecting citizen, and apparently still is.
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Ironside
"A Death in Academe"
Originally aired February 21, 1974
Frndly said:
A controversial teacher is a target for murder after one of his students commits suicide.
Ed sits in on a nihilistic philosophy lecture by an old college buddy, Prof. Riley MacDane (Michael Parks), following which a student named Laura Coletti (Kathryn Kelly Wiget) comes up to ask him about the validity of the drug experience in light of the failure of faith and reason. He gives her a reasonable answer of mild discouragement. Alone in her dorm room Kelly makes a suicide cassette, puts it in an envelope, and slits her wrist. Ed and Riley are walking by when her body is wheeled out, and a long-haired student named David Rosakis (Doug Jacoby) angrily confronts MacDane.
David: You did it! You're responsible!...Your ideas killed her....Your so-called philosophy slit her wrist, professor!
Ed calls the Chief, who's coming down with something and being nursed by Fran. Elsewhere, a man named Eddie (Mike Kellin) makes remote contact with an associate named Sam, who hires him to make a "delivery" to MacDane. Ed has dinner with Riley and his wife, Judith (Jennifer Leak), who says something that upsets him more about the situation, motivating him to walk out. When Ed tries to follow, he's nearly run down by a car.
Follow-up questioning at the Cave paints it as an attempt on MacDane, though that wasn't conveyed at all on camera. Eddie watches as the MacDanes are taken to a hotel for safekeeping; while the Chief and Mark pay a visit to Laura's parents (Frank Corsero and Naomi Stevens) to ask questions about their daughter. He learns that Mr. Coletti also blames MacDane, and that Laura requested on her tape that the professor deliver the eulogy at her funeral. Fran searches Laura's room, finds David hiding in the closet, and questions him about his whereabouts at the time of the attempted hit and run. Laura's roommate, Sonia Barrot (Mary Layne), walks in and passionately defends Prof. MacDane, accuses David of already having had it in for MacDane, and Fran of trying to railroad him. Elsewhere, Eddie calls his employer to arrange a bigger commission for the euphemistic "sale," given that the "buyer" has taken on some tough "consultants".
We're next confusingly taken to the home of Reggie and Amelia Barrot (Malachi Throne, who was on TOS before he was on TNG, and Monica Lewis), given no context to clue us in that they're Sonia's parents until blue-collar Reggie confronts her in her room about MacDane, whom he considers a degenerate who's twisting his daughter's mind; and she admits that she's got a thing for her professor. Eddie reads about MacDane's funeral appointment in the paper and updates his client. An autopsy turns up that Laura has a high white blood count and enlarged liver (I think Mark said) bordering on mononucleosis, which could account for suicidal impulses; while Fran goes through MacDane's hate mail, which includes a piece from Mrs. Barrot, attempting to dissuade the college from letting the professor break up her family. The surname rings a vague bell for the Chief.
After a classroom exercise demonstrating the power of money that ends with Prof. MacDane burning a fake dollar bill, David accuses him of being a phoney who lacks a soul and doesn't believe in caring. After Eddie sees that the Chief has had a weapon detector installed at the cemetery gate, he tosses his wrapped-up rifle over the wall for future use; following which he assembles a remote-triggered explosive and conceals it in a basket of flowers that he delivers to the mortuary.
The Chief visits the Barrots, after which he identifies Reggie as former L.A. mobster Sam Barcotti, who was known to use a wiley hitman who was never identified. Police stake out the cemetery, and the basket of flowers is taken there with the funeral procession. While MacDane is speaking, Eddie works nearby as a groundskeeper, digging up buried packages. At the construction site, something unclearly makes Reggie realize that his daughter's going to be at the funeral (Duh!), and he rushes there to try to get her to leave. A device Eddie planted causes a car outside the cemetery to blow up, apparently meant as a diversion, but it only seems to draw Ed's attention to Eddie, who tries to trigger his basket device but it doesn't go off, following which he's apprehended. We learn that TI found the rifle and device with a metal detector, and apparently switched out the rifle with a similarly wrapped package, though this also wasn't clearly conveyed. In the aftermath, the Chief implies that Sonia's thesis may have threatened to expose her father...or maybe just turned her against him...which motivated Barrot to go after MacDane. This also wasn't completely clear.
Overall, this one came off as sloppily executed and not fully baked. It seemed like it wanted to be a more compelling episode than it was.
