What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (4 Viewers)

[The 1960's]

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)​

And Now, Mr. Serling:

“One of next week’s stars is alongside me now. She’ll appear in a tale called ‘The Lonely.’ It is a story that takes place on [Woman’s Voice] an asteroid and it’s a most intriguing premise. [Serling] It sounds it. Next week on the Twilight Zone, Jack Warden, John Dehner and Jean Marsh appear in a bizarre tale of a man and ... a woman? I don’t understand it either. Thank you and goodnight.

S01E07 The Lonely (Nov.13.1959)

Theme / Rod Serling Introduction

Opening Narration:

“Witness if you will a dungeon, made out of mountains, salt flats and sand that stretch to infinity. The dungeon has an inmate: James A. Corry. And this is his residence: a metal shack. An old touring car that squats in the sun and goes nowhere, for there is nowhere to go. For the record, let it be known that James A. Corry is a convicted criminal placed in solitary confinement. Confinement in this case stretches as far as the eye can see, because this particular dungeon is on an asteroid nine million miles from the Earth. Now witness if you will a man’s mind and body shriveling in the sun...a man dying of loneliness.”

Stars
Rod Serling as Narrator (voice)
Jack Warden as James A. Corry
John Dehner as Captain Allenby
Jean Marsh as Alicia
Ted Knight as Adams (uncredited)
James Turley as Carstairs (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Smight
Writing Credits
Rod Serling Writer
Rod Serling Creator
Produced by
Buck Houghton Producer
Rod Serling Executive Producer
Music by
Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography by
George T. Clemens Director of Photography
Editing by
Joseph Gluck
Casting By
Mildred Gusse
Art Direction by
George W. Davis
William Ferrari
Set Decoration by
Rudy Butler
Henry Grace​

Witness if you will a touching love story and a powerful performance by Jack Warden as James A. Corry. Following in the footsteps of the solid pilot episode, 'Where Is Everybody?' this too has and emphasis on lonliness. Corry is a convicted felon serving a fifty year sentence for murder on an asteroid millions of miles from Earth. He has but a few material possessions: an old car that doesn’t run, a journal to keep track of his time, some books to help fight his boredom. The loneliness is eating him up alive.

Please enjoy the music soundtrack while viewing this photo commentary.

His only contact is a group of astronauts that stop once every three months to drop off supplies. He looks forward to their visits. He has nothing else. He immediately jumps out of bed and begins to prepare for company. Allenby tells Corry that they have a layover of only fifteen minutes and they don’t have time to visit. Desperate for social interaction, Corry begs them to stay longer. They cannot else they miss the correct orbital position for a safe return to Earth.

Allenby tells Corry he has brought him a gift. He asks only that he not open it until after he and his men have left. Touched by the kind gesture, Corry thanks him. Inside the box is an android. It’s name is Alicia (Jean Marsh **). At first, Corry resents this all too genuine imitation of human life and shuns Alicia. When he sees that she is capable of tears he deeply regrets his behavior, apologizes to Alicia and ultimately falls in love with her. ** Footnote: Jean Marsh gives a superlative performance here as Alicia with facial expressions that go far beyond her script. Born in London many of her 105 credits originate in the UK. She will celebrate her 90th birthday on July 1st, 2024.

Corry: You are now the proud possessor of a Robot built the form of a woman. For all intent and purpose this creature is a woman. Physiologically and psychologically she is a human being with a set of emotions and a memory track. The ability to reason, think and to speak. She is beyond illness and under normal circumstances should have a lifespan similar to that of a normal human being. Her name is Alicia.
Alicia: My name’s Alicia, what’s your name.
Corry: Get out of here. Get out of here. I don’t need a machine. Go on get out of here.
Alicia: My name’s Alicia, what’s your name.

Alicia

While Corry and Alicia are lovingly gazing at the stars they notice a space craft. It’s Allenby and his men returning well before their next scheduled visit with good news for Corry. He and all the other convicts in space have been granted pardons and may return to Earth. He is to leave immediately. Allenby explains to Corry he can only take 15 lbs. But Corry tells Allenby he isn’t leaving without Alicia. Captain Allenby had forgotten all about Alicia. With no other choice, he callously destroys Alicia in front of Corry by shooting her in the face. After all, it’s only a Robot.

Spoiler Clip Corry - - Corry - - Corry - - Corry

​

Closing Narration:

“On a microscopic piece of sand that floats through space is a fragment of a man’s life. Left to rust is the place he lived in and the machines he used. Without use, they will disintegrate from the wind and the sand and the years that act upon them; all of Mr. Corry’s machines—including the one made in his image, kept alive by love, but now obsolete...in the Twilight Zone.”

Closing comments: As a young kid, seeing Alicia shot like a horse with a broken leg was like a dagger right through the heart. In later years when we didn’t take it so seriously, this episode gave us a popular catch phrase. My brother and I, along with our friends, before saying hello or goodbye, would greet each other with, "Corry - - Corry - - Corry - - Corry”. Finally, I’d like to ask just a single question: "It's 2024, where the hell in my Alicia??"

Episode Notes:

1. This was the first of two Twilight Zone appearances from prolific character actor Jack Warden. After years on the stage and a few bit roles in early films Warden began appearing regularly on television, mostly in the live dramas of the time including a highly received adaptation of Robert E. Sherwood's The Petrified Forest for Producer's Showcase in 1955 where he starred alongside Henry Fonda, Lauren Bacall, Jack Klugman and Humprey Bogart (one of Bogie's last performances). His big break came in 1957 when he was cast as the impatient Juror # 7 in 12 Angry Men. From 1967 - 69 he starred as Lt. Mike Haines in the ABC police drama N.Y.P.D. Other notable film include All the President's Men (1976), Heaven Can Wait (1978), And Justice for All (1979), Used Cars (1980), Problem Child (1990), Bulletts Over Broadway (1995) and Bulworth (1998). Warden died in 2006 at the age of 85. The setting of this episode almost functions as its own character. It was shot mostly on location in Death Valley National Park, a place that would serve as the landsape for many episodes that take place on a foreign planet. The empty, lifeless desert provides the viewer with an overwhelming sense of solitude. It’s an ocean of nothing as far as the eye can see. Allenby and his men may be a reminder to Corry that there’s still hope, but when they leave all he is left with is an empty desert. And no matter where he goes forever is staring him in the face from every direction. The downside of this episode, for me, is simply that it drags too much in the middle. But this is a minor flaw to an otherwise enjoyable episode, one which comes recommended.

2. The first of many The Twilight Zone (1959) episodes (including I Shot an Arrow into the Air (1960), A Hundred Yards Over the Rim (1961) and The Rip Van Winkle Caper (1961) to be filmed on location in Death Valley. Unprepared for the terrible conditions they would face, the crew suffered extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion and director of photography George T. Clemens even collapsed, falling from a camera crane while filming continued.

