The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[The Old Mixer]

50 Years Ago This Week


February 9

• Soyuz 17 cosmonauts Georgi Grechko and Aleksei Gubarev returned to Earth after one month in orbit aboard the Salyut 4 space station.

February 10

• Isabel Perón, the President of Argentina, signed "Decree 261", giving the nation's armed forces the authority to enter the rebellious Tucumán Province and to "annihilate subversion" of "Operativo Independencia" by any necessary means.

February 11

• Margaret Thatcher was elected as the new leader of the United Kingdom's Conservative Party, becoming the first woman to lead a major British political party and the first female Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition. Thatcher received 146 votes of the 276 Conservative members of the House of Commons, a majority, and her closest rival, William Whitelaw, received 79. When the Conservatives formed a government in 1979, Mrs. Thatcher, a research chemist and tax lawyer, became the first female British Prime Minister.

February 13

• An intense fire broke out on the 11th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center shortly after midnight, then spread across six floors, from the 9th to the 14th, before being brought under control. There were no serious injuries, but 16 firemen were treated for smoke inhalation. Only fifty people, all maintenance employees, were present in the towers and were safely evacuated. New York City Councilmen Howard Golden and Stephen Kaufman, citing the need for mandatory installation of sprinkler systems, wrote in a joint statement, "Had that fire erupted during the working day, we could have had another Triangle Shirtwaist disaster."

February 14

• The highest scoring professional basketball game up to that time took place in San Diego as the San Diego Conquistadors beat the New York Nets, 176-166, in an American Basketball Association contest. The "Qs" tied the Nets, 129-129, when Travis Grant scored at the buzzer. With seven seconds left in overtime, Julius "Dr. J" Erving of the Nets tied the game again, 144-144. Bill Melchionni of the Nets tied the score 152-152 with 22 seconds left in the second overtime, and the Nets' Brian Taylor closed the third overtime with the score at 161-161. When the game ended after four overtimes, and more than 3 hours of real time, a record 342 points had been scored. The record would later be broken in an NBA game on December 13, 1983, when the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets, a former ABA team, 186-184 in three overtimes.
• Jerry Pettis, 58, U.S. Congressman from California since 1967, and deputy minority whip for the Republican Party in Congress, was killed while flying his own private plane from Palm Springs, California toward San Bernardino, where he was to hold a press conference at a meeting of the state Public Utilities Commission. Midway through a 30-minute flight, Pettis encountered strong winds and his Beechwood Bonanza plane struck a hillside at the San Gorgonio Pass near Beaumont. His wife, Shirley Neil Pettis, who had been waiting at San Bernardino to meet his plane, would later win a special election to fill the vacant seat for California' 37th District, and would serve until 1979.

February 15

• The first acquisition in 50 years of new territory and inhabitants by the United States took place with the signing of the "Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America." The covenant would be approved in a plebiscite by the Islands' voters on June 17.
• Dr. Kenneth C. Edelin was convicted of manslaughter by a Boston jury after performing an abortion on October 3, 1973, at the city hospital. The jury, which sat for six weeks of trial, cited photographs of the 20- to 24-week-old fetus as a factor in the conviction, while Dr. Edelin, who was black, cited racial and religious bias from the all-white, and mostly Roman Catholic, jury. Dr. Edelin was placed on one year's probation.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "You're No Good," Linda Ronstadt
2. "Pick Up the Pieces," Average White Band
3. "Best of My Love," Eagles
4. "Some Kind of Wonderful," Grand Funk
5. "Black Water," The Doobie Brothers
6. "Fire," Ohio Players
7. "Lonely People," America
8. "Boogie On Reggae Woman," Stevie Wonder
9. "My Eyes Adored You," Frankie Valli
10. "#9 Dream," John Lennon
11. "Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman," Tony Orlando & Dawn
12. "Doctor's Orders," Carol Douglas
13. "Sweet Surrender," John Denver
14. "Get Dancin'," Disco-Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes feat. Sir Monti Rock III
15. "Nightingale," Carole King
16. "Laughter in the Rain," Neil Sedaka
17. "Lady," Styx
18. "Have You Never Been Mellow," Olivia Newton-John
19. "Can't Get It Out of My Head," Electric Light Orchestra
20. "I'm a Woman," Maria Muldaur
21. "Lady Marmalade," Labelle
22. "Roll On Down the Highway," Bachman-Turner Overdrive
23. "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You," Sugarloaf / Jerry Corbetta
24. "Big Yellow Taxi" (Live), Joni Mitchell
25. "Please Mr. Postman," Carpenters
26. "Express," B.T. Express

28. "Mandy," Barry Manilow
29. "Poetry Man," Phoebe Snow
30. "Up in a Puff of Smoke," Polly Brown
31. "Movin' On," Bad Company
32. "To the Door of the Sun (Alle Porte Del Sol)," Al Martino
33. "My Boy," Elvis Presley
34. "Morning Side of the Mountain," Donny & Marie Osmond
35. "You Are So Beautiful" / "It's a Sin When You Love Somebody", Joe Cocker

38. "Lovin' You," Minnie Riperton
39. "Sad Sweet Dreamer," Sweet Sensation

41. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," Elton John
42. "I Am Love, Pts. 1 & 2," Jackson 5
43. "Shame, Shame, Shame," Shirley & Company

45. "Junior's Farm" / "Sally G", Paul McCartney & Wings
46. "Rock n' Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)," Mac Davis

48. "Never Can Say Goodbye," Gloria Gaynor
49. "Ding Dong, Ding Dong," George Harrison

54. "One Man Woman / One Woman Man," Paul Anka w/ Odia Coates

56. "Chevy Van," Sammy Johns
57. "Struttin'," Billy Preston
58. "No No Song" / "Snookeroo", Ringo Starr

69. "Supernatural Thing, Part I," Ben E. King
70. "Bungle in the Jungle," Jethro Tull

73. "Changes," David Bowie

77. "Walking in Rhythm," The Blackbyrds
78. "Emma," Hot Chocolate
79. "Once You Get Started," Rufus feat. Chaka Khan

81. "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," B. J. Thomas
82. "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," Freddy Fender

86. "Shining Star," Earth, Wind & Fire

88. "Jackie Blue," The Ozark Mountain Daredevils

92. "Killer Queen," Queen

96. "Hijack," Herbie Mann
97. "Shoeshine Boy," Eddie Kendricks

Leaving the chart:

• "Angie Baby," Helen Reddy (17 weeks)
• "Cat's in the Cradle," Harry Chapin (19 weeks)
• "Free Bird," Lynyrd Skynyrd (12 weeks)
• "Kung Fu Fighting," Carl Douglas (18 weeks)
• "Only You," Ringo Starr (13 weeks)
• "Ready," Cat Stevens (10 weeks)
• "You're the First, the Last, My Everything," Barry White (15 weeks)

Recent and new on the chart:

"Hijack," Herbie Mann

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(Feb. 8; #14 US; #1 Dance; #24 R&B)

"Killer Queen," Queen

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(Feb. 8; #12 US; #2 UK)

"Shoeshine Boy," Eddie Kendricks

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(#18 US; #1 R&B)

"Once You Get Started," Rufus feat. Chaka Khan

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(#10 US; #6 Dance; #4 R&B; #56 UK)

"Shining Star," Earth, Wind & Fire

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(#1 US the week of May 24, 1975; #1 R&B)


And new on the boob tube:

• Happy Days, "Cruisin'"
• M*A*S*H, "Aid Station"
• Hawaii Five-O, "A Study in Rage"
• Kung Fu, "Barbary House"
• All in the Family, "Archie and the Quiz"
• Emergency!, "Back-Up"
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "You Can't Lose 'em All"
• The Bob Newhart Show, "Bob Hits the Ceiling"

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Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki page for the month, with minor editing as needed.

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Which means that he'd be paying for the whole picnic, or at least 36's share, because the boys aren't going to go along with that.

You'd think.

Do tigresses dig peanuts?

It's food, and the trainer tried to warn everyone.

I wonder why he's reluctant, aside from plot.

They also kind of played it as if he wasn't that familiar with the game in general, and I suspect that there'd be evidence to the contrary somewhere in an odd earlier episode.

She'll come to regret that, as will the neighbors on the floors below.

There was a level below them, but it looked like it was probably garages and storage. It was this place with the distinctive walkways, which has popped up a number of times in the Mark VII shows:

There were garage doors to the left where they parked the squad.

I wonder if lead poisoning would really act that quickly. I thought it was more of a cumulative thing.

Could be they'd all been drinking from the still for a while.

Digital? What's that?

Pretty much.

I can imagine Murray's face.

He had his head bowed, they didn't play it for a reaction.

And how would he explain his daily broadcast?

Claim he was doing it remotely, which is why he needed Lou and Mary to be in on it.

