The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

The Old Mixer · Jan 1, 2019

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51st Anniversary Cinematic Special

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton, Cecil Kellaway, Beah Richards, and Roy E. Glenn
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Premiered December 11, 1967; General release: December 12, 1967
Winner of 1968 Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Katharine Hepburn) and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen (William Rose); Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Spencer Tracy), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Cecil Kellaway), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Beah Richards), Best Director (Stanley Kramer), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Robert Clatworthy, Frank Tuttle), Best Film Editing (Robert C. Jones), and Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment (Frank De Vol)

Wiki said:
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a 1967 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and features Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton.

The film was one of the few films of the time to depict an interracial marriage in a positive light, as interracial marriage historically had been illegal in most states of the United States, and still was illegal in 17 states—mostly Southern states—until 12 June 1967, six months before the film was released, roughly two weeks after Tracy filmed his final scene (and two days after his death), when anti-miscegenation laws were struck down by the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia. The film's Oscar-nominated score was composed by Frank De Vol.

The film is notable for being the ninth and final on-screen pairing of Tracy and Hepburn, with filming ending just 17 days before Tracy's death. Hepburn never saw the completed film, saying the memories of Tracy were too painful. The film was released in December 1967, six months after his death. In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

I've always though of this as a Sidney Poitier film, but I guess Tracy and Hepburn were kind of a big deal as well. Poitier certainly seemed to think so....

Wiki said:
Poitier frequently found himself starstruck and as a result, a bit tongue-tied, in the presence of Hepburn and Tracy, whom he considered to be "giants" as far as acting is concerned. However, Poitier reportedly found a way to overcome his nerves. "When I went to play a scene with Tracy and Hepburn, I couldn't remember a word. Finally, Stanley Kramer said to me, 'What are we going to do?' I said, 'Stanley, send those two people home. I will play the scene against two empty chairs. I don't want them here because I can't handle that kind of company.' He sent them home. I played the scene in close-up against two empty chairs as the dialogue coach read Mr. Tracy's and Miss Hepburn's lines from off camera."

Mr. Drayton doesn't bat an eyelash when he thinks Dr. Prentice is just an acquaintance of his daughter's, and he makes clear that he has no issues with John as a person. It's how the rest of the world will treat the couple that most concerns him. That a marriage between John and Joanna would be against the law in several states (at the time the film was being made) comes up in the story. There's a 14-year age difference as well, but I think that was actually more acceptable in those days than it is now, oddly enough.

Sign o' the times reference...

Joanna said:
Even if you had any objections, I wouldn't let him go now if...you were the Governor of Alabama!

Even more sign o' the times--at one point Mr. Drayton compares the situation to "if Joey came home with some fuzzy-wuzzy," implying that he'd draw the line at a damn, dirty hippie! :lol:

It's a nice touch that Tillie the maid (whom I didn't recognize as future "Mrs. J" Isabel Sanford) is more openly disapproving of the relationship that anyone. Movies! cut out a use of what I assume was the N-word from her.

Mrs. Drayton firing Hilary on the spot following her reaction is a good moment:
Love that last line! :lol:

The title of the film isn't figurative; a dinner that expands to include the couple and both sets of parents is the dramatic centerpiece. The fathers are on the same page about the relationship, as are the mothers with their respective page. The drama is intensified by a ticking clock...John makes an agreement with the Draytons that if they have any reservations, he'll call the wedding off. But Joanna, not knowing about this, has decided at the last minute to leave with John on an overseas trip that he's making that night, thus putting her parents in the position of having to yea or nay the marriage that night.

John gives his father a nice speech about generational differences, even though the younger Prentice is well over 30:

In the climax, the situation is resolved by a big speech of Mr. Drayton's, presented in part here:

Compared to the other two 1967 Poitier films I've watched, this one is slow and talky with a limited setting that they should have invested more in. The painted backdrop of the Bay at the Drayton home is distractingly obvious. The music was a little easy listening, with lots of instrumental variations of "The Glory of Love" in the score. There was an admirable attempt at groovy music with sitar playing in the delivery boy's van. And Monsignor Ryan gives the Beatles a shout-out!

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TREK_GOD_1 said:
Brian has more contributions to Stones tracks (depending on what studio source you refer to)

Nobody's saying that he didn't. The assertion by the song's Wiki article was that it was one of his last major contributions before leaving the band, not that it was his only contribution in their entire career. It goes on to quote Jagger on this point from an interview: "That was the last time I remember Brian really being totally involved in something that was really worth doing." The article for the album paints a picture of Jones having been mostly sidelined at this point, with his contributions having become inconsistent and often irrelevant to what was being worked on.

and is certainly held in higher regard (deservedly so) than The Beatles/White Album.

By whom? Not by the record-buying public of 1968-69, who put the White Album at the top of the Billboard album chart for a total of nine weeks, while Beggars peaked at #5 for three weeks. Not by the rock musicians, critics, and industry figures who voted for Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which ranks the White Album #10 and Beggars #57.

By your criteria of "quit while they were ahead,"

I didn't say that, RJ did.

You're misinterpreting what a theme and plot is.

I think that you are. But regardless of the terminology used, my point was that MMT had the through-line device of the bus tour to hang its randomness on. Head was just random. I'll grant you that Head had more to say than MMT did, but that's a separate thing from the point that I was trying to make.

RJDiogenes said:
The year was off to kind of a slow start.

Aw, I like that one.

This is pretty catchy.

I learned when looking into the song that Al Hirt also gave us the TV version of the Green Hornet theme.

RJDiogenes · Jan 2, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

This is just one of the greatest achievements of American culture ever. But, wow, did everyone get nominated for something except Sidney Poitier? :wtf:

I've always though of this as a Sidney Poitier film, but I guess Tracy and Hepburn were kind of a big deal as well.

Who?

Poitier certainly seemed to think so....

Humility is only one of his many virtues.

Even more sign o' the times--at one point Mr. Drayton compares the situation to "if Joey came home with some fuzzy-wuzzy," implying that he'd draw the line at a damn, dirty hippie!

There have to be some standards. :rommie:

It's a nice touch that Tillie the maid (whom I didn't recognize as future "Mrs. J" Isabel Sanford) is more openly disapproving of the relationship that anyone.

Which was very true then, and probably more true now (despite the so-called "inter-racial" demographic being the fastest growing in the country).

Mrs. Drayton firing Hilary on the spot following her reaction is a good moment:

You don't mess with Katharine Hepburn. I hear one of her descendants commanded a starship.

John gives his father a nice speech about generational differences, even though the younger Prentice is well over 30:

I absolutely love this scene, especially the line, "You think of yourself as a colored man-- I think of myself as a man," which really summed up a lot of issues. The use of the word "colored" really pinpoints this moment in the midst of the Civil Rights Era-- it went out of fashion after this because it essentially divided the world into White versus Everybody Else. A couple of decades or so later, I knew the Left Wing was going off the rails when they started calling people "colored" again.

