tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47782763619573511992024-03-14T15:37:23.211-04:00Flashback Universe BlogFree Downloadable Digital Comics in CBR Format - A New Way to Read Comic!Jim Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05006833955333061262noreply@blogger.comBlogger1024125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-65844450642814150792024-03-14T07:00:00.006-04:002024-03-14T07:00:00.137-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Inhumanoids (1986)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpMa3L5mphn0ap5Q18DoXWyflEYVRIKmPVyrMVru9tsgTuD5g8ucQpuUCQrME9VulgaoCmY6W4WRIqkl8qzi0S2u8R3LYaawUJUGkzBHIIq_0b5tZn9sGXgJYilGhBL17mkp0lz1J1naQ7bajmX3-tw88mnAHDINNgXnO9km9qWP6yYtbyWbZMlAPPgw/s1280/inhuman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpMa3L5mphn0ap5Q18DoXWyflEYVRIKmPVyrMVru9tsgTuD5g8ucQpuUCQrME9VulgaoCmY6W4WRIqkl8qzi0S2u8R3LYaawUJUGkzBHIIq_0b5tZn9sGXgJYilGhBL17mkp0lz1J1naQ7bajmX3-tw88mnAHDINNgXnO9km9qWP6yYtbyWbZMlAPPgw/s320/inhuman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Inhumanoids</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>June 29, 1986</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring: </span></b><span style="white-space: pre;">Michael Bell, William Callaway, Ed Gilbert, Chris Latta, Neil Ross,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre;">Richard Sanders </span><span style="white-space: pre;">Susan Silo</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Earth Corps, a team of scientists/explorers and their nonhuman allies are the surface's only defense against ancient, evil monsters from beneath the Earth.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b><i> Inhumanoids</i> was a Hasbro toy concept developed initially by Marvel's Tom DeFalco, then further refined by Flint Dille. As was common in the 80s, there was an associated animated series to sell the toys by Sunbow. The cartoon began as a series of seven-minute segments on the <i>Super Sunday</i> anthology series, running to 15 installments that were later combined into a movie, which was then in turn split back into five half-hours and coupled with eight brand-new shows to form a complete season of thirteen half-hour episodes. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The toys sold well, but not as well as Hasbro wanted using the success of G.I. Joe and Transformers as a metric, so it was cancelled. This had the effect of giving the writers of the cartoon a relatively freehand to go in a more horrific direction and more serial rather than episodic in its storytelling. According to Wikipedia: "Visually, the show was distinctive for its application of heavy shadow, use of split screens, and sometimes brow-raising for its graphic content, such as monstrous amputations or writhing deaths by toxic waste, which would be hard-pressed to sneak their way into contemporary 'children's hour' programming."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We watched the first two half-hour episodes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Jason</b>: I was a teenager when<i> Inhumanoids</i> hit the then-smaller screen, but I still cared about animation (and SF&F subject matter) enough to peek at new things here and there, if only to end up sneering. I peeked at <i>Inhumanoids</i> and sneered contemptuously. </div><div><br /></div><div>The monster designs appalled me, and their voice-acted shrieks repelled me before I could even begin to perceive the distinctive qualities that set it apart from other adventure-oriented animated series of its day. Which isn't to say what I witnessed in watching the first two episodes was necessarily good! </div><div><br /></div><div>The animation itself was limited, as TV animation almost always was, but the speed of the editing mitigated this a bit. The images were well executed, matters of taste and design aside. I will however never get over the ludicrous design of D'Compose, and his name isn't helping a tiny bit either. Those Barn Doors of Forlorn Encystment on D's chest and his Godzilla skull with glowing fangs and teeth are all toyetic as anything, but the whole exquisite corpse-style of design was in this case the magic bullet that assassinated my suspension of disbelief. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM26qRXwiNjiIvfq77zdTvEnSDtKT_bbbTOa0dOl4lTrOHCo6W2UabwHa2RhHWrVAb0b6x3l8gNbytS1KAuAzI9Oi3fLS0vCJwqAmBV3YadjEZy007ZW6n4EiYkpg3gGOMqcUP5Rgxx49xv3blnIqpkWr-aFZ37snwS1S6puiyQMI6hTz9n143PabPopo/s1000/inhumanoids.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1000" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM26qRXwiNjiIvfq77zdTvEnSDtKT_bbbTOa0dOl4lTrOHCo6W2UabwHa2RhHWrVAb0b6x3l8gNbytS1KAuAzI9Oi3fLS0vCJwqAmBV3YadjEZy007ZW6n4EiYkpg3gGOMqcUP5Rgxx49xv3blnIqpkWr-aFZ37snwS1S6puiyQMI6hTz9n143PabPopo/s320/inhumanoids.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> I will grant the silliness of D'Compose as name. As to the design, I'm going to disagree--a bit. The simplicities of the animation does it no favors, for sure, and I can't deny its fundamental tokusatsu "monster of the episode" character, but I think there is a mythological undercurrent to D that the other two (being pure pulp monster riffs) lack. In his skull I see echoes of Mari Lwyd and in his snapping rib cage, Tezcatlipoca.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think it's fair to say a mythological monster in such a pulp/kaiju world is a dissonant choice, certainly.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Point taken! As you mentioned, <i>Inhumanoids</i> had no qualms about (making an attempt at) scaring little kids to death! In general, tv cartoons of the era, when they tried to be scary, swiftly reassured audiences that there are no such things as monsters and order is always restored by the end of the episode. Not so in the world of <i>Inhumanoids</i>, a series designed to sell a line of toys to small children.</div><div><br /></div><div>The storytelling in this show was unusual in its speedy pace, due at least in part to the original short format used for the Super Sunday compilations. As a result, the cuts were quick from shot to shot and scene to scene, somewhat jarringly so I thought. This condensed format had the effect of creating a firehose of narrative that advanced the plot visually and kept the dialogue minimal, to the point of confusion at times. If the story was to be understood by kids, their full attention would be required, which is actually a plus in my book. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Yeah, there's very much a movie serial style rush from one peril to the next.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> By the end of episode two, though, an impressive amount of world building has unfolded. It's unlikely but not impossible that if I sat still long enough to take this material in as a teenager, I might have found myself at least somewhat intrigued. Alas!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> If there was ever a property that could benefit from an adult, film or TV series reboot, I think this one could bear the conceptual load.</div></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-90688643379633217202024-03-07T07:00:00.001-05:002024-03-07T07:00:00.249-05:00Classic TV Flashback: The Champions (1968)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsk-fJ-z3jPBwcl0js8YnwG3CYOnNaVuvJnlNLpLysinRq8AI7t_A66MVxhm_TFeL0bjwzSdJ6JMhPeOiKPVXb3VPeNTuT-EGH5SOYoXowewGoDdV7FcvVg-GIydAD6DBerGoFgCU9uJocX_9BMAZaaGYGoJtIIJkaGt-4ShRsiZ2YLqWV-_pFhqFWAI/s613/p504151_b_h6_aa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="613" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsk-fJ-z3jPBwcl0js8YnwG3CYOnNaVuvJnlNLpLysinRq8AI7t_A66MVxhm_TFeL0bjwzSdJ6JMhPeOiKPVXb3VPeNTuT-EGH5SOYoXowewGoDdV7FcvVg-GIydAD6DBerGoFgCU9uJocX_9BMAZaaGYGoJtIIJkaGt-4ShRsiZ2YLqWV-_pFhqFWAI/s320/p504151_b_h6_aa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Champions</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> September 25, 1968</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Dennis Spooner and Monty Berman<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Stuart Damon, Alexandra Bastedo, William Gaunt, Anthony Nicholls<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Three agents for the UN law enforcement division Nemesis get superhuman abilities after being rescued from a plane crash by a secret civilization in the Himalayas, and then use their abilities to take on threats to world peace.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> <i>The Champions </i>is a British series<i> </i>broadcast in the UK on ITV during 1968–1969 and in the U.S. on NBC, starting in the summer of 1968. Dennis Spooner created the series, working with producer Monty Berman. The two would also be responsible for the later series <i>Department S</i> and <i>Jason King</i>. They would use writers on this series that had previously worked on <i>The Avengers</i> and <i>Danger Man</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We watched the first episode, "The Beginning," on YouTube. It introduces the three Nemesis agents, Sharron MacReady, Craig Stirling and Richard Barrett, who crash in the Himalayas after an escape from a bioweapon facility in China. They awaken to find their injuries mysteriously healed. Soon, they learn they have had new abilities bestowed on them by their rescuers, the people from a hidden, ancient civilization. The evade capture by the Chinese military and return to Europe having completed their mission.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3VtAI0lvSD0zXsvwhDF227QzyfqZHOA9kjkY4xSwLvU8pMnCdJhIVseSwfPpmsXI4YmKMV1kVU7BT1Wx6zYlrIuPBqnXCnhyphenhyphenOUav2TGkj2SX4j7O-hUxlNlUcH0mgGjN1sf95CEqNtmJi6QNKbx4PnPeaU5GUr9DeCBAe_oZ9Q0srtuC8ypkV1XI47Q/s1190/champions.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1190" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3VtAI0lvSD0zXsvwhDF227QzyfqZHOA9kjkY4xSwLvU8pMnCdJhIVseSwfPpmsXI4YmKMV1kVU7BT1Wx6zYlrIuPBqnXCnhyphenhyphenOUav2TGkj2SX4j7O-hUxlNlUcH0mgGjN1sf95CEqNtmJi6QNKbx4PnPeaU5GUr9DeCBAe_oZ9Q0srtuC8ypkV1XI47Q/s320/champions.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">First thing, I was struck by a few parallels with the Challengers of the Unknown who debuted in 1957. A plane crash is the pivotal event that changes the course of their lives, and the Challengers' refrain that they are "living on borrowed time" is voiced by one of the Champions just after the crash. Then there's then names they are just similar but seem to fit together: the challenger takes on the champion, after all.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> I noticed those similarities and perhaps a wee bit of the original Doom Patrol, if only in the manicured beard of their agency commander. Speaking of the names, I thought the three starring actors had better names for the genre than the characters!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>For a spy-fi show with a touch of plain-clothes superheroes thrown in, I found it quite effective, despite budgetary limitations. </div><div><br /></div><div>The plane crash sequence was suspenseful despite the use of miniatures and a foregone conclusion. The fight scenes worked well despite the small soundstage and put me in mind of a less expensive <i>Star Trek. </i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> I enjoyed the show quite a bit, too. It had the standard sort of groovy Brit style of the era and an intriguing concept. I'd be interested to see what more episodes are like. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> I especially like its successful threading the needle of earnest adventure story with its tongue positioned in precisely the right part of the cheek. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> My only quibbles might be there didn't seem to be enough of it! I think it would have been better served by a two-hour pilot, and maybe a central villain of the episode.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> The production staff may have shared your concerns and sought to correct in future episodes. Perusing an online episode guide alerted me to the fact that episode 2's special guest antagonist was none other than <a href="https://flashbackuniverse.blogspot.com/2024/02/classic-tv-flashback-jason-king-1971.html">Peter Wyngarde</a>!</div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-35542311355972727502024-02-29T07:00:00.022-05:002024-02-29T07:00:00.151-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Columbo (1971)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VIByFedCZ0BSQexVHhiDeUQMEjqaYPVZJatyy9_aD3ZnFkaNq5SG4zcK0cxjsNCgzZ4pde0xccIe2zBY6b_pOtz3wwpnjz3u0gdMlLOfZpM3ixUdlJAPIY55jWitqQhj1-K4ygvqWDjvYJNQLzwudDmgFGwiHb3vnGHTSqhwwSWVMM4x626mv-hStgY/s1020/columbo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VIByFedCZ0BSQexVHhiDeUQMEjqaYPVZJatyy9_aD3ZnFkaNq5SG4zcK0cxjsNCgzZ4pde0xccIe2zBY6b_pOtz3wwpnjz3u0gdMlLOfZpM3ixUdlJAPIY55jWitqQhj1-K4ygvqWDjvYJNQLzwudDmgFGwiHb3vnGHTSqhwwSWVMM4x626mv-hStgY/s320/columbo.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Columbo</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">September 15, 1971</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Created by:</span> </b></span>Richard Levinson and William Link</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Peter Falk<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Rumpled and unassuming Los Angeles homicide detective, Lieutenant Columbo, doggedly reveals even the most well-concealed of crimes.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">: </i><i>Columbo</i><span> had two movie "pilot episodes" in 1968 and 1971, then series aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of <i>The NBC Mystery Movie</i>. It was brought back in the 80s on ABC on a sporadic basis from 1989 to 2003. That's when I became acquainted with it.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Columbo was partially inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's <i>Crime and Punishment</i> character Porfiry Petrovich as well as (according to Wikipedia) G. K. Chesterton's cleric-detective Father Brown.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>The first episode of the 1971 series follows the (at the time) innovative formula of showing the audience the crime from the beginning, thus removing the mystery ask, except in regard to just how Columbo will eventually catch them. It was written by Steven Bochco and directed by Steven Spielberg. In the episode, a member of a mystery writing duo resorts to murder to break from his less talented partner.