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The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

In a '60s show? They just would've ignored the whole issue. Continuity wasn't a big deal for shows back then; they tended to exist in a perpetual now, an unchanging status quo, even when there was a nominal time limit on them. Roy Huggins's Run for Your Life starred Ben Gazzara as a man who had between 9 and 18 months left to live, and the show ran for three years, never bothering to address the discrepancy.

I'll bet that if this show was made today, it would be a short limited series on Netflix, Hulu, or cable, with Gazzara's character progressively getting sicker and dying in the final episode, like this series.
 
The Monkees

"A Nice Place to Visit"
Originally aired September 11, 1967

Our Season 2 premiere's guest bandito is one that I recognize from many Rifleman appearances.

Ah, that was the late Peter Whitney, also well remembered for his role as Courtney, one of Sheriff Gillespie's deputies in the Sidney Poitier classic, In the Heat of the Night (Mirisch Corporation, 1967), and as one of as a toothless grave robbers in the Rod Serling's Night Gallery episode, "Deliveries in the Rear" (NBC, 1972), which also happened to be the final role of his life. Another guest star in the episode was comedian Godfrey Cambridge (the one who had his foot run over) who also visited the gallery in "Make Me Laugh" (NBC, 1971).

"The Picture Frame"
Originally aired September 18, 1967

The bubbly bank teller was Joy Harmon (making her first of two Monkees appearances), forever famous as the girl in cinema history's most sexualized car wash in Cool Hand Luke (Warner Bros. / Seven Arts, 1967). Harmon also had the misfortune of being kissed by Frank Gorshin's Riddler in the Batman episode, "A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away" (ABC, 1966), but pranced around as a giant teenager in the Bert I. Gordon cult classic, Village of the Giants (Embassy, 1965).

Musically, The Monkees were riding a strong creative tidal wave at the time, with two number one albums in 1967, with both arguably among the most memorable of a very creatively explosive decade in music. The songs you mentioned were just unforgettable, timeless gems.
 
One of today's Sullivans, from Sept. 18, 1966, was the first appearance of the Muppets...introduced by Ed as "Jim Newsome's Puppets". :lol:

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Also, look what else I found...
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Whoa. Go, Ed. :rommie:

There's nothing especially wrong with "Norwegian Wood." The music just interacts weirdly with my nervous system or something. I can't listen to it.
 
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50th Anniversary Viewing

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Mission: Impossible
"The Money Machine"
Originally aired October 29, 1967
Wiki said:
An African financier (Brock Peters) is printing counterfeit currency that could destroy his nation's economy. The IMF must put him out of business and recover the stolen printing plates he is using to make the counterfeits.

And now it's Brock Peters week (see also Tarzan)...was he ever so young?

The really tiny reel-to-reel tape that came out of a cigarette machine said:
Please destroy this tape in the usual manner. Good luck, Jim.
So we're back to the ever-changing "usual manner"...which in this case involves a drive-by toss into a garbage can where it self-destructs anyway.

In the not-so-disavowable category: The country's deputy finance minister (Rockne Tarkington, who did several roles on Tarzan) is in on this week's operation.

In the first half, Jim's playing Barney, setting up the titular counterfeit copying computer, while Barney plays a character role in the mission. But Barney makes up for lost time in the second half, most of which he spends sitting inside the device.

Peters had a good presence, but I wasn't into this one much. Matters of stocks and finance tend to go over my head, for one thing.

Also guesting Davis Roberts (Dr. Ozaba, "The Empath").

_______

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
"The Deadly Quest Affair"
Originally aired October 30, 1967
Xfinity said:
A vengeful, clever killer (Darren McGavin) kidnaps Illya and uses the Russian as bait to lure Solo into a certain death trap.

Open Channel Damsel in Distress--Is That What Illya Is This Season?

This episode could have been titled "The Most Dangerous Game Affair." (Perhaps the actual title is a play on that one.) Of course, there's a female guest character randomly thrown in with Solo as prey for Karmak the Napoleon Stalker.

Karmak is supposed to be somebody that Solo and Kuryakin encountered two years ago, but I couldn't find any reference to the episode being a sequel, and if the character was in another episode, he wasn't played by McGavin. Karmak is going for Full Bond Villain here...he has a scar and a pet leopard and routinely disposes of underlings when they're no longer of any use to him. And Solo wrassles the leopard! There was no disclaimer in the end credits, so I'm left to assume that Robert Vaughn actually killed the leopard.

This was relatively solid as TMFU episodes go...it's pretty focused once the hunt gets going, without much in the way of random nonsense plot filler.

_______

The Rat Patrol
"The Death Do Us Part Raid"
Originally aired October 30, 1967
H&I said:
After an ambush by Dietrich, Troy is wounded and the other members of the Rat Patrol are captured on a mission to find a German supply depot. Troy, assisted by a beautiful Irish missionary, must find a way to rescue his team.

Dietrich strongly objects to being ordered to take Troy's contact into custody, which involves putting a yellow Star of David on him. The contact is said to be an Arab, so I'm not sure why they did that. If he was secretly a Jew, the story didn't get into it any further. This was a potentially strong moment in an otherwise unremarkable episode, but it was half-baked.

_______

Batman
"The Ogg and I"
Originally aired November 2, 1967
H&I said:
Egghead and Olga hold Commissioner Gordon hostage, forcing Gotham to pay a tax on eggs.

I didn't get much out of this one, other than that Batgirl was looking particularly good. Adam West gets points for enjoyably hamming up otherwise weak scenes. And the Skipper as "Gilligan" is good for a giggle.

Even with a two-parter, the show sticks to the time-economized habits of the season...no Bruce, Dick, or Barbara out of costume, no Wayne Manor, no Batcave/Batmobile stock footage.

_______

Ironside
"Let My Brother Go"
Originally aired November 2, 1967
Wiki said:
Ironside attempts to stop an athlete from taking the fall for manslaughter in order to keep his parolee brother out of prison.

Guesting Ivan Dixon (Hogan's Heroes) as the football player (an old friend of Mark's) and Don Marshall as the parolee brother.

I guess this would count as a Very Special Episode by 1967 standards. It doesn't start with a murder mystery, but with Ironside trying to find a way to put weapon-making inner city youths on the straight and narrow. To that end, he recruits Kinch to head an athletic program. But Kinch's brother, Boma, is working for a bookmaker and engaging in other behavior that could easily get him sent back to prison.

Not a bad episode overall...it moved along nicely. There's no formulaic murder mystery here...the manslaughter incident doesn't happen until the third act, but it is pretty contrived...when Kinch tries to pull Boma out of a crooked poker game, a fight ensues in which Boma accientally punches somebody through a closed window to the street below. Maybe he could use "shoddy TV physics" as a defense. Kinch tries to take the fall so his brother won't be caught having violated parole, but rescinds the alibi when Brother Boma threatens to get into worse trouble.

Apparently Ironside's pool room doubles as Mark's room.

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TGs2e9.jpg
"The Collaborators"
Originally aired November 2, 1967
Wiki said:
Ann and Donald decide to work on a play about her life, but creative differences get in the way.

It's funny, I'd already been noticing some parallels in storylines between seasons, watching through the first two simultaneously. Here's a particularly obvious example...it's effectively the same premise as "Help Wanted," in which Ann tries to work as Donald's secretary. You'd think Ann and Donald would have learned their lesson there, because the story is initially based on continuity...specifically, trying to write a play about all of the wacky things that have happened to Ann since she came to New York, with details of several episodes being dropped while they're brainstorming the idea.

There's a scene in which Ann and Donald make a mess of a typewriter ribbon--I have to wonder how bizarre that would look to younger-generation folk today.

Sign o' the times: The episode gives us a preemptive "If they can put a man on the moon..." reference.

"Oh, Donald" count: 10...with additional honorable mention going to an instance of "You know, Donald"...not the exact words, but if we're playing by Johnny Thunder rules, that should have summoned her Thunderbolt.

