The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[The Old Mixer]

Barnabas don't run like dat!

 

[RJDiogenes]

Your math would be off. Born in September 1928, West would have been 32 when he did that Rifleman episode...and 37 when he started Batman.

Indeed. I was thinking 1921 for some reason. Never mind.

I remember the term "fox" being pretty ubiquitous in the '70s...and the "strawberry" part would refer to his hair. It's one thing for Reed to joke about it in the squad car, but when Sgt. MacDonald starts using it....

The fox part makes sense, but Strawberry Fox sounds more like a breakfast cereal than a nickname for a cop. I suppose Red Fox was already taken.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Sounds like maybe you're unfamiliar with the term "strawberry blond(e)"...which describes Milner's shade of hair.

 

[RJDiogenes]

No, I'm familiar with that and it makes sense. Strawberry just doesn't go with either Fox or Malloy. Of course, it sounds like they were teasing him, so it probably made more sense in that context.

 

[The Old Mixer]

^ Ah, if you're saying that it doesn't fit Malloy specifically, as a cop in the show, then I'd tend to agree. That's why I was speculating that it might have been an offscreen nickname of Milner's among his fans, which started getting referenced in the show.

Just had a little Doors geek-out moment watching today's episode. There's a dash-perspective shot of the squad car passing the Hard Rock Cafe, from the back of the Morrison Hotel album cover. The angle is different so I wasn't sure if it was the same establishment, but a Google turned up that the signage on the place next door is the same. The episode would have been roughly four years after the album.

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[RJDiogenes]

^ Ah, if you're saying that it doesn't fit Malloy specifically, as a cop in the show, then I'd tend to agree. That's why I was speculating that it might have been an offscreen nickname of Milner's among his fans, which started getting referenced in the show.

True, maybe it was something they read in a teen magazine or something.

Just had a little Doors geek-out moment watching today's episode. There's a dash-perspective shot of the squad car passing the Hard Rock Cafe, from the back of the Morrison Hotel album cover. The angle is different so I wasn't sure if it was the same establishment, but a Google turned up that the signage on the place next door is the same. The episode would have been roughly four years after the album.

Good eye. That's kind of cool.

 

[The Old Mixer]

^ It was easy to spot, it had a big sign over the door that wasn't there on the album...which is also what made me want to verify it. I also turned up results that would indicate that the location is a veggie market these days.

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50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing

What was going on the week these episodes aired.

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Batman
"Catwoman Goes to College"
Originally aired February 22, 1967

Paroled Catwoman wreaks havoc in college.

"Batman Displays His Knowledge"
Originally aired February 23, 1967

Robin helps Batman, who has been trapped by Catwoman and her followers.

In answer to a question in the other thread, it would seem that freshman beanies were a genuine hazing thing, and while now archaic, were a recent enough thing at the time of the episode that I found references to a "beanie burning" event in 1967.

Wouldn't calling the commissioner count as Batman's one phone call? And Courageous isn't overly familiar with Batman, yet instantly dismisses Catwoman as a witness because of her record. Anyway, when Alfred comes in to switch places with Batman, we get a rare bit of the Caped Crusader starting to get out of his costume.

As rock band names go, "The Lions & the Tigers" vaguely suggests "The Mamas & the Papas".

That "billboard" sure looks underwhelming. And a deathtrap with thousands of onlookers? Nobody can get up there and help the Dynamic Duo? Or call the police? They're all so under the influence of Catwoman that none of them would? In the closer stock shots, the Chimes Square crowd doesn't look much like college students in the first place.

A French fence making spaghetti and saying "ciao"? I think they're mixing their European stereotypes.

The window gag wasn't the only too-on-the-nose joke this week...we also have Robin's comments upon getting out of the deathtrap, and Gordon's observation about the phone gimmick proving that Wayne isn't Batman (a suspicion that's never come up on the show before).

To the guy in the other thread: Yes, they did do the "kill Robin" gag with Catwoman before, and recently...I think it may have been her previous appearance.

Also, about the speculation that the model home might have been an available set...indeed, it looked specifically to me like the sort of place where a wealthy newspaper publisher and his chauffeur/valet might have hanged their hats and masks when they weren't out in their souped-up sedan outsmarting evildoers.

[ETA: Checking further down in the MeTV thread, I see that a few of the above points were covered in subsequent posts, and @TREK_GOD_1 beat me to identifying the Reid living room by the better part of two years.]

And speaking of...next week, at long last: The Green Hornet! (Seems like forever since I was watching that.)

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The Wild Wild West
"The Night of the Deadly Bubble"
Originally aired February 24, 1967

West and Gordon investigate the murder of a scientist who was studying a rash of destructive tidal waves.

The week's villain is an ecologically conscious, sea-obsessed mad scientist played by Alfred (Prof. Crater) Ryder.

The female scientist is familiar with Jim West by reputation...how public a figure is he supposed to be?

Not to use TMFU as a straw man, but it makes sense to compare what works for me and what doesn't in the shows of the era that I've been watching, particularly as they're in the same genre. I think that one of the things that West and Gordon have over Solo and Kuryakin is that they seem to have better-defined roles--Jim the man of action and ladies' man, Artie the know-how guy who's good with things like gadgets, disguises, and forensics...whereas the men from UNCLE seem interchangeable and sometimes redundant. Also, between them Jim and Artie are charming without coming across as unlikably snarky.