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NLCXVWaljmW4hp7jnBdNhJ_mzjEhIGmrft1vJTlo4fUebckmgMYyyy6DEtS7IWY5WNQ_sY8u3j5g6mpNU_h762_9mTk49koZOQwTTtdVxpdbCMZT9M-UvREzFaLbHsCW3ezsRlCrPfk8KvCUVkdPLJoAFCHhBshzNB4OiRruwb5THE0OSf0A1bMQB1k/s916/Book-books-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="916" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NLCXVWaljmW4hp7jnBdNhJ_mzjEhIGmrft1vJTlo4fUebckmgMYyyy6DEtS7IWY5WNQ_sY8u3j5g6mpNU_h762_9mTk49koZOQwTTtdVxpdbCMZT9M-UvREzFaLbHsCW3ezsRlCrPfk8KvCUVkdPLJoAFCHhBshzNB4OiRruwb5THE0OSf0A1bMQB1k/s320/Book-books-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span><b>Jason:</b> I remember the presence of Columbo in the pop culture of my childhood but don't recall ever having seen the show in its day, possibly due to the draconian bedtime I strove against in my single-digit years. For decades, references to the series and impersonations of Falk were ubiquitous. I've previously mentioned my general lack of interest in the crime drama genre which, like many things, was once strident but has softened over time. I enjoyed this chance to better acquaint myself with the series and character that became, for all intents and purposes, iconic. </span> </div><div><span><div><br /></div><div>The young Spielberg wastes no time distinguishing himself with a cinematic approach and clever visual storytelling even as the credits roll. While perhaps trying a bit too hard at times, the episode amounts to a very effective portfolio piece. Somebody give this kid a feature!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey</b>: Yeah, I think he's got something and is going to go places. Wonder whatever happened to him? I'd also call out writer Steven Bochco as the creator of <i>Hill Street Blues</i>, <i>L.A. Law</i>, and <i>NYPD Blue</i> among other credits. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> The titular character doesn't show up until nearly the 20 minute mark, as goes the show's formula, and he doesn't disappoint. As everyone already knows, Falk is uniquely charming in the role. </div><div>His opponent, as expertly portrayed by Jack Cassidy, couldn't be more arrogant, slimy and unlikeable, despite his sophistication and impeccable manners. The rest of the cast give naturalistic performances, leaving it to the leads to provide the understated climactic fireworks.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> In latter series, they did a lot of celebrity casting of the "murderers of the episode" and that and the focus on their viewpoint sometimes gives you (or at least gave me) a bit of sympathy for them: "Alright, alright, Columbo. They're guilty! Quit playing with them and arrest them, already!" Not here, though.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason</b>: As an unsophisticated newcomer to the genre, I give this show high marks. I'm tempted to watch more. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unlike many of the shows featured here in the <i>Flashback Universe</i>, this one is anything but obscure and much ink has been spilled on its behalf. I found this article to be an effective expression of the warm regard Columbo still enjoys. Exhibit A: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210909-why-the-world-still-loves-1970s-detective-show-columbo">BBC Why the World Still Loves the 1970s Detective Show Columbo.</a> Oh, and here's a Columbo statue in Budapest, Hungary. My only regret is that his dog doesn't appear in this episode!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBDL0USa7wZdIq7wHVLb9BHHDR2nqbjmd-NEwuCUyQz7BReUMQZibn5ai7i9MdkHWBQpPok7Im1mt6aX4CA8oRzO6IfDnFhj0ARKHmt-bIgo_1XuzRsfVUcUldpLFIN9nlxQzlshVpj5mvSz8GiL61p3WzbmFxoZqOQ3e8Etiy1jH6qC8DMjE_vc0-k4/s1229/columbo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBDL0USa7wZdIq7wHVLb9BHHDR2nqbjmd-NEwuCUyQz7BReUMQZibn5ai7i9MdkHWBQpPok7Im1mt6aX4CA8oRzO6IfDnFhj0ARKHmt-bIgo_1XuzRsfVUcUldpLFIN9nlxQzlshVpj5mvSz8GiL61p3WzbmFxoZqOQ3e8Etiy1jH6qC8DMjE_vc0-k4/s320/columbo.jpg" width="260" /></a></div></span></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-43624266304408767402024-02-20T07:00:00.001-05:002024-02-20T07:00:00.149-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Captain Midnight (1954)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDP5cL3_hlqe8H5gNmGFsP71oOWAjqDASrXvxPdmjMbgzUINk4GExVeX0AWTVEOrXEbZmvu2h6BDo4LiEo1x1RorIV8k1M-4wSUvMG71wHNlZJ1oIqhLBnU_fTlo43YeWZSi3ZtJKkB99c4nt5XWf_YMtpel7RVDqyysNBPI_ogtDffaSYvAoiGpWx5c/s400/captmid.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="400" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDP5cL3_hlqe8H5gNmGFsP71oOWAjqDASrXvxPdmjMbgzUINk4GExVeX0AWTVEOrXEbZmvu2h6BDo4LiEo1x1RorIV8k1M-4wSUvMG71wHNlZJ1oIqhLBnU_fTlo43YeWZSi3ZtJKkB99c4nt5XWf_YMtpel7RVDqyysNBPI_ogtDffaSYvAoiGpWx5c/s320/captmid.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Captain Midnight</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>September 9</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, 1954</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Richard Webb, Sid Melton, Olan Soule<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Captain Midnight of the Secret Squadron flies around the globe in his jet the Silver Dart, fighting various criminals and spies with his sidekick Ichabod Mudd and aided by a scientist, Dr. Aristotle Jones.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">: </i><span><i>Captain Midnight</i> (later renamed <i>Jet Jackson, Flying Commando </i>on TV) is a franchise that debuted as a radio serial in 1938. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into the mid-1950s saw him appear in movie serials (1942), a syndicated newspaper strip (1942), a comic book (1942–1948) and of course a television series (1954-1856).</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>The series aired on CBS and was sponsored by Ovaltine and Kix/General Mills.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>Jason:</b> </span>'ll just go ahead and admit this was a pretty fun watch for me, the heavy handed in-world pitches for chocolaty, vitamin-laden Ovaltine only adding to the goofy charm. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, it swiftly becomes clear why legislation was enacted in the 1960s to regulate children's television, especially as regards advertising content. But thank your lucky stars that hero of supply side economics, former president Ronald Reagan, rolled back these restrictions, or else we may never have gotten to know He-Man, GI Joe, and Optimus Prime quite as intimately. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>The Gipper made Tv safe for product placement again! This really is a whole number level of undisguised shilling, though. It reminds me of The Shadow radio show and its Blue Coal pitches, except with more kid appeal.</div><div><br /></div><div>I should mention before we get too far along that we watched Season 2, Episode 3, "The Frozen Men." Noted scientist Dr. Hartley is kidnapped by foreign agents. Captain Midnight, Ikky, and Tut figure out he has been working with extreme cold to make a super-durable metal. There's an atomic bomb dropped in this episode, though not directly on our heroes.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRIzxNbqbbRSe2SC_0KEPmhfqCFHMGRu8rjegJh6glF3XeoIx2ryGoV7GvAAvIsag7H1Fm4DgRg2Jd0YsZvQ2YnBr8MGcogKFm8CTw59rjfLh7aEFYU2GxQm5LkksGLOQlnRfi7LF1-yGIu4CdZiC18ZfFiynYKAvGc2fCh9o7vBQie7YRi-4SFwkE5Y/s797/640px-Richard_Webb_as_Captain_Midnight_1954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRIzxNbqbbRSe2SC_0KEPmhfqCFHMGRu8rjegJh6glF3XeoIx2ryGoV7GvAAvIsag7H1Fm4DgRg2Jd0YsZvQ2YnBr8MGcogKFm8CTw59rjfLh7aEFYU2GxQm5LkksGLOQlnRfi7LF1-yGIu4CdZiC18ZfFiynYKAvGc2fCh9o7vBQie7YRi-4SFwkE5Y/s320/640px-Richard_Webb_as_Captain_Midnight_1954.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Spoilers! Anyway, Richard Webb, whose portrayal of a Starfleet officer deranged by the rigors of their duty is forever burned into my memory banks...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> That would be Ben Finney in the <i>Star Trek</i> episode "Court Martial."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Yes. Here he does an admirably straightforward job of embodying the Cold War American Hero. His jaw is square enough and he delivers lines with the precise diction every Cold War school child should strive to perfect. </div><div><br /></div><div>His sidekick Ikky, who in this episode at least is in near-constant need of a hot shower, provides the kind of comic relief that might have generated some laughs for children of the 1950s. For us moderns, the humor is barely detectable. I did laugh out loud when, certain his Captain was incinerated in a nuclear blast, Ikky frowns slightly and delivers a somber, momentary salute before immediately moving on with his life. </div><div><br /></div><div>Trey, the science in this science fiction is worth mentioning I think. You've forgotten more about science than I'll ever know. Can you give us a breakdown on the speculative elements in this episode? I hold no degrees in the sciences, but I'm pretty sure some liberties may have been taken.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>Well, I think the whole idea of super-metal Protonium that is created from nothing by intense is utterly fanciful. Then there's the medication profrigidium that is evidently super-endotherm in its reactions. None of this is science but rather "Science!" as found in pulp media. Of course, that's not even mentioning the 50ss naiveté about the horrors of nuclear bombs.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason: </b>I'll regretfully cancel my profrigidium order at the pharmacy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> You wouldn't like the co-pay, anyway.</div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-53432714380885418172024-02-06T07:00:00.008-05:002024-02-06T07:00:00.149-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Jason King (1971)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhi9Iehvfq1VYLuNAua7JO96S9_7Cv20Cs_6dvKqeamrlYK8USjObPADj9ImQnqqbkHxFtVZMKhyy7AYQx46ITyMX34DATWoqGu2nxrljm83ZgA6loX4yO2-N9i_VwF6P8syxs11Yw1n4Yilhu8DHfAN39vQh8CZJrFGN6j8GPhZ68vKTT8AWQPam5m8/s490/51GM359YD1L._AC_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhi9Iehvfq1VYLuNAua7JO96S9_7Cv20Cs_6dvKqeamrlYK8USjObPADj9ImQnqqbkHxFtVZMKhyy7AYQx46ITyMX34DATWoqGu2nxrljm83ZgA6loX4yO2-N9i_VwF6P8syxs11Yw1n4Yilhu8DHfAN39vQh8CZJrFGN6j8GPhZ68vKTT8AWQPam5m8/s320/51GM359YD1L._AC_.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Jason King</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>September 15</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, 1971</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Created by:</span> </b></span>Dennis Spooner, Monty Berman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="white-space: normal;">Peter Wyngarde</span><br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Playboy novelist, Jason King, after working as a consultant with an intelligence agency as a sideline, keeps finding himself thrust into the role of international, amateur sleuth.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><span><b>:</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><span>The character of Jason King was created for the British spy-fi series <i>Department S </i>(1969). Spooner and Berman originally conceived the character as a sort of middle-aged, tweed coat and pipe smoking academic sort, but when Peter Wyngarde came on board, he had other ideas. According to Wikipedia, Wyngarde "applied much of his own personality, style and wit to the role." With the Swinging London style, and cool wit, the character was apparently compelling enough to spinoff. It ran for one, 26 episode season.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>We watched the first episode, "Wanna Buy A Television Series?" on YouTube. I have to say it's perhaps the cleverest structured show we've watched so far--and unusual in the sense that the character Wyngarde plays in the most scenes in the episode isn't Jason King but rather King's blatant author-insertion protagonist, Mark Caine. Caine is solving a mystery set among the glamorous Mediterranean, as a group of criminals give a woman plastic surgery to look like a dead woman to attempt to scan yet another criminal. All these (fictional) doings are intercut with scenes of King trying to sell this script and series to an American TV exec. </span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>I thought the metafictional touches were quite clever, though I agree with the TV exec that the basic plot of the script King is pitching is pretty convoluted.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztj_sqCejBr2GY-o9NjT1tieB4IveXoedtow3B0ia7AVDXS9Z35hpWtc1zDOvTmOtJFspGaTGY7hI4D0ahM1Xa7jH88itgh4VzIz4UD3aTGGFC6BNlfP2OD1XlvZRCrJMFa2LExsPK9WQVM_whkYFg7gnCGc2kUKPiRy3SLpUpV5fsLb4lG1hQJwaCkY/s320/JasonKing2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="320" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztj_sqCejBr2GY-o9NjT1tieB4IveXoedtow3B0ia7AVDXS9Z35hpWtc1zDOvTmOtJFspGaTGY7hI4D0ahM1Xa7jH88itgh4VzIz4UD3aTGGFC6BNlfP2OD1XlvZRCrJMFa2LExsPK9WQVM_whkYFg7gnCGc2kUKPiRy3SLpUpV5fsLb4lG1hQJwaCkY/s1600/JasonKing2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span><span><b>Jason: </b></span></span>An opinion I share. Which would elicit exasperated rebukes from Jason King, who has only limited patience for unsophisticated Colonials unable to keep up. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also enjoyed the show's premise and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of its execution. The interplay between the frame story and the meta story was quite clever and frequently amusing. It felt good to be genuinely entertained by a piece of entertainment, no ironic detachment required.</div><div><br /></div><div><span><span><b>Trey:</b> Wyngarde's cool is definitely of its place and time. Without the clear context clues to know how his world takes him, I think he might be a bit baffling to the modern viewer.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><b>Jason:</b> Modern Bafflement Exhibit A: King's astonishing hair do and mustache situation!</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><b>Trey:</b> The past is a different country. One with tonsorial excesses. </span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><div><b>Jason:</b> But I was won over pretty quickly! As the story(ies) unfold, the cumulative effect of Wyngarde's multiple subtle and not-so-subtle characterizations reveal an entertainingly complex King, who is no mere Bond parody despite the intrinsic humor. </div><div><br /></div><div>According to Wikipedia this ITC production was shot on 16mm film (rather than the more expensive 35mm as a cost-saving measure) which makes it look infinitely better than <i><a href="https://flashbackuniverse.blogspot.com/2024/01/classic-tv-flashback-star-cops-1987.html">Star Cops</a></i> (produced 15 years later!) Jason King actually had a budget and it shows. </div></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><b>Trey: </b>Anyway, It's worth pointing out the influence this actor, character, and series had on comic books. The <i>X-Men</i> villain Mastermind is named "Jason Wyngarde" after the actor and this character and draws some from a villain he played in The Avengers episode "A Touch of Brimstone" which is where Claremont got his Hellfire Club. In Morrison's <i>The Invisibles</i>, Mr. Six has some of Wyngarde's style and appearance (including his moustache) and at one point works for an organization called Department X.