50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing
What was going on the week these episodes aired.
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Batman
"Pop Goes the Joker"
Originally aired March 22, 1967
Xfinity said:
Joker's art classes are a front for extortion.
"Flop Goes the Joker"
Originally aired March 23, 1967
Xfinity said:
Joker steals a museum art collection.
It's a bit annoying how they don't use Alfred's surname when it would make sense to do so.
Holy conspicuous and convenient setup with the newly painted Batpoles!
The cowl
is looking very purple these days, except for the ears and the darker piece around the eyes and nose; by contrast, the cape and other traditionally blue parts of the costume look quite blue. And now that I'm seeing the purple cowl, I can't un-see it. It sticks out like a sore thumb, reminding me a little too much of the radioactive pink cowl.
It's odd that the Joker seems to stumble into his main scheme ass-backwards. If not for that artist speaking up about the brilliance of his work, his caper would have been over right there in the first act. Of course, whatever the artist thought, Joker still committed a crime (despite Batman's assertion otherwise), but don't let that stop the show.
As previously covered in the MeTV thread, Baby Jane
is kind of annoyingly loud and one-note, though I'd say she's just playing to the back of the room, not into the next one. She seems to be stuck in pep squad mode. OTOH, I've seen worse acting, and she isn't hard on the eyes. And at least Joker had the good sense to cleave-gag her toward the end.
Once again, Bruce's fighting ability should draw suspicion...he even gets sound effect balloons this time! I'll give the fight choreographers credit in that they make a point of keeping Bruce and Robin separate, not having them perform teamwork stunts that would be too much of a giveaway. After the deathtrap they start to act in coordination, but Bruce lampshades the issue by letting the Joker's goon knock him around a bit to divert suspicion. And in the second part, Alfred works a bit too openly in coordination with the Dynamic Duo.
Yeah, totally unconvincing deathtrap with the blades that aren't in danger of hitting Robin anytime soon--compounded by the fact that the blades are so fake-looking. He'd be in more danger slicing a tomato in Stately Wayne Manor's unseen kitchen. Or buttering toast for that matter.
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Tarzan
"The Circus"
Originally aired March 24, 1967
Xfinity said:
A fugitive tries to evade justice by joining a circus.
This episode features a return appearance of Mr. Dutch, the not-so-bad guy from the "Cap'n Jai" episode, who we're told has been released from prison on probation and is now capturing animals for a circus that he's helping TOS guest Sally Kellerman (Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, "Where No Man Has Gone Before") to start. Needing to lead a dangerous manhunt, Tarzan not only decides that it's a good idea to leave Jai with this recent convict, but to just send the boy to him without asking in advance or even bringing Jai in person. Evidently Ron Ely's bookend duty is strictly limited this week. Tarzan does pop back up early enough to participate substantially in the climax, however.
The fugitive for whom Tarzan is looking proves central to the main story with Dutch and Jai, and the boy actually holds a gun on him at one point.
There's a bit of blackface in this episode, but it's Dutch and Jai disguising themselves in-story, FWIW.
Surprisingly, we don't really see the titular entertainment venue in operation, other than a puppet show early on. I was expecting something more like that M:I episode that I've seen on in the background (which I believe is coming up in my back-viewing of that series), with the seemingly endless small-scale outdoor circus scenes.
By-the-by, this is two-year-old business, but as I've been looking at the old
Batman reviews and surrounding discussions in the MeTV thread weekly...there'd been some discussion of claims by
The Green Hornet's producers that the show was cancelled despite winning its time slot. Actually, according to
this Wiki page,
Tarzan was winning that time slot...and between that and
Wild Wild West, TGH was facing some pretty tough genre-oriented competition. Likewise, both shows running in that hour on ABC (the other being the first half of
The Time Tunnel) proved to be one-season wonders.
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Get Smart
"Appointment in Sahara"
Originally aired March 25, 1967
Xfinity said:
KAOS blackmails the world by threatening to launch missiles.
I got some half-decent smirks from this one, but nothing really stood out for me. Successfully running from ground zero of a nuclear blast in the desert on foot was just plain stupid.
