The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

The Old Mixer · Mar 8, 2020

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55th Anniversary Viewing

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Branded
"Leap Upon Mountains..."
Originally aired February 28, 1965

IMDb said:
Jason helps a widowed woman after he discovers some men are trying to force her to sell her land.

A traveling Jason meets Emily Cooper (Joan Leslie) while she's visiting her husband's grave site. Mr. Renger (John Ireland) and his group of toughs ride up and make known their intentions to force Mrs. Cooper to sell her land, despite her willingness to share her water, which is its main resource. Renger is missing an arm from the war, and resentful that Mr. Cooper profited from his land while not fighting. Jason has to get rough with one of the henchmen, Karp (Chris Alcaide).

Jason accompanies Emily home, learning that she's a Quaker and that she hasn't been able to keep men in her employ because they keep getting scared off. Jason offers to stay around and help out despite having a job waiting for him in Kansas City. When Renger sees Jason helping Mrs. Cooper in town, Karp picks another fight; an attempt to draw is stopped by a hurled broken saber. The Sheriff (Michael Masters) knows who Jason is and threatens to run him in on vagrancy.

That night, during a thunderstorm, Jason has an origin flashback dream for those who didn't catch the pilot episode. He then briefly discusses Bitter Creek with Emily over breakfast, mentioning that there's a song about it...the credits theme? Renger makes an awkward social visit in which he proposes a potential marriage, framing it as a business arrangement. When his offer doesn't go over well, he goes outside and starts a fight with Jason

After Renger leaves, prospective henchman Buckrum (Claude Hall) and some men surround the place with guns. Jason slips out to return fire without Emily being in the way. Affected by something that Jason said about needing to take a look at himself, Renger rides back in and intervenes, shooting Buckrum when he won't back down.

In the coda, Jason leaves, satisfied with Renger's turn and that more Quaker families will soon be moving in.

I'd say that this one hits the thematic mark with the Quaker angle. Their belief in nonviolence / turning the other cheek is mentioned.

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12 O'Clock High
"The Trap"
Originally aired March 5, 1965

Xfinity said:
Occupants of a London air-raid shelter, including Savage, become desperate when a delayed-action bomb blocks the sole exit.

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-classic-retro-pop-culture-thread.278375/page-67#post-12208868

The Old Mixer said:
They forgot to mention the woman in late pregnancy! The tension of the main situation was pretty good, as they had no idea when the bomb might choose to go off, and had a ceiling threatening to collapse right over it to boot...such that when they were found, they had to get the message to their rescuers to stop digging. I missed some of the whispered-in-accents backstory drama of the characters that Savage was trapped with, as I was watching in the wee hours and had the sound down to a murmer. One of the occupants looked a little too Herman's Hermits for the 1940s.

I might actually want to rewatch this one if I can squeeze it in, as I hadn't been able to hear a lot of it the first time around. But at this point maybe I'll wait until it comes up on H&I.

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Gilligan's Island
"How to Be a Hero"
Originally aired March 6, 1965

Wiki said:
Gilligan has to be rescued while he is rescuing Mary Ann. This failure leaves him feeling down in the dumps so the other castaways devise ways to try to make him feel like a hero. However he has the chance to be a real hero when a headhunter arrives on the island.

I think this is the first time we're actually seeing a tribal native on the island. Mary Ann brought her bathing suit and swim cap on the three-hour tour. The Skipper has to rescue both her and Gilligan from drowning in the lagoon. Mr. Howell takes pictures of the Skipper--I think this is the first we've seen his camera.

Mrs. Howell psychoanalyzes Gilligan, determining that he feels inferior to the Skipper. But even when the Skipper sets up a situation for Gilligan to save him from being fake-trapped under a tree, Gilligan blunders his way into being trapped under it himself, so it's the Professor and the girls to the rescue. All the while, the headhunter lurks around, looking for an opportunity to attack isolated castaways. Gilligan first spots him immediately after the tree rescue...but as usual, nobody believes him.

Mr. Howell comes up with a new plan to have Gilligan save Lovey from a spider, but he knocks himself out against a hut pole. The Skipper's next plan involves dressing up as a headhunter himself, but Gilligan overhears the plan while gathering bananas. The headhunter quickly captures five of the castaways, getting under their guard because they all initially think that he's the Skipper. Gilligan comes upon the five of them tied up and doesn't take it seriously because he assumes it's all part of the Skipper's plan. Then he teases the headhunter, assuming he's the Skipper. Thinking it's all play, Gilligan's in his element, continually flustering the headhunter's attacks...but then the Skipper makes the scene and Gilligan realizes he's been dealing with a real headhunter. He nevertheless tries to charge in and save the Skipper, and with the help of an accidental trip from his pal, manages to knock the headhunter butt-first into his fire, sending him running back for the lagoon.

In the coda, Gilligan gives a speech in front of a painted flag. Of course, they don't use the opportunity to clarify whether he's still in office.

When Ginger demonstrates to the Skipper how he should moan for help, it plays like...something else. And it probably wasn't an accident.

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gblews said:
Turbulent times. They were engaged in a battle that continues to this day.

The start of some very eventful weeks on the civil rights front.

Annnnnd, the British Invasion nearly jumps the shark almost before it gets going.

I'll agree with the first part, but the second is a bit of a stretch...the Invasion was well underway, over a year old.

This was a great dance song.

I got this version out of completionism, but as alluded to previously, it's got nothing on the Wilson Pickett version.

RJDiogenes said:
I have to admit, the nostalgia factor is making Led Zep much more listenable.

We'll make a headbanger of you yet!

gblews said:
My daughter, who is a staunch feminist, would literally throw up at this song’s lyrics.

RJDiogenes said:
Sounds like the 50s. The 1850s.

It was in the Top 20, I included it in the post...that's the extent of my relationship with this "Stand by Your Man" wannabe.

RJDiogenes said:
This is a good one. I love the lyric, "The world is a terrible place to live-- but I don't wanna die."

It's got a nice sound. One of those odd period hits that I can say I'd heard, but didn't know too well.

gblews said:
This song was really popular at my high school.

RJDiogenes said:
This is a fun one.

The single edit I find to be no improvement on the Temptations original. Rare Earth's full-length album version is another animal...nearly 22 minutes and taking up an entire side of its LP...but I've tried listening to it and don't find it terribly engaging, either.

RJDiogenes said:
Definitely a classic.

These five youngsters from Gary, Indiana, are now a really big act, with two more numbers coming that will top the hit parade this year.

gblews said:
I was wondering if you had the guts to post one of their videos. Now tell me you didn’t want to punch Freddie in the face about 30 seconds into the performance.

RJDiogenes said:
He both looks and dances like me. Poor guy.

When I was at an earlier point of building up my digital collection a few years back, I held off on getting anything by Freddie because he just seemed to be a little too much of an exploitative novelty act.

Interesting. I was not in the know.

Now do you have any idea what the single's B-side was without looking? The hit version of the song was a cover by another band, but the original by Them is considered the definitive version. (Van Morrison wrote it.)

gblews · Mar 9, 2020

The Old Mixer said:
Now do you have any idea what the single's B-side was without looking? The hit version of the song was a cover by another band, but the original by Them is considered the definitive version. (Van Morrison wrote it.)

Gloria? Here Comes the Night? I know I going to want to kick myself when you name the song. I was a pretty big fan of Them and of course, Morrison.

The Old Mixer · Mar 9, 2020

^ Right with the first guess.

I was just reading that the reason the cover by The Shadows of Knight was the hit version is that they changed a lyric that was causing the Them version to be banned by various stations...from "she comes to my room" to "she calls out my name".

The Old Mixer · Mar 9, 2020

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50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 1)

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Mission: Impossible
"Orpheus"
Originally aired March 1, 1970

Wiki said:
The IMF team must stop an unknown assassin.

The miniature reel-to-reel tape in a steamer compartment said:
Good morning, Mr. Phelps. All attempts to identify the enemy assassin known as Werner Stravos have failed. There are no photographs of him, and his only contact is Eric Bergman [Albert Paulsen], head of his country's internal security. Stravos's next victim is to be killed two days from now at 4:00.

Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to stop Stravos and end his murderous career. As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.

And they call her Valerie...

