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Universal did that with 'Night Stalker' episodes too. I remember one of the 'movies' had Kolchak at a press conference regarding one of the monsters, and they overdubbed him saying something like 'Is that anything like a Rakshasa?' (the other monster from the other episode). A really clumsy way...

In the Adventurer opening titles, Gene Barry throws a punch right at the camera, exactly as he did in the Amos Burke: Secret Agent opens.

For anyone who remembers those 'juvenile fiction' books with fondness, this is an excellent look back at the various series, some well remembered, others almost forgotten, and the writers who imbued them with qualities still worth appreciating in the 21st Century.

I was a Hardy Boys kid. I don't remember if it was the Disney serial that hooked me, or the book that was in our basement bookcase for as far back as I can remember: 'The Great Airport Mystery'. But I was hooked and eventually read (and collected) all the books, wishing I could live a life as...

When I was a kid my first exposure to Charlie Chan was the J Carroll Naish series; I was delighted and surprised when I learned there were Charlie Chan movies and they quickly displaced the tv series in my estimation (my Boston Blackie experiences followed the same pattern). Years later Encore's...

After spending two seasons in Frisco with 'The Californians' I was still in a Western mood so decided to watch a show I had enjoyed as a kid: Bat Masterson. Halfway into the second season I must say the production value is quite superior to 'Californians', there's a lot more outdoor and location...

I'm not a great Westerns fan but for some reason 'The Californians' popped up on Amazon Prime video (the most difficult to use video streaming service ever) and it intrigued me. I ended up watching the whole series, which was almost like watching four series. The premise started out with Adam...

Just heard about the passing of Regis Philbin. Most people will think of his time with Kathie Lee or Millionaire, but the first thing that came to my mind was 'Almost Anything Goes'. Before they ruined it with kiddie and celebrity versions, that show was a favorite of mine. I suppose the chances...

Poking around on youtube I came across a posting of one of the ABC Movies of the Week that I remember seeing back when. Even in a battered, faded 16mm print Satan's School for Girls still drew me in. It may not make my top ten MotW list but it would be in the top third of the ones I have seen...

This is semi-on-topic: I came across this very extensive survey of 'wheel' tv series, starting with Warner Bros Presents, continuing through many series especially the Mystery Movies, and wrapping up with the Friday Night Mystery which spawned the Hart to Hart tv movies. Good reading.

I don't think a 5th season episode is a good way to dip into 'That Girl'. It's a season Marlo Thomas didn't want to do, with a change in the storyline (the proposal and impending wedding) that she didn't want to do either. The theme somehow sprouted lyrics and no longer synced with the visuals...

Since Comcast is carrying Peacock for those stuck with their cable service, I have been able to watch more Murder She Wrote (Amazon Prime only has the first five years). It's true tv comfort food, and Lansbury was an inspired choice for Jessica. Six and seven had a few bumps but pretty much held...

FYI: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-19/apple-buys-older-shows-for-tv-stepping-up-netflix-challenge

About half-way thru Season 2 of I Spy. Some good episodes (Kelly accused of a long-ago murder, with Scott saving the day), a few very good, but too many mediocre or worst. Seems like the show lost a bit of its mojo going into the second season. After the awful Italian lovebirds episode came one...

"Shoot a charge through the hull" was another favorite.

I've been watching I Spy on Amazon Prime, inspired by the discussion in this topic. And I've seen some pretty good shows. But the one today was pretty bad: an hour of tortured comedy about two young Italian lovebirds who are, or aren't, going to get married. Couldn't wait for it to end. Fast...

Figured some silly mindless tv would help pass the days in quarantine, so I did a rewatch of Search, courtesy of first-rate Warner Archive DVDs. When it first aired I was fascinated with all the computer knick-knacks and flashing lights. Now a lot of what they show presented can be done with an...

I'm kind of late with this, but there's a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes info on Columbo (both the original and the ABC revival) in Me and Murder She Wrote by Peter S Fischer. He has several chapters detailing his work on the original recipe Columbo, and his return to write several ABC...

The only Columbo I remember from the ABC revival is one that broke format: Columbo gets involved in a kidnapping. The story was by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) of 87th Precinct fame. EtA: And the one about Mrs Columbo's funeral. I remember that one too.

Season 2 of Petrocelli: a mixed bag to say the least. He continues to get beat up, threatened, or run off the road in just about every episode. The distinctive DAs from season one are mostly replaced by bland DAs of the week. Some good episodes in the first half of the season. After doing a...

PS to my Petrocelli comments: I realized I still had one more ep to go to close out the first season so I dove in. This one had several examples of re-used footage but the most blatant came right after the opening sequence depicting the murder. It cuts to Tony in court with a client...and it's...

Been enjoying a tour of San Remo with Season One of Petrocelli. I have a soft spot for the show. I like the portrayal of the Tony/Maggie marriage which has a warm, natural quality to it. The locale is distinctive, the 'friendly enemies' relationship Tony has with people like Lt Ponce...

Another problem with the later seasons of Wonder Woman was that Steve Trevor got pushed to the side (apparently he and Diana Prince didn't get along that well). Eventually he was put behind a desk and became almost a peripheral player. I would bet the plan to move Wonder Woman out of DC in...

That would be a spoiler.

Watched a few more McMillan & Wife eps. I didn't remember how 'Aftershock' turned out so it was almost like watching it new. I half-figured it out, half-not. This is the one where a skeleton falls out of their fireplace thanks to an earthquake. A large number of suspects in this one, and a...

A discussion in another thread got me revisiting some NBC Mystery Movies. Rewatching Banacek I was reminded how much I am annoyed by the extra commercial-break fades on DVDs. The episodes appear to be complete but have been tinkered with presumably to allow stations to stuff more commercials...

I enjoyed Tenafly. McCoy with Tony Curtis was another take on The Sting with a con-man operating for good (like Switch before they inexplicably dropped the con-man angle and made it a standard detective show). Cool Million started out great, with expensive location shooting in glamorous European...

Been spending several weeks upgrading my mp4 Ozzie & Harriet collection. As a results I've watched a ton of episodes. This is long so scroll away if you're not into O&H. In the first season they used footage of Ozzie and the kids playing baseball in what appears to have been the real O&H...

I followed up on Ozzie's 'Busy Christmas' with 'The Day After Christmas' which was the show that aired the week after Busy's original airing. Another charming seasonal show with laughs, sentiment, and a chance for the boys to show off a few ice skating moves. But the tree, in the den the...

This seems to be my weekend for finding things on youtube. In regard to the Spin & Marty discussions up thread a bit, here's a look back at the filming of the series with Tim Considine, just posted Sunday: