The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread
- Thread starter The Old Mixer
- Start date
He does seem to get the most head injuries in a show rife with head injuries.Linc wasn't in the scene.
Yeah, it did make sense, but it seemed to border on comical.
But nothing ever came out, so it seemed like the whole sequence of events arose from the cop harassing him. Probably it would seem different to actually watch it.
Nice. They were a great band, with a unique sound.
Oh, no. I hadn't heard that. A margarita and cheeseburger toast to him. RIP.
I did hear that Jack Sonni of Dire Straits died this week. He was even younger than Jimmy Buffet.
50 Years Ago This Week
September 2
September 3
September 4
September 5
September 6
September 8
Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:
Leaving the chart:
New on the chart:
"Nutbush City Limits," Ike & Tina Turner
(#22 US; #11 R&B; #4 UK)
"Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces," Cheech & Chong
(#15 US; #58 R&B)
"Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat," The DeFranco Family feat. Tony DeFranco
(#3 US; #49 AC)
"Angie," The Rolling Stones
(#1 US the week of Oct. 20, 1973; #38 AC; #5 UK)
Recent on the album chart (Sept. 1), New York Dolls (#213 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time [2004]), represented by the following track on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2004; #267):
"Personality Crisis," New York Dolls
And new on the boob tube:
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Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki page for the month.
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I may have shared this anecdote at some point in the past, but in 1992, my dad and I went to a Clinton rally in downtown Tampa. Jimmy Buffett performed a crowd-pleasing solo set on an acoustic guitar before the event. Clinton, as I'd learn he was notoriously prone to do, was running very late. Various local politicians took their turns at the podium trying to fill time with unplanned, uninspired speeches, and the crowd started getting pretty surly. Finally Jimmy mounted the stage again for an unscheduled second set, to uproarious applause! When Bill finally got there, one of the first things he said (quoted from imperfect memory) was, "I was listening on the radio on the way in, and let me just say that I'm glad I'm not running against my good friend Jimmy Buffett!"
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September 2
- J. R. R. Tolkien, 81, South African-born British writer who wrote the bestselling fantasy novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, died of a perforated ulcer. A requiem mass was held four days later at the chapel of St Anthony of Padua, Oxford.
- Died: Shirali Muslimov, Soviet Azerbaijani shepherd who claimed to be 168 years old of having been born in 1805
September 3
- Colonel Tom Parker, the longtime manager of Elvis Presley, quit after Presley's verbal criticism of the Hilton Hotels chain that was hosting the concert. Since 1956, Parker had been receiving more than one-half of Presley's earnings as compensation.
September 4
- U.S. Patent No. 3,757,306 for the single-chip microprocessor, invented by Gary W. Boone, was granted to Texas Instruments, which had used it to successfully operate the first hand-held calculator.
September 5
- Tropical Storm Delia became the first tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in the same city twice, when it returned to Freeport, Texas in the U.S., two days after its first visit.
- A group of five Palestinian terrorists seized the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Paris and held 15 employees hostage, demanding the release of Abu Daoud, leader of the Black September Organization that had carried out the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The terrorists eventually flew to Saudi Arabia, surrendering in Riyadh and releasing their hostages in on September 8. The operation, planned by Abu Nidal, succeeded in persuading the Kingdom of Jordan to release Daoud from prison two weeks later.
September 6
- The landmark class action case of Rajender v. University of Minnesota was filed by assistant professor of chemistry Shyamala Rajender after she had been turned down for a tenure-track position despite being recommended by several university committees, and would ultimately issue in a ruling enjoining the university from sexual discrimination against women.
September 8
- Baseball's Hank Aaron hit his 709th home run, a record for homers in a single league and five short of the 714 hit by Babe Ruth. The technicality was that Ruth had 708 home runs in the American League, and six in the National League, while all of Aaron's runs had been in the NL.
- Four years after the cancellation of the original Star Trek series, the science fiction program returned as a 30-minute Saturday morning cartoon, also called Star Trek, and subtitled "Created by Gene Roddenberry". Produced by Filmation studios, the program featured the voices of seven of the original actors (with the exception of Walter Koenig, who wrote one of the episodes but did not reprise his role as Ensign Chekov), and brought back several of the original scriptwriters. The animated series won an Emmy Award, but was cancelled after two seasons, though it helped revive the Star Trek franchise for the actors to be reunited in the 1979 film.
Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:
Leaving the chart:
- "Behind Closed Doors," Charlie Rich (19 weeks)
- "Shambala," Three Dog Night (16 weeks)
- "So Very Hard to Go," Tower of Power (18 weeks)
- "Yesterday Once More," Carpenters (14 weeks)
New on the chart:
"Nutbush City Limits," Ike & Tina Turner
(#22 US; #11 R&B; #4 UK)
"Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces," Cheech & Chong
(#15 US; #58 R&B)
"Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat," The DeFranco Family feat. Tony DeFranco
(#3 US; #49 AC)
"Angie," The Rolling Stones
(#1 US the week of Oct. 20, 1973; #38 AC; #5 UK)
Recent on the album chart (Sept. 1), New York Dolls (#213 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time [2004]), represented by the following track on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2004; #267):
"Personality Crisis," New York Dolls
And new on the boob tube:
- Super Friends, "The Power Pirate" (series premiere)
- Star Trek, "Beyond the Farthest Star" (animated series premiere)
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Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki page for the month.
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I may have shared this anecdote at some point in the past, but in 1992, my dad and I went to a Clinton rally in downtown Tampa. Jimmy Buffett performed a crowd-pleasing solo set on an acoustic guitar before the event. Clinton, as I'd learn he was notoriously prone to do, was running very late. Various local politicians took their turns at the podium trying to fill time with unplanned, uninspired speeches, and the crowd started getting pretty surly. Finally Jimmy mounted the stage again for an unscheduled second set, to uproarious applause! When Bill finally got there, one of the first things he said (quoted from imperfect memory) was, "I was listening on the radio on the way in, and let me just say that I'm glad I'm not running against my good friend Jimmy Buffett!"
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It didn't play that way as much to watch it...there was more tension and uncertainty.
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The Rolling Stones have announced a new album for the end of the year - "Hackney Diamonds"; the last to feature Charlie Watts on drums.
I'm always surprised to be reminded that he was alive in my lifetime. My brain has him labelled as an old-timey writer like Lord Dunsany or something.
What a negotiator.
I'm not familiar with this, but it's pretty good.
Not the best of Cheech & Chong.
Sounds like the 70s.
This has some nostalgic value. Actually, I think I remember it more from Lost 45s than I do from the times.Classic Stones.
Ah, the New York Dolls.
Kind of amazing to think they were around that early.I very well may have voted for him.
Yeah, I'm sure it was me inserting my own facetiousness.
Well, that was fun.
I wonder if it will be original material.
3-September-1973
First sessions for 'Band on the Run' begin with the recording of 'Ma Moonia' (working title of 'Mamunia'). For the basic take, Paul played a simple acoustic guitar and sang a guide vocal, with Laine accompanying on congas. Once they had a solid take, they moved on to overdubs. With the track completed, Paul set it aside to record the backing vocals at AIR Studios in London.
First sessions for 'Band on the Run' begin with the recording of 'Ma Moonia' (working title of 'Mamunia'). For the basic take, Paul played a simple acoustic guitar and sang a guide vocal, with Laine accompanying on congas. Once they had a solid take, they moved on to overdubs. With the track completed, Paul set it aside to record the backing vocals at AIR Studios in London.
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Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
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The Mod Squad
"Feet of Clay"
Originally aired December 14, 1971
Pete's taking the other Mods on a "shortcut" through East L.A. when they almost run over a young man, Vincent Emory (Little Desi), running toward a burning warehouse and breaking in. Emory locates an unconscious guard and tries to pull him out, the Mods helping him get the door open and Linc pulling out Vinnie, who seems to be in a state of shock. At the hospital, the doctor determines Vinnie's condition; and Greer's careful about the amount of attention he'll allow the Mods to receive from the gathering press. Pete and Julie slip out, and Linc is the one who ends up interviewed on TV by sensationalist newsman Bob Ross (Alan Oppenheimer, not the happy little tree painter). Vinnie returns home to a crowd of cheering neighbors, though he sees one unfriendly face that seems to disturb him (Kevin Dobson). Inside, as Vinnie's father (Robert Donner) and little brother Scooter (Gary Dubin) admire him, he starts going berserk and has them call Linc. Outside, Vinnie communicates his apprehensiveness about all of the attention to Linc via written notes (being able to fully converse that way with the help of his adeptness at lip-reading), indicating that he's afraid of something just as a car with its headlights off speeds by and shots are fired from it, Linc pulling Vinnie down.
Greer gets Pete and Julie a lunch wagon to keep an eye on the factory area where the fire happened; while Linc visits the Emory home to try to get more out of Vinnie...and has trouble holding down "unicorn milk" given to him by Scooter from a one-horned goat in back of the house. Ross drops in to wheel and deal about getting Vinnie to appear regularly on his show, selling it as an opportunity to raise money for charity. Meanwhile, in an auto garage, the unfriendly face, Howie, has to explain to his partner Morgan (Wayne Storm) how he botched the hit attempt, and Morgan insists that they can't allow Vinnie to talk. Morgan later confronts Vinnie on the streets of his neighborhood, and while Vinnie, who clearly knows him, attempts to communicate with his pad, Morgan comes after him with a blade, but has to run when a neighbor sees him.
Greer gives the Mods advance warning of a story that's breaking in the papers about a second watchman who was found in the warehouse with his head smashed in. Linc tries to question Vinnie about it, but Vinnie asks him to wait until the next day. Mr. Emory explains to Linc that he entertained Ross's offer because he feels that Vinnie deserves something more out of life. Vinnie disappears the next day; and Julie notices Howie hanging around the wagon site asking about Vinnie, so Pete tails him. After Linc pays a visit to the Emorys, Morgan comes after him, even as Howie is approaching with Pete on his tail. The Mods take down the duo and Greer pulls up to take them and their junior partner Ruben (Jerry Davis) into custody. Back inside, Scooter digs up a shoebox full of notes from Vinnie, which Linc scours through to find one describing a lakeside hiding place. Linc finds the spot, which turns out to be a blasting area. He spies Vinnie in the distance, oblivious to the whistles and explosions (the latter of which you'd think he'd be able to feel), and tries to signal him to hit the deck. Vinnie tries to shake Linc, but Linc catches up with him and pulls him to cover. Then Linc questions Vinnie about his involvement with the three others, and Vinnie writes on the ground to explain how he was stealing furs with them, and the fire was meant to cover the theft, but he ran back in to save the watchman (apparently not having known about the second one who was killed). Linc convinces him that Scooter, whom he was trying to protect, will be safe if he comes forward.
In the coda, Linc informs Mr. Emory that Vinnie should be getting out on probation, and gives an affectionate note from Vinnie to Scooter; then gets in the Challenger to drive off with the other Mods.
