The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[gblews]

All of this supports my impression of the album's reputation prior to 2020...that it was seen as Motown, and soul music in general, catching up with the development of the album as an art form that had been prevalent on the rock side of the pop music spectrum for several years. Albums such as Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds deserve higher recognition for having trailblazed this movement. The album's Wiki article notes that the big difference in the composition of Rolling Stone's 2020 list is that it was voted on by musicians rather than music critics. I have to side with the music critics on this one.

But while it doesn't deserve to displace Sgt. Pepper in my book, this album certainly does deserve high positioning on its own merits. I've reviewed many years' worth of albums that made the RS list leading up to this point chronologically, and the last one to come along that so noticeably moved the art of album-making forward to my ear was 1969's Tommy (which is criminally under-ranked on the 2003 list, IMO).

My longstanding love/hate relationship with Rolling Stone critics, and music critics in general, especially from back in the day, continues

RS’s selection of What’s Going On, kind of reminds me of the RS Critics’ selection of Grandmaster Flashes’ The Message as Song of the Year, back in the 80’s. The Readers Poll that year chose some innocuous pop/rock song. Message,, unlike the Reaser’s pick, not only was a work of high art, it also had socio-economic, cultural, and political, gravitas, that pretty much no other songs on the pop charts had at the time.

Same with St. Pepper. The album was a masterpiece of pop songwriting craftsmanship and commercial savvy. It seemed like the culmination of the work of a truly gifted and focused band, but it simply could not match the gravitas and artful presentation of the themes and subject matter covered in Gaye’s album. Now, throw on top of that, the critical and commercial triumph of WGO, and it’s not hard to see why it supplante Pepper at No. 1.

Just like so much of “serious” pop music by Black artists over the centuries, WGO benefitted from an aura of a story being seemingly being told from the “inside looking out,“ as opposed to many white artists, whose “serious” pop music, as great and sincere as much of it was, seemingly told their stories from the “outside looking in,“

To me, that makes a difference.

 

[RJDiogenes]

October – Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton found the Black Panther Party in the United States.

Where else did they look?

"Little Man," Sonny & Cher

Kind of a different sound for them, but good.

"The Great Airplane Strike," Paul Revere & The Raiders

I like their other song about reservations better.

"Go Away Little Girl," The Happenings

Interesting cover....

"Coming on Strong," Brenda Lee

Very C&W, Brenda, but I love that voice.

"Dandy," Herman's Hermits

Wow, a bit of moralistic finger wagging from the Hermits.

Uh oh, here it comes...

So whatever their method for achieving it, their purpose was to undervalue seminal works because they were too old

Exactly. Instead of letting the criteria mold the results, they let their goal mold the criteria. And doesn't that sound familiar!?

Throwing the Beatles and Dylan under the bus to make a statement was short-sighted.

Shortsightedness is a sign of this timesy.

To be fair to the album, part of what I didn't include in that massive string of quotes was that they took two months longer in post-production than scheduled. One thing that I wouldn't say about it is that it lacks polish.

In that case, it must have turned out the way he wanted, and he's the artist.

Even immediately after I wrote all that up, I started seeing what they perhaps might have been going for in the song sequence...track three, the narrator starts using drugs. With mind expansion comes thinking about loftier issues, like God, the planet, and the fate of future generations. At the end of the album, though, the narrator comes back down to reality and has to face the fact that he's still in the ghetto.

Interesting. I wonder if he might have ever confirmed that in an interview.

 

[The Old Mixer]

50 Years Ago This Week

September 27 – Hirohito became the first reigning Emperor of Japan to go outside of that nation, departing from Tokyo on a chartered Japan Air Lines DC-8 jet at 9:32 in the morning local time (0032 UTC) for his flight to the United States and Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Because his flight crossed the International Date Line, Hirohito departed on Monday morning and, after a flight of 8 hours and 23 minutes, arrived on Sunday night in Anchorage at 10:45 local time (0845 UTC and 5:45 in the evening Tokyo time September 27), and was greeted by U.S. President Nixon. After the DC-8 was refueled, Hirohito departed Anchorage at 11:45 Sunday night local time (0945 UTC Monday) and flew to Denmark, arriving in Copenhagen at 6:15 p.m. Monday (1615 UTC). In 1921, Hirohito had become the first crown prince of Japan to travel to Europe.

September 28 – Cardinal József Mindszenty, who has taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Budapest since 1956, is allowed to leave Hungary.

September 29 – A cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, in the Indian state of Odisha, kills 10,000.

September 30

• The Agreement on Measures to Reduce the Risk of Nuclear War was signed in Washington by U.S. Secretary of State William P. Rogers and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, with the two nations agreeing to notify each other immediately in the event of an accidental, unauthorized or unexplained incident that could increase the risk of nuclear war. In addition to the agreement on averting nuclear war, Rogers and Gromyko also signed an agreement to modernize the Moscow–Washington hotline by adding two additional circuit connected to a satellite communications system, and teletype terminals to supplement the existing telephone.
• The 65-story tall U.S. Steel Tower was dedicated in Pittsburgh as the U.S. city's tallest structure, standing 841 feet (256 m) high.
• The Washington Senators baseball team played their last game in Washington before their move to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to become the Texas Rangers.

October 1

• The first CAT scan on a human being (now referred to as a CT scan) was performed, conducted outside of London in Wimbledon at the Atkinson Morley Hospital on an unidentified patient, using computerized axial tomography on a machine developed by Dr. Godfrey Hounsfield from the theories of Dr. Allan Cormack.
• Walt Disney World opened at 10:00 in the morning near Orlando, Florida. Roughly 2,000 people were waiting when the gates opened to the eastern U.S. counterpart to Disneyland, which had opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California. On the first day, only 10,000 paying customers showed up rather than the predicted 30,000.

October 2 – Soul Train, created by Don Cornelius as a showcase for African-American bands, and similar to American Bandstand with a studio of teenagers dancing to the music, began as a syndicated program with weekly episodes. Originally a weekday afternoon program on Chicago's WCIU-TV channel 26, Soul Train picked up the sponsorship of the Johnson Products Company and began airing on seven U.S. TV stations, increasing to 18 by the end of its first season. The guests on the first show were Gladys Knight and the Pips, Honey Cone, Bobby Hutton and Eddie Kendricks.

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Let there be no doubt, we are now firmly in the '70s!


Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Maggie May" / "Reason to Believe", Rod Stewart
2. "Go Away Little Girl," Donny Osmond
3. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," Joan Baez
4. "Superstar" / "Bless the Beasts and Children", Carpenters
5. "Ain't No Sunshine," Bill Withers
6. "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," Paul & Linda McCartney
7. "Spanish Harlem," Aretha Franklin
8. "Smiling Faces Sometimes," The Undisputed Truth
9. "Yo-Yo," The Osmonds
10. "Do You Know What I Mean," Lee Michaels
11. "Stick-Up," Honey Cone
12. "If You Really Love Me," Stevie Wonder
13. "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," The Partridge Family
14. "Sweet City Woman," Stampeders
15. "Tired of Being Alone," Al Green
16. "So Far Away" / "Smackwater Jack", Carole King
17. "I Just Want to Celebrate," Rare Earth
18. "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get," The Dramatics
19. "Rain Dance," The Guess Who
20. "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep," Mac & Katie Kissoon
21. "I've Found Someone of My Own," The Free Movement
22. "Make It Funky, Pt. 1," James Brown
23. "The Story in Your Eyes," The Moody Blues
24. "Thin Line Between Love and Hate," The Persuaders
25. "Trapped by a Thing Called Love," Denise LaSalle
26. "Won't Get Fooled Again," The Who

28. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," Bee Gees

32. "Birds of a Feather," The Raiders
33. "The Love We Had (Stays on My Mind)," The Dells
34. "Stagger Lee," Tommy Roe

37. "Easy Loving," Freddie Hart
38. "Never My Love," The 5th Dimension
39. "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves," Cher

41. "One Fine Morning," Lighthouse

47. "A Natural Man," Lou Rawls

49. "Only You Know and I Know," Delaney & Bonnie
50. "Peace Train," Cat Stevens

86. "I'd Love to Change the World," Ten Years After

96. "Your Move (I've Seen All Good People)," Yes

Leaving the chart:

• "Bangla Desh" / "Deep Blue", George Harrison (7 weeks)
• "Can You Get to That," Funkadelic (3 weeks)
• "Liar," Three Dog Night (12 weeks)
• "Signs," Five Man Electrical Band (18 weeks)
• "Take Me Home, Country Roads," John Denver (23 weeks)

New on the chart: Nothing of interest!