3. This episode takes place from 2046 to 2047.

4. Ted Knight makes an uncredited appearance as Captain Allenby's crewmember Adams.

5. This was the first The Twilight Zone (1959) story pairing Jack Warden with a "human" robot, the second being The Mighty Casey (1960).

6. In the shot of the mechanical workings inside Alicia's broken face it shows only two wire loops to suggest where her eyes were, instead of any sort of orbs or spheres. The production designers would have done this on purpose knowing that 50s TV audiences would be repulsed by the look of bare eyeballs, or even blank orbs in their place.

7. Jack Warden also appeared in the first season episode "The Mighty Casey." Warden also appeared in Rod Serling's "Noon on Doomsday," a original drama for The United States Steel Hour based on the murder of Emmett Till. It was a script famously changed and censored by the show's sponsor, something Serling sought to escape by creating The Twilight Zone. "Noon on Doomsday" also featured performances from future Zone actors Albert Salmi, Everett Sloane, and Philip Abbott.

8. John Dehner also stars in the third season episode “The Jungle” and the fifth season episode “Mr. Garrity and the Graves.”

9. Jean Marsh recorded a reading of Rod Serling's prose adaptation of "The Lonely" for Harper Audio in 1993.

10. "The Lonely" was adapted into a short story by Serling in More Stories from the Twilight Zone (Bantam, 1961). It was also turned into a Twilight Zone Radio Drama starring Mike Starr (Falcon Picture Group, 2002).

Related Media

The Twilight Zone OST-The Lonely Soundtrack (1959 - CBS)
Music composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann.



The Twilight Zone - Rod Serling Interview (1959)



Tell It To Groucho - Rod Serling (April 2, 1962)



Rod Serling speaking at UCLA (Nov.11.1966) Audio Interview



Leta Powell Drake Interview with Jack Warden (January 1985)

​

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Colt .45
Three more solid entries in this fine WB western, beautifully presented on Warner Archive’s recently-released Blu-Ray set.

1.13 “Mirage”
Colt (big Wayde Preston) finds himself coming to the aid of a small Mexican settlement in the middle of the desert, the only source of water for miles in each direction. Slick shyster George Foley (John Vyvian) is trying to trick the village headman (Frank Puglia) into signing over the rights to his land, using renegade Army raiders under the leadership of Capt. Thane (Don “Red” Barry), to enforce his plan. A quirky episode from the always-creative pen of Montgomery Pittman, who also directed. Also with Valentin de Vargas and Ana Maria Majalca.

1.14 “Blood Money”
Wanted man Joe Bullock (Jerry Paris) approaches Colt to give himself up, but requests that Colt first gives him $500 in advance of the bounty to send his sick girlfriend, Julie (Randy Stuart), back east to get treatment, without telling her that he’s heading to prison. But Julie has a sordid past of her own that she wants to hide from Joe, and a slimeball named Roper (John Cliff) threatens to expose her, unless she coughs up the dough. Colt intervenes, and…well, let’s just say, Roper doesn’t live long enough to spend any of that $500.

1.15 “Dead Reckoning”
Colt takes the place of prisoner Rocky Norton (Richard Webb), who’s been offered $10,000 to come kill a man. Colt, who must play along until he learns just who the target is, arrives in town and is promptly approached by Norton’s contacts for the job, Devery (mean-eyed Lee Van Cleef) and Blake (Kem Dibbs). They don’t quite trust that Colt is who he says he is, so they set up a surprise visit from Norton’s lovely young wife (Joan Vohs) and daughter. The wife plays along, but things go pear-shaped when the real Norton – who has escaped while being moved to another prison - shows up just in time to assassinate a state senator. Exciting episode, with Colt racking up three more notches on his belt before the credits roll.

The Wild Wild West - 3.11 "The Night of the Cut-Throats"
This has long been one of my favorite classic TV shows, and I think it still holds up well almost 60 years after it originally aired. This episode eschews the usual steampunk sci-fi and Gothic horror elements that were the series's stock-in-trade for straight-up, slam-bang, shoot-'em-up western action...and is one of the few times I can remember where Secret Service agent James West (Robert Conrad) doesn't employ a single one of his many slick, James Bond-style gadgets. West and his partner, master of disguise Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin), are in the town of New Athens, which has been targeted for complete destruction by Mike Trayne (Bradford Dillman), a deadly dandy out for revenge on the town and its residents for sending him to prison for three years, after he clubbed a man to death with his cane due to him paying to much attention to Trayne's mistress, saloon owner Sally Yarnell (Beverly Garland). To carry out his plot, Trayne has hired a cadre of outlaws to drive people out of the town prior to him burning it to the ground and wiping any memory of it off the face of the earth. Before long, West, Gordon, a spiky old-timer (Shug Fisher), the town's mayor (Walter Burke) and the ineffective town sheriff (Jackie Coogan), who'd rather stuff his face with food than dispense justice, are the only ones left to defend the town from an all-out assault. Typically lively episode, jam-packed with double-crosses and two-fisted action (I counted four fights alone in the first 20 minutes), and the easy camaraderie between the two leads always makes this show a fun watch.

The Big Valley - 1.22 "The Death Merchant"
James Whitmore is very effective playing Handy Random, a seemingly cheerful, garrulous old cowpoke who shambles along talking to his mule. Handy comes ambling into the middle of a land dispute between the Barkleys and their neighbors, the Craddocks. At first, the Barkleys - with the notable exception of Heath (Lee Majors) - are kindly disposed toward Handy, due to Handy having been the man who shot and killed the murderer of their father, Tom Barkley, six years before. But Heath knows the truth about Handy's character - he's actually a vicious, indiscriminate killer who seeks out feuds, escalates them and hires himself out to the highest bidder. When the Barkleys send him packing, Handy goes to work for the proud head of the Craddock clan (Royal Dano)...his next target, lovely young Audra Barkley (Linda Evans). Whitmore is very good here, skillfully and slowly revealing the cold, calculating killer lurking beneath Handy's grubby, gabby "old coot" exterior. Co-star Barbara Stanwyck receives special billing in the credits, as usual, but is otherwise unseen in this particular episode, though all the other Barkley clan are present, including Richard Long and Peter Breck.

Simon & Simon – 2.18 “The List”
Despite Rick’s suspicions, A.J. falls hard for a mysterious, beautiful client (Christina Raines), who asks the Simon brothers to prove that she didn't murder a sleazy publisher who planned to include her in an annual list of San Diego's ten sexiest women. The chalk-and-cheese brothers almost come to blows at one point, but their bond remains strong and they put their differences aside to solve the case. A very enjoyable, slightly more noirish than usual episode of this San Diego-set ‘80s detective series, anchored by the believable brotherly chemistry between Jameson Parker and Gerald McRaney. Smooth Richard Anderson and Lynette Metty co-star.