I'm very disappointed in Mr Carlin. He's shown more loyalty than that in the past.

But he's also very self-absorbed and enjoys feeling superior in the company of others whom he perceives to be worse off than he is in some way, like age or employment.

Maybe they intended to and it didn't work out somehow.

I was wondering. Or they just had an aspiring bit actor who looked like he should be a football player.

So we never found out why Bob was losing patients, and we never found out why he started gaining patients. This is the week for unresolved plots.

It was perhaps all about his confidence.

That's true.

All Oscar had to do was what kids always do in these situations--trip the copycat up by saying something that they wouldn't want to say or might give him away.

"He's repeating everything that I say!"
"He's repeating everyth--!"

I think an astronaut could figure that out!

Turning back time by flying opposite to the Earth's rotation, or whatever that was.

Ah...my head canon explanation for that was always that he wasn't really reversing the Earth's rotation, it just looked like it was going backwards as he was traveling backwards through time. And circling the Earth makes sense if you want to travel at FTL speeds without actually going anywhere. However they conveyed it, time travel was a commonly used tool in Silver/Bronze Age Supes's bag of tricks.

I could always go off on a tangent here about how that was also originally meant to be the resolution of the second film, when Donner was shooting scenes for his intended version of the sequel at the same time as the original. How much do you know about the "Donner Cut"?

 

[The Old Mixer]

Sunday, February 9--an auspicious day/date combo that's seen bigger than a nor'easter and a Super Bowl.

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[RJDiogenes]

Soyuz 17 cosmonauts Georgi Grechko and Aleksei Gubarev returned to Earth after one month in orbit aboard the Salyut 4 space station.

"Sorry, ve try but could not find Moon."

When the Conservatives formed a government in 1979, Mrs. Thatcher, a research chemist and tax lawyer, became the first female British Prime Minister.

Reagan's major accomplice across the pond.

The first acquisition in 50 years of new territory and inhabitants by the United States took place with the signing of the "Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America."

Interesting. I didn't realize this happened so recently.

"Hijack," Herbie Mann

It took about a minute and a half to convince me that I have indeed heard this one before. I just don't know if I remember it from 1975 or from Lost 45s.

"Killer Queen," Queen

Oh, yeah. Very strong nostalgic value. This is a song with a very specific associated memory: Me being driven by my Uncle Joe to a store in Braintree called Hennessey's to pick up the first issue of Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction.

"Shoeshine Boy," Eddie Kendricks

I might have heard this on Lost 45s. It's vaguely familiar.

"Once You Get Started," Rufus feat. Chaka Khan

This one is not ringing any bells.

"Shining Star," Earth, Wind & Fire

Good one. Moderate nostalgic value.

It's food, and the trainer tried to warn everyone.

Yeah, but they're serious carnivores. I don't know if they can even digest plants. Maybe it was the salt.

They also kind of played it as if he wasn't that familiar with the game in general, and I suspect that there'd be evidence to the contrary somewhere in an odd earlier episode.

Yeah, that's strange.

There was a level below them, but it looked like it was probably garages and storage. It was this place with the distinctive walkways, which has popped up a number of times in the Mark VII shows:
View attachment 44552

Yeah, I know that place.

Could be they'd all been drinking from the still for a while.

Good point. Still a little convenient that they all started coming in at the same time.

He had his head bowed, they didn't play it for a reaction.

Missed opportunity.

Claim he was doing it remotely, which is why he needed Lou and Mary to be in on it.

I don't think Ted had quite thought it through.

But he's also very self-absorbed and enjoys feeling superior in the company of others whom he perceives to be worse off than he is in some way, like age or employment.

That's certainly true.

All Oscar had to do was what kids always do in these situations--trip the copycat up by saying something that they wouldn't want to say or might give him away.

"I'm a big dopey android!"

Ah...my head canon explanation for that was always that he wasn't really reversing the Earth's rotation, it just looked like it was going backwards as he was traveling backwards through time. And circling the Earth makes sense if you want to travel at FTL speeds without actually going anywhere.

Well thought out.

However they conveyed it, time travel was a commonly used tool in Silver/Bronze Age Supes's bag of tricks.

Yeah, but he always used that wormhole that was conveniently labelled with the year... 1979... 1978... 1977....

I could always go off on a tangent here about how that was also originally meant to be the resolution of the second film, when Donner was shooting scenes for his intended version of the sequel at the same time as the original. How much do you know about the "Donner Cut"?

Probably very little, although it's ringing a bell. I think I knew that he tried to film two movies at the same time, but I didn't realize that he combined them.

Sunday, February 9--an auspicious day/date combo that's seen bigger than a nor'easter and a Super Bowl.

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Hey, I know that one.

 

[The Old Mixer]

"Sorry, ve try but could not find Moon."

After watching a show about the subject, I want to give the Soviets more credit for pioneering space station tech and maintaining a manned presence in space during our lull between Skylab and the shuttle program.

Reagan's major accomplice across the pond.

The seeds of the '80s...

It took about a minute and a half to convince me that I have indeed heard this one before. I just don't know if I remember it from 1975 or from Lost 45s.

I'm not familiar with this one despite having it. The main reason I have Herbie Mann in my collection at all is his second-biggest single, from 1979.

Oh, yeah. Very strong nostalgic value. This is a song with a very specific associated memory: Me being driven by my Uncle Joe to a store in Braintree called Hennessey's to pick up the first issue of Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction.

One of the two memorable songs in this batch. Another major '70s act breaks out.

I might have heard this on Lost 45s. It's vaguely familiar.

Aggressively meh.

This one is not ringing any bells.

Not as memorable or distinctive as their other early hits thus far.

Good one. Moderate nostalgic value.

Another major breakout, and a memorable classic of the era.

Yeah, but they're serious carnivores. I don't know if they can even digest plants. Maybe it was the salt.

Dogs eat nuts.

Good point. Still a little convenient that they all started coming in at the same time.

Yeah, I was thinking that.

I don't think Ted had quite thought it through.

That's Ted.

Yeah, but he always used that wormhole that was conveniently labelled with the year... 1979... 1978... 1977....

Can you blame them for feeling the need to come up with something else?

Probably very little, although it's ringing a bell. I think I knew that he tried to film two movies at the same time, but I didn't realize that he combined them.

Basically, Donner was going overbudget and behind schedule with this ambitious approach, so the producers fired him and hired Richard Lester to not just finish II, but reshoot enough of it that they could give him sole directing credit. I knew nothing of this when I originally saw II in theaters, or was watching it routinely on home video in the '80s, but one thing to watch for in II is that any scenes with Gene Hackman as Luthor are from Donner's version, as Hackman wouldn't come back for reshooting, reportedly out of loyalty to Donner. And because of this, II is sprinkled with little inserts that always jumped out at me of long-shot body doubles and not entirely convincing voiceovers of Luthor.

The Donner cut was released in the DVD era, but is itself a patchwork job using what was available of Donner's unfinished version. For one key Clark/Lois scene, the only available footage they had was from Reeve and Kidder's screen tests, so it's far from theater-ready. And they had to keep the original time travel ending, which Donner clearly would have had to rework after having moved it up to the first film.

 

[RJDiogenes]

After watching a show about the subject, I want to give the Soviets more credit for pioneering space station tech and maintaining a manned presence in space during our lull between Skylab and the shuttle program.

They got to space first, they achieved a lot of successes, and they were the only other space program for decades. But they're also ripe for comedy.

The seeds of the '80s...

The 80s seemed very sudden to me at the time, but the signs were there.

I'm not familiar with this one despite having it. The main reason I have Herbie Mann in my collection at all is his second-biggest single, from 1979.

Hmm, Herbie Mann, 1979.... his Wiki page tells me nothing. Google is not much help. Is it "Superman?" I don't even remember that.

One of the two memorable songs in this batch. Another major '70s act breaks out.

Absolutely amazing.

Dogs eat nuts.

Dogs are actually omnivores, though. Those suckers will slop up anything.

That's Ted.

Yeah.

Can you blame them for feeling the need to come up with something else?

Well, I can understand it. But I read comic books because I like comic books, so I'd prefer comic book movies to be more like comic books.

Basically, Donner was going overbudget and behind schedule with this ambitious approach, so the producers fired him and hired Richard Lester to not just finish II, but reshoot enough of it that they could give him sole directing credit.

Okay, I can understand replacing someone if they're not doing the job, but that seems vindictive.

Hackman wouldn't come back for reshooting, reportedly out of loyalty to Donner.

Interesting. Not taking sides, but I appreciate loyalty.

And because of this, II is sprinkled with little inserts that always jumped out at me of long-shot body doubles and not entirely convincing voiceovers of Luthor.

This may have been a case where recasting was justified.