Following a brief briefing, we see Stravos (Booth Colman) putting a bomb in the light fixture of somebody's office. Jim is posing as an intelligence agent named Cochran who's interested in defecting, and Willy as an American agent who's been following him. Bergman comes off as a particularly Bondian M:I villain, as his right-hand man, Major Deiter, is played by Bruce Glover, and Bergman is constantly petting a cat. Jim has a meeting with Dieter, which Willy busts into and gets fake shot. Bergman has a meeting, with Valerie, whose fake credentials are provided by Barney tapping into a file machine from the next room via an electric socket, however that works. Valerie says she's there to examine files on behalf of the Central Committee, and she helps Barney to sneak back out of the Filen room.

Bergman suspects Jim's not a legitimate defector, and has him detained for interrogation. The interrogator discovers that Jim's a fake addict in fake withdrawal, so Bergman withholds his fix as a means of interrogation. Jim spills the fake beans, telling them about a double agent code-named Orpheus. When Jim's fake intel proves fake useful, Valerie has to stay on top of things to make sure that nobody actually shoots him up as a reward!

Meanwhile, Valerie orders Bergman to have Paris brought to her. He's interrogated by Valerie while hooked to a lie detector. A trick ring that produces a mild electric charge when pressed against the arm of the chair gets the desired lie results from the machine. I'm not sure how he's generating the truth results. Paris is fake-revealed to be Koenig, a scientist whom Stravos was supposed to have killed...which somehow puts Bergman in the hot seat for potentially being a traitor/spy; so Bergman grasps at proving that Orpheus is responsible for whatever they think Bergman is responsible for--providing bad intel, I think.

Dieter determines that Stravos must be Orpheus. Bergman is actually not Stravos's main contact, but knows how to call him to arrange a meeting with Valerie. Valerie relays the time and place of the meeting to the team via a transmitter in her glasses. Paris stands ready in his Bergman makeup, but Bergman tells Valerie that he has a secret passwords. So the team diverts Bergman to an adjacent room, where he spills the passwords to Paris in the dark; Paris, now armed with the passwords, proceeds to the correct room. Fake Bergman tries to get Stravos to call off his assassination though there are now only minutes to spare. They get the location and method from him, and the doctor's office is quickly cleared, just in time for the blast.

Back in the hotel room, Paris unmasks and Stravos is taken into custody by some uniformed police who are working with the IMF for reasons I didn't catch. The team drives off...Mission: Accomplished.

This one wasn't too hard to follow the basics of, though I wasn't catching some of the nuances. The highlight, of course, was Peter Graves pretending to be an addict in withdrawal.

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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 3, episode 24
Originally aired March 2, 1970

The Wiki list of guest appearances said:
Danny Kaye, Zsa Zsa Gabor

Dan tries to keep Dick honest:

Danny Kaye joins Arte for Scandinavian Story Time.

Ernestine calls Mayor Yorty:

The news segment is puppet themed:

Laugh-In looks at the Generation Gap:

Tyrone meets Gladys's father:

Wolfgang with Zsa Zsa and Danny.

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The Mod Squad
"A Time for Remembering"
Originally aired March 3, 1970

Wiki said:
Shortly after Pete announces his plans to quit his undercover work, Linc is critically shot by an ex-convict seeking revenge.

This is the last episode of Mod Squad that I recorded from Decades a couple years back...and it's a clip show!

The episode opens with Beau Graves (Gary Vinson) being released from prison. I didn't remember him, but IMDb informs me that he was in the pilot episode. He initiates the flashbacks by remembering how the Squad took him down, and his cheesy inner voice vows revenge.

I'd have thought a clip show would have been the perfect opportunity to have Julie in the episode without Peggy Lipton having to show up, but she's actually in it! When chastising Julie about the need to lock her door...

Linc said:
Julie, the day of the flower child is over.

The Squadders have their own motivation for flashing back...it's the second anniversary of the group's first assignment, on top of how Pete's thinking of quitting.

Pete's father, Harrison (Richard Eastham), is visiting--I think this might be the first time I've seen Pete's pad--and Pete's considering an offer to work for his father's foundation. While Linc's visiting Pete and learning of this, Graves visits Julie. He brandishes a silenced pistol, slaps her around, and tries to force her to call the others. Linc comes by while he's doing so, and agrees to call Pete but actually calls Greer...but then Pete comes over immediately after the call. Figuring out who Linc really called, Graves decides he needs to get to work and shoots Linc, twice. While he's in the process of doing so, everything goes melodramatically slo-mo, with Pete slowly, melodramatically beating on Graves before slowly, melodramatically going over to help Linc.

Pete accompanies Linc in the ambulance and has an inner monologue accompanied by flashbacks. It looks like they drove the old woody down a ravine in one episode...maybe that's why they replaced it. Linc's doctor is also from a previous episode: Jay Milton (Russ Conway) from "Flight Five Doesn't Answer". Things get pretty hairy in the cheapie-looking TV ER while Pete watches pensively from the other side of the glass.

By the time Linc is taken into surgery, the others have arrived, including Greer and Chief Metcalf. We're reminded of how Linc dug a bullet out of Greer with Milton's guidance in "Flight Five" when we learn that Greer keeps the slug in his wallet! Pete and Julie have a talk about how the trio have become family. The theme of the Squad, including Greer and even Metcalf--whose greatful to Linc for saving his daughter from a drug-fueled suicide attempt in an episode that I didn't see--considering one another family comes up often in the episode, to the point where we start to feel like we're being beaten over the head with it. This includes two beats of somebody having to tell the nurse that one of the extended Mod family is family even though they're not family. After an appropriate flashback, Here and Now Milton comes out and shares the good word about Linc's operation.

In the coda, Linc comes to surrounded by his Mod family. He's in no shape to do a walk-off, but they've got one last clip for that.

This chestnut, originally spoken in an earlier episode that we see a clip from, comes up several times...

Linc said:
Like the Maharishi said, never drink champagne out of a paper cup.

Sign o' the times tech: Pete's dad uses a car phone that involves pressing a button to speak, like a walkie-talkie...he even says "over" when he's done talking.

So that's it for Mod Squad unless it comes up on a channel that I get, or I start getting a channel that it comes up on.

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RJDiogenes · Mar 9, 2020

So, yeah, my Internet died just as I was typing up my reply this morning. Luckily I took the day off for a doctor's appointment.

The Old Mixer said:
an attempt to draw is stopped by a hurled broken saber. The Sheriff (Michael Masters) knows who Jason is and threatens to run him in on vagrancy.

He might want to think about picking up a new melee weapon at some point.

He then briefly discusses Bitter Creek with Emily over breakfast, mentioning that there's a song about it...the credits theme?

That would be nicely meta.

I'd say that this one hits the thematic mark with the Quaker angle. Their belief in nonviolence / turning the other cheek is mentioned.

And the story lives up to the theme, since Jason was able to reach the guy with words.

I might actually want to rewatch this one if I can squeeze it in, as I hadn't been able to hear a lot of it the first time around.

Ear buds!

Mary Ann brought her bathing suit and swim cap on the three-hour tour.

Unfortunate.

Mr. Howell takes pictures of the Skipper--I think this is the first we've seen his camera.

I hope he brought his photo paper and developer chemicals, too. Or whatever you call them.

Mrs. Howell psychoanalyzes Gilligan, determining that he feels inferior to the Skipper.

You don't really need a degree in psychoanalysis....

He nevertheless tries to charge in and save the Skipper

And there you have it. :bolian:

When Ginger demonstrates to the Skipper how he should moan for help, it plays like...something else. And it probably wasn't an accident.

And poor Skipper got no sleep that night.

We'll make a headbanger of you yet!

Undoubtedly. :rommie:

The single edit I find to be no improvement on the Temptations original. Rare Earth's full-length album version is another animal...nearly 22 minutes and taking up an entire side of its LP...but I've tried listening to it and don't find it terribly engaging, either.

I was happy when singles starting breaking the three-minute barrier, but twenty-two minutes is a bit much. :rommie:

Imagine listening to the Top 40....

Now do you have any idea what the single's B-side was without looking? The hit version of the song was a cover by another band, but the original by Them is considered the definitive version. (Van Morrison wrote it.)