In the climax, the situation is resolved by a big speech of Mr. Drayton's, presented in part here:

Another great scene by another colossal talent.

Compared to the other two 1967 Poitier films I've watched, this one is slow and talky with a limited setting that they should have invested more in.

I like slow and talky. :rommie:

But can you imagine a movie like this being released today?

I didn't say that, RJ did.

And he was making a brilliant pun at the time.

Aw, I like that one.

It's not bad at all, but it's just a slow week overall.

I learned when looking into the song that Al Hirt also gave us the TV version of the Green Hornet theme.

Now that you mention it, I can hear it.

The Old Mixer · Jan 2, 2019

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50th Anniversary Viewing
(Part 1)

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The Ed Sullivan Show
Season 21, episode 11
Originally aired December 29, 1968
As represented in The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show

This week is represented by odd bits of business from two separate Best of installments.

Ed introduces Lainie Kazan with a humorous nod to her having been Barbra Streisand's understudy in Funny Girl. Lainie then proceeds to treat the Easy Listening crowd to an overwrought rendition of the Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure" that completely misplaces the beauty of the original. There's a studio version on YouTube, but it sounds different still...more soft-loungey and less aggressive than her Sullivan performance.

And now ladies and gentlemen, here to entertain you, the delightful comedy team from England, the jovial Jovials.

The onscreen caption tells us that they're actually the Jovers. And their performance shows us that they're a balancing act who use what seem to be difficulties as a source of physical comedy.

Also in the original episode according to tv.com: What the flying fuck!?! We got Lainie Kazan, but they left out Sly & the Family Stone!?! :wtf:

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The Avengers
"Killer"
Originally aired December 30, 1968 (US); January 22, 1969 (UK)

Wiki said:
While Tara is on leave, Steed takes on a temporary new partner, the aristocratic Lady Diana Forbes-Blakeney. Together they confront REMAK: the Remote Electro Matic Agent Killer - a computerised assassin.

Well this is a twist at this point in the series...now Tara's got an understudy filling in for her (played by Jennifer Croxton). I wanted to like her but she suffered from weak delivery and a lack of screen presence, making me better appreciate what Thorston brought to the show. Per the usual formula for episodes with subs, Tara's in the beginning and end. You'd think Steed would have been informed that she was going on holiday prior to the last minute, but they are working for an ostensibly secret agency.

Steed's looking into missing agents, and finding bodies of those killed directly by REMAK, which have each suffered death by multiple methods and been immaculately tidied up and wrapped in polythene. As usual, contacts are being killed off just as Steed and Lady Di are calling on them. All of the investigating agents seem to be working under the assumption that REMAK is an enemy agent...so, thanks for the spoiler, Wiki author!

In Act IV, it's Steed who infiltrate's REMAK's domain and evades its attacks while it delivers a play-by-play via typewriters. One of the attacks, a device meant to strangle Steed that drops from the ceiling, crushes his bowler instead. And when Steed uses his jacket as a diversion for another attack, REMAK cleans it for him. Lady Di ultimately causes REMAK to self-destruct by typing the command on one of its typewriters!

In the coda Tara brings back a souvenir...a little snuff box that deploys a large, inflatable dinghy when opened (filling up Steed's living room).

Mother's just in a wheelchair this week, but in a distinct-looking room that's purpose I can't identify. It has rows of wooden chairs and some barrels. I want to say that it probably has something to do with drinking.

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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 2, episode 13
Originally aired December 30, 1968

The Wiki list of guest appearances said:
Sally Field, Rich Little, Vincent Price, Don Rickles, Bill Dana, Nanette Fabray, Lena Horne, George Jessel, Bob Newhart, Kate Smith

Don Rickles and Sally Field only appear in footage from Laugh-In receiving an Emmy Award.

As one might expect, this one has some New Year's business, which first comes up in the opening dialogue. Here it is along with the cocktail party:

Another segment covers 1968 election highlights:
Note the acknowledgment of Nixon's appearance on the show.

Mod World looks at Man and Woman / the Battle of the Sexes:
In the Robot Theater part, Judy and Arte lose their composure.

Laugh-In's Discovery of the Week, for what it's worth.

This week's Fickle Finger of Fate goes to Russia.

The closing Joke Wall:

The German Soldier said:
Happy New Year, Lucy...and Max Dillon...and whatever it is there on ABC.

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The Mod Squad
"The Guru"
Originally aired December 31, 1968

Wiki said:
Pete, Linc and Julie go undercover as hippies to investigate the bombing of The Guru, an underground newspaper. Guest starring Dabney Coleman, Jane Elliot, Max Julien, and Adam Roarke. (And an uncredited appearance by a pre-Brady Bunch Barry Williams as a newspaper boy.)

Julie: Oh c'mon, Captain, you know how it is..."You hippies are ruining the neighborhood."
Linc: Now ain't progress grand! We used to get blamed for all of that.

The episode establishes early on that one of the paper's employees, a barefoot plain Jane named Daphne (Jane Elliot), has unrequited feelings for the guy running the paper, Rick (Adam Roarke), when he takes a shine to Julie. Dabney Coleman plays Daphne's brother, John, who disapproves of her lifestyle. It turns out that Rick was behind the bombing, to give his paper publicity, and he follows up by fake-ransacking the office.

Barry Williams pops up to get tough with Linc for selling papers on his corner! :lol:

After Rick sees Linc having a rendezvous with Greer, he manipulates Julie into admitting that they're cops on a concealed tape recorder. But he turns up murdered shortly after, with indications that it would have been by somebody he knew.

Following this, the Squad finds Daphne OD'ed from a suicide attempt. She's saved at the hospital and confesses to having killed Rick, but the Squad find holes in her story and realize that she's covering for her brother. You kinda knew that Dabney Coleman would end up being the villain of the piece one way or another, because why else would Dabney Coleman be in the episode?

In the coda we learn that Daphne and Jack (another employee who was standoffish and very dedicated to the paper, who primarily seemed to be in the story as a red herring; played by Max Julien) are working to get the paper going again. Pete, who was building a rapport with Daphne earlier in the episode, does his part to buoy up her confidence with a date and some smooth words.

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RJDiogenes said:
But, wow, did everyone get nominated for something except Sidney Poitier?

You noticed that too? Well, Tracy did die shortly after completing the film.

Who?

They were a little before a little before my time.

The use of the word "colored" really pinpoints this moment in the midst of the Civil Rights Era-- it went out of fashion after this because it essentially divided the world into White versus Everybody Else. A couple of decades or so later, I knew the Left Wing was going off the rails when they started calling people "colored" again.

If you're referring to what I think you are, "people of color" is in vogue, but "colored" is still considering derogatory...which is an odd distinction to draw, but there you go.

I like slow and talky. But can you imagine a movie like this being released today?

For contrast, I just watched Avengers: Infinity War on Netflix last night. While I found the film thoroughly enjoyable, there was so damn much going on that it was exhausting me only an hour in. It took me the better part of four hours to get through a two-and-a-half-hour film, because I had to take breaks...which just reinforces a couple of the main reasons that I don't see films in the theater anymore.