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Tarzan
"To Steal the Rising Sun"
Originally aired February 24, 1967

An exiled chief plots to steal his tribe's priceless ruby.

Tarzan could really use a pouch. When he has some odd bit of business like a document to carry around, he literally has to stuff it...well, you can imagine--where else does he have to stuff it?

A female photographer is a natural enough companion for the Lord of the Jungle, though in this case she's a dupe of the bad guys that she's traveling with, whose scheme is to have her and Tarzan unwittingly smuggle the ruby out through the jungle. Although there's a confusing beat toward the end that seems to suggest that she was in on the plan, and helps Tarzan anyway...but it's hard to tell if it might not have just been a sloppy bit of writing or syndication editing.

The titular McGuffin looks sort of like a small, orange disco ball.

The episode starts a bit slow but turns into a decent chase story. We get more gratuitous bad guys deaths, though. There's always a croc handy to take out one of the bad guys who happens to fall into the water; and another is killed by one kick from Tarzan, which should have been easily survivable on a family-hour TV show.

Jai only pops up in the coda scene. Cheeta play a more substantial role than usual, though...(s)he works for bananas. (She get's a "good girl" comment in this episode.) In one scene, Tarzan puts the woman's boots on Cheeta to create a false trail...that was pretty cringey.

This one has no TOS guests, but it does have...

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James Earl Jones, in his first of two roles on the show! He was nearly unrecognizable to me here, being so young and sporting facial hair.

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Get Smart
"Where-What-How-Who Am I?"
Originally aired February 25, 1967

Max learns of KAOS' plans to kill top space scientists, but crashes his car on the way to CONTROL.

They do love doing Space Race-related plots on this show, don't they?

So...the old "bomb in the snack truck" trick.

This one was entertaining but didn't have any real LOL gags for me. It was a bit silly how 99 and the Chief didn't catch on how Max's memory would always start returning just before it was time to take the pill, then he'd be back to amnesia square one right after he took it.

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Last Week's 50th Anniversary Viewing

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Dark Shadows

Episode 261
Originally aired June 26, 1967

Sam finds Maggie on the beach. He and Dr. Woodward decide to send Maggie to a sanitarium and pretend that she is dead.

The week begins with a recap of Maggie escaping her cell and Barnabas in pursuit. The passage takes both outside to the beach at the foot of Widow's Hill. Barnabas finds Maggie lying exhausted on the ground and is preparing to kill her when her scream draws the attention of her nearby father. Barnabas slips away to eavesdrop as Sam finds his unconscious daughter. Cut to comm...no, wait, that was a music miscue, we still have a couple more beats...there, cut to commercial.

Following a message from our sponsor, Maggie is in the hospital, where Sam relates the story of the strange little girl to The Real Doc Woodard and Joe. Maggie wakes up, but has taken refuge in childhood memories, wanting "her" doll and not recognizing her boyfriend. Outside of her room, Woodard reminds us of his ironclad medical ethics when he suggests that the three of them should fake Maggie's death in order to protect her.

My plan is to send her to a nursing home about a hundred miles north of here...one run by Dr. Hoffman--Julia Hoffman, you remember, the doctor that was supposed to examine the blood sample before it was stolen?

("Just don't remember that I referred to her as a him then....")

Barnabas tries to locate Maggie at the hospital, to be told of her supposed death by Doc Woodard. As he's the only person in town to show up looking for her, I have to think that this incident plays a role in making the doctor suspicious of Barnabas's involvement in Maggie's abduction.


Episode 262
Originally aired June 27, 1967

Victoria and Carolyn mourn Maggie's reported death. Victoria agrees to be Elizabeth's witness at her wedding.

The part of Burke Devlin will be played by Anthony George.

At Collinwood, Victoria learns of Maggie's supposed death and shares the news with Elizabeth. Then, the second part of the description commences. Vicki is reluctant given what she now knows of Liz's secret, and suggests that Roger might be a more logical choice...but he's not in this episode, which puts her on the spot. Vicki next shares the news about Maggie with Carolyn, who's finally sporting some vaguely biker-ish attire to go with her tedious subplot, which of course the scene devolves into being all about. Even Vicki's blatant hints that she knows something about the hold that Jason has over Liz aren't enough to steer Carolyn out of the melodramatic angst zone.

On the beach set, Vicki shows off her new mimbo, Burke 2.0, to the audience. They have a conversation about Maggie's unknown killer in which Vicki seems to show sympathy for Barnabas without knowing who the "killer" is...but perhaps for her it's really more about Liz.

Carolyn arrives at Collinwood with Buzz, who mercifully won't be played by anybody after this episode, following the argument that they have when she wants to stay home. Buh-bye, Buzz, don't let the chainsaw motor sound hit you in the ass on your way out. Vicki tries to convince Liz to tell Carolyn the truth now, and despite Liz's reluctance, shows her support by agreeing to stand with Elizabeth at her wedding after all. Always a witness, never a blackmailed bride....

The people at Dark Shadows Before I Die did a little tribute to the departing Mitchell Ryan...they're a lot more fond of him than I am. It's too soon to say much about George...he seems a bit softer and more youthful here, not as much of a lantern-jawed Alpha Male as Ryan's Burke.