New on the boob tube:

• Hawaii Five-O, "Wednesday, Ladies Free"
• Adam-12, "The Grandmother"
• The Brady Bunch, "The Brady Braves"
• The Partridge Family, "A Man Called Snake"
• The Odd Couple, "Hospital Mates"
• Love, American Style, "Love and the Artful Codger / Love and the Neglected Wife / Love and the Traveling Salesman"
• All in the Family, "Archie and the Lock-up"
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "He's No Heavy...He's My Brother"
• Mission: Impossible, "The Tram"

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Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki pages for the month or year.

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55 Years Ago This Week Overflow Special

Also new on the chart the week of October 1, 1966:

"Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)," Otis Redding

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(#29 US; #12 R&B; #23 UK)

"I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself," Dionne Warwick

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(#26 US; #20 R&B)

"But It's Alright," J. J. Jackson

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(#22 US; #4 R&B)

"The Hair on My Chinny Chin Chin," Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs

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(#22 US)

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Same with St. Pepper. The album was a masterpiece of pop songwriting craftsmanship and commercial savvy. It seemed like the culmination of the work of a truly gifted and focused band, but it simply could not match the gravitas and artful presentation of the themes and subject matter covered in Gaye’s album. Now, throw on top of that, the critical and commercial triumph of WGO, and it’s not hard to see why it supplante Pepper at No. 1.

Yet which album caused an immediate stir in the industry upon its release? If you're going to cite commercial success as a factor, which had more? One of these albums changed the way albums were made afterward; the other benefited from that change, and rather belatedly.

Where else did they look?

Wakandan Embassy. It was quite the bash.

Kind of a different sound for them, but good.

Cute but underwhelming.

I like their other song about reservations better.

Apparently the version I've had for years from a compilation album is the album and/or stereo mix; this single/mono mix is quite different, at least at the beginning and end. The one I'm familiar with has the sound of an explosion or rocket at the beginning rather than a prop plane, and a fade-out at the end. The one I'm more familiar with sounds a little groovier in general...the fuzzy guitar comes out more in stereo.

Interesting cover....

Doing a song between Steve Lawrence and Donny Osmond doesn't weigh in their favor.

Very C&W, Brenda, but I love that voice.

Sounds like the earlier '60s.

Wow, a bit of moralistic finger wagging from the Hermits.

The catchiest of this bunch, which isn't saying much.

Without a doubt, the biggest oldies radio classic in this week's many 1966 entries--perhaps the only one--is one that got held back for today's post, as it didn't make the Top 20.

Exactly. Instead of letting the criteria mold the results, they let their goal mold the criteria.

Now reading the article about the list itself makes it sound like they used similar methodology to the original, which included surveying critics, artists, and industry figures, the main difference here being that they completely rebuilt the list, rather than factoring newer material into the existing list as they did in 2012. It has been suggested that the 2020 list was cooked to get the desired result, however.

Shortsightedness is a sign of this timesy.

Definitely. The current list smacks of "OK, Boomer" mentality.

In that case, it must have turned out the way he wanted, and he's the artist.

Interesting. I wonder if he might have ever confirmed that in an interview.

I'd be interested to read some informed interpretation of the song sequence.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

Wow, a bit of moralistic finger wagging from the Hermits.

It's a cover of the Kinks version released on their 1966 album 'Face to Face'. It's missing Ray Davies sarcasm.

 

[gblews]

Yet which album caused an immediate stir in the industry upon its release? If you're going to cite commercial success as a factor, which had more? One of these albums changed the way albums were made afterward; the other benefited from that change, and rather belatedly.

Actually, I didn’t say that the sole reason WGO deserved RS’s No.1 slot was solely because of it’s commercial success , but also because of the gravitas created by the artful way it presented it’s songs, the very serious subject matter, and it’s critical acclaim.

Pepper was the most important album of it’s time from mostly a pop music standpoint, but WGO’s importance was not only impactful musically, but also culturally, and politically. It wasn’t like Pepper was trying for this and missed, it achieved it’s goals, but it’s goals were just not quite as high as WGD’s.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Let there be no doubt, we are now firmly in the '70s!

I feel very comfy here.

"Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)," Otis Redding

Not an Oldies Radio Classic.

"I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself," Dionne Warwick

I'll be right over.

"But It's Alright," J. J. Jackson

There we go. This was an Oldies Radio staple, although I haven't heard it for a while.

"The Hair on My Chinny Chin Chin," Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs

Wow, a song sequel that I was unaware of.

Wakandan Embassy. It was quite the bash.

Apparently the version I've had for years from a compilation album is the album and/or stereo mix; this single/mono mix is quite different, at least at the beginning and end. The one I'm familiar with has the sound of an explosion or rocket at the beginning rather than a prop plane, and a fade-out at the end. The one I'm more familiar with sounds a little groovier in general...the fuzzy guitar comes out more in stereo.

Interesting. I don't think I've heard either one.

they completely rebuilt the list, rather than factoring newer material into the existing list as they did in 2012.

Sure, factoring in new stuff is inevitable.

It's a cover of the Kinks version released on their 1966 album 'Face to Face'. It's missing Ray Davies sarcasm.

Ah, that's interesting. I'm not familiar with that one either.

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 1)

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Hawaii Five-O
"No Bottles...No Cans...No People"
Originally aired September 21, 1971

An ambitious hoodlum tries to eliminate the competition and open the way for a mainland crime syndicate to operate in Hawaii. Before he became a series regular, Al Harrington played one of the hoodlum's henchmen in this episode.

While Johnny Oporta (Henry Darrow) is reassuring a visiting Syndicate representative from Detroit (Jack Kosslyn) that he'll be able to sew up a local monopoly for them, we see a couple of lowlifes (Al Harrington and Charles Bent) take out a better-dressed but sleazy-looking man and toss his body in a trash bin that's contents are eventually dumped into an incinerator--the elemental opposite of the drink!

Five-O investigates the killing of the sleazy character, a pimp named Hurley, based on a woman who saw it happen in an alley outside the bar that he was fleeing from. Steve questions the bartender (Terry Plunkett), who's tight-lipped about it. McGarrett is then summoned to the airport by the Governor to meet Assistant US Attorney General Benson (Tom Palmer), who has intel that Hawaii is the Syndicate's next big target. McGarrett makes the connection with Oporta, whose competitors have been disappearing. Steve bursts into Oporta's PR firm front to warn him of the attention he'll be getting. Feeling the heat, Oporta orders a hit on an old buddy, Peter Yano (Danny Kaleikini), who doesn't want to play ball with him. Oporta's hoods off him, steal some money, and toss away the initialed clip, then dump his body in the usual manner; but Oporta has arranged with the incineration facility's crane operator, Furtado (Ron Feinberg), who's an accomplice in the opertation, for the body to be found before it gets into the anti-drink, in order to serve as an example. Yano is identified, and Steve talks to his girlfriend, Sally (Beth Brickell), who wants action on the matter. Steve learns that Yano has a platinum money clip that's missing, which didn't go through the incinerator--having learned earlier that metal objects survive the process and get sold for scrap. Five-O looks for an inside man at the facility, and Steve focuses on Furtado as a likely suspect.

Sally noses around about what happened and is informed on by a fellow shady lady, Vicky (Cas Shay); but Oporta, who's sweating making his Syndicate deadline, thinks that going after her would be too dangerous with McGarrett on his ass. Sally confronts Oporta in a parking garage with Peter's gun. He tries to talk his way out of it, a struggle ensues, and she's the one who's killed when the weapon goes off. Faced with an unplanned, off-procedure death, Oporta persuades a reluctant Furtado to handle another special deal...putting her into the incinerator even though Five-O is onto that M.O. Meanwhile, a bum finding the clip has led Che Fong to the bullet that killed Yano; and McGarrett has received a letter from Sally telling him what she was planning to do, so he puts a search out for her.

Oporta tries to play it cool when Steve and Danno come to see him about Sally. Figuring from the way he plays it that Sally is dead, Steve goes back to the incineration facility and buys the most recent bucket of scrap metal, looking for a steel surgical pin that was in Sally's arm, which Che finds. Danno, Chin, and Kono go to Furtado's home with a warrant and find a wad of payoff cash hidden in the back seat of an old car. Steve goes to the facility to ask Furtado some well-informed questions and a fight ensues over the incinerator, which another worker who tries to help Furtado ends up charging into. McGarrett has Oporta booked at the airport as he's meeting the Syndicate negotiator, whom Steve puts back on his plane with a message.

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The Dick Cavett Show
Originally aired September 21, 1971

Some clips of the night's notable guests from Cavett's YouTube account...

Dick's intro of John and Yoko; topics include when they chopped off their hair; how people react to them in public; and their respective nationalities:

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Nearly half of this clip overlaps with the previous one, and gets more into their national identities, with John doing an impersonation of Kabuki actors.

The usual topic comes up:

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This picks up after they showed one of John and/or Yoko's art films; the topic drifts into how the Beatles couldn't hear themselves playing and being quoted out of context:

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Yoko plugs her book and she and John demonstrate a bit of performance art with a stethoscope.

John's upcoming 31st birthday is brought up while they're discussing an also-upcoming exhibit of Yoko's; and the recently released Imagine album is plugged:

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They introduce this clip, plugging how it's part of a larger TV special (long available on home video) that will be airing sometime soon (though I couldn't find an original airdate):

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The video was filmed at John & Yoko's mansion Tittenhurst Park prior to their recent departure from England. (The estate will become Ringo's home until the late '80s.) The single will be released on October 11 (charts Oct. 23; #3 US; #7 AC; #6 UK in 1975; #3 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time).

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Adam-12
"Million Dollar Buff"
Originally aired September 22, 1971

Police "buff" Jennings Thornton (played by Leo Gordon, who wrote the episode), a thorn in the side for Malloy and Reed, intervenes in a drunk driving case, runs down a shooter after a robbery (and nearly getting Reed killed), and is finally arrested himself for falsely arresting two teenage boys for stealing mag wheels that were actually legally bought. Another case involves a woman who stole an expensive ring from a store, leaving a cheap one in return; the suspect is later arrested during a parking lot dispute and the ring is found on her during a search.

Reed and Malloy have found another surefire way of getting a code seven approved--put in for it before the episode opens! Reed teases Malloy for being a dirty old man when he ogles a young woman in hot pants. Thornton drives up to chat with the officers, showing off his latest gadget, a pair of thumb cuffs, which Reed dismisses as a toy. Thornton protests that what he's doing is citizen involvement, but the officers consider it to be playing policeman. On patrol, Malloy tells Reed of another buff years back who ended up with a bullet in his stomach, which put him off his hobby.

The officers are assigned to see a department store security officer, Dave Walbrook (Dennis McCarthy), about a 484. He has clerk Jenny Carson (Lindsay Wagner) nervously describe one possible suspect in the switching of a valuable ring.

The next call is for a citizen holding a 502. They find that Thornton has run a drunk driver off the road, the latter now unconscious in his vehicle with an empty bottle on the floor. While eager to apprehend him, Thornton doesn't want to be bothered with testifying in court. In the breakroom back at the station, Malloy announces to everyone (including Mac) that Thornton is back on the streets. Back on patrol, Malloy tells Reed of how Thornton set up an officer for beating a drunk, which he believes Thornton was actually responsible for.

A call comes in for all units in their vicinity about a 211 in progress. A man in a bulky coat (George Sawaya) walks out of a liquor store and takes several shots, making it clear that he's wearing protection. The officers and robber find themselves in a standoff until Thornton drives up and runs the suspect down, which gets him off his feet long enough for the officers to move in and apprehend him. Malloy tells Thornton off, at which point Thornton notes Malloy's current rank, which makes him "almost a sergeant".

Next the officers are assigned to see parking lot manager Joe Rawls (Lewis Charles) about a business dispute. They find that he's blocked in a car that he saw scrape another car. The driver, Jessica Caldwell (Lynn Cartwright), is difficult and initially gives them a false name. They find a coat and gloves in the back that match the description given to them by Jenny Carson, so they arrest her, for which she threatens legal action. They bring in Carson, now wearing glasses, who can't give a positive identification because she wasn't wearing them in the store.


Finally, the officers get a call about a citizen who's holding car strippers. Thornton has Bud (Ed Begley Jr.) and Jimmy (Lou Manor) against a car at gunpoint with the thumb cuffs on. The kids produce a receipt for their mag wheels, which they were switching from one to the other. Malloy frisks and arrests Thornton for carrying a concealed weapons and possible ADW. Mac drives up and informs the officers that they got lucky and found the ring on Caldwell.

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The Brady Bunch
"Grand Canyon or Bust"
Originally aired September 24, 1971

The family, stranded in the ghost town, seeks help by starting a signal fire. Zachariah (Jim Backus) returns with Peter, Mike, and the car. Mike has convinced Zachariah they are not stealing his claim. The family heads to the Grand Canyon. There, they ride mules down into the canyon, and Cindy and Bobby notice a Native American boy. They follow him, but get lost. The others frantically search for Cindy and Bobby.

We start with Carol's head-narrated recap of last week's episode. The stranded members of the family try to make do with what they have, trying to get a long-disused water pump to work and to use an Alice-pulled plough to write a HELP message for airplanes. Greg gets an old crank phone working but only manages to ring another phone in the town, which is answered by Cindy. They're about to build a signal fire when Mike drives up in their camper-pulling wagon with Brown, who apologizes and insists that he was coming back for them after he filed his dubious claim in town, offering them 10 percent of it for their trouble. The family forgives, forgets, and proceeds to the Canyon. Along the way, there's a singalong interrupted by a bathroom break in the wilderness. They arrive at the park, set up their camper, and drive the wagon to take in the Canyon itself. For anyone who hasn't been there, pictures don't do it justice. It's awe-inspiring to behold with your own eyes. The family's sightseeing consists of a combination of location shots and obvious studio scenes. They also take in a Hopi rain dance, which actually ends with a sudden downpour.

The next day the family take to their mules for the ride down the Canyon, led by a muleskinner. Alice mounts her ride backward, but contrary to my memory, doesn't ride down that way. They set up a camp down in the flats, where they plan to stay for three days, and all of the adults find themselves limping after the ride. While Bobby is looking for dinosaur fossils accompanied by Cindy, they see the boy (Michele Campo), he scurries away, and they try to follow. The family discover that Bobby and Cindy are missing as the sun is getting low, and split up into two groups to search for them, while the kids find that they're lost. There's some repetitive calling out for the kids before and during the coda, and the episode ends with a brief announcer voiceover to tune in next week.

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The Partridge Family
"In 25 Words or Less"
Originally aired September 24, 1971

In order to boost publicity for the family, Reuben stages a contest in which the winner will spend a week with the Partridges. Unfortunately, the winner is a 60-year-old Jewish mother.