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><b>Jason:</b> I am illuminated!</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><b>Trey: </b>But wait! There's more! Outside of comics, the flamboyantly dressed protagonist of Kim Newman's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/484GUPa">The Man from the Diogenes Club</a></i>, Richard Jeperson, is partially inspired by Jason King.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><b>Jason:</b> I have to admit the actor was never really on my radar until watching this show but he will always have a place in my heart for his portrayal of the diabolical Klytus in <i>Flash Gordon</i>. His performance in Jason King only enhanced my admiration.</span></span></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-3874907813543853992024-01-28T18:02:00.001-05:002024-01-28T18:02:09.609-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Star Cops (1987)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtioCEUveBMgN_zn6CWI-hZOFvsLf4obfaW2VdkL8UToYM_-akDz7gz0RESx_X9IWdmXgWftwzrug_85o8eQKHmyXShru65Qd3WC65hZSyubT55o0aqc2skmpuz_QgZMYvU6RXGgAp88p_8PKfS0uPzz8Xqw2lIEQXiLENO7hrKNmIphdlCG-EuEgWg44/s600/Site-background-dark.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtioCEUveBMgN_zn6CWI-hZOFvsLf4obfaW2VdkL8UToYM_-akDz7gz0RESx_X9IWdmXgWftwzrug_85o8eQKHmyXShru65Qd3WC65hZSyubT55o0aqc2skmpuz_QgZMYvU6RXGgAp88p_8PKfS0uPzz8Xqw2lIEQXiLENO7hrKNmIphdlCG-EuEgWg44/s320/Site-background-dark.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Star Cops</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>July 6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, 1987</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Created by:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chris Boucher</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>David Calder, Erick Ray Evans, Trevor Cooper, Linda Newton, Jonathan Adams, Sayo Inaba</span><br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> In 2027, British career cop Nathan Springer leads the International Space Police Force, nicknamed the "Star Cops," as they try to keep the "High Frontier" safe.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><span><b>:</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><i>Star Cops</i> was the creation of Chris Boucher, the writer of several episodes of <i>Doctor Who</i> and script editor for the entire run of <i>Blakes 7</i>. It ran for only 9 episodes on BBC2, having never found an audience. Wikipedia opines it has since undergone a reappraisal and is praised for its fairly realistic approach to near future science fiction. We watched the first episode on YouTube.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><div><b>Jason: </b>It is fondly remembered by its fan base (it might be fair to say "cult following") as one of the rare TV shows to embrace hard science fiction, sacrificing the fantastic for scientific plausibility in its presentation of the near future. Very near, in fact, as the show is set in 2027. Other than failing to predict the dissolution of the USSR, how'd they do, Trey?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> It's tough to say, in that, I feel it's not so much <i>unrealistic</i> as <i>unconvincing</i>. The technical details we are given that, in the abstract, seem accurate, but how it's realized in terms of set dressing and the like might as well be the fantasy of Dr. Who. Springs digital (AI?) assistant did seem well done though.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> It certainly also embraces the mundane, sacrificing action and dynamic pacing for character exploration and the nuances of life in the near future. That said, by the end of the episode, we know a lot about Nathan Spring, the setting and the rest of the cast is introduced, he effectively solves two murder mysteries (one each on Earth and in orbit) while the climactic action sequence occurs entirely off camera. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_t_cY9M01N4Bc2vZAQblSR5zvahyE308cRPHLBLlpkQVrAJxxh5cZlGqlsyjKO_Dfu4nHZcZmHQvKa_TVk65_3gInnV-t6g5NPWaVnIYiwaYrNbgN0vGi-lSiBOKfI7ZjzxQoCZvq-4bY9sDo0UH-aaaHWiWgGb5pvcLyJE1Cd4hHZUCn5ekhJZ-tCU/s344/instinct9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="344" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_t_cY9M01N4Bc2vZAQblSR5zvahyE308cRPHLBLlpkQVrAJxxh5cZlGqlsyjKO_Dfu4nHZcZmHQvKa_TVk65_3gInnV-t6g5NPWaVnIYiwaYrNbgN0vGi-lSiBOKfI7ZjzxQoCZvq-4bY9sDo0UH-aaaHWiWgGb5pvcLyJE1Cd4hHZUCn5ekhJZ-tCU/s320/instinct9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> I think that's true. The script seems definitely interested in his character. I don't think it gives Calder enough support in turns of scenes or dialogue to really make a lot from that. His given the chance at some acerbic comments that seem very British.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason: </b>Well, Boucher's script is notable, among other things, for its refusal to hold the viewer's hand. While the characters must spew exposition, it is often handled entertainingly, I thought. The Robert Altman-esque overlapping dialogue I found hard to parse, occasionally, but I appreciated the intent, which I take as an element of the relentless grounding in realism attempted here. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Sometimes it seems the realism of a community theater production...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Like most BBC efforts of the era, the effects budget is minimal, and it shows. The unfortunate need to depict freefall so often hurts it. I did enjoy Spring's frequent episodes of space nausea, a realist touch used to humorous effect.</div><div><br /></div><div>The miniatures and designs of space stations and shuttles are well done and ring true enough, especially for 1987, but it's all shot on videotape which just looks terrible, especially on big ol' 21st century TVs. It's a barrier to entry! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Agreed on both counts. It desperately needed some cinematic lightning like Miami Vice. Speaking of which, did you notice the oversized suits on a couple of the Brit cops?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> I did, and I'm tempted to contrast <i>Star Cop</i>s with its relative contemporary (previously reviewed <a href="https://flashbackuniverse.blogspot.com/2023/11/classic-tv-flashback-miami-vice-1984.html">here</a>) in other ways. With alarming frequency, <i>SC</i> zigs where the <i>MV</i> zags! Spring and Theroux are the Bizzaro World Crockett and Tubbs! MV is above all a visual spectacle and mood, while SC has sharp dialogue delivered by actors dangling from crotch-harnesses!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> That says it all really.</div></span></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-44002829275654967772024-01-25T07:27:00.001-05:002024-01-25T07:27:05.643-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Chico and the Man (1974)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl9XXbmx2fCCiIyqcHrlyKJXKumU44nRADXe3pngMZ3Df4vtKqXuNuWnpk_4zpPu0KTPhmEX7-mkBEALdgsDxFsBeiHUV4BKYtpuxbpUhsS8r6AfsBju-YMlG6xEJpACsO-TWhGvfcTbQV-JHg6LhOdPjo1BgAv6u0wxK6fjm6RgGwowU4S8sTnpYy7s/s770/1970s-TV-show-Chico-and-the-Man-at-Click-Americana-770x513.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="770" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl9XXbmx2fCCiIyqcHrlyKJXKumU44nRADXe3pngMZ3Df4vtKqXuNuWnpk_4zpPu0KTPhmEX7-mkBEALdgsDxFsBeiHUV4BKYtpuxbpUhsS8r6AfsBju-YMlG6xEJpACsO-TWhGvfcTbQV-JHg6LhOdPjo1BgAv6u0wxK6fjm6RgGwowU4S8sTnpYy7s/s320/1970s-TV-show-Chico-and-the-Man-at-Click-Americana-770x513.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Chico and the Man</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>September 13</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, 1974</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Created by:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">James Komack</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Jack Alberston and Freddie Prinze<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> A cranky, old, white owner of a rundown garage gets a new partner and friend in the form of a twentysomething Chicano.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">: </i><i>Chico and the Man </i><span>ran on NBC for 4 seasons from 1974 to 1978. It survived the tragic death of one of its leads, Freddie Prinze by suicide in 1977. It was the creation of James Komack who also was responsible for <i>The Courtship of Eddie's Father</i> and <i>Welcome Back, Kotter</i>. It's been suggested that the idea was taken from a couple of Cheech and Chong sketches, something that Komack (at least according to wikipedia) doesn't seem to have entirely denied.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>We watched episode 8 from the 2nd season, ""Mister Butterfly" on Tubi. In this one, George Takei guest stars as a Japanese businessman who arrives at the garage believing Ed ("the Man") to be his long-lost father.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Two things to me are notable about this episode (and really series because I also watched the first episode). Both are things I knew so they aren't surprised, but they bear repeating. One is that these older sitcoms are pretty unfunny by modern standards. They have moments of humor, sure, but at best they are relatively less "joke dense" than modern sitcoms and at worst they rely on the lamest sight gags or just general amusement at certain sorts of stock or stereotypical situations. This last I think is mostly a trait of the form. It's present to greater of lesser degrees in "trad" sitcoms up to this day--there just get to be fewer trad sitcoms post the 90s.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>Jason:</b> By chance, I also watched (most of) the first episode, after experiencing mild bewilderment with the second season episode we selected. Doing so provided a bit more clarity on the series' intent and the flavor of comedy we should expect. Without getting into it too deeply, I agree that it just wasn't that funny (anymore) and that this social and topical kind of humor is very much rooted to the era it attempts to reflect. Funny faces remain funny over the years, as physical comedy is pretty much eternal, but as cutting edge as C and the M was in its day, the jokes (a nebulous term with many meanings and subcategories) just haven't aged well. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqwzhKlJRIIqQiMryNdhtc2aVs6V8SHSINd2H7xj8CaaqI6klgTT_t4U6JrUCqrvyvb5_dJoM4fRKVpwTkaRvT82YP4P__GQ7P2UzYJOBBbnbH9UuTqwbXMyG0PuEUrk5dcMABwHN_bEMUpj1tLhV4t3rRBpv-GPr31uGvP5F4KKFRHNOm1xzrO98NEU/s1600/l-intro-1688033919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqwzhKlJRIIqQiMryNdhtc2aVs6V8SHSINd2H7xj8CaaqI6klgTT_t4U6JrUCqrvyvb5_dJoM4fRKVpwTkaRvT82YP4P__GQ7P2UzYJOBBbnbH9UuTqwbXMyG0PuEUrk5dcMABwHN_bEMUpj1tLhV4t3rRBpv-GPr31uGvP5F4KKFRHNOm1xzrO98NEU/s320/l-intro-1688033919.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>Trey:</b> Going with "rooted in the era," there's the degree of casual racism and racial stereotypes. The 70s was, of course, getting more honest about these issues after the whitewashing of America common to earlier sitcoms, so it's a trait of things like <i>The Jeffersons</i>,<i> All in the Family</i>, etc. So, Ed's and (in the first episode) these two cops' prejudice and racial slurs in the first episodes are typical of the recognizing the problems and building understanding sorts of elements of these shows. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b>Jason: </b>The show was emblematic of what seems to have been an earnest attempt at addressing this whitewashing and lack of representation for the diverse groups that made up the American viewing audience but is clearly a baby step in this direction and likely wouldn't have had the success it did with a more radical approach. The lovely opening montage, depicting early 70's life in an East LA barrio, accompanied by Jose Feliciano's theme song, set my expectations too high. </div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>Trey</b>: Undercutting its good intentions, perhaps, is Chico's casual stereotyping of Asians in S2 ep 8. Or the broad stereotypically Japanese portrayal Takei and Beulah Quo (as his mother Mariko) are required to give. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEAmwIGboYrW4IM5KNcTpt6pxMiCdQUghFfM1Q5AH8arbZiJsBs96aNzbYmPxTFGxToH6kmx85SVJhAGyC9g3R64_lWm4KrA2EjtGNdrd8BqOkql8Clu6_Her23wgpT1hRqWZnVebtjcOQSY-lkVoLZoKtTE_f7cYmVaVgnJXYyeAW5qMpK4slbbTAt8/s1000/takei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEAmwIGboYrW4IM5KNcTpt6pxMiCdQUghFfM1Q5AH8arbZiJsBs96aNzbYmPxTFGxToH6kmx85SVJhAGyC9g3R64_lWm4KrA2EjtGNdrd8BqOkql8Clu6_Her23wgpT1hRqWZnVebtjcOQSY-lkVoLZoKtTE_f7cYmVaVgnJXYyeAW5qMpK4slbbTAt8/s320/takei.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span><div><b>Jason:</b> This stuff set me reeling, as my expectations were thwarted. I expected that stuff from The Man, of course, but not Chico! I wondered if depicting the cultural bias of the ostensible hero of the series wasn't some coded way of excusing the likes of The Man. We're all bigots in some way, after all.</div><div><br /></div><div>The long shadow of WW2 hangs over the episode, so I was relieved that the stereotyping was of a slightly less-malignant variety than it could have been, which may have been intentional. </div><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span><b>Trey:</b> On the positive side, I think Prinze's charisma is apparent even in just the slim space of an episode. I don't know that it sells me on his standup, but I could see him having had a long career. Albertson is likewise good in his role, such as it is.