"Gloria!" Just kidding, I never would have got that.

The Old Mixer · Mar 10, 2020

RJDiogenes said:
He might want to think about picking up a new melee weapon at some point.

What, and bust his M.O.? The broken saber is his thing--he knows how to use it!

That would be nicely meta.

OTOH, I can't imagine that the in-setting song about him would be saying that he's innocent.

And the story lives up to the theme, since Jason was able to reach the guy with words.

Which persuaded the guy to come back and kill someone...

Ear buds!

Not the most practical option with my TV if that's how I'm watching.

I hope he brought his photo paper and developer chemicals, too. Or whatever you call them.

He was planning to put them in his paper after they were rescued. It occurred to me during this scene that finding a way to send photos to civilization would have been an interesting idea...though if they could do that, they could send a note.

You don't really need a degree in psychoanalysis....

Who knows, maybe she did college before she married a millionaire.

And poor Skipper got no sleep that night.

And then neither did Gilligan, I guess...

RJDiogenes · Mar 10, 2020

And then I missed a post, because I just finished what Firefox remembered for me and didn't look any further.

The Old Mixer said:
and Bergman is constantly petting a cat.

Always a strong indicator of major Machevellian megalomania.

When Jim's fake intel proves fake useful, Valerie has to stay on top of things to make sure that nobody actually shoots him up as a reward!

That would have been a fantastic twist. :rommie:

Paris is fake-revealed to be Koenig

Walter?

Dan tries to keep Dick honest:

Lie detectors are big this week.

The news segment is puppet themed:

Were The Muppets ever on Laugh-In? I don't think so.

He initiates the flashbacks by remembering how the Squad took him down, and his cheesy inner voice vows revenge.

"They shall pay! Oh, yes, how they shall pay!"

I'd have thought a clip show would have been the perfect opportunity to have Julie in the episode without Peggy Lipton having to show up, but she's actually in it!

Irony, man.

He brandishes a silenced pistol, slaps her around, and tries to force her to call the others.

No wonder she never comes to work.

Figuring out who Linc really called, Graves decides he needs to get to work and shoots Linc, twice. While he's in the process of doing so, everything goes melodramatically slo-mo, with Pete slowly, melodramatically beating on Graves before slowly, melodramatically going over to help Linc.

I think this is de rigueur in Aaron Spelling adventure shows. The one in Charlie's Angels actually gave Bosley his best moment in the series.

Pete and Julie have a talk about how the trio have become family.

"You're right, Junie... Judy... Julie."

The Old Mixer said:
What, and bust his M.O.? The broken saber is his thing--he knows how to use it!

I wonder if he keeps both pieces and plans to someday symbolically reassemble it.

OTOH, I can't imagine that the in-setting song about him would be saying that he's innocent.

It was written by Bob Dylan's grandfather, Zebediah Dylan.

Which persuaded the guy to come back and kill someone...

He needed killing. Reckon it's like that sometimes.

It occurred to me during this scene that finding a way to send photos to civilization would have been an interesting idea...though if they could do that, they could send a note.

I was thinking along the same lines:
"Mister Howell, where did you get these pictures?"
"I had them sent special delivery by-- oh, darn! Lovey! Your Thurston made a boo boo!"

And then neither did Gilligan, I guess...

Ah, the HBO version of Gilligan's Island. :rommie:

The Old Mixer · Mar 10, 2020

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50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 2)

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"Gone-a-Courtin'"
Originally aired March 5, 1970

Wiki said:
Ann has to go to court to help a producer win a lawsuit involving a shish-kebab skewer.

In the teaser, Ann's working a hat check stand when she convinces Donald to take her place so she can run to an audition. Donald introduces her as "the hat girl".

At the audition, William Samuels (Frank Maxwell) scares Ann when he goes into a rage from something that he reads in a newspaper column while she's trying to read her lines. The columnist is suing him for assault and writing about it in his column (which seems like a conflict of interest or something).

Samuels calls Ann back and hires her to play the role of a clumsy lawyer's assistant, as part of a trick to prove that the columnist, Morgan Jerome (Alan Oppenheimer), stabbed himself with the shish-kebab. Of course, Ann's a natural in the role, causing all sorts of courtroom shenanigans. The case comes down to an attempt at reenacting the alleged skewering attempt in court with flaming kebabs. The sight of Ann approaching him with one in hand makes Jerome go into a panic, proving Samuels's point.

Lew Gallo pops up again in an uncredited cameo.

"Oh, Donald" count: 7
"Oh, Seymour" count: 1 (via one-sided phone conversation)
"Oh, Mr. Samuels" count: 1

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Ironside
"Warrior's Return"
Originally aired March 5, 1970

Wiki said:
The prime suspect in a jewelry-store robbery is the silversmith whom Ironside recommended in the first place.

Said prime suspect is John Walala (Ned Romero), a Zuni Indian and ex-con. But Walala isn't the only suspect, nor does Romero make it into the front-of-episode credits. Another suspect does...

Special Guest Star
DeForest Kelley

...who's playing Mr. Fowler, one of the store's salesmen. When Eve questions him, he smoothly tries to sell her a ring.

A third suspect is the store's bookkeeper, Mr. Carew (Dabbs Greer), who has an invalid wife and lots of medical debt. In a follow-up questioning, Mrs. Carew (Helen Baron) gets Ed alone to let him know that her husband's been seeing another woman, which accounts for his mysterious activity on the night of the burglary. It turns out that the other woman is a wealthy widow who was going to loan Mr. Carew money for the bills.

The Chief and Mark drive around questioning associates of Walala in a montage sequence, and stop to chat a bit about the issues facing urbanized Native Americans. Eventually they find John hiding out with a friend and brandishing a shotgun. John wants to hijack the Ironsidemobile to make a run for the Zuni reservation in New Mexico, but the Chief talks him into surrendering. It comes out that John's been covering for cousin, college drop-out Craig Cheppa (Darwin Joston). John had been spotted near the store around the time of the robbery by a couple of cops, and the Chief deduces that John was on the scene trying to stop Cheppa, but found the place already robbed. Cheppa is picked up sleeping in his car, and when he's brought to John's cell, it turns out that Cheppa had been assuming that John did it. Both are very relieved.

The culprit turns out to be the store's owner, Mr. Leavitt (Stephen McNally), who did it for insurance. To that end, he made sure that everyone knew the alarm was temporarily disabled. Team Ironside finds evidence that the safe was only "cracked" after the goods inside had been taken out. Ed dramatically reads Leavitt his rights--I don't think that comes up much on this show.

This was a return to the show's old mystery formula, but it had me going. I assumed that Fowler did it based on the combination of Kelley's prominent billing and how he only appeared in one scene in the first three acts.

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The Brady Bunch
"To Move or Not to Move"
Originally aired March 6, 1970

Wiki said:
Mike considers selling the Bradys' undersized house when the children complain about a lack of room. However, the kids have second thoughts and pretend to be ghosts in order to scare off would-be buyers. The kids' efforts succeed, while Mike realizes how much the kids like the current home, even with the lack of space.

Guest stars: Fran Ryan as Mrs. Hunsaker, C. Lindsay Workman as Mr. Bertram Grossman

The issue of needing to buy a new house arises from tension over the shared bathroom. I hadn't realized it before, but this episode makes clear that the pilot episode house is not an in-continuity previous home...the guys were already living in this house before the girls moved in. Carol tells Mike that he's added three kids and a wife and still has the same number of rooms. Bobby later says that the boys have never lived anywhere else but there, which leads into them swapping old stories about mishaps they've had over the years. And the real estate agent describes it as the house that Mike "built and bragged about for so long". Looking back at my review for "A Clubhouse Is Not a Home," I realized that it was played like it was the girls moving into the guys' home.

Alice sets up the haunting angle by discussing rumors about a local potential house that the Bradys might move into. Mike picks out a different house, which would involve the kids going to a new school.

The haunting begings when Carol and Alice start hearing moaning...Greg tries to pass it off as Tiger howling. Later, Bobby and Cindy run downstairs at the sounds of creaking. Other manifestations include the oven light blinking on and off and crashing noises. We learn that the kids are behind it all as they plan for a visit by a prospective buyer, Mrs. Hunsaker. When she arrives, they put on the full show, which includes a couple of little ghosts running around. Alice, in her robe and curlers, sees them and breaks out her anti-witchcraft charm. Mike Scooby-Doo's the ghosts, pulling off the sheets to reveal Bobby and Cindy. Mrs. H. is very understanding about the incident, and it's she who suggests that the house won't be for sale after all.