The Donner cut was released in the DVD era, but is itself a patchwork job using what was available of Donner's unfinished version. For one key Clark/Lois scene, the only available footage they had was from Reeve and Kidder's screen tests, so it's far from theater-ready. And they had to keep the original time travel ending, which Donner clearly would have had to rework after having moved it up to the first film.

What a mess. They should have either started from scratch or let Donner do his thing.

 

[The Old Mixer]

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50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 1)

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The Six Million Dollar Man
"Taneha"
Originally aired February 2, 1975

A friend asks Steve to help him save a golden cougar from being hunted down by ranchers.

Ranger Bob Elliott (Jim B. Smith) catches E. J. Haskell (Jess Walton) prepping poisoned traps for the titular beast, whom her father was killed tracking. Elliott blames the encroachment of hostile ranchers for Taneha's aggressive state and, when the cat is heard growling, spooking her donkey, he grabs her rifle to stop her from shooting, but is pounced on by the cat.

Bob summons Steve to the hospital to ask him to use his pull in the government to save Taneha, the last known male of the species, so that he can be captured and mated with the two known females; and informs Steve that the ranchers have hired an out-of-state big game hunter to kill the beast. Oscar protests that he can't pull the specific kind of weight needed, so Steve decides to try to do the job himself. (Maybe Oscar should assign Steve to help kill Taneha, thus summoning an OSI mole to save the cougar.) In the local town, a station attendant (Trent Dolan) recommends Haskell as a guide (and doesn't make an ominous phone call afterward). E. J.'s in town arguing with the assembled ranchers led by Will Long (James Griffith) for having hired someone else to do the job. Steve meets E. J. while the hunter, Bleeker (Bill Fletcher), arrives. She holds back on her motivations concerning the cougar while attempting to ditch Steve by setting an offroad rendezvous that she doesn't think he'll be able to make in time.

Going as far as his station wagon will allow, Steve dons his pack of nonlethal trapping gear and proceeds on foot, going into a bionic run to pursue E. J. on horseback. She's astonished to find that he's gotten to the rendezvous point long enough ahead of her to set up a campfire and make coffee. She admits that she was trying to ditch him, returns his money, and takes off, only to eventually catch up with him after he slips ahead of her again. They come upon Taneha threatening the sheep of rancher Rafe Morris (Clint's former camp cook Paul Brinegar), who's pounced by the cougar. Steve lures Big T away from Morris, then stops E. J. from shooting the cat, letting it get away. She relents about guiding Steve, but refuses to take his money and won't tell him why. As they hike into the mountains together, Morris leads Long, Bleeker, and their posse to Taneha's location, having also informed them about E. J. and Austin.

When the duo hears Taneha nearby from their nighttime campsite, E. J.'s incredulous that Steve goes out after the cat with his "night vision". She tries to follow, only to step into a trap with Big T in striking range. She fires her rifle to attract Steve, but he only gets there after the cougar has let her go. As he tends to her ankle injury--the trap turning out to have been one set by her father--he learns of her true motivations, which include a scar on her neck from the incident that killed her father; how she has serious issues with being the son that her father never had, to the point that she'll only go by her initials because they're the same as his; and how her experiences with Taneha have caused her to buy into Indian legends about the cougar being a demon--Taneha literally meaning "Golden Demon".

She insists on accompanying Steve by day, and they're spotted by the posse ascending a cliff. When the duo finds Taneha's midday lair, Steve discovers that E. J. has sabotaged his tranq rifle, and proceeds into the lair armed with a net and $6 million worth of highly classified hardware, while E. J. still has her rifle. They find that it's a cave with Indian drawings of the cougar that E. J.'s been in before. Steve spots the cougar in the dark and unsuccessfully attempts to net him while being raked in his left arm. E. J., going after some equipment for Steve, comes upon the posse having caught up and, when the cougar pops out and they threaten to shoot him, she holds them off with her rifle, firing at their feet to get them to back down. Inside, Steve leads with his right arm while calmly approaching the wounded cat, eventually getting a lasso around his neck. E. J. returns and adds another one, and the two of them walk out with the leashed animal while the posse looks on. (This appears to have all been done with the actual actors.)

In the coda, Steve decides to stay in the small town for a couple of weeks to spend time with E. J., evading her questions about his abilities while they people-watch on the courthouse steps and she shows signs of warming up to him.

---

Adam-12
"Pressure Point"
Originally aired February 4, 1975

Officer Woods' new partner is a nervous and quiet recruit, and the embarrassing secret he's trying to keep from his fellow officers might actually imperil them. On today's patrol, a real estate broker's well-meaning but poorly thought-out gesture nearly leads to a mob scene, a drug store owner discovers a way to profit from armed robbers, and an armed robbery suspect opens fire during his escape attempt.

At the start of watch, Jim and Pete talk about Jerry's new partner, Don Allen (Robert Pratt), feeling that he has the makings of a good cop though he acts withdrawn. On patrol, they're called to a residential neighborhood where they find a Mr. Flint (Robert DoQui) facing a small but angry mob because he's trying to evict Mrs. Wellman (Pamela Jones) and her children for squatting on his property. A desperate and confused Wellman explains that she went through Flint's broker, Henry Ward. While Flint's unwilling to accommodate her, the officers take the patient approach and wait for Ward to arrive to hear his side of the story. In the meantime, Allen takes the initiative of questioning Wellman himself, awkwardly consulting a book of penal codes in an attempt to help her. When Ward arrives (Charles Lampkin), he explains that he let Wellman move in despite not having a key while Flint was out of town. Reed helps to facilitate an agreement between Flint and Ward to let Wellman stay.

Jim and Pete discuss Allen's unusual move, seeming to think it was wrong but not getting into why. Then they get called to a 211 at a pharmacy, where they find the pharmacist, Ernie Samson (Warren Munson), lying on the floor unharmed. He describes the robber, then the method he used to deal with him, which has worked three times when he spotted a robbery coming. It involves faking a heart attack, which causes the robber to flee the scene while leaving the cash he'd been using for his cover purchase, thus turning a profit.

At HQ, the officers find Allen studying procedures. When they question him about what he did, he admits to assuming that Wellman was innocent, then becomes increasingly nervous and hesitant while discussing a hypothetical situation from the book.

On patrol, Adam-12 is assigned to back up Jerry's unit, X-ray-14, on a 211. They hear Allen attempting to communicate over the radio, sounding like he's under duress. Adam-12 is shot at pulling into a car lot where Jerry's already in a standoff with the suspect, while Allen is in the car seeming dazed and confused. Reed corners and apprehends the fleeing suspect. Woods explains that the suspect opened fire as they approached, then gets angry and yells at Don upon learning that he wasn't wounded as Jerry had assumed.

Under questioning by the three officers at HQ, Don explains that he's a stutterer, which he's learned to suppress well enough in controlled situations that he was given medical clearance to serve. Jim and Pete are sympathetic, but explain that they'll have to file a report and it'll be up to the Academy to decide, and Pete encourages Don's decision to proactively resign. In a personal talk, Don explains to Jim what it's like dealing with a handicap.

---

M*A*S*H
"House Arrest"
Originally aired February 4, 1975

Hawkeye faces court-martial for punching Frank, and Margaret is nervous about a visit from a meticulous colonel.

When Houlihan makes mistakes in the OR because she's worried about the visit of a highly decorated superior nurse, Colonel Reese, Hawkeye dismisses her from the table. This leads to a confrontation in the scrubbing area in which Margaret presses Frank to defend her honor, so he pops Pierce with a towel. Hawkeye's response is to turn around and slug him in the eye. (This seems very contrived--if it were that easy, this would have happened long ago.) Burns insists on pressing charges, and while Blake attempts to smooth things over, when Hawk finds out about the titular initial penalty, he's happy to comply. A grateful mess sergeant has Trapper bring Hawkeye a water buffalo steak, while Mulcahy delivers a regulation POW package. Meanwhile, Col. Reese arrives (Mary Wickes), and Margaret has to send Frank away because the colonel will be staying in her tent...but the colonel also expresses an interest in Frank, and gets flirtatious while observing and advising about procedures in the OR. Trap, possibly bucking for his own court-martial, cooks up a false testimony about Frank having slipped on a bar of soap.

When Hawk learns that they're showing a film he wants to see, he arranges to have movie night brought to the Swamp; while he also finds the MPs very accommodating to his latrine visits. Radar, bothered by a comment that Blake made about his stature, orders a pair of elevator shoes, but Hawkeye encourages him to be himself. Frank goes to Margaret's tent looking for her, and an off-duty Col. Reese makes her move, loosening him up with a massage and brandy and then getting aggressive while attempting to sweeten the deal by offering to get Burns posted to Walter Reed. When Houlihan walks in on this, however, the colonel immediately cries rape, and declares in front of a crowd of onlookers outside that she's pressing charges; while Houlihan, enraged at Frank, declares that she's backing Trap's testimony, letting Hawkeye off the hook.