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Ironside
"Class of '57"
Originally aired December 16, 1971
They sure are doing a lot of Ed-centric episodes lately. Bernie Simmons (Charles Robinson) escapes from his own apartment as the police arrive to find a badly beaten Arthur Green (Fredd Wayne) and the place generally torn up. Lt. Reese comes to the Cave because Simmons was Ed's classmate. They're only a couple years off from Don Galloway's actual age here; and they show a yearbook photo of him, which is on the IMDb page. For some reason Fran's drawn to a picture of Ann Garfield, who has a history with Ed and happens to be the top-billed guest (Marlyn Mason). Ed goes to an auto repair shop to talk with an old football buddy named Frank (Alex Henteloff), who indicates that he last saw Bernie a few years back with Ann; and point Ed to Ann's friend Connie Richmond (Carol Shelyne), who tells Ed of how Ann's husband died a few years back in an accident, and shares her current address while encouraging Ed to hook up with her. Ed then calls on Ann, married name Compton, who's pleased to see him but has kids to pick up. She says that she's not sure what Bernie does for a living, but knows that he was trying to make a business deal with yet another classmate, Roger Jamenson.
At the hospital, Arthur Green doesn't want to talk about what happened, except to say that he was at the apartment on business. When Ed leaves, Green immediately calls a man named Herb to tell him that he caught Bernie skimming, arranges to bust out of the hospital, and implores Herb to silence Bernie before he spills his guts. Ed next calls on Jamenson (Jerry Fogel), now a successful businessman, who says Bernie had tried to borrow money from him to open a mobile catering business with still another classmate Steve Owen. (Did any of these people ever meet people after high school?) Ed proceeds to a lunch date with Ann, who plays up how Ed was her first love. Back on the job, Ed goes to see Owen (Gary Crosby), now a car salesman when he's not hassling Reed and Malloy, who indicates that Bernie had recruited Tony Moretti, already operating a food truck, to run the venture. Elsewhere, the Chief and Reese uncover that Green called Herb Peters, a bookie whom both he and Simmons were working for.
Ed visits Tony (Joseph Hindy), who claims not have seen Bernie, but is actually hiding him at his home. Having a family to think of, Tony has to put out Bernie, who's waiting for the bank to open on Monday because he has his pilfered $40,000 in a safe deposit box. After Bernie leaves, Ed returns with uniformed backup and takes Tony in. Fran goes to the restaurant where Ann works out of curiosity. Ed goes to Ann's Sunday morning to take her to breakfast, he makes the acquaintance of Tom Jr. and Eddie (Denis Jay and Christian Juttner), and they end up having a morning picnic instead. Green hits a payphone to inform Herb that he's found Bernie at a hotel. Sunday night at the Cave, the Chief informs Ed that they've learned from Moretti that Ann knew Bernie was working a racket, and that he'd given her a lot of money.
Monday morning, the Ironsidemobile tails Ann to a bank, which she exits with a package. Green tails Bernie to Ann's place, and the van tails her back there and spots Green on the sidewalk with a couple of heavies; Ed goes for a stroll to arrest them and take them back to the van. Ed then goes to Ann's and lets her know he's on business before pulling his gun and calling for Bernie to come out of hiding. Bernie tries to talk Ed into letting him go for old times' sake, but Ed proceeds with frisking and cuffing him, then has Ann retrieve the money. Ed's upset that she spent Sunday lying to him, but offers to pull strings with the DA so that he doesn't have to take her in, so long as she agrees to appear in court.
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At least Tony had a couple of groovy-looking older sisters.
However, adding these has caused me to decide to do something I'd toyed with in the past, particularly as my 50th anniversary viewing lineup became so weekend-heavy. I've decided not to simultaneously do shows that ran in the same timeslot, with the shows not covered as 50th anniversary viewing potentially to be revisited in hiatus season as "reruns". What that means for this season's lineup is a tough choice for the Saturday night 8:00 timeslot between Emergency! and All in the Family / M*A*S*H.
For me, the pros of choosing to cover Emergency! in 50th anniversary sync are a bit stronger:
On the other hand:
Would anybody have input regarding this?
Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
_______
The Mod Squad
"Feet of Clay"
Originally aired December 14, 1971
Wiki said:
Pete's taking the other Mods on a "shortcut" through East L.A. when they almost run over a young man, Vincent Emory (Little Desi), running toward a burning warehouse and breaking in. Emory locates an unconscious guard and tries to pull him out, the Mods helping him get the door open and Linc pulling out Vinnie, who seems to be in a state of shock. At the hospital, the doctor determines Vinnie's condition; and Greer's careful about the amount of attention he'll allow the Mods to receive from the gathering press. Pete and Julie slip out, and Linc is the one who ends up interviewed on TV by sensationalist newsman Bob Ross (Alan Oppenheimer, not the happy little tree painter). Vinnie returns home to a crowd of cheering neighbors, though he sees one unfriendly face that seems to disturb him (Kevin Dobson). Inside, as Vinnie's father (Robert Donner) and little brother Scooter (Gary Dubin) admire him, he starts going berserk and has them call Linc. Outside, Vinnie communicates his apprehensiveness about all of the attention to Linc via written notes (being able to fully converse that way with the help of his adeptness at lip-reading), indicating that he's afraid of something just as a car with its headlights off speeds by and shots are fired from it, Linc pulling Vinnie down.
Greer gets Pete and Julie a lunch wagon to keep an eye on the factory area where the fire happened; while Linc visits the Emory home to try to get more out of Vinnie...and has trouble holding down "unicorn milk" given to him by Scooter from a one-horned goat in back of the house. Ross drops in to wheel and deal about getting Vinnie to appear regularly on his show, selling it as an opportunity to raise money for charity. Meanwhile, in an auto garage, the unfriendly face, Howie, has to explain to his partner Morgan (Wayne Storm) how he botched the hit attempt, and Morgan insists that they can't allow Vinnie to talk. Morgan later confronts Vinnie on the streets of his neighborhood, and while Vinnie, who clearly knows him, attempts to communicate with his pad, Morgan comes after him with a blade, but has to run when a neighbor sees him.
Greer gives the Mods advance warning of a story that's breaking in the papers about a second watchman who was found in the warehouse with his head smashed in. Linc tries to question Vinnie about it, but Vinnie asks him to wait until the next day. Mr. Emory explains to Linc that he entertained Ross's offer because he feels that Vinnie deserves something more out of life. Vinnie disappears the next day; and Julie notices Howie hanging around the wagon site asking about Vinnie, so Pete tails him. After Linc pays a visit to the Emorys, Morgan comes after him, even as Howie is approaching with Pete on his tail. The Mods take down the duo and Greer pulls up to take them and their junior partner Ruben (Jerry Davis) into custody. Back inside, Scooter digs up a shoebox full of notes from Vinnie, which Linc scours through to find one describing a lakeside hiding place. Linc finds the spot, which turns out to be a blasting area. He spies Vinnie in the distance, oblivious to the whistles and explosions (the latter of which you'd think he'd be able to feel), and tries to signal him to hit the deck. Vinnie tries to shake Linc, but Linc catches up with him and pulls him to cover. Then Linc questions Vinnie about his involvement with the three others, and Vinnie writes on the ground to explain how he was stealing furs with them, and the fire was meant to cover the theft, but he ran back in to save the watchman (apparently not having known about the second one who was killed). Linc convinces him that Scooter, whom he was trying to protect, will be safe if he comes forward.
In the coda, Linc informs Mr. Emory that Vinnie should be getting out on probation, and gives an affectionate note from Vinnie to Scooter; then gets in the Challenger to drive off with the other Mods.
_______
Ironside
"Class of '57"
Originally aired December 16, 1971
Wiki said:
They sure are doing a lot of Ed-centric episodes lately. Bernie Simmons (Charles Robinson) escapes from his own apartment as the police arrive to find a badly beaten Arthur Green (Fredd Wayne) and the place generally torn up. Lt. Reese comes to the Cave because Simmons was Ed's classmate. They're only a couple years off from Don Galloway's actual age here; and they show a yearbook photo of him, which is on the IMDb page. For some reason Fran's drawn to a picture of Ann Garfield, who has a history with Ed and happens to be the top-billed guest (Marlyn Mason). Ed goes to an auto repair shop to talk with an old football buddy named Frank (Alex Henteloff), who indicates that he last saw Bernie a few years back with Ann; and point Ed to Ann's friend Connie Richmond (Carol Shelyne), who tells Ed of how Ann's husband died a few years back in an accident, and shares her current address while encouraging Ed to hook up with her. Ed then calls on Ann, married name Compton, who's pleased to see him but has kids to pick up. She says that she's not sure what Bernie does for a living, but knows that he was trying to make a business deal with yet another classmate, Roger Jamenson.
At the hospital, Arthur Green doesn't want to talk about what happened, except to say that he was at the apartment on business. When Ed leaves, Green immediately calls a man named Herb to tell him that he caught Bernie skimming, arranges to bust out of the hospital, and implores Herb to silence Bernie before he spills his guts. Ed next calls on Jamenson (Jerry Fogel), now a successful businessman, who says Bernie had tried to borrow money from him to open a mobile catering business with still another classmate Steve Owen. (Did any of these people ever meet people after high school?) Ed proceeds to a lunch date with Ann, who plays up how Ed was her first love. Back on the job, Ed goes to see Owen (Gary Crosby), now a car salesman when he's not hassling Reed and Malloy, who indicates that Bernie had recruited Tony Moretti, already operating a food truck, to run the venture. Elsewhere, the Chief and Reese uncover that Green called Herb Peters, a bookie whom both he and Simmons were working for.
Ed visits Tony (Joseph Hindy), who claims not have seen Bernie, but is actually hiding him at his home. Having a family to think of, Tony has to put out Bernie, who's waiting for the bank to open on Monday because he has his pilfered $40,000 in a safe deposit box. After Bernie leaves, Ed returns with uniformed backup and takes Tony in. Fran goes to the restaurant where Ann works out of curiosity. Ed goes to Ann's Sunday morning to take her to breakfast, he makes the acquaintance of Tom Jr. and Eddie (Denis Jay and Christian Juttner), and they end up having a morning picnic instead. Green hits a payphone to inform Herb that he's found Bernie at a hotel. Sunday night at the Cave, the Chief informs Ed that they've learned from Moretti that Ann knew Bernie was working a racket, and that he'd given her a lot of money.
Monday morning, the Ironsidemobile tails Ann to a bank, which she exits with a package. Green tails Bernie to Ann's place, and the van tails her back there and spots Green on the sidewalk with a couple of heavies; Ed goes for a stroll to arrest them and take them back to the van. Ed then goes to Ann's and lets her know he's on business before pulling his gun and calling for Bernie to come out of hiding. Bernie tries to talk Ed into letting him go for old times' sake, but Ed proceeds with frisking and cuffing him, then has Ann retrieve the money. Ed's upset that she spent Sunday lying to him, but offers to pull strings with the DA so that he doesn't have to take her in, so long as she agrees to appear in court.