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Tarzan
"Last of the Supermen"
Originally aired November 3, 1967
H&I said:
A Nazi war criminal forces Tarzan to help him locate a fortune that was buried during World War II.

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And here's Antoinette Bower again! Or should we say Fraulein Bauer...? Also guesting Brock Peters as a young tribal warrior bent on revenge because the Nazis murdered his family.

Actually nobody forces Tarzan...he's tagging along because he has an interest in helping the son of a murdered former Nazi to express his grief. A bit late in the episode the story gets into how the boy was indoctrinated in Nazi beliefs early on, before his father found God, and that the boy had grown estranged from his father because of this...that's some insight that would have helped inform viewing of the episode a bit earlier on.

It's interesting how they play the Nazi angle...the bad guys are German and there's talk of strength and their master race and whatnot, but they never drop the "little N-word." Tarzan gives an after-school special lecture to the boy after it's all over, still without dropping the word. It turns out that Tarzan knew the fate of the bonds that the bad guys were looking for all along--After the father turned a new leaf, he'd given them to the International Reparations Committee...and the boy finally cries, having seen his father's "strength in goodness."

It turns out that one of the Naz...er, guys who were involved in something bad long ago...was also in "Patterns of Force."

An underwater passage into the cave where the bonds were supposed to be hidden...now they're just teasing me! When H&I gets back to Season 1, I will re-record the episodes in question, and there will be glorious screenshots of the giant clam for all to marvel at!

Jai is barely in the episode--there's one scene of him playing volleyball with three chimps on his team. How many Cheetas did they have...?

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Star Trek
"I, Mudd"
Originally aired November 3, 1967
Stardate 4513.3
MeTV said:
The Enterprise is taken over by a group of androids who are working for Kirk's old nemesis, Harry Mudd.
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See my post here.

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The Prisoner
"The General"
Originally aired November 3, 1967 (UK)
Wiki said:
An important prisoner's new speed-teaching machine poses perhaps the greatest threat to Number Six's independence.

It's interesting that they teach real-world history in the Village...though they did address the prospect of doing otherwise in the future.

So Number Six plays Kirk here, but with a punch card instead of direct vocal interaction. Destroying the General seemed a bit too easy. It's nice to see Number Six win a small victory...though it came at the cost of losing a true collaborator in his efforts to escape.

This wasn't up there with the stronger episodes for me, but it also wasn't the mess that I found the election episode to be.

Revisiting this point...
I find that "A, B and C" works better if it comes after "The General," Colin Gordon's other episode as Number Two, which was filmed first. His sense of desperation in "A, B and C," his willingness to push the experiment to extremes and do anything to avoid failure, makes more sense if it's his second and last chance to break Six.
OTOH, in this episode Number Two says, "Number Six and I are old friends."

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The Avengers
"The Positive Negative Man"
Originally aired November 4, 1967 (UK)
Wiki said:
Scientists are being eliminated by a highly-charged hitman, whose touch brings instant death by electrocution.

Another episode using the formula of mysterious serial attacks, but with a generally interesting premise involving a pseudo-superhuman antagonist...one who's specially treated to serve as a conduit for artificially generated broadcast power.

Steed and Peel each get a story beat in which they're knocked out by grabbing a charged door handle...wouldn't they not be able to let go of it?

The bad guys use a miniature reel-to-reel recorder that otherwise looks exactly like a cassette recorder of the general era.

The climax features an already tied-up Peel completely covered in aluminum foil...I'm sure that's a turn-on for somebody in the audience. The deathtrap that she's supposed to serve as is foiled by Steed's rubber galoshes.

And here's another superhuman right-through-a-closed-window blow...delivered by Steed to one of the bad guys.

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Get Smart
"One of Our Olives Is Missing"
Originally Aired November 4, 1967
Wiki said:
KAOS has planted a listening device in what appears to be an ordinary olive. The olive, however, is inadvertently consumed by a country and western singing star. Special guest star Carol Burnett.

For historical context, Carol's own show was brand-new this season...and airing on a rival network! :eek:

Ozark Annie said:
You ain't no Sean O'Connery.

This story uses Max's gadget-laden apartment, including the ever-amusing invisible wall.

This is also a Siegfried episode, but Max and Carol outSchmart him.
Siegfried: Put down your hands, pull out your guns, he can only shoot vun of us!
Max: You're the one.
Siegfried: Please, everybody, hands up!

I didn't get what Annie's freak-out at the end was supposed to be about.

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50 Years Ago This Week
November 6 – The Rhodesian parliament passes pro-Apartheid laws.
November 7
  • U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  • Carl B. Stokes is elected mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, becoming the first African American to be elected mayor of a major United States city.
  • The 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution is celebrated in the Soviet Union.
November 8 – The BBC's first local radio station (BBC Radio Leicester) is launched.
November 9 – Apollo program: NASA launches the first Saturn V rocket, successfully carrying the unmanned Apollo 4 test spacecraft from Cape Kennedy into Earth orbit.
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November 11 – Vietnam War: In a ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 3 United States prisoners of war are released by the Viet Cong and turned over to American "New Left" antiwar activist Tom Hayden.


Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:
1. "To Sir with Love," Lulu
2. "Soul Man," Sam & Dave
3. "It Must Be Him," Vikki Carr
4. "Incense and Peppermints," Strawberry Alarm Clock
5. "Your Precious Love," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
6. "The Rain, the Park & Other Things," The Cowsills
7. "Please Love Me Forever," Bobby Vinton
8. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," Aretha Franklin
9. "Expressway to Your Heart," The Soul Survivors
10. "Never My Love," The Association
11. "I Can See for Miles," The Who
12. "I'm Wondering," Stevie Wonder
13. "Love Is Strange," Peaches & Herb
14. "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need," The Temptations
15. "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)," The Hombres
16. "Holiday," Bee Gees
17. "How Can I Be Sure," The Young Rascals
18. "People Are Strange," The Doors
19. "Everlasting Love," Robert Knight
20. "Get on Up," The Esquires
21. "Pata Pata," Miriam Makeba
22. "I Say a Little Prayer," Dionne Warwick
23. "Kentucky Woman," Neil Diamond
24. "Lazy Day," Spanky & Our Gang
25. "Lady Bird," Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
26. "The Letter," The Box Tops
27. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," Gladys Knight & The Pips
28. "Gimme Little Sign," Brenton Wood
29. "Glad to Be Unhappy," The Mamas & The Papas
30. "Boogaloo Down Broadway," The Fantastic Johnny C

32. "She Is Still a Mystery," The Lovin' Spoonful

34. "The Look of Love," Dusty Springfield
35. "Keep the Ball Rollin'," Jay & The Techniques
36. "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)," The Buckinghams

39. "Stag-O-Lee," Wilson Pickett

41. "You Better Sit Down Kids," Cher

46. "Wild Honey," The Beach Boys
47. "Little Ole Man (Uptight-Everything's Alright)," Bill Cosby

51. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," Glen Campbell

57. "I Second That Emotion," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
58. "Skinny Legs and All," Joe Tex

62. "Yesterday," Ray Charles

65. "In and Out of Love," Diana Ross & The Supremes
66. "Next Plane to London," The Rose Garden
67. "She's My Girl," The Turtles
68. "Rock & Roll Woman," Buffalo Springfield

74. "(The Lights Went Out in) Massachusetts," Bee Gees

84. "An Open Letter to My Teenage Son," Victor Lundberg

87. "Neon Rainbow," The Box Tops

90. "Different Drum," The Stone Poneys feat. Linda Ronstadt

92. "Itchycoo Park," Small Faces


Leaving the chart:
  • "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie," Jay & The Techniques
  • "Come Back When You Grow Up," Bobby Vee & The Strangers
  • "Ode to Billie Joe," Bobbie Gentry
  • "You Keep Running Away," Four Tops

New on the chart:

"Yesterday," Ray Charles
(#25 US; #9 R&B; #44 UK)

"Neon Rainbow," The Box Tops
(#24 US; #57 UK)

"Itchycoo Park," Small Faces
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(#16 US; #3 UK)

"She's My Girl," The Turtles
(#14 US)

"Different Drum," The Stone Poneys feat. Linda Ronstadt
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(#13 US)

"(The Lights Went Out in) Massachusetts," Bee Gees
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(#11 US; #1 UK)

"An Open Letter to My Teenage Son," Victor Lundberg
(#10 US; #40 AC)

"In and Out of Love," Diana Ross & The Supremes
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(#9 US; #16 R&B; #13 UK)


And new on the boob tube:
  • Mission: Impossible, "The Seal"
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E., "The Fiery Angel Affair"
  • The Rat Patrol, "The Do-Re-Mi Raid"
  • Batman, "How to Hatch a Dinosaur"
  • Ironside, "Light at the End of the Journey"
  • That Girl, "When in Rome"
  • Tarzan, "Hotel Hurricane"
  • Star Trek, "Metamorphosis"
  • The Prisoner, "Many Happy Returns"
  • The Avengers, "Murdersville"
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The three Egghead/Olga episodes were written as a 3-parter, but were split into a 2-parter and a 1-parter in production.
Interesting. That'll be something to look for when I eventually get to the third one.

Written by everyone's favorite Monkee.
I want to say that I did not know that...but it rings a bell, so I probably just forgot. Now there's Nesmith material being put to good use! This is one of those songs that I remember hearing as a tyke in the early '70s on the station that my mom listened to in the car. I distinctly remember the "person, place, or thing" line piquing my interest because I was just learning about nouns.
 
Interesting. That'll be something to look for when I eventually get to the third one.

The third one, "The Ogg Couple," was actually filmed second, but storywise, there's a case to be made that it was written to go first (see the third comment to this blog post). Which would explain the oddity of the "Ogg" neologism in the titles. There's no reason for the first-aired episode to be called "The Ogg and I" instead of "The Egg and I," the book/movie title it's riffing on. But if "The Ogg Couple" was written and named first, it would kind of make sense as a pun on The Odd Couple, and then "The Ogg and I" would be carrying on the wordplay.

But whose idea was it to put Egghead, an egg-themed supergenius, together with a Cossack insurrectionist queen? It’s a bizarre pairing, and one that comes largely at Egghead’s expense as this brilliant villain played by one of history’s greatest screen heavies is reduced to a dimwitted second banana to the not-very-interesting Olga. If they wanted to give Egghead a love interest, why not at least create someone thematically appropriate? Like, ohh, Frances, Queen of Bacon? Or Melba Toast? Or Chicken a la Queen? (Who would’ve constantly squabbled with Egghead over which of them should go first.)
 
Holy Deja Vu!
And whose idea was it to put Egghead, an egg-themed supergenius, together with a Cossack insurrectionist queen? It's a bizarre pairing, and one that comes largely at Egghead's expense as he's reduced to a second banana to the not-very-interesting Olga. If they wanted to give Egghead a love interest, why not at least create someone thematically appropriate? Like, ohh, Frances, Queen of Bacon? Or Melba Toast?

I love her already.
 
Karmak is going for Full Bond Villain here...he has a scar and a pet leopard and routinely disposes of underlings when they're no longer of any use to him.
Oh, I must see this. I absolutely love Darren McGavin. :rommie:

And Solo wrassles the leopard! There was no disclaimer in the end credits, so I'm left to assume that Robert Vaughn actually killed the leopard.
:rommie:

Sign o' the times: The episode gives us a preemptive "If they can put a man on the moon..." reference.
My Mother still says this. I always reply, "They can't anymore." :(

An underwater passage into the cave where the bonds were supposed to be hidden...now they're just teasing me! When H&I gets back to Season 1, I will re-record the episodes in question, and there will be glorious screenshots of the giant clam for all to marvel at!
I think there's a rising tide of interest in the underappreciated Giant Clam population.

Jai is barely in the episode--there's one scene of him playing volleyball with three chimps on his team. How many Cheetas did they have...?
Probably a lot. There's not a lot of good sportsmanship in the jungle, it seems.

Steed and Peel each get a story beat in which they're knocked out by grabbing a charged door handle...wouldn't they not be able to let go of it?
The idea with this gimmick is that the electricity clenches up your muscles, preventing you from letting go-- at least in TV and movies.

The climax features an already tied-up Peel completely covered in aluminum foil...I'm sure that's a turn-on for somebody in the audience.
That would not be me. :rommie:

Wowie-- I never heard that one before.

Meh.

"Itchycoo Park," Small Faces
This is a nice one. It very much sounds like the 60s to me.

This is okay, but not their best.

"Different Drum," The Stone Poneys feat. Linda Ronstadt
But this is definitely Linda Ronstadt's best. I love this song.

"(The Lights Went Out in) Massachusetts," Bee Gees
Now this is greatness. :adore::D

Now here's an interesting snapshot. Strong start, weak finish, you might say, but a fascinating example of how things were evolving and how minds were being changed and commonalities were being found. Also a reminder of how moderate Right Wingers in the 60s could be more tolerant than extremist alt-Lefters of the 21st century.

"In and Out of Love," Diana Ross & The Supremes
Not their best, but it's Diana Ross.
 
The idea with this gimmick is that the electricity clenches up your muscles, preventing you from letting go-- at least in TV and movies.

Yes, that's what Mixer is saying -- that they shouldn't be able to let go. And there is truth to this. I remember being taught in electronics lab in college that you should take care to touch a potentially live circuit with the back of your knuckles, so that the resultant muscle contraction from a shock will curl your fingers away from it instead of clamping them around it.
 
My Mother still says this. I always reply, "They can't anymore." :(
At least we can revel in our past glories. Hope everyone enjoyed the spectacular, uber-phallic video of the first Saturn V launch.

Wowie-- I never heard that one before.
It's a new acquisition for me, as I decided to dig into the Top 25 level for some artists, including Ray...and I'd previously been reluctant to get covers of songs that had a more definitive version. But it's not a bad rendition...it is Ray Charles, after all.

Aw, it's not Saturn V-spectacular, but I like this one. It has a pleasant sound.

This is a nice one. It very much sounds like the 60s to me.
A stone-cold period classic in my book.

This is okay, but not their best.
Indeed, but it has a decent, trippy sound. I believe the video is from a Sullivan appearance that I'll be covering soon...as part of a mixed-date Best of episode that only has two performances by them representing the Nov. 12, 1967, broadcast.

But this is definitely Linda Ronstadt's best. I love this song.
Commented on the Noun Song above.

Now this is greatness. :adore::D
I considered putting a dig in there, but realized that I'm probably just jealous that your "long to return to my home state" song is less lame than "Indiana Wants Me."

Now here's an interesting snapshot. Strong start, weak finish, you might say, but a fascinating example of how things were evolving and how minds were being changed and commonalities were being found. Also a reminder of how moderate Right Wingers in the 60s could be more tolerant than extremist alt-Lefters of the 21st century.
A surprisingly positive reaction to this one. I considered getting this one as a sign o' the times curiosity, but it seems like it would be too much a downer coming up in my playlists, and I find the rah-rah-USA, "my country right or wrong, even if it means disowning my family" ending to be a bit OTT. Something to inject here, as it won't be coming up in our usual business because of low chart positioning...a number of answer records sprang up to provide the counter-argument for this one.
There were also at least eight "response" records: Keith Gordon's "A Teenager's Answer", released on the Tower label, "A Teenager's Open Letter To His Father" by Robert Tamlin., "Letter From A Teenage Son" by Brandon Wade [Philips 40503], "A Letter To Dad" by Every Father's Teenage Son" [Buddah 25], "Hi, Dad (An Open Letter To Dad)" by Dick Clair [Imperial 66272], "An Open Letter To My Dad" by Marceline [Ion 102] and "Open Letter To The Older Generation" by Dick Clark [Dunhill 4112].
Working on future installments, I found this one rattling around in the lower regions of the Hot 100 in coming weeks...

"A Letter to Dad," Every Father's Teenage Son
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(Charted Nov. 25, 1967; #93 US)

Not their best, but it's Diana Ross.
In this case, "not their best" is judging by a pretty damn high bar...as I'll be demonstrating when we get to the Supremes' appearance on Tarzan later this season.

Yes, that's what Mixer is saying -- that they shouldn't be able to let go. And there is truth to this. I remember being taught in electronics lab in college that you should take care to touch a potentially live circuit with the back of your knuckles, so that the resultant muscle contraction from a shock will curl your fingers away from it instead of clamping them around it.
Indeed. In each case, they grabbed the handle, went unconscious, and fell to the ground...which seemed a bit convenient considering the danger, at least, of not being able to let go of their respective handles.

_______

I have some catching up to do on my catch-up viewing, having focused on watching those extra Dark Shadows episodes last week. In the meantime, here's one...

The Monkees
"Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik"
Originally aired September 25, 1967
Wiki said:
It is a "harem-scare 'em" scene as Davy faces the prospect of marriage to a lovely Nehudian princess (Donna Loren).

Guesting Arnold Moss as Vidaru, the suitor that the princess is avoiding when she picks Davy out of a magazine to be her future husband. (Hey, does this mean they're famous and successful on the show now?) The premise for this episode vaguely reminds me of the set-up for Help!, in which the sacrifice of a female cult member is interrupted when it's discovered that she mailed the sacrificial ring to Ringo.

This episode is the source of the opening credts title shot of Davy...
Monkee1.jpg
...and one of Peter's opening credits reaction shots as well.

Monkee2.jpg
The King: This is where you'd live.
Mike: That's a little small, isn't it?

Peter: How is it?
Shazar: It's...poisoned! And...a little rare.


Songs include...

"Love is Only Sleeping" (sung but not written by Mike)
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"Cuddly Toy" (written by Harry Nilsson; the sequence is at the end, completely disconnected from the story)
 
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Indeed. In each case, they grabbed the handle, went unconscious, and fell to the ground...which seemed a bit convenient considering the danger, at least, of not being able to let go of their respective handles.

Hollywood always gets this wrong -- like in Jurassic Park, where the kid grabbed the electrified fence and was blown away from it.


"Cuddly Toy" (written by Harry Nilsson; the sequence is at the end, completely disconnected from the story)

Oh, gods, how I loathe that song. It's incredibly sexist and degrading to women. "You're not the only cuddly toy / Ever to be enjoyed / By any boy. / You're not the only choo-choo train / To be left out in the rain / So don't complain." Disgusting! Misogynistic, dehumanizing, and I daresay, even implicitly abusive. And yet it's presented as an upbeat, playful Vaudeville number. Ick. Yuck. (I owe Neil Diamond an apology -- I thought he was responsible for this obscenity of a song.)
 
And now, a substantial bit of chronologically synced 50th Anniversary Catch-Up Viewing, including a timely first look at a significant upcoming chart debut...

_______

The Monkees
"Monkee Mayor"
Originally aired October 2, 1967
Wiki said:
Mike casts his wool hat into the ring to stop a crooked construction tycoon (Monte Landis) from turning the city into parking lots.

Now the boys are back to living in relative poverty despite their international magazine exposure...with neighbors taking back borrowed furniture because they're all being evicted from the building.

Modern viewers would recognize Mike's impersonations of Washington and Lincoln, but might not know who he's doing when he gets to then-in-office LBJ.

"No Time" (which I read was a band-written jam credited to engineer Hank Cicalo)
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This episode didn't do a lot for me humor-wise, but it did make the point about running for office that The Prisoner's "Free for All" should have...having Mike realize that he's become like the people he was trying to remove from office.

I read that "Pleasant Valley Sunday" was also used in this episode, but it must have been cut for syndication.

_______

Dark Shadows

A recap of the previously unfinished week:
Episode 331
Originally aired October 2, 1967

Roger and Elizabeth respond to David's cries for help, but are highly skeptical of his claim that he was attacked by a bat. When Liz finally consents to listening to what he has to say, the boy immediately leaps to the conclusion that Cousin Barnabas sent the bat after him because he wants David to die. Cue money shot of Barnabas staring out his window.

Barnabas visibly shifts down from ominous mode as Roger comes calling at the Old House. Roger proceeds to infodump recent developments in David's storyline on his favorite cuz, and some of the details break Barnabas out of the smug satisfaction that he momentarily showed the audience when he heard that his plan had worked. All the while, the master of the Old House shows nothing but concern for David to the boy's father.

Back at Collinwood, David provides a parallel infodump to Doc Woodard, who's paying a house call on the boy. Woodard's interest is piqued by information about Sarah's appearances to David and Willie's innocence. Downstairs, Liz insists to Roger that he can't send his own kid away to a school. When Woodard comes down they ask about a psychiatrist, but find that the good doctor is interested in what David has to say.

The now much more ghostly Sarah visits David in his room to emphasize that he should stay away from the Old House, and especially the basement, because going there is dangerous. Yeah, that's gonna work. She gives David a large, wooden antique toy soldier and tells him to keep it on himself at all times for protection. I'm guessing that the previous owner she hints at is her brother. While admiring his "keen" gift, David turns away from Sarah just long enough for her to go into special effect mode for her disappearance.


Episode 332
Originally aired October 3, 1967

At the Old House, Barnabas gives Dr. Hoffman the ol' choking treatment over David's last uninvited visit. She argues that Barnabas is safe, and will remain that way if he doesn't do anything that might attract attention to himself...like killing her or David...tonight! Or...tomorrow night! Or...the night after that!

At Collinwood, Roger is so pensive about having more episodes lately that he forgets his brandy and takes tea from Undercover Hoffman instead. She learns about David being attacked by the Batpole and how Roger told Barnabas all about his son's fears of Barnabas. When David overhears discussion about sending him away to school, he's torn between his internal voiceover and Sarah's voiceover doing a Lost in Space Robot impersonation--DANGER! DANGER, DAVID COLLINS! But David finds courage in the form of his new pocket pal, Corporal Keen.

Victoria catches the boy on his way out, learns about the soldier, and tries to persuade him to show it to Hoffman. David shakes his tutor by pretending to go study, and later sneaks out while Hoffman learns of the soldier from Vicki. Hoffman says that she saw a similar soldier being held by a young boy in a family album.

At the Old House facade, David uses purloined spare keys to go in through the front door (which used to just open for him back in the day). Meanwhile, Hoffman realizes that he's gone there and goes after him...and of course, the sun is setting. Barnabas rises just before the boy goes downstairs to find the open coffin...and dramatically closes the lid to get David's attention....


Episode 333
Originally aired October 4, 1967

Following a recap of yesterday's climax, Barnabas questions David while acting very intimidating...but his threat of punishment isn't delivered on thanks to Hoffman's timely arrival. The Old House master lets the frightened boy go home after taking the set of spare keys. Following the boy's departure, Barnabas at first acts concerned...then a candle appears over his head, figuratively speaking....

Back at Collinwood, Burke and Doc Woodard have randomly appeared to discuss David's disappearance.

At Woodard's urging, the two start to compare notes about Barnabas just as David returns home. He wastes no time telling them about the coffin, as well as jumping to speculations about its owner...

Hoffman appears in a timely fashion again to do some damage control. She spins the coffin as a figment of David's imagination. Hoffman shows the camera a look of guilt as the boy accuses her of being Barnabas's friend. Woodard campaigns for getting to the truth by going to the Old House to see for themselves what's in the basement. Roger, already well past his usual limit on appearances, will have nothing to do with it, so Woodard and Burke go.