In the coda, the shoe's on the other foot as Burns endures the titular penalty with less perks than Hawkeye enjoyed, and Hawkeye throws some earlier taunting from Blake back in his face.

The command style of Colonel Henry Blake:

Klinger, it's 4:00 in the afternoon and you're still in a housecoat? Put on a dress!​

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Hawaii Five-O
"Ring of Life"
Originally aired February 4, 1975

A million-dollar reward for the return of five figurines sparks off a trail of murder and theft that leads to Hawaii.

The episode opens with Colin Nichols (Don Knight) interrogating art dealer Avery Marsh (Don David Lev) about the location of the Kashmiri Ring. Marsh tells him that he sold it to Museum of Asian Art director Willard Coleman, and is then shot with a British variant of the Five-O Special--later identified by Che as a .38 Webley. When Five-O investigates the scene, Frank finds the cigar burns that Nichols left on Marsh's hand. Nichols scopes out the museum, photographing its safe; cutting an alarm wire; and chatting up Coleman (William Prince) while he's showing some guests around. Afterward he calls either the mainland or England for a box man to be sent out. Five-O questions Marsh's secretary (Barbara Eda Young), who knows surprisingly little about Marsh's dealings, but tips them off that he was turning away frequent calls from Coleman. McGarrett goes to the museum to ask Coleman if he was dealing under the table with Marsh for stolen artifacts. Afterward, Coleman's assistant, Dr. Sheila Cramer (Penelope Windust), acts like the boss when she wants to know if he said anything about the Kashmiri Ring. While arranging four figurines that he keeps in a padded case, Nichols calls Ram Bushan (future holographic Peter Lorre wannabe Harvey Jason) in New Delhi to promise delivery of all five pieces of the Ring. Bushan arranges to meet him at the consulate in Honolulu.

Danno turns up that two other art dealers in Marsh's book were shot to death in the last year in other parts of the world. The not-British box man, taciturn Ben Clark (John Chappell), arrives in the islands, hooks up with Nichols, and is all business as they discuss the job. They proceed to burgle the museum that night, trussing up a guard (James E. McInerney), who later tries to describe them to Chin despite their ski masks. When McGarrett questions Dr. Cramer about the figurine that was the only item stolen, she informs him that it's a piece of the Kashmiri Ring of Life, an Indian national treasure which is believed to have been illegally excavated some years back. Pressured by McGarrett, Coleman admits to having bought it from Marsh.

At the Indian consulate, Nichols is taking his payment when Bushan confronts him about the last figurine being a fake, smashing it on the floor. Nichols fingers Coleman as being responsible and leaves, following which Bushan calls Cramer to update her, making it clear that they're conspiring in the matter. When Steve and Danno question consul Badar Vasanti (Murli H. Manghnani) about the Indian Government's no-questions-asked reward for the complete set of figurines, he directs them to Bushan, the visiting assistant minister of cultural affairs. Bushan claims that he hasn't been contacted about the figurines, but McGarrett is suspicious of him. Meanwhile, Nichols tails Coleman to his home, finds him dead inside, and is shot at by an unseen party who quickly drives away.

Danno turns up that Bushan made a previous under-the-table visit to Honolulu than coincides with when Coleman bought the figurine from Marsh. Nichols confronts Cramer in Coleman's office, a photo on the wall of Bushan's previous visit having helped him to deduce that she and Bushan are in cahoots to acquire the other four figurines while denying him the reward. As she's taking him to retrieve the figurine from a home safe, Five-O finds the ripped photo and realizes the connection. Nichols has Cramer arrange a payment rendezvous with Bushan and has her take him to the scenic overlook at gunpoint. Five-O learns from the consulate that Bushan left for a meeting in a taxi. At the rendezvous, Cramer hands Bushan a box of rocks and Nichols comes out of concealment to shoot him. Just as Nichols is about to do the same to Cramer, Five-O comes screeching in and subdues Nichols as he's trying to flee downhill with his case of figurines. McGarrett is relieved to find the artifacts undamaged, crediting Krishna for their good fortune.

---

They got to space first, they achieved a lot of successes, and they were the only other space program for decades. But they're also ripe for comedy.

Especially when those Wiki items never specify where the cosmonauts landed...

The 80s seemed very sudden to me at the time, but the signs were there.

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Hmm, Herbie Mann, 1979.... his Wiki page tells me nothing. Google is not much help. Is it "Superman?" I don't even remember that.

Pretty sure I had occasion to bring it up in the Other Thread.

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When the song was current, a local station was using it in ad spots for George Reeves reruns.

Dogs are actually omnivores, though. Those suckers will slop up anything.

I can't argue with the sentiment, but I know one who'll eat feces, used tissue, and grass/weeds, but spits out most fruits and vegetables.

Well, I can understand it. But I read comic books because I like comic books, so I'd prefer comic book movies to be more like comic books.

II was arguably more comic book than the original.

Okay, I can understand replacing someone if they're not doing the job, but that seems vindictive.

I think it was, though there may have been some bottom-line incentive involved.

This may have been a case where recasting was justified.

Trashing the existing Gene Hackman scenes to avoid a few clumsy interstitials would've been throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

 

[RJDiogenes]

when the cat is heard growling, spooking her donkey, he grabs her rifle to stop her from shooting, but is pounced on by the cat.

No good deed goes unpunished.

the last known male of the species, so that he can be captured and mated with the two known females

I think if they just explained what they wanted, he'd be cool with it.

the ranchers have hired an out-of-state big game hunter to kill the beast.

It seems to me that this would be illegal and the guy wouldn't need to call in favors.

(Maybe Oscar should assign Steve to help kill Taneha, thus summoning an OSI mole to save the cougar.)

And then Steve arrests the mole. Great strategy.

(and doesn't make an ominous phone call afterward)

Somebody lost their copy of the series bible.

She's astonished to find that he's gotten to the rendezvous point long enough ahead of her to set up a campfire and make coffee.

"Also took a nap."

She admits that she was trying to ditch him, returns his money, and takes off, only to eventually catch up with him after he slips ahead of her again.

"You're starting to remind me of that Hitchhiker from Twilight Zone."

She fires her rifle to attract Steve, but he only gets there after the cougar has let her go.

Hmm. And he's usually so quick.

As he tends to her ankle injury--the trap turning out to have been one set by her father

There's irony.

her experiences with Taneha have caused her to buy into Indian legends about the cougar being a demon--Taneha literally meaning "Golden Demon".

If only.

Steve discovers that E. J. has sabotaged his tranq rifle

Okay, that could have gotten him killed.

$6 million worth of highly classified hardware

Sabotage that!

They find that it's a cave with Indian drawings of the cougar that E. J.'s been in before.

That's cool.

Steve leads with his right arm while calmly approaching the wounded cat, eventually getting a lasso around his neck. E. J. returns and adds another one, and the two of them walk out with the leashed animal while the posse looks on. (This appears to have all been done with the actual actors.)

Nice. If it didn't work out, they could have turned it into an Emergency! episode.

Steve decides to stay in the small town for a couple of weeks to spend time with E. J., evading her questions about his abilities while they people-watch on the courthouse steps and she shows signs of warming up to him.

He should have given her the "security clearance" line. Things would have gone much quicker. This was actually a pretty good episode, with maybe a couple of minor plot holes. I like that the plot was to save an endangered animal, and the EJ character was interesting.

It involves faking a heart attack, which causes the robber to flee the scene while leaving the cash he'd been using for his cover purchase, thus turning a profit.

Seems like the boys will have to confiscate that cash as evidence. He should have kept his mouth shut.

Under questioning by the three officers at HQ, Don explains that he's a stutterer, which he's learned to suppress well enough in controlled situations that he was given medical clearance to serve. Jim and Pete are sympathetic, but explain that they'll have to file a report and it'll be up to the Academy to decide, and Pete encourages Don's decision to proactively resign. In a personal talk, Don explains to Jim what it's like dealing with a handicap.

This is an episode, or at least a plot, that I actually remember from the first time I saw it. I found it fascinating that stuttering was more than just a speech disorder. It seems unlikely that Allen would have made it that far, but of course the purpose was to dramatize his difficulties.

(This seems very contrived--if it were that easy, this would have happened long ago.)

Yeah, it's out of character for Pierce. They should have worked in some excuse, like extreme fatigue or sickness or whatever.

Radar, bothered by a comment that Blake made about his stature, orders a pair of elevator shoes, but Hawkeye encourages him to be himself.

That happens a lot.

Frank goes to Margaret's tent looking for her, and an off-duty Col. Reese makes her move, loosening him up with a massage and brandy and then getting aggressive while attempting to sweeten the deal by offering to get Burns posted to Walter Reed.

