_______
Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 55 years ago this week:
55 Years Ago Spotlight--Classifying a 1963 song as "leftover '50s business" would be a reasonable assertion in this case:
"(You're the) Devil in Disguise"
(Charted June 29, 1963; #3 US; #9 R&B; #1 UK)
But it's still classic Elvis.
_______
Catch-Up Viewing
_______
The Monkees
"The Chaperone"
Originally aired November 7, 1966
Hey hey, they're back! You know, walking down the street and all that stuff....
The advantage of not watching on Antenna...not only are the episodes uncut, they even include the Kellogg's bumper after the opening credits (2:06+), as well as the assorted cereal boxes in the closing ones.
The description doesn't mention it, but the Monkees are the ones throwing the party to get Leslie out of the house...as depicted in the first song sequence, for "This Just Doesn’t Seem to Be My Day" (05:11+).
At first they try to coach their cleaning lady into acting as the chaperone, but...
As mentioned upthread, this episode features a brief appearance of the title card from Tarzan (12:55+), as well as an appearance by Duke Fishman as Mr. Clean. For the latter, see the second song, "Take a Giant Step" (13:40+).
Leslie's father and Babbit the landlord both find themselves attracted to Micky in drag. After Vandenberg learns the truth, he breaks up the party using his military mojo.
Unconnected closing song: "You Just May Be the One" (22:08+).
_______
12 O'Clock High
"The Fighter Pilot"
Originally aired November 11, 1966
Along with the arrival of fighter pilots, we get to see Stovall and some other guys react to a contingent of WACs landing on their airfield. THE WIMMEN!!!!!
Despite he and his two buddies having faked their transfer and being wanted for an incident in the States, the reckless, self-centered Captain Dejohn (Don Gordon) goes out of his way to make a bad first impression on Gallagher, who most definitely does not like having his field buzzed by P-51s. Gallagher tries to instill some discipline and teamwork on the troublemaking fighter pilots by getting them involved with bomber missions. Meanwhile, Dejohn tries to use a WAC who happens to be an old friend of Gallagher's (Marlyn Mason) in an attempt to get forged orders and info about the Colonel. When one of the fighter pilots dies at the controls of a B-17, Gordon blames Gallagher, and demonstrates how unhinged he is when he goes up in a Mustang unauthorized to try to take on the Colonel in his mission control plane. The two wind up having to reluctantly team up against a group of German fighters instead, with Gordon shooting several down before the tables turn on him.
I'm not sure how long it's been there, but this episode I noticed what looks like a model of some sort of rocket on the file cabinet in Gallagher's office:
It doesn't seem to match the appearance of a V-2 (see next episode), which makes me wonder what it's supposed to be. Some sort of ordnance?
Also, the European countryside as seen from the air looks absolutely nothing like Southern California....
_______
12 O'Clock High
"To Seek and Destroy"
Originally aired November 18, 1966
And now we come full circle, with the first episode that I watched and reviewed as delayed 50th anniversary business. My original review:
The "V-1s" in use here appear to be quite historically inaccurate. Actual V-1s were plane-like and launched via ramps. Here we see them played by what appears to be footage of V-2s:
Making his first of four appearances as wing commander Brig. Gen. Doud:
I think that was the job that Gallagher was being considered for in an earlier episode. Was it also Savage's job in the film? Doud is the same rank as Savage.
(Also, I think that credit shot is from a different episode...I don't recall him getting any flying time this episode.)
The British/American tension in this episode owes mostly to Frankham's character, Capt. Carmichael, hating Yanks. The first Yank he runs into in Archbury is Sandy, and not getting along with guest characters seems to be one of Komansky's regular jobs on the show.
While I identified Frankham last year, I missed another TOS guest in the episode....
New to watching the show as I was at the time, I pretty much hit the nail on the head regarding the inauthenticity of the 918th regulars going on a covert mission to Sweden. This one definitely falls in Season 3's pattern of routinely putting the regulars in situations on the ground somewhere other than England. Gallagher must have experienced a bit of deja vu...the place where the Swedish underground met looked more than a little like the place where the Germans conspiring to kill Hitler met. Act IV climaxes in a gunfight with German agents, and Carmichael sacrificing himself to blow the "V-1's" charge as the Germans enter the warehouse where it's being kept.
My comment at the time about '60s gals not being good at passing for '40s gals must have been largely based on Sandy's girlfriend of the week, played by Ellen Willard:
Though it was likely also informed by what appears to be a blink-and-miss-it appearance by Sal:
_______
Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 51 years ago this week:
_______
Eh...it just appears to be riffing on the Willie Dixon blues classic "Back Door Man," performed by Howlin' Wolf and the Doors among others. Pretty standard territory for the genre, hardly shocking.
In addition, Bon Jovi did a cover of "Back Door Santa" on the first A Very Special Christmas benefit album in 1987.
Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 55 years ago this week:
55 Years Ago Spotlight--Classifying a 1963 song as "leftover '50s business" would be a reasonable assertion in this case:
"(You're the) Devil in Disguise"
(Charted June 29, 1963; #3 US; #9 R&B; #1 UK)
But it's still classic Elvis.
_______
Catch-Up Viewing
_______
The Monkees
"The Chaperone"
Originally aired November 7, 1966
Wiki said:
Hey hey, they're back! You know, walking down the street and all that stuff....
The advantage of not watching on Antenna...not only are the episodes uncut, they even include the Kellogg's bumper after the opening credits (2:06+), as well as the assorted cereal boxes in the closing ones.
The description doesn't mention it, but the Monkees are the ones throwing the party to get Leslie out of the house...as depicted in the first song sequence, for "This Just Doesn’t Seem to Be My Day" (05:11+).
At first they try to coach their cleaning lady into acting as the chaperone, but...
As mentioned upthread, this episode features a brief appearance of the title card from Tarzan (12:55+), as well as an appearance by Duke Fishman as Mr. Clean. For the latter, see the second song, "Take a Giant Step" (13:40+).
Leslie's father and Babbit the landlord both find themselves attracted to Micky in drag. After Vandenberg learns the truth, he breaks up the party using his military mojo.
Unconnected closing song: "You Just May Be the One" (22:08+).
_______
12 O'Clock High
"The Fighter Pilot"
Originally aired November 11, 1966
IMDb said:
Along with the arrival of fighter pilots, we get to see Stovall and some other guys react to a contingent of WACs landing on their airfield. THE WIMMEN!!!!!
Despite he and his two buddies having faked their transfer and being wanted for an incident in the States, the reckless, self-centered Captain Dejohn (Don Gordon) goes out of his way to make a bad first impression on Gallagher, who most definitely does not like having his field buzzed by P-51s. Gallagher tries to instill some discipline and teamwork on the troublemaking fighter pilots by getting them involved with bomber missions. Meanwhile, Dejohn tries to use a WAC who happens to be an old friend of Gallagher's (Marlyn Mason) in an attempt to get forged orders and info about the Colonel. When one of the fighter pilots dies at the controls of a B-17, Gordon blames Gallagher, and demonstrates how unhinged he is when he goes up in a Mustang unauthorized to try to take on the Colonel in his mission control plane. The two wind up having to reluctantly team up against a group of German fighters instead, with Gordon shooting several down before the tables turn on him.
I'm not sure how long it's been there, but this episode I noticed what looks like a model of some sort of rocket on the file cabinet in Gallagher's office:
It doesn't seem to match the appearance of a V-2 (see next episode), which makes me wonder what it's supposed to be. Some sort of ordnance?
Also, the European countryside as seen from the air looks absolutely nothing like Southern California....
_______
12 O'Clock High
"To Seek and Destroy"
Originally aired November 18, 1966
IMDb said:
And now we come full circle, with the first episode that I watched and reviewed as delayed 50th anniversary business. My original review:
The "V-1s" in use here appear to be quite historically inaccurate. Actual V-1s were plane-like and launched via ramps. Here we see them played by what appears to be footage of V-2s:
Making his first of four appearances as wing commander Brig. Gen. Doud:
I think that was the job that Gallagher was being considered for in an earlier episode. Was it also Savage's job in the film? Doud is the same rank as Savage.
(Also, I think that credit shot is from a different episode...I don't recall him getting any flying time this episode.)
The British/American tension in this episode owes mostly to Frankham's character, Capt. Carmichael, hating Yanks. The first Yank he runs into in Archbury is Sandy, and not getting along with guest characters seems to be one of Komansky's regular jobs on the show.
While I identified Frankham last year, I missed another TOS guest in the episode....
New to watching the show as I was at the time, I pretty much hit the nail on the head regarding the inauthenticity of the 918th regulars going on a covert mission to Sweden. This one definitely falls in Season 3's pattern of routinely putting the regulars in situations on the ground somewhere other than England. Gallagher must have experienced a bit of deja vu...the place where the Swedish underground met looked more than a little like the place where the Germans conspiring to kill Hitler met. Act IV climaxes in a gunfight with German agents, and Carmichael sacrificing himself to blow the "V-1's" charge as the Germans enter the warehouse where it's being kept.
My comment at the time about '60s gals not being good at passing for '40s gals must have been largely based on Sandy's girlfriend of the week, played by Ellen Willard:
Though it was likely also informed by what appears to be a blink-and-miss-it appearance by Sal:
_______
Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 51 years ago this week:
_______
Eh...it just appears to be riffing on the Willie Dixon blues classic "Back Door Man," performed by Howlin' Wolf and the Doors among others. Pretty standard territory for the genre, hardly shocking.
In addition, Bon Jovi did a cover of "Back Door Santa" on the first A Very Special Christmas benefit album in 1987.
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