Episode 263
Originally aired June 28, 1967

Carolyn angrily determines to hurt her mother. Sam and Joe refrain from admitting that Maggie is really alive.

At Collinwood, Carolyn reads in the paper that another girl has been attacked, and shares the story with Vicki. She also shares a dream that she had in which she was the mysterious madman's next victim. Vicki returns the favor by reluctantly revealing her agreement to be Liz's witness, which gets the angsty drama merry-go-round going again.

At his cottage, Sam is on the phone with Doc Woodard asking about Maggie when Vicki comes by. Pressed about what she can do for him in his time of need, Sam doesn't do a terribly good job of acting like a man who's supposed to be in mourning. Meanwhile, Carolyn visits Joe while he's taking a break on the docks. She gets a similarly awkward reaction when she attempts to console him about Maggie. He changes the subject, preferring to endure the tedium of her subplot.

Back at Collinwood, Vicki and Carolyn compare notes about Sam and Joe for a bit before the angst and spite resume. While at Sam's cottage, Sam and Joe remind the audience of why it's important that they maintain the ruse that Maggie's dead.


Episode 264
Originally aired June 29, 1967

Barnabas warns Willie that Jason may need to be dealt with. Willie tells Barnabas he saw Sarah and she claimed she lives at the Old House.

At Collinwood, Roger is giving Jason the cold shoulder while Jason raids the brandy. After some threats from McGuire, Roger reveals that he's having papers drawn up to prevent his prospective brother-in-law from taking over the estate.

At the Old House, Barnabas and Willie discuss the aftermath of Maggie's supposed death. Loomis expresses guilt and regret over his role in the matter...and while Barnabas tries to play it cool, he's clearly shaken enough to make him flub his lines....

Well there isn't one much can do about it.

Blurry outdoor location shots herald the arrival of a visitor at the Old House--Roger. It's been awhile since we've seen anything of the Barnabas/Roger bromance. Roger's there, of course, to unload the Great House plotline on his cousin.

I'd hate to think what would happen to this estate, and to the enterprise, if [Jason] got control of it.

Now there's a crossover idea! Anyway, his previous plotline having played out for the moment, Barnabas volunteers to get involved and have a word with McGuire himself.

On the exterior set, Willie gets a surprise visit from Sarah. He's understandably a bit more patient with the girl than he is with her snarky, serial-breaking-and-entering playmate, David.

Now you get outta heah, and you get outta heah now.

She obeys, completely disappearing when he briefly turns his back on her.

At the Great House, while Roger goes upstairs to look at the deeds, Barnabas decides to show Jason who's the top bad guy around heah..er, here. Jason wastes no time in digging his own grave by expressing his pointed suspicions about Barnabas's activities. When Barnabas returns to the Old House and hears of Willie's encounter with the strange little girl, the lord of the manor seems vaguely disturbed.


Episode 265
Originally aired June 30, 1967

At Windcliff sanitarium, Dr. Julia Hoffman reluctantly allow Sam and Joe to visit Maggie, who is in a child-like state.

At the sanitarium, Maggie is being examined by our definitely not male but very wicked-looking new character, Dr. Julia Hoffman. Meanwhile, back at the Evans home, Doc Woodard is defending Hoffman's unusual methods, which include not allowing visitors. Sam coerces the doc to let him and Joe go up to see Maggie on the condition that she not see them.

The hundred-mile trip up to Windcliff warrants Joe getting to spend a short scene driving the car prop. And the show really blows out the budget for the occasion by giving us the odd guest character with a speaking role, a nurse at the sanitarium! Hoffman reluctantly allows her uninvited guests to visit Maggie openly, feeling it's the only way to convince them not to meddle with her work on her patient...who reacts as Hoffman expected, much worse than the last time that she saw her father and boyfriend...not just childlike, but completely traumatized.

In her scenes with Woodard, Hoffman makes it clear that she's only concerned with getting the results that she wants, not with the needs or feelings of others. She also cryptically hints that she knows a lot more about the true nature of Maggie's condition than she's willing to share....

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50 years ago this week:

July 3 – A military rebellion led by Belgian mercenary Jean Schramme begins in Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
July 4 – The British Parliament decriminalizes homosexuality.
July 5 – Troops of Belgian mercenary commander Jean Schramme revolt against Mobutu Sese Seko, and try to take control of Stanleyville, Congo.
July 6

• Nigerian Civil War: Nigerian forces invade the secessionist Biafra May 30.
• A level crossing collision between a train loaded with children and a tanker-truck near Magdeburg, East Germany kills 94 people, mostly children.

July 7 – "All You Need Is Love" is released in the UK.

New on the charts:

"Omaha," Moby Grape

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(#88 US)

"You Keep Me Hangin' On," Vanilla Fudge

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(#67 US; #18 UK; Re-released in 1968, it entered the charts on July 13 and reached #6 US; The single edit is under 3 minutes...presented here for maximum psychedelic effect is the album version.)