But kiss my grits, I never would have recognized one of the Arabian characters as Vic Tayback if not for IMDb!
Smart seems to get suspicious when Tayback's character refers to him by name and he hasn't introduced himself, but it's not followed up on, at least not in syndication.
Ahmad: May Allah go with you.
Max: Well thank you, but I'd rather go alone.
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Last Week's 50th Anniversary Viewing
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Dark Shadows
Episode 281
Originally aired July 24, 1967
IMDb said:
During the seance, Victoria relives the death of Josette. Later, Barnabas visits Victoria and gives her Josette's music boc.
The week hits the ground running (in more ways than one), with
Victoria giving a first-person account of Josette's fatal flight to the cliff...which is dramatically interrupted by
Barnabas before she can reveal the identity of Josette's pursuer. After the seance has ended, Vicki sees
Sarah on the stairs.
Burke II: Candlelight Boogaloo goes home during the commercial and the Collins clan returns to the Great House, where
Elizabeth expresses her disapproval of the evening's activities, which
Roger wryly disagrees with before retiring for the evening...
Roger Collins said:
What is the value of suffering if it isn't to be enjoyed?...I think that all of the unhappiness of all of my ancestors is my rightful heritage, and you shouldn't try to keep it from me.
(As the episode has already disappeared from my deletion bin, I've taken the quote from
Dark Shadows Before I Die.)
Carolyn tries to engage Vicki in some girl talk about Burke, but Vicki's mind is elsewhere. After Carolyn goes to bed, Barnabas, having expressed his regrets to Josette's painting for needing to drive her away, comes over and gives Vicki the music box.
Episode 282
Originally aired July 25, 1967
IMDb said:
Victoria becomes entranced by Josette's music boc. Under hypnosis by Dr. Hoffman, Maggie recalls being in the cemetery.
I'm assuming that the opening narration is Kathryn Leigh Scott this time...it's hard to tell, but it's not Alexandra, and Scott's the only other young female in the episode. She really does sound different out of character.
At Windcliff,
Maggie's on the couch recounting fragmented details of her captivity to
Dr. Hoffman, including the memory of music. As the session continues, Hoffman presses Maggie for more details about the music. Maggie also remembers a sweet aroma that frightens her. And then the cemetery comes up. Hoffman later suggests that they should visit Eagle Hill, which produces a strong negative reaction from her patient.
Meanwhile, at Stately Collinwood Manor, Vicki enjoys the music box and shows it to Liz. Vicki then ventures to the Old House during the day to return Josette's dress.
Willie reacts with alarm when she tells him how much she's enjoying the music box. Vicki also makes a point of noticing Josette's jasmine perfume, helpfully reminding us what the aroma business above was about. Back at the Great House, Vicki expresses her intent to commemorate Josette's birthday by putting flowers on her grave, which concerns Liz, as she feels that Vicki is becoming too wrapped up in Josette-related business. And she won't be the last one to sing that tune this week...or even the next-to-last....
Episode 283
Originally aired July 26, 1967
IMDb said:
Victoria sees Maggie in the cemetery, but Burke convinces her otherwise. Maggie is disturbed when she enters the mausoleum.
Not sure who it was on narration today. It sounded sort of like Moltke, but might have been Scott.
At the sanitarium,
Doc Woodard confronts Dr. Hoffman about her avoidance of updating him on Maggie's progress. Along the way, he reminds us that Sam Evans and Joe Haskill are still characters on the show. His real reason for being there, though, is to serve as the object of Hoffman's exposition about her plan to take Maggie to the cemetery to jog her memories of captivity.
At Collinwood, Vicki is still entranced by the music box when Burke pays her a visit. She tells him of her plan for Josette's birthday, which concerns him as it did Liz. He also reminds us of how they've been led to believe that Maggie is dead.
Maggie gets upset at being forced to visit the cemetery, and I can't blame her--she probably suffers from claustrophobia, and the set looks so tiny. Maggie and Hoffman try to slip away when they hear Vicki and Burke coming their way, but they don't really have anywhere to go...only some camera work and dialogue indicates that there's supposed to be any distance between the two pairs as Vicki spots Maggie from "afar".