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Which one?
One of their surprisingly few major crossover hits.
As previously discussed upthread, a parody of recent hit single "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness.
Good lord, Osmond clones!Sounds like the 70s.
At least Tony had a couple of groovy-looking older sisters.A good classic single in its own right, but by Stones standards, we're now entering what I've always perceived as something of a lull period.
I had no first-hand familiarity with them. They're notable for being an influential example of proto-punk, and from what I was reading, the music press was divided about them at the time. Some thought that they were totally amateurish, while others felt that they were exactly the shot in the arm that rock needed, and a good alternative to the excesses of album-oriented prog rock then going on.Ah, the New York Dolls.
Yes, we're now picking up some Saturday morning viewing. I'd always been planning to cover TAS when it came up; and in my first-hand experience of the era, SF became a Saturday morning staple once I discovered it, and was a key stepping stone in my growing obsession with superheroes. As I recall, first I discovered Batman reruns; then saw George Reeves coyly appearing as himself playing Superman on I Love Lucy; then came across Super Friends, with getting to see more of Superman being a major draw. I had to buy the season on iTunes, but the deal was sweetened when I discovered that these 16 episodes were all the Super Friends there'd be until 1977.
However, adding these has caused me to decide to do something I'd toyed with in the past, particularly as my 50th anniversary viewing lineup became so weekend-heavy. I've decided not to simultaneously do shows that ran in the same timeslot, with the shows not covered as 50th anniversary viewing potentially to be revisited in hiatus season as "reruns". What that means for this season's lineup is a tough choice for the Saturday night 8:00 timeslot between Emergency! and All in the Family / M*A*S*H.
For me, the pros of choosing to cover Emergency! in 50th anniversary sync are a bit stronger:
- Keep the Mark VII shows together.
- First-hand childhood preference.
- Better balance of dramas and sitcoms in the viewing lineup.
- I'm watching AITF via a streaming platform, so I won't have to re-record those for the hiatus season (though I will have to re-record M*A*S*H whenever they get back to Season 2 on MeTV).
On the other hand:
- AITF and M*A*S*H were both groundbreaking sitcoms.
- Both were higher-rated shows.
- Any topical references on AITF would be experienced after the fact.
Would anybody have input regarding this?
Sounds like the 70s.
Yeah. The only reason I know of this is through my 'Time Life' Collection.
Good lord, Osmond clones!
You have to wonder if this was something forced upon them by their parents based on the success of sibling groups like the Jackson's, the Osmonds and the Cowsills, or if they wanted to do it.
Missed opportunity for a Cheech & Chong crossover.
Presumably successfully, although he seems to disappear.
Or else they'll become celebrities, like Ironside.
The sidekick on Kojak.
So many amateurs.
I know nothing about this, but it seems there must be licensing or zoning issues or something. Plus, wasn't there already somebody there?
Okay, that was weird. I was kind of hoping Linc would get super unicorn powers or something.
Low blow, Morgan.
Didn't even need their stunt doubles to handle these losers.
The writer failed to put himself in the shoes of the character, but you'd think the actor would have caught that.
It seems odd that the other two would involve somebody with disabilities that could prove to be a liability.
I still want to know what's up with that unicorn.
Now there's a tenuous thread to draw in a main character.
Just Ed, apparently.
Until he was displaced by the Mods.
This is why I never go to reunions.
I meant the Colonel, but I suppose the sarcasm could apply to either one.
Ah, right.
Unfortunately, they seem to have pretty much gone nowhere.Good lord, Osmond clones!
What I should have said was "Sounds like the 80s," because I first heard of them in the early 80s when I was first exposed to Punk and New Wave stuff (a lot of which came from the late 70s). Also, one of the Dolls later turned into Buster Poindexter.
For me, the priority would probably be for nostalgia, especially since the other shows can be saved for re-run season.
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Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
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Ironside
"No Motive for Murder"
Originally aired December 23, 1971
This week we get our refresher on the Chief's service history. The team are discussing a case in the Cave when Ironside receives a visitor from Japan:
The Chief immediately knows who this ocean-trekker is there on behalf of when he hands Ironside a US Navy lighter. He explains that the man in question is in great danger, but has forbidden him to report it to the police. The Chief immediately arranges to fly to Tokyo, leaving Ed in charge.
Once in town, the Chief calls his old friend, Toshio Watari (James Shigeta in middle-age makeup), claiming to be in Japan on official business and wanting to visit, though his friend isn't enthusiastic about an in-person meeting. At the Watari home, Ironside acts surprised to learn that Toshio is now also in a wheelchair, after an auto accident a year prior that he hasn't mentioned in his letters, but the Chief has been filled in on. Not knowing that he summoned Ironside, Toshio introduces his son, Tsutomu. While Ironside gets reacquainted with Toshio, Tsutomu takes Mark outside to show him a tough-looking individual who has the place staked out, and whom he believes to have been an intruder that he scared off previously. Inside, the Chief learns that Toshio is no longer working in kabuki theater, even as an instructor; and something that Toshio says triggers a flashback to a group of commandos being captured by Japanese soldiers, led by James Shigeta out of makeup. (The flashbacks are largely from Ironside's first-person perspective, with occasional close-ups of his eyes.) In the here and now, Toshio says nothing of any attempts on him, and the Chief proceeds to visit an acquaintance in the Tokyo police, Saburo Tokahisa (Lloyd Kino), to bargain for access to files.
Ironside next visits another acquaintance, theater manager Mr. Watanabe (Bob Okazaki), to ask him why Toshio didn't stay with the kabuki. When he learns that Toshio refused to teach, the Chief speculates that somebody may have forced him to leave the theater, first with threats, and then by running him down. While Tsutomu looks through a massive mugshot book for the driver, Ironside visits the local DMV to identify the stakeout car's owner under the pretense of wanting to return a lost package...flashing his badge to assure the supervisor ([Dale] Ishimoto) that he's not up to anything illegal. They track down the car, but see another man getting into it. Back at the Watari home, a photo of Toshio's unit triggers another flashback, of Ironside being interrogated by another soldier for details of the invasion that he's scouting for. Like the previous flashback, this is accompanied by occasional flashes of blood dropping on a light surface. Back in the present, Ironside questions why Watari isn't more active, but Toshio doesn't want to discuss the matter; so they talk for a bit about Tsutomu and Watari's other son, Shinji. As Ironside's leaving, he sees that somebody is hiding behind a screen, and turns quickly in his chair to trip the armed man, who runs out. Toshio forbids Ironside to report an intruder in his home, so the Chief calls to report an assault on himself.
Tokahisa comes to the house, where Toshio insists that the suspect was just a thief after his art, and that not reporting such things is a matter of pride, as he doesn't want public attention brought to his current condition. When Ironside questions why a thief would need to carry a gun to steal from a man in a wheelchair, Toshio shows them his gun collection, which includes his old service pistol. This triggers another flashback, of Lt. Watari taking his turn at playing the good interrogator, though Lt. Ironside continues to only divulge name, rank, and serial number; this flash being accompanied by close-ups of the service pistol being fired. In a car afterward, the Chief fills in Saburo about what's going on; back at HQ, the driver/stalker is identified as Akio Nakimura (uncredited Bill Saito), wanted for narcotics and extortion; and the Chief shares with Tokahisa info about the owner of the car that Nakimura used. At their hotel, Mark questions why the Chief is continuing to try to help a friend who refuses to accept his help...which causes the Chief to flash to Lt. Watari making a mercy visit with water, ostensibly behind his major's back...but Lt. Ironside keeps their relationship strictly on a name, rank, and serial number basis.
At HQ, Tokahisa reveals that he's been digging into Watari and discovered that his sons have the most to benefit from his death--a considerable amount of life insurance; and that Shinji, who hasn't spoken to his father in years, is currently working in Tokyo. Ironside goes to see him (Irvin Paik) at his job as a commercial artist, which he indicates his father wouldn't approve of, while also referencing differences with his brother, who's conforms better to his father's expectations. Nevertheless, he's defensive at being considered a suspect in murder attempts on his father. Back at Ironside's hotel room, Tokahisa gets a call that Nakimura was found in his digs but shot while resisting arrest. Found on the scene are 400,000 yen, making it seem he was hired, and a professionally drawn floorplan with three numbers on it, separated by hyphens.
Ironside goes to see Toshio, asks to put money in the safe, and then announces the combination; following which he asks for an envelope, and shows that it matches the type that Nakimura's money was in. When the Chief floats the theory that Watari's sons could be conspiring against him, Toshio admits the truth--Are you ready for this?--that he was the one who hired Nakimura to kill him, so that his sons could collect his life insurance! Toshio tries to convince Ironside to say nothing so that he can eventually carry out his plan. Mention of Ironside possibly owing Toshio a debt triggers a flashback of the US Navy invading the island, and Lt. Watari going in to see Ironside and firing his gun to the side, to make his superiors think that he killed the prisoner as ordered. In the present, Ironside tries to convince Toshio to go back to work and live for the sake of his sons. A final flashback ensues, in which the shoe is on the other foot, as Lt. Watari reports as a POW to Lt. Ironside, who thanks Watari and offers to write to his family, while giving him the lighter. Cut to Ironside revealing the lighter in the present, and how Tsutomu came to America to bring it to him, out of concern for his father; and adding his deduction that Shinji took his current job to pay for the trip. Made to see that his sons still need him as a living father, Toshio acts more receptive to the idea of going back to work for the theater, and drinks with his old friend...each addressing the other as Lieutenant.
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Ironside
"But When She Was Bad,..."
Originally aired December 30, 1971
While a dissonantly energetic version of the main theme plays, Ed is present to badger Roy Lewis (Dane Clark) as he's being released from state prison after serving five years for a liquor store robbery that's believed to have been an alibi for a higher-stakes payroll robbery in which a cop was killed. Ed lets Lewis know that Ironside is watching for him to retrieve the payroll money. When Lewis is picked up by Frank Bender (Len Lesser), he expresses that he can't afford to be patient about making the inevitable withdrawal. The awkwardly energetic and repetitive soundtrack continues over the post-opening episode credits over a scene of the Ironsidemobile on the movie...it's like DVD menu music repeating over and over. Inside, the music stays high-tempo but jazzier as the team talks about it being Fran's birthday and a stakeout of Lewis. (I later read on IMDb that this was Quincy Jones's full version of the Ironside theme, which a reviewer praised the use of. IMO, it completely clashed with the scenes that it was playing over.) They think a car is following them, which Mark tries to shake and eventually lets pass. Then a second car speeds past them, takes shots at the first, and runs it off the road--while we see that the first car is being driven by Suzanne Pleshette! Her character seems unhurt...as does her car, which the Chief eyes suspiciously before the team takes her to the hospital. She identifies herself as Shelly Hampton, and the team deduce that she's new in town from the fact that she's living at the Y, but she denies that she's on the run from trouble back home. The Chief arranges for Fran to put her up, despite Fran expressing to Mark that she doesn't trust the woman. (Around here they even use a fast-paced instrumental version of "Growing Up Is Hard to Do" from "Dear Fran..."...it's like they were in a rush to score the episode and just threw in anything they could find anywhere they could put it.) When Fran takes Shelly to the Y to get her clothes, Fran gives her the slip and reports back to Lewis that Fran is suspicious of her.