The Jimmy Stewart Show – 1.20 “Price is Right”
I’ve grown to really like this show’s unique, laid-back family sitcom vibe, seldom laugh-out-loud funny, but always pleasant and amusing. It’s time for the annual Easy Valley Festival of Art, in which Martha (the still radiant Julie Adams) plans to show her finally completed portrait of Luther (John McGiver, delightfully arch), but there's a problem - the usual judge is unavailable. Through a fortunate confluence of events, famous actor and acknowledged art expert Vincent Price is cajoled into performing judging duties, in return for getting a close-up look at the college's painting of Josiah Kessel. It’s wonderful to see Stewart and Price onscreen together, for what I believe is the first and only time. It should come as no surprise to his fans that Mr. Price proves a good sport. Lynette Metty pops up as a bubbly college student.

Matt Houston – 1.7 “Shark Bait”
In an even goofier mystery plot than usual for the breezy, cheesy first season, Texas billionaire/private detective Matt Houston (Lee Horsley) hits the beach Baywatch-style, to investigate whether a series of fatal shark attacks on female Malibu lifeguards are somehow being masterminded by a murderer. Houston and his gal pal secretary, C.J. (spunky Pamela Hemsley) are skeptical at first, but Houston agrees to take the case when a friend (Dorothy Malone) begs him to find out what’s going on before her daughter (a young and perky Lori Loughlin), a rookie lifeguard, becomes the next victim. Suspects include a playboy movie director (Lloyd Bochner), his bitchy actress girlfriend (Michelle Phillips), a has-been trashy novelist (Don Gordon) and a misanthropic shark expert (Gary Frank). Despite the somewhat "out there" premise, this is another fun watch, with the usual quota of good-looking big-hair bikini babes. This show is at its best in this inaugural season, when it didn’t take itself too seriously, acting as a knowing ‘80s update of Burke’s Law. Sadly, from S2 on, the show jettisoned most its charming supporting cast and any sense of humor whatsoever, to become yet another assembly-line action thriller.

I Spy – 1.23 “A Day Called 4 Jaguar”
Decidedly odd but interesting episode. After being pinned under a wrecked jeep, Kelly's girlfriend, Felicitas (Kemala Devi), insists she was rescued by the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Kelly (the always-superb Robert Culp) and Scott (the once-great but now forever disgraced Bill Cosby) forego their vacation to check out her wild claim. Turns out that the supposed deity is in actuality a Soviet Air Force pilot named Dimitri (a bearded Rory Calhoun), thought to be defecting, but instead is living out his dream life of peace in the jungle, as head of the descendants of an ancient Aztec tribe. In an additional unusual casting choice, we get former western star George Montgomery, who plays Nicolai, Dimitri’s old pilot comrade (who just happens to be a ruthless killer) now recruited by the KGB to bring Dimitri back into the fold or, failing that, assassinate him. Author Marc Cushman, in his splendid book on the series (I Spy: A History and Episode Guide to the Groundbreaking Television Series), is pretty harsh on this episode, naming it arguably the worst of the entire series. I don’t think it’s bad, per se, but there’s no doubt that the drastic pruning of Michael Zagor’s original script (which ran long) removes what would have been some helpful connective tissue, and the casting of Calhoun and Montgomery, while interesting, was undeniably eccentric. On the plus side, the series’ trademark hip, often improvised banter between Culp and Cosby provides plenty of entertainment value, and the jet-setting espionage vibe is assisted by ample location footage shot around sunny Acapulco.

 

[ScottRE]

Thanks for the detailed overview. It's interesting that you peg 1968 as the end of the type of programming you enjoy, because for me it marks the start of a golden age of TV dramas. And by golden age, I mean various things, but most especially shooting on location, which I feel really enhances the reality/character of any show (sci-fi excepted) and provides a tantalizing window onto a past era.

There was a handful of location-heavy shows earlier on (Naked City and Route 66 for example), but it appears to me the debut of Hawaii Five-O in '68 made it common to very regularly shoot scenes on location. This era would gradually come to an end around 1985-87, when many shows starting cutting back on pricey U.S. location shoots in favor of the studio and/or lower cost overseas locations like Canada and Australia. Perhaps the economics of expensive dramas were disrupted by the surging popularity of home video and cable, and/or the huge ratings successes of lower cost sitcoms.

Yeah "my kind of programming" usually means the anything goes, fantasy themed series. The pure escapism that I loved to forget the troubles of the day. I still enjoy some "ripped from the headlines" style dramas. I loved Hawaii Five-0, Mannix and so on, but you'll find very few 70's series on my list that weren't some kind of sci-fi show. Logan's Run, Planet of the Apes, the Six Million Dollar Man, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, The Incredible Hulk and, of course, Space:1999. But TV didn't fully embrace over the top "fun" again until the 80's. Then it was glitz, glamour, rich people, semi-automatic weapons, oil barons, and fashion. Movies and TV were really kinda nuts in the 80's. I loved it. The Great Wasteland!

 

[Desslar]

Yeah "my kind of programming" usually means the anything goes, fantasy themed series. The pure escapism that I loved to forget the troubles of the day. I still enjoy some "ripped from the headlines" style dramas. I loved Hawaii Five-0, Mannix and so on, but you'll find very few 70's series on my list that weren't some kind of sci-fi show. Logan's Run, Planet of the Apes, the Six Million Dollar Man, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, The Incredible Hulk and, of course, Space:1999. But TV didn't fully embrace over the top "fun" again until the 80's. Then it was glitz, glamour, rich people, semi-automatic weapons, oil barons, and fashion. Movies and TV were really kinda nuts in the 80's. I loved it. The Great Wasteland!

I see what you mean. Concerning fantasy/scifi fare, I think the same type of show was still around in the 70s, but unlike the 60s was usually cancelled after one season or less. For example:

UFO
The Immortal
Kolchak the Night Stalker
The Invisible Man
Star Maidens
The Fantastic Journey
The Man from Atlantis
Amazing Spiderman
Blake's 7
Salvage 1
Cliffhangers
A Man Called Sloane

 

[ScottRE]

I see what you mean. Concerning fantasy/scifi fare, I think the same type of show was still around in the 70s, but unlike the 60s was usually cancelled after one season or less. For example:

UFO
The Immortal
Kolchak the Night Stalker
The Invisible Man
Star Maidens
The Fantastic Journey
The Man from Atlantis
Amazing Spiderman
Blake's 7
Salvage 1
Cliffhangers
A Man Called Sloane

Blakes 7 was 4 years. That was a decent run for a UK SF series. Reportedly the BBC was embarrassed by this lowbrow sci-fi series being so popular. They kept cancelling it, but audience response always brought it back.