Brought to the Collins family mausoleum, Maggie starts to panic. Hoffman doesn't seem at all familiar with the name Collins. Does she not know what town she's visiting...?
Episode 284
Originally aired July 27, 1967
IMDb said:
Posing as an historian, Julia Hoffman arrives at Collinwood to search for clues surrounding Maggie's disappearance.
Today's narration sounded like it might have been Moltke.
Dr. Hoffman hypnotically grills Maggie about Sarah Collins, and then about Collinses in general. Following the opening credits, Doc Woodard is upset over Hoffman wanting him to help her investigate the Collins clan. As usual, he capitulates to her. Nevertheless, he presses her about her knowledge of the unusual nature of Maggie's case, indicating that he's not that far behind her in his suspicions....
Cut to Vicki welcoming Undercover Hoffman at Collinwood. The other adult residents have earned a day off this week, so
David, who's so often conspicuously absent from family gatherings, happens to be the only other one around. When he mentions his playmate Sarah, it piques the "historian"'s interest. She also starts to learn about Barnabas from Vicki...and that there's a connection with Josette, whose sarcophagus she saw in the mausoleum.
Oddly, Vicki has the run of the Old House and goes straight into giving Hoffman a guided tour of Josette's room...though Hoffman does pay lip service to "that fellow who didn't want to let us in". I suppose that
is a story beat that's burned into our brains by now.
Anyway, it seems that even the unflappable Dr. Hoffman isn't immune to the supernatural goings-on in the house, as she starts feeling sudden chills.
Back at Windcliff, Hoffman keeps her findings and suspicions from Woodard, but tests them on Maggie...getting a strong reaction when she invokes the name of Barnabas Collins.
Episode 285
Originally aired July 28, 1967
IMDb said:
Victoria goes to the Old House. A sudden storm appears and Barnabas urges her to spend the night in Josette's room.
Yeah, yeah, Victoria likes the music box a little too much, we get it....Anyroad, Vicki tells Carolyn how she saw Maggie, and then has to explain yet again that she was putting flowers on Josette's grave for her birthday, and how Barnabas gave her the music box. You'd think Liz and Carolyn would be talking more these days.
Downstairs, visitors Barnabas and Burke are peeing on the furnishings when the former finds out about Vicki going to the grave, too...at least he already knows about the music box. But Barnabas gets a revelation of his own when he learns about the sighting of Maggie Evans--Duh-
DUN!
When Vicki comes down, she tells Barnabas about Undercover Hoffman's desire to meet him, though he's more reluctant about the proposition than she expected. Changing the subject, Barnabas gives Vicki an inscribed book...and then the boys whip their roosters out again. Following Barnabas's departure, Vicki and Burke get into a spat.
Vicki goes to the Old House to apologize, and [see episode description]. Barnabas offers to send Willie out in the storm to tell everyone about the impromptu pajama party, but she doesn't want to put the producers to the trouble of paying him to be in the episode. Barnabas's sleeping accommodations stoke Vicki's Josette fetish...
aaand credits.
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50 years ago this week:
July 30 – The 1967 Milwaukee race riots begin, lasting through August 3 and leading to a ten-day shutdown of the city from August 1.
August 1 – Race riots in the United States spread to Washington, D.C.
August 2 – The Turkish football club Trabzonspor is established in Trabzon.
August 5 – Pink Floyd releases their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in the United Kingdom.
New on the charts:
"You Know What I Mean," The Turtles
(#12 US)
"Heroes and Villains," The Beach Boys
(#12 US; #8 UK)
"San Franciscan Nights," Eric Burdon & The Animals
(#9 US; #7 UK)
"Funky Broadway," Wilson Pickett
(#8 US; #1 R&B; #43 UK)
"Ode to Billie Joe," Bobbie Gentry
(#1 US the weeks of Aug. 26 through Sept. 16; #7 AC; #17 Country; #8 R&B; #13 UK; #412 on
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)
And new on the boob tube:
- Dark Shadows, episodes 286-290
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