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><b>Jason:</b> He is charming throughout and his star power shines through the rough material. It may be my imagination, but I thought he might have been struggling with barely concealed discomfort throughout his performance. Whether that be due to his well-known personal problems or a displeasure with the material is unknown to me of course. </div><div><br /></div><div>Albertson's embodiment of the Man was pretty much perfect. </div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-18176771828057645992024-01-16T07:00:00.002-05:002024-01-16T14:07:36.598-05:00Classic TV Flashback: The Starlost (1973)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRT7I2cVB2cUKxmejJfysJpJqfnia5w6Hkti3pdzSqKDQ1RtJu8r-CAAotVlUtv_zHF5AUidW72Jxe4veNvUvWiHvMFRsZW1WLQkx1RJxaSzjU3wYSMgRnznrTaqDRUq19ZoOzgeQm3vIBqiHPsOaTvq4E3iJDJbY-NJ71S-Xlwr_i2AsVQ4lYrhwr_Q/s400/The_Starlost_-_intro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="400" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRT7I2cVB2cUKxmejJfysJpJqfnia5w6Hkti3pdzSqKDQ1RtJu8r-CAAotVlUtv_zHF5AUidW72Jxe4veNvUvWiHvMFRsZW1WLQkx1RJxaSzjU3wYSMgRnznrTaqDRUq19ZoOzgeQm3vIBqiHPsOaTvq4E3iJDJbY-NJ71S-Xlwr_i2AsVQ4lYrhwr_Q/s320/The_Starlost_-_intro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Starlost</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>September 22</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, 1973</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Created by:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">Cordwainer Bird (Harlan Ellison)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Keir Dullea, Gay Rowan, Robin Ward<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> A group of young people discover their small world is just one habitat of many in a vast generation starship. They must travel to the ship's bridge in order to find the controls to save it from destruction.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">: </i><i>The Starlost </i><span>is a Canadian series which was syndicated in the U.S. It ran from 1973-1974 for just 16 episodes. It had an auspicious beginning. The concept was created by Harlan Ellison, Ben Bova was signed on as science advisor, and special effects were to do done with a system created by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Trumbull">Doug Turnbull</a>. Unfortunately, nothing came off as planned. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><div><b>Jason:</b> Even with the knowledge that Harlan Ellison opted to remove his name from this production and go with his pseudonym of disapproval, I had some hope that it would retain enough of the original vision to be of interest. I was also intrigued by the series' long form serial format, something rare in TV science fiction. As it turns out, it was indeed interesting, but sadly not as a hidden gem of quality entertainment!</div><div><br /></div><div>I was held spellbound throughout my viewing and couldn't help but to squirm with discomfort and sympathize with Ellison as his efforts met with a terrible fate! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>Sad but true.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Ellison, a true giant in the field of public airing of grievances, holds forth on the topic in <a href="Even with the knowledge that writer Harlan Ellison opted to remove his name from this production, I had some hope that The Starlost would retain enough of the original vision to be of interest. I was also intrigued by the series' long form serial format, something rare in TV science fiction As it turns out, it was indeed interesting, but sadly not as a hidden gem of quality entertainment! I was held spellbound throughout my viewing, and couldn't help but to squirm with discomfort and sympathize with Ellison as his efforts met with a terrible fate! Note: Ellison, a true giant in the field of public airing of grievances, holds forth on the topic in an hour long interview available on YouTube that is considerably more entertaining than this episode. The tone is set for in the cold open, in which the principals stare in awe at their Ark after happening upon their first set of windows that provide an exterior view. The camera lingers on the faces of the actors as they gape, minds blown to tiny bits by the revelation. And when I say lingers, I mean lingers! On and on they gape until the credits sequence rolls. Keir Dullea, cast at least in part due to his SF credentials, gapes with the best of them, but to near-risible effect here. Guest star Sterling Hayden, whose astonishing biographical notes on Wikipedia are worth a look, is a standout as Elder Ezekiel, but even his performance shows telltale signs of rushed production, sloppy editing, or both. The most exciting action sequences in the episode involved Dullea fleeing from an angry swarm of Space Mennonites, all at a leisurely jog due to the tiny sets. The information dispensing computer system on the Ark was notable for its eccentric take on a user interface! Surely Ellison envisioned something slightly different? All told, I'm sad to report that for this viewer, the abundant promise of what could have been a historic advance in adult science fiction TV entertainment was instead a hash of unfulfilled ambition. ">an hour long interview available on YouTube</a> that is considerably more entertaining than this episode. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> I will say, while I have read that Ellison complains about the story here and there, having read his script, the production is, in synopsis, reasonably faithful (given the restrictions of low budget TV) to his vision. It is in the realization of those words as a television production where it fails.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> The tone is set for in the cold open, in which the principals stare in awe at their Ark after happening upon their first set of windows that provide an exterior view. The camera lingers on the faces of the actors as they gape, minds blown to tiny bits by the revelation. And when I say lingers, I mean lingers! On and on they gape until the credits sequence rolls. Keir (<i>2001</i>) Dullea, cast at least in part due to his SF credentials, gapes with the best of them, but to near-risible effect here. </div><div><br /></div><div>Trey: This seen was one Ellison had a problem with. He felt putting this reveal of the spaceship at the beginning was a bad move, and I tend to agree. But we soon move to where Ellison's script starts in Amish-like society of Cypress Corners.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason: </b>Yes, and there's guest star Sterling Hayden, whose astonishing biographical notes on Wikipedia are worth a look, is a standout as Elder Ezekiel, but even his performance shows telltale signs of rushed production, sloppy editing, or both. </div><div><br /></div><div>The most exciting action sequences in the episode involved Dullea fleeing from an angry swarm of Space Mennonites, all at a leisurely jog due to the tiny sets. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Yeah the whole thing feels stagey--really, worse that stagey, more like local theater company production. Some of this came to pass due to the failure of the fancy Magicam system they had planned to employ for the special effects. When that didn't work, they were stuck with a production space too small to build sets and had to resort to blue screening everything. And the chroma key technology of the era is of course not the digital sets we know of today.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason: </b>The effects are decidedly <i>un</i>special. But beyond that, questionable choices seem to have been made! The information dispensing computer system on the Ark was notable for its eccentric take on a user interface! Surely Ellison envisioned something slightly different?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJEtgNhyzjU2EwU_BfJmuQX5oaHCrxfGCPKWIWeOEnjbq2bchFt_XuBlqQZiFWoA-Jse223wQdIqeGPby-NBNJmWmD0YX3ZOPC-10ByP7cx7lV-9nKz1UtTpjU-nDJozU1bzxvcqIhQ61IKVAp1LMY4s9F_sq1Xl0X1GuLeks5u-V-9Rxqp2KbgCyo1k/s290/retro453_7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="290" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJEtgNhyzjU2EwU_BfJmuQX5oaHCrxfGCPKWIWeOEnjbq2bchFt_XuBlqQZiFWoA-Jse223wQdIqeGPby-NBNJmWmD0YX3ZOPC-10ByP7cx7lV-9nKz1UtTpjU-nDJozU1bzxvcqIhQ61IKVAp1LMY4s9F_sq1Xl0X1GuLeks5u-V-9Rxqp2KbgCyo1k/s1600/retro453_7.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>In the script, the information dispensing computer is not free of eccentricity and the silliness of pointing to this numbered record or that is still present, but it's more elaborate and so comes off on the page as much less comedy relief.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> All told, I'm sad to report that for this viewer, the abundant promise of what could have been a historic advance in adult science fiction TV entertainment was instead a hash of unfulfilled ambition. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> I'll dissent mildly. It is indeed cheap and a disappointing product. However, if one comes to it with say 70s <i>Dr. Who</i> production in mind--well, it's even cheaper than that, but I think slope is much gentler, and I think it is possible to appreciate Ellison's script and concept, which I think is pretty good and could be the basis of a good series today.</div></span></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-79041402700533092622024-01-09T08:22:00.003-05:002024-01-09T08:22:23.472-05:00Classic TV Flashback: The Buccaneers (1956)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaV8KuEvsMlKicgW81QpMOqJ47DEW7hKVPYi3nQ6lWmBptqqtHjvOggi5WbR6naMMtYNzvNfdTbFHt0oupZCSVlK5Ax9sUCQTXgOP5Z2-0CfF-nBTbopwHvy-A850-WW-lzA8S5BdYnRRLcNv4hWstynBNM6ZuOom9p2lfadYunG4s88duCMXNPc5SNSk/s1280/buccaneers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaV8KuEvsMlKicgW81QpMOqJ47DEW7hKVPYi3nQ6lWmBptqqtHjvOggi5WbR6naMMtYNzvNfdTbFHt0oupZCSVlK5Ax9sUCQTXgOP5Z2-0CfF-nBTbopwHvy-A850-WW-lzA8S5BdYnRRLcNv4hWstynBNM6ZuOom9p2lfadYunG4s88duCMXNPc5SNSk/w400-h225/buccaneers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Buccaneers</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>September 19</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, 1956</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Robert Shaw, Paul Hansard, Brian Rawlinson, Edwin Richfield<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> On New Providence, Captain Dan Tempest, an ex-pirate turned privateer for the Crown, forms an uneasy alliance with Lt. Beamish, the deputy governor, to fight the King's enemies in the Caribbean.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">: </i><i>The Buccaneers </i><span>was Sapphire Films drama series for ITC Entertainment, broadcast by CBS in the US and ATV and regional ITV companies in the UK. It was somewhat aimed at kids and ran for 39 episodes until June 12, 1957.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>We watched episode 12 from December 5, 1956, "Dan Tempest and the Amazons." It was written by Peggy Phillips and Zachary Weiss. I picked this episode because I was intrigued about how they were going to fit Amazons in with Pirates. Bait and switch!</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>Jason:</b> "Amazons" isn't perhaps the most obvious descriptor of the women here, no. The first couple of minutes of the show were such a showcase for a peculiar 18th century piratical brand of sexism (as presented in this mid-20th century production) that I began to fear the episode would be unfit for review other than finger-wagging condemnation from the 21st century. As the plot unfolded, matters took a (somewhat!) more progressive turn, while remaining peculiar.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>Trey</b>: Yes, the women, potential brides looking for prospects in the New World, who have been kidnapped and held for ransom by a "French" (I use that term only loosely as the actors inconsistent and half-hearted attempts at an accent don't rate. I've heard better accents around a D&D table.) pirate. Ultimately, the women prove surprisingly capable and free themselves.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhN3u6WbwGJLQf6W2fd9qGRQZVcU6nTqHgK15StJMAQEMBV8cuD1GXdw3X2yy2_Y45BaZKd04Tx68Y_cl7lzdHyzS4XYTxSMZVi_TvX03Yn5_-k5XPLSmOhybPQXt7CfyGeBtt8pOr-_Gy_BfQiAoo0r61aF148TKvYYSxczNikuslXTMDovNN_Iusgk/s460/dan%20tempest%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="460" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhN3u6WbwGJLQf6W2fd9qGRQZVcU6nTqHgK15StJMAQEMBV8cuD1GXdw3X2yy2_Y45BaZKd04Tx68Y_cl7lzdHyzS4XYTxSMZVi_TvX03Yn5_-k5XPLSmOhybPQXt7CfyGeBtt8pOr-_Gy_BfQiAoo0r61aF148TKvYYSxczNikuslXTMDovNN_Iusgk/s320/dan%20tempest%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span><b>Jason:</b> And that brief sketch probably telegraphs the light-hearted tone of the episode. It's that variety of corny, "battle of the sexes" humor. It ignores the unsavory potential of the situation, keeps the violence gentle slapstick, the references to adult themes mostly veiled, and the sense of peril muted. As a result, there are few swashes successfully buckled. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>Trey</b>: Certainly not. Tempest and his sea dogs are routed by matrons and maids. Of course, one could say that this was due to the men's sexist tendency to underestimate the women. Still, not stuff likely to form the basis of childhood, wood sword derring-do. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>Jason</b>: A glance at the episode listings online suggest this episode may have been an anomaly, a breather from all the action of previous episodes. Sorry kids, no Blackbeards or El Supremos this time around. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgol0NYxNLO7w2yVC65KFjGTuymj0-Tpy87T3K0xfxThkgDucwf7ixufugXeqdhyUab12lTbGjFYsR2HW5ACCnuSMc3Cnk_KGGwf0QVNpb7OJy_-SJkWn8h03_GUnLOm7ev_jfF3xJ54g2wWnW7xRHV8Y5bbUNOsRGO6BKeGDzzSlVum6J86Pxn_-8ZrD8/s460/dan%20tempest%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="460" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgol0NYxNLO7w2yVC65KFjGTuymj0-Tpy87T3K0xfxThkgDucwf7ixufugXeqdhyUab12lTbGjFYsR2HW5ACCnuSMc3Cnk_KGGwf0QVNpb7OJy_-SJkWn8h03_GUnLOm7ev_jfF3xJ54g2wWnW7xRHV8Y5bbUNOsRGO6BKeGDzzSlVum6J86Pxn_-8ZrD8/s320/dan%20tempest%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><div>I was excited to see some early work by the legendary Robert Shaw, but I must admit to some degree of disappointment. Am I wrong here or was his performance phoned in? Maybe he just didn't have much to work with this episode?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Definitely seems phoned in. Hopefully it was just a story he could get behind, not his approach to the whole show.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Unlike previously reviewed half-hour action/drama shows (like M Squad!), notable for their hyper-condensed plots, <i>The Buccaneers</i> just felt simplistic. Again, this is a show intended for children.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Not more simplistic but sort of stretched. It could have done with at least another twist or complication. Again, though is it the show or merely this episode?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason</b>: I think it would be interesting to try another episode to see if maybe we just picked a clunker this time around. I'm sure I can spare another 25 minutes sometime!</div><div><br /></div></span></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-92020581166498663632023-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:002023-12-19T07:00:00.129-05:00Classic TV Holiday Special: Dragnet (1951)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92TGAF0tbXFyLhwQ3HI4TQD9aKmfO5jO__NivrjamZzhplg4UK5qJ0VTIxvPnH3N5U9hrK0LzfMIvkly_E87AyI0XQiYE6oia-w5l9Xo0b3iE3X_qoawxL192lvlKbP48VqM1fiC0Blw8Bk6JIBY4YSJrSMGS757WnCC_WPBN3det81ehvGXQTtca6VE/s1024/big-little-jesus-1024x576.