At the Old House, Barnabas teases out his reaction to being asked to show them the basement, initially refusing his visitors...but it was obvious where this was going. When he finally consents to showing them the basement, they find...an oddly stacked assortment of trunks and boxes where the coffin usually is. Barnabas's visitors apologize and begin to leave, as he smugly displays his satisfaction to the viewers at home.

If I were going back and rewatching, I'd keep a count of episodes in which Mrs. Johnson is mentioned but doesn't appear. There's some drinking game material.


Episode 334
Originally aired October 5, 1967

IMDb tells me that this is Robert Gerringer's last appearance as Doc Woodard. He was replaced when he wouldn't work during a strike.

At Collinwood, David pensively waits with Vicki for word from Burke and Woodard. The pair return to be let in by Roger, who's getting really cranky now, chiding his visitors for their foolishness and ranting about how the family portraits hated him when he was a boy. They leave Roger with his childhood tormentors and go upstairs to report their findings to his son.

Insisting that The Evil Is Out There, David reluctantly tells them about the secret room in the mausoleum, which angers Sarah into blowing open his window and playing an angry tune. Hitting the brandy and invoking his cousinly man love for Barnabas, Roger is reluctant to allow them to take David to the crypt, but ultimately relents, while sharing his concern that David is in need of professional help and reminding us of Vicki's engagement subplot.

The Scooby Gang arrives at the mausoleum, but the ring that opens the panel won't give, even for the grown men. David gains some benefit of the doubt from Woodard when he finds Sarah's flute on one of the coffins.


Episode 335
Originally aired October 6, 1967
IMDb said:
A psychiatrist analyzes David. Elizabeth informs Burke that there's a clause in an old family will which prevents her from selling him the house. Dr. Woodard decides to take another look at the mausoleum.

Joan Bennett does the opening narration; and we're back in kinescope.

Whatever actor is playing announcer in this case said:
The part of Dr. Woodard is being played by Peter Turgeon.


In his room, a crystal ball-clutching David calls for Sarah...and she appears. She tells him that "somebody" did something to keep the secret door in the mausoleum closed. When Aunt Elizabeth comes to his room with Dr. Fisher the psychiatrist, the boy doesn't deny who he was talking to, and even shows our one-shot shrink his crystal ball. David relates his dream about Barnabas...
David Collins said:
He wasn't dead...he was something horrible....He came at me and I could see his fangs....Like a wild animal, a wild animal that wanted to eat you!

Downstairs, Burke's getting to know Doc Woodard #3 over conversation about Maggie's abductor. Woodard notes that somebody inflicted the same type of wounds on Willie, and that person is still out there. Fisher comes down to relate that David is deeply disturbed. In his professional opinion, it's all about David's fear of death. He mistakenly speculates that the shadowy woman with the medallion represents the boy's late mother. But the mention of Barnabas's fangs provokes a visible reaction from the new Woodard.

When the doctors leave, Liz takes Burke aside to give him the bad news from her lawyers that the last owner of the Seaview house, Caleb Sayers Collins, had a provision in his will that the house couldn't be sold to anyone but a member of the Collins family for 100 years after his death...and five years of that time limit still remain.

Meanwhile, Woodard visits the mausoleum by day. His internal voiceover is working up his nerve to pull the ring when Sarah appears behind him....

_______

The Monkees
"Art for Monkees' Sake"
Originally aired October 9, 1967
Wiki said:
At an art museum, Peter copies an old painting for two guards (Monte Landis, Vic Tayback) who are actually thieves bent on snatching the real painting.

Following the initial switch of the paintings, the boys have to break into the museum and switch them back...
Mike said:
Okay, men...Mission: Ridiculous.
I detected a subtle little M:I motif in the score during this scene. There's a good sight gag after the boys have been pretending to be statues--when one of them taps Mike, he falls over while maintaining his pose.

"Randy Scouse Git" (written and sung by Micky Dolenz; cut in syndication from a previously reviewed episode)
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Included in that clip is part of an uncredited appearance by Liberace destroying a piano with a hammer (repeated from an earlier scene, and reprised at the end of the episode after the final number...).

At the end, disconnected from the story, the television audience gets its first exposure to the group's third and final #1 single--a couple of weeks before its release and five weeks before its debut on the Hot 100 (which is coming up in next week's "50 Years Ago..." post):

"Daydream Believer"
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(Charted Nov. 18, 1967; #1 US the weeks of Dec. 2 through Dec. 23; #5 UK)

Since we're already covering it here, I might as well spoil that it rockets onto the chart at an impressive starting position of #33.

_______

Dark Shadows

Episode 336
Originally aired October 9, 1967
IMDb said:
Much to Julia's chagrin, Sarah shows Dr. Woodard the secret room. Meanwhile, Victoria tells Burke that not obtaining her dream home is a sign that they should postpone their marriage.

Doc Woodard #3 gets a color do-over of last week's climactic scene. He proceeds to sit down and convince Sarah to tell him what she knows in order to help David. Sarah demonstrates an ability to see through the fourth wall, nervously glancing at the camera in her close-ups following one of the actors missing their cue. She then relents and shows Woodard the secret chamber, where he asks more questions about the empty coffin. In lieu of straight answers, he begins to reason through things himself...getting very close to the truth thanks in part to the telltale chains, but demonstrating that he's not as familiar with vampire lore as the audience is expected to be.

Now it's time to eat our foul-smelling vegetables, as we visit the Burke and Victoria subplot. Vicki gives being around for David as one of her reasons for not wanting to get hitched right away. We also get reminded of Burke's rival with a dramatic pan to the portrait of Barnabas.

Woodard later comes over, anxious to see Burke...whom Vicki tells us has gone out of town on business...which is kind of strange, considering how he was supposed to be ready to get married at any minute. Not wanting to share what he knows with a potential victim, Woodard asks to see books about the Collins family history. Dr. Hoffman comes back while he's in the library and goes in to try to talk him down from believing that Sarah Collins is a real ghost. Failing in that, her gears visibly shift as she starts to see him as a potential threat....

Contrary to the episode description, Woodard doesn't specify to Julia that Sarah showed him the secret chamber.


Episode 337
Originally aired October 10, 1967
IMDb said:
Dr. Woodard gradually discovers Barnabas's secret and ultimately confronts him. Meanwhile, Roger makes plans to send David to military school.

Caretaker #2 (who evidently isn't significant enough to warrant a recasting announcement) is puttering around his Cemeterycave when Woodard drops by looking for info about the curse of the Collins family tomb.
Christine at Dark Shadows Before I Die said:
Our original Caretaker, Daniel Keyes, also wouldn't cross the picket line, so now we have two bumbling newbies talking over each other.
Learning some details about the supposed departure of the "original" Barnabas (as do we), Woodard expresses his belief that Barnabas never actually left Collinsport....

While the somewhat-less-doddering-than-his-predecessor Caretaker digs into his books, Barnabas has a secret bromantic rendezvous with his cousin Roger, who mentions that he's sending David away, much to the Old House master's visible satisfaction. Elizabeth is less happy at the notion, having a loud argument with her brother before Woodard comes over and we get perhaps the ultimate DS flub in the episodes that I've seen (with thanks to DSBID for bringing this to my attention or I may have missed it while taking notes):
DS02.jpg
To the right of the portrait we see the boom mike shadow (very noticeably moving in the actual scene) AND the edge of the set!

Roger starts to blab to the doctor about sending David away when the subject of the conversation comes down. Taking the boy aside, Woodard confides how he met Sarah and saw the secret room. David makes another candle appear over Woodard's head when he speculates that Barnabas might be dead. Woodard makes David promise not to tell anyone of their conversation while he seeks to get to the bottom of things. Cue too-obvious foreshadowing of Woodard's fate and cut to commercial.

The new Woodard must have a death wish, because the next place he goes is the Old House to brazenly confront the subject of his investigations. At this point, I'm rooting for Barnabas...the new guy is playing things so smugly that he's begging to be taken down a few pegs.