I remember this part.

In the coda, the shoe's on the other foot as Burns endures the titular penalty with less perks than Hawkeye enjoyed, and Hawkeye throws some earlier taunting from Blake back in his face.

House arrest for attempted rape, and Reese never got her comeuppance? That's a bit unsatisfying.

Klinger, it's 4:00 in the afternoon and you're still in a housecoat? Put on a dress!

identified by Che as a .38 Webley.

Ah, yes, the august Webley. Holmes used a Webley. Some other character, too, but I can't remember. Maybe John Steed.

McGarrett goes to the museum to ask Coleman if he was dealing under the table with Marsh for stolen artifacts.

"Let's cut to the chase. I've got golf with the governor."

Ram Bushan (future holographic Peter Lorre wannabe Harvey Jason)

It seems like this is something I should know.

who later tries to describe them to Chin despite their ski masks.

"One had a really big nose."

Bushan claims that he hasn't been contacted about the figurines, but McGarrett is suspicious of him.

"You despise me, don't you, Steve?"

Meanwhile, Nichols tails Coleman to his home, finds him dead inside, and is shot at by an unseen party who quickly drives away.

Cramer, I assume.

Cramer hands Bushan a box of rocks

"Rats."

McGarrett is relieved to find the artifacts undamaged, crediting Krishna for their good fortune.

Oh, he's earned his good karma. This was a pretty good episode, with an interesting MacGuffin and a complex web of intrigue that seems to hold together as far as I can tell.

Especially when those Wiki items never specify where the cosmonauts landed...

I smell a cover up.

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It sure does.

Pretty sure I had occasion to bring it up in the Other Thread.

Very likely, but I'm still drawing a complete blank.

I can't argue with the sentiment, but I know one who'll eat feces, used tissue, and grass/weeds, but spits out most fruits and vegetables.

II was arguably more comic book than the original.

I'm almost positive I've only seen the first one.

Trashing the existing Gene Hackman scenes to avoid a few clumsy interstitials would've been throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

I guess. Might have been cheaper, though, if they had to pay Hackman twice.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I think if they just explained what they wanted, he'd be cool with it.

Taneha, you mean?

It seems to me that this would be illegal and the guy wouldn't need to call in favors.

You'd think.

"You're starting to remind me of that Hitchhiker from Twilight Zone."

Vaguely Capped. I'm not sure if I've ever seen the whole episode.

Hmm. And he's usually so quick.

Speed of plot.

Okay, that could have gotten him killed.

Guess she expected him to notice it.

I like that the plot was to save an endangered animal, and the EJ character was interesting.

I didn't even get into all the details with her. There was a good moment where Steve insisted that she was Ellen Jane and she freaked out about it.

Seems like the boys will have to confiscate that cash as evidence. He should have kept his mouth shut.

Now that you mention it.

Yeah, it's out of character for Pierce. They should have worked in some excuse, like extreme fatigue or sickness or whatever.

Or had Frank do something that might have believably pushed Hawkeye over the edge. The towel pop was played for comic effect, so it's all the stranger that Hawkeye would just turn around and slug him.

House arrest for attempted rape, and Reese never got her comeuppance? That's a bit unsatisfying.

It was odd that they left the charge against Frank unresolved.

Ah, yes, the august Webley. Holmes used a Webley. Some other character, too, but I can't remember. Maybe John Steed.

Try Indy.

Indy's pistol

"Besides, you know what a cautious fellow I am." ―Indiana Jones to Marcus Brody about his firearms,[src] Indiana Jones frequently carried some type of sidearm during his adventures, especially when attempting to obtain rare antiquities, to protect himself from threats. His weapon of choice was a...

indianajones.fandom.com

"Let's cut to the chase. I've got golf with the governor."

"And then handball with some rando suspect."

It seems like this is something I should know.

He'd go on to play the Peter Lorre-inspired character in TNG's "The Big Goodbye".

Felix Leech

Felix Leech was a thug and assistant to the gangster Cyrus Redblock in the Dixon Hill series. He was well known to Starfleet historian Whalen. In 2364, when the USS Enterprise-D's holodecks were malfunctioning, the senior staff was held at gunpoint by a hologram of Felix Leech. Leech shot the...

memory-alpha.fandom.com

"You despise me, don't you, Steve?"

Is that Lorre schtick?

ETA: NM, looked it up.

Cramer, I assume.

As did I, though they didn't seem to clarify it. Maybe her car, but I wasn't paying attention to that.

"Rats."

Correctly heard in Charlie Brown voice?

I smell a cover up.

Or a TV movie that Tina Louise won't show up for.

Bananas are a known exception, FWIW.

I guess. Might have been cheaper, though, if they had to pay Hackman twice.

I don't think that would have been the case, but that there would likely have been contractual obligations. Like Hackman was probably going to get top billing even if they cut him completely out, and then it'd be consumer fraud.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Taneha, you mean?

Exactly.

Vaguely Capped. I'm not sure if I've ever seen the whole episode.

Classic. And the episode that gives my Mother literal nightmares.

I didn't even get into all the details with her. There was a good moment where Steve insisted that she was Ellen Jane and she freaked out about it.

Definitely sounds like a good one.

Or had Frank do something that might have believably pushed Hawkeye over the edge. The towel pop was played for comic effect, so it's all the stranger that Hawkeye would just turn around and slug him.

They were kind of stuck. If Frank did something bad enough to justify Hawkeye's response, they'd both be up on charges-- or they'd cancel each other out.

Try Indy.

Indy's pistol

"Besides, you know what a cautious fellow I am." ―Indiana Jones to Marcus Brody about his firearms,[src] Indiana Jones frequently carried some type of sidearm during his adventures, especially when attempting to obtain rare antiquities, to protect himself from threats. His weapon of choice was a...

indianajones.fandom.com

Aha, that's cool. I never even thought about Indy. There's some other character niggling at the back of my brain and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's Watson.

"And then handball with some rando suspect."

Heh.

He'd go on to play the Peter Lorre-inspired character in TNG's "The Big Goodbye".

Felix Leech

Felix Leech was a thug and assistant to the gangster Cyrus Redblock in the Dixon Hill series. He was well known to Starfleet historian Whalen. In 2364, when the USS Enterprise-D's holodecks were malfunctioning, the senior staff was held at gunpoint by a hologram of Felix Leech. Leech shot the...

memory-alpha.fandom.com

Ah, of course, "The Big Goodbye." That was a good one.

Is that Lorre schtick?

ETA: NM, looked it up.

Of course, I love Bogart's response: "If I gave you any thought at all, I probably would."

Correctly heard in Charlie Brown voice?

Indeed.

Bananas are a known exception, FWIW.

Maybe they have psychedelic effects.

I don't think that would have been the case, but that there would likely have been contractual obligations. Like Hackman was probably going to get top billing even if they cut him completely out, and then it'd be consumer fraud.

Yeah, could be. Sheesh.

 

[The Old Mixer]

They were kind of stuck. If Frank did something bad enough to justify Hawkeye's response, they'd both be up on charges-- or they'd cancel each other out.

I can imagine Frank doing something that might believably have really gotten under Hawkeye's skin but wasn't itself a court-martial offense. They just didn't try hard enough.

Aha, that's cool. I never even thought about Indy. There's some other character niggling at the back of my brain and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's Watson.

The search engine AI tells me that he did.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I can imagine Frank doing something that might believably have really gotten under Hawkeye's skin but wasn't itself a court-martial offense. They just didn't try hard enough.

I suspect some of these things are the result of the brutal schedule, cranking out twenty-six or so episodes in a season.

The search engine AI tells me that he did.

Aha, thank you. That's who it was then.

 

[The Old Mixer]

50 Years Ago This Week


February 16

• At a meeting in Cape Town, South African Prime Minister B. J. Vorster informed visiting Prime Minister Ian Smith of Rhodesia that the white minority government of South Africa would no longer provide troops to protect Rhodesia's white minority government....Rhodesia's government would fall in 1979, as a black majority government took power and the nation was renamed Zimbabwe.
• HMS Sheffield, a guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into service in the British Royal Navy. The ship would be sunk by the Argentine Navy in May 1982 during the Falklands War, with a loss of 20 lives.
• Benny Parsons captured his first and only Daytona 500 victory as leader David Pearson spun out with 2 laps to go in NASCAR's premier race in front of a national television audience.

February 17

• Capitol Records/EMI rush released John Lennon's LP Rock 'n' Roll, the legal version of Roots with some musical variations. Morris Levy would sue for $42 million.

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​

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​

• The Australian heavy metal band AC/DC released its first album, High Voltage, on the Albert Productions label.
• Georgia voted against approval of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution, and Utah followed the next day, with ratification failing 21-54 in the Utah House of Representatives.
• Died: George E. Marshall, 83, American film director, known for How the West Was Won

February 18

• The first major protest against the building of a nuclear power plant took place in the city of Wyhl in West Germany, where several hundred people turned out at the site of a proposed reactor that had been authorized on January 22. After the eviction of the protesters, a larger demonstration would take place five days later.

February 19

• Significant reforms to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act went into effect, after both the House and the Senate had overridden a veto by President Ford in November.

February 20

• The remaining 150 protesters who had occupied the proposed nuclear power plant site in Wyhl, West Germany, were attacked and dispersed by 700 German riot police, using water cannons, dogs and armored vehicles. Three days later, the site was reoccupied by more than 20,000 protesters.

February 21

• Former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell, former Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman, and former presidential adviser John Ehrlichman were each sentenced to a minimum of 2-1⁄2 years, in prison by U.S. District Judge John J. Sirica. All three had been convicted in January of obstruction of justice charges in connection with the Watergate scandal. Mitchell joked with reporters about his famous wife, from whom he was separated, saying, "It could have been a hell of a lot worse. He could have sentenced me to spend the rest of my life with Martha Mitchell."

February 22

• Born: Drew Barrymore, American film actress, in Culver City, California

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Pick Up the Pieces," Average White Band
2. "Best of My Love," Eagles
3. "Some Kind of Wonderful," Grand Funk
4. "Black Water," The Doobie Brothers
5. "Have You Never Been Mellow," Olivia Newton-John
6. "Lonely People," America
7. "My Eyes Adored You," Frankie Valli
8. "You're No Good," Linda Ronstadt
9. "#9 Dream," John Lennon
10. "Nightingale," Carole King
11. "Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman," Tony Orlando & Dawn
12. "Fire," Ohio Players
13. "Sweet Surrender," John Denver
14. "Lady," Styx
15. "Can't Get It Out of My Head," Electric Light Orchestra
16. "I'm a Woman," Maria Muldaur
17. "Lady Marmalade," Labelle
18. "Roll On Down the Highway," Bachman-Turner Overdrive
19. "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You," Sugarloaf / Jerry Corbetta
20. "Express," B.T. Express
21. "Doctor's Orders," Carol Douglas
22. "Boogie On Reggae Woman," Stevie Wonder
23. "Poetry Man," Phoebe Snow
24. "Up in a Puff of Smoke," Polly Brown
25. "Movin' On," Bad Company
26. "To the Door of the Sun (Alle Porte Del Sol)," Al Martino
27. "My Boy," Elvis Presley
28. "You Are So Beautiful" / "It's a Sin When You Love Somebody", Joe Cocker
29. "Get Dancin'," Disco-Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes feat. Sir Monti Rock III
30. "Lovin' You," Minnie Riperton
31. "Sad Sweet Dreamer," Sweet Sensation

33. "Laughter in the Rain," Neil Sedaka
34. "I Am Love, Pts. 1 & 2," Jackson 5
35. "Shame, Shame, Shame," Shirley & Company
36. "Mandy," Barry Manilow

38. "Please Mr. Postman," Carpenters
39. "Junior's Farm" / "Sally G", Paul McCartney & Wings
40. "No No Song" / "Snookeroo", Ringo Starr
41. "Big Yellow Taxi" (Live), Joni Mitchell

44. "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," B. J. Thomas

46. "Chevy Van," Sammy Johns

52. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," Elton John

55. "Harry Truman," Chicago

57. "Supernatural Thing, Part I," Ben E. King

61. "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," Freddy Fender

64. "Emma," Hot Chocolate

66. "Walking in Rhythm," The Blackbyrds
67. "Morning Side of the Mountain," Donny & Marie Osmond
68. "Once You Get Started," Rufus feat. Chaka Khan

75. "Shining Star," Earth, Wind & Fire
76. "Never Can Say Goodbye," Gloria Gaynor
77. "Jackie Blue," The Ozark Mountain Daredevils

81. "One Man Woman / One Woman Man," Paul Anka w/ Odia Coates
82. "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)," Leo Sayer

86. "Shoeshine Boy," Eddie Kendricks

89. "Killer Queen," Queen

92. "The Bertha Butt Boogie, Pt. 1," The Jimmy Castor Bunch

94. "Hijack," Herbie Mann

Leaving the chart:

• "Bungle in the Jungle," Jethro Tull (16 weeks)
• "Changes," David Bowie (18 weeks total; 11 weeks this run)
• "Ding Dong, Ding Dong," George Harrison (6 weeks)
• "Rock n' Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)," Mac Davis (11 weeks)
• "Struttin'," Billy Preston (10 weeks)

New on the chart:

"The Bertha Butt Boogie, Pt. 1," The Jimmy Castor Bunch

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(#16 US; #22 R&B)

"Harry Truman," Chicago

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(#13 US; #23 AC)

"Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)," Leo Sayer

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(#9 US; #4 UK)


And new on the boob tube:

• Adam-12, "Ladies' Night"
• M*A*S*H, "Love and Marriage"
• Hawaii Five-O, "And the Horse Jumped Over the Moon"
• The Odd Couple, "Old Flames Never Die" (last available episode)
• Kung Fu, "Flight to Orion"
• All in the Family, "Edith's Friend"
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "Ted Baxter's Famous Broadcasters' School"
• The Bob Newhart Show, "Emily Hits the Ceiling"

---

Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki page for the month and Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day, with minor editing as needed.

---

I suspect some of these things are the result of the brutal schedule, cranking out twenty-six or so episodes in a season.

I should note that Hawkeye's punch, which was deliberate in its execution, was also played for comic effect, though with some implication that Hawkeye had finally had enough; which again just begs the questions of "Why this? Why now?"

 

[RJDiogenes]

HMS Sheffield, a guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into service in the British Royal Navy. The ship would be sunk by the Argentine Navy in May 1982 during the Falklands War, with a loss of 20 lives.

That one lasted about as long as the 1701-D.

The Australian heavy metal band AC/DC released its first album, High Voltage, on the Albert Productions label.

Kind of a silly band, but they produced a surprising number of good songs.

Mitchell joked with reporters about his famous wife, from whom he was separated, saying, "It could have been a hell of a lot worse. He could have sentenced me to spend the rest of my life with Martha Mitchell."

That's hilarious. Reminds me of the old punchline, "In some states you get less for murder."

"The Bertha Butt Boogie, Pt. 1," The Jimmy Castor Bunch

This is pretty funny. Moderate nostalgic value. When he talks about a troglodyte, he's actually referencing one of his previous songs.

"Harry Truman," Chicago

I don't think I ever heard this before. Kind of an interesting little protest song.

"Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)," Leo Sayer

I love this one. Strong nostalgic value.

I should note that Hawkeye's punch, which was deliberate in its execution, was also played for comic effect, though with some implication that Hawkeye had finally had enough; which again just begs the questions of "Why this? Why now?"

Even a setup line like, "The next person who annoys me gets a punch in the nose," would have been welcome.

 

[The Old Mixer]

---

50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 2)

---

Emergency!
"The Mouse"
Originally aired February 8, 1975

Chet is determined to exterminate an uninvited guest in the station. The firemen rescue an elderly man from his burning house. A man is continually going into arrest and the doctors try to find a reason. An elderly woman is brought in with breathing problems. Roy and Johnny help break up a barfight. Station 51 joins several fire companies in putting out a blaze caused by a jet fighter crashing into an apartment house.

The station crew are practicing treating a first aid dummy when they and other units are called to a fire at a home where they find a neighbor billed as Sam (bitten by a radioactive No-Prize, Peter Palmer) trying to pry the bars off a window to get to the reclusive occupant, Charley (Bill Zuckert). The crew gets through them with the K-12 and pulls the man out while firefighters bust down a door to battle the blaze. Taken to Rampart for smoke inhalation, Charley is impressed at the effort everyone put in to save him and begins to rethink his lifestyle.

Back at the station, Chet is the only one who sees a titular rodent scurry under the fridge, and the rest of the crew tease him about it. He resolves that the mouse needs to be killed, to disagreement from the others. Then the squad and Engine 36 are called to assist a man named Harold Peterson (43-year-old Ronnie Schell playing 33) who's fallen unconscious for unknown reasons outside a laundromat. The 36 captain, who was on the scene first, describes what he thought was arrest, though the conscious Peterson doesn't show any signs, and from his vitals, Morton's initial call is to not have him brought in. But in the ambulance with Roy, Harold appears to go into arrest again, only to quickly pull out of it. At the hospital, Harold goes into a third temporary arrest, and Morton learns that he's taking an asthma medication that, when combined with light drinking he indicated at the laundromat, would cause respiratory arrest. As with his previous arrests, Harold comes to disoriented and oblivious to his condition.

At the station, Chet's left with the responsibility of setting traps that he and Cap'n Stanley prepare, catching his finger in the first one. At Rampart, Joe Wilson (J. Pat O'Malley) brings in his wife, Martha (Florence Lake), who's conscious but having trouble breathing. While Brackett and Early are treating her, Dix takes Joe to the staff lounge and, over coffee, helps him find the strength to keep going should his wife not make it. The doctors diagnose a pulmonary embolism.

By night, Squad 51 is called to assist an injured man at a bar. When they arrive, they find that the bartender (uncredited W. T. Zacha) called them proactively, as a couple of his regulars are still going at it. Roy tries the ounce of prevention approach, but the two brawlers just turn on the paramedics for butting in. Just as it looks like things are about to get ugly, Officer Vince pops in to defuse the situation, and the paramedics start to examine one of the brawlers, Pete (Lee Paul). When the paramedics return and are preparing to hit the sack, they find Chet lying awake in the dorm, obsessed with whether and when "Herbert" will be caught. He's the only one awake to hear a trap snap, after which he lies back down.

In the morning, Chet doesn't want to go out to the kitchen, but the others encourage him. They find the trap empty, and all see Herbert scurrying away. As they watch him exit through the bay, they address him like a mascot, and Chet seems relieved. Before they can proceed with breakfast, the station and several other units are called to a three-story apartment complex that a jet fighter crashed into after its crew bailed. In a clumsily voiced-over insert, Stanley expresses his concern to the City Captain (Barry Cahill) that leaking jet fuel will blow. The firefighters from various units climb ladders to fight the blaze and rescue occupants on the higher levels; while the fire is also sprayed from above by a nozzle on an engine's ladder. As the paramedics are seeing to some unconscious occupants in a smoke-filled apartment, the fuel goes up and we get a stunt of a burning fireman (uncredited Howard Curtis) jumping down from the second story to be hosed off. When Roy has to prioritize carrying a victim out over an unconscious Johnny, a Pasadena firefighter goes in to carry Gage out. In the coda, Johnny meets his rescuer while recovering at the scene.

Meanwhile at Rampart, Joe Wilson has been informed by Dix that he'll be taking Martha home soon.

---

The Mary Tyler Moore Show
"You Try to Be a Nice Guy"
Originally aired February 8, 1975

Sherry, the hooker Mary met in jail, resurfaces to ask Mary to be a character witness. Mary then tries to help Sherry find a less risqué line of work, and ends up modeling a shocking dress of Sherry's design.

Mary receives a surprise visit from her old cellmate Sherry Ferris (Barbara Colby, reprising her role from the season premiere), who wants to cash in on a favor she did Mary at the time by having Mary appear in court as a character witness. It turns out that Mary has to promise in court that she'll help Sherry find a respectable job, which Mary takes very seriously. She brings Sherry to the newsroom, and while Lou won't hire her, Georgette--there with Ted as he practices his acceptance speech for an honorary degree from Rutledge, and not knowing Sherry's background--offers that there's a spot open at the car rental agency where she works.

Sherry quits after a half-day, and Lou tries to discourage Mary from spending too much time with her, fearing how she'll influence Mary's lifestyle. Mary later visits Sherry's place (which looks like a redress of Mary's, even having the step-up level) to check on her progress and gets her to reveal that she once dreamed of being a dress designer. Mary encourages her to pursue it, and after a week, Sherry drops by Mary's bearing one of her designs as a present, which Mary offers to put on. When she comes out in the infamous Green Dress--which probably has more cutouts than all of the girl Legionnaires' '70s costumes combined--she's mortified to find Ted and Georgette waiting, having dropped by after Ted's ceremony. Ted becomes ravenously...thirsty.

Mary: Ted, please don't look at me like that.​

Ted: It's alright, I'm a doctor.​

In one of her "I'm not as clueless as people think I am" moments, Georgette reins Ted in. After they leave, Mary tries to break it to Sherry that she won't make it as a designer, but Sherry reveals that she was just hired by a dress manufacturer who loved her designs--except Mary's dress, which was meant to be a bridal gown.

Lou drops in, and MTM appears to be breaking character as Mary goes to surprise him at the door.


"Hiya, big fella."

---

The Bob Newhart Show
"The New Look"
Originally aired February 8, 1975

Bob's routine is disrupted after Emily gets new furniture for the apartment.

The Hartleys with Ellen and Howard bring home an antique grandfather clock, and Emily shares her plan to redecorate the entire living room. Bob is happy to leave all the decision-making to her, but when he comes back from a seminar in Canada, he's dumbstruck by the difference, and not in a good way. The sofa has been replaced with a "campaign bed," and he's particularly upset that Emily has sold his favorite armchair to Howard, replacing it with a satin-upholstered replica of a museum piece that he slides out of. Emily and Bob both have trouble adjusting to the loud, unpleasant clanging with which the clock rings in hours.

Bob persuades Emily that they should cut their losses by selling the furniture. When the living room is mostly cleaned out, a middle-aged couple (Cliff Norton and Marcia Lewis) try to buy furnishings and appliances that aren't for sale from the other rooms. Emily doesn't want to restore the old furniture, but Bob insists on getting back his chair, which involves leaning on Howard to sell it back. In the coda, Bob returns a pair of old tires that Jerry had brought over to try to sell with the furniture.

Bob's featured patient is Mr. Ed Herd, who's so attached to Chicago that he doesn't want to be transferred to that hellhole Hawaii.

---

Kind of a silly band, but they produced a surprising number of good songs.

One of the major hard rock acts, with a couple of songs on the RS list, but it looks like they're not scheduled to become a thing until around the turn of the decade.

No opinion on Dr. Winston O'Boogie's latest offering? Its hit single will be coming along in about a month.

This is pretty funny. Moderate nostalgic value. When he talks about a troglodyte, he's actually referencing one of his previous songs.

It came up here three years ago. As I recall, Bertha was established in that song. I actually have the full-length album version of this one.

I don't think I ever heard this before. Kind of an interesting little protest song.

I heard it on oldies radio in the day, but the morning DJ of the station was a Chicago aficionado. A signs-timey number inspired by Watergate.

I love this one. Strong nostalgic value.

This is familiar from oldies radio, and I have it, but I couldn't have told you off the top of my head that it was Leo Sayer.

Even a setup line like, "The next person who annoys me gets a punch in the nose," would have been welcome.

Another thing that struck me as contrived about the whole set-up was what kicked off the altercation in the first place--Houlihan screwing up in the OR over a distraction that wasn't even present. She's always seemed to cool and professional for that.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's 45th Anniversary isn't until October, but the name drops in the song make it appropriate for this thread.

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[RJDiogenes]

a neighbor billed as Sam (bitten by a radioactive No-Prize, Peter Palmer)

Capped, I think. A reference to one of the first Spider-Man issues, where Stan inflicted a Bob Banner moment on Petey?

Charley is impressed at the effort everyone put in to save him and begins to rethink his lifestyle.

Aww, nice.

Back at the station, Chet is the only one who sees a titular rodent scurry under the fridge, and the rest of the crew tease him about it.

Would have been funny if everybody else saw the mouse, but Chet saw a kangaroo.

Harold goes into a third temporary arrest, and Morton learns that he's taking an asthma medication that, when combined with light drinking he indicated at the laundromat, would cause respiratory arrest.

"What about heavy drinking? Will that be okay?"

Just as it looks like things are about to get ugly, Officer Vince pops in to defuse the situation

Yeah, it seems like this was more of a cop situation than a paramedic situation.

As they watch him exit through the bay, they address him like a mascot, and Chet seems relieved.

Cute.

the station and several other units are called to a three-story apartment complex that a jet fighter crashed into after its crew bailed.

Now, this strikes me as a major event that should have had its own episode, rather than just be a subplot in the mouse episode.

When Roy has to prioritize carrying a victim out over an unconscious Johnny, a Pasadena firefighter goes in to carry Gage out. In the coda, Johnny meets his rescuer while recovering at the scene.

That sounds like a tough one on Roy.

Meanwhile at Rampart, Joe Wilson has been informed by Dix that he'll be taking Martha home soon.

Nothing but happy endings this week.

Mary receives a surprise visit from her old cellmate Sherry Ferris

I remember this episode, of course, but I forgot that one of the prostitutes made a return appearance. It strikes me that it would have been interesting to make Sherry the new Rhoda.

there's a spot open at the car rental agency where she works.

Is this our first indication of what Georgette does for a living?

Lou tries to discourage Mary from spending too much time with her, fearing how she'll influence Mary's lifestyle.

Hmm....

Sherry's place (which looks like a redress of Mary's, even having the step-up level)

That's interesting. I wonder if this was done out of necessity or if they were trying to say something about Sherry's character arc.

When she comes out in the infamous Green Dress

Ah, the Green Dress. Goodness gracious. Now there's something that should be preserved in the Smithsonian.