From memory, I could've sworn that there was a ghost on a wire in this one.

This one got me curious to see if there were any floor plans of the Brady house online, and the Internet didn't disappoint--there are even pictures of fans' dioramas! Most of the plans have multiple baths, but this episode asserted that everyone was sharing that one bathroom between the kids' rooms.

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Hogan's Heroes
"The Sergeant's Analyst"
Originally aired March 6, 1970

Wiki said:
Schultz is headed for the Russian front after Gen. Burkhalter catches him napping in the prisoners’ barracks unless the POWs can hastily convert Schultz into a respectable German soldier.

The episode opens with Schultz smuggling goods in to the prisoners while pretending to inspect the barracks. A flattened loaf of pumpernickel includes intel from a contact. But Burkhalter pulls a surprise inspection and finds Schultz sleeping off a meal in one of the bunks.

Klink: The Russian front...a target like Schultz wouldn't have a chance...!

Hogan tries to maneuver Klink into rescinding the orders, but Klink won't cross Burkhalter. So Hogan hatches a plan that involves Newkirk posing as Dr. von Schramm, a noteworthy female German psychologist, who visits Schultz, followed by the prisoners propping Schultz up as a stern taskmaster to make it look like the doctor's treatment has taken effect.

By the coda, Schultz is back to his old self, helping the prisoners to help themselves to supplies for the officers club.

DISSS-missed!

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Adam-12
"Log 94: Vengeance"
Originally aired March 7, 1970

Wiki said:
Today's calls for Malloy and Reed include the investigation of a car theft gang, the robbery of a liquor store, and a child who gets trapped in a refrigerator.

The episode opens with Malloy having a tense encounter at the division HQ entrance with ex-boxer and now ex-con Carl Owens (Timothy Brown). Malloy was one of the officers who'd arrested Owens after he'd killed a man in a fight, and Owens had vowed to get even with him at the time.

On patrol, the officers get a call to see a woman about unknown trouble. They find a man pinned under a car in a residential garage (which looks like the same set as Reed's garage). It turns out that the man was working on a stolen car, and had accomplices who split rather than help him when the car fell. Looking for the accomplices, the officers follow a lead to River's Gymnasium, which appeared in a recent episode ("Log 54: Impersonation") along with its proprietor, Freddy Rivers (James McEachin). Owens is working out there when they visit.

Back on patrol, the officers spot suspicious activity in a liquor store window. They catch the robber trying to leave and find the owner locked in the back. The robber threatens Reed in a manner that echoes Malloy's history with Owens.

All the while, Malloy keeps his cool while various characters in the episode make comments reminding him of Owens's vow of revenge.

On patrol again, the car gets a flat tire in a residential neighborhood. Reed's changing it when an officer named Tex (Walker Edmiston) drives up to annoy them with his chattiness. There's clearly some history here, though it's the only time we've seen the character. I wasn't clear on what his role in the force is supposed to be, but he wears a more formal uniform than we typically see.

The officers then get a call to see a woman in an apartment building about a missing juvenile. The officers find the four-year-old in a refrigerator in a vacant apartment. The child survives, but Reed makes what struck me as an inappropriate remark about the kid suffering from his mouth-to-mouth because he had onion-laden chili at Duke's.

At a light, an occupant of a car ahead of the squad car dangles and drops a bag of pills; the officers pick up the bag to verify its contents and follow the car to a service station, where the passengers all get out and put their hands against a wall. The officers are already suspecting that something's not right when Owens strolls up and tips them off that it's an ambush, and there's another car nearby with armed men waiting for them. When the car drives up and opens fire, Reed and Malloy are ready and have called backup, and the vehicle is quickly surrounded by other patrol cars.

In the coda, the officers pay a visit to Owens at the gym to inform him of a job that Malloy's lined up for him.

_______

RJDiogenes said:
"They shall pay! Oh, yes, how they shall pay!"

It wasn't any better than that.

I wonder if he keeps both pieces and plans to someday symbolically reassemble it.

We only see him picking up the hilt end in the credits.

It was written by Bob Dylan's grandfather, Zebediah Dylan.

Zebediah Zimmerman?

He needed killing. Reckon it's like that sometimes.

That reminds me of one of the Hell on Wheels quotes that I was using in my signature a few years back...

"You got you some nice friends."
"Ain't much fun killin' 'em, but they seem to need it."

RJDiogenes · Mar 11, 2020

The Old Mixer said:
The case comes down to an attempt at reenacting the alleged skewering attempt in court with flaming kebabs. The sight of Ann approaching him with one in hand makes Jerome go into a panic, proving Samuels's point.

He screams "Fire bad!" and we learn that he is actually the creation of Doctor Frankenstein. He needed the lawsuit money to pay for years of plastic surgery.

Special Guest Star
DeForest Kelley

There's a rarity. Too bad he never got to be a regular on Mission: Impossible or something.

and stop to chat a bit about the issues facing urbanized Native Americans.

Parking's a bitch.

John wants to hijack the Ironsidemobile to make a run for the Zuni reservation in New Mexico

To what end, I wonder.

I assumed that Fowler did it based on the combination of Kelley's prominent billing and how he only appeared in one scene in the first three acts.

Apparently there was one brief shining moment when his time on Star Trek meant something.

I hadn't realized it before, but this episode makes clear that the pilot episode house is not an in-continuity previous home...the guys were already living in this house before the girls moved in.

I think this is the second broken symmetry that we've noticed with the Brady merger, but I can't remember what the first one was.

This one got me curious to see if there were any floor plans of the Brady house online, and the Internet didn't disappoint--there are even pictures of fans' dioramas! Most of the plans have multiple baths, but this episode asserted that everyone was sharing that one bathroom between the kids' rooms.

Fan floor plans are non canon.

So Hogan hatches a plan that involves Newkirk posing as Dr. von Schramm, a noteworthy female German psychologist

The next time Newkirk poses as a guard, he'll be saying, "Did you guys see that babe von Schramm?"

They find a man pinned under a car in a residential garage (which looks like the same set as Reed's garage).

It's the suburbs. Rows of houses that are all the same and no one seems to care.

I wasn't clear on what his role in the force is supposed to be, but he wears a more formal uniform than we typically see.

He's the Code Seven auditor.

The officers find the four-year-old in a refrigerator in a vacant apartment.

A recurring theme in Jack Webb shows.

The child survives, but Reed makes what struck me as an inappropriate remark about the kid suffering from his mouth-to-mouth because he had onion-laden chili at Duke's.

He's not Hawkeye Pierce, after all!

In the coda, the officers pay a visit to Owens at the gym to inform him of a job that Malloy's lined up for him.

Malloy knows how it should be done.

We only see him picking up the hilt end in the credits.

So the blade is still out there in the desert somewhere, waiting....

Zebediah Zimmerman?

I actually vacillated over Dylan versus Zimmerman, but decided that Zimmerman would distract from the joke, even though I liked the alliteration.

"You got you some nice friends."
"Ain't much fun killin' 'em, but they seem to need it."

Ayuh.

The Old Mixer · Mar 11, 2020

50th Anniversary Album Spotlight

Bridge over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
Released January 26, 1970
Chart debut: February 14, 1970
Chart peak: #1, March 7 through May 9, 1970
Billboard's best performing album of 1970
#51 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

Wiki said:
Bridge over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in January 1970 on Columbia Records. Following the duo's soundtrack for The Graduate, Art Garfunkel took an acting role in the film Catch-22, while Paul Simon worked on the songs, writing all tracks except Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's "Bye Bye Love" (previously a hit for the Everly Brothers).

With the help of producer Roy Halee, the album followed a similar musical pattern as their Bookends, partly abandoning their traditional style to incorporate elements of rock, R&B, gospel, jazz, world music, pop and other genres. It was described as their "most effortless record and their most ambitious".

The album opens, naturally enough, with its title track, the powerful "Bridge over Troubled Water" (charted Feb. 7, 1970; #1 US the weeks of Feb. 28 through Apr. 4, 1970; #1 AC; #1 UK; #1 on Billboard's 1970 Year-End Chart of Pop Singles; 1971 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year; #47 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time):

It became one of the most performed songs of the twentieth century, with over 50 artists, among them Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, covering the song.

Not to make it All About the Beatles, but I can't help thinking that this song, particularly with its gradual build-up, perhaps owes a little to "Hey Jude". Interestingly, I read that Simon thought it resembled "Let It Be," even though that song was released after "Bridge".

This is followed by the more eclectic "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)" (written by Daniel Alomía Robles and arranged by Jorge Milchberg with English lyrics by Paul Simon; charts Sept. 12, 1970; #18 US; #6 AC):
One can hear the beginnings of Paul's interest in "world music" here.

Next is one of the better-known and more enjoyable tracks from the album, the upcoming hit single "Cecilia" (charts Apr. 11, 1970; #4 US; #31 AC; #51 UK):

Wiki said:
The song is generally interpreted as a lament over a capricious lover who causes both anguish and jubilation to the singer.

After that is the song that served as the B-side of the album's title track, "Keep the Customer Satisfied," which, according to Wiki, "recounts the exhausting tours that Simon grew tired of, a similar theme to that of their earlier song, 'Homeward Bound'." I hear some of the style of Paul's upcoming solo hits in this one.

The first side closes with a sharp turn back into eclecticville, the Garfunkel-sung "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright".

Wiki said:
The lyrics of "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" have multiple meanings: on one level, the song praises the famous architect, who died in 1959. However, the lyrics also refer to the upcoming breakup of the Simon and Garfunkel duo. Art Garfunkel had studied to become an architect, so on this level the lyrics can be taken as a farewell from Paul Simon to his friend and partner Garfunkel like another song on Bridge over Troubled Water, "The Only Living Boy in New York." While Garfunkel sings the song's fadeout to the words "so long," producer and engineer Roy Halee is heard on the recording calling out "So long already Artie!" Other lyrics of the song refer to the creative process, such as referring to the singer not having learned the tune and to the nights when the singer and Frank Lloyd Wright would "harmonize 'til dawn." The lyrics also refer to the singer thinking of Wright when looking for inspiration.

Garfunkel did not realise that Simon had intended the song to refer to their partnership until many years after the album had been released. In an interview he remarked that Simon "never let me in on that" secret. He added that "I find that a secretive and unpleasant thing to have done to you."

Side two opens with the album's other iconic single--though it and its B-side were recorded a year earlier than the rest of the album--"The Boxer" (charted Apr. 12, 1969; #7 US; #3 AC; #6 UK; #105 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time):

Wiki said:
The song, written by Paul Simon, is a folk rock ballad that variously takes the form of a first-person lament as well as a third-person sketch of a boxer. The lyrics are largely autobiographical and partially inspired by the Bible, and were written during a time when Simon felt he was being unfairly criticized. The song's lyrics discuss poverty and loneliness.

I'll always associate this song with the SNL season opener in 2001.

Next is the the previous song's B-side, "Baby Driver" (charted Apr. 12, 1969; #101 US)...which is perfectly enjoyable in its own way, but it ain't no "Boxer".

Following that is "The Only Living Boy in New York," which will serve as the B-side of "Cecilia":

Wiki said:
Simon wrote this as a thinly veiled message to Art Garfunkel, referencing in the first stanza a specific incident where Garfunkel went to Mexico to act in the film Catch-22. Simon was left alone in New York writing songs for Bridge over Troubled Water, hence the lonely feelings of "The Only Living Boy in New York." Simon refers to Garfunkel in the song as "Tom", alluding to their early days when they were called Tom and Jerry, and encourages him to "let your honesty shine . . . like it shines on me".

This one sounds more Simon & Garfunkel to me than the previous song.

Then we get another relatively nondescript number, "Why Don't You Write Me".

The penultimate song on the album is an enjoyable cover of the Everly Brothers classic "Bye Bye Love," recorded live in Ames, Iowa (though the YouTube clip says Burlington, VT). It segues directly into the album's brief but pretty closing track, "Song for the Asking".

Wiki said:
Despite numerous accolades, the duo decided to split up, and parted company later in 1970; Garfunkel continued his film career, while Simon worked intensely with music. Both artists released solo albums in the following years....Critically and commercially successful, the album topped the charts in over ten countries and received two Grammy Awards, plus four more for the title song. It sold around 25 million records and was ranked on several lists....

This album is pretty uneven to me. It's a decent enough listen and I could see putting it on more for the heck of it, but I really am already getting the best of it from its iconic singles, which the remainder of the album's contents doesn't measure up to.

_______

RJDiogenes said:
There's a rarity. Too bad he never got to be a regular on Mission: Impossible or something.

I'd settle for a guest stint. Imagine Paris pulling off his De Kelley mask...

To what end, I wonder.

To get away from the fuzz, man.

Apparently there was one brief shining moment when his time on Star Trek meant something.

He was a working actor...a gig's a gig.

I think this is the second broken symmetry that we've noticed with the Brady merger, but I can't remember what the first one was.

Nor can I offhand.

Fan floor plans are non canon.

But they should reflect what the show established...though I wouldn't be surprised if the show itself retcons in more bathrooms later.

Rows of houses that are all the same and no one seems to care.

Quit Monkeeing around.

He's the Code Seven auditor.

So the blade is still out there in the desert somewhere, waiting....

He would've left it right outside the fort gates...I have to imagine those cavalry types were tidy. Though it might have gotten buried under horse shit.

I actually vacillated over Dylan versus Zimmerman, but decided that Zimmerman would distract from the joke, even though I liked the alliteration.

But shouldn't he have been Zeb Dylan, then? Anyway, we'll be hearing from Bob again soon in 55th anniversary business...

RJDiogenes · Mar 12, 2020

The Old Mixer said:
Bridge over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel

Here we go. This is a somewhat important thing in my life. :rommie:

The album opens, naturally enough, with its title track, the powerful "Bridge over Troubled Water"

Such an amazing simile put to music-- gentle, sentimental, solicitous, steadfast. While the immediate imagery is obviously a bit sexual, the song pretty much sums up in a single phrase what a human being should be.

This is followed by the more eclectic "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)"

The guitar intro on this is real time travel stuff for me, taking me back to a hot and dusty Summer day in Weymouth (this was the year we moved). The lyrics at first seem at odds with the wistful tune, but it quickly becomes clear what the singer is really wishing for.

One can hear the beginnings of Paul's interest in "world music" here.

Kind of heartbreaking to think that a more conservative century would consider it "cultural appropriation."

Next is one of the better-known and more enjoyable tracks from the album, the upcoming hit single "Cecilia"

A fun roller coaster ride. Years later, I worked with a Midwife named Cecilia, so the phrase "Cecilia, you're breaking my heart" came up fairly often-- usually when she wouldn't agree to a schedule change. :rommie:

After that is the song that served as the B-side of the album's title track, "Keep the Customer Satisfied," which, according to Wiki, "recounts the exhausting tours that Simon grew tired of

Seriouisly? All these years I've assumed it was the sympathetic portrayal of a weed dealer. Hmm. I think I like my interpretation better.

The first side closes with a sharp turn back into eclecticville, the Garfunkel-sung "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright".

I've mentioned before that Simon & Garfunkel were a big influence on my own writing and this song is one reason why. I listened to this and realized that you could write a poem about fucking anything, and make it good. :rommie:

Side two opens with the album's other iconic single--though it and its B-side were recorded a year earlier than the rest of the album--"The Boxer"

Now there's a song that deserves a high spot on the Greatest Songs list. It's an epic-- heartbreaking and inspirational. The final verse is just amazingly powerful.

Next is the the previous song's B-side, "Baby Driver" (charted Apr. 12, 1969; #101 US)...which is perfectly enjoyable in its own way, but it ain't no "Boxer".

I love this, of course. My grade-school self had a little imaginary spaceship that he used to fly around the universe in, and that ship was named the Baby Driver. :rommie:

Following that is "The Only Living Boy in New York,"

This song is pretty much the quintessence of loneliness. Most of these songs, due to the time period involved, invoke images from Star Trek. For some reason, the first thing that pops into my head when I hear this song is the Starbase skyline outside Commodore Mendez's office in "The Menagerie."

Then we get another relatively nondescript number, "Why Don't You Write Me".

Ah, no, this is a wonderful anti-war song. I've mentioned before that one of the reasons that I very early on knew that Leftism and Liberalism were two different things was the way Vietnam vets were treated. This is a wonderfully sympathetic portrayal, told on a very personal level, of the misery that those kids went through.

The penultimate song on the album is an enjoyable cover of the Everly Brothers classic "Bye Bye Love,"

If there's a weak link on the album, it's this, but only because it's a cover (and I know "El Condor Pasa" is kind of a cover, but that's more of an evolution of a piece based on traditional folk music). It's a great song, though, and a great performance.

It segues directly into the album's brief but pretty closing track, "Song for the Asking".

Another gentle and solicitous message, and a great way to close out an exhausting album.

This album is pretty uneven to me. It's a decent enough listen and I could see putting it on more for the heck of it, but I really am already getting the best of it from its iconic singles, which the remainder of the album's contents doesn't measure up to.

It's actually one of the greatest creations in the entire history of the human species. In my opinion.

I'd settle for a guest stint. Imagine Paris pulling off his De Kelley mask...

That would have been fantastic. :rommie:

To get away from the fuzz, man.

But they'd just go and get him. A Reservation isn't a foreign country, much as some people wish it were.

He was a working actor...a gig's a gig.

Yeah, but I mean the "Special Guest Star" credit, for what seems like a small role.

He would've left it right outside the fort gates...I have to imagine those cavalry types were tidy. Though it might have gotten buried under horse shit.

That's what I was thinking, more or less. Pounded into the dirt by all the traffic, until the fort was closed, only to be found by an archaeologist a century later.

But shouldn't he have been Zeb Dylan, then? Anyway, we'll be hearing from Bob again soon in 55th anniversary business...

Good point. The single syllable would have worked better.

The Old Mixer · Mar 12, 2020

RJDiogenes said:
It's actually one of the greatest creations in the entire history of the human species. In my opinion.

Well, you've given me reason to give it another attentive listen, with the song-by-song insights. Not sure how soon I'll get to it as we're now in the Cray-Cray portion of the weekly Picard cycle. And I was planning to try to get to my next album review sooner rather than later, because...well, your sister would want me to.

But they'd just go and get him. A Reservation isn't a foreign country, much as some people wish it were.

But he may have felt he had better hiding out options there.

Yeah, but I mean the "Special Guest Star" credit, for what seems like a small role.

Guess just having recently been a series co-star helped there. And it's not an unusual billing/screentime balance for Ironside, but usually for a culprit they want to keep "inconspicuous".

RJDiogenes · Mar 13, 2020

The Old Mixer said:
Well, you've given me reason to give it another attentive listen, with the song-by-song insights. Not sure how soon I'll get to it as we're now in the Cray-Cray portion of the weekly Picard cycle. And I was planning to try to get to my next album review sooner rather than later, because...well, your sister would want me to.

I can't say that I'll have such an over-the-top reaction to that one. Wait, I mean, yes, it's a much better album. Jim is better than Simon & Garfunkel put together.

But he may have felt he had better hiding out options there.

True, it doesn't need to be rational.

The Old Mixer · Mar 13, 2020

55 Years Ago This Week

Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day said:
March 15 – First day of filming [in Austria].

Wiki said:
March 15 – President Lyndon B. Johnson makes his "We Shall Overcome" speech.
March 16 – Police clash with 600 SNCC marchers in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Beatles Day by Day said:
March 17 – The title of the Beatles' new film is revealed: Eight Arms to Hold You. Later still it changes to Help!

Wiki said:
March 17

In Montgomery, Alabama, 1,600 civil rights marchers demonstrate at the Courthouse.

In response to the events of March 7 and 9 in Selma, Alabama, President Lyndon B. Johnson sends a bill to Congress that forms the basis for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It is passed by the Senate May 26, the House July 10, and signed into law by President Johnson August 6.

March 18

Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov leaves his Voskhod 2 spacecraft for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space.

A United States federal judge rules that SCLC has the lawful right to march to Montgomery, Alabama, to petition for 'redress of grievances'.

March 19 – The wreck of the SS Georgiana is discovered off the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, by teenage diver E. Lee Spence, exactly 102 years after she was sunk.

The Beatles Day by Day said:
March 20 – Final day of filming in Austria.

Wiki said:
March 20

"Poupée de cire, poupée de son", sung by France Gall (music and lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg) wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1965 for Luxembourg.

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 begins.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Eight Days a Week," The Beatles
2. "Stop! In the Name of Love," The Supremes
3. "The Birds and the Bees," Jewel Akens

5. "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," Herman's Hermits
6. "Ferry Cross the Mersey," Gerry & The Pacemakers
7. "My Girl," The Temptations
8. "This Diamond Ring," Gary Lewis & The Playboys
9. "Goldfinger," Shirley Bassey
10. "Shotgun," Jr. Walker & The All Stars

12. "Hurt So Bad," Little Anthony & The Imperials
13. "The Jolly Green Giant," The Kingsmen
14. "Come Home," The Dave Clark Five
15. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," The Righteous Brothers
16. "People Get Ready," The Impressions

18. "Little Things," Bobby Goldsboro
19. "Do You Wanna Dance?," The Beach Boys
20. "Midnight Special," Johnny Rivers
21. "Goodnight," Roy Orbison
22. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," The Animals
23. "Yeh, Yeh," Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames
24. "Nowhere to Run," Martha & The Vandellas

26. "If I Loved You," Chad & Jeremy
27. "Downtown," Petula Clark
28. "Do the Clam," Elvis Presley
29. "The Boy from New York City," The Ad Libs
30. "Stranger in Town," Del Shannon
31. "Tell Her No," The Zombies
32. "Ask the Lonely," Four Tops

35. "Laugh, Laugh," The Beau Brummels
36. "I Go to Pieces," Peter & Gordon

39. "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party," The Beatles

42. "I'm Telling You Now," Freddie & The Dreamers
43. "Tired of Waiting for You," The Kinks
44. "When I'm Gone," Brenda Holloway

46. "Go Now!," The Moody Blues
47. "Shake," Sam Cooke

49. "Come and Stay with Me," Marianne Faithfull

55. "Got to Get You off My Mind," Solomon Burke

63. "Game of Love," Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders

70. 4 by the Beatles [EP], The Beatles
71. "Land of 1000 Dances," Cannibal & The Headhunters

75. "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)," Shirley Ellis

76. "Goldfinger," John Barry & His Orchestra

80. "I'll Be Doggone," Marvin Gaye

83. "Bumble Bee," The Searchers

89. "Baby the Rain Must Fall," Glenn Yarbrough

94. "I Know a Place," Petula Clark

Leaving the chart:

"All Day and All of the Night," The Kinks (12 weeks)
"Bye Bye Baby (Baby, Goodbye)," The Four Seasons (9 weeks)
"A Change Is Gonna Come," Sam Cooke (7 weeks)
"The Name Game," Shirley Ellis (14 weeks)
"Twine Time," Alvin Cash & The Crawlers (11 weeks)
"What Have They Done to the Rain," The Searchers (7 weeks)

New on the chart:

"Bumble Bee," The Searchers
(#21 US)

"I'll Be Doggone," Marvin Gaye
(#8 US; #1 R&B)

"The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)," Shirley Ellis
(#8 US; #16 R&B; #6 UK)

"I Know a Place," Petula Clark
(#3 US; #16 AC; #17 UK)

"Game of Love," Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
(#1 US the week of Apr. 24, 1965; #2 UK)

And new on the boob tube:

The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 17, episode 24, featuring Petula Clark
Branded, "The Mission" (part one)
12 O'Clock High, "The Threat"
Gilligan's Island, "The Matchmaker"

_______

RJDiogenes · Mar 14, 2020

The Old Mixer said:
"Bumble Bee," The Searchers

That was odd, and amusing.

"I'll Be Doggone," Marvin Gaye

This is a goodie.

"The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)," Shirley Ellis

Fee fi fo clap slap.