And new on the boob tube:

• Dark Shadows, episodes 266-270

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[Christopher]

I think that one of the things that West and Gordon have over Solo and Kuryakin is that they seem to have better-defined roles--Jim the man of action and ladies' man, Artie the know-how guy who's good with things like gadgets, disguises, and forensics...whereas the men from UNCLE seem interchangeable and sometimes redundant.

Logical, I guess, since West and Gordon were conceived as a duo from the start, while Solo was created as, well, a solo lead (The Man from UNCLE, not Men) and Illya was a pilot guest star who was well-received and upgraded to a regular.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I found references to a "beanie burning" event in 1967.

Well, at least it wasn't 1997-- that would have been more disturbing.

A French fence making spaghetti and saying "ciao"? I think they're mixing their European stereotypes.

Was his name Picard?

The female scientist is familiar with Jim West by reputation...how public a figure is he supposed to be?

I don't remember the character-- perhaps she has worked for the government in the past?

I think that one of the things that West and Gordon have over Solo and Kuryakin is that they seem to have better-defined roles--Jim the man of action and ladies' man, Artie the know-how guy who's good with things like gadgets, disguises, and forensics...whereas the men from UNCLE seem interchangeable and sometimes redundant.

That's quite a good point that never occurred to me before. The only real difference between them is that Kuryakin is Russian-- although he does seem to be more of a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to sex.

They do love doing Space Race-related plots on this show, don't they?

It was a really big deal at the time. Sadly, no more.

"Omaha," Moby Grape

Another one that I have no memory of. Kinda catchy, but no big deal.

"You Keep Me Hangin' On," Vanilla Fudge

I sure remember this one. Very nice, although it was years before I heard the beautiful album version, of course.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Logical, I guess, since West and Gordon were conceived as a duo from the start, while Solo was created as, well, a solo lead (The Man from UNCLE, not Men) and Illya was a pilot guest star who was well-received and upgraded to a regular.

Bit of a pity, I was intrigued by the different focus in the pilot...the way that it was all about the interplay of Solo and his guest heroine, and largely from her POV, that of an ordinary housewife who's swept up in the glamour of spy fi life. Don't know if they could have maintained that sort of thing for an entire series, but the Solo/Kuryakin dynamic didn't work out all that well either, IMO.

I don't remember the character-- perhaps she has worked for the government in the past?

Possibly...I wasn't looking for references to that effect so I don't recall. But she was obscure enough that West didn't know that the murdered scientist's assistant was a woman.

The only real difference between them is that Kuryakin is Russian-- although he does seem to be more of a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to sex.

And Solo often gets chastised for being too much of a womanizer, but it's much more tell than show...another one of those little things about the series that doesn't scan right for me.

I sure remember this one. Very nice, although it was years before I heard the beautiful album version, of course.

"Beautiful"? Interesting....

Anyway, coming weeks promise to largely have a greater number and variety of musical selections.

_______

Kung Fu

"The Spirit-Helper"
Production no. 166205
Originally aired November 8, 1973

Is Caine the answer to a young Indian brave's prayer? The youth is convinced Caine is his Spirit Guide as the two set out to rescue the boy's kidnapped mother. With Don Johnson.

Yes, it's that Don Johnson. And it's not just that Don Johnson, but Special Guest Star Don Johnson in redface, if you can even call it that. Ay, yi, yi...! One can't argue that he was the best person they could find for the role, because his delivery is horrible. It sounds like he's trying to imitate Carradine's delivery as Caine, but he doesn't pull it off well. What we get is lots and lots of scenes full of a weakly delivered stilted whispering. The entire episode revolving around his character's interaction with Caine made this a real stinker.


"The Squawman"
Production no. 166206
Originally aired November 1, 1973

Marcus is welcome...as long as the townsfolk don't also have to welcome his Indian wife. But Caine helps hard luck Marcus to see there's much more to self-worth than the whiskey and approval of others.

This episode is a particularly effective examination of prejudice...giving us a likable guest character who's torn between potential friends and his wife, and who's so desperate for respect that he'll do foolish and dangerous things to get it.

The flashback sequence of the miserable man whom Caine rescued from suicide is a memorable one.


"The Salamander"
Production no. 166207
Originally aired December 6, 1973

Caine seeks work in a mining boomtown gone bust and becomes a confidant to a mentally troubled youth...and a target in a claim jumper's treachery.

This episode Present Caine comes upon somebody trying to commit suicide...and he has a different flashback about it! This would-be suicide victim is angry at not being stopped. The story has a similar message, though, about seeing the world through another's eyes.

And this time the test in the flashback is a ruse perpetrated by the monks...I must have been vaguely remembering this one when I thought that the con-man/magician flashback sequence was going to be a ruse.

I wasn't sure what to make of the young man's condition; and the plot point about his father apparently not being his father wasn't explained clearly enough. I had to go back to see if I'd missed something, and I hadn't.


"The Tong"
Production no. 166208
Originally aired November 15, 1973

Slave child Wing flees his master and is sheltered by Caine and a missionary woman, leading to a confrontation between the Shaolin priest and Chinese crime lords who demand the return of the boy.

Caine badass moments: Catching the fly in the Tong henchman's face while verbally downplaying his abilities; walking out after the ambush with the arrow in his back.

Another episode in which Caine dons his pimped-out gold fighting togs for the climactic martial arts duel.