And he was making a brilliant pun at the time.

Which totally flew over my...well, you know.

It's not bad at all, but it's just a slow week overall.

Things should be picking up quite soon, as mass hysteria inflicts our nation's youth of the time and we start using invasion metaphors.

J.T.B. · Jan 2, 2019

TREK_GOD_1 said:
Some of this is more Jagger/Richards myth; despite Brian Jones being a very experimental and/or revolutionary figure in adding new sounds to rock, he was the blues man of the group, and founded it to be just that. Reportedly, he was never fond of Jagger trying to go the "whimsical Beatle" route with songs, and enjoyed returning to the sound(s) that would lead to Beggars' Banquet, hence his contributions being among the most memorable of the album.

I don't disagree, but for whatever reason observers pretty much agree that Brian had largely checked out of the band by that point. Jagger/Richards had become the creative center of the group. Which isn't to say that Brian's contributions were not still valuable.

TREK_GOD_1 said:
Keith Richards was never a true blues musician at all, and has since sold himself as something he certainly was not when Brian was a force in the group (and taught Richards whatever he knew about the blues), and if one listens to Mick Taylor, Richards was not during his run with the group. Richards was and remains a devotee of Chuck Berry, hence his endless Berry-esque riffs (instead of the blues lines created by others) on almost every album cut after Taylor's departure.

I don't know how often Keith has claimed to be a true blues musician, but have read quotes where he has said he considers himself more a songwriter who happens to play guitar than an instrumentalist. His toolbox as a lead guitarist is fairly limited; he plays Chuck Berry riffs because that's what he can play. As a rhythm player, he was in a new formative period around this time, getting heavily into acoustic guitar and picking up the open-G from Ry Cooder and Nashville tuning from Gram Parsons, and when Taylor joined, Keith really locked in to the rhythm role with abandon. But as a songwriter his dive into acoustic blues is obvious on "Beggar's" and for the next few albums.

TREK_GOD_1 · Jan 2, 2019

J.T.B. said:
I don't disagree, but for whatever reason observers pretty much agree that Brian had largely checked out of the band by that point. Jagger/Richards had become the creative center of the group. Which isn't to say that Brian's contributions were not still valuable.

More ostracized than checked out. Start with Richards not caring about stealing Anita Pallenberg; even if she wanted that, he was supposed to be Brian's friend, which should have stopped Richards from going there, but of course he did. Taking the friendship angle out of it, as bandmates, no one in their right mind (or who ever worked at a real job to know the do's and don'ts of personnel dynamics) would have pulled such a cutthroat move and expect any semblance of normalcy in the band....unless Richards despised Brian at that point, and if it pushed Jones away, so be it, if that was the intention.

I don't know how often Keith has claimed to be a true blues musician

By spending many years not giving Mick Taylor credit for bringing that "next phase" blues sound to the group, which vanished almost overnight the second Taylor left. Richards was quite comfortable letting music "journalists" paint him as some architect of the Stones' sound from the beginning, and certainly during the Taylor era. Only in recent years has he begrudgingly given Taylor any credit at all, but that's after a near lifetime of using reputations he did not earn.

As a rhythm player, he was in a new formative period around this time, getting heavily into acoustic guitar and picking up the open-G from Ry Cooder

Another Richards myth designed to wipe Jones from the important role he played. On page 62 of the book Brian Jones - The Making of the Rolling Stones, Dick Taylor--who was there to see it all happen from the beginning--proves that Richards lied about who influenced him to use Open-G tuning:

What only Taylor seemed to have noticed is that Keith's trademark guitar style--his Open G Tuning, a blues tuning with a distinctive country lilt--comes from Brain too. Curiously, for at least the last thirty years, Keith has been describing how he took the style from Ry Cooder, a guitarist he met in 1968, 'Brian used that tuning for things like "Feel Like Going Home" and "I Can't Be Satisfied," says Taylor. 'Keith watched Brian play that tuning and certainly knew all about it. Why he says he got it from Ry Cooder I don't know. Its strange.'

Strange? No. Just more attempts to write Jones out of the band he created.

The Old Mixer · Jan 2, 2019

Here's what the Wiki article for the album has to say about Brian's participation:

Producer Jimmy Miller described guitarist Keith Richards as "a real workhorse" while recording the album, mostly due to the infrequent presence of Brian Jones. When he did show up at the sessions, Jones behaved erratically due to his drug use and emotional problems. Miller said that Jones would "show up occasionally when he was in the mood to play, and he could never really be relied on:

When he would show up at a session—let's say he had just bought a sitar that day, he'd feel like playing it, so he'd look in his calendar to see if the Stones were in. Now he may have missed the previous four sessions. We'd be doing let's say, a blues thing. He'd walk in with a sitar, which was totally irrelevant to what we were doing, and want to play it. I used to try to accommodate him. I would isolate him, put him in a booth and not record him onto any track that we really needed. And the others, particularly Mick and Keith, would often say to me, 'Just tell him to piss off and get the hell out of here'.

Jones played sitar and tanpura on "Street Fighting Man", slide guitar on "No Expectations" and "Jigsaw Puzzle" acoustic guitar and harmonica on "Parachute Woman", harmonica on "Dear Doctor" and "Prodigal Son", and Mellotron on "Jigsaw Puzzle" and "Stray Cat Blues".

TREK_GOD_1 · Jan 3, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Nobody's saying that he didn't. The assertion by the song's Wiki article was that it was one of his last major contributions before leaving the band, not that it was his only contribution in their entire career. It goes on to quote Jagger on this point from an interview: "That was the last time I remember Brian really being totally involved in something that was really worth doing." The article for the album paints a picture of Jones having been mostly sidelined at this point, with his contributions having become inconsistent and often irrelevant to what was being worked on.

Wiki is essentially quoting Jagger's oft-repeated story. Then again, its a Wiki article, so I'm not expecting in-depth research.

By whom? Not by the record-buying public of 1968-69, who put the White Album at the top of the Billboard album chart for a total of nine weeks, while Beggars peaked at #5 for three weeks. Not by the rock musicians, critics, and industry figures who voted for Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which ranks the White Album #10 and Beggars #57.

Would this be the same White Album that is near universally known as the beginning of the end of the Beatles, an album with no coherent structure? The same WA that was an undeniably troubled recording period where the band was not getting along at all--and that's putting it mildly (Ringo quit during its production, before being coaxed back), Harrison resenting McCartney's alleged lack of recognition of as an equal partner, John resenting Paul and George over their mistreatment of studio fixture Yoko, and on and on and on. That was just the icing on top of the chaotic mess of a cake that was the WA's very hit & miss tracks. There was a completely opposite reaction for Beggars' Banquet, which was seen as nothing less than a rebirth of the Stones after their thankfully brief fall into Beatle-whimsical/psychedelia. That's not a coincidence. Who cites the WA as the Beatles' creative zenith? I'm not sure, but BB is certainly ranked high in any discussion of the Stones' best albums and greatest of the 60s.