The family is buried in mail from the contest when Reuben brings in the winner, Gloria Neugast (Kay Medford). She gets busy helping the family with various tasks. Per the contest rules, Keith has to take her on a date to Muldoon's Point, where he's generally embarrassed and his GOTW Doris (Monie Ellis), there with another guy, sees him. Gloria brings over a potential match for Shirley, Dr. Bernie Applebaum (Gerald Hiken), whom she finds less than enthralling. The kids all get annoyed by Gloria's busybodiness, but Shirley insists that they remain polite. She accompanies them to a session, where they try to play "Echo Valley 2-6809" in spite of her interruptions. When they finally finish it, she complains about the number of takes. Back at home, Gloria feigns sickness and guilts Shirley some about being lonely and feeling unneeded. The family finds themselves stuck with her longer than stipulated, so Reuben arranges a job for her at a daycare center. In the coda, she continues to nag them via letter.

This one was...very dry. It could have been much more entertaining with a more colorful portrayal of the guest character, but the actress had practically no screen presence in the role.

Keith's shown looking at a centerfold in Playpen--that seems pretty risque for 1971 family TV. This fictitious publication was previously seen in an episode of That Girl, which one site I turned up thinks was its first appearance. (IIRC, this was when Ann's head was put on the centerfold.) He also has what a quick search identified as a blacklight poster of Jimi Hendrix in his room.

_______

It's a cover of the Kinks version released on their 1966 album 'Face to Face'. It's missing Ray Davies sarcasm.

Did not know that. Listening it up, Davies maybe brings a little more edge to the delivery, but the two versions sound pretty similar overall. And while this was a Ray Davies composition, it looks like release-wise, the Hermits' single precedes the Kinks' recording on either single or album.

It wasn’t like Pepper was trying for this and missed, it achieved it’s goals, but it’s goals were just not quite as high as WGD’s.

If WGO saw farther, it was because it stood on the shoulders of giants.

I feel very comfy here.

We're still in the fuzzy region of vague, scattered early memories for me.

Not an Oldies Radio Classic.

But it's kinda catchy and has a good sound.

I'll be right over.

Completely forgettable.

There we go. This was an Oldies Radio staple, although I haven't heard it for a while.

And this would be the one that I was referring to. Kind of a lesson in how oldies radio playlists shape our perception of the era, with so many higher-charting songs not having gotten the long-term airplay that this one did.

Wow, a song sequel that I was unaware of.

These guys are starting to seem like a novelty group to me.

 

[gblews]

If WGO saw farther, it was because it stood on the shoulders of giants.

So did the Beatles. Paul himself has said that Pepper was partially inspired by Pet Sounbs. I get wanting to hold onto the past, but new blood brings different tastes, perspectives, sensibilities. Thank god.

 

[RJDiogenes]

toss his body in a trash bin that's contents are eventually dumped into an incinerator--the elemental opposite of the drink!

This show has clearly lost the plot.

McGarrett is then summoned to the airport by the Governor to meet Assistant US Attorney General Benson

The Governor couldn't have told him about this ahead of time? I think the Governor just likes to screw with McGarrett.

Faced with an unplanned, off-procedure death, Oporta persuades a reluctant Furtado to handle another special deal...putting her into the incinerator even though Five-O is onto that M.O.

Oporta sounds like an amateur. I don't know why the Syndicate picked him to be their boy.

McGarrett has received a letter from Sally telling him what she was planning to do, so he puts a search out for her.

She should have mentioned that to Oporta in the garage.

a fight ensues over the incinerator, which another worker who tries to help Furtado ends up charging into.

And it was at this point that the meaning of the title finally dawned on me.

Dick's intro of John and Yoko; topics include when they chopped off their hair; how people react to them in public; and their respective nationalities:

Not that I dislike Dick Cavett, but I don't know how he got to be a talk show host. It seems like all of his conversations are extremely awkward.

This picks up after they showed one of John and/or Yoko's art films; the topic drifts into how the Beatles couldn't hear themselves playing and being quoted out of context:

That's a great bit about reporters angling for an answer and people just saying things off the top of their head. I wonder what John would have thought of Twitter and such.

Yoko plugs her book and she and John demonstrate a bit of performance art with a stethoscope.

That was hilarious. Buttoned-up Dick Cavett meets Hippie Yoko Ono. "Go ahead. Anywhere you want."

John's upcoming 31st birthday is brought up while they're discussing an also-upcoming exhibit of Yoko's; and the recently released Imagine album is plugged:

That's really sad, watching him talk about performing when he's 50.

Reed teases Malloy for being a dirty old man when he ogles a young woman in hot pants.

There may be snow on the roof....

Thornton protests that what he's doing is citizen involvement, but the officers consider it to be playing policeman.

If he wants to be taken seriously by the police, he needs to wear a mask and a cape.

Jenny Carson (Lindsay Wagner)

Jamie Sommers!

Malloy tells Reed of how Thornton set up an officer for beating a drunk, which he believes Thornton was actually responsible for.

Funny subplot takes a dark turn.

They find a coat and gloves in the back that match the description given to them by Jenny Carson, so they arrest her, for which she threatens legal action.

That was quite serendipitous.

Mac drives up and informs the officers that they got lucky and found the ring on Caldwell.

And even more so.

an Alice-pulled plough to write a HELP message for airplanes.

Wow, it doesn't take the Bradys long to go all Lord of the Flies.

They're about to build a signal fire when Mike drives up in their camper-pulling wagon with Brown, who apologizes and insists that he was coming back for them after he filed his dubious claim in town, offering them 10 percent of it for their trouble. The family forgives, forgets, and proceeds to the Canyon.

Well, that was anticlimactic. They should have adopted him and brought him along.

For anyone who hasn't been there, pictures don't do it justice. It's awe-inspiring to behold with your own eyes.

I went there exactly thirty years ago, for my 30th birthday. I flew out to Vegas and drove across the desert to the canyon. It was absolutely amazing. I didn't get to ride the mules, because you have to make reservations about 37 years in advance, but I went up in a sightseeing plane (and got a picture that won a sort-of contest). Then I saw it again from the air when I flew out to Palm Springs a couple of weeks ago.

Per the contest rules, Keith has to take her on a date to Muldoon's Point

Would have been funny if a guy won the contest.

This one was...very dry. It could have been much more entertaining with a more colorful portrayal of the guest character, but the actress had practically no screen presence in the role.

Sounds like a job for Nancy Walker, although she would have been a little young for the role at that time.

Keith's shown looking at a centerfold in Playpen--that seems pretty risque for 1971 family TV.

Ah, the Sexual Revolution. I am surprised that it got by the censors, though.

We're still in the fuzzy region of vague, scattered early memories for me.

This is right about the time that we moved from Dorchester to Weymouth, shortly after the school year started. It was a great time, because it was like moving out to the country (in those days-- it's much more citified now). I felt like I was on permanent vacation in New Hampshire. We had a half acre of land that backed up on woods and swampland. I was in heaven.

Completely forgettable.

Well, the song, yeah.

And this would be the one that I was referring to. Kind of a lesson in how oldies radio playlists shape our perception of the era, with so many higher-charting songs not having gotten the long-term airplay that this one did.

You never know what will have staying power and what will burn out quickly.

These guys are starting to seem like a novelty group to me.

I would go along with that.

 

[J.T.B.]

All of this supports my impression of the album's reputation prior to 2020...that it was seen as Motown, and soul music in general, catching up with the development of the album as an art form that had been prevalent on the rock side of the pop music spectrum for several years. Albums such as Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds deserve higher recognition for having trailblazed this movement.

That's asserting the primacy of what you personally feel is important for recognizing a great album, which is completely valid. But an album is just a collection of music. Of course creative and technical innovation and influence are important. But they are also somewhat behind the scenes; does breaking new ground in the art form affect every listener the same way? There are other values that can be prioritized.