We learn that the plan is to get her close to Ironside so that Lewis can have him hit while making it look like an attempt on her. When Shelly expresses her admiration for Ironside's keen mind and charitability, Lewis warns her not to get any ideas, and gives her a gun to use on Ironside as a last resort. She returns with her bag, pretending not to have been able to find Fran. At Fran's place, Ironside continues to make a lot of noise about Shelly being among friends and needing to confide in them, while she makes a show of keeping her cynical/jaded barriers up. While they're out on Fran's balcony, Bender is aiming at the Chief with a rifle from an adjacent rooftop, but Shelly knowingly blocks the shot. Having noticed the pigeons on the other rooftop making too much noise, the Chief declares that Shelly will now be staying at his place. Shelly gets a call from Lewis, who tells her that now she'll have to use the gun. While Shelly's moving into Mark's room, Fran reports that her identity and history don't check out, and the Chief reveals that he's ahead of Fran, having gotten her fingerprints and identified her as Shelly Kingman, a small-time crook from Dallas with a record for theft and solicitation. The Chief believes that if her story is phony, than so are the attempts on her life--an examination of her car having turned up no evidence of the gunfire that missed her having hit anything else, indicating that blanks were used.
The Chief sees Lt. Reese to get in touch with Dallas police regarding Shelly Kingman; and Reese shares that there's HQ gossip about Ironside's interest in her. Back at the Cave, Shelly sees Bender staking the place out from across the street, and goes into the Chief's room with her gun-concealing handbag, only to find him up and in his chair. She briefly tries to come onto him, but he doesn't respond; instead laying the cards on the table that he knows who she really is and encouraging her to let them help her fight the people who are using her. Shelly runs out, checks into a fleabag motel, and drowns herself in a bottle of cheap liquor. (There's an awkward bit of editing business here where she apparently carries the bagged bottle in, but ends up sitting on her bed in the darkness and grabbing it from a shelf that we didn't see her put it on...making it look like she was drinking from a bottle that somebody else left there.) At HQ, fingerprints on the abandoned attack car's door handle implicate Bender, a known associate of Lewis. The Chief visits Lewis's room as he's packing up, and confronts him with what he's learned about how a former cellmate of Lewis's is now in Texas and has leverage on Shelly from when she accidentally killed a man with a mickey while trying to roll him...which was never reported, yet somehow the Chief knows about it. Then the two of them fence a bit about whose side Shelly's really on.
Shelly wakes up with a hangover to find the team assembled in her room. The others walk out and leave her with the Chief, who maneuvers her into admitting that she let him get under her defenses. Lewis climbs in the window planning to shoot both of them, but Ed follows him in and nabs him. As Lewis is being dragged out, the Chief indicates that he doesn't care about retrieving the money, so long as he's got Lewis. Shelly decides to head home.
Now this one was a very awkward watch. In addition to the annoying soundtrack business, the episode played a little too soap opera-ish.
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Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
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Ironside
"No Motive for Murder"
Originally aired December 23, 1971
Wiki said:
This week we get our refresher on the Chief's service history. The team are discussing a case in the Cave when Ironside receives a visitor from Japan:
The Chief immediately knows who this ocean-trekker is there on behalf of when he hands Ironside a US Navy lighter. He explains that the man in question is in great danger, but has forbidden him to report it to the police. The Chief immediately arranges to fly to Tokyo, leaving Ed in charge.
Ed: We were working on a top-priority case. What outranks that?
The Chief: The murder of a top-priority friend.
The Chief: The murder of a top-priority friend.
Once in town, the Chief calls his old friend, Toshio Watari (James Shigeta in middle-age makeup), claiming to be in Japan on official business and wanting to visit, though his friend isn't enthusiastic about an in-person meeting. At the Watari home, Ironside acts surprised to learn that Toshio is now also in a wheelchair, after an auto accident a year prior that he hasn't mentioned in his letters, but the Chief has been filled in on. Not knowing that he summoned Ironside, Toshio introduces his son, Tsutomu. While Ironside gets reacquainted with Toshio, Tsutomu takes Mark outside to show him a tough-looking individual who has the place staked out, and whom he believes to have been an intruder that he scared off previously. Inside, the Chief learns that Toshio is no longer working in kabuki theater, even as an instructor; and something that Toshio says triggers a flashback to a group of commandos being captured by Japanese soldiers, led by James Shigeta out of makeup. (The flashbacks are largely from Ironside's first-person perspective, with occasional close-ups of his eyes.) In the here and now, Toshio says nothing of any attempts on him, and the Chief proceeds to visit an acquaintance in the Tokyo police, Saburo Tokahisa (Lloyd Kino), to bargain for access to files.
Ironside next visits another acquaintance, theater manager Mr. Watanabe (Bob Okazaki), to ask him why Toshio didn't stay with the kabuki. When he learns that Toshio refused to teach, the Chief speculates that somebody may have forced him to leave the theater, first with threats, and then by running him down. While Tsutomu looks through a massive mugshot book for the driver, Ironside visits the local DMV to identify the stakeout car's owner under the pretense of wanting to return a lost package...flashing his badge to assure the supervisor ([Dale] Ishimoto) that he's not up to anything illegal. They track down the car, but see another man getting into it. Back at the Watari home, a photo of Toshio's unit triggers another flashback, of Ironside being interrogated by another soldier for details of the invasion that he's scouting for. Like the previous flashback, this is accompanied by occasional flashes of blood dropping on a light surface. Back in the present, Ironside questions why Watari isn't more active, but Toshio doesn't want to discuss the matter; so they talk for a bit about Tsutomu and Watari's other son, Shinji. As Ironside's leaving, he sees that somebody is hiding behind a screen, and turns quickly in his chair to trip the armed man, who runs out. Toshio forbids Ironside to report an intruder in his home, so the Chief calls to report an assault on himself.
Tokahisa comes to the house, where Toshio insists that the suspect was just a thief after his art, and that not reporting such things is a matter of pride, as he doesn't want public attention brought to his current condition. When Ironside questions why a thief would need to carry a gun to steal from a man in a wheelchair, Toshio shows them his gun collection, which includes his old service pistol. This triggers another flashback, of Lt. Watari taking his turn at playing the good interrogator, though Lt. Ironside continues to only divulge name, rank, and serial number; this flash being accompanied by close-ups of the service pistol being fired. In a car afterward, the Chief fills in Saburo about what's going on; back at HQ, the driver/stalker is identified as Akio Nakimura (uncredited Bill Saito), wanted for narcotics and extortion; and the Chief shares with Tokahisa info about the owner of the car that Nakimura used. At their hotel, Mark questions why the Chief is continuing to try to help a friend who refuses to accept his help...which causes the Chief to flash to Lt. Watari making a mercy visit with water, ostensibly behind his major's back...but Lt. Ironside keeps their relationship strictly on a name, rank, and serial number basis.
At HQ, Tokahisa reveals that he's been digging into Watari and discovered that his sons have the most to benefit from his death--a considerable amount of life insurance; and that Shinji, who hasn't spoken to his father in years, is currently working in Tokyo. Ironside goes to see him (Irvin Paik) at his job as a commercial artist, which he indicates his father wouldn't approve of, while also referencing differences with his brother, who's conforms better to his father's expectations. Nevertheless, he's defensive at being considered a suspect in murder attempts on his father. Back at Ironside's hotel room, Tokahisa gets a call that Nakimura was found in his digs but shot while resisting arrest. Found on the scene are 400,000 yen, making it seem he was hired, and a professionally drawn floorplan with three numbers on it, separated by hyphens.
Ironside goes to see Toshio, asks to put money in the safe, and then announces the combination; following which he asks for an envelope, and shows that it matches the type that Nakimura's money was in. When the Chief floats the theory that Watari's sons could be conspiring against him, Toshio admits the truth--Are you ready for this?--that he was the one who hired Nakimura to kill him, so that his sons could collect his life insurance! Toshio tries to convince Ironside to say nothing so that he can eventually carry out his plan. Mention of Ironside possibly owing Toshio a debt triggers a flashback of the US Navy invading the island, and Lt. Watari going in to see Ironside and firing his gun to the side, to make his superiors think that he killed the prisoner as ordered. In the present, Ironside tries to convince Toshio to go back to work and live for the sake of his sons. A final flashback ensues, in which the shoe is on the other foot, as Lt. Watari reports as a POW to Lt. Ironside, who thanks Watari and offers to write to his family, while giving him the lighter. Cut to Ironside revealing the lighter in the present, and how Tsutomu came to America to bring it to him, out of concern for his father; and adding his deduction that Shinji took his current job to pay for the trip. Made to see that his sons still need him as a living father, Toshio acts more receptive to the idea of going back to work for the theater, and drinks with his old friend...each addressing the other as Lieutenant.
_______
Ironside
"But When She Was Bad,..."
Originally aired December 30, 1971
Wiki said:
While a dissonantly energetic version of the main theme plays, Ed is present to badger Roy Lewis (Dane Clark) as he's being released from state prison after serving five years for a liquor store robbery that's believed to have been an alibi for a higher-stakes payroll robbery in which a cop was killed. Ed lets Lewis know that Ironside is watching for him to retrieve the payroll money. When Lewis is picked up by Frank Bender (Len Lesser), he expresses that he can't afford to be patient about making the inevitable withdrawal. The awkwardly energetic and repetitive soundtrack continues over the post-opening episode credits over a scene of the Ironsidemobile on the movie...it's like DVD menu music repeating over and over. Inside, the music stays high-tempo but jazzier as the team talks about it being Fran's birthday and a stakeout of Lewis. (I later read on IMDb that this was Quincy Jones's full version of the Ironside theme, which a reviewer praised the use of. IMO, it completely clashed with the scenes that it was playing over.) They think a car is following them, which Mark tries to shake and eventually lets pass. Then a second car speeds past them, takes shots at the first, and runs it off the road--while we see that the first car is being driven by Suzanne Pleshette! Her character seems unhurt...as does her car, which the Chief eyes suspiciously before the team takes her to the hospital. She identifies herself as Shelly Hampton, and the team deduce that she's new in town from the fact that she's living at the Y, but she denies that she's on the run from trouble back home. The Chief arranges for Fran to put her up, despite Fran expressing to Mark that she doesn't trust the woman. (Around here they even use a fast-paced instrumental version of "Growing Up Is Hard to Do" from "Dear Fran..."...it's like they were in a rush to score the episode and just threw in anything they could find anywhere they could put it.) When Fran takes Shelly to the Y to get her clothes, Fran gives her the slip and reports back to Lewis that Fran is suspicious of her.
We learn that the plan is to get her close to Ironside so that Lewis can have him hit while making it look like an attempt on her. When Shelly expresses her admiration for Ironside's keen mind and charitability, Lewis warns her not to get any ideas, and gives her a gun to use on Ironside as a last resort. She returns with her bag, pretending not to have been able to find Fran. At Fran's place, Ironside continues to make a lot of noise about Shelly being among friends and needing to confide in them, while she makes a show of keeping her cynical/jaded barriers up. While they're out on Fran's balcony, Bender is aiming at the Chief with a rifle from an adjacent rooftop, but Shelly knowingly blocks the shot. Having noticed the pigeons on the other rooftop making too much noise, the Chief declares that Shelly will now be staying at his place. Shelly gets a call from Lewis, who tells her that now she'll have to use the gun. While Shelly's moving into Mark's room, Fran reports that her identity and history don't check out, and the Chief reveals that he's ahead of Fran, having gotten her fingerprints and identified her as Shelly Kingman, a small-time crook from Dallas with a record for theft and solicitation. The Chief believes that if her story is phony, than so are the attempts on her life--an examination of her car having turned up no evidence of the gunfire that missed her having hit anything else, indicating that blanks were used.
The Chief sees Lt. Reese to get in touch with Dallas police regarding Shelly Kingman; and Reese shares that there's HQ gossip about Ironside's interest in her. Back at the Cave, Shelly sees Bender staking the place out from across the street, and goes into the Chief's room with her gun-concealing handbag, only to find him up and in his chair. She briefly tries to come onto him, but he doesn't respond; instead laying the cards on the table that he knows who she really is and encouraging her to let them help her fight the people who are using her. Shelly runs out, checks into a fleabag motel, and drowns herself in a bottle of cheap liquor. (There's an awkward bit of editing business here where she apparently carries the bagged bottle in, but ends up sitting on her bed in the darkness and grabbing it from a shelf that we didn't see her put it on...making it look like she was drinking from a bottle that somebody else left there.) At HQ, fingerprints on the abandoned attack car's door handle implicate Bender, a known associate of Lewis. The Chief visits Lewis's room as he's packing up, and confronts him with what he's learned about how a former cellmate of Lewis's is now in Texas and has leverage on Shelly from when she accidentally killed a man with a mickey while trying to roll him...which was never reported, yet somehow the Chief knows about it. Then the two of them fence a bit about whose side Shelly's really on.
Shelly wakes up with a hangover to find the team assembled in her room. The others walk out and leave her with the Chief, who maneuvers her into admitting that she let him get under her defenses. Lewis climbs in the window planning to shoot both of them, but Ed follows him in and nabs him. As Lewis is being dragged out, the Chief indicates that he doesn't care about retrieving the money, so long as he's got Lewis. Shelly decides to head home.
Now this one was a very awkward watch. In addition to the annoying soundtrack business, the episode played a little too soap opera-ish.
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Oh yeah, he got pulled out, hence Vinnie being treated like a hero. Basically, by the time Vinnie got him to the warehouse door, Vinnie himself needed to be pulled out.Presumably successfully, although he seems to disappear.
Greer knows how to make these things happen!
It was a goat in the backyard that Scooter liked to pretend was a unicorn. Linc trying to humor the kid when he clearly wanted to spit the milk out was a cute bit of business. Scooter also had the endearing habit of referring to his new friend as "Mr. Linc".
The doubles were in it, at least Linc's; but it wasn't a very noteworthy fight by Mod Double standards.
You found the connection that wasn't coming to me.
I did not know that.
That would probably mean prioritizing Emergency!, then.
We lost another one today - Gary Wright. Here are his appearances on 'The Midnight Special'.
He was good friends with George Harrison and appeared on many of his solo albums playing keyboards.
He was good friends with George Harrison and appeared on many of his solo albums playing keyboards.
Oh, my!
Balancing out the Ed-centric episodes.
Toshio should know that Ironside knows all.
Another amateur.
Which he is, since he's accessing personal information.
I wonder what invasion this was. I was thinking that this might also be the beginning of his connection with Korea, but I don't think the US entered Korea until Japan surrendered. More likely he also served with the occupying force after the war.
I wonder why dad wouldn't approve, since he's an artist himself. Maybe the son draws comics.
Where did Toshio find this guy?
There must have been something in the air.
Well, that was certainly a high point for the show. Very touching, and hardly a quibble to be found.
Isn't that harassment?
Weird. Maybe it was a contractual obligation or something.
Okay, things are looking up.
Also weird. You'd think they'd have more appropriate generic stock music to draw upon. Maybe it was Assistant Editor's Month.
Like that setup wouldn't fall apart within ten seconds of being successful.
That was her thing before Bob Newhart. She was real good at it.
What is it with all the amateurs?
Sitting in the dark, the blinking motel sign the only source of light.....
Unofficial sources.
That must have been quite a moment.
That's a shame, after that great Japan episode and with a guest star like Suzanne Pleshette.
He sure does.
Aww, cute.
Always working at it.
The sole reason that I know that is that the video for "Hot Hot Hot" had a little prelude where he talked about being in the Dolls.
That's probably the way I'd go.
Oh, what a shame. I loved both of those songs.
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Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
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The Mod Squad
"I Am My Brother's Keeper"
Originally aired January 4, 1972
Harry Ayres (Skip Ward) is let out in front of his home by his mistress, Janet Thompson (Brooke Mills), to be confronted inside about his affair by his wife, Betty (Linda Marsh). She eavesdrops as he makes a bedroom phone call to Pete, who's holed up in a shabby room, in which Ayres agrees to come forward about something for the good of his fellow dock workers in exchange for a guarantee of protection. As Pete's arriving at the scene of their nighttime dockyard rendezvous, Harry finds himself caught in a car's headlights and shot. As the car speeds away from the scene, it sideswipes Pete, leaving him sprawled on the pavement.
At the hospital, Dr. Freilich (John Kerr) tells the Mods that Pete's suffered a mild concussion (because he's gotta catch up with Linc's score). Pete demands to know what happened to Harry, and upon being informed by Greer, considers himself responsible (again). Greer explains to the others how Pete was assigned to an attempted hostile takeover of the dock unions by the Syndicate. Meanwhile, at Stately Syndicate Boss Manor, Milton Shermer (Guy Stockwell) confronts Dave Derman (Jack Ging) about how he blew the hit because Pete's still alive; though Dave, not acting like a hardened killer, tries to blow off the kid as a nobody who can't identify him. Back at the hospital, Pete gets dressed and walks out without the okay of the doctor, who's waiting for a second set of X-rays. Pete attends Harry's funeral in his dockside rendezvous clothes, trying to talk to the widow for info, but she doesn't want to be bothered by him, and he's escorted out by Derman, who seems to know her. Back at Shermer's place, he orders Derman to hit Pete.
The other Mods find Janet at the lounge where she works as a waitress, asking her about Harry and Pete (though I'm not sure how they'd know about her). They're watching her leave when she's confronted by a desperate-acting Pete in the parking lot. Linc runs toward Pete and he has a hallucinatory episode, making Linc engage him in a dockyard chase. Pete hides in a warehouse, holding his temple, then comes out, claiming that he didn't recognize Linc...which he then tries to blow it off, asking Linc to give him a couple of days to work the case; though Linc can see that he doesn't look well. When Linc calls in, Greer has him and Julie meet him at the hospital, where the doctor informs them that Pete has a blood clot at the base of his skull that could cause short-term personality changes and will result in long-term brain damage if not treated within 36 hours--Beat that, Linc!
Sweaty, panting Pete forces his way into Janet's place, accusing her of setting Harry up to be killed. She tearfully claims to have loved Harry and been severely affected by his death; then answers questions about what Harry was doing before he died. When he leaves, she makes a call to confront the person on the other end about how she knows who was there when Harry called Pete. A bit later, Greer and the others arrive at Janet's place to find her dead...leading them to consider whether Pete may have been responsible. Derman and his sidekick, Tommy Pearl (Junero Jennings), stake out Betty's hair salon to see Pete going in. He starts seeing things in Stoned Vision again and confronts her about how she's the only one who could have overheard the call. Derman and Pearl take him out to their car pretending to be police. Not in a condition to ask to see their badges, Pete desperately convinces them who he is and who he works for. They take him out of the car at gunpoint in an isolated stretch of dockside and he makes a break for it, taking Pearl back out of the episode with one punch. A game of hide and go seek with gunfire ensues, with Pete eventually getting the drop on Derman, questioning him with his own silenced gun, and demanding to see his boss...like a brain-damaged proto-Karen.
Greer learns how Pete was picked up by men posing as cops and runs down the vehicle. Derman takes Pete to Stately Syndicate Boss Manor, where Pete gets Shermer at gunpoint in his tennis outfit. Pete forces them both inside and tries to use the phone, but collapses. Meanwhile, Linc drops in on Betty while she's packed up to leave, trying to get info from her by doing his stoic thing, which leads her to believe that he's there to silence her. She consults her address book, dials Shermer, and Linc locks her in a closet, then calls Greer to meet him at Shermer's address. Shermer and Derman are dragging Pete to Derman's car when Linc drives up, Derman fires at him and is run into by the car, and Stunt Linc leaps out of the convertible to give Derman his patented flying drop kick. Greer arrives in a patrol car while Linc goes after Shermer, taking the boss out with a choke hold by his pool. Then Linc goes back to see to Pete with Greer, the two of them helping to load him onto a stretcher when the ambulance arrives.
In the coda, a wheelchair-bound Pete is recovering on the Community Hospital grounds when Greer tries to bring him stuffed grape leaves, which Pete rebuffs by laughingly requesting that his fellow Mods wheel him back to his room.
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Ironside
"Unreasonable Facsimile"
Originally aired January 6, 1972
Ironside reviews footage of a bank heist using the distinctive theatrical M.O. of former Hollywood makeup man Harry Grenadine (Burgess Meredith), whom he got out on parole. Grenadine's M.O. included dressing loudly, wearing a fake scar on his face, using a fake wooden gun, and staging a showy diversion--such as the current robbery's anti-pollution protest march with marchers wearing robes and gas masks. The Chief talks to his parole officer, Mitch Carlin (Myron Healey), for a rundown on his activities; and later describes to Mark how Grenadine ultimately let himself get caught because he wanted credit for his robberies. The Chief then goes to see Harry where he's living with his daughter, Ellen Packer (Susan Seaforth), and son-in-law, George (Bernie Kopell). While Harry acts happy to see them and answer their questions, George is openly defensive. The Chief informs Harry that a bank was just robbed that afternoon by somebody using his distinctive M.O. After the Chief leaves, Harry drops his pleasant demeanor and accuses George of being a fool; after which George goes out to the van to apologize. The Chief notes to Mark afterward that both are actors.