Episode 338
Originally aired October 11, 1967
IMDb said:
Barnabas and Julia are each perplexed by Dr. Woodard's investigation into Barnabas's affairs. Meanwhile Elizabeth offers to reopen the west wing of the family mansion for Victoria and Burke to live in.

They're really laying the foreshadowing of Woodard's fate on thick...now it's stated outright in the opening narration that he'll be dying this night (which apparently plays out over several episodes). After a recap of yesterday's last scene, Woodard leaves the Old House as Hoffman's returning. Woodard goes straight for the window that amplifies any conversations inside. Barnabas grills Hoffman about what Woodard knows, and she makes a point of telling him (and thus Woodard) details about where she keeps her notes. While they're at it, Barnabas loudly confirms that Sarah is his sister, and gets in some chauvinistic chiding of Julia...
Barnabas Collins said:
Stop thinking like a woman and start thinking like a doctor.
After which, he proceeds to advise that she use the underestimation that comes with her gender to her advantage in handling Woodard.

Burke drops by Collinwood to tell Vicki that he's heading off to South America on business. He tries to persuade her to marry him before he goes, and Liz makes the offer described above. Burke asks if there are any skeletons tucked away in the closets, thinking that he's both joking and being metaphorical. Vicki is concerned when her fiance is reluctant to accept the offer because he doesn't want to get tied up in the affairs of the Collins clan.

Meanwhile, Barnabas sends Hoffman out to find out more about what her colleague knows. She proceeds to Woodard's office and acts more interested in what he has to say about Sarah. She even drops the term "ectoplasmic" in relation to the girl. But following the eavesdropping scene, Woodard is onto Julia...now he wants to know what she's been doing with Barnabas at the Old House, and produces a list of curious medical supplies that she's been ordering. Following Barnabas's advice, she tries to deflect Woodard's suspicions by playing the gender card...
Dr. Julia Hoffman said:
I'm emotionally involved with Barnabas Collins. When I'm with him, I don't think of myself as a doctor at all, but only as a woman.
...but Dave isn't buying it. That ploy having failed, she warns him to stop investigating Barnabas now...before it's too late.


Episode 339
Originally aired October 12, 1967
IMDb said:
Dr. Woodard breaks into Julia's room and steals her notes on the treatment of Barnabas. Meanwhile Roger has a conniption fit over Elizabeth's decision to let Burke and Vicki live in the west wing of the family mansion.

"Conniption fit?" That's a little informal for an episode description, isn't it?

At the Old House, Hoffman reports Woodard's suspicions to Barnabas, who isn't pleased with the cover story that she devised about how she's been treating Barnabas for a rare blood disease. She also shares how she told Woodard that she has a romantic interest in Barnabas...
Barnabas Collins said:
How absurd. Woodard is a bigger fool than I thought he was.
Barnabas proceeds to express a firm opinion about Julia's notes...
Barnabas Collins said:
We must get them and destroy them!
DRINK!
Barnabas Collins said:
If anyone got ahold of the contents of your notebook I could be exposed and destroyed!
DRINK!
Commenting on Barnabas's fear of exposure...
Dr. Julia Hoffman said:
I never thought you were capable of feeling any emotion....
Hasn't she seen him pining over Sarah? Anyway, Barnabas heads to Collinwood with Julia in tow to check the metal box in which Julia keeps her notes for himself.

At Collinwood, Mrs. Johnson (DRINK!) lets Doc Woodard in. Under cover of paying a house call on David, he sneaks into Julia's room. Mrs. Johnson later hears a noise coming from Julia's room and checks, while Woodard, who's been rummaging around for the notes, hides behind the door. Good thing for him that she doesn't think to turn off the light that he turned on. He's also temporarily lucky in that when Barnabas and Hoffman arrive, they get caught up in the drama between Liz and Roger. When Barnabas compliments Vicki during the conversation that ensues, Hoffman seems to understand the subtext.

Upstairs, Woodard finds the metal box and pries it open to reveal the notebook, which looks like a diary with a little lock on it. (In fact, DSBID asserts that it's a reuse of Jason McGuire's diary.) Clearly finding its contents startling at a glance, Woodard pockets the book and attempts to clean up any signs of his search. He goes downstairs eager to talk to Liz, only to be startled by the presence of her visitors, and then frantically makes an excuse to leave. Taking Barnabas upstairs, Julia checks the box to find that it's been pried open and the notebook taken....


Episode 340
Originally aired October 13, 1967
IMDb said:
As Dr. Woodard pours over the notes he stole, Barnabas and a reluctant Julia scheme to kill him.

So the last episode in the Decades block aired on Friday, October 13...how appropriate.

Following a recap of yesterday's conclusion...
Barnabas Collins said:
Then Woodard knows everything...he knows what I am. He must be eliminated--immediately--unless it's already too late....
Faced with Julia's reluctance to be an accessory to her old colleague's murder, Barnabas threatens to treat Woodard to the slowest, most agonizing death possible if she doesn't devise a means to kill him that will look natural. She relents, offering that she has a drug that will make it look like he's suffered a heart attack.

Doc Woodard is just digging into the juicy details of Julia's vampire diary when Sam drops by for one last performance with Dave. Alas, the character who's about to literally become a soul man doesn't take Evans into his confidence, but merely hints that he's working on something big while writing out a prescription for Maggie.

Frid is at his best (worst?) as Barnabas when he reveals that the job of administering the drug will be Julia's. Desperate for an out, she manages to convince him to to let her try to talk to Dave and convince him to stay silent for the sake of science. Back at his office, Woodard tries to get ahold of Sheriff Patterson by phone and is about to go out when Hoffman arrives. Pulling out the notebook, he reveals that he's read it...
Dr. Woodard said:
Cover to cover...every last, fantastic word. I know about your experiments. I know what Barnabas Collins is!
Dave proceeds to chastise Julia for harboring Barnabas. Hoffman tells Woodard that if he walks out the door, he'll never make it to the sheriff. As he goes for the phone, the silhouette of a bat appears at his window, followed by a superimposed, transparent-around-the-edges Barnabas appearing inside the office.
Woodard: Until now, I hoped it was really a nightmare. Now I know it isn't.
Barnabas: Consider it a dream, from which you will never awaken.

For Decades viewers, Woodard's fate is left to the imagination...but it's pretty obvious what's in store for him, even without peeking on IMDb to see that a couple of Peter Turgeon's future appearances will be as "Ghost of Dave Woodard."

_______

Hollywood always gets this wrong -- like in Jurassic Park, where the kid grabbed the electrified fence and was blown away from it.
I don't think Hollywood's to blame for this one, old chap.

Oh, gods, how I loathe that song. It's incredibly sexist and degrading to women. "You're not the only cuddly toy / Ever to be enjoyed / By any boy. / You're not the only choo-choo train / To be left out in the rain / So don't complain." Disgusting! Misogynistic, dehumanizing, and I daresay, even implicitly abusive. And yet it's presented as an upbeat, playful Vaudeville number. Ick. Yuck. (I owe Neil Diamond an apology -- I thought he was responsible for this obscenity of a song.)
Those lyrics didn't sound quite right to me, so I looked them up...
A quick Google said:
You're not only cuddly toy that was ever enjoyed by any boy
You're not the only choo-choo train that was left out in the rain
The day after Santa came
You're not the only cherry delight that was left out in the night
And gave up without a fight
You're not the only cuddly toy that was ever enjoyed by any boy

You're not the kind of girl to tell your mother
The kind of company you keep
I never told you not to love no other
You must of dreamed it in your sleep
I think there's an argument to be made that it's all just metaphorical dressing for the idea of a no-commitment relationship..."free love" was a popular notion at the time that would continue into the '70s...but they are pretty lousy lyrics, so I won't go so far as to be the song's advocate.