Like many people, What's Going On popped into my mind unbidden many times in 2020. Snippets like "icy wind of poverty" and "trigger happy policing" and "make me want to holler" and "For those of us who tend the sick, and heed the people's cries, let me say to you, right on." Gaye's topicality and staying power is no accident; he captured his time with an eye like a great novelist.

It's not original for me to say, but I take What's Going On as a commentary on the shortcomings of what is usually glorified about the '60s. What had flower power and psychedelia done for Gaye's community? What had the anti-war movement done for a veteran who came home but couldn't find a job? Who was telling that story in 1971? Not to mention telling it with such a clear artistic vision.

It could also be argued that Black artists' innovative horizons were more limited by the recording industry at the time. Motown's success was based on a proven formula, and part of that formula was don't be political, don't do anything radical, don't make the white world uncomfortable. Another groundbreaking album by a Black artist, Isaac Hayes's long-form, genre-jumping Hot Buttered Soul of 1969, only got made out of Stax Records' desperation after losing their catalog when they split with Atlantic, and Stax was always more risk-taking than Motown. Gaye's success with What's Going On opened the door for Stevie Wonder's brilliant '70s work, among others.

I love the wit and brains and originality of "Sgt. Pepper." I love the roots reinvention and back-to-basics swagger of Exile on Main Street. I love the eccentric reach and particularity of Pet Sounds. I love the contrarian minimalism and outsider abstruseness of The Velvet Underground and Nico. But none of those records can punch me in the gut or tear at my heart like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.

In short I would say: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at number one? Totally defensible position. What's Going On at number one? Also totally defensible.

I'd be interested to read some informed interpretation of the song sequence.

Me too but that's how I always figured it.

If WGO saw farther, it was because it stood on the shoulders of giants.

Wow, that sounds pretty dismissive.

While Johnny Oporta (Henry Darrow) is reassuring a visiting Syndicate representative from Detroit (Jack Kosslyn) that he'll be able to sew up a local monopoly for them, we see a couple of lowlifes (Al Harrington and Charles Bent) take out a better-dressed but sleazy-looking man and toss his body in a trash bin that's contents are eventually dumped into an incinerator--the elemental opposite of the drink!

You've got to think that when Al Harrington and Herman Wedemeyer and Glenn Cannon became regular characters it must have really put a strain on their local casting for small parts, they used those guys so much.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I saved my commentary regarding the 2020 version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time for the end of the review because I didn't want my write-up of What's Going On to be all about comparing it to Pepper. In retrospect, I see that it was a mistake to attempt to deal with the issue substantively at all within the context of reviewing What's Going On, because the issue isn't really about Pepper vs. WGO. It's not like Pepper is currently sitting at a respectable second place under the new champ...it got knocked down to #24.

The 2003/2012 versions of the Rolling Stone list and the 2020 version of the Rolling Stone list represent two different narratives/views of the same history. In 2003's version, per the magazine's write-up at the time, Pepper is "the most important rock & roll album ever made, an unsurpassed adventure in concept, sound, songwriting, cover art and studio technology by the greatest rock & roll group of all time"; "the pinnacle of the Beatles’ eight years as recording artists"; and "simply the best of everything the Beatles ever did as musicians, pioneers and pop stars, all in one place". Per the 2003 version, "No other pop record of that era, or since, has had such an immediate, titanic impact. This music documents the world’s biggest rock band at the very height of its influence and ambition."

According to the 2020 version, it doesn't even rate in the top 20.

Given those two choices, I subscribe to the original's view of history.

And that is all that I intend to say on this subject within context of my review of What's Going On. Perhaps I'll revisit the subject when I get around to writing up Pepper as 55th anniversary business.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Oporta sounds like an amateur. I don't know why the Syndicate picked him to be their boy.

That was pretty much the idea...he was a relatively small-time operator with ambitions to make the big time by hooking up with the Syndicate...and thus had to meet their qualifications.

She should have mentioned that to Oporta in the garage.

Don't think that would have mattered...she was the one confronting him and the gun going off during the struggle wasn't deliberate on his part, he was just trying to save himself.

Not that I dislike Dick Cavett, but I don't know how he got to be a talk show host. It seems like all of his conversations are extremely awkward.

Maybe that's his charm.

That's really sad, watching him talk about performing when he's 50.

Y'know, when I was watching that, it didn't even cross my mind that John didn't make it to 50...it made me think of all of his contemporaries, including Paul and the Stones, who are still doing their thing well past 50.

There may be snow on the roof....

Beg pardon?

Jamie Sommers!

Pre-Bionic, pre-Paper Chase.

Funny subplot takes a dark turn.

Reed and Malloy were taking him pretty seriously the whole time.

Wow, it doesn't take the Bradys long to go all Lord of the Flies.

Well, first Alice and the girls were trying to do it with shovels, and not making progress; then they tried to get Zachariah's mule to plow it; then Alice ended up pulling the plow.

Well, that was anticlimactic. They should have adopted him and brought him along.

"That show really jumped the shark when they brought in Cousin Zachariah."

I didn't get to ride the mules

Nor did I, as it was a relatively quick overnight visit as part of a larger cross-country trip.

because you have to make reservations about 37 years in advance

If you'd been patient, you'd only have, what, seven more years to go?

but I went up in a sightseeing plane

Didn't do that, either.

Sounds like a job for Nancy Walker, although she would have been a little young for the role at that time.

Huh. She definitely seemed older than late 40s in those days.

Coming back to this...

The episode did strike me as kind of low on "impossible" stuff.

This past week's episode should be much more your speed. And they address my "master of diguise" question.

 

[gblews]

That's asserting the primacy of what you personally feel is important for recognizing a great album, which is completely valid. But an album is just a collection of music. Of course creative and technical innovation and influence are important. But they are also somewhat behind the scenes; does breaking new ground in the art form affect every listener the same way? There are other values that can be prioritized.

Like many people, What's Going On popped into my mind unbidden many times in 2020. Snippets like "icy wind of poverty" and "trigger happy policing" and "make me want to holler" and "For those of us who tend the sick, and heed the people's cries, let me say to you, right on." Gaye's topicality and staying power is no accident; he captured his time with an eye like a great novelist.

It's not original for me to say, but I take What's Going On as a commentary on the shortcomings of what is usually glorified about the '60s. What had flower power and psychedelia done for Gaye's community? What had the anti-war movement done for a veteran who came home but couldn't find a job? Who was telling that story in 1971? Not to mention telling it with such a clear artistic vision.

It could also be argued that Black artists' innovative horizons were more limited by the recording industry at the time. Motown's success was based on a proven formula, and part of that formula was don't be political, don't do anything radical, don't make the white world uncomfortable. Another groundbreaking album by a Black artist, Isaac Hayes's long-form, genre-jumping Hot Buttered Soul of 1969, only got made out of Stax Records' desperation after losing their catalog when they split with Atlantic, and Stax was always more risk-taking than Motown. Gaye's success with What's Going On opened the door for Stevie Wonder's brilliant '70s work, among others.

I love the wit and brains and originality of "Sgt. Pepper." I love the roots reinvention and back-to-basics swagger of Exile on Main Street. I love the eccentric reach and particularity of Pet Sounds. I love the contrarian minimalism and outsider abstruseness of The Velvet Underground and Nico. But none of those records can punch me in the gut or tear at my heart like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.

In short I would say: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at number one? Totally defensible position. What's Going On at number one? Also totally defensible.

Much more concisely and eloquently stated than my posts on this topic.

The 2003/2012 versions of the Rolling Stone list and the 2020 version of the Rolling Stone list represent two different narratives/views of the same history. In 2003's version, per the magazine's write-up at the time, Pepper is "the most important rock & roll album ever made, an unsurpassed adventure in concept, sound, songwriting, cover art and studio technology by the greatest rock & roll group of all time"; "the pinnacle of the Beatles’ eight years as recording artists"; and "simply the best of everything the Beatles ever did as musicians, pioneers and pop stars, all in one place". Per the 2003 version, "No other pop record of that era, or since, has had such an immediate, titanic impact. This music documents the world’s biggest rock band at the very height of its influence and ambition."

For the record, and as JTB stated, no one is trying to change your mind about what the greatest album of all time is, i’v only been trying to explain why WGO is worthy of it’s ranking and the possible logic behind the ranking.

Tastes and sensibilities change as time moves forward.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Maybe that's his charm.

Could be. I did watch his show fairly frequently, I think.

Y'know, when I was watching that, it didn't even cross my mind that John didn't make it to 50...it made me think of all of his contemporaries, including Paul and the Stones, who are still doing their thing well past 50.

As soon as he mentioned his upcoming birthday, I thought, "Wow, less than ten years to live." Strange thought, especially since 1970 and 1980 seem a million years apart. Typing that also made me realize that we're talking about 1971 now, which means that we had actually been in Weymouth a year at that point.

Beg pardon?

There may be snow on the roof, but there's still fire in the furnace. An old saying related to Malloy's interest in young women. And which I seem to be using more and more lately.

Reed and Malloy were taking him pretty seriously the whole time.

Oh, okay. He seemed pretty goofy at first.

"That show really jumped the shark when they brought in Cousin Zachariah."

Well, they couldn't have been worse off.

If you'd been patient, you'd only have, what, seven more years to go?

Damn, that's true. I wish I had thought of it.

Huh. She definitely seemed older than late 40s in those days.

She did always have that older woman vibe, so she probably could have pulled it off.

This past week's episode should be much more your speed. And they address my "master of diguise" question.

Well, that's interesting. Maybe it won't be so bad.

 

[Commander Troi]

I loved Soul Train.

It's a cover of the Kinks version released on their 1966 album 'Face to Face'. It's missing Ray Davies sarcasm.

And without that, what's the point? #KinksFan

The Dick Cavett Show - Originally aired September 21, 1971​

Pre-Internet, a guy at college got me a transcript of this interview. It might still be around here.... somewhere...

Adam-12 - "Million Dollar Buff"​

Lindsey looks ridiculously young there!

Re: The Grand Canyon: yes. I think I'd lived in AZ 10 or 11 years before I went to see it because I thought it was just a big hole in the ground. I was so clueless!

That's really sad, watching him talk about performing when he's 50.​

Yeah. So damn stupid. I remember overhearing the 11pm news - something must have woke me - but thinking it was a bad dream. I was one of 2 kids in my high school who seemed to care.

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 2)

_______

The Odd Couple
"Felix's Wife's Boyfriend"
Originally aired September 24, 1971

With Felix in Canada, Oscar and Nancy fix up his ex-wife up with Nancy's brother.

Oscar and Nancy are trying to fix up her visiting brother Raymond (Fred Beir) on the phone when Gloria (Janis Hansen, in her first of twelve appearances in the role over the course of the series) drops by with some of Felix's laundry. Nancy invites her to join the three of them for dinner, and Raymond seems interested. When Oscar and Nancy get back, Felix has returned home from his work trip unexpectedly early. Oscar breaks the news in the kitchen, and as expected, Felix freaks out (ripping the door off the oven as part of his initial reaction)...particularly upset because he's under the impression that Raymond is a swinger. When Gloria and Raymond come in from parking the car, Felix makes a scene. To make matters worse, Felix has to sleep on the couch because Raymond's using his room. Oscar offers to let Felix sleep in his, and Felix objects that he hasn't had his tetanus shot.

Things get even worse when Felix finds out that Gloria and Raymond are hitting it off on subsequent dates. Inspired by something that Oscar says, Felix goes to the house to try to fight for Gloria, and Oscar goes after him. When Gloria and Raymond return from a date, Felix and Oscar try to hide, but Raymond and Gloria both know they're there, and Felix and Gloria get into it a bit after Raymond leaves. Back at the apartment, Oscar tries to bolster Felix's spirits by telling him he's got something Ray hasn't got--"macho". But a closing gag establishes that Ray's getting by in that department just fine.

_______

Love, American Style
"Love and the Anniversary Crisis / Love and the Conjugal Visit / Love and the Dream Burglar / Love and the Hotel Caper / Love and the Monsters"
Originally aired September 24, 1971

In "Love and the Anniversary Crisis," Sam (Lou Jacobi) calls his daughter Susan (Susan Oliver) on his 43rd anniversary with her mother, Bella (Kay Medford again, and just as dry) to inform Susan that they're getting a divorce. Susan goes over with her husband, Joe (Joe Mantell), and soon brother George (Martin E. Brooks) and sister Tina (Joanie Sommers), accompanied by her husband and two young children, join them. They all try to get to the bottom of why the couple is getting a divorce after so many years, and remind them of all the good things they did together as parents. In light of this, Sam and Bella announce that they've decided not to divorce after all, and everyone stays for dinner. When the elder couple is in the kitchen alone, we learn that it was all a ruse to get the family over for the occasion.

"Love and the Conjugal Visit" opens with three-year state prison inmate Harry (Jerry Stiller) primping up himself and his cell for his first conjugal visit from his wife, Martha (Anne Meara), while enthusing about the situation with friendly guard Pete (Guy Raymond). Martha is brought in, curtains are drawn for privacy, and after a bit of awkwardness, the couple begin to get intimate...to be interrupted by a research visit from psychologist Dr. Parkhurst (Elliott Reid). They soon make it clear that he's getting in the way of the situation that he's there to give them a questionnaire about. After he leaves, their next interruption comes from Pete, who brings in candles and cream soda in lieu of champagne as a present from the other inmates, while one of the prisoners serenades them through the cell's window. Harry manages to get the point across to Pete as well.

Harry: I wish this door had a lock on the inside.​

Just as it looks like the couple will finally be alone, another inmate, Frankie (Vic Bisoglio), tunnels through the wall, having made a wrong turn in an escape attempt.

Martha: I'm pleased to meet you. I think I've seen your picture at the post office.​

Frankie wants to take Martha hostage, but she knocks him out with the soda bottle. Harry wants to call the guard, thinking this will help with his parole, but Martha convinces him not to put it off while putting Frankie back in the tunnel and fixing up the wall.

"Love and the Dream Burglar" has Helen (Kaye Ballard) bringing her husband, Harry (Stubby Kaye), downstairs in the middle of the night because she had a dream about being burglarized. After he falls asleep on the couch, the burglar (Larry Storch) shows up. Helen wants to wake up Harry to prove she was right, and after a couple of failed attempts, the burglar briefly ties her up (with an unconvincing single strand of rope around the chest). When she's happy to have the burglar help himself to whatever he wants to serve as evidence that he was there, he suspects a trap and is about to leave without taking anything; but she insists that he take something and tries to come up with the right item...first suggesting a 25-inch console television, which he rejects for obvious reasons, and finally convincing him to take a pair of candlesticks, which she insists are sterling silver. After he leaves, she wakes up Harry, and as expected, he doesn't believe her, dismissing the absence of the candlesticks...until the burglar shows up at the front door to return them, having determined that they're only plate as he suspected...which puts Harry on the defensive with Helen.