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The Mary Tyler Moore Show
"Two Wrongs Don't Make a Writer"
Originally aired February 23, 1974
Wiki said:
Ted joins Mary's night school class in creative writing and plagiarizes Mary's assignment.
At the station, Ted catches Mary working on a piece for her course, but acts uninterested in developing his own writing skills until it comes up that Cronkite writes some of his own copy.
Mary: Murray, you don't suppose that we may have put an idea in Ted's head, do you?
Murray: Don't worry. If we did, it'll die of loneliness.
As for Mr. Grant...
Lou: Oh...that's lovely. I like everyone in my newsroom to have a hobby.
Ted subsequently reads his own copy on the air in place of Murray's, to expected reactions in the newsroom. Lou confronts Ted in his dressing room after the show, initially out for blood, but he doesn't go through with it. Ted drops by Mary's later with Georgette to ask about joining Mary's course. She tries to talk him out of it, but he insists, feeling that it's a matter of self-esteem.
The teacher, Mrs. Malone (Shirley O'Hara), turns out to hold television in very low regard; and Ted makes Mary stand up and introduce him to the class. When the lesson begins, he makes a spectacle of himself, of course. He later drops by Mary's desperate for an idea for a writing assignment. Mary tells him and Georgette what her assignment is about--an interesting experience that she had with a date for a high school dance, which she felt at the time was ruined when her date took an injured animal to the vet. Back in class, Ted is picked to read first, and his assignment turns out to be Mary's story told from the viewpoint of her date--which is actually pretty clever and creative, though he botches the point of the story...that Mary's date was the more mature one because he didn't care if Mary blamed him for spoiling her evening.
In the coda, it's Mary's turn to read, and she uses it to tell off Ted in front of the class--which we only see the preamble of, with Mary ordering everyone to stay in their seats when the bell rings.
This episode was directed by Nancy Walker.
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The Bob Newhart Show
"Confessions of an Orthodontist"
Originally aired February 23, 1974
Wiki said:
Bob temporarily takes over a practice for another psychologist (Roger Perry), including a ditzy secretary (Teri Garr). One of his first patients is Jerry, who confesses he's in love with Emily.
Fellow shrink Dr. Walburn from the ninth floor (Perry) pretends to be visiting Bob's office socially when he's actually seeing Bob as a patient. When Walburn is called to intervene with a patient who's leading a riot at Leavenworth, Bob agrees to take over his patients the next day. At home, Bob's trying to make a TV dinner because Emily's been helping Jerry with a hospital wing fundraiser. The next day at Walburn's office, Bob becomes acquainted with his secretary, Miss Brennan (Garr), and is surprised when his first appointment turns out to be Jerry. Jerry clams up, trying to run out the clock on his session. When pressed, he indicates that Bob is the one person he can't talk to about his issue. Bob encourages Jerry to pretend that he's Dr. Walburn, and Jerry soon confesses that he's in love with Bob Hartley's wife.
Bob brings his resulting issue home with him, acting funny toward Emily until he brings up the subject of Jerry and it turns out that Emily knows that Jerry's become infatuated with him, and is flattered about it. Emily reassures Bob that she doesn't feel the same way about Jerry, and is disappointed when Bob rolls over and goes to sleep. The next day, Walburn's back to seeing Bob, and explains that he didn't realize it was Jerry's day. Emily's there and Jerry tries to avoid the Hartleys, but is eventually called to Bob's office, which Bob leaves to let Jerry and Emily talk it out. Emily attributes Jerry's feelings to the two of them spending so much time together and emphasizes that she loves Jerry as a friend. Bob awkwardly walks back in while they're hugging. Miss Brennan subsequently comes down to ask Bob about some files that have come up missing, and Jerry promptly takes an interest in her.
In the coda, it comes out that Carol has constructed a soap opera-ish scenario in her head to explain everyone's mysterious behavior over the past few days.
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Happy Birthday, Captain Pike.
Cullen Bohannon!
Rolling Stone magazine lists 'September Gurls' at number 178 of the '500 Greatest Singles'.
And this one as #396--the two entries being only reason I've ever heard of Big Star.
What a shame. That must have been absolutely heartbreaking. Was there some issue with marketing or something, or was it just a matter of not meshing with the current trends?
As the punditry goes, only 10,000 people bought their albums, but every one of them formed a band. Which is an argument for "greatest of all time" lists having an age limit on entries...whether or not something proves to have been influential can take time.