"The Soldier"
Production no. 166209
Originally aired November 29, 1973

His duty is to shoot to kill when so ordered. But a cavalry lieutenant unable to take a life finds another way to prove his heroism after he falls under the influence of a fugitive he captures--a fugitive named Caine.

Sign o' the times: A sort of a conscientious objector story in the waning days of the Vietnam War. This episode is on the slow and contemplative side, but the subject is set up well with the early scene of the lieutenant shooting himself in the leg in the aftermath of the ambush.

It's interesting how they use two flashbacks from different parts of Caine's life on the same subject, and in reverse chronological order...both conveying episodes of Caine emulating Master Po's ability to function with blindness.

In still another flashback...I believe this line was referenced somewhere upthread...

I am pleased you are wiser than the monkey.

When Caine is fighting the bandits in the climax, there's a freeze-frame of him leaping down toward the camera that looks a little too much like a comic book panel.


Well, I decided to start putting the production numbers in for clarity because the relative airing order of this block of episodes was all over the place, but it doesn't look like that will be an issue for the remainder of Season 2. From what I've seen, though, it should come in handy for Season 3.

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[RJDiogenes]

And Solo often gets chastised for being too much of a womanizer, but it's much more tell than show...another one of those little things about the series that doesn't scan right for me.

Probably an attempt to emphasize that he is supposed to be a bit of a rogue, but being a "womanizer" wasn't really a problem during the Sexual Revolution so it's not much of a jab.

"Beautiful"? Interesting....

You don't think so?

Sign o' the times: A sort of a conscientious objector story in the waning days of the Vietnam War. This episode is on the slow and contemplative side, but the subject is set up well with the early scene of the lieutenant shooting himself in the leg in the aftermath of the ambush.

Ah, yes, that was a very good one.

In still another flashback...I believe this line was referenced somewhere upthread...

That was me. I love that line. I told you snark is good.

 

[The Old Mixer]

You don't think so?

Not how I'd describe it at all. "Trippy" on a good day, perhaps.

I'm reminded of something I read in an academic source about there being two types of psychedelic music...the type that was made to enhance a trip, and the type that was made to provide the trip through the music itself. Vanilla Fudge, with the psychedelic jamming, would be an example of the former. Whereas the exact two bands that the source listed as examples of the latter were my two favorite bands--The Beatles and the Doors.

An example of psychedelic music that I'd describe as "beautiful" would be something like this:

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_______

By a cute coincidence, Cozi is playing Adam-12's first Christmas episode tomorrow, on the Fourth of July.

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In SF&F there's a thread about a potential 50th anniversary rewatch of The Prisoner. I don't have it on my DVR, but provided the means to watch it, I might, just might, add it to my 50th anniversary business in the coming TV season. It's something I've always heard about that sounded intriguing...and it's short. Anyone have any opinions about it?

_______

 

[Christopher]

In SF&F there's a thread about a potential 50th anniversary rewatch of The Prisoner. I don't have it on my DVR, but provided the means to watch it, I might, just might, add it to my 50th anniversary business in the coming TV season. It's something I've always heard about that sounded intriguing...and it's short. Anyone have any opinions about it?

My father was a huge fan of it, and I decided to keep his Prisoner DVDs when he passed away. It's a strikingly creative and complex series, very surreal and ambiguous, with bitingly subversive social commentary and allegory. It basically deconstructs the whole spy genre, the idea that there's a good side and a bad side and that there's any real difference between them or any point in playing the game. It's very cynical about the state of the world, yet very optimistic in its conviction that the individual can stand against it. It often crosses the line into sci-fi territory. Patrick McGoohan is intense and effective in it, and there are a number of notable guest turns, notably from Leo McKern in three episodes.

It's very episodic, mostly; there are seven core episodes, plus an extra ten that the network insisted on to lengthen the season. Some of those ten are relatively unimpressive and a bit repetitive, and the last couple before the 2-part finale feel like they were running out of ideas and resorting to gimmickry, but even those are still pretty trippy and subversive. (One wasn't even shown in the US originally because its anti-gun tone was seen as too controversial during the Vietnam War.) But there are, like, half a dozen or more different viewing orders, most of which spread the core episodes out among the rest.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Yeah, I was reading about all of the viewing orders. In accordance with the way I'm doing all of my other anniversary viewing, I'd be sticking to airdates...British, in this case.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Not how I'd describe it at all. "Trippy" on a good day, perhaps.

Well, those are pretty much synonymous. But even in terms of composition and execution, I'd call it a beautiful creation.

I'm reminded of something I read in an academic source about there being two types of psychedelic music...the type that was made to enhance a trip, and the type that was made to provide the trip through the music itself. Vanilla Fudge, with the psychedelic jamming, would be an example of the former. Whereas the exact two bands that the source listed as examples of the latter were my two favorite bands--The Beatles and the Doors.

Fair enough. I guess it depends on your starting mindset. I think they work pretty much the same for me, since my brain is kind of trippy by design.

An example of psychedelic music that I'd describe as "beautiful" would be something like this:

I would agree.

In SF&F there's a thread about a potential 50th anniversary rewatch of The Prisoner. I don't have it on my DVR, but provided the means to watch it, I might, just might, add it to my 50th anniversary business in the coming TV season. It's something I've always heard about that sounded intriguing...and it's short. Anyone have any opinions about it?