In "Love and the Hotel Caper," a Navy lieutenant named Chris (Tony Roberts) is leant a suite at the Park Ritz by a sympathetic former Navy man, Fred Winslow (Herbert Rudley). Chris can't get ahold of his girlfriend, Linda, but receives an unexpected visit in (brass) bed from a woman named Ginny (Joanna Phillips), who comes onto him in a nightie, only for a photographer (James Lydon) to sneak in and snap a picture. It turns out that this was a frame-up intended for Fred, whose wife (Edie Adams) shows up, having been tipped off by the man behind it, her opportunistic lawyer. Mrs. Winslow sticks around and admires the see-through negligee that Chris brought back from Japan for Linda, only for Linda (Judy Brown) to arrive, get the wrong idea, and storm out. Then Fred returns, finds his wife trying on one of the garments, and gets the wrong idea, but they explain the situation and Chris produces the photograph as evidence. That having been smoothed over, Fred takes his wife home, still wearing the negligee under her coat. Then Ginny returns to pick up where she left off on her own time, but while she's in the bedroom, Linda returns, tearfully apologetic after having met Mrs. Winslow in the lobby. Chris distracts Linda while Ginny sneaks out, but then Linda finds the photograph--Mrs. Winslow not having gotten into the blackmail attempt--and storms out...but then storms back in, willing to give Chris the chance to explain...later.

"Love and the Monsters" opens with an actor named Roger (James Darren), in vampire makeup and costume, having lunch at the studio commissary with a mummy named Bryan (Jack Mullaney). They see a shapely lady in hag make-up (future two-time Bond lady Maud Adams) take a seat, and Roger goes over to pick her up on a bet, despite not knowing what she really looks like. He arranges to meet her out of costume at the studio gate, and when he sees that she still has the hideous nose, makes an excuse to break their date. As she's about to drive off, she realizes that she's still wearing the nose, removes it, and drives off.

_______

All in the Family
"Gloria Poses in the Nude"
Originally aired September 25, 1971

Archie and Mike have a difference of opinion over Mike's artist friend Szabo (David Soul) offering to paint Gloria in the nude.

Mike gets a call from Szabo saying that he's in town and invites him over for a drink. Archie comes home from bowling in a foul mood and is incredulous at a booklet of Szabo's abstract nude paintings, which sometimes display the wrong number of private parts. Mike and Gloria rib Archie for being so hung up that he can't say the word "breast" in context of it being part of the female anatomy. Szabo drops in (Soul is sporting a perm here) and Archie's put off by his friendliness with Gloria; and when he learns that the artist is of Hungarian ethnicity, Archie declares him to be a gypsy and warns Mike not to trust him alone with his wife. Szabo gets the idea to do Gloria in the nude, which Mike is fine with as it's art, but Archie gets Mike alone for a man-to-man to try to talk some sense into him.

After Szabo has been painting Gloria for three weeks, Mike starts to show signs of insecurity. When Gloria appears to be with the artist unusually late, he gets on the phone and starts to tell Szabo off...at which point Gloria comes downstairs, having been home sleeping for hours. In the coda, the family view the finished painting, with Archie counting the multiple unmentionables.

_______

The Mary Tyler Moore Show
"I Am Curious Cooper"
Originally aired September 25, 1971

Lou breaks his rule about fixing people up and sets up a blind date with Mary and one of his old friends, Mike Cooper [Michael Constantine], then has second thoughts and decides he better go along as a chaperone. Unfortunately, there is no chemistry between Mary and Mike. Lou is impressed that Mike has a phone in his car.

Lou's making a stink about Mary taking a personal call, but it turns out to be Cooper, calling for Lou, whom Mary knows only by phone. She starts getting the titular adjective regarding him, and learns from Lou that he's a successful lawyer, though he's reluctant to fix Mary up with him...for Mike's sake as an eligible bachelor. Lou comes by Mary's place while she's having dinner with Rhoda to announce that he's changed his mind, inviting her to dinner with him and Mike, and becomes fussy about what sort of impression she'll make on him. Mike drops by the station to pick them up, and his car phone comes up as a "How many people do you know...?" thing.

They go to a Japanese restaurant, where Mike exhibits a spotty command of Japanese, and Lou exhibits his kissing-up side. Mike is pulled away when their hostess (Shizuko Iwamatsu) informs him that his "car is ringing". (Newfangled tech humor--har, har.) Another "date" with Mike and Lou ensues, though Mary confesses to Rhoda that she doesn't feel anything for Mike. After the date, when Mike drops Mary off at her place, it comes out that he feels the same way about her. After Mary's initial defensiveness about what's wrong with her, they agree that they have to break the news to Lou...which Mary does in his office, stumbling into explaining that going out with Mike is like going out with Lou. Lou's also defensive, and perturbed that he broke his rule for Mary, but Mike comes by and backs her up on the matter. Lou's intention to give Mike and Mary tickets to a hockey game turns into a drinking night between Lou and Mike.

In the coda, Mary takes a call that Lou thinks is from Mike, but it's her father.

_______

Mission: Impossible
"Encore"
Originally aired September 25, 1971

To bring down a pair of crime syndicate bosses by finding evidence of a murder committed by them years before, the IMF must convince one of them (William Shatner) that he has travelled back in time to his youth in 1937. Final appearance of Sam Elliott as Doug. Third of three episodes starring both Sam Elliott and Peter Lupus.

A henchman named Arthur (James Daris) kills a hospitalized elderly woman named Gladys Collins by planting a shaped charge on her oxygen tank, which goes off just as she's about to talk with detective David St. James (Paul Bryar).

Good morning, Mr. Phelps. These men, Frank Stevens [Michael Baseleon] and Thomas Kroll [Shatman!], preside over a criminal empire that threatens to take over the entire Northeast. Although they have been arrested many times, conventional law enforcement agencies have thus far been unable to provide the evidence necessary to convict them of any crime. Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to put Kroll and Stevens out of business for good. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim!

The IMF re looking for evidence of a murder that Stevens and Kroll committed in their old neighborhood back in 1937. Guest agent Bill Fisher (Paul Mantee) covers part of the Rollin/Paris role by wearing a disguise, though Lisa is the one who's makes the mask. Shat's wearing age makeup for his role as present-day Kroll. Willy fills in for Kroll's barber, in a shop where the team gradually changes elements via trick walls to resemble the good ol' days--complete with a period ball game on a vintage radio--while Kroll is under the influence of a drug; and Fisher comes in as a vintage thug to fake shoot at him. Doug and Willy give Kroll a temporary, silicone-enhanced rejuvenation makeover, pack a fake wallet, and see to other authentic details, while Fisher dons his disguise as young Stevens. (Kroll is said to look around 30 when rejuvenated, though Shatner was a firm 40 by this point.)

To sell the illusion, they need Kroll to have a watch that he usually always wears, so Jim breaks into his place, to be seen and overheard on the phone by his girlfriend, Carol Swanson (Janaire), who calls Stevens. Jim picks up the pocket watch, which has a bullet dent in it, at the jeweler's. The unconscious Kroll is taken to the scene of perhaps the IMFs most outlandishly ambitious scheme yet--a movie studio lot that's not only supposed to be completely convincing to somebody walking around in it, right down to including fully functional interiors to some of the buildings...but is also supposed to specifically resemble Kroll's 1937 neighborhood so convincingly that he can't tell the difference! They put him in the studio's version of the barber shop, where he awakens to find that Willy has (fake) taken the bullet. The ball game on the radio and a newspaper headline about Hitler sell the illusion...as does a large cast of vintage extras outside, reacting to the shooting. Jim plays a hard-boiled detective who has Kroll hauled to the station by Officer Barney, where he's given the third degree in noirish fashion, and put in a cell with a drunk (Sam Edwards)...who almost blows things by dropping a 1964 Kennedy half-dollar. The IMFers fix up Kroll's vintage apartment, which Fake Stevens walks him to on the backlot after he's released. All details have been arranged to sell the illusion that it's 1937, including taped multi-station radio broadcasts and a vintage plane fly-over. When Gladys Collins comes up, Kroll alludes to having put a hit on her while being taped. Lisa is brought in as young Gladys, to be persuaded to arrange a meeting with the guys' rival, Danny Ryan, whom they plan to hit.