As for the rest, yep they got canned fast. Either the shows were too expensive or the audience didn't want that kind of show anymore. And, to be honest, they didn't want it in the 80's either. They were fine with over the top programming in the MTV era, but it still had to be non-genre fare. The two big exceptions were Star Trek The Next Generation and Quantum Leap, but change was in the air by then as the 80's wore on.

V could have been a hit, but NBC and Warner Brothers were too cheap to nurture the goldmine they had.

 

[Desslar]

Blakes 7 was 4 years. That was a decent run for a UK SF series. Reportedly the BBC was embarrassed by this lowbrow sci-fi series being so popular. They kept cancelling it, but audience response always brought it back.

As for the rest, yep they got canned fast. Either the shows were too expensive or the audience didn't want that kind of show anymore. And, to be honest, they didn't want it in the 80's either. They were fine with over the top programming in the MTV era, but it still had to be non-genre fare. The two big exceptions were Star Trek The Next Generation and Quantum Leap, but change was in the air by then as the 80's wore on.

Yeah, growing up I could never figure out why most network sci-fi shows in the 70s/80s/90s crashed and burned so quickly, despite the success of the Star Wars films suggesting great public interest in sci-fi. I guess the easy answer is budget limitations. It seemed the networks would spend enough on a series that it would need big ratings to break even, but not enough to really impress the audience and draw them in.

The big question mark to me is whether TNG would have endured as long as it did if it had been on a network, as nearly happened.

 

[ScottRE]

Yeah, growing up I could never figure out why most network sci-fi shows in the 70s/80s/90s crashed and burned so quickly, despite the success of the Star Wars films suggesting great public interest in sci-fi. I guess the easy answer is budget limitations. It seemed the networks would spend enough on a series that it would need big ratings to break even, but not enough to really impress the audience and draw them in.

The big question mark to me is whether TNG would have endured as long as it did if it had been on a network, as nearly happened.

There were very few "good" SF shows on the networks. Planet of the Apes and Logan's Run just used The Fugitive format and had the characters doing the same "meeting primitive societies" stories. And since networks/production companies were throwing so much money in them, if a series was on the bubble with okay-but-not-great ratings, they would retool the format in the hopes of getting a better audience (which I don't think has every actually worked). Buck Rogers, Space:1999, SeaQuest and War of the Worlds all did that.

Star Trek The Next Generation had the luck of good ratings for the syndication market, but the show itself was awful in the beginning. If it were on one of the majors, it could very well have been shot down fast. However, once it clicked, the series just kept growing.

 

[Desslar]

There were very few "good" SF shows on the networks. Planet of the Apes and Logan's Run just used The Fugitive format and had the characters doing the same "meeting primitive societies" stories. And since networks/production companies were throwing so much money in them, if a series was on the bubble with okay-but-not-great ratings, they would retool the format in the hopes of getting a better audience (which I don't think has every actually worked). Buck Rogers, Space:1999, SeaQuest and War of the Worlds all did that.

Star Trek The Next Generation had the luck of good ratings for the syndication market, but the show itself was awful in the beginning. If it were on one of the majors, it could very well have been shot down fast. However, once it clicked, the series just kept growing.

Yes, most network scifi shows were exercises in compromise. It's only been the last couple decades that competition from HBO/Netflix/etc. has brought about a consistently high level of quality with shows like The Orville.

Not only Planet of the Apes and Logan's Run but also The Incredible Hulk were probably forced into the Fugitive mold of furtively running about the countryside for budgetary reasons - to avoid expensive sets and elaborate action scenes.

It's interesting to hear you say the quality of TNG was not good in the beginning. I think I've only seen episodes from seasons 1 and 2, and didn't continue as I found it a bit bland. If it improves in later seasons maybe I should check them out.

 

[bmasters9]

The West Wing, "Take This Sabbath Day" (OAD Wednesday, February 9, 2000 on NBC)

This first-season episode of that hit NBC political serial has two major things to look for: one is Marlee Matlin (deaf in real life since the age of 18 months) as Joey Lucas, congressional campaign manager who was also deaf, and who uses sign language to communicate. The other (the bigger thing) is Karl Malden, who at the age of 87 was in his final appearance in any medium, that of Fr. Thomas Cavanaugh, priest from New Hampshire who Pres. Bartlet had while living in New Hampshire; he talks with Bartlet about Bartlet's dilemma of letting a convicted killer be put to death, or commuting the sentence. The episode does not end one way or the other; rather, it ends with Bartlet giving a confession to Cavanaugh.

First-season episode guide listing:

Screenshots:

And the ending scene:

 

[GMBurns]

The Fall Guy 1.17 Guess Who's Coming to Town? Colt, Howie and Jody descend on a small Las Vegas town in search of a young man who forged some checks. They find the town fathers are holding the young man and also hiding a deep secret. They have accepted millions of dollars from a notorious hijacker to hook him up to an intricate life support system and hide him away from authorities. In the finale, Howie drives a car through the back wall of the hijacker's room and rescues Colt. The plot is even more contrived than it sounds, but who cares. Fall Guy is pure 80's fluff, and it's a great way to unwind at the end of a long day. I love watching Lee Majors' constant mugging, and Howie is perfect for comic relief. If his claims are to be believed he has spent about 30 semesters at 30 different colleges. I have the US first season release and the UK release of season 2. It would be nice if the Ryan Gosling film makes megabucks and incites someone to release seasons 3-5 of the original.

 

[Desslar]

It would be nice if the Ryan Gosling film makes megabucks and incites someone to release seasons 3-5 of the original.

Fingers crossed!! To be honest I also find the show to be largely fluff, but it gets by on Majors' charm and the occasional impressive stunt.

 

[morasp]

Remington Steele S2E8 Scene Steelers
very crisp dialog that I didn't notice the first I watched it

Dennis the Menace S1E13 Dennis Haunts a House
Hilarious sequence of events

Hawaii Five-O Classic S3E12 Beautiful Screamer

Growing Pains S7E11 Bad Day Cafe

The Adventures of Robin Hood S1E18 The Intruders

Star Trek Voyager S3E6 Remember

Family Matters S2E5 The Crash Course

The Donna Reed Show S2E2 Sleep No More My Lady
enjoyed the dynamic between Donna and Alex

The Bionic Woman S2E19 The DeJon Caper

The Magician S1E2 The Vanishing Lady
first time watching and it's a good show

The Mary Tyler Moore Show S1E18 Second Story Story

Quantum Leap S2E12 Animal Frat
Enjoyed this one the most, flash back to the 60s and it reminded me of Animal House

Emergency S1E4 Brushfire

Wagon Train S1E4 The Ruth Owens Story

Laverne and Shirley S2E17 Buddy Can You Spare a Father?
Shirley's father stops by for a visit and some money

Perry Mason S2E11 The Case of the Perjured Parrot
A parrot's testimony is used in court

Happy Days S2E16 Cruisin'

Murder She Wrote S5E11 The Search for Peter Kerry

The Huckleberry Hound Show S1E3
also included Yogi and Booboo and Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinx

The Andy Griffith Show S6E8 The Taylors in Hollywood

My Three Sons S3E15 Mother Bub

Bordertown S1E7 The Reaper
poor picture was improved with the Panasonic player

Star Trek Deep Space Nine S2E20 The Maquis, Part 1

I spy S2E10 One of Our Bombs is Missing
Favorite bomb defusing scene out all of the ones I've watched

The Avengers S4E14 Silent Dust

Perfect Strangers S2E7 Falling in Love is...