I love The Prisoner. It's very surreal (or is it?) and very cynical (or is it?), and can also be very funny, if you have the right sense of humor (see "Many Happy Returns"). It's actually probably more topical now than it was in the 60s, if you think of how it applies to contemporary ideologies and social media. How much detail do you want me to go into? I don't want to predispose your opinions to certain aspects of it.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I don't need to know a lot going in, just wondering what everyone thought about it.

I'm a little curious about why there are so many viewing orders. Are they any continuity issues caused by just watching in UK airing order? Or is it merely to spread out those core episodes as Christopher mentioned? The fact that fans don't seem to agree on a good viewing order would seem to indicate that it's all pretty subjective.

 

[Christopher]

I'm a little curious about why there are so many viewing orders. Are they any continuity issues caused by just watching in UK airing order? Or is it merely to spread out those core episodes as Christopher mentioned? The fact that fans don't seem to agree on a good viewing order would seem to indicate that it's all pretty subjective.

There's very little continuity between episodes, as was standard in the era, since networks wanted the freedom to air the episodes in whatever order they deemed most fitting, and because sometimes post-production could take longer on some episodes than others. Any continuity threads are subtle and there are different opinions about which threads to emphasize. For instance, I think Colin Gordon's two episodes make more sense in production order, "The General" followed by "A, B and C," but both original broadcast order and my father's DVD set (the A&E edition) have them the other way around.

 

[RJDiogenes]

My It's About Time DVDs have arrived.

I don't need to know a lot going in, just wondering what everyone thought about it.

Highly, for the most part.

I'm a little curious about why there are so many viewing orders. Are they any continuity issues caused by just watching in UK airing order? Or is it merely to spread out those core episodes as Christopher mentioned? The fact that fans don't seem to agree on a good viewing order would seem to indicate that it's all pretty subjective.

I don't think it really matters, aside from the two-part finale. Of course, when I first saw them on PBS back in the 70s, it was kind of random. But when they were released on tape in the 80s, I watched them in whatever order they were numbered in and I didn't notice any issues.

 

[The Old Mixer]

My It's About Time DVDs have arrived.

Aptly named, if you ordered those as long ago as I think you did.

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50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing

What was going on the week these episodes aired.

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Batman
"A Piece of the Action"
Originally aired March 1, 1967

Batman joins the Green Hornet in tracking down a stamp counterfeiter.

"Batman's Satisfaction"
Originally aired March 2, 1967

Gumm confuses Green Hornet's and Batman's secret identities.

I think this crossover probably would have worked better if they'd used a more grounded villain suitable to the Green Hornet's tone.

In a show that never lets us see Batman and Robin in costume but unmasked, we get two scenes of our Visiting Hero and Assistant Visiting Hero in costume but unmasked. And what, do they leave Gotham's equivalent of the Plaza Hotel fully costumed?

Hornet and Kato never would have gotten pushed into the Enlarged Perforating and Coiling Machine so easily on their own show...not that they would have had an Enlarged Perforating and Coiling Machine on their show.

A dual cliffhanger deathtrap is a novelty...though the Dynamic Duo are really just stuck to a wall waiting their turn. But why would Gumm think that the machine was actually changing Hornet and Kato into stamps?

And yes, I almost didn't catch it, but Batman refers to the Green Hornet's assistant as Kato.

I never noticed before how they avoid naming the Hornet's city.

They've got an atomic reactor in the Batcave, but the Batcomputer runs off the house electricity?

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The Wild Wild West
"The Night of the Surreal McCoy"
Originally aired March 3, 1967

West and Gordon tangle with Dr. Loveless, who has another king-size plan to achieve world conquest.

This episode features Michael Dunn in his seventh of ten appearances as arch-nemesis Dr. Miguelito Loveless.

On the subject of how public West and Gordon are...

Oh, yes, of course, you're the partner of James West. I read about you in the paper.

I never knew just how far-out the spy fi business in this show got. The gimmick of this episode--a contraption that puts people into the alternate dimensions of paintings--is pretty damn far-fetched for a contemporary setting, never mind steampunk tech.

A bit of a show nit: Artie's disguises. It seems pretty obvious that they expect the audience to recognize him...but for exactly that reason, it's hard to suspend disbelief that even evil geniuses who've clashed with Gordon several times wouldn't also recognize him.

When Robert Conrad gets in a showdown, I expect him to put a battery on his shoulder....

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Tarzan
"Jungle Dragnet"
Originally aired March 3, 1967

A native revolutionary and a foreign soldier try to prevent a little girl from revealing the location of an oil rich field.

This is the jungle. Hundreds of thousands of species and hundreds of native tribes call it their home. But sometimes people come along who get the idea to exploit its natural resources, regardless of the impact on those who live there. That's where I come in. I wear a loincloth.

Tarzan badass moment: Tied to a cross by the bad guys, he escapes by kicking the base in two and breaking the arms, which, still tied to his own, he proceeds to use as melee weapons against his captors.

This is basically another chase episode. Some samey-sameness has definitely crept into the series by this point. The little girl whom Tarzan is protecting...well, granted she's been traumatized by her father and the entire population of a village being slaughtered around her, but she's creepily quiet for most of the episode. Not even any sub-vocal grunting or whimpering.