Real Stevens (in a much faker old-age job) traces Jim's call to Majestic Studios. Wayne forces his way in the gate via gun, but is TV Fu'ed by Jim. Kroll and Lisa go to a movie theater, where he tries to woo her. Doug dons his Danny disguise, and Kroll, Fake Stevens, and Fake Gladys proceed to a fake vintage restaurant. Barney and Willy are standing by in the ruins of the actual restaurant, listening in on Kroll and company via a bug. Kroll and Fake Stevens fake shoot Fake Danny, then have to dispose of the fake stiff. Kroll has them bring the body to a secret room in the cellar that was used during Prohibition. Breaking into the actual room, Barney and Willy find real Danny's remains; while Kroll panics when he can't find the room in the fake cellar. Finding himself alone, he runs through the abandoned streets of the studio lot in a Twilight Zone-ish moment, as his makeover starts to wear off and a temporarily medicated limp returns, and ends up finding himself on a Western set, where Real Stevens drives up to sneer at him. Mission: Accomplished.

_______

There may be snow on the roof, but there's still fire in the furnace.

Ah. Wish I had more snow on the roof...I need a different metaphor.

Damn, that's true. I wish I had thought of it.

You could've holed up in a nearby ghost town with your mule, grown a scraggly beard, fucked around with tourists...

She did always have that older woman vibe, so she probably could have pulled it off.

It's worth noting that she was only 17 years older than Valerie Harper...old enough to be her mother, but they were probably going for a slightly larger difference.

I thought it was just a big hole in the ground.

Yeah, I've heard that one before. That's why I tell people what I did here.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Gloria (Janis Hansen, in her first of twelve appearances in the role over the course of the series) drops by with some of Felix's laundry.

Felix lets her touch his laundry? It must be true love.

To make matters worse, Felix has to sleep on the couch because Raymond's using his room.

Did Felix know in advance about this part? I wouldn't put it past Oscar to give away his room without telling him.

Back at the apartment, Oscar tries to bolster Felix's spirits by telling him he's got something Ray hasn't got--"macho".

Felix is even more macho than I am!

Susan (Susan Oliver)

Vina!

George (Martin E. Brooks)

Rudy Wells.

Tina (Joanie Sommers)

The Bionic... no, wait, that's somebody else.

When the elder couple is in the kitchen alone, we learn that it was all a ruse to get the family over for the occasion.

Cute. And another plot based on deception.

Harry (Jerry Stiller)

Jerry Stiller.

Martha (Anne Meara)

Of course.

Frankie wants to take Martha hostage, but she knocks him out with the soda bottle. Harry wants to call the guard, thinking this will help with his parole, but Martha convinces him not to put it off while putting Frankie back in the tunnel and fixing up the wall.

This is what I like. Totally off the wall. Or out of the wall, as the case may be.

the burglar (Larry Storch)

Agarn.

When she's happy to have the burglar help himself to whatever he wants to serve as evidence that he was there, he suspects a trap and is about to leave without taking anything

Another good twist.

Linda finds the photograph--Mrs. Winslow not having gotten into the blackmail attempt--and storms out...but then storms back in, willing to give Chris the chance to explain...later.

Misunderstandings galore and girls in negligees. LAS at its best.

As she's about to drive off, she realizes that she's still wearing the nose, removes it, and drives off.

Cute. Overall, this was a solid episode.

(Soul is sporting a perm here)

He's still finding himself at this age-- he doesn't know yet if he's Starsky or Hutch.

When Gloria appears to be with the artist unusually late, he gets on the phone and starts to tell Szabo off...at which point Gloria comes downstairs, having been home sleeping for hours.

This is one of the episodes I remember pretty vividly. "Uh... bye there, Szabo."

"I Am Curious Cooper"

Yet another reference to "I Am Curious, Yellow."

(Newfangled tech humor--har, har.)

It's like looking back at a previous century. Wait, it is looking back at a previous century.

In the coda, Mary takes a call that Lou thinks is from Mike, but it's her father.

Another one of those slice-of-life episodes.

Shat's wearing age makeup for his role as present-day Kroll.

But is he wearing an extra 75 pounds?

the scene of perhaps the IMFs most outlandishly ambitious scheme yet--a movie studio lot that's not only supposed to be completely convincing to somebody walking around in it, right down to including fully functional interiors to some of the buildings...but is also supposed to specifically resemble Kroll's 1937 neighborhood so convincingly that he can't tell the difference!

It sounds like they're trying to make the episode itself look like a time-travel episode.

Kroll, Fake Stevens, and Fake Gladys proceed to a fake vintage restaurant. Barney and Willy are standing by in the ruins of the actual restaurant

Nice. Convenient that it's still there over thirty years later, but worth it.

Kroll has them bring the body to a secret room in the cellar that was used during Prohibition. Breaking into the actual room, Barney and Willy find real Danny's remains; while Kroll panics when he can't find the room in the fake cellar. Finding himself alone, he runs through the abandoned streets of the studio lot in a Twilight Zone-ish moment, as his makeover starts to wear off and a temporarily medicated limp returns

Very nice and definitely Zone-ish. Good episode indeed.

Ah. Wish I had more snow on the roof...I need a different metaphor.

I have a blizzard.

You could've holed up in a nearby ghost town with your mule, grown a scraggly beard, fucked around with tourists...

Now you're making me feel bad about my life.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Getting back to "Aqualung"-- and why not?-- I stumbled across this video by accident, and I think some peeps here will find it amusing:

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She's got a few others that I have to check out now.

 

[J.T.B.]

Much more concisely and eloquently stated than my posts on this topic.

No, inside looking out/outside looking in was a great way of putting it.

Tastes and sensibilities change as time moves forward.

I would expect so! I've followed these Rolling Stone lists since 1987's "100 best albums of the past 20 years" (Sgt Pepper #1, WGO #10). I remember discussing it in my high school newspaper classroom as we typed on our Selectric typewriters and waxed typeset columns to paste on dummy sheets. A different world. Seventeen year old me would never have conceived of Joni Mitchell's Blue so high on the list. Fifty-one year old me, hell yeah. And Astral Weeks I didn't appreciate until my 40s.

I don't put a lot of stock in the lists, but they did point me toward a lot of great albums I never would have heard otherwise. I generally find Christgau's yearly list more useful for the '70s and '80s, as they're all by one guy and he's fairly consistent, and though I often disagree with him he can usually zero in on something illuminating.

Lou breaks his rule about fixing people up and sets up a blind date with Mary and one of his old friends, Mike Cooper [Michael Constantine]

Michael Constantine died two days after Ed Asner about a month ago.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Felix lets her touch his laundry? It must be true love.

Actually, she's still doing his shirts, and his mother still does his pants, IIRC.

Did Felix know in advance about this part? I wouldn't put it past Oscar to give away his room without telling him.

No, he was supposed to be out of town.

Jerry Stiller.

Frank Costanza!

Misunderstandings galore and girls in negligees. LAS at its best.

The one trying on the negligee was a middle-aged woman.

It's like looking back at a previous century. Wait, it is looking back at a previous century.

Well that makes me feel old....

But is he wearing an extra 75 pounds?

Shat already looked like he'd gained noticeably anyway.

I have a blizzard.

Rub it in!

Getting back to "Aqualung"-- and why not?-- I stumbled across this video by accident, and I think some peeps here will find it amusing:

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

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She's got a few others that I have to check out now.

I've never watched one of those "People react to X" videos before...is it typical that they constantly stop the song to talk about it on what's supposed to be their first listen? As with a lot of YouTube commenting/review material, 27 minutes for a 6-minute song (assuming the live version she was listening to was the same length; and a first listen should have been the studio version anyway) seems a bit indulgent. I could only take about six minutes of it, I'm afraid.

RJ, has your MeTV newsletter said anything about a new subchannel called MeTV+? DarrenTR1970 just posted in the Trek Guest Actors thread about having discovered it in his channel lineup. I don't see it in my cable, and I see nothing about it on Me's main site. Looks like they're playing stuff like Mod Squad and Hawaii 5-O as part of their regular line-up.