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92TGAF0tbXFyLhwQ3HI4TQD9aKmfO5jO__NivrjamZzhplg4UK5qJ0VTIxvPnH3N5U9hrK0LzfMIvkly_E87AyI0XQiYE6oia-w5l9Xo0b3iE3X_qoawxL192lvlKbP48VqM1fiC0Blw8Bk6JIBY4YSJrSMGS757WnCC_WPBN3det81ehvGXQTtca6VE/s320/big-little-jesus-1024x576.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dragnet </b>(1951 series)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>December</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 16, 1961</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Jack Webb<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Jack Webb, Ben Alexander<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners follow procedure as they investigate crimes in Los Angeles.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">: </i><span>With the holiday season upon us, it seemed like a good time to dive into the Classic TV tradition of the "Christmas episode." What better place than the venerable, multi-media police procedural franchise, <i>Dragnet</i>. Dragnet got its start on radio in 1949 but moved to TV in 1951. That series ran until 1959. It was revived in new, color series in 1967 and ran until 1971. Films and new series have shown up into the 21st Century.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>We watched the episode "The Big Little Jesus" which aired on December 24, 1953. Father Rojas at the Old Mission Plaza Church discovers that the statue of the baby Jesus has been stolen from the Nativity display. The statue isn't worth a lot, but it's of great sentimental value to the parish. Friday and Smith promise to try to get it back before Christmas Day mass--but that means they've got less than 24 hours to do it.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>This same story had aired just two days before on the radio show. It would also be remade (as "The Christmas Story"), virtually unchanged, for the 1967 series, airing on December 21, 1967. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> I vaguely remember watching a few episodes of the 1967 series in syndication in the mid-80s, particularly the infamous LSD episode, as a piece of kitsch illustrating square culture's inability to grasp what the groovy kids were up to. But it had style! The 1953 episode we watched, created at the height of its cultural moment, feels right at home with itself and resists a solely ironic viewing. It is also quite stylish! </div><div><br /></div><div>That said, the opening scene jolts the viewer into a bygone culture, as ultra-square bachelor Joe Friday dutifully fills out an impressive stack of Christmas cards. His partner Frank recommends marriage as the pragmatic solution to this burden - his wife takes care of all such matters. Joe muses, seemingly crunching the numbers for a moment, when they are interrupted by news of theft of a statue of the baby Jesus. For the time being, Joe remains all cop.</div><div><br /></div><div>Their exchange, a machine gun barrage of snappy dialogue presented in quick cuts from close up to close up, demands the viewer's full and complete attention and sets the tone for the rest of the episode. Information is delivered verbally, due at least in part, I'm sure, to Webb's use of the nearly unaltered script for the radio version of <i>Dragnet</i>, as well as time and budgetary limitations. The dialogue comes at breakneck speed, as if fueled by black coffee and an ashtray full of Chesterfields.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of my favorite moments was when the priest apologized to Joe and Frank for monopolizing their time during the holidays. </div><div><br /></div><div>I found this episode fascinating, as a window into the increasingly foreign past and as another example of the hyper-condensed storytelling of its era. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gjZKpDUjkgLCR26n4nUqrGmXEmZkUXnPTUnkC31yCTzD9ayAU1lasHVQ3Rn7a01OPcigthWqQfCzaUwl1u1cwSX9U9ndwcidsv3Z3p3okXKtGtHOEHetSDMod4oEbVC8pgvK4nYKtSvQ6L1aYxUyT_T25tpgAEUHB5MkdFUGiUuqEVtIXFqEcxagSDE/s640/IMG_9277.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gjZKpDUjkgLCR26n4nUqrGmXEmZkUXnPTUnkC31yCTzD9ayAU1lasHVQ3Rn7a01OPcigthWqQfCzaUwl1u1cwSX9U9ndwcidsv3Z3p3okXKtGtHOEHetSDMod4oEbVC8pgvK4nYKtSvQ6L1aYxUyT_T25tpgAEUHB5MkdFUGiUuqEVtIXFqEcxagSDE/s320/IMG_9277.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> I too had seen snippets of the '60s version and I'd seen the 1987 spoof film. Joe Friday doesn't seem quite as square and certainly not as priggish as he would in in the 60s. The 50s is the world he was meant for, though still it's obvious he's a straight-arrow, by-the-book sort.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's interesting what it says about the view of faith in this era. <a href="https://www.avclub.com/dragnet-the-christmas-story-a-k-a-the-big-little-1798229221">AVClub did a comparison</a> between this version and the 60s remake that's interesting. All and all, I found my heart suitably warmed with this one. Jason, what about you?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason</b>: Most definitely. If Joe Friday can get a little sentimental, there's something there for all of us!</div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-13724702526587311642023-12-07T07:00:00.003-05:002024-01-04T14:59:04.875-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Cliffhangers (1979)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-omKzEzcukptxFjUm5yfdZdRGdZEM4U-SvoZAqkYpbNpGPadUED4XQ0WY75oKCuWuX0uNBIFa7rnygZQyw6zo3opETPzbtM4RuEKKBLxgnzCsOtbqUgJf-aHGCQuZihQygQ87OlHV5fxBMfW5x1sjt8pMHJp8DpDDWKwTvy-Sghr33TY0wnX5jKFL34/s352/cliffhangers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="352" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-omKzEzcukptxFjUm5yfdZdRGdZEM4U-SvoZAqkYpbNpGPadUED4XQ0WY75oKCuWuX0uNBIFa7rnygZQyw6zo3opETPzbtM4RuEKKBLxgnzCsOtbqUgJf-aHGCQuZihQygQ87OlHV5fxBMfW5x1sjt8pMHJp8DpDDWKwTvy-Sghr33TY0wnX5jKFL34/s320/cliffhangers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Cliffhangers</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>February</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 27, 1979</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Kenneth Johnson<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Susan Anton, Ray Ralston, Michael Swan, Geoffrey Scott, Carlene Watkins, Tiger Willaims, Michael Nouri, Carol Baxter, Stephen Johnson<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Three serialized tales of adventure are presented each week: the mystery/adventure of </i>Stop Susan Williams<i>, the Weird Western of </i>The Secret Empire<i>, and the horror of </i>The Curse of Dracula<i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Trey</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">: </i><i>Cliffhangers</i> is an unusual NBC series that aired from February to September 1979. In each installment, you got a chapter of 3 serialized stories, resembling the matinee serials of the past. One of them, <i>The Secret Empire</i>, was based on the old Gene Autry serial, <i>The Phantom Empire</i>, in fact.</div><div><br /></div><div>On paper, this idea had a lot going for it. You were essentially running three 3 series in one hour, so if one failed to find an audience, it could be switched out for something else. However, running 3 productions meant the cost of 3 productions. It was an expensive show. It also aired opposite the powerhouses of <i>Happy Days</i> and <i>Laverne & Shirley</i>. Plus, at the end of the day, it really just isn't that good.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNRwSgg8oQALILbt9xg7EmfkGQ8qeVGSuYUbmh8IYHE8v89mejyyYkYWOzqBgJETmVkhBPHIujdC0mHGbPWcIAI5NxHGftA31gZ54Z6wKmu8JZGpDpV5gqP3hz8XlBnBu3R6zN7i1QsO73V-zaAyoYCVwlVCcdb8ukD6cKmxtQHTjhyphenhyphen8_WyVYzWJ4dDI/s1280/cliffhangers-1979.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNRwSgg8oQALILbt9xg7EmfkGQ8qeVGSuYUbmh8IYHE8v89mejyyYkYWOzqBgJETmVkhBPHIujdC0mHGbPWcIAI5NxHGftA31gZ54Z6wKmu8JZGpDpV5gqP3hz8XlBnBu3R6zN7i1QsO73V-zaAyoYCVwlVCcdb8ukD6cKmxtQHTjhyphenhyphen8_WyVYzWJ4dDI/s320/cliffhangers-1979.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Jason:</b> Well, it was an experience! Nostalgia for the entertainments of yesteryear, in this case the action-oriented serials of the 30's and 40's (and televised for Baby Boomer audiences in the 50's and 60's, was in the air in the 1970's. The <i>Star Wars</i> phenomena that preceded this show and <i>Indiana Jones</i> following a year or so after <i>Cliffhangers</i> bit the dust are both obvious examples of successfully updating serial tropes. </div><div><br /></div><div>Conceptually more interesting than entertaining, <i>Cliffhangers</i> was a challenging watch, at least in part due to the dreadful scan available on YouTube, which would have looked much better on a smaller screen that I used. I managed to suppress the urge to change the channel (which, if this show was on in my childhood home, likely occurred), and dutifully stayed the course, buoyed by the hope that the next segment would be better.</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Trey:</b> You're right about than YouTube upload. It was like watching through gauze, but perhaps that made the experience more authentic given the vagaries of TV and reception back in the day? Are there positives here we could accentuate?</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Jason:</b> Mercifully, it actually did seem to get better from segment to segment. </div><div><br /></div><div>The <i>Perils of Pauline</i>-inspired <i>Stop Susan Williams</i> ticked off the genre boxes but felt dreary to me. The only real updating I detected was in Susan Anton's wardrobe. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Secret Empire</i> gave us an elevator from the Old West to an alien underground city, which is always welcome. The city itself appeared to have been shot in an abandoned shopping mall. It was difficult to tell if anything interesting would follow in subsequent episodes that Gene Autry hadn't already dealt with in the 30's incarnation. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>There is precedent for Modern public buildings as futuristic cities. See <i>Logan's Run</i>. In any case, the few episodes I saw of this as a kid (I don't recall how many or if I sat through an hour. I didn't remember <i>Susan Williams</i> at all.) it was The <i>Secret Empire</i> I was most interested in. I had seen some of Phantom Empire on PBS as a kid. Like with <i>Phantom Empire</i>, I was not of an age where it's parsimony with the sci-fi allowed it to hold my interest.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXHMZbc95wChMvcrY23TO4SVW0UBmddIbcZjXfRYdSIQ0ffX8g18DwTmfNFQtdyh_sBabdQe6eikTImcDJ2_tCovhx6qzffiVfbA9AsGceI1OYgYCIlMTXJlMIaexnjJBlxDTNXoiY4p_3A-GQZ-IJEYC-9WVZ4oJ9DGtM-lyq0Mhrw70EMpmsBxh98Y/s300/drac.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="300" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXHMZbc95wChMvcrY23TO4SVW0UBmddIbcZjXfRYdSIQ0ffX8g18DwTmfNFQtdyh_sBabdQe6eikTImcDJ2_tCovhx6qzffiVfbA9AsGceI1OYgYCIlMTXJlMIaexnjJBlxDTNXoiY4p_3A-GQZ-IJEYC-9WVZ4oJ9DGtM-lyq0Mhrw70EMpmsBxh98Y/s1600/drac.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Of the three stories we watched partially unfold in this episode, my favorite was the disco-age adventures of professional academic Dracula. If only we could have been treated to Dracula's lecture in its entirety instead of pesky Van Helsing intrigue already-in-progress! I'll sign up for Dracula's TED talk any day. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Yeah, while not great, that segment works the best here. It eventually got edited into a TV movie. Circling back to the <i>Secret Empire</i>, one more thing I noticed there: the hero breaks out a bullwhip for one scene. You would swear it was a ripoff of Indiana Jones except of course this show predates <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason</b>: It's perhaps a shame it wasn't riding those coattails. It might have given them pointers on updating the material for the modern audience.</div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-81946862454135223432023-11-21T07:00:00.001-05:002023-11-21T07:00:00.145-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Peter Gunn (1958)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFH-yyVNF0qJ0YdgehON_cnTA-6hkBFWlZrr-Kdbb4EWQAsQ8BeCD_On2vhk0m1FxI9XHxXqwp5pGJyndLI7MzqChMae2qCvItOrk4KIciI-nYIr8CJc8W3_7GS_c3-JiVpNWJopCMk0zoiZppO75rOv48ByltU9TW-kYs5oe2u2SanuWaSZpLuOugpc/s500/MV5BMjA2MTQyMTMwMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTEzNTU0OTE@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFH-yyVNF0qJ0YdgehON_cnTA-6hkBFWlZrr-Kdbb4EWQAsQ8BeCD_On2vhk0m1FxI9XHxXqwp5pGJyndLI7MzqChMae2qCvItOrk4KIciI-nYIr8CJc8W3_7GS_c3-JiVpNWJopCMk0zoiZppO75rOv48ByltU9TW-kYs5oe2u2SanuWaSZpLuOugpc/s320/MV5BMjA2MTQyMTMwMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTEzNTU0OTE@._V1_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Peter Gunn</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>Septem</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">ber 22, 1958</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Blake Edwards<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Craig Stevens, Lola Albright, Herschel Bernardi, Hope Emerson, Byron Kane<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Peter Gunn is a suave, well-dressed private investigator with a love of cool jazz and a knack for finding trouble.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><b>Trey</b><i><b>:</b> Peter Gunn</i> is a 1958-1961 series that aired first on NBC and then ABC. It has some similarities to Mr. Lucky, another Blake Edwards series we watched. Cary Grant was an inspiration for the style of the main character and it has a score by Henry Mancini. In fact, it's theme is probably one of the most recognizable pieces of music of the later half of the 20th Century.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> After this recent re-exposure, that theme song is hounding my mind on a constant involuntary mental replay. Not only is it endlessly catchy, but it has spawned a multitude of derivative offspring in a variety of genres. I love the B-52s take on "Planet Claire," to name one example. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/47YAcpCa5dM" width="320" youtube-src-id="47YAcpCa5dM"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Indeed! We watched the second episode, "Streetcar Jones" where a jazz club band leader wants to prove one of his musician friends is innocent of a murder, but the musician's lawyer high-priced lawyer suspiciously doesn't want his assistance. The whole series is available on Freevee.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Peter Gunn</i> has a sort of sophisticated style and hints wry humor of <i>Mr. Lucky</i>. It doesn't quite charm me the way the episodes of that series did. The lack of the sidekick is part of it, but I don't think the character of Gunn (or possibly the portrayal) has quite the charm of the titular Mr. Lucky. Of course, watching only one episode of a series always presents the risk that you don't really have a good sample to judge it by.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> It seemed to me to have an incrementally more "serious" tone than <i>Mr. Lucky</i>, and I agree about the diminished charm. In this episode at least, Craig Stevens' portrayal of Gunn feels icy cold, an utterly unflappable fellow who only turns on the charm at pressing need. He takes a heck of ass-whooping without a single complaint, though his natural beauty remains (stylishly) marred by (dashing) bruises for the rest of the episode. </div><div><br /></div><div>I must also agree on Gunn's sidekick-less condition. His Crockett could use a Tubbs.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>Back to Mancini for the moment, his musical cues here are perhaps even better than the ones in <i>Mr. Lucky</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> I wonder if the music was tailor-made for this especially Jazz-centric episode?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Jazz-centric, it was. Hearing the hep jazz cat patter here, I wonder if TV of the late 50s represented the jazz subculture any more accurately that 80s TV would do with rock of its era? I did like Carlo Fiore's almost Zen master portrayal of Streetcar Jones. A decade later, such a loopy character would be portrayed as being on drugs, but here, there's no indication he's high on anything but jazz.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Great Neal Cassady's ghost! The jailhouse discussion of the distinction between "getting it" and "digging it" was almost hilarious in its earnest examination of the ineffable. I have to think you are correct in your suspicions, and I too imagined fully qualified hepcats of the era cringing at the portrayal of their patois.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqHq-64tqu5B9x6G-5Qvgh7tR3_dJG5RiltdjKYKLt7zwur-PKrQGTno3phJ9sq8c9HhzSfLP42mGWYo1hzmWJzVNJgCOeXKI7PO7NetsEhxMX9479cOmTaCvjNnbApiNuXjLPBQnHUEFiRzF45XaDh0qU7WbNamO1YiJAQC61P1GwMGTiI80zUQaZGU/s960/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqHq-64tqu5B9x6G-5Qvgh7tR3_dJG5RiltdjKYKLt7zwur-PKrQGTno3phJ9sq8c9HhzSfLP42mGWYo1hzmWJzVNJgCOeXKI7PO7NetsEhxMX9479cOmTaCvjNnbApiNuXjLPBQnHUEFiRzF45XaDh0qU7WbNamO1YiJAQC61P1GwMGTiI80zUQaZGU/s320/a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I really felt the director's hand in this episode, and he's swinging for the fences. The opening sequence features a transition from the Big Eye club's sign (a big eye) to the business end of a saxophone jamming away inside, letting us know right out of the box that someone cares about making this show look as cool as possible. Again, I am reminded of <i>Miami Vice</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> It's a stylized world in some ways. Half-hour episodes don't leave time to worry about gritty realism.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> My verdict: It didn't knock me out the way Mr. Lucky did, but Blake Edwards is doing fine TV work if this episode is any indication. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>Just the thing for viewing after dinner at the supper club with a martini in your hand.</div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-23749785349268449812023-11-14T07:00:00.002-05:002023-11-14T10:11:47.432-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Blake's 7 (1978)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2ftUc1KwQBFN_ruy2QgQFG2zWjQdvc2-EzzS6P3k5IhcqyyxU78ExoRXugSQmtj1lcYy9ILCEPdRw9-VJFMtQIJtU88TnGl7UofPL0Zlg-rKKqkKbFHHVfcg2AqvxKvGmSGrJnibKOoO-pHqFO_EtHg0nf5bLhxSpNR_2fIZOvwhO_0LIzgQhoWgpHk/s1000/Blakes-7.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2ftUc1KwQBFN_ruy2QgQFG2zWjQdvc2-EzzS6P3k5IhcqyyxU78ExoRXugSQmtj1lcYy9ILCEPdRw9-VJFMtQIJtU88TnGl7UofPL0Zlg-rKKqkKbFHHVfcg2AqvxKvGmSGrJnibKOoO-pHqFO_EtHg0nf5bLhxSpNR_2fIZOvwhO_0LIzgQhoWgpHk/s320/Blakes-7.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blake's 7</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> January 2, 1978</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Terry Nation<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Gareth Thomas, Sally Knyvette, Michael Keating, Steven Pacey, Paul Darrow, David Jackson, Peter Tuddenham, Jan Chappell, Jacqueline Pearce, Stephen Greif, Brian Croucher, Josette Simon, Glynis Barber<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> A rebel leads a group of convicts and outcasts in a struggle against the totalitarian Terran Federation.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> <i>Blake's 7</i> ran for four 13 episode "series" on BBC1. It was created by Terry Nation, known for his work on <i>Doctor Who</i> (he was the creator of the Daleks), who also wrote the entire 1st series. We watched the first episode "The Way Back" on YouTube. We're introduced to former resistance leader Roj Blake who had been mindwiped, but after an attempt by old comrades to bring him back to the cause, witnesses a massacre and is subsequently framed for a series of fictional crimes by the totalitarian Federation and sent to a prison colony.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'd seen this episode before, but it was decades ago on a public TV funding drive. I think it's ripe for a re-imagining a la <i>Battlestar Galactica</i>. It already had the grit so there would be no need to add it! With the re-ascendance of <i>Star Wars</i> and the arrival of <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> style bombastic space fantasy, maybe it's time is actually past?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jason: As I understand, the series makes a pronounced tonal shift into the fantastic following this dark, serious opener. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Trey: Well, from what I've seen, it definitely goes more space opera, but I think it stays roughly <i>Deep Space Nine</i> level of darkness. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. We should talk about the actual episode! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jason: We owe Roj Blake that much.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVgiqIp9RMx-vnEh4-h2B55GBRseL0MuVEFdf3m8nZJo1jHrtnGHVoQhaAYk20ZniJ0k6FXN16yU_iI2J-05mGoBwMna5yCzUw86qX7nw92JpPEmt6zMqZsmYM6SxutNwyg1PPya0-1pd3e1rrKGADLFU90a8lXNziMo-s3e6AaJcCnJP1lhdbCf_Ha0/s1112/blake.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1112" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVgiqIp9RMx-vnEh4-h2B55GBRseL0MuVEFdf3m8nZJo1jHrtnGHVoQhaAYk20ZniJ0k6FXN16yU_iI2J-05mGoBwMna5yCzUw86qX7nw92JpPEmt6zMqZsmYM6SxutNwyg1PPya0-1pd3e1rrKGADLFU90a8lXNziMo-s3e6AaJcCnJP1lhdbCf_Ha0/s320/blake.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Trey: Its visuals (both in terms of design and casting) and its music give strong <i>Dr. Who</i> vibes, of course. Its story, though, reminds me more of dystopian science fiction films of the 70s, things like Soylent Green, <i>THX-1138</i>, or <i>Logan's Run</i>. It also made me think a lot about the recent <i>Andor</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jason: As regards the visuals, one must go in with an understanding of the BBC's standards of the day. The budget is as austere as the world depicted and TV technology is limited. The subject matter of this premiere episode is well-suited to these limitations. </div><div><br /></div><div>I agree that this episode was very much in this pre-<i>Star Wars </i>mold, with a dash of <i>Nineteen Eighty-Four</i> and a pinch of <i>Phillip K. Dick</i>. We are not really given much of a clue as to what's to follow in the narrative, but this grim bummer of a tale works well. The heaps of bodies piling up throughout its narrative arc make the stakes seem real. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Trey: Gareth Thomas doesn't seem to have to look for an American lead (maybe the closest American equivalent would be Elliott Gould who did get leading roles in the 70s, though) but he seems believable in this position.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jason: He's no Don Johnson or Phillip Michael Thomas (see last week's <a href="https://flashbackuniverse.blogspot.com/2023/11/classic-tv-flashback-miami-vice-1984.html">post</a>)! And the drab concrete-and-steel world he inhabits under the influence of stultifying mind-control drugs is about as far from dreamy, cocaine-fueled 80s Miami as one can get. I've only seen him in this, so far as I recall, but his performance is very good. The rest of the cast deliver solid performances and do well with the material. I'd say this is the most intentionally mature work I've seen from screenwriter Nation, lacking any and all of the whimsy and slight goofiness of his <i>Dr. Who</i> work. </div><div> </div><div>Trey: I like the very 70s, post-Watergate subplot of the idealistic public defender and his partner whose idealism leads them to be crushed by the system. It's not the sort of thing most space opera-ish shows give you!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8-ElgXJqhH6kz7CBN27lAlbuMlogFC0tVvPn7rv_xvr66Kg3Rv8oLh8JkhJnN-_PaHs9HlN5kSWxILs6koqTO6nqTLJZK5-VNH8o2tywYDxSG_gIdHDFC6a7iZTaHPnbDhPHkMNhrh-a5ma_I4m_ifiJw1TXutPdTr1iiwVrLFHJ6y_2r7mIaAE__6A/s1112/B7%20lawyers.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1112" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8-ElgXJqhH6kz7CBN27lAlbuMlogFC0tVvPn7rv_xvr66Kg3Rv8oLh8JkhJnN-_PaHs9HlN5kSWxILs6koqTO6nqTLJZK5-VNH8o2tywYDxSG_gIdHDFC6a7iZTaHPnbDhPHkMNhrh-a5ma_I4m_ifiJw1TXutPdTr1iiwVrLFHJ6y_2r7mIaAE__6A/s320/B7%20lawyers.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Jason: The public defender subplot was one of the few outright surprises of the episode, and perhaps worth not spoiling<b><span style="color: red;">*</span></b> for any readers who have not seen this episode! </div><div><br /></div><div>My verdict: a well-done and appropriately grim take on the dystopian hell-world of tomorrow that remains watchable and tense throughout its run.</div><div><br /></div><div>Trey: I agree. I wish this was a series available on physical media. I would pick it up.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: red;">*</span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;">SPOILER ALERT! Seeing the crumpled bodies of the public defender and his associate came as a bit of a shock! Against any reasonable hope, I expected them to be ongoing characters!</span></div></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-18776648298562261962023-11-07T07:00:00.009-05:002023-11-07T09:51:10.224-05:00Classic TV Flashback: Miami Vice (1984)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgR5Xm7jDePnH-gE8ROXdmjNJ9X1FCISAUfQw2JalRRRxHNnKF8XQgklhHZTcuLv9qCeb4zpu0Oj8IxaIqCmpjLQQQRZPfzUpRhkYZHoZ4UJ_iq2Ra3DeCil5uVHFwdrVGZmXWtpf_8m7KVlOtdBBWf8apEZnYZD2uiJUmZDBpCgaYGvJO4HUIZlzy6E/s1024/Miami-Vice-1024x768.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgR5Xm7jDePnH-gE8ROXdmjNJ9X1FCISAUfQw2JalRRRxHNnKF8XQgklhHZTcuLv9qCeb4zpu0Oj8IxaIqCmpjLQQQRZPfzUpRhkYZHoZ4UJ_iq2Ra3DeCil5uVHFwdrVGZmXWtpf_8m7KVlOtdBBWf8apEZnYZD2uiJUmZDBpCgaYGvJO4HUIZlzy6E/s320/Miami-Vice-1024x768.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Miami Vice</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>September 16, 1984</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Anthony Yerkovich</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring: </span></b>Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Saundra Santiago, Michael Talbott, John Diehl, Olivia Brown, Gregory Sierra</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Two undercover detectives and their team fight crime on the mean yet colorful streets of Miami.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b><i> Miami Vice aired </i>on NBC from September 1984, to January 1990. We watched the pilot episode, "Brother's Keeper" on Freevee. It gives the origin story of the partnership between Floridan, good ol' boy detective Sonny Crockett and New York City street cop Rico Tubbs when both of them want to bring down a Colombian drug dealer who killed someone close to them (Tubbs' brother and Crockett's old partner).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> I'll come clean right now: In my early teen years, I had made up my mind that cop shows were boring as Hell, ubiquitous, repetitive, and I had zero interest in seeing them. Hill Street Blues, a staple in my home, was the exception. As a result, I came to "Brother's Keeper" and <i>Miami Vice</i> a clean slate. I was always suspicious that <i>Vice</i> would present a particularly dumb approach to cop drama, given its reputation for visual splendor, bikinis, and beautiful people, and I was having none of it. Now, decades later I must publicly admit (yet again!) how spectacularly wrong I was!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>The opening sequence set in New York, where we receive important set up information and a good chunk of Tubbs' origin story, put me in mind of <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>, the familiar, perhaps overused cop show setting seemed almost black and white like Dorothy's Kansas, and about to make a stark, pastel-and-neon tonal shift as the story sweeps Tubbs off to Miami.</div><div><br /></div><div>This pilot episode does its job, setting up the series' characters, situations, and style for its run while successfully standing on its own. The story itself is suitably adult and entertaining, but we're not here for complexity or literary quality. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5ru9FB18DfzYckkAQtQXDPIO8eL-4zpa7uymRfc-wS7vtDRQ6ElWHDQFfie2PPJBsA6xhq2oA6D_M9YiZkK2MPjtNzHPXDWOS2wk17j-WsOZex1HIqHV6VJI_KMu9iEeDrOMv6Oj6PdSh0biipKlKLbljD6z3IAcJL9VyqEEewduhdqGf81vb17tvTA/s1509/airtonight.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1509" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5ru9FB18DfzYckkAQtQXDPIO8eL-4zpa7uymRfc-wS7vtDRQ6ElWHDQFfie2PPJBsA6xhq2oA6D_M9YiZkK2MPjtNzHPXDWOS2wk17j-WsOZex1HIqHV6VJI_KMu9iEeDrOMv6Oj6PdSh0biipKlKLbljD6z3IAcJL9VyqEEewduhdqGf81vb17tvTA/s320/airtonight.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> I saw the pilot when it aired in 1984. Today, after years of TV shows and even films that borrowed from its style, it's the 80s TV cop show chassis that is most apparent to me. I mostly see how it is like all the <i>Equalizers</i>, <i>Matt Houstons</i>, and <i>Hunters</i> rather than its differences. But my memories of certain scenes in it are vivid from my childhood, and I still recall how much more dramatic and cinematic they seemed at the time than anything else. I have to think about it in pre-prestige TV terms.