Jai does bookends duty again...and another piece of paper with valuable information on it gets kept safe in the warmth of the space between Tarzan's loins and his cloth. I suppose it's possible that he's got a pocket sewn inside there....

TOS guest: William Marshall (Dr. Richard Daystrom, "The Ultimate Computer"), who plays the native revolutionary...a conflicted character who gets a meaty dramatic scene with Tarzan discussing his values, before he gets offed by...

Black Sheep guest: Simon Oakland (series regular General Moore).

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Get Smart
"The Expendable Agent"
Originally aired March 4, 1967

KAOS plants a bomb in Max's apartment to kill a visiting scientist.

Still more Space Race business...this episode's McGuffin is a rocket fuel formula. Max is protecting a scientist named Whitaker, who's accompanied by a bumbling British agent named Chain.

Now I know to look for Agent 13. In the opening sequence of the episode, he's been hiding in a cigarette machine for 72 hours...and he's still there in the closing sequence, days later.

This one has some decent gags with security measures in Max's apartment, including an invisible shield that repeatedly gets bumped into.

Then there's this exchange, when Max is in the process of defusing a bomb...

Chain: Why don't I smoke?
Max: Are you kidding? Do you know how dangerous that could be?
Chain: It's alright, I don't inhale.

Clinton humor 25 years before its time!

In the last 10 minutes, a plot point comes up about the professor having a niece who's attending a private school in New England. It occurred to me that TMFU would have strung that out into an entire hour-long episode.

There's a pretty clever spy-fi twist at the end: Chain is really the scientist and Whitaker is a decoy agent.

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Last Week's 50th Anniversary Viewing

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Dark Shadows

Oy, the Elizabeth/Jason plot is front and center all week, setting up the damn thing finally coming to its climax and resolution next week. Guess there's nothing for it but to endure....

Episode 266
Originally aired July 3, 1967

Elizabeth dreams of the legend of the widows. Mrs. Johnson stops a despondent Elizabeth from jumping off Widow's Hill.

In bed, Elizabeth has a dream similar to Maggie's prophetic dreams, of walking in an outdoor set in her nightgown...and being called to hear death via walking off Widow's Hill by the ghosts of the widows.

Victoria comes up to check on Liz, finding her uncharacteristically in her nightgown at 1 p.m. Liz seems listless and unconcerned with Vicki's questions concerning the upcoming wedding and Carolyn's own plans, which haven't been called off despite Michael Hadge's departure from the show.

Jason intercepts Liz on her way out for a walk, wanting to discuss wedding arrangements that will help to enhance his own status. Liz puts up no fight, agreeing to all of his demands. When he expresses suspicion about her acquiescence, she offers that she only has one way out of their arrangement, but he doesn't pick up on her intended meaning.

Liz goes out to Widow's Peak, where she's found by her housekeeper, Mrs. Johnson...not a new character, but this is the first time she's popped up in the episodes that I've been watching. After Liz recounts the legends of the widows, she has a moment of feeling faint, and Mrs. Johnson escorts her back to the house.

Later, Mrs. Johnson relates what happened to Vicki, who seems concerned at Liz's behavior. Back in her room, Liz hears the widows calling her while she's still awake. Despite her momentary respite, she seems compelled to join them.

Well, at least they've worked a supernatural element into this storyline in the eleventh hour.


Episode 267
Originally aired July 4, 1967

David shows Victoria a book with family births and deaths listed. Later, Elizabeth looks through the book.

Elizabeth is loitering around the cliff when Barnabas sneaks up on her and suddenly grabs her to tease the audience--he's only saving her from falling off the edge. Going on a tangent about the possibilities of eternal existence through death, he seems to have a pretty good idea of what she was up to.

Back at the Great House, Barnabas finds himself in the foyer with David and asks about the little girl that he's been playing with. Learning that the girl is in the habit of singing "London Bridge" clearly catches his interest.

Barnabas continues his tour of Great House cast members by conversing with Victoria, and reveals Liz's attempt to jump from Widow's Hill. While it's likely motivated by his long-term self-interest, Barnabas show's a definite concern with his kinswoman's welfare in the way that he strives to convince Vicki of Liz's behavior. He also displays signs of jealousy to the audience when Vicki brings up a date with Burke Devlin.

At the Blue Whale, the extras are swingin' while Burke 2.0 waits for Vicki, who eventually arrives. After a dance, Vicki unloads about what's been going on at Collinwood and hints at her knowledge of Liz's motivations.

Back at Collinwood, David reveals to Vicki that Elizabeth has been specifically looking at the page of the family bible that has a space reserved for her date of death. (The audience gets to see exact birth dates for Roger, Liz, and Carolyn, if those weren't already known by this point.)

Burke's bit about losing the dime was pretty cringey...I hate to say it, but I'm missing Mitchell Ryan's functional acting ability. Anthony George is pretty noticeably weak so far. As story-irrelevant as the character may be, apparently there is more to pulling off the role than having a given name for a surname.


Episode 268
Originally aired July 5, 1967

Elizabeth says goodbye to Carolyn and David. She then goes to Widow's Hill and prepares to jump to her death.