But regardless of the terminology used, my point was that MMT had the through-line device of the bus tour to hang its randomness on.

Anyway you spin it, a bus tour is not a plot. Its more travelogue than script., or the aforementioned post card lines. This was apparent to the viewers who rejected outright at the time. Paul has claimed he intended it to have some kind of story (remember, he was the big planner at that time, much to the annoyance of John & George), but he did not know that the bus/oddball notion was did not mean it had any framework to be anything resembling a narrative, anymore than trying to make an entire film based on the idea of a squirrel running by your window.

On the other hand, Head's plot was easy to understand, with its aforementioned biggest failing being Brockman's self-promoting, incomprehensible marketing, which had nothing to do with the film, or its message.

I'll grant you that Head had more to say than MMT did, but that's a separate thing from the point that I was trying to make.

The fact you can see Head as having more to say means that is its takeaway. It was understood, rather than MMT, which earned a massive "WTF?". That, or

The Mod Squad
"The Guru"
Originally aired December 31, 1968

You kinda knew that Dabney Coleman would end up being the villain of the piece one way or another, because why else would Dabney Coleman be in the episode?

Yes, and was he ever the "evil establishment man" in this episode.

In the coda we learn that Daphne and Jack (another employee who was standoffish and very dedicated to the paper, who primarily seemed to be in the story as a red herring)

Jack was portrayed by Max Julien, who became what I consider a negative cultural icon (to some) as the star of the infamous blaxploitation film The Mack (Cinerama Releasing Corporation, 1973). Julien and Adam Roarke (Rick) probably landed their roles based on their previous connection in two exploitation films: Psych-Out with Jack Nicholson and Dean Stockwell, and the biker gang film The Savage Seven (both AIP, 1968) starring Robert "Charlie X" Walker, Jr.

The Old Mixer · Jan 3, 2019

TREK_GOD_1 said:
Would this be the same White Album that is near universally known as the beginning of the end of the Beatles, an album with no coherent structure? The same WA that was an undeniably troubled recording period where the band was not getting along at all--and that's putting it mildly (Ringo quit during its production, before being coaxed back), Harrison resenting McCartney's alleged lack of recognition of as an equal partner, John resenting Paul and George over their mistreatment of studio fixture Yoko, and on and on and on. That was just the icing on top of the chaotic mess of a cake that was the WA's very hit & miss tracks. There was a completely opposite reaction for Beggars' Banquet, which was seen as nothing less than a rebirth of the Stones after their thankfully brief fall into Beatle-whimsical/psychedelia. That's not a coincidence. Who cites the WA as the Beatles' creative zenith? I'm not sure, but BB is certainly ranked high in any discussion of the Stones' best albums and greatest of the 60s.

Whatever each album's respective place in the creative peaks of its band, it is clearly possible to consider the White Album the better album of the two. That it suffered from adverse studio conditions doesn't make it a bad album. Adversity sometimes leads to success...or produces great art.

On the other hand, Head's plot was easy to understand

No it wasn't, because it had none to speak of. It was a series of random vignettes. That some of the vignettes expressed a theme didn't make for a plot.

Yes, and was he ever the "evil establishment man" in this episode.

Not really evil. More of an asshole who got into a heated dispute with another asshole in which a gun was involved.

Jack was portrayed by Max Julien

I'd edited in the actor's name just under an hour ago, FWIW.

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ETA: Just went to watch this week's episode of That Girl and found the show missing from Me's site again. I'm going to stay cool and check back in to see if it pops back up like it did before...but it could be a New Year's change....

RJDiogenes · Jan 3, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Ed introduces Lainie Kazan with a humorous nod to her having been Barbra Streisand's understudy in Funny Girl. Lainie then proceeds to treat the Easy Listening crowd to an overwrought rendition of the Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure" that completely misplaces the beauty of the original.

I remember this. She was trying a bit too hard.

Also in the original episode according to tv.com: What the flying fuck!?! We got Lainie Kazan, but they left out Sly & the Family Stone!?!

Maybe they're in another best-of episode. I like his opening quote, "Don't hate the Black, don't hate the White-- if you get bitten, just hate the bite." Different world back then.

Well this is a twist at this point in the series...now Tara's got an understudy filling in for her (played by Jennifer Croxton).

I saw this one, too, but I can't remember if I liked the understudy or not.

Mother's just in a wheelchair this week, but in a distinct-looking room that's purpose I can't identify. It has rows of wooden chairs and some barrels. I want to say that it probably has something to do with drinking.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised. :rommie:

Barry Williams pops up to get tough with Linc for selling papers on his corner!

Mess with the Bradys, learn a lesson.

You noticed that too? Well, Tracy did die shortly after completing the film.

And not well. A sad end for a magnificent actor.

If you're referring to what I think you are, "people of color" is in vogue, but "colored" is still considering derogatory...which is an odd distinction to draw, but there you go.

More than just odd, I think, especially since "colored" and "of color" were used interchangeably.

For contrast, I just watched Avengers: Infinity War on Netflix last night. While I found the film thoroughly enjoyable, there was so damn much going on that it was exhausting me only an hour in. It took me the better part of four hours to get through a two-and-a-half-hour film, because I had to take breaks...which just reinforces a couple of the main reasons that I don't see films in the theater anymore.

I had a similar experience with the first Avengers and haven't bothered to watch any others.

Which totally flew over my...well, you know.

Things should be picking up quite soon, as mass hysteria inflicts our nation's youth of the time and we start using invasion metaphors.

Sweetness.

The Old Mixer said:
ETA: Just went to watch this week's episode of That Girl and found the show missing from Me's site again. I'm going to stay cool and check back in to see if it pops back up like it did before...but it could be a New Year's change....

That sucks. Maybe it's on YouTube. Speaking of which, the latest email came yesterday and still no mention of any schedule changes for the new year.

The Old Mixer · Jan 3, 2019

RJDiogenes said:
Maybe they're in another best-of episode.

Not this performance from this date.

That sucks. Maybe it's on YouTube.

As they have for a while, Stadium Media has the premieres of the first three seasons up for watching, and Seasons 1 and 2 for purchase. Otherwise it looks like I'd have to subscribe to Hulu or Amazon Prime.

J.T.B. · Jan 3, 2019

TREK_GOD_1 said:
Another Richards myth designed to wipe Jones from the important role he played. On page 62 of the book Brian Jones - The Making of the Rolling Stones, Dick Taylor--who was there to see it all happen from the beginning--proves that Richards lied about who influenced him to use Open-G tuning:

What only Taylor seemed to have noticed is that Keith's trademark guitar style--his Open G Tuning, a blues tuning with a distinctive country lilt--comes from Brain too. Curiously, for at least the last thirty years, Keith has been describing how he took the style from Ry Cooder, a guitarist he met in 1968, 'Brian used that tuning for things like "Feel Like Going Home" and "I Can't Be Satisfied," says Taylor. 'Keith watched Brian play that tuning and certainly knew all about it. Why he says he got it from Ry Cooder I don't know. Its strange.'