_______

While looking up videos, I caught a news story about the Monkees' 50th anniversary on YouTube, in which Micky makes an analogy that brings it all back to the BBS. Asked if the Monkees succeeded in becoming a real band, he responds, "I've often said that it's like Leonard Nimoy really becoming a Vulcan."
 
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Batman
"The Ogg and I"
Originally aired November 2, 1967


I didn't get much out of this one, other than that Batgirl was looking particularly good. Adam West gets points for enjoyably hamming up otherwise weak scenes. And the Skipper as "Gilligan" is good for a giggle.

The low point of Vincent Price's career, and typical of the deservedly trashed third season, Adam West's performance is night and day from anything seen in season one.

Even with a two-parter, the show sticks to the time-economized habits of the season...no Bruce, Dick, or Barbara out of costume, no Wayne Manor, no Batcave/Batmobile stock footage.


The Monkees
"Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik"
Originally aired September 25, 1967

Guesting Arnold Moss as Vidaru, the suitor that the princess is avoiding when she picks Davy out of a magazine to be her future husband. (Hey, does this mean they're famous and successful on the show now?)

The series played around with that; this is not the first time the group received magazine coverage (see: season one's "Monkees a'La Mode"), or were known around town, but they were still supposed to be a struggling group with few opportunities.

"Cuddly Toy" (written by Harry Nilsson; the sequence is at the end, completely disconnected from the story)

Many of the musical segments were "disconnected" as you say, particularly in season two, where the lion's share of group performances were shot (while on a break from touring in the summer of 1967) to be used more than once, so they could not be locked down to any one episode.

The Monkees
"Monkee Mayor"
Originally aired October 2, 1967

Modern viewers would recognize Mike's impersonations of Washington and Lincoln, but might not know who he's doing when he gets to then-in-office LBJ.

..which says something about modern education, if well known LBJ expressions draw a blank. He is a ore "modern" president tied to one of the most important periods in U.S. history (world history, in some cases).

"No Time" (which I read was a band-written jam credited to engineer Hank Cicalo)

Actually, all Monkees contributed, with the opening gobbledygook lyrics, "Hober reeber sabasoben. Hobaseeba snick, Seeberraber hobosoben" being a tribute/play on a Bill Cosby routine, used here because Micky and Mike were big Bill Cosby fans at the time.

The Monkees
"Art for Monkees' Sake"
Originally aired October 9, 1967

I detected a subtle little M:I motif in the score during this scene.

Yep. Barely into M:I's second season, and its culturally relevant enough for The Monkees to satirize.

"Randy Scouse Git" (written and sung by Micky Dolenz

As mentioned before, the group was on creative fire at the time. Micky really makes his own style statement here, not all like Boyce /Hart compositions.


Dark Shadows

Episode 335
Originally aired October 6, 1967

In his room, a crystal ball-clutching David calls for Sarah...and she appears. She tells him that "somebody" did something to keep the secret door in the mausoleum closed. When Aunt Elizabeth comes to his room with Dr. Fisher the psychiatrist, the boy doesn't deny who he was talking to, and even shows our one-shot shrink his crystal ball. David relates his dream about Barnabas...

...and of course, the adults' first instinct is to disbelieve him.


Downstairs, Burke's getting to know Doc Woodard #3 over conversation about Maggie's abductor. Woodard notes that somebody inflicted the same type of wounds on Willie, and that person is still out there. Fisher comes down to relate that David is deeply disturbed. In his professional opinion, it's all about David's fear of death. He mistakenly speculates that the shadowy woman with the medallion represents the boy's late mother. But the mention of Barnabas's fangs provokes a visible reaction from the new Woodard.

...and despite Woodard spelling out that Willie was a victim of the same kind of bizarre attacks, Burke does not give Loomis a break. Well, at least he's still suspicious of Barnabas about something.


Meanwhile, Woodard visits the mausoleum by day. His internal voiceover is working up his nerve to pull the ring when Sarah appears behind him....

The more he learns, the more he's giving himself enough rope....

Dark Shadows

Episode 336
Originally aired October 9, 1967

She then relents and shows Woodard the secret chamber, where he asks more questions about the empty coffin. In lieu of straight answers, he begins to reason through things himself...getting very close to the truth thanks in part to the telltale chains, but demonstrating that he's not as familiar with vampire lore as the audience is expected to be.

Which was solid plotting that keeps a bit of realism in that the DS world has no real vampire lore in the way of the work of Stoker, Le Fanu, or popular movies. Woodard has to merge his medicine with some legend of half-told story, which makes the conclusion terrifying.


Woodard later comes over, anxious to see Burke...whom Vicki tells us has gone out of town on business...which is kind of strange, considering how he was supposed to be ready to get married at any minute. Not wanting to share what he knows with a potential victim, Woodard asks to see books about the Collins family history.

Woodard Sherlock-ing right along. This scene would be reworked with Professor Stokes, Roger and Jeff Clark In House of Dark Shadows.


Dr. Hoffman comes back while he's in the library and goes in to try to talk him down from believing that Sarah Collins is a real ghost. Failing in that, her gears visibly shift as she starts to see him as a potential threat....

A month or so ago, I mentioned how Julia would come to see him, but memory had it happening faster than the actual airdates.

Episode 337
Originally aired October 10, 1967

Learning some details about the supposed departure of the "original" Barnabas (as do we), Woodard expresses his belief that Barnabas never actually left Collinsport....

Now that is frightening with all it implies.

Roger starts to blab to the doctor about sending David away when the subject of the conversation comes down. Taking the boy aside, Woodard confides how he met Sarah and saw the secret room. David makes another candle appear over Woodard's head when he speculates that Barnabas might be dead. Woodard makes David promise not to tell anyone of their conversation while he seeks to get to the bottom of things.

Not quite a Van Helsing, but Woodard is getting close to being "that guy" in the series.

The new Woodard must have a death wish, because the next place he goes is the Old House to brazenly confront the subject of his investigations. At this point, I'm rooting for Barnabas...the new guy is playing things so smugly that he's begging to be taken down a few pegs.

What good vampire hunter is reserved? If push comes to shove, its best to be bold.


Episode 338
Originally aired October 11, 1967

Woodard goes straight for the window that amplifies any conversations inside. Barnabas grills Hoffman about what Woodard knows, and she makes a point of telling him (and thus Woodard) details about where she keeps her notes.

Woodard might be doomed, but his rapid discoveries made first run viewers think he had an edge, despite the opening narration.


Meanwhile, Barnabas sends Hoffman out to find out more about what her colleague knows. She proceeds to Woodard's office and acts more interested in what he has to say about Sarah. She even drops the term "ectoplasmic" in relation to the girl.

Arguably, that might the first time the term was used in this sense on U.S television.

But following the eavesdropping scene, Woodard is onto Julia...now he wants to know what she's been doing with Barnabas at the Old House, and produces a list of curious medical supplies that she's been ordering. Following Barnabas's advice, she tries to deflect Woodard's suspicions by playing the gender card...

...but Dave isn't buying it. That ploy having failed, she warns him to stop investigating Barnabas now...before it's too late.

Love the build up, and now no-BS argument between the two.

Episode 339
Originally aired October 12, 1967

She also shares how she told Woodard that she has a romantic interest in Barnabas...

Key information dump from Hoffman, as you can likely see her negative attitude anytime Barnabas shows too much interest in Vicki.

Upstairs, Woodard finds the metal box and pries it open to reveal the notebook, which looks like a diary with a little lock on it. (In fact, DSBID asserts that it's a reuse of Jason McGuire's diary.) Clearly finding its contents startling at a glance, Woodard pockets the book and attempts to clean up any signs of his search. He goes downstairs eager to talk to Liz, only to be startled by the presence of her visitors, and then frantically makes an excuse to leave. Taking Barnabas upstairs, Julia checks the box to find that it's been pried open and the notebook taken....

Again, love the build up. For all anyone knew in 1967, Barnabas was about to face the music....