"I Know a Place," Petula Clark

I know a place. It's downtown. But it does capture that same feeling.

"Game of Love," Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders

This is a good one, too.

Shaka Zulu · Mar 14, 2020

RJDiogenes said:
Do you think so? The Shadow magazine had been gone for twenty years and I don't think he had been seen in pop culture since, aside from a small press paperback revival that only nerds would know about. I'm not sure about the radio show, actually. I'll have to look that up.

The revival of Doc Savage spawned copycat revivals of other '30's and '40's pulp heroes in similar paperback reprint series: The Shadow, G-8 & His Battle Aces, and due to the popularity of James Bond, Operator #5. There was also a new series of Shadow novels set in the present day (the '60's) in which Cranston/Allard fought a SPECTRE/HYDRA/THRUSH copy, C.Y.P.H.E.R. Plus, there's also an album with a spoken word story based on this revival, released by MGM Records in 1967.

The Old Mixer · Mar 15, 2020

50 Years Ago This Week

Wiki said:
March 15 – The Expo '70 World's Fair opens in Suita, Osaka, Japan.
March 16 – The complete New English Bible is published.
March 17

The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the My Lai Massacre.

The critically wounded pilot of Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320 saves the 68 passengers and five crew of the DC-9 jet, landing safely in Boston despite being shot by a hijacker who killed the co-pilot.

March 18

General Lon Nol ousts Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and holds Queen Sisowath Kossamak under house arrest.

United States Post Office Department letter carriers and mail sorters in New York City go on strike; the strike spreads to the state of California and the cities of Akron, Ohio, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, and Denver; 210,000 out of 750,000 U.S. postal employees walk out. President Nixon assigns military units to New York City post offices. The strike lasts two weeks.

March 19 – Ostpolitik: The leaders of West Germany and East Germany meet at a summit for the first time since Germany's division into two republics. West German Chancellor Willy Brandt is greeted by cheering East German crowds as he arrives in Erfurt for a summit with his counterpart, East German Ministerpräsident Willi Stoph.
March 20 – The Agency for Cultural and Technical Co-operation (ACCT) (Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique) is founded.

March 21

The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto.

All Kinds of Everything, sung by Dana (music and text by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith), wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 for Ireland.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Bridge over Troubled Water," Simon & Garfunkel
2. "The Rapper," The Jaggerz
3. "Give Me Just a Little More Time," Chairmen of the Board
4. "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)," John Ono Lennon
5. "Rainy Night in Georgia" / "Rubberneckin'", Brook Benton
6. "Let It Be," The Beatles
7. "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," The Hollies
8. "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)," Edison Lighthouse
9. "Evil Ways," Santana
10. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)," The Delfonics
11. "Travelin' Band" / "Who'll Stop the Rain", Creedence Clearwater Revival
12. "Ma Belle Amie," The Tee Set
13. "Spirit in the Sky," Norman Greenbaum
14. "ABC," Jackson 5
15. "House of the Rising Sun," Frijid Pink
16. "Kentucky Rain," Elvis Presley
17. "Celebrate," Three Dog Night
18. "Easy Come, Easy Go," Bobby Sherman
19. "Call Me" / "Son of a Preacher Man", Aretha Franklin
20. "Psychedelic Shack," The Temptations
21. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," Sly & The Family Stone
22. "Hey There Lonely Girl," Eddie Holman
23. "Come and Get It," Badfinger
24. "Gotta Hold On to This Feeling," Jr. Walker & The All-Stars
25. "Up the Ladder to the Roof," The Supremes
26. "The Bells," The Originals
27. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," B.J. Thomas
28. "Do the Funky Chicken," Rufus Thomas
29. "No Time," The Guess Who
30. "The Thrill Is Gone," B.B. King
31. "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)," Lulu

33. "I Want You Back," The Jackson 5
34. "All I Have to Do Is Dream," Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell
35. "Something's Burning," Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
36. "Arizona," Mark Lindsay
37. "Never Had a Dream Come True," Stevie Wonder
38. "Love or Let Me Be Lonely," The Friends of Distinction
39. "Shilo," Neil Diamond

46. "American Woman" / "No Sugar Tonight", The Guess Who

56. "Oh Well, Pt. 1," Fleetwood Mac
57. "Rag Mama Rag," The Band

60. "Reflections of My Life," The Marmalade

72. "Turn Back the Hands of Time," Tyrone Davis

74. "Add Some Music to Your Day," The Beach Boys

76. "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)," Led Zeppelin
77. "Get Ready," Rare Earth

81. "For the Love of Him," Bobbi Martin
82. "Little Green Bag," George Baker Selection

87. "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)," Gladys Knight & The Pips

93. "Hitchin' a Ride," Vanity Fare

Leaving the chart:

"Always Something There to Remind Me," R.B. Greaves (8 weeks)
"Honey Come Back," Glen Campbell (9 weeks)
"Superstar," Murray Head w/ The Trinidad Singers (7 weeks)
"Venus," Shocking Blue (14 weeks)
"Walk a Mile in My Shoes," Joe South & The Believers (11 weeks)

New on the chart:

"You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)," Gladys Knight & The Pips
(#25 US; #3 R&B)

"Little Green Bag," George Baker Selection
(#21 US)

"Hitchin' a Ride," Vanity Fare
(#5 US; #22 AC; #16 UK)

"Turn Back the Hands of Time," Tyrone Davis
(#3 US; #1 R&B)

"Let It Be," The Beatles
(#1 US the weeks of Apr. 11 and 18, 1970; #1 AC; #2 UK; #20 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

"American Woman," The Guess Who
(#1 US the weeks of May 9 through 23 as double A-side w/ "No Sugar Tonight"; #19 UK)

"No Sugar Tonight," The Guess Who
(#1 US as double A-side w/ "American Woman")

And new on the boob tube:

Mission: Impossible, "Death Squad"
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Season 3, episode 26 (season finale)
That Girl, "Easy Faller"
The Brady Bunch, "Lost Locket, Found Locket" (season finale)
Hogan's Heroes, "Crittendon's Commandos"
Adam-12, "Log 74: Light Duty"

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RJDiogenes said:
That was odd, and amusing.

It has good reason for being an obscuro.

This is a goodie.

Classic Marvin.

Fee fi fo clap slap.

'Nuff said.

I know a place. It's downtown. But it does capture that same feeling.

Also notable for the reference to "a cellarful of noise," which was the title of Brian Epstein's 1964 autobiography, describing the Cavern Club the day that he discovered the Beatles there.

This is a good one, too.

Another step forward into the next phase of '60s music.

RJDiogenes · Mar 15, 2020

Shaka Zulu said:
The revival of Doc Savage spawned copycat revivals of other '30's and '40's pulp heroes in similar paperback reprint series: The Shadow, G-8 & His Battle Aces, and due to the popularity of James Bond, Operator #5. There was also a new series of Shadow novels set in the present day (the '60's) in which Cranston/Allard fought a SPECTRE/HYDRA/THRUSH copy, C.Y.P.H.E.R. Plus, there's also an album with a spoken word story based on this revival, released by MGM Records in 1967.

Right, that's pretty much what I meant by the small-press paperback revival. I just doubt if it was visible enough to have meaning to the Ironside audience. I didn't know about that Shadow album, though, so thanks for that tip-- I'll check to see if it's on YouTube.

The Old Mixer said:
"You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)," Gladys Knight & The Pips

Nice, but not their best.

"Little Green Bag," George Baker Selection

Meh.

"Hitchin' a Ride," Vanity Fare

I love this one.

"Turn Back the Hands of Time," Tyrone Davis

Just okay.

"Let It Be," The Beatles

My favorite thing about this song is the competing interpretations. :rommie:

"American Woman," The Guess Who

Obviously their biggest classic, but the lyrics always bugged me. I'm not really sure what they're trying to say, but it doesn't make a good impression on me. :rommie:

"No Sugar Tonight," The Guess Who

I like this one a lot more.

Also notable for the reference to "a cellarful of noise," which was the title of Brian Epstein's 1964 autobiography, describing the Cavern Club the day that he discovered the Beatles there.

That's cool. I didn't know that.