</div><div><br /></div><div>The elevator pitch was "MTV cops," and I certainly think we get that, but it's interesting how much that feel is used to create moments of moody, neon noir, rather than the hyperkinetic, quick cuts we associate with the style today. The story and the characters aren't really completely there yet to support it, but the idea was a solid one. Wikipedia says that TV critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked Miami Vice the 51st greatest American television series of all time. While such rankings are always iffy, I think that feels about right in terms of importance.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Johnson and Thomas do a good job with the material. Honestly, Johnson seems to have pretty much one character in slightly different moods across his roles, but it's an entertaining one. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> They are both conspicuously and extravagantly handsome dudes for vice duty, but in a world where a young Jimmy Smits is expendable, it works.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpNLQuAjIOsyd61ZD_M2ccLZAzjapt9gmBtnQj1WNiVDTXxaXtUCRam-6IQu7hKF4Lve_CSkw2eGnYo-nIHuCNhxVzuEdOMS0CaGfybxUkoypnULxLulObfLEOqMZozb9fVrYIHzTy8MJ6La1NwuCoLrPQzWg6MG5PLO8XUaMeJGMKIjG9iJ6piEbE8w/s983/smits.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="983" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpNLQuAjIOsyd61ZD_M2ccLZAzjapt9gmBtnQj1WNiVDTXxaXtUCRam-6IQu7hKF4Lve_CSkw2eGnYo-nIHuCNhxVzuEdOMS0CaGfybxUkoypnULxLulObfLEOqMZozb9fVrYIHzTy8MJ6La1NwuCoLrPQzWg6MG5PLO8XUaMeJGMKIjG9iJ6piEbE8w/s320/smits.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><b>Trey:</b> I had forgotten Gregory Sierra was in this. I only remembered his replacement, Edward James Olmos. It amuses me to think Sierra is really playing the same guy he played on Barney Miller, just transferred to Miami.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> He never imagined the strange fate in store for him when he put in for the transfer!</div><div><br /></div><div>I thought the cast delivered admirably, while the most effective and affecting scenes were primarily visual and driven by their musical accompaniments. The iconic scene featuring "In the Air Tonight" is iconic for a damn good reason, as it happens. I'd rather watch dreamy Miami zoom by, reflected in the paint job of a speeding hot rod while listening to Jan Hammer's highly effective theme music (it helped that i hadn't heard it in decades) than be enriched by character development. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>Weirdly, Hammer's theme is missing the iconic solo in this episode. This is the version I remember: </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dEjXPY9jOx8" width="320" youtube-src-id="dEjXPY9jOx8"></iframe></div><div><br /></div></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-23163429571448775852023-10-31T07:00:00.001-04:002023-10-31T07:00:00.132-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Blackstar (1981)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3jQCa0kZqcqWjNC2Pz4Ua0qcW7iJ7SQ2VhrYpERTAFgcbyNw8uoX0KYBimhBWFvAk07SnyoGN5obXq6R9ec1WQv5oekl5WB1-lASqoenE6IhsqbEGecwx93ijiDuzc0-r2T5M9w3WIBYIHJnRc9J-F119GHzE7mnQsr-tmZZBahcs_XDqwmvxz7jjOg/s400/blackstarlogo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="400" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3jQCa0kZqcqWjNC2Pz4Ua0qcW7iJ7SQ2VhrYpERTAFgcbyNw8uoX0KYBimhBWFvAk07SnyoGN5obXq6R9ec1WQv5oekl5WB1-lASqoenE6IhsqbEGecwx93ijiDuzc0-r2T5M9w3WIBYIHJnRc9J-F119GHzE7mnQsr-tmZZBahcs_XDqwmvxz7jjOg/s320/blackstarlogo.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Blackstar</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>September 19, 1981</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: pre;"> George DiCenzo. Linda Gary, Alan Oppenheimer, Patrick Pinney, Frank Welker<br /></span><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> An astronaut, swept through a black hole, is stranded on a primitive planet in another universe, and joins the fight against the tyrannical Overlord.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b><i> Blackstar </i>was a Saturday morning, animated, fantasy series produced by Lou Schiemer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. It's original run only lasted from September to December 1981, but it was revived again in 1983. We watched Episode 13, "The Zombie Masters" on YouTube. It was written by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Scott_Zicree">Marc Scott Zicree</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Reaves">Michael Reaves</a> (the writers responsible for most of the series) and originally aired on December 5, 1981. It was the final episode. In it, Blackstar and friends are trying to convince the leaders of Gandar to join their fight against the Overlord when the city is attacked by Marakand, the flying city of zombies. Soon Princess Luwena, Mara and Poulo are under the spell of Shaldemar the Zombie Master.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXne2aUfv6pFk4whYe5BT7ZSsi42tQAL7hVs0y1lNGPbCsg-jW6xKHnwbFRYAb67tUg4w5ntoZdrXf_oMnAyZfwFHFJGZs7NOZq4PNovT9aurvRgf0h-cUUvMWIl6_NVxOhpPDaDytm-6vboKiu8h7ox0exWgvr7AAK-nlDXBDPGFUkjJccpa4-rGGeU/s480/zombie%20masters_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXne2aUfv6pFk4whYe5BT7ZSsi42tQAL7hVs0y1lNGPbCsg-jW6xKHnwbFRYAb67tUg4w5ntoZdrXf_oMnAyZfwFHFJGZs7NOZq4PNovT9aurvRgf0h-cUUvMWIl6_NVxOhpPDaDytm-6vboKiu8h7ox0exWgvr7AAK-nlDXBDPGFUkjJccpa4-rGGeU/s320/zombie%20masters_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In many ways, Blackstar was a "trial run" for Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. They are both science fantasies and both feature magical swords that have been split in half. <i>Blackstar</i> is a bit more "Planetary Romance," however, and not as superheroic as <i>He-Man</i>. You could say it kind of bridges Filmation's adaptations of older characters like Flash Gordon and Tarzan and the later He-Man.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason: </b>I'm not all that conversant with <i>He-Man</i>, but <i>Blackstar</i> feels like its aiming for a slightly more sophisticated audience, while still abiding by the rigid standards for children's entertainment in play in those days. This makes for a frustrating mix of relatively complex fantasy concepts and characters amidst kiddie comic relief (in the unfortunate form of Trobbits) and awesome swords that can only be used defensively (deflecting incoming magic blasts for instance) or to inflict property damage. The problem of Chekhov's Awesome Sword would have plagued my mind as a kid. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>This episode could have sold young me had Blackstar been able to hack and slash his way through the packs of zombies<b>*</b> infesting the flying city rather than all the skulking around. And don't get my inner 11-year-old started on the Trobbits!</div><div><br /></div><div>If this show had been made in the more relaxed standards of say, the Jonny Quest 1960s, it might have been a more satisfying action adventure that I would have loved in syndication while complaining that cartoons just aren't as cool as they used to be.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> An interesting note on the protagonist. Original Blackstar was conceived of as Black. His ethnicity was made indeterminant (perhaps Native American like the later <i>Bravestarr</i>) before production, however.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Jason: </b>An opportunity wasted while simultaneously sparing the world another Black hero with "Black" in his name. </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> In summary, <i>Blackstar </i>has the flaws of the Filmation cost-conscience method as we discussed with <i>Flash Gordon</i>. Compared to modern cartoons in a similar vein, it is neither as action packed nor does it feature as much story in its run time. What it excels at though is worldbuilding or perhaps <i>implication</i> of worldbuilding. There is so much for the 8 year-old mind (the age I was when this aired) to latch on to. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> I agree on all points! A couple of years make a lot of difference in that age category, so it wasn't in the cards for me - I was busy with early adolescent rejection of childish things at the same time. I already loved <i>Dungeons & Dragon</i>s, so I'm a little surprised I almost completely ignored this show, which based on this episode, might be the most D&D of the Saturday morning age including the D&D cartoon (with the possible exception of <i>Thundarr</i>). This episode features a veritable monster manual of fantasy species, rampant use of magic missiles and the like, soul-harvesting magic items, and an actual dungeon exploration sequence. </div><div><br /></div><div>And yes, the animation is weak sauce, but the character designs and background paintings do a lot of heavy lifting in the worldbuilding department and are very nice. </div><div><br /></div><div>My verdict, adjusted for the children's entertainment of this vintage: 3 dead Trobbits out of 5, but the unfulfilled potential is painful to contemplate. It could have been great!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzjri4_naGZMokfc4767vTotcySuCuxzUYAet9-C_ZAJk9-25FuN8hODqblivP9ZjaXvFwMadXg081pTer3adODbGWD2AK-fmtT709mRCcFoBdLnKYqPz_3WQ-Bhu-4XzYNC2DcMTepV7cF_5m8EvEMot3WuYiIrqEPjUAWhNaYqOP2eLq2M-bjYlasc/s701/blackstar_zombie01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="701" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzjri4_naGZMokfc4767vTotcySuCuxzUYAet9-C_ZAJk9-25FuN8hODqblivP9ZjaXvFwMadXg081pTer3adODbGWD2AK-fmtT709mRCcFoBdLnKYqPz_3WQ-Bhu-4XzYNC2DcMTepV7cF_5m8EvEMot3WuYiIrqEPjUAWhNaYqOP2eLq2M-bjYlasc/s320/blackstar_zombie01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*Spoiler! As it turns out, its a damn good think Blackstar <b>didn't</b> slay his way through the city, as each and every enslaved soul would be reunited with it's body at the end, right down to the gargoyles and other monstrous city dwellers that looked so prime for gratuitous sword-fodder earlier on.</i></span></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-54627643277635879112023-10-24T07:00:00.001-04:002023-10-24T07:00:00.149-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Yancy Derringer (1958)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwx0ZD8BvMqlk3EwAfVj_-eb_5LfHPN2lprWX9yIHKfAU5KJxEeJ9ZB462TmnOx6VswIoqx23l9QQqR7EiT_PU1agRn2fGfx6g12LpUjKnkDJCSvuYq7rg5UfOSD8qI_Zdwj0NL2JEVung-P2eZ14Vluj9heqg-5DYaF3YvpNaRBSlsYDNGfLWVQwr4E/s1440/p13166060_b_v8_aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwx0ZD8BvMqlk3EwAfVj_-eb_5LfHPN2lprWX9yIHKfAU5KJxEeJ9ZB462TmnOx6VswIoqx23l9QQqR7EiT_PU1agRn2fGfx6g12LpUjKnkDJCSvuYq7rg5UfOSD8qI_Zdwj0NL2JEVung-P2eZ14Vluj9heqg-5DYaF3YvpNaRBSlsYDNGfLWVQwr4E/w266-h400/p13166060_b_v8_aa.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Yancy Derringer</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>October 2, 1958</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Mary Loos and Richard Sale</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: pre;">Jock Mahoney; X Brands<br /></span><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> An adventurer gambler, and dapper Southern gentleman works as a secret government agent in post-Civil War New Orleans.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b><i> Yancy Derringer </i>ran on CBS from October 2, 1958, to September 24, 1959. According to Wikipedia, Sale and Loos based the series on "The Devil Made a Derringer", a short story by Sale that appeared in <i>All-American Fiction</i> in 1938. Sale was apparently a very successful pulp writer in the 1930s. The the original short story was about a destitute aristocrat who returns to New Orleans three years after the Civil War. In the story, Derringer is given no first name; "Yancy" was added for the series.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We watched episode 15, "The Fair Freebooter," on Amazon Prime. It originally aired on January 15, 1959. In it, the pretty river pirate Coco LaSalle threatens to cause an international incident after she robs Derringer's riverboat, stealing a jeweled necklace, once belonging to Empress Carlota, that is to be returned to the Mexican government. Yancy just wants to get his new shirts he bought from St. Louis back and sets a plan in motion to get both while escorting LaSalle to the Comus Ball.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oz46bsnC2KJQMxJK8efIa7xpo-quOg4cgghhrFaWhFKTK_7QXROpva1LPQS6iYNfMOyILPq7EIj8u_nNnKTBwcnY2AHbzV-iJ6fOFU3sn9UWZl-VgvZwegoTYoWXukktiww3CzICYkEICpfphAaba7HgIpng6kLEcwfved64LQvi8fbY7tA8pd2SoNc/s619/pirate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="619" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oz46bsnC2KJQMxJK8efIa7xpo-quOg4cgghhrFaWhFKTK_7QXROpva1LPQS6iYNfMOyILPq7EIj8u_nNnKTBwcnY2AHbzV-iJ6fOFU3sn9UWZl-VgvZwegoTYoWXukktiww3CzICYkEICpfphAaba7HgIpng6kLEcwfved64LQvi8fbY7tA8pd2SoNc/s320/pirate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> I snapped to attention when Yancy declared his passionate intention to retrieve his damn shirts. He'd been waiting for three months already! If he can help smooth over international relations in so doing, fine, but he's got to look good!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> Clothes maketh the man. Anyway, I'd seen the first episode of this series before, but that was all setup really, I imagine this one is more like most episodes. I think this is sort of similar to<i> <a href="https://flashbackuniverse.blogspot.com/2023/08/classic-tv-flashback-barbary-coast.html">Barbary Coast</a> </i>with the same sort of spy-type doings and the touch of humor. I think it works better here than there, though. Maybe it's the 30 minute timeframe?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> It definitely works better here! The 30 minute run length for this kind of material is starting to feel revelatory, despite the obvious limitations. At no point are we allowed to be bored as the story goes through its paces. Unlike <i><a href="https://flashbackuniverse.blogspot.com/2023/09/classic-tv-flashback-m-squad-1957.html">M Squad</a></i>, which felt ruthless in its devotion to delivering the plot with absolutely no fat, this episode's scenes almost feel leisurely in pace, allowing us to infer whatever we can about the characters through their dialogue and behavior. No info dumps here. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Trey:</b> No indeed! It's interesting to me how none of this historical background is explained. No brief exposition on Emperor Maximilian. No dialogue illuminating why an "administrator" is in charge of New Orleans. Either they expected the average viewer to know more history in 1959, or they expected audiences to just roll with it!