Strange? No. Just more attempts to write Jones out of the band he created.

That's not really surprising, as Brian was really into slide playing and those were slide parts. Keith did not play slide much and when he got heavily into open tunings it was with a completely different technique. No doubt Keith nicked a lot of stuff from a lot of people, but open-tuned riffs like "Brown Sugar" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" don't owe much to any of Brian's playing that I've heard.

RJDiogenes · Jan 4, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
As they have for a while, Stadium Media has the premieres of the first three seasons up for watching, and Seasons 1 and 2 for purchase. Otherwise it looks like I'd have to subscribe to Hulu or Amazon Prime.

I've got Prime. It's too bad I can't loan digital episodes like I can DVDs.

The Old Mixer · Jan 5, 2019

_______

50 Years Ago This Week

January 5

Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to London's Gatwick Airport, killing 50 of the 62 people on board and two of the home's occupants.

The Soviet Union launches Venera 5 toward Venus.

January 6 – The final passenger train traverses the Waverley Line, which subsequently closes to passengers.
January 10 – The Soviet Union launches Venera 6 toward Venus.

(Sounds like something they'd wanna see a doctor about.)

Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day said:
January 10 – George walks off the Get Back film set and out of the Beatles, temporarily, complaining privately of being treated as inferior by Paul.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," Marvin Gaye
2. "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," Diana Ross & The Supremes and the Temptations
3. "Wichita Lineman," Glen Campbell
4. "Soulful Strut," Young-Holt Unlimited
5. "Hooked on a Feeling," B.J. Thomas
6. "Cloud Nine," The Temptations
7. "For Once In My Life," Stevie Wonder
8. "Crimson and Clover," Tommy James & The Shondells
9. "Love Child," Diana Ross & The Supremes
10. "I Love How You Love Me," Bobby Vinton
11. "Cinnamon," Derek
12. "Going Up the Country," Canned Heat
13. "Son of a Preacher Man," Dusty Springfield
14. "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero (The More I Love You)," Rene & Rene
15. "Stormy," Classics IV feat. Dennis Yost
16. "Abraham, Martin and John," Dion
17. "If I Can Dream," Elvis Presley
18. "Touch Me," The Doors
19. "I Started a Joke," Bee Gees
20. "Who's Making Love," Johnnie Taylor
21. "Too Weak to Fight," Clarence Carter
22. "Both Sides Now," Judy Collins
23. "Worst That Could Happen," The Brooklyn Bridge
24. "A Ray of Hope," The Rascals
25. "This Is My Country," The Impressions
26. "Everyday People," Sly & The Family Stone
27. "Hey Jude," Wilson Pickett
28. "Can I Change My Mind," Tyrone Davis
29. "Magic Carpet Ride," Steppenwolf
30. "Hey Jude," The Beatles
31. "Hang 'Em High," Booker T. & The MG's
32. "Scarborough Fair," Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
33. "Stand by Your Man," Tammy Wynette
34. "California Soul," The 5th Dimension
35. "(There's Gonna Be a) Showdown," Archie Bell & The Drells
36. "See Saw," Aretha Franklin
37. "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," Otis Redding
38. "Bella Linda," The Grass Roots

40. "Bring It On Home to Me," Eddie Floyd

46. "I've Gotta Be Me," Sammy Davis, Jr.
47. "Baby, Baby Don't Cry," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
48. "Build Me Up Buttercup," The Foundations
49. "Chewy Chewy," Ohio Express
50. "Little Arrows," Leapy Lee

53. "Crosstown Traffic," The Jimi Hendrix Experience
54. "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," Bob Seger System

65. "This Magic Moment," Jay & The Americans

72. "You Showed Me," The Turtles
73. "Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March," The Box Tops

79. "Shame, Shame," Magic Lanterns

82. "Things I'd Like to Say," New Colony Six

91. "Games People Play," Joe South

New on the chart:

"Games People Play," Joe South
(#12 US; #6 UK; 1970 Grammy Award for Song of the Year)

And new on the boob tube:

The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 21, episode 12, featuring Diana Ross & the Supremes, Burns & Schreiber, Shani Wallace, and Henry Mancini & Johnny Mathis
Mission: Impossible, "The Exchange"
The Avengers, "My Wildest Dream"
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Season 2, episode 14
The Mod Squad, "The Sunday Drivers"
That Girl, "The Eye of the Beholder"
Ironside, "Up, Down, and Even"
Star Trek, "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
Adam-12, "Log 36: Jimmy Eisley's Dealing Smack"
Get Smart, "The Day They Raided the Knights"
Hogan's Heroes, "Who Stole My Copy of Mein Kampf?"

_______

RJDiogenes said:
I've got Prime. It's too bad I can't loan digital episodes like I can DVDs.

Or...you could watch and review the rest of the series for me! That way the work goes on...the cause endures...the hope still lives...the dream shall never die...all that shit.

Now iTunes is selling That Girl at $14.99 per season...which comes to less than 60 cents per episode. That is sorely tempting....Think I might wait and see if it pops back up on the Me site, though.

_______

Music Choice said:
The Box Tops' "The Letter" was on the charts for four weeks in 1967.

They probably meant to say that it was at the top of the chart for four weeks in 1967...!

RJDiogenes · Jan 5, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
(Sounds like something they'd wanna see a doctor about.)

"The Venereal results are coming in, comrades!"

"Games People Play," Joe South

It's been ages since I've heard this. I like it.

Or...you could watch and review the rest of the series for me! That way the work goes on...the cause endures...the hope still lives...the dream shall never die...all that shit.

That possibility occurred to me briefly, but, aside from time issues, it just wouldn't be the same coming from me, since it's a favorite of yours.

Now iTunes is selling That Girl at $14.99 per season...which comes to less than 60 cents per episode. That is sorely tempting....Think I might wait and see if it pops back up on the Me site, though.

Prime has the first two seasons for 99 cents each-- which is either a mistake or some kind of sale, because individual episodes are $1.99 each. Seasons three, four, and five are $14.99.

The Old Mixer · Jan 5, 2019

_______

55 Years Ago Spotlight

January 5 – U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican Party nomination for President.
January 8 – In his first State of the Union Address, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson declares a "War on Poverty".
January 10 – Introducing... The Beatles is released by Chicago's Vee-Jay Records to get the jump on Capitol Records' release of Meet the Beatles!, scheduled for January 20. The two record companies fight over Vee-Jay's release of this album in court.

January 11 – United States Surgeon General Luther Terry reports that smoking may be hazardous to one's health (the first such statement from the U.S. government).

Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day said:
January 11 – 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' enters the American Cashbox magazine chart at number 80.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

2. "Louie Louie," The Kingsmen
3. "Popsicles and Icicles," The Murmaids

6. "Since I Fell for You," Lenny Welch
7. "Surfin' Bird," The Trashmen
8. "The Nitty Gritty," Shirley Ellis

10. "Midnight Mary," Joey Powers
11. "Quicksand," Martha & The Vandellas
12. "As Usual," Brenda Lee
13. "Drag City," Jan & Dean

15. "Pretty Paper," Roy Orbison
16. "Whispering," Nino Tempo & April Stevens
17. "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry," The Caravelles
18. "Drip Drop," Dion
19. "Hey Little Cobra," The Rip Chords
20. "Out of Limits," The Marketts
21. "That Lucky Old Sun," Ray Charles
22. "Anyone Who Had a Heart," Dionne Warwick
23. "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," The Supremes
24. "Can I Get a Witness," Marvin Gaye
25. "Somewhere," The Tymes
26. "For Your Precious Love," Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters
27. "For You," Rick Nelson
28. "Loddy Lo," Chubby Checker
29. "Kansas City," Trini Lopez
30. "Daisy Petal Pickin'," Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs
31. "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um," Major Lance
32. "Baby, I Love You," The Ronettes
33. "Hooka Tooka," Chubby Checker

37. "You Don't Own Me," Lesley Gore
38. "Be True to Your School," The Beach Boys

40. "The Boy Next Door," The Secrets
41. "Everybody," Tommy Roe

44. "In My Room," The Beach Boys

49. "Have You Heard," The Duprees feat. Joey Vann
50. "Baby Don't You Weep," Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters
51. "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)," The Tams

54. "What's Easy for Two Is So Hard for One," Mary Wells

78. "Java," Al (He's the King) Hirt

83. "See the Funny Little Clown," Bobby Goldsboro

100. "Who Do You Love," The Sapphires

Take a good, long look at this mostly American chart. Next week the British establish their beachhead.

Leaving the chart:

"She's a Fool," Lesley Gore (15 weeks)
"Walking the Dog," Rufus Thomas (14 weeks)
"Wonderful Summer," Robin Ward (10 weeks)

Recent and new on the chart:

"Baby, I Love You," The Ronettes
(Dec. 21; #24 US; #6 R&B; #11 UK)

"See the Funny Little Clown," Bobby Goldsboro
(#9 US; #3 AC; #3 Country)

_______

RJDiogenes said:
It's been ages since I've heard this. I like it.

In addition to having a couple of hits of his own in this era, Joe South was the writer of such hits as 1965's "Down in the Boondocks" (Billy Joe Royal), 1968's "Hush" (Deep Purple), 1970's "Rose Garden" (Lynn Anderson), and 1971's "Yo-Yo" (The Osmonds).

Prime has the first two seasons for 99 cents each-- which is either a mistake or some kind of sale, because individual episodes are $1.99 each. Seasons three, four, and five are $14.99.

I don't know how Prime works, but I was under the impression that you could stream it if you have Prime, and purchase it otherwise. Xfinity now has an option to play Amazon Prime content...I wonder if that would apply to videos purchased via Amazon? I'd probably just play it safe and get it on iTunes, which would definitely let me play it on my phone and iPod.

TREK_GOD_1 · Jan 5, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Whatever each album's respective place in the creative peaks of its band, it is clearly possible to consider the White Album the better album of the two. That it suffered from adverse studio conditions doesn't make it a bad album

I specifically said:

"That was just the icing on top of the chaotic mess of a cake that was the WA's very hit & miss tracks"

...meaning whatever major level of creative capitol was earned (just going back to the Sgt. Pepper's period), it was dashed to pieces by the extremely disjointed WA sessions where one band member was never fully on board with the songs written by another. Its of no wonder why Lester Bangs once described it as "..the first album by The Beatles or in the history of rock by four solo artists in one band"--there was no unity, and as such, the mounting creative fire of a Rubber Soul or Revolver was but a shadow of the past during the WA's creation.

Adversity sometimes leads to success...or produces great art.

...in the case of Simon and Garfunkel's landmark Bridge Over Troubled Water (for one example)...yes. That perfectly fits your comment. The White Album...no, as evidenced by its own internal decay and head-butting that would never be reversed or healed.

No it wasn't, because it had none to speak of. It was a series of random vignettes. That some of the vignettes expressed a theme didn't make for a plot.

...and yet anyone knowing the history of The Monkees at the time (instead of a-hole "critics" with an axe to grind about that "video quartet" as some called them in the 60s) clearly understood the film's plot in relation to the band's often publicly stated interests. To tis day, Head is often considered a breakthrough sub-genre of its own, and laid out for the public something revealing that most bands were too collectively egocentric to do. On the other hand, Magical Mystery Tour was just the swirling mess of a man who was too full of himself at the time, much to the irritation of Lennon, who said:

"George and I were sort of grumbling, you know, 'Fuckin' movie, oh well, we better do it'."

Both felt they were being forced into something they did not want to do, and made "not a lick of sense," as the expression goes. The British TV viewers' almost universal rejection / battery of the "Aren't We So Quaint and Creative" film was never questioned. They knew crap on TV when they saw it.

J.T.B. said:
That's not really surprising, as Brian was really into slide playing and those were slide parts. Keith did not play slide much and when he got heavily into open tunings it was with a completely different technique. No doubt Keith nicked a lot of stuff from a lot of people, but open-tuned riffs like "Brown Sugar" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" don't owe much to any of Brian's playing that I've heard.

I think Dick Taylor was calling Richards out for pretending he never knew of Open-G tuning until Ry Cooder came along in 1968, when he was witness to/intimately aware of one of the ground floor champions of it (among white/European rock bands) since the earliest days of the band. Again, it just comes off as another way of Richards trying to erase Brian from his incalculable shaping and contributions to what the world would know as the Rolling Stones.[/quote]

The Old Mixer · Jan 5, 2019

TREK_GOD_1 said:
The British TV viewers' almost universal rejection / battery of the "Aren't We So Quaint and Creative" film was never questioned. They knew crap on TV when they saw it.

And if you're going to play the public popularity card...how well did Head do at the box office?

Public popularity would also indicate that the White Album is clearly superior to Beggars Banquet, as indicated by the aforementioned chart performance.

So...the public has spoken. Case closed.

The Old Mixer · Jan 6, 2019

_______

The review you're about to read is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Dragnet 1967
"The LSD Story"
Originally aired January 12, 1967
Series premiere

Wiki said:
Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Bill Gannon encounter a freaked-out young LSD user.

This is the famous "Blue Boy" episode, a reference to the LSD user painting himself blue at the beginning of the episode. A poor quality print of the episode is broadcast.

In 1997, TV Guide ranked this episode #85 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.

Sgt. Joe Friday said:
This is the city: Los Angeles, California. It's a fine place to enjoy life. There are places reserved just for kids, when they're young and feel young. Places they go when they're young and feel old...beginning the big search for something that often doesn't exist in the places they look for it. They might find it here...or here...or maybe here [showing various places of worship]. They could try looking here [showing Griffith Observatory]. Their search might end with a college degree. One thing's sure--Whatever they're looking for cannot be found inside a number five capsule. When they try, that's where I come in. I carry a badge.