The Lucy Show S2E7 Lucy and the Bank Scandal

Diagnosis Murder S2E11 Death by Extermination
Betty White plays Dr. Stones annoying older sister

Ironside S5E12 Gentle Oaks
Retirement home abuse taken to the next level

Rhoda S1E11 9-E is Available

Hawaii Five-0 (2010) S3E6 I Ka Wa Mamua

Jag S3E19 Death Watch
Clever episode incorporating characters from season 1 which aired on NBC

One Day at a Time S1E14 Dad Comes Back: Part 1
Second episode on the list with a father daughter'(s) reunion

 

[ScottRE]

Hawaii Five-O Classic S3E12 Beautiful Screamer

The Magician S1E2 The Vanishing Lady
first time watching and it's a good show

Beautiful Screamer is a fantastic episode. Great, beautiful and young Anne Archer. Great Danno centric story.

And agreed, The Magician was a fun show. I'm surprised it didn't catch on, we loved it as kids. The change in cast, producer and location midway shows a production looking to improve some ratings.

 

[Doug Wallen]

So busy, here is a list of what I have viewed since my last post:

With the upcoming release of The Lawyer by Kino, I was in the mood for some Petrocelli. I pulled out my complete collection and popped in the television pilot movie:

Night Games – The Movie (1974) Robert Emhardt, Stefanie Powers, Luke Askew, Joanna Cameron, William Prince, Ralph Meeker, Jon Cypher, Anjanette Comer, Henry Darrow, William Hansen, Rick Hurst, Dennis Patrick.

Combat
The Gun (5.1) Warren Stevens, Wayne Rogers, Tim Felix.

The Losers (5.2) Bill Bixby, Harry Landers, John Considine, Billy Gray, Ed Deemer.

Chapel At Able-Five (5.5) Fritz Weaver, Conlan Carter, John Hudson.

The Letter (5.7) Randy Boone, Barry Russo, John Nelson, Michael Masters.

The Virginian
Brother Thaddeus (2.7) Albert Salmi, Christopher Dark, Kathie Browne, Joe Maross, Richard Devon, Ross Elliott.

A Portrait Of Marie Valonne (2.8) Madlyn Rhue, Skip Homeier, Peter Mark Richman, Adam Roarke, Marge Redmond, Ron Soble, Ken Lynch, Oscar Beregi, Jr.

Run Quiet (2.9) Clu Gulager, Ross Elliott, Gail Kobe, Slim Pickens, L. Q. Jones, Don “Red” Barry, Lew Gallo, Stacy Harris.

The Waltons
The Pony Cart (5.11) Beulah Bondi, Pat Skelton.

The Best Christmas (5.12) Sheila Allen, Robert Donner, Tom Bower, Merie Earle, John Ritter.

The Last Mustang (5.13) Alan Fudge, John Fink, John Crawford, Arthur Malet, Wayne Heffley.

The Rebellion (5.14) Audrey Christie, Lynn Hamilton, John Ritter, Nora Marlowe.

The Ferris Wheel (5.15) Deborah Richter, Dave Shelley, John Crawford, Jeff Maxwell. Worst episode in my opinion on this disc.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Sylvia (3.16) Ann Todd, John McIntire, Raymond Bailey, Phillip Reed.

The Motive (3.17) Skip Homeier, William Redfield, Carl Betz, Carmen Phillips, Gary Clarke.

Mrs. Bracegirdle Does Her Duty (3.18) Mildred Natwick, Gavin Muir, Tita Purdom, Vera Denham.

The Equalizer (3.19) Leif Erickson, Martin Balsam, Norma Crane, Robert Riordan, Lynn Cartwright.

On The Nose (3.20) Jan Sterling, Karl Swenson, David Opatoshu, Carl Betz, Linda Watkins.

Guest For Breakfast (3.21) Joan Tetzel, Scott McKay, Richard Shepard.

The Return Of The Hero (3.22) Jacques Bergerac, Susan Kohner, Marcel Dalio, Vladamir Sokoloff, Karen Scott.

The Right Kind Of House (3.23) Robert Emhardt, Jeanette Nolan, James Drury, Harry Tyler, Charles Watts, Paul Maxwell.

Murder, She Wrote
Tough Guys Don't Die (1.15) Jerry Orbach, Gerald S. O'Laughlin, Barbara Babcock, Alex Rocco, John McMartin, Fritz Weaver, Paul Winfield, John Furey, Nancy Lee Grahn. 1st appearance of Harry McGraw (Orbach).

Sudden Death (1.16) John Beck, Warren Berlinger, Dick Butkus, David Doyle, Bruce Jenner, Gary Lockwood, James McEachin, Alan Miller, Jan Smithers, Tim Thomerson.

Footnote To Murder (1.17) Paul Sand, Diana Muldaur, Morgan Brittany, Pat Harrington, Vince Bagetta, Talia Balsam, Constance Forslund, Kenneth Mars, Robert Reed, Ron Masak.

Murder Takes The Bus (1.18) Terrence Knox, Albert Salmi, Tom Bosley, David Wayne, Larry Linville, Rue McClanahan, Michael Constantine, Don Stroud Mills Watson, Linda Blair.

21 Beacon Street
Dilemma (1.11) Paul Richards, Joan Taylor, Robert Brubaker, Douglas Evans.

Nothing Is Impossible (1.12) Paul Langton, Peter Adams, Cyril Delavanti, David MacMahon, Donna Douglas.

The Close Call (1.13) Fredd Wayne, Than Wyenn, John Cliff, Dick Crockett, Nita Loveless.

End of series. Excellent 30 minute summer replacement. 13 episodes of impossible missions.

WKRP In Cincinnati
Straight From The Heart (4.5) Herb suffers chest pains and need testing. How did they ALL end up in jail for watching porn?

Who's On First? (4.6) Dennis Lipscomb. Changing identities makes for a hilarious episode.

Three Days Of The Condo (4.7)

Jennifer And The Will (4.8)

 

[JohnHopper]

Combat
The Gun (5.1) Warren Stevens, Wayne Rogers, Tim Felix.

The Losers (5.2) Bill Bixby, Harry Landers, John Considine, Billy Gray, Ed Deemer.

Chapel At Able-Five (5.5) Fritz Weaver, Conlan Carter, John Hudson.

The Letter (5.7) Randy Boone, Barry Russo, John Nelson, Michael Masters.

The cream of the crop remains:

“The Chapel at Able-Five”
directed: Michael Caffey
guest: Fritz Weaver

It’s another episode in which Saunders is deprived of one sense (see a case of deafness in “Hear No Evil”) and here, he is blind. To enhance that state of insecurity, a German priest helps Saunders and a wounded officer. Good on the whole. Lt. Hanley has a brand new jacket: instead of his tanker, he’s now wearing a green field jacket. As in two previous episodes (“Survival” and “Hear No Evil”), Saunders undergoes the cruel plight of a soldier coming straight from a short story in Ambrose Bierce’s Tales of Soldiers and Civilians: meaning he trips on a landmine, becomes blind and must survive because of his vital status as a courier. In contrast to the season 4 “Evasion”, the German chaplain poses as a British officer. Oddly enough, actor Fritz Weaver used to be a conscientious objector during WWII and, here, he refuses to kill Saunders and sacrifices his life to save both men by lying on a hand grenade. The three protagonists are wounded: Saunders is blind, chaplain Major Miller has a bad leg and Captain Krauss is hit in the stomach. As in “Masquerade”, the German impostor obliges his superior officer to speak English and he goofs at the end in front of Saunders. As in “The Pillbox”, the outcome ends up in a desolated bunker in the countryside that is, here, circled by opposite military forces. The episode shows Hanley’s squad looking for Saunders and as in “Survival”, they cross and miss each other.

“The Losers”
directed: Michael Caffey
guests: Bill Bixby, John Considine

An episode that foreshadows Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen because the convict-soldiers used as recruits to explode a bridge. It’s a character-oriented episode and an interesting one. The prologue shows a change of setting because we see a destroyed urban hospital filled with piles of wreckages and corpses. It’s a Saunders squad with only one known soldier: Little John. It’s a pot-pourri of two well-known plots: the replacement storyline from season 1 but with four delinquent soldiers and, above all, it’s a demolition job in the line of “Bridge at Chalons”. Note that detail: to equip each court-martialed soldiers, Saunders orders them to pick up rifles, ammos and helmets on dead G.I.’s. One convict named Lennon is hyper-sensitive and unable to bear anything (Little John asks him to take ammos from a dead G.I.’s and Saunders throws a dead German out at him by accident) and makes a mistake under fear: he panicks and warns a German patrol stationed on the road; Saunders is compelled to fire him to achieve the final stage of the mission. As in “The Gun”, the pyrotechnics is fancy and the destruction of the German-held bridge is well-edited: a nice two shots explosion. As in other episodes, Saunders cools off a loud mouth private (gangster Kline) by giving him a punch with the butt of his machine gun. After “The Eyes of the Hunter” and “Crossfire”, find another demoted soldier: Ash.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Been too busy with the new semester to get much classic TV watched, but here's what I've managed to fit in over the past couple of weeks or so:

Colt .45
Four more rock-solid episodes of this WB western, finishing off Disc 3, S1 of Warner Archive’s terrific Blu-Ray set.

1.16 “Decoy”
Christopher Colt (strapping, laconic Wayde Preston) heads down to Mexico to flush out a notorious bandido leader responsible for the robbery of an Army shipment of guns which resulted in the deaths of many soldiers, and finds himself, along with the daughter (gorgeous Kathleen Crowley) of a disgraced colonel, in a Most Dangerous Game-type scenario, hunted by the ruthless Don Ramon (Christopher Dark).

1.17 “Rare Specimen”
Colt is wounded in a well-planned train robbery masterminded by the crooked local sheriff (Charles Cooper). Frank Ferguson plays a friendly herpetologist who, along with his pet lizard, comes through in a clinch to distract the baddie long enough for Colt to give him a well-deserved dirt nap. Also with Casey Rogers as a seamstress who played a key part in the case.

1.18 “Mantrap”
Colt is waylaid by the three rambunctious Birdwell brothers (Peter Whitney, Don “Red” Barry and Travis Bryan) who bring him back to their ranch as a combination guest and prisoner. Colt is perplexed as to their agenda, but it turns out the men hope he might become romantically interested enough to marry their shy, pretty younger sister, Valentine (Venetia Stevenson), who’s just turned 18. However, young Will Turner, an orphan raised by the Birdwell’s, is in love with Valentine himself. Colt plays Cupid while corralling a notorious fugitive who’s been terrorizing the territory in this typically offbeat, quirky entry written and directed by the great Montgomery Pittman.

1.19 “Ghost Town"
Colt rides into the abandoned town of Something Springs, in the hopes of apprehending no-good outlaw Jack Lowden (Bing Russell) and freeing his hostage, Kate Henniger (Joanna Barnes). But it turns out that Kate is a willing accomplice…at least, until she learns just how bad the man she’s hooked up truly with is. She also learns some startling information about her long-absent mother from an old prospector (John Littel). Poor Chris Colt takes several pistol whacks to the head in this one. Warner Bros. shows always managed to gin up some nice spooky ghost town atmosphere in their westerns when required, and this one is no exception.

Red Dwarf
8.1 “Back in the Red, Part 1”
8.2 “Back in the Red, Part 2”
8.3 “Back in the Read, Part 3”
A radical (albeit temporary) format change sees Lister (Craig Charles), Kochanski (Chloe Annett), Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) and the Cat (Danny John-Jules) back aboard the massive mining spaceship Red Dwarf, which has been reconstructed by nanobots. But the mischievous little buggers have gone so far as to recreate the entire original crew, who had previously been all killed off in the show's very first episode (allowing the wryly funny Mac McAllister to return once again as Captain Hollister). This puts Lister and the gang in hot water, accused of stealing and subsequently destroying the smaller vessel Starbug. Through a series of escapades far too convoluted to go into here, our motley crew of spacebums (along with Lister’s far more attractive former girlfriend, Chris Kochanski) wind up in the brig, sentenced to two years imprisonment, Lister’s cellmate being none other than the reconstructed, now human again Arnold Judas Rimmer (played with lip-smacking smarm by Chris Barrie, who had left the show for most of Series VII). An uneven but mostly enjoyable three-part start to Series VIII, the last to be produced and originally air on the BBC. The comedy is arguably quite a bit broader than the norm (which is saying something!) but still undeniably funny and inventive. And there’s no denying that having the irreplaceable Chris Barrie return (along with Norman Lovett as lugubrious ship’s computer avatar, Holly) goes a long way to restoring the comedic balance that went a bit astray the previous season.

Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing BBC version)
2.4 & 2.5 “The Hound of the Baskervilles”
After playing the Great Detective in a handsomely-mounted 1959 Hammer film version, Peter Cushing got a chance to do another take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel, arguably the most famous of all Sherlock Holmes tales, almost a decade later. Airing on the BBC in two parts in early autumn 1968, this is a lively, fast-paced adaptation, lacking the budget of the earlier Hammer version but showing much more fidelity to the source novel. As in the novel, Holmes’ staunch companion, Dr. John Watson (here played by Nigel Stock, carried over from the previous season, which featured Douglas Wilmer as Holmes), takes the central role for much of the time, as Holmes is off-stage for a big chunk in the middle of the story. Stock is a pretty good Watson, solid enough though perhaps veering too much into befuddled Nigel Bruce territory for my tastes, but Cushing makes for a fabulous Holmes. The Rat Patrol’s Gary Raymond is a good fit for Sir Henry Baskerville, heir to his uncle’s large estate out on the desolate moors of Devon and the target of the eponymous monstrous hound (little seen in this version), controlled by a merciless killer (well played by Phillip Bond). Garielle Licudi adds a touch of exotic glamor as the mysterious Beryl Stapleton. These two episodes, along with four others, are all that survives of this series, the rest sadly having been wiped by the BBC, as was the deplorable policy of the day.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes – 1.13 “The Hound of the Baskervilles”
While flawed, a good argument can be made that this version of the story, which capped off the second batch of episodes produced by Granada Television and starring the wonderful Jeremy Brett as Holmes, ranks as perhaps the best-ever adaptation. Airing as a two-hour TV movie on ITV in August 1988, it's let down slightly by a reduced budget compared to the norm for this generally lavish series, as well as a more subdued performance by Brett (who sadly struggled with severe physical and mental health issues during filming), the show benefits from some terrific location filming on suitably atmospheric, fog-bound locations and letter-perfect casting in all roles. The sterling cast includes Edward Hardwicke, steadfast and calm (and IMO the absolute pinnacle of Dr. Watsons depicted on either the big or small screen); Kristoffer Tabori (son of director Don Siegel and Swedish actress Viveca Lindfors) as Sir Henry Baskerville; Alistair Duncan as Dr. Mortimer; James Faulkner as Stapleton; the lovely Fiona Gillies as Beryl Stapleton; plus Ronald Pickup, Bernard Horsfall, Rosemary Nicholls and Elizabeth Spender. Even on slightly lower-wattage form than usual, Brett remains a commanding figure as Holmes. Two more series and a further 15 episodes (three of them feature film length) followed, until Brett became too ill to continue. What was produced is of such a uniformly high standard that this series is still held in high esteem by many Sherlock Holmes fans. The Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Podcast recently released a massive two-part retrospective on this particular episode, including interviews with many of its still-surviving cast and crew, and is well-worth a listen.

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet – 2.12 “Parental Guidance”
David wants to start weightlifting and working out early in the morning, while Ricky wants to stay up late watching movies on TV. Ozzie thinks he’s cleverly using reverse psychology when he agrees to let the boys have their way, but it backfires on him when he learns that Rick expects Pop to stay up into the wee hours with him, only for an increasingly-exhausted Ozzie to find Dave shaking him awake at 6:20 AM to hoist the barbell. Wise Harriet soon intervenes. After hopping around through various later seasons, it was nice to go back to a point early in the show’s run. This one opens with a cute animated Hotpoint commercial, featuring cartoon versions of the Nelson family.

 

[JohnHopper]

So far, I re-watched and reviewed the following episodic series.

The Wild Wild West: “The Night of the Firebrand”, guest starring Pernell Roberts.
Mission: Impossible: “Operation Heart”, guest starring Pernell Roberts.
The Wild Wild West: “The Night of the Legion of Death”, guest starring Anthony Zerbe.
Mission: Impossible: “The Photographer”, guest starring Anthony Zerbe.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

The Six Million Dollar Man – 3.20 “The Bionic Badge”
A group of thieves have been stealing atomic bomb components and Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson) suspects that aging, veteran beat cop Officer Banner (Noah Beery, Jr.) is on the take. Steve Austin (Lee Majors), working undercover as a rookie cop assigned as Banner’s partner, is not so sure. Plenty of fun bionic action as Steve singlehandedly rounds up miscellaneous criminals while keeping a suspicious eye on Banner.

The Streets of San Francisco – 1.26 “Legion of the Lost”
Terrific episode has Lt. Mike Stone (Karl Malden) hitting the seedy streets of San Fran's Tenderloin district, posing as a homeless man to bring to book a killer brutally beating several harmless bums to death. Suspect number one: a former boxer (Leslie Nielsen) who's hit the skids. Also with Dean Stockwell, Vaughn Taylor, Tom Troupe and Karen Carlson. The warmth between Malden and co-lead Michael Douglas (as Inspector Steve Keller) is on prominent display here, with some nice verbal badinage between the two (at one point, after Keller gives the undercover Stone a few dollar bills, he jokingly dismisses him with an ironic “Get outta here, ya bum!”)

Interpol Calling
1.3 “The Sleeping Giant”
Heavy rains expose an undetonated, experimental German bomb left over from WWII, buried in the mud near a huge dam in Scotland. Inspector Duvall (Charles Korvin) of Interpol races against time to track down the few surviving men who worked on the bomb and may know how to disarm it, before it goes off and floods an entire valley. A fast-paced, suspenseful 30 minutes. Also with American character actor John Crawford (as a U.S. Army demolitions expert), David Cameron and Esmond Knight.

1.5 “The Long Weekend”
Unlike the series' penchant for Europe-hopping plots, the gimmick of this one revolves around Duval and his assistant, Inspector Mornay (Edwin Ritchfield), solving a case without leaving the confines of their Paris headquarters. Duval’s plans for a relaxing weekend away are thwarted when Mornay brings him an intriguing case: how did a seaman fall overboard in the Mediterranean and days later end up washed ashore some 2,000 miles away on the south coast of England with a bullet in his head? Another strong episode which also sees Duval once again displaying his judo skills to lay the smack down on the killer. Also with Francis De Wolf, John Le Mesurier and David Kossoff.

Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World
1.2 “Monsters of the Deep”
1.6 “Monsters of the Lakes”
1.11 “Dragons, Dinosaurs and Giant Snakes”
The U.K.’s answer to In Search Of… is less eerie than its American counterpart but quite a bit more scientifically rigorous, as befitting its namesake. Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced by Yorkshire Television, airing on the ITV network in the U.K. in 1980. From the above episode titles, you can see where my main interests in paranormal topics lie - i.e., cryptozoology. Famed science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke tops and tails each episode, remaining true to his scientific background of “show me some real proof” skepticism, yet open-minded enough to acknowledge when there seems to be even a whiff of possibility. Unlike In Search Of…, this series doesn’t go in for reenactments, instead featuring several lengthy interviews with people dedicated to studying the phenomena as well as numerous eyewitness accounts, punctuated by evocative narration by Gordon Honeycombe. Here we get an episode exploring tales of sea serpents, giant squids and octopuses; another one surveying various lake monsters around the world; and finally, a grab-bag of miscellaneous cryptids, including the mysterious Congo-residing relict dinosaur Mokele Mbembe, the so-called King Cheetah, the moa, a giant snake supposedly photographed by a helicopter pilot in Africa, and similar intriguing creatures. It’s all quite fascinating stuff, and (judging from the copies available on YouTube), the transfers used look great, and are in quite a bit better shape than those for In Search Of… Two additional series followed, Arthur C. Clarke’s World of Strange Powers in 1985 and Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe in 1994, all three available on a DVD set from VEI.

The Goodies – 2.1 “Scotland” a.k.a. “The Loch Ness Monster”
Fondly recalling the Goodies' spot-on parody of the aforementioned Arthur C. Clarke in their ITV series episode “Big Foot” (which Clarke himself was reportedly quite amused by), I decided to give this earlier BBC “monster” focused episode a watch. It's equally silly and amusing, as the Goodies (Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and the late Tim Brooke-Taylor) venture up to Bonny Scotland (cue a barrage of stereotypical Scots gags) in hopes of capturing Nessie and helping out a beleaguered zookeeper (Bernard Bresslaw). Veteran comic actor Stanley Baxter shows up as a wily Scotsman happy to rip off our intrepid but naïve English trio for every pound he can get. Wall-to-wall with the Goodies' trademark pun-filled, witty dialogue, slapstick, cheap yet inventive special effects and knockabout horseplay. And watch out for the notorious bagpipe spider (“Keep absolutely still. One bite from that and you’ll dance the Highland Fling till you drop dead.”)

Maigret – 1.8 “My Friend, the Inspector”
A former small time hood, now known as a wine-soaked beach bum residing on the southern island of Porquerolles, is murdered, shot six times in the back after loudly declaring himself a friend of Maigret’s in the crowded local bistro. Since the weather in Paris is miserable and rain-drenched, the wily commissaire (Rupert Davies) gladly accepts the request of the local police chief (Frederic Treves) and heads down to sunnier climes to investigate the case, which involves a wealthy English widow (Marian Spencer); her French boy toy (Pete Murray); an arrogant Dutch painter (played by frequent ITC baddie Alex Scott); his slinky young girlfriend (Zoreen Ismail) and several other patrons of the bistro. Another compelling little mystery, and star Rupert Davies completely inhabits Georges Simenon’s gruff, bluff yet patient and sympathetic policeman.

 

[Desslar]

The Six Million Dollar Man – 3.20 “The Bionic Badge”
A group of thieves have been stealing atomic bomb components and Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson) suspects that aging, veteran beat cop Officer Banner (Noah Beery, Jr.) is on the take. Steve Austin (Lee Majors), working undercover as a rookie cop assigned as Banner’s partner, is not so sure. Plenty of fun bionic action as Steve singlehandedly nails miscellaneous criminals while keeping a suspicious eye on Banner.

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The Streets of San Francisco – 1.26 “Legion of the Lost”
Terrific episode has Lt. Mike Stone (Karl Malden) hitting the seedy streets of San Fran's Tenderloin district, posing as a homeless man to bring to book a killer brutally beating to several harmless bums to death. Suspect number one: a former boxer (Leslie Nielsen) who's hit the skids. Also with Dean Stockwell, Vaughn Taylor, Tom Troupe and Karen Carlson. The warmth between Malden and co-lead Michael Douglas (as Inspector Steve Keller) is on prominent display here, with some nice verbal badinage between the two (at one point, after Keller gives the undercover Stone a few dollar bills, he jokingly dismisses him with an ironic “Get outta here, ya bum!”)

For a moment there, I thought there had been a Six Million Dollar Man/Streets of San Francisco crossover episode! What a concept! I imagined Douglas talking smack to Majors and getting thrown through a window, while Malden and Anderson tried to out-gruff each other. I nearly dove across the room to grab my sets of both series before realizing my error.

Great write-ups as always.

 

[morasp]

Rockford Files S3E4 Feeding Frenzy

MacGyver S3E9 Hell Week
Some Real Genius type inventions are showcased by the science students

Dr. Who Classic S12E7 The Ark in Space: Part Three

The A Team S3E2,3 The Bend in the River

Star Trek The Original Series S2E7 Catspaw

Ironside S3E5 A Bullet for Mark

That Girl S1E14 Phantom of the Horse Opera

Father Knows Best S4E3 The Good Neighbor
Margaret shows how to win friends and influence people when she has trouble with a new neighbor

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. S1E15 The Deadly Decoy Affair

The Bob Newhart Show S3E3 The Great Rimpau Medical Arts Co-Op

The Paper Chase S1E4 Great Expectations
Hart defends a falsely accused fellow student and Kingsfield shows he does care about his students

Father Dowling Mysteries S2E3 The Sanctuary Mystery
Why did this show get cancelled?

Bonanza S4E3 The Artist
Ben Shows an new acquaintance that life is worth living

F Troop S1E10 She's Only a Build in a Girdled Cage

Walker Texas Ranger S2E21 Standoff
Reminded me of Die Hard which Clarence Gilyard Jr. also starred in

Hardy Boys Nancy/Drew Mysteries S2E6 The Mystery of the African Safari

Maverick S1E10 The Jeweled Gun
Bart had the worst luck with ladies

McCloud S1E4 The Stage Is All the World

Scarecrow and Mrs. King S2E2 The Times They Are a Changin'

Knight Rider S1E20 Knight Moves

Perry Mason S2E12 The Case of the Shattered Dream

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis S2E3 Baby Talk

Daniel Boone S2E13 Perilous Journey
Fun episode which included some American history and espionage

Cagney and Lacey S2E12 The Grandest Jewel Thief of Them All

Lassie S1E1 Inheritance

My Three Sons S3E16 Honorable Grandfather

The Donna Reed Show S2E3 A Penny Earned

The Incredible Hulk S1E6 Terror in Times Square

The Patty Duke Show S2E9 Patty and the Peace Corps
Favorite episode, Patty directs her boundless youthful enthusiasm to the Peace Corps

Hart to Hart S1E20 Cruise at Your Own Risk

Alice S2E1 The Second Time 'Round

The Odd Couple S2E2 Fleix's Wife's Boyfriend

Police Story S1E1 Dangerous Games

Lawman S1E7 Wanted

The Invisible Man S1E6 Play to Kill

Stargate SG1 S2E22 Out of Mind