The day before the wedding is a busy day in Liz's bedroom; in addition to wailing widows, visitors include Vicki; Roger, who questions the fact that she's recently checked her will and tries to convince her that it's not too late to back out on the marriage; and David, who isn't allowed to go to Bangor with Vicki because Liz wants to spend time with him. Her talk with David is chock full of foreshadowing of her planned fate.

Carolyn's still copping her 'tude and seeing Buzz (though thankfully we're not). Again, Liz hints at her true plans. Later in her room, Liz writes her date of death in the family bible. (It's April 10 on the show, FWIW, which helps to explain why they've been using the Great House's fireplaces; though the folks on Dark Shadows Before I Die noted that the newspaper headline announcing Maggie's disappearance was dated April 26.)

Carolyn expresses concern over her mother's strange behavior with Vicki; after which Vicki goes up to check on Liz to find an empty room and the date written in the open bible. Elizabeth standing on cliff, widows calling, cut to credits, Dan Curtis Production.


Episode 269
Originally aired July 6, 1967

Elizabeth is saved from jumping off of Widow's Hill. She has to make some decisions about her future now.

The announcer tells us that Burke is being played by Anthony George...even though he's already been in two episodes, and was announced the first time.

Anyway, back on Widow's Hill, Liz hestitates just long enough for Vicki to pop up and stop her, convincing her to want to live. Back at the house, Jason brings Liz a ring, but she refuses to put it on.

Back at the Blue Whale, Burke 2.0 is on the payphone continuing the quest for plot relevance by investigating Jason's past activities...which include lots of accusations but no evidence. He convinces Vicki to let him bring the information to Liz. Liz's reaction rings true...Burke is being a bit of a meddler, however good his intentions. As of the end of the episode, the wedding is still on.

IMDb's page for this episode has a still with Sheriff Patterson, even though he isn't in it....


Episode 270
Originally aired July 7, 1967

As the wedding begins, Carolyn prepares to shoot Jason. Elizabeth announces that she killed Paul with Jason as her accomplice.

The announcer tells us about Anthony George for a third time. Yeah, new actor, we get it.

On the day of the wedding, Carolyn is going through Jason's things, and finds a journal just as he walks in on her. Do people trying to avoid being tied to their shady activities keep journals about it? Jason threateningly insists that Carolyn should plan to leave Collinwood once she's married Buzz.

The Blue Whale is uncharacteristically silent, so Carolyn, in the midst of drowning her troubles and waiting for Buzz, has to resort to using the jukebox to bring up the calypso-ish theme. The bartender gets a line, but not a credit, after which Joe pops in and tries to discourage her self-destructive behavior. Brought to realize that she's doing exactly what Jason wants, Carolyn resolves not to marry Buzz...which is a convenient choice, given that he's already left the cast.

Carolyn's new plan involves a gun...which apparently belongs to Roger, and wasn't just pulled out of plot limbo. Meanwhile, Elizabeth frets over the wedding that she still plans to go through with. Lacking a sexy thigh holster, Carolyn resorts to bringing a purse to the living-room ceremony. Evidently Jason holds a grudge against Burke 2.0 for whatever plotline his predecessor once had in the past. When Judge Crathorne (new character?) shows up, the proceedings are ready to begin. But when the time comes for Liz to say "I do"...

I killed Paul Stoddard...and that man was my accomplice!

Liz finally does what she should have done 20 episodes ago.

Hear, hear!

Also, they go through all the trouble of holding the wedding ceremony at night and Barnabas doesn't even show?

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50 years ago this week:

July 10

• Heavy massive rains and a landslide at Kobe and Kure, Hiroshima, Japan, kill at least 371.
• New Zealand decimalises its currency from pound to dollar at £1 to $2 ($1 = 10/-).

July 12

• The Greek military regime strips 480 Greeks of their citizenship.
• 1967 Newark riots: After the arrest of an African-American cab driver for allegedly illegally driving around a police car and gunning it down the road, race riots break out in Newark, New Jersey, lasting 5 days and leaving 26 dead.

July 14

• The Bee Gees release their first international album Bee Gees' 1st in the UK.
• Near Newark, New Jersey, the Plainfield, NJ, riots also occur.

New on the charts:

"To Love Somebody," Bee Gees

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(#17 US; #41 UK)

"A Girl Like You," The Young Rascals

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(#10 US; #37 UK)

"Brown Eyed Girl," Van Morrison

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(#10 US; #109 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

"Cold Sweat," James Brown

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(#7 US; #1 R&B)

"Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie," Jay & The Techniques

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(#6 US; #8 R&B)


And new on the boob tube:

• Dark Shadows, episodes 271-275

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[Christopher]

I think this crossover probably would have worked better if they'd used a more grounded villain suitable to the Green Hornet's tone.

But it was still a Batman episode, so naturally they were going to stay consistent with their own tone. And really, Colonel Gumm is fairly grounded by this show's standards -- he's a stamp counterfeiter, of all things. Hey, it's a kind of organized crime...

I never knew just how far-out the spy fi business in this show got. The gimmick of this episode--a contraption that puts people into the alternate dimensions of paintings--is pretty damn far-fetched for a contemporary setting, never mind steampunk tech.

Yeah, I remember that one straining my credulity even compared to TWWW's usual stuff.