(Yeah, you're humming it.)

For the purposes of this episode, LSD is treated as something new enough that Friday and Gannon receive a lot of exposition about it from a forensic chemist. It probably was a relatively unknown thing to a lot of the audience at the time. It's also still legal when most of the story takes place, which is over a large period for time, from March to December. The year isn't specified, but the days and dates given line up with those on 1966's calendar.

Despite LSD still being legal when they arrest Blue Boy in March, Friday and Gannon want to keep him in custody for his own safety, but his parents are in denial about his addiction despite his face paint.

Mrs. Carver said:
The boys are always doing some silly thing or other, letting their hair grow long or dressing up like those English singers.

And when Benjie comes out of court in a subsequent scene, he is indeed wearing an English suit.

On Wednesday, October 5, a law against LSD is scheduled to go into effect in 48 hours. Friday and Gannon have had their eyes on Blue Boy in the months since his arrest, as his name has been turning up repeatedly as that of a major supplier. By October, Benjie is 18 and can be tried as an adult...and Mrs. Carver is a little more aware of the trouble that he's gotten himself into.

With the help of a couple of cute girls who are disgruntled former customers, Friday and Gannon get the address of a party that Blue Boy is supposed to be attending. The detectives arrive at the location to find the door open, a bunch of tripping youth, and a good-sized stash of LSD and marijuana lying out in the open. Blue Boy isn't there, but they proceed to track him down...only to find him dead in a hotel room with a surviving buddy character played by an uncredited Bruce Watson.

The Announcer said:
On December 15, a Coroner's inquest was held at the County Morgue, Hall of Justice, City and County of Los Angeles....At the inquest, the Coroner's jury ruled that the 18-year-old suspect had administered himself an overdose of lysergic acid diethylamide, in combination with various barbiturates, and had thus taken his own life.

This was definitely a worthy sign-o-the-times watch. The show takes a lot of heat in hindsight for getting the youth culture of the time wrong, with this particular episode often held up as an example, but it's insightful as a pulse-reading of that Middle American Silent Majority in those turbulent times.

At one point, Friday lists off several pseudonyms for LSD in his voiceover, but I don't think that the term "acid" ever came up in the episode. A bit of Wiki browsing indicates that LSD became illegal in the State of California on October 6, 1966.

Interestingly, Cozi showed the full end credits, which isn't usually their bag, man.

_______

RJDiogenes · Jan 6, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
"Baby, I Love You," The Ronettes

Sigh. Such an amazing sound and such a lovely voice.

"See the Funny Little Clown," Bobby Goldsboro

At first I thought I never heard this, but it started to tickle at my memory as I listened. Not a bad song.

In addition to having a couple of hits of his own in this era, Joe South was the writer of such hits as 1965's "Down in the Boondocks" (Billy Joe Royal), 1968's "Hush" (Deep Purple), 1970's "Rose Garden" (Lynn Anderson), and 1971's "Yo-Yo" (The Osmonds).

I don't remember "Yo-Yo," but the others are all good songs.

I don't know how Prime works, but I was under the impression that you could stream it if you have Prime, and purchase it otherwise.

Even with Prime, some things you have to pay for-- either renting or buying. That Girl is indeed available to stream for free, but you also have the option of purchasing seasons or episodes.

The Old Mixer said:
The review you're about to read is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Nobody is innocent!

This was definitely a worthy sign-o-the-times watch. The show takes a lot of heat in hindsight for getting the youth culture of the time wrong, with this particular episode often held up as an example, but it's insightful as a pulse-reading of that Middle American Silent Majority in those turbulent times.

And when it came to drugs, they were right. This is definitely a classic episode and, in its own way, a cultural touchstone as much as Room 222 or Love, American Style.

The Old Mixer · Jan 7, 2019

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing
(Part 2)

_______

Ironside
"In Search of an Artist"
Originally aired January 2, 1969

Wiki said:
Ironside reopens a homicide case when he sees a recent painting by a friend who allegedly died after confessing.

The friend is Denny Fielder (William Burns), who was married to the daughter of a reformed mobster and signed left a note indicating that he'd killed her alleged lover, their chauffeur, then apparently died by driving his car off a cliff. Their investigation takes Team Ironside South of the Border, where credibility is stretched a bit when Ironside stumbles upon another example of Fielder's work in the open market of a randomly selected village. Ironside turns up Fielder and learns that he was taking the fall for his wife, Leona (Lorraine Gary), whom he'd found unconscious at the scene of the murder.

A couple of hitmen try to take Team Ironside and Fielder out while they're still in Mexico. It turns out that the victim's wife's brother, who'd been questioned earlier in the episode, did it, while the wife's father, Jack Stuart (Broderick Crawford) had hired the hit men, though the episode didn't explain why--To get at Denny? For helping the killer to cover it up? Denny and Leona, who was just the recipient of passes by the victim, are reunited.

This one was pretty meh, being chock full of contrivances and hampered by Burns's weak acting.

_______

Star Trek
"Whom Gods Destroy"
Originally aired January 3, 1969
Stardate 5718.3

H&I said:
Kirk and Spock investigate an insane asylum where a former Starfleet captain is being held, only to discover that he has freed the inmates and is running the place.

See my post here.

_______

Adam-12
"Log 81: The Long Walk"
Originally aired January 4, 1969

Wiki said:
In an episode demonstrating the importance of "police presence," Reed also learns about how important backing up his partner is when he and Malloy respond to a silent alarm and wind up in a shootout with three armed suspects.

They transition through the lecture on officer presence at roll call (by the looks of it part of the original edit). Maybe some of us wanted to hear what Sgt. MacDonald had to say! It's not like you could just Google it back then.

Once on patrol, Reed and Malloy respond to a call to back up Adam-18 in investigating a robbery at a gas station, where they find the attendant pistol-whipped. Then Adam-12 proceeds to search for the suspect in the direction that he was seen heading. I never would have noticed it myself if I hadn't read it on IMDb, but when they're talking about searching for a red convertible, one drives right by them in the rear projection! :lol:

The officers then respond to a call from a guest home about a "found adult"...a very senior gentleman (Richard Hale) who showed up out of the blue to unofficially join the community. In questioning him, they learn that he's from Deadwood, South Dakota. It gets a bit confusing after that, as he seems to think he got to the home from his daughter's place in Santa Monica in her car, but the officers doubt that he could have driven it...so I'm not sure what the episode was trying to imply--That he walked and only thought he drove? That his daughter dropped him off?

They then respond to a call about a prowler...this time from a fully dressed babysitter. Investigating some noise outside, they find that the perp is a raccoon in a tree.

Reed: One-Adam-Twelve, request Code Seven at Pico and Sepulveda.
Dispatch: One-Adam-Twelve, continue patrol and a call.