Ed talks to an old man in the park (Russell Thorson) to check out Harry's alibi abut feeding pigeons; and Fran talks to a woman (Louise Truax) who saw him window shopping; while the Chief and Mark find the robber's disguise discarded nearby. The team consider how George would be familiar enough with Harry's M.O. to mimic it. Ed tails Harry and finds him entering an illegal poker game. Elsewhere, a man in an obvious disguise sets a trash fire outside a bank, and the team inspect the footage afterward, determining that the robbery occurred while Harry was supposed to have been at the poker game. They tell Harry about the latest robbery and ask him to prove where he was at the time, for which he gives them a story, while explaining his ability to buy a new color TV on having indirectly bet on a horse. The Chief knows that he's lying, but needs to determine if it was just to cover his parole violation.
Feature writer Joyce Manion (Susan Stafford) visits the Cave with a threat to report the Chief's involvement with Harry's parole and continued freedom. The Chief warns her of libel...against Harry; but reveals afterward that he actually wants the story written to motivate Harry to be more forward about who could be imitating him. The team reviews files of other ex-inmates who were tutored by Harry in his arts, pausing on his cellmate, Frank Clawson (Frank Aletter)--Red Alert, he's the #2 billed guest and at 2/3 of the way into the episode was only seen briefly at the poker game! Ed returns to the poker-hosting boarding house room pretending to be conducting a survey, and is turned away by Clawson. Ed later tails Harry as he's picking up the paper with the story in it. An upset Harry proceeds to Clawson's rooming house with the paper to confront him about how he was absent when the robberies occurred. Clawson pulls a gun out of his drawer and ties Harry to a chair, then puts on a hippie disguise while sharing that he plans to pull one more job before splitting town, and confessing that he fixed the games in Harry's favor so that he'd keep coming back.
When Clawson uncuffs Harry to take him to a more secure hiding spot, Harry fights him but gets knocked out; Frank hides him gagged in a trunk in a storage closet. When Ed and a couple of other detectives go to Clawson's door, he slips out to the roof. The overly energetic and repetitive full Ironside theme plays again as one of the detectives searches the place with the help of the landlady, and the Chief and Mark tail Clawson in his disguise. Guided by the Chief, Ed intercepts Clawson and frisks him; but they still need to find the money and Harry. The Chief finds the trunk key and is on the scene to give Harry some encouraging words as he's being carried out to an ambulance while suffering from oxygen deprivation.
In the coda, Harry agrees to testify in exchange for being let off the hook for his parole violation; and Joyce shows up at the Cave to apologize to Harry for the write-up, but he tells her that it's one of the best write-ups he's ever gotten, people having come up to him for autographs afterward. Meredith actually ends the episode doing something that sounds very much like his Penguin laugh, which I have to think was deliberate. (He's also off camera while doing it, making it possible that it was added after the fact.)
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Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
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The Mod Squad
"I Am My Brother's Keeper"
Originally aired January 4, 1972
Frndly said:
Harry Ayres (Skip Ward) is let out in front of his home by his mistress, Janet Thompson (Brooke Mills), to be confronted inside about his affair by his wife, Betty (Linda Marsh). She eavesdrops as he makes a bedroom phone call to Pete, who's holed up in a shabby room, in which Ayres agrees to come forward about something for the good of his fellow dock workers in exchange for a guarantee of protection. As Pete's arriving at the scene of their nighttime dockyard rendezvous, Harry finds himself caught in a car's headlights and shot. As the car speeds away from the scene, it sideswipes Pete, leaving him sprawled on the pavement.
At the hospital, Dr. Freilich (John Kerr) tells the Mods that Pete's suffered a mild concussion (because he's gotta catch up with Linc's score). Pete demands to know what happened to Harry, and upon being informed by Greer, considers himself responsible (again). Greer explains to the others how Pete was assigned to an attempted hostile takeover of the dock unions by the Syndicate. Meanwhile, at Stately Syndicate Boss Manor, Milton Shermer (Guy Stockwell) confronts Dave Derman (Jack Ging) about how he blew the hit because Pete's still alive; though Dave, not acting like a hardened killer, tries to blow off the kid as a nobody who can't identify him. Back at the hospital, Pete gets dressed and walks out without the okay of the doctor, who's waiting for a second set of X-rays. Pete attends Harry's funeral in his dockside rendezvous clothes, trying to talk to the widow for info, but she doesn't want to be bothered by him, and he's escorted out by Derman, who seems to know her. Back at Shermer's place, he orders Derman to hit Pete.
The other Mods find Janet at the lounge where she works as a waitress, asking her about Harry and Pete (though I'm not sure how they'd know about her). They're watching her leave when she's confronted by a desperate-acting Pete in the parking lot. Linc runs toward Pete and he has a hallucinatory episode, making Linc engage him in a dockyard chase. Pete hides in a warehouse, holding his temple, then comes out, claiming that he didn't recognize Linc...which he then tries to blow it off, asking Linc to give him a couple of days to work the case; though Linc can see that he doesn't look well. When Linc calls in, Greer has him and Julie meet him at the hospital, where the doctor informs them that Pete has a blood clot at the base of his skull that could cause short-term personality changes and will result in long-term brain damage if not treated within 36 hours--Beat that, Linc!
Sweaty, panting Pete forces his way into Janet's place, accusing her of setting Harry up to be killed. She tearfully claims to have loved Harry and been severely affected by his death; then answers questions about what Harry was doing before he died. When he leaves, she makes a call to confront the person on the other end about how she knows who was there when Harry called Pete. A bit later, Greer and the others arrive at Janet's place to find her dead...leading them to consider whether Pete may have been responsible. Derman and his sidekick, Tommy Pearl (Junero Jennings), stake out Betty's hair salon to see Pete going in. He starts seeing things in Stoned Vision again and confronts her about how she's the only one who could have overheard the call. Derman and Pearl take him out to their car pretending to be police. Not in a condition to ask to see their badges, Pete desperately convinces them who he is and who he works for. They take him out of the car at gunpoint in an isolated stretch of dockside and he makes a break for it, taking Pearl back out of the episode with one punch. A game of hide and go seek with gunfire ensues, with Pete eventually getting the drop on Derman, questioning him with his own silenced gun, and demanding to see his boss...like a brain-damaged proto-Karen.
Greer learns how Pete was picked up by men posing as cops and runs down the vehicle. Derman takes Pete to Stately Syndicate Boss Manor, where Pete gets Shermer at gunpoint in his tennis outfit. Pete forces them both inside and tries to use the phone, but collapses. Meanwhile, Linc drops in on Betty while she's packed up to leave, trying to get info from her by doing his stoic thing, which leads her to believe that he's there to silence her. She consults her address book, dials Shermer, and Linc locks her in a closet, then calls Greer to meet him at Shermer's address. Shermer and Derman are dragging Pete to Derman's car when Linc drives up, Derman fires at him and is run into by the car, and Stunt Linc leaps out of the convertible to give Derman his patented flying drop kick. Greer arrives in a patrol car while Linc goes after Shermer, taking the boss out with a choke hold by his pool. Then Linc goes back to see to Pete with Greer, the two of them helping to load him onto a stretcher when the ambulance arrives.
In the coda, a wheelchair-bound Pete is recovering on the Community Hospital grounds when Greer tries to bring him stuffed grape leaves, which Pete rebuffs by laughingly requesting that his fellow Mods wheel him back to his room.
_______
Ironside
"Unreasonable Facsimile"
Originally aired January 6, 1972
IMDb said:
Ironside reviews footage of a bank heist using the distinctive theatrical M.O. of former Hollywood makeup man Harry Grenadine (Burgess Meredith), whom he got out on parole. Grenadine's M.O. included dressing loudly, wearing a fake scar on his face, using a fake wooden gun, and staging a showy diversion--such as the current robbery's anti-pollution protest march with marchers wearing robes and gas masks. The Chief talks to his parole officer, Mitch Carlin (Myron Healey), for a rundown on his activities; and later describes to Mark how Grenadine ultimately let himself get caught because he wanted credit for his robberies. The Chief then goes to see Harry where he's living with his daughter, Ellen Packer (Susan Seaforth), and son-in-law, George (Bernie Kopell). While Harry acts happy to see them and answer their questions, George is openly defensive. The Chief informs Harry that a bank was just robbed that afternoon by somebody using his distinctive M.O. After the Chief leaves, Harry drops his pleasant demeanor and accuses George of being a fool; after which George goes out to the van to apologize. The Chief notes to Mark afterward that both are actors.
Ed talks to an old man in the park (Russell Thorson) to check out Harry's alibi abut feeding pigeons; and Fran talks to a woman (Louise Truax) who saw him window shopping; while the Chief and Mark find the robber's disguise discarded nearby. The team consider how George would be familiar enough with Harry's M.O. to mimic it. Ed tails Harry and finds him entering an illegal poker game. Elsewhere, a man in an obvious disguise sets a trash fire outside a bank, and the team inspect the footage afterward, determining that the robbery occurred while Harry was supposed to have been at the poker game. They tell Harry about the latest robbery and ask him to prove where he was at the time, for which he gives them a story, while explaining his ability to buy a new color TV on having indirectly bet on a horse. The Chief knows that he's lying, but needs to determine if it was just to cover his parole violation.
Feature writer Joyce Manion (Susan Stafford) visits the Cave with a threat to report the Chief's involvement with Harry's parole and continued freedom. The Chief warns her of libel...against Harry; but reveals afterward that he actually wants the story written to motivate Harry to be more forward about who could be imitating him. The team reviews files of other ex-inmates who were tutored by Harry in his arts, pausing on his cellmate, Frank Clawson (Frank Aletter)--Red Alert, he's the #2 billed guest and at 2/3 of the way into the episode was only seen briefly at the poker game! Ed returns to the poker-hosting boarding house room pretending to be conducting a survey, and is turned away by Clawson. Ed later tails Harry as he's picking up the paper with the story in it. An upset Harry proceeds to Clawson's rooming house with the paper to confront him about how he was absent when the robberies occurred. Clawson pulls a gun out of his drawer and ties Harry to a chair, then puts on a hippie disguise while sharing that he plans to pull one more job before splitting town, and confessing that he fixed the games in Harry's favor so that he'd keep coming back.
When Clawson uncuffs Harry to take him to a more secure hiding spot, Harry fights him but gets knocked out; Frank hides him gagged in a trunk in a storage closet. When Ed and a couple of other detectives go to Clawson's door, he slips out to the roof. The overly energetic and repetitive full Ironside theme plays again as one of the detectives searches the place with the help of the landlady, and the Chief and Mark tail Clawson in his disguise. Guided by the Chief, Ed intercepts Clawson and frisks him; but they still need to find the money and Harry. The Chief finds the trunk key and is on the scene to give Harry some encouraging words as he's being carried out to an ambulance while suffering from oxygen deprivation.
In the coda, Harry agrees to testify in exchange for being let off the hook for his parole violation; and Joyce shows up at the Cave to apologize to Harry for the write-up, but he tells her that it's one of the best write-ups he's ever gotten, people having come up to him for autographs afterward. Meredith actually ends the episode doing something that sounds very much like his Penguin laugh, which I have to think was deliberate. (He's also off camera while doing it, making it possible that it was added after the fact.)