Mary: Ted, please don't look at me like that.
Ted: It's alright, I'm a doctor.

A pretty clever line for a character whose humor is generally unintentional.

In one of her "I'm not as clueless as people think I am" moments, Georgette reins Ted in.

"Move it or lose it, Ted." If memory serves.

Lou drops in, and MTM appears to be breaking character as Mary goes to surprise him at the door.
View attachment 44726
View attachment 44724
"Hiya, big fella."

You think Mary was goofing around and they left it in? I'll buy that.

The Hartleys with Ellen and Howard bring home an antique grandfather clock, and Emily shares her plan to redecorate the entire living room.

It's not a season premiere, so we know that's not gonna last.

The sofa has been replaced with a "campaign bed,"

I don't think I know what that is.

he's particularly upset that Emily has sold his favorite armchair to Howard

It seems like I've seen that plot device used just recently, but I can't think where.

Emily and Bob both have trouble adjusting to the loud, unpleasant clanging with which the clock rings in hours.

Settings >> Alerts >> Volume

Emily doesn't want to restore the old furniture, but Bob insists on getting back his chair, which involves leaning on Howard to sell it back.

So do they end up with noticeably new furniture, aside from Bob's comfy chair?

In the coda, Bob returns a pair of old tires that Jerry had brought over to try to sell with the furniture.

It's an apartment yard sale.

Bob's featured patient is Mr. Ed Herd, who's so attached to Chicago that he doesn't want to be transferred to that hellhole Hawaii.

Seriously, there's a ton of organized crime and people fall in the drink left and right.

One of the major hard rock acts, with a couple of songs on the RS list, but it looks like they're not scheduled to become a thing until around the turn of the decade.

I became aware of them with "Dirty Deeds," and I also got a kick out of "Big Balls." It was a while later that my brother Mark pointed out that a bunch of other stuff I liked was actually their work. He decided that they were my favorite band, but I just didn't know it.

No opinion on Dr. Winston O'Boogie's latest offering? Its hit single will be coming along in about a month.

Well, not much to say, really. A couple of nice covers. It does seem odd for John Lennon to be covering 50s stuff, but it's nice enough.

It came up here three years ago. As I recall, Bertha was established in that song. I actually have the full-length album version of this one.

I forgot about Bertha being in the other one.

This is familiar from oldies radio, and I have it, but I couldn't have told you off the top of my head that it was Leo Sayer.

That I remembered, because it's kind of different for him. It's the only one of his songs that I like.

Another thing that struck me as contrived about the whole set-up was what kicked off the altercation in the first place--Houlihan screwing up in the OR over a distraction that wasn't even present. She's always seemed to cool and professional for that.

I guess I can accept that as dramatizing the stature of the character and her personal importance to Margaret.

 

[The Old Mixer]

It's 45th Anniversary isn't until October, but the name drops in the song make it appropriate for this thread.

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Can't say I was familiar with that one.

Capped, I think. A reference to one of the first Spider-Man issues, where Stan inflicted a Bob Banner moment on Petey?

Yep. It came up before in relation to an LAS segment, though I think in that case it was a character name; and there was something about its use that made me think it might just have been a deliberate reference.

Aww, nice.

Charley: You don't even know me. I might be a real jerk.
Brackett: So what do you want me to do? Throw you back in the fire?

Yeah, it seems like this was more of a cop situation than a paramedic situation.

It was called in as a paramedic situation.

Now, this strikes me as a major event that should have had its own episode, rather than just be a subplot in the mouse episode.

Yeah, they were unclear what type of plane it was supposed to be, and it seems like a jet crashing into the place would have caused a lot more destruction without the fuel having to blow.

That sounds like a tough one on Roy.

Yeah, he had a quick, wordless moment of decision.

It strikes me that it would have been interesting to make Sherry the new Rhoda.

That doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Is this our first indication of what Georgette does for a living?

I'm not sure. We saw her and Sherry wearing their uniforms, which I don't think we've seen before.

That's interesting. I wonder if this was done out of necessity or if they were trying to say something about Sherry's character arc.

The former, I'm sure...a common thing on TV, and they tried to redress it more eclectically.

A pretty clever line for a character whose humor is generally unintentional.

It still was...he'd been setting it up by talking like he'd earned a real degree.

"Move it or lose it, Ted." If memory serves.

Close enough. "Ted, I'm only going to tell you this once: move it or lose it."

You think Mary was goofing around and they left it in? I'll buy that.

The answering the door part was clearly scripted, but I think MTM lost it during the lead-up and they left that in.

I don't think I know what that is.

Basically a big day bed, with a brass backing.

So do they end up with noticeably new furniture, aside from Bob's comfy chair?

Their furniture never made much of an impression on me, so I had to look. The last we see of the apartment, the living room is mostly cleared out. After that we get a scene in Howard's apartment with the Hartleys' couch and armchair. They kept that coat hanger thing next to the door, which was the most distinctive piece.

Seriously, there's a ton of organized crime and people fall in the drink left and right.

It would've been funny if they'd actually referred to the frequent murders on H5O.

I became aware of them with "Dirty Deeds," and I also got a kick out of "Big Balls." It was a while later that my brother Mark pointed out that a bunch of other stuff I liked was actually their work. He decided that they were my favorite band, but I just didn't know it.

FWIW, the songs on the list are "Back in Black" and "Highway to Hell".

Well, not much to say, really. A couple of nice covers. It does seem odd for John Lennon to be covering 50s stuff, but it's nice enough.

That was the music that got John and the others into the business, and '50s nostalgia was in full swing at this point. I was never crazy about the album, but I haven't had occasion to put it on since I delved into the period for my collection. I always preferred Paul's later '50s cover album, CHOBA B CCCP (aka "The Russian Album"), because, as somebody I read put it, John's album sounds like a production, while Paul's sounds like a band.

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[RJDiogenes]

Can't say I was familiar with that one.

I know it mainly because I have the album, although I'm fairly positive that BCN played it occasionally.

Yep. It came up before in relation to an LAS segment, though I think in that case it was a character name; and there was something about its use that made me think it might just have been a deliberate reference.

That rings a bell.

Charley: You don't even know me. I might be a real jerk.
Brackett: So what do you want me to do? Throw you back in the fire?

Pragmatic.

It was called in as a paramedic situation.

That's what I mean. You'd think a bartender would default to the police.

Yeah, they were unclear what type of plane it was supposed to be, and it seems like a jet crashing into the place would have caused a lot more destruction without the fuel having to blow.
View attachment 44757View attachment 44758

Wow, that thing is tiny. Was it even manned? It looks... wait. Oh, no! It's Uncle Martin!

It still was...he'd been setting it up by talking like he'd earned a real degree.

Ah, I see.

Close enough. "Ted, I'm only going to tell you this once: move it or lose it."

A very funny moment. "Move it or lose it" was kind of a hip catchphrase at the time, so of course the dissonance of it coming from Georgette made it especially amusing.

Basically a big day bed, with a brass backing.

Replacing the couch? Speaking of LAS.

Their furniture never made much of an impression on me, so I had to look. The last we see of the apartment, the living room is mostly cleared out. After that we get a scene in Howard's apartment with the Hartleys' couch and armchair. They kept that coat hanger thing next to the door, which was the most distinctive piece.

Everything will be back to normal next episode.

It would've been funny if they'd actually referred to the frequent murders on H5O.

"Just last week they cornered an international hit man in a WWII-era bunker!"

FWIW, the songs on the list are "Back in Black" and "Highway to Hell".

Both good songs. "Back in Black" is the better of the two.

That was the music that got John and the others into the business

True, but boy did they go off in different directions.

I always preferred Paul's later '50s cover album, CHOBA B CCCP (aka "The Russian Album"), because, as somebody I read put it, John's album sounds like a production, while Paul's sounds like a band.

I'm not even sure if I was aware of this.

Would have been funny if everybody else saw the mouse, but Chet saw a kangaroo.

I'm just wondering if anybody even got this.

 

[The Old Mixer]

That's what I mean. You'd think a bartender would default to the police.

He didn't think the paramedics would get there so fast.

Replacing the couch? Speaking of LAS.

Everything will be back to normal next episode.

Probably...I'll be on the lookout.

I'm not even sure if I was aware of this.

Paul's album was originally released only in the Soviet Union when Glasnost was breaking out all over. It was officially released in the West a few years later.

I'm just wondering if anybody even got this.

Not I.

 

[RJDiogenes]

View attachment 44776

Yeah, that doesn't seem too comfy.

Paul's album was originally released only in the Soviet Union when Glasnost was breaking out all over. It was officially released in the West a few years later.

That does sound familiar now that I think of it.

Not I.

Poor Hippety Hopper. His memory has faded with time.

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