That's more like it--She just saves calls waiting for Reed to request a Code Seven! :lol:

Anyway, it's for a 459 silent at a warehouse. The officers are fired at upon entering, but Malloy manages to sneak to a light switch in the dark. Two perps are shot before Malloy gets the drop on the remaining two, only to reveal once Reed's covering him that he's been holding the perps at gunpoint with an empty pistol. Reed realizes that this was an example of "officer presence" at work.

_______

Get Smart
"Hurray for Hollywood"
Originally aired January 4, 1969

Wiki said:
Max and 99 go undercover as stage actors to find out how KAOS is smuggling scientific information out of the country. But KAOS learns the new actors (if one indeed can call Max an "actor") are CONTROL agents and therefore plots to kill Max by putting real bullets in the stage prop gun used in the play. Will this cause a new twist in the plot? The title is a parody of the 1934 standard "Hooray for Hollywood".

Parody? It is the title, save for a spelling variant. And do we really need witty asides in episode synopses? I think that the Wiki contributor doing these Get Smart write-ups could take a little advice from Joe Friday.

Max and 99's acting coach, Pedechefsky (Ivor Francis), does a dramatic reading of what he says is a verse from "Do You Know the Way to San Jose"...except that it's not.

In his rehearsal as the butler in the play, Max does his lines Cagney style. The KAOS agents learn that Max and 99 are CONTROL agents when Max makes a call to the Chief on a house phone. How convenient that he didn't use a certain well-known fixture of the show....

After the Chief and one of his men arrest the KAOS agents onstage during the actual performance, the CONTROL and KAOS agents maintain the illusion that it's all part of the play by taking multiple curtain calls.

_______

Hogan's Heroes
"The Missing Klink"
Originally aired January 4, 1969

Wiki said:
After a kidnapper grabs the wrong target, Hogan must convince Burkhalter and Hochstetter that Klink is worth rescuing. Will Klink escape being executed by the Underground-only to be shot by the Gestapo?

The plan is to set up the underground to capture General Burkhalter while Klink's giving him a ride, in order to exchange the General for an imprisoned resistance leader named Wagner. But Klink goes to the train station when Burkhalter was taking a plane, so Wagner's brother (Chris Robinson, formerly Sandy Komansky on 12 O'Clock High) just gets Klink.

Hogan has to concoct a scheme to make Hochstetter think that Klink is really a highly placed British agent code-named Nimrod so that they'll go through with the exchange to get their hands on him. Once they do, Hogan's team defuses the situation by making them think that their assumptions about Klink's true nature were the result of a misunderstanding.

In the coda, Hogan gets a set of plans and a message from the real Nimrod, who was aware of the Colonel's scheme...which would seem to suggest that Nimrod really is somebody close at hand....

DIS-miiissed!

_______

RJDiogenes said:
Sigh. Such an amazing sound and such a lovely voice.

But do the Ronettes still sound like the '50s to you?

So...how 'bout them Beatles...?

I don't remember "Yo-Yo," but the others are all good songs.

I'm not too familiar with the Osmonds' work in general. Their major hits were mostly a bit early for me to remember firsthand, and the only one that I distinctly recall having heard on oldies radio is their #1 debut single, "One Bad Apple," which always sounded like a blatant Jackson 5 rip-off to my ear. I skipped them in working on my '70s playlists...time will tell if my attidtude softens when I get to them as 50th anniversary business....

And when it came to drugs, they were right. This is definitely a classic episode and, in its own way, a cultural touchstone as much as Room 222 or Love, American Style.

Insightful...I was under the impression from retroactive commentary about the show that it was generally considered massively uncool, but it seems that it does have its appeal to some of us who are aficionados of the era and its pop culture.

Which brings us to...

_______

Dragnet 1967
"The Big Explosion"
Originally aired January 19, 1967

Wiki said:
Two men rob a construction site of multiple cases of extremely powerful dynamite, and after tracking down the getaway car Friday and Gannon find the primary thief, a neo-Nazi, has planted a bomb somewhere in Los Angeles; prolonged interrogation of the man goes nowhere until Friday is able to use his incessant demand for the time against him. Future Adam-12 star Kent McCord appears as a patrolman. He would appear at least twice more in the series as an undercover cop accused of malfeasence and in a Dragnet 1969 episode as his Adam-12 character Jim Reed.

This episode has another future Mark VII series regular in it: Bobby Troup (Dr. Early on Emergency!) as bartender Al Amory, the owner of the loaned station wagon used in the robbery. Also noteworthy is that McCord is billed as Kent McWhirter, which is his real name.

Sgt. Joe Friday said:
This is the city: Los Angeles, California. Geographically the biggest in the world...and still growing. Every day the population increases by almost a thousand. It begins to get crowded. Three million people were here ahead of 'em. There are all kinds: the young...and the old; those who love...and those who hate. They're the kind who make work for me. I carry a badge.

The episode commences on Thursday, September 15 (also apparently 1966, and thus falling within the extended timeframe of the previous episode). Friday and Gannon, working the burglary watch, are sent to investigate the robbery of high-velocity dynamite from a construction company. A hand grenade was thrown by the burglars in the robbery, and they took enough explosives to level two city blocks. In addition to whatever use the burglars intend to put it to, Friday and Gannon realize that there's additional danger of TV or radio transmissions unintentionally setting off the blasting caps, which could in turn detonate the dynamite if the caps are stored close to it. Thus, in contrast to the previous episode, this one takes place in a very tight timeframe, with two ticking clocks.

Trailing the station wagon used in the robbery ultimately leads Friday and Gannon to Donald Chapman (Don Dubbins), who's on bail after non-fatally shooting somebody with whom he was involved in a minor traffic accident. They break into his apartment to find it filled with German war memorabilia (including a prominently displayed swastika), assault rifles, hand grenades, and hate literature. They also find the dynamite and blasting caps, stored close to one another as feared, such that they're careful not to use their radio to call it in. Once the bomb squad is on the scene, Friday makes the decision to risk legally contaminating the evidence to have the blasting caps removed from the premises immediately. Alas, the bomb squad discovers that half of the dynamite and several of the caps are missing.

Chapman is caught coming home, and the detectives proceed to interrogate him in his apartment. He repeatedly asks for the time, and only spills the beans after Friday lies to him, telling him that it's past the next hour. Chapman then readily admits to having set the explosives at a school that was being integrated. Friday makes a quick call, the school is promptly evacuated, and the explosives--rigged to be set off by the morning school bell--are found in the nick of time.

The Announcer said:
On November 15, trial was held in Department 184, Superior Court of the State of California, in and for the County of Los Angeles....The suspect was found guilty on a variety of charges ranging from burglary in the first degree to attempted murder.

After his arrest, Chapman identified his confederate as one Harry Albert Jones. After an exhaustive search, the suspect was finally located in Nevada, where he was serving a sentence in the state prison after conviction on another charge.

An odd detail in the episode: When Friday and Gannon are tracking down the station wagon, they go to the house of the previous owner, which has what looks like a two-story decorated Christmas tree in the background. That fits better with when the episode was aired than when it was said to take place.

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