Episode 340
Originally aired October 13, 1967

Faced with Julia's reluctance to be an accessory to her old colleague's murder, Barnabas threatens to treat Woodard to the slowest, most agonizing death possible if she doesn't devise a means to kill him that will look natural. She relents, offering that she has a drug that will make it look like he's suffered a heart attack.

Its amazing that Barnabas was already the idol/crush of innumerable women by this time in the series' run, even in the face of his being so overwhelmingly evil, as seen with his demand for Julia to kill Woodard. The sympathetic anti-hero version of Barnabas had not worked its way into the character at this point, so Barnabas' swooning masses were in love/lust with a true monster. There's much that can be said about that....

Frid is at his best (worst?) as Barnabas when he reveals that the job of administering the drug will be Julia's. Desperate for an out, she manages to convince him to to let her try to talk to Dave and convince him to stay silent for the sake of science. Back at his office, Woodard tries to get ahold of Sheriff Patterson by phone and is about to go out when Hoffman arrives. Pulling out the notebook, he reveals that he's read it...

Dave proceeds to chastise Julia for harboring Barnabas. Hoffman tells Woodard that if he walks out the door, he'll never make it to the sheriff. As he goes for the phone, the silhouette of a bat appears at his window, followed by a superimposed, transparent-around-the-edges Barnabas appearing inside the office.

...and here we are. There more to this scene, and it marks a significant turn in Julia's relationship with Barnabas, continuing right up to the start of the 1795 flashback. But if you think Barnabas has no supporters going forward, you would be incorrect...
 
..which says something about modern education, if well known LBJ expressions draw a blank. He is a ore "modern" president tied to one of the most important periods in U.S. history (world history, in some cases).
To be fair, LBJ doesn't have the sort of instantly recognized iconography going on that Washington and Lincoln do. All Mike did visually was put big, false ears on...if I didn't know offhand who was president when the show was made, I'd probably have no idea who he was doing.

Yep. Barely into M:I's second season, and its culturally relevant enough for The Monkees to satirize.
We also have an episode of The Avengers coming up in a couple weeks titled "Mission: Highly Improbable." And there'll be a Get Smart later in the season titled "Operation Ridiculous."

Not quite a Van Helsing, but Woodard is getting close to being "that guy" in the series.
The dead one? :p

What good vampire hunter is reserved? If push comes to shove, its best to be bold.
The new guy was just too clumsily in all the wrong people's faces about it, like "Ha, ha, I know your secret and there's nothing you can do about it!" It'd be interesting to see how Gerringer would have played the same material.

...and here we are. There more to this scene, and it marks a significant turn in Julia's relationship with Barnabas, continuing right up to the start of the 1795 flashback. But if you think Barnabas has no supporters going forward, you would be incorrect...
Maybe I'll find out someday. I could see moving forward into the series another time when I have less viewing going on.

_______

So...not sure if this will be of general interest, but for strictly personal reasons, I decided to create a standing playlist for this week in 1969, two years ahead of the 50th anniversary point...one that I can listen to around this time every year, if you catch my drift. So without further ado, selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week ending November 8, 1969:
99. "Volunteers," Jefferson Airplane

96. "Eleanor Rigby," Aretha Franklin

83. "A Brand New Me," Dusty Springfield
82. "Ballad of Easy Rider," The Byrds

80. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," B.J. Thomas

69. "Delta Lady," Joe Cocker

67. "Evil Woman, Don't Play Your Games with Me," Crow

58. "Up on Cripple Creek," The Band
57. "Heaven Knows," The Grass Roots
56. "Friendship Train," Gladys Knight & The Pips

51. "Something in the Air," Thunderclap Newman
50. "Someday We'll Be Together," Diana Ross & The Supremes
49. "These Eyes," Jr. Walker & The All Stars

44. "Holly Holy," Neil Diamond

39. "Leaving on a Jet Plane," Peter, Paul & Mary
38. "Down on the Corner," Creedence Clearwater Revival
37. "Undun," The Guess Who

34. "Jealous Kind of Fella," Garland Green
33. "Fortunate Son," Creedence Clearwater Revival
32. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," Tom Jones

29. "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday," Stevie Wonder
28. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," Crosby, Stills & Nash
27. "That's the Way Love Is," Marvin Gaye
26. "Try a Little Kindness," Glen Campbell
25. "Cherry Hill Park," Billy Joe Royal
24. "I'm Gonna Make You Mine," Lou Christie
23. "Eli's Coming," Three Dog Night
22. "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," Steam
21. "Let a Man Come In and Do the Popcorn, Pts. 1 & 2," James Brown
20. "Backfield in Motion," Mel & Tim
19. "Ball of Fire," Tommy James & The Shondells
18. "Take a Letter Maria," R.B. Greaves
17. "Baby, I'm for Real," The Originals
16. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," Dionne Warwick
15. "Going in Circles," The Friends of Distinction
14. "Jean," Oliver
13. "Little Woman," Bobby Sherman
12. "Tracy," The Cuff Links

10. "Smile a Little Smile for Me," The Flying Machine
9. "Something," The Beatles
8. "And When I Die," Blood, Sweat & Tears
7. "Hot Fun in the Summertime," Sly & The Family Stone
6. "Sugar, Sugar," The Archies
5. "Baby It's You," Smith
4. "I Can't Get Next to You," The Temptations
3. "Come Together," The Beatles
2. "Suspicious Minds," Elvis Presley
1. "Wedding Bell Blues," The 5th Dimension
 
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A stone-cold period classic in my book.
I didn't even realize it was that well known. I thought it was kind of a "lost 45."

I considered putting a dig in there, but realized that I'm probably just jealous that your "long to return to my home state" song is less lame than "Indiana Wants Me."
Actually, I like that song, too. :rommie:

A surprisingly positive reaction to this one. I considered getting this one as a sign o' the times curiosity, but it seems like it would be too much a downer coming up in my playlists, and I find the rah-rah-USA, "my country right or wrong, even if it means disowning my family" ending to be a bit OTT.
Yeah, the finish kind of ruins it. :rommie: But note most everything that comes before. Changing minds and finding common ground was how the Boomer generation changed the world more than it's ever been changed before-- contrast with the catastrophic failure of the current generation which does nothing but incite conflict and divisiveness because they think it makes them look cool on social media. The reply that you posted is another great example of that. The times they were a changin' and everybody was trying to understand and adjust.

In this case, "not their best" is judging by a pretty damn high bar...as I'll be demonstrating when we get to the Supremes' appearance on Tarzan later this season.
That's something else I'd love to see.

Indeed. In each case, they grabbed the handle, went unconscious, and fell to the ground...which seemed a bit convenient considering the danger, at least, of not being able to let go of their respective handles.
Well, it's TV. Body weight would be enough to pull their hand from the knob, but if they got hit with enough electricity to knock them out they should have suffered some severe burns. It could also possibly stop somebody's heart and/or result in personality changes. It's a bit of a cartoony trope.

"Love is Only Sleeping" (sung but not written by Mike)
This one is okay, but not their best.

"Cuddly Toy" (written by Harry Nilsson; the sequence is at the end, completely disconnected from the story)
Cute. I don't think I ever heard that before. And I love the girl in the video.

"No Time" (which I read was a band-written jam credited to engineer Hank Cicalo)
Ouch. They should have worked on this one a bit more. :rommie:

I read that "Pleasant Valley Sunday" was also used in this episode, but it must have been cut for syndication.
They should have cut the other one. :rommie:

"Randy Scouse Git" (written and sung by Micky Dolenz; cut in syndication from a previously reviewed episode)
Now this is pretty good. It could have been a single.

"Daydream Believer"
And, of course, this is one of their classics.

I think there's an argument to be made that it's all just metaphorical dressing for the idea of a no-commitment relationship..."free love" was a popular notion at the time that would continue into the '70s...but they are pretty lousy lyrics, so I won't go so far as to be the song's advocate.
Kind of. It's about somebody who's expecting more from a one-night stand than she should be.
 
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