_______
About time he got sidelined! Mark Galloway's likeable and serviceable, but he's too much of a straight man to carry the series.
I assume it was one of the island campaigns.
Other than repeating a twist that had recently been used three times by earlier-season timeslot rival The Mod Squad?
I thought so at first.
More likely a cost-cutting measure...just slap in something readily available without worrying about how incongruous it is to the scene that it's playing over.
Capped.
No blinking sign, but she did turn on an old radio, the dial light providing the only illumination.
Here she is trying to make a move on the Chief, for posterity.
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Thanks to MST3K, I just found out that a pre-Mod Squad Michael Cole starred in a sci-fi movie called 'The Bubble' (1966).
Based on the wiki description, think of extended versions of a couple of 'Twilight Zone' episodes as well as an episode of 'The Outer Limits.'
Based on the wiki description, think of extended versions of a couple of 'Twilight Zone' episodes as well as an episode of 'The Outer Limits.'
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Not exactly the subtle type.
Somewhat less amateurish than we've been used to.
Of course, they'd both have to get shot in the head to catch up to Julie.
You have to wonder what Pete was like as an old man.
"AMA," as they say.
The writers really need to put more thought into people's occupations.
"You making fun of my amnesia, man?"
He forgot to add that any action scenes could dislodge the clot, causing instant death.
Just indirectly, as usual.
Nice.
"Your brain will be back to normal in no time."
It seems like Julie's back to being vaguely around but not doing much.
The last man on Earth.
He should move to Gotham City.
Doc, Siegfried, Alan-a-Dale....
It's About Time.
I wonder if that was his idea. He didn't seem to be too happy about being associated with the Penguin.
That would make the most sense.
Yeah, there's that, but looking at it in a vacuum it was very good.
You would think they would just delve into their vast library of stock music cues.
I pictured it as rather noirish.
Oh, to be in Raymond Burr's shoes. Or seat.
I think I remember that one.
_______
Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
_______
The Mod Squad
"Deal with the Devil"
Originally aired January 11, 1972
The episode opens with colorful character Bryson (Leslie Nielsen doing what I think is supposed to be an Irish accent) boarding a flight from Frisco to L.A. Two men--Sgt. Joe McCurdy (Bill Fletcher) and a civilian named Strom (Ron Soble)--take turns making a point of letting him know that they're watching for him to try something. Bryson gets up to chat with a stewardess (Catherine Ferrar) and debarks the plane just before it's about to take off. There's a party going on at Pete's when Julie answers a call from Bryson to Pete--Rusty having been an older pal when Pete was a kid--but Bryson has to cut it short without leaving a full message to avoid another tail (James Farley). Thus Pete and Julie go to LAX under the misunderstanding that he'll be arriving, and run into his fiancée, singer Valetta Hall (singer Vikki Carr), who's informed by the stewardess that he left the plane. The Mods get on the plane to find Rusty's baggage claim checks and pick up his luggage...the guys staking out the plane not knowing to look for them. Instead they intercept Val outside, but when Pete gets out of the Challenger to intervene, she switches cars, taking off in Pete's wheels with the luggage.
Meanwhile, Bryson's been driving to L.A., tailed by the third man. Linc picks Pete and Julie up at the airport in the station wagon and they stake out Val's Malibu home, waiting for whoever to show up. Rusty calls, so Pete whips out a lockpick set to get in and takes it. When Pete asks about the luggage, he's told that it contains evidence. Then Val arrives, so Pete retrieves the suitcase and gives it to Linc and Julie to put in safekeeping. Val says that she doesn't want to involve the police; and she and Pete hide as McCurdy and Strom show up and try to get in. Pete then takes a message from a caller Rusty was expecting. Cut to the third man's car pushing Rusty's off a cliff, resulting in the obligatory bursting into flames; and Val taking a call to get the news.
At HQ, Greer informs Pete that Treasury thinks Bryson was bringing heroin into the country for McCurdy and Strom. Harwood (Larry Ward), Treasury Department, comes to Pete's to open the cases; he finds a variety of items, but no narcotics. McCurdy then calls Pete wanting to arrange to buy the case. At the rendezvous, when Pete plays hardball, McCurdy pulls a gun and Strom surprises Linc from behind. Rusty drives up to the rescue in the third man's car, picking up Pete but leaving behind Linc, who's taken down Strom. While Greer questions Strom at HQ, Rusty takes Pete to a friend's garage, where Pete asks some hard questions about how the other man, Parks, ended up going into the canyon in Rusty's car. Bryson claims that he was infiltrating the drug smuggling gang undercover, and asks for the keys to Pete's apartment and takes off--Pete acts surprised and betrayed by this, but I'm not clear what Pete was expecting Rusty to do when he exited with his keys.
At Pete's pad, Rusty asks Julie for the case...but his key doesn't open it. Cut to Pete at Val's place, accusing her of having switched the case. It turns out she's been in contact with Rusty, in whom she expresses unswerving loyalty even in the face of heroin smuggling. Rusty calls a disillusioned Pete, trying to use Julie's welfare as leverage, and Val gets on an extension to pass info to Rusty, who splits for a ranch he used to work at when Pete was a kid called the Lucky Horseshoe. Greer's already there with Treasury, staking the place out, and Harwood informs Pete that Parks was a Treasury agent. Pete pretends to leave but sneaks onto the ranch. In a stable, Rusty delivers the H to his contact and slips out via a hatch in the floor, but Pete intercepts him amid the supports under the elevated building. When Pete tells Rusty that the place is surrounded, Rusty pulls a gun on him, telling him that he's just another person in his way. Pete begs Rusty not to go out, then listens in tears as Greer announces himself and shots are fired.
The other Mods are waiting as Pete exits Rusty's funeral, the only other attendee being Val, who's taken into custody by Greer and Harwood. The Mods drive off for a therapeutic ride in the country.
Now in this one, while it was predominantly Pete's episode, Julie had a bigger supporting role than Linc.
_______
Ironside
"Find a Victim"
Originally aired January 13, 1972
Ironside's appearing on a talk show with former safecracker Lou Karns (Pat Hingle)--now running an organization called Start Anew that's dedicated to helping other ex-cons make it on the outside--when the Chief gets a call about an apartment burglary. The victim is a suspected numbers runner named Luther Benson (Paul E. Winfield), who was at a poker game and claims that nothing is missing. In the van, the Chief tells Mark that this is the latest in a "non-crime wave" of similar crimes committed against numbers runners, theorizing that somebody's trying to move in on their business, and getting away with it based on the victims' unwillingness to incriminate themselves by being forthright with the police. The Chief's convincing Karns to lend his aid when another ex-con who was sent up by Ironside, Frankie Kellner (Philip Kenneally), drops in. Fran is tailing Benson as he reports losing his money to a go-between in the racket, florist Harvey Williford (Robert Emhardt). Ed talks to Speedy Robbins (Jimmy Pelham), who hosted the game, to learn about the other players. At the Cave, Mark takes a call that somebody knocked out Williford in his parking garage; though Williford says that he wasn't robbed.
Ironside meets Lou's son, Pete (Morgan Paull), who assists in the elder Karns's ventures. In an obvious bit of completely unconnected side business to squeeze in another notable guest, Ed and Fran watch the talk show as a Spanish guitarist and dancer (Charo) is featured--Cuchi, cuchi! At the Cave, the info the team has dug up leads Ironside to theorize that an organized mob isn't responsible; and given the variety of specialties that have been employed in the crimes, the Chief turns his eye on Karns and his ex-con associates...noting that Kellner was a blackjack specialist who could've knocked out Williford. Ironside visits Karns to share his theory; and while Carnes is evasive, the Chief notes that if he can figure out what Karns is up to, so can his victims. Afterward, we see that the Chief is on the money, as Pete confronts his father about his operation. The Chief is also on the money in that Williford is onto Karns, reporting to superiors about him. A blond heavy (Dean Smith) holds Karns at gunpoint in his StartAnewmobile, a former ambulance, but Karns steers it into a construction site fence.
The hood having reportedly been thrown from the vehicle, the Ironsidemobile picks Karns up, but Lou refuses to finger who's after him, while at the same time agreeing to police protection. The Chief surmises that Lou plans to pull one more big caper to enrich his son, and needs the police to keep him alive for the duration. From a restaurant meeting of racket bosses that was staked out a bit earlier, the team nails down three suspects for being the one after Karns, and puts them under surveillance. Pete goes to the Cave to inform the Chief that his father's pulling a job that night. Ed recruits Peter Ferguson (Norman Leavitt), one of Lou's associates, to do a job for Karns's good; while the Chief makes a special request of a judge via phone. At Lou's place, Lou thinks that he's playing Officer Steve Johnson (John Cliff), who's actually playing him, and reporting to the Chief as Karns slips out. Karns bumps into a seemingly drunk Ferguson on the way out...and proceeds to throw off the outside stakeout and subsequent tailers by switching places with a driver wearing the same distinctive outfit. But a backup surveillance unit reports Karns catching another ride. Karns breaks into a residence to blow a safe, and is caught red-handed by a racket boss named Storey (Mike Road) and the blond heavy, Thaler. The team and uniformed backup pop in to catch Storey with the numbers-running documentation that Karns was stealing, which they let him return to the safe so that Ed can produce his search warrant and confiscate it. The Chief then asks Karns to show Storey his wallet, and nobody's more surprised than Lou to find a badge inside.
In the coda we learn that the Chief arranged with the reluctant judge to deputize Karns without his knowledge; and Ferguson, a master pickpocket, slipped him the wallet with the badge. After having Lou sign for the return of his wallet, the Chief uses a stolen bill planted inside as incentive for Karns to keep his nose clean going forward. When Lou protests that it's blackmail...
_______
Post-50th Anniversary Viewing
_______
The Mod Squad
"Deal with the Devil"
Originally aired January 11, 1972
IMDb said:
The episode opens with colorful character Bryson (Leslie Nielsen doing what I think is supposed to be an Irish accent) boarding a flight from Frisco to L.A. Two men--Sgt. Joe McCurdy (Bill Fletcher) and a civilian named Strom (Ron Soble)--take turns making a point of letting him know that they're watching for him to try something. Bryson gets up to chat with a stewardess (Catherine Ferrar) and debarks the plane just before it's about to take off. There's a party going on at Pete's when Julie answers a call from Bryson to Pete--Rusty having been an older pal when Pete was a kid--but Bryson has to cut it short without leaving a full message to avoid another tail (James Farley). Thus Pete and Julie go to LAX under the misunderstanding that he'll be arriving, and run into his fiancée, singer Valetta Hall (singer Vikki Carr), who's informed by the stewardess that he left the plane. The Mods get on the plane to find Rusty's baggage claim checks and pick up his luggage...the guys staking out the plane not knowing to look for them. Instead they intercept Val outside, but when Pete gets out of the Challenger to intervene, she switches cars, taking off in Pete's wheels with the luggage.