The Old Mixer · Mar 15, 2020

_______

55th Anniversary Viewing

_______

Branded
"Coward, Step Aside"
Originally aired March 7, 1965

Xfinity said:
Five men hope to control a town when they find everyone has run off to a silver mine to get rich.

This episode has a particularly noteworthy guest star: Connors's former co-star and TV son Johnny Crawford as Deputy Sheriff Clay Holden. At 18, Crawford seems a little young for his position, but it serves his role in the story.

Jason is the one who discovered the silver vein while working an engineering job, so he bears some responsibility, even though he tried to warn his employer that it wouldn't be easily mined. When no-good visitor Luke Garrett (Skip Homeier, credited here as G.V. Homeier) and his henchman Topaz (Allen Jaffe) find the town mostly abandoned and ripe for the picking, Garrett sends out a telegraph to a trio of associates...then knocks out the telegraph clerk and smashes the machine. Garrett and Topaz then strong-arm Holden into gathering the town's gun for them, holding him at gunpoint and threatening to burn the town if he doesn't comply. When he leaves the sheriff's office, Garrett spots Jason and addresses him by rank and name.

When Holden comes for Jason's gun, Jason learns what's afoot. Jason tells Holden how Garrett was court-martialed for arson, and speculates that Garrett intends to burn the town anyway. But Holden doesn't trust that Jason would have his back if he stood up to Garrett and his men, because of Jason's reputation. Jason tries to persuade him by reciting a bit of verse:

For everyone, there is a time to decide
That's when the brave man chooses
And the coward steps aside

The main search result I was getting for this was the episode itself; it resembles, but doesn't quite match, a couple lines of a hymn called "Once to Every Man and Nation" by James Russell Lowell.

When Garrett and the three associates ride into town, Holden appears to have gathered the guns for him, but the baddies quickly find that they're surrounded by Jason and various lingering townfolk--women, children, and old men--all armed. Garrett tries to turn the townsfolk against Jason by making sure they know who he is, then reveals his ace in the hole: Topaz is holding Clay's girlfriend, Karin (Charla Doherty) hostage. Jason backs down, confirming his reputation in the eyes of the townsfolk, and Clay is put in jail.

Jason isn't able to convince the one-legged bartender, Hatton (Richard Arlen), to help him, so he gets the drop on Topaz at the jail by himself while the others are working on the bank's safe. Garrett hears the shot and assumes that Jason was on the receiving end. Jason and Clay proceed to surround Garrett's gang as they're leaving the bank. The three henchmen are taken down and Clay is wounded. Jason pursues Garrett in a running gunfight and ultimately takes him down, but one of Garrett's men wasn't seriously wounded and is about to shoot Jason in the back when he's taken out by Hatton.

The episode ends with Holden acknowledging that Jason isn't the type of man who steps aside, following which Jason rides out of town.

This was another episode with a strong theme of bravery vs. cowardice.

_______

12 O'Clock High
"End of the Line"
Originally aired March 12, 1965

Xfinity said:
A major (Paul Burke) chosen for a dangerous mission struggles with guilt over the death of a buddy; guest Barbara Feldon.

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-classic-retro-pop-culture-thread.278375/page-67#post-12208868

The Old Mixer said:
Major Joe Gallagher returns, and he's seeing Nurse 99...a relationship that's complicated by Gallagher wanting to do right by the manipulative girlfriend of a buddy who died in his place when he was scrubbed from a mission by a cold.

The buddy's girlfriend is lying about carrying her dead lover's baby, among other things. When Gallagher puts in a marriage request, British intelligence does a background check that exposes some of her dirty secrets. The thing that literally and figuratively opens his eyes is when he finds out that she's done some "modelling"...which involves a photo that we're only allowed to see the back of on 1965 network TV. Gallagher was portrayed as such a tool in this episode that it's hard to believe he's going to be leading the squadron next season.

Would you believe that the nurse is still interested in him at the end? I have a feeling that relationship won't be going anywhere...the old "guest girlfriend gets a regular gig on another show" trick.

Another one I wouldn't mind catching again, as Season 1 Gallagher's in it.

_______

Gilligan's Island
"The Return of Wrongway Feldman"
Originally aired March 13, 1965

Wiki said:
Wrongway is back, this time trying to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern world. So now the castaways must convince him that civilization is better than life on the island. They try various schemes to get him to return to civilization and rescue them.

The castaways spot Feldman flying in with their bamboo telescope, which has amazing zoom, going straight from a long shot of his plane to a steady close-up of Wrongway in the cockpit. Feldman only found the island against accidentally, but is looking to escape from modern civlization. He notably emphasizes to Gilligan, "This is your home!"

The castaways' hunger for civilization is only increased by Wrongway...literally first, when he describes a misordered steak in great detail to the Skipper and Gilligan, which literally gets their mouths watering...followed by describing surging market conditions to Mr. Howell and a starring role that Ginger's former roommate got. The Skipper tries faking appendicitis so Wrongway will have to go back to civilization to get a doctor, but Wrongway puts the kibosh on that by wanting to operate himself. Then Gilligan fakes Bola Bola fever, which actually convinces him.

Wrongway does fly back to civilization, but returns to reveal that he merely brought back the serum. So the castaways change tactics to try to convince him that the island is "twice as bad as civilization," by putting him to work to start building a city and freeway and finding ways to deny him food and rest along the way. As planned, Wrongway takes off on his own (though I'm not sure where he's finding the runway space), and the Skipper is confident that the castaways will be rescued one way or the other, as they've loaded his plane with notes and maps.

But in the coda the castaways improbably get a note in a bottle from Feldman, who tells of how he didn't find Honolulu, but ended up on another island that was more of a paradise for him, with hula girls tending to his every need.

_______

RJDiogenes said:
Nice, but not their best.

Agreed.

Meh.

A new one to me...it's alright...maybe sounds a little old-fashioned for its time, like it would fit better in the 55th anniversary era.

I love this one.

An enjoyable bit of oldies radio-friendly period pop.

Just okay.

Doesn't do a lot to stand out.

My favorite thing about this song is the competing interpretations.

Are you referring to how some ascribe a religious interpretation to it, though Paul actually wrote it about a dream he had in which his mother (who was named Mary, and died when he was 14) consoled him about everything that was going on at the time (namely the tensions in the the group that led to their break-up)?

We're now getting back (wink, nudge) to the Let It Be album material, which was recorded in early 1969, prior to Abbey Road...this being the first of two chart-topping McCartney singles that will serve as de facto swan songs for the group prior to and immediately following their break-up.

I'll also note...this one entered the chart at #6!

Obviously their biggest classic, but the lyrics always bugged me. I'm not really sure what they're trying to say, but it doesn't make a good impression on me.

That's an interesting subject. The writer, Burton Cummings, said that it was just about how he preferred girls from the band's home turf, Canada. But band member Randy Bachman thought that it was an anti-Vietnam War song, which was apparently a common interpretation at the time...and certainly supported by the line "I don't need your war machines". There's even a bit in the linked Wiki section about how the band played at the White House in 1970 but were asked not to play "American Woman" because the song was deemed to be anti-American.

However you want to interpret what the song is saying, it's just a great classic rocker. That has to be one of the all-time classic guitar riffs.

I like this one a lot more.

Another enjoyable oldies radio classic, but it's no "American Woman," lyrically or musically. Notable here is that the "New Mother Nature" section wasn't included in the single version of the song, but was part of the album version and the version that I bought from a compilation album.

gblews · Mar 16, 2020

The Old Mixer said:
I'll Be Doggone," Marvin Gaye (#8 US; #1 R&B)

Marvin could have knocked these out once a month, I think. Just okay to me.

The Old Mixer said:
"You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)," Gladys Knight & The Pips #25 US; #3 R&B

Gladys proves once again that she was the most versatile and powerful female voice at Motown at least when it came to the companies’ stars.

The Old Mixer said:
Turn Back the Hands of Time," Tyrone Davis

I used to REALLY like this song for some odd reason.

The Old Mixer said:
"Let It Be," The Beatles #1 US the weeks of Apr. 11 and 18, 1970; #1 AC; #2 UK; #20 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

There are 3 Beatles songs I never need to hear again, The Long and Winding Road, Hey Jude, and Let it Be. Those songs are Paul at his most self indulgent and schmaltzy, IMO.

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