Meanwhile, Bryson's been driving to L.A., tailed by the third man. Linc picks Pete and Julie up at the airport in the station wagon and they stake out Val's Malibu home, waiting for whoever to show up. Rusty calls, so Pete whips out a lockpick set to get in and takes it. When Pete asks about the luggage, he's told that it contains evidence. Then Val arrives, so Pete retrieves the suitcase and gives it to Linc and Julie to put in safekeeping. Val says that she doesn't want to involve the police; and she and Pete hide as McCurdy and Strom show up and try to get in. Pete then takes a message from a caller Rusty was expecting. Cut to the third man's car pushing Rusty's off a cliff, resulting in the obligatory bursting into flames; and Val taking a call to get the news.
At HQ, Greer informs Pete that Treasury thinks Bryson was bringing heroin into the country for McCurdy and Strom. Harwood (Larry Ward), Treasury Department, comes to Pete's to open the cases; he finds a variety of items, but no narcotics. McCurdy then calls Pete wanting to arrange to buy the case. At the rendezvous, when Pete plays hardball, McCurdy pulls a gun and Strom surprises Linc from behind. Rusty drives up to the rescue in the third man's car, picking up Pete but leaving behind Linc, who's taken down Strom. While Greer questions Strom at HQ, Rusty takes Pete to a friend's garage, where Pete asks some hard questions about how the other man, Parks, ended up going into the canyon in Rusty's car. Bryson claims that he was infiltrating the drug smuggling gang undercover, and asks for the keys to Pete's apartment and takes off--Pete acts surprised and betrayed by this, but I'm not clear what Pete was expecting Rusty to do when he exited with his keys.
At Pete's pad, Rusty asks Julie for the case...but his key doesn't open it. Cut to Pete at Val's place, accusing her of having switched the case. It turns out she's been in contact with Rusty, in whom she expresses unswerving loyalty even in the face of heroin smuggling. Rusty calls a disillusioned Pete, trying to use Julie's welfare as leverage, and Val gets on an extension to pass info to Rusty, who splits for a ranch he used to work at when Pete was a kid called the Lucky Horseshoe. Greer's already there with Treasury, staking the place out, and Harwood informs Pete that Parks was a Treasury agent. Pete pretends to leave but sneaks onto the ranch. In a stable, Rusty delivers the H to his contact and slips out via a hatch in the floor, but Pete intercepts him amid the supports under the elevated building. When Pete tells Rusty that the place is surrounded, Rusty pulls a gun on him, telling him that he's just another person in his way. Pete begs Rusty not to go out, then listens in tears as Greer announces himself and shots are fired.
The other Mods are waiting as Pete exits Rusty's funeral, the only other attendee being Val, who's taken into custody by Greer and Harwood. The Mods drive off for a therapeutic ride in the country.
Now in this one, while it was predominantly Pete's episode, Julie had a bigger supporting role than Linc.
_______
Ironside
"Find a Victim"
Originally aired January 13, 1972
Wiki said:
Ironside's appearing on a talk show with former safecracker Lou Karns (Pat Hingle)--now running an organization called Start Anew that's dedicated to helping other ex-cons make it on the outside--when the Chief gets a call about an apartment burglary. The victim is a suspected numbers runner named Luther Benson (Paul E. Winfield), who was at a poker game and claims that nothing is missing. In the van, the Chief tells Mark that this is the latest in a "non-crime wave" of similar crimes committed against numbers runners, theorizing that somebody's trying to move in on their business, and getting away with it based on the victims' unwillingness to incriminate themselves by being forthright with the police. The Chief's convincing Karns to lend his aid when another ex-con who was sent up by Ironside, Frankie Kellner (Philip Kenneally), drops in. Fran is tailing Benson as he reports losing his money to a go-between in the racket, florist Harvey Williford (Robert Emhardt). Ed talks to Speedy Robbins (Jimmy Pelham), who hosted the game, to learn about the other players. At the Cave, Mark takes a call that somebody knocked out Williford in his parking garage; though Williford says that he wasn't robbed.
Ironside meets Lou's son, Pete (Morgan Paull), who assists in the elder Karns's ventures. In an obvious bit of completely unconnected side business to squeeze in another notable guest, Ed and Fran watch the talk show as a Spanish guitarist and dancer (Charo) is featured--Cuchi, cuchi! At the Cave, the info the team has dug up leads Ironside to theorize that an organized mob isn't responsible; and given the variety of specialties that have been employed in the crimes, the Chief turns his eye on Karns and his ex-con associates...noting that Kellner was a blackjack specialist who could've knocked out Williford. Ironside visits Karns to share his theory; and while Carnes is evasive, the Chief notes that if he can figure out what Karns is up to, so can his victims. Afterward, we see that the Chief is on the money, as Pete confronts his father about his operation. The Chief is also on the money in that Williford is onto Karns, reporting to superiors about him. A blond heavy (Dean Smith) holds Karns at gunpoint in his StartAnewmobile, a former ambulance, but Karns steers it into a construction site fence.
The hood having reportedly been thrown from the vehicle, the Ironsidemobile picks Karns up, but Lou refuses to finger who's after him, while at the same time agreeing to police protection. The Chief surmises that Lou plans to pull one more big caper to enrich his son, and needs the police to keep him alive for the duration. From a restaurant meeting of racket bosses that was staked out a bit earlier, the team nails down three suspects for being the one after Karns, and puts them under surveillance. Pete goes to the Cave to inform the Chief that his father's pulling a job that night. Ed recruits Peter Ferguson (Norman Leavitt), one of Lou's associates, to do a job for Karns's good; while the Chief makes a special request of a judge via phone. At Lou's place, Lou thinks that he's playing Officer Steve Johnson (John Cliff), who's actually playing him, and reporting to the Chief as Karns slips out. Karns bumps into a seemingly drunk Ferguson on the way out...and proceeds to throw off the outside stakeout and subsequent tailers by switching places with a driver wearing the same distinctive outfit. But a backup surveillance unit reports Karns catching another ride. Karns breaks into a residence to blow a safe, and is caught red-handed by a racket boss named Storey (Mike Road) and the blond heavy, Thaler. The team and uniformed backup pop in to catch Storey with the numbers-running documentation that Karns was stealing, which they let him return to the safe so that Ed can produce his search warrant and confiscate it. The Chief then asks Karns to show Storey his wallet, and nobody's more surprised than Lou to find a badge inside.
In the coda we learn that the Chief arranged with the reluctant judge to deputize Karns without his knowledge; and Ferguson, a master pickpocket, slipped him the wallet with the badge. After having Lou sign for the return of his wallet, the Chief uses a stolen bill planted inside as incentive for Karns to keep his nose clean going forward. When Lou protests that it's blackmail...
The Chief: What do you know, Ed? We finally found someone who admits he's a victim.
_______
Interesting. Did MST3K do any Mod jokes?
But she suffered the most superficial injury.
[Reading the obituaries to find that another old friend has passed] "It's all my fault, man..."
Apparently that stands for a whole bunch of things in the field, including the American Medical Association."AMA," as they say.
It was so quick that I had to go back and look--"Where's the other guy? RJ's gonna ask."
They're at least weaving her in better, rather than sidelining her as conspicuously as they had been at an earlier point.
I was wondering if he was ever known to do a similar laugh outside of the role.
"Begosh and Begorrah!"
That seems counterproductive somehow.
"Hey! Bryson! Over here! I'm tailing you!"
Did she actually do any singing?
Weird. Why would they do that?
There's an unexpected twist.
Did they think to ask their fellow cops to keep an eye peeled for the stolen Challenger?
"I hope you at least put gas in it."
Poor Linc.
Presumably Rusty killed or disabled McCurdy, since he disappears at this point.Rusty and his girlfriend just think everything belongs to them, apparently.
Okay, I'm not entirely sure what everybody was doing and why most of the time, but I'm a little disappointed-- I was hoping that Rusty would turn out to be on the level after all, and not just another old friend who turned to crime.
I thought for a second Val was going to jump in the Woodie and drive off.
I guess that settles the issue of his fame.
The late Captain Terrell.
What th--?
Wait, Blackjack as in the card game or the impact weapon?
This comes pretty close to the fake-suicide-for-the-insurance-money plot, but there seems to be no specific need for the money.
Should have done that a while ago, maybe.
Well, that was an unlikely, but clever, bit of Phelpsian missioneering. I'm just not sure why Karns rated such treatment.
Hah! Just wait for the 21st century, Chief.
That's true.
That's funny, but also sad....
Back in my hospital days, I would often point out the irony of AMA standing for both "American Medical Association" and "Against Medical Advice."
Sorry about that.
Not that I can think of. He was usually pretty serious, even in comedic roles.
The website only allows you to watch the first five minutes for free, after that you have to pay to watch the rest; so, it they made any "Mod Squad" jokes, it would have been after that. That is, of course, assuming the writers involved knew who Michael Cole was and the series the "Mod Squad".
50 Years Ago Today
The album "Buckingham Nicks" has been released. I would post a picture of the cover; however, it would probably violate the forum's decency guidelines.
Here's the Buckingham Nicks version
And the Fleetwood Mac version
It was this album, and the demo tracks for a second album, that Mick Fleetwood heard when looking for a guitarist to replace the recently departed Bob Welch, who left in late 1974.
Mick invited Lindsey Buckingham to join Fleetwood Mac, and Lindsey replied that he and Stevie Nicks were a package deal.
Over lunch at local Mexican restaurant with Mick, John McVie and Christine McVie, Christine nodded her approval that she was okay with a second female vocalist in the band, and Mick invited Lindsey and Stevie to join and the rest, they say, is history.
When Lindsey and Stevie posted the 50th Anniversary notice on their respective Facebook pages, the comments were flooded with variations of, "When is this going to be released on CD?" as, while Lindsey is up for a re-release and says that the tracks have been remastered, Stevie keeps blocking it. Bootlegs come from a needle-drop of the album.
The album "Buckingham Nicks" has been released. I would post a picture of the cover; however, it would probably violate the forum's decency guidelines.
Here's the Buckingham Nicks version
And the Fleetwood Mac version
It was this album, and the demo tracks for a second album, that Mick Fleetwood heard when looking for a guitarist to replace the recently departed Bob Welch, who left in late 1974.
Mick invited Lindsey Buckingham to join Fleetwood Mac, and Lindsey replied that he and Stevie Nicks were a package deal.
Over lunch at local Mexican restaurant with Mick, John McVie and Christine McVie, Christine nodded her approval that she was okay with a second female vocalist in the band, and Mick invited Lindsey and Stevie to join and the rest, they say, is history.
When Lindsey and Stevie posted the 50th Anniversary notice on their respective Facebook pages, the comments were flooded with variations of, "When is this going to be released on CD?" as, while Lindsey is up for a re-release and says that the tracks have been remastered, Stevie keeps blocking it. Bootlegs come from a needle-drop of the album.