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> There's just no time for any of that! Here again, I think it works in the show's favor. The dialogue, always in service of the plot, still feels naturalistic enough that it carries us along, leaving any filling in of context to the audience. Kind of refreshing! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eRfycMxk2PikhdGobkSyt76JMJCyA1vrrp0voeRjzz9msT-jQkQzqcnlL8wba_GZoWSbRQm-j7TBDSzb_OIBg-RY-RlOTSoqpelSkBCXzwuVOclGlIRY3WTsJN3YL-o3UANBCzbPHcZnYGaQlgFB_5yRX6x0lCbqbOJSpukeuadQfcrVpljv9pE3cP8/s614/pirates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="614" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eRfycMxk2PikhdGobkSyt76JMJCyA1vrrp0voeRjzz9msT-jQkQzqcnlL8wba_GZoWSbRQm-j7TBDSzb_OIBg-RY-RlOTSoqpelSkBCXzwuVOclGlIRY3WTsJN3YL-o3UANBCzbPHcZnYGaQlgFB_5yRX6x0lCbqbOJSpukeuadQfcrVpljv9pE3cP8/s320/pirates.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Trey:</b> Another interesting thing: mutiny appears to be stirring among Coco's men, but this doesn't really come to anything in the episode despite a fair amount of setup.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> That's true, and maybe is vestigial evidence of editing for time. That said, this undercurrent of perhaps imminent revolt does lend some extra peril to the scenes in the pirate camp and communicates the treacherousness of this pack of weasels. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was further impressed by the seeming lavishness of the sets and costumes. Production values are strong for the era and the setting. </div><div><br /></div><div>My verdict: It was pretty good, leading me to wonder if further investigation of 1959 might reveal it be the peak of some kind of golden age of television. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> It does seem a particularly fertile era. I liked this one as well. It would be interesting to see where this episode fits in the "scale of quality" of the series.</div></div></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-14217168307871398162023-10-10T07:00:00.004-04:002023-10-10T07:00:00.141-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All (1982)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kxDut_0nOV3KlMFZjmeKrLvq_xo74R3S-DzF-td8kJvNsZdx0o4F5NXU_l2Iu6mZ98WJqhHbi2xWFWBKte7FneJawQH0PxgowvQbfHPrKyjkQEYF4S-MdTxKGpKNNhP9zijn81J58LISQCH4f_Hos8W8LdSmxJGi1auO11BUVy5lUoZhwUrLB-cbkOg/s906/ECir8x4XkAAgepG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="906" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kxDut_0nOV3KlMFZjmeKrLvq_xo74R3S-DzF-td8kJvNsZdx0o4F5NXU_l2Iu6mZ98WJqhHbi2xWFWBKte7FneJawQH0PxgowvQbfHPrKyjkQEYF4S-MdTxKGpKNNhP9zijn81J58LISQCH4f_Hos8W8LdSmxJGi1auO11BUVy5lUoZhwUrLB-cbkOg/s320/ECir8x4XkAAgepG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> August 21, 1982</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Written by</b> </span><span> </span><span>Samuel A. Peeples, Alex Raymond<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Robert Ridgely, Diane Pershing, Bob Holt, Vic Perrin<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov travel to the planet Mongo and wind up fighting the tyrannical rule of Emperor Ming the Merciless.</i></div><p><b>Trey:</b> <i>Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure</i> of All is animated television movie that aired on NBC in 1982. The project was begun in 1979 following the success of Star Wars, but lead to a Saturday morning TV series, which actually aired before the movie.</p><p>This film has never been released on home video in the U.S., so far as I know, but it's available on YouTube.</p><p>Jason: I grew up on Filmation as my primary supplier of action/adventure Saturday morning cartoons. Foremost in my memories are the Tarzan and Batman series from the 70s-80s, but I also have some dim recollection of the <i>Flash Gordon</i> series. My memories are occluded by pre-teen rejection of "greasy kid stuff". As a result, I mostly remember viciously lampooning the reused animation elements that resulted in Batman, Tarzan, and Flash jogging identically down and to the left or down and to the right. These rotoscoped sequences looked cool, and were typically the most fluid and impressive bits of animation in the shows. But as a kid, I bristled at what could only be regarded as Filmation's repeated and unrepentant insults to my intelligence. Do they think I can't tell that when Tarzan swings on a vine he does so in precisely the same manner as when Batman does a Bat-swing on the Bat-rope?</p><p>Though many of those sequences were trotted out for <i>Flash</i>, I was pleasantly surprised by this production, which not only looks very good and includes many novel bits of animation previously unseen, but also embraced an ambitious agenda of visual storytelling.</p><p><b>Trey:</b> I think in this era of overseas outsourcing of animation and heavy use of computers, it's easy to be derisive of the shortcuts and failings of animation with less than a feature film budget in the 80s. Filmation here shows the failings of their economical style, but also brings in some techniques borrowed from Japanese animation and even, I believe, some early computer use in addition to some accomplished rotoscoping.</p><p><b>Jason: </b>I found the battling dinosaurs to be remarkable for American animation of the era. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgQde1sdXD0PNoRf0bnAMRbcMg0auyIJuoJsiD2gWHUZ3yubEPDEgmaBmhoP4N6gIGP53z7MXE0l2rDrCSSV_hyEO_BtciciQoeHvNRgcGWZ4c_-GeL0-56cU2SUaTmnDgz28BllewMjk8m2ULtS6JlMkYLWdSTr7_18aced-jKUtDa7v6hs25KcWjAo/s400/flashtoon_08.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="400" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgQde1sdXD0PNoRf0bnAMRbcMg0auyIJuoJsiD2gWHUZ3yubEPDEgmaBmhoP4N6gIGP53z7MXE0l2rDrCSSV_hyEO_BtciciQoeHvNRgcGWZ4c_-GeL0-56cU2SUaTmnDgz28BllewMjk8m2ULtS6JlMkYLWdSTr7_18aced-jKUtDa7v6hs25KcWjAo/s320/flashtoon_08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The Beast Men's Temple of Ming sequence sold me. I was amazed at the minimal dialogue and long, entirely visual sequences. Danger felt real! Violence felt consequential!</p><p>The script by Peebles hummed along at a steady pace and seemed unusually adult, again for American animation of this vintage. And when I say adult, I mean stand by for 1930's norms visited upon impressionable children of the 80's. Eugenics comes into play, retrograde depictions of female characters (Dale Arden, in peril of a horrible marriage to Ming, disappears for a lengthy portion of the movie), and, astonishingly, Hitler! Yes, Hitler! Sorry for the spoiler, folks. Trey, help me understand!</p><p><b>Trey:</b> Yes, Peeple's (who wrote the second pilot for Star Trek as well) provides a script clearly for primetime, not Saturday morning. Note the use of firearms in the fight with the dinosaurs and the flaming sword in the final duel. Overall, not only does it move along pretty well, it's fairly faithful to Raymond's original comic strip, though not as faithful as the more extended Saturday morning cartoon version. The Hitler connection is original to Peeples, so far as I know.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCF-2lPc2iATgmqaPcl5y6hAq5rK_V9rdQn5Hm7Nw9bQ46Bu6dOYxjoVgCzU-6PA8FopHmo37AsRC737Q882qMlEQT2Yb1N5z34Vdvj5GMP50SPDtZegup9BRuS-uU-QBN289qffOsQ-U9sQmHUe8fs3EJJAAy6rnZpOF6LlY-xQKtsQNs4pWYZApLBU/s640/the-new-adventures-of-flash-gordon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="640" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCF-2lPc2iATgmqaPcl5y6hAq5rK_V9rdQn5Hm7Nw9bQ46Bu6dOYxjoVgCzU-6PA8FopHmo37AsRC737Q882qMlEQT2Yb1N5z34Vdvj5GMP50SPDtZegup9BRuS-uU-QBN289qffOsQ-U9sQmHUe8fs3EJJAAy6rnZpOF6LlY-xQKtsQNs4pWYZApLBU/s320/the-new-adventures-of-flash-gordon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I enjoyed hearing Ted Cassidy as Thun. He doesn't voice him in the series. Several of the other voices are different as well: Vultan, Barin, and Ming. No disrespect to Vic Perrin here, but I miss Alan "Skeletor" Oppenheimer's villainous cackle for Ming.</p><p><b>Jason:</b> My verdict: Overall, this incarnation Flash Gordon delivered constant (adequate) thrills, solid animation, well-imagined vistas, and was, against all odds, pretty entertaining. </p><p><b>Trey:</b> I love the animated series from my youth, so it's hard for me to judge with objective eyes. This is only the second time I've seen the TV movie, though, so I was pretty fresh on it. I enjoyed it for the reasons you say, but I miss the more expansive storyline of the series.</p>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-72518359307747985852023-10-03T07:00:00.001-04:002023-10-03T07:00:00.148-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Space:1999 (1975)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEQ4ROZ-zWlVkJOCAi-Cm17ORM_4K2C2w0A_rDhl_WCoGXav3Igj1R7yp42pUYjYg5etbDCK7KRMQqAQ_8DeL4pZ8EMgnlFF0FYPewRqjsknSAKizxooZTtvkMcHVAwLeZWftX5iHA1gXKMZuU7VldLk8fYrgh5vqJvxcKQaxXv6bP5m3TtcyZhx2tDw/s1920/space%201999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEQ4ROZ-zWlVkJOCAi-Cm17ORM_4K2C2w0A_rDhl_WCoGXav3Igj1R7yp42pUYjYg5etbDCK7KRMQqAQ_8DeL4pZ8EMgnlFF0FYPewRqjsknSAKizxooZTtvkMcHVAwLeZWftX5iHA1gXKMZuU7VldLk8fYrgh5vqJvxcKQaxXv6bP5m3TtcyZhx2tDw/s320/space%201999.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Space: 1999</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> September 4, 1975 (UK)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Nick Tate, Zienia Merton, Catherine Schell<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> In the year 1999, the crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a nuclear explosion throws the Moon from orbit into deep space.</i></div><p><b>Trey:</b> <i>Space: 1999</i> was a British series that ran for two seasons on ITV from 1975 to 1977. Attempts to sell the series to a U.S. network failed, so it aired in syndication starting in 1975. It was the last production by the partnership of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and was the most expensive series produced for British television up to that time.</p><p>In a series of events that will be familiar to <i>Star Trek</i> fans, the series was almost cancelled at the end of season (or series) one in part due to the fact no American network had picked it up. Fred Freiberger (known from season 3 of <i>Star Trek</i> and part of season 1 of <i>Wild Wild West</i>) was brought on board and the show was remolded into a bit more of a--well, Star Trek direction.</p><p>In the end, this didn't save it, and season 2 was to be the last.</p><p><b>Jason:</b> In an interview Gerry Anderson made explicit mention of the tensions between the UK and American members of the production partnership, and was (unsurprisingly) put out by Freiberger's attempts to make the show more palatable for US audiences. The differences between season 1 and 2 of the series are stark. Right from the jump, the killer theme music from season one credits sequence is jettisoned in favor of an anemic re-imagining. </p><p><b>Trey:</b> Well, we watched season 2 episode 1, "The Metamorph" on Freevee. The Moonbase Alpha crew comes upon a planet that has the titanium they need to make repairs to their systems. The apparently lone inhabitant of the planet Psychon, Mentor, offers to make an exchange with them, but secretly plans to trap them and use their mental energy to restore the matter-transforming computer that can repair his world.</p><p> So, I'll come clean: I chose this episode for us to watch due to the presence of Brian Blessed as Mentor.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRDsLxRZws9_f-xduj3aAT4iUn4zzVN0I7x_pUVsE6hcYPgOD_QELnVUdJ8BabGhblzSrQy42xk8fl7I0htncMmDDpFSxyZnyQIMoABABxIhB9j-L1ryAX6Nh9OXIRvg75gsdxXB3xT7G2nD2QYad5ZDP_bsb1IBCAnqkMvCSdXSDbn1ZbExLIW3e0tc/s1440/blessed_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRDsLxRZws9_f-xduj3aAT4iUn4zzVN0I7x_pUVsE6hcYPgOD_QELnVUdJ8BabGhblzSrQy42xk8fl7I0htncMmDDpFSxyZnyQIMoABABxIhB9j-L1ryAX6Nh9OXIRvg75gsdxXB3xT7G2nD2QYad5ZDP_bsb1IBCAnqkMvCSdXSDbn1ZbExLIW3e0tc/s320/blessed_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Jason:</b> I'm glad you did! It's a restrained performance for Blessed in this instance. He could've gone way bigger, given the outrageous events at play. He looks great, with his spray-painted faux hawk and dashing take on the traditional wizard's robes and high collar cape. Like a lot of other elements in this episode (and perhaps the series in general), the considerable visual appeal is the best thing going here. </p><p><b>Trey:</b> Is it just me or is this episode (like <i>Forbidden Planet</i> and the <i>Star Trek</i> episode "Requiem for Methuselah") another loose riff on <i>The Tempest</i>?</p><p><b>Jason:</b> I'd say that was a bullseye. Who's Caliban? Koenig?</p><p>Trey: Mentor's goons that dress like MOTU's Zodac by way of the iPod aesthetic!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTXbPRTQE0g4De1E9kisnWAxxEro8UuddYeIDtweJgm5TtyeTv0wWHbGVuJIvIU8vUTznKz0AV12OjA1K3JfsOHm8v9qDVG83zzYffWDyhF5KHgFJa1PY9nksIwetBpWG5NQMCsxxiGmp7JCAqy8O5pAxrEDxIBj7YY3tORl_4BTqKTjgULUF8Zb9hyphenhyphenc/s1440/space1999%20(6).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTXbPRTQE0g4De1E9kisnWAxxEro8UuddYeIDtweJgm5TtyeTv0wWHbGVuJIvIU8vUTznKz0AV12OjA1K3JfsOHm8v9qDVG83zzYffWDyhF5KHgFJa1PY9nksIwetBpWG5NQMCsxxiGmp7JCAqy8O5pAxrEDxIBj7YY3tORl_4BTqKTjgULUF8Zb9hyphenhyphenc/s320/space1999%20(6).png" width="320" /></a></div><p>But speaking of Koenig, how did you find Landau as the intrepid commander? He's a great actor, of course, but I thought he was a bit miscast here. At the very least, I feel like it would have been better to have a "Riker" to his "Picard."</p><p><b>Jason:</b> Yeah, I feel the same way. It's a bummer because Landau is great as you say, but it just doesn't seem to work. His Koenig seems like a leader prone to sudden rages who would be quite a polarizing figure among his crew, by which I mean I could see a mutiny down the road.</p><p><b>Trey:</b> The show definitely looks expensive. I found myself wishing Star Trek had included extensive use of models. It definitely is a "transitional form" between <i>Lost in Space</i> and <i>Star Trek</i> in the 60s and <i>Star Wars</i>.</p><p><b>Jason: </b>It sure does look great. As a visual feast of model-making, set design, and planet-scapes, Space: 1999 delivers. Again, the disparity between seasons is notable here. While the first season is very much inspired by the austere and realistic aesthetic of Kubrick's <i>2001</i>, this second season is more colorful and outlandish in design. </p><p><b>Trey:</b> Other than the model-based sets and ships, though, I have to say the show seems inferior to <i>Star Trek</i> in just about every other way.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rL-WqWSG9caQOo09fsLSlNU6Ye6nclPMyg89A_IYhP1Qy6GGzI4JgRRzUTRRJu8fA1S8ZRrX57GALPkmbQqr1VExkWUWUrNyFmC43IqxCUPLeUI1DhRWSi_PigpNDwznf0qIcgTnNNEsVkL-kJDpUBodk6egjxRSysFv1uYf0KmeCdhDkOQOhHu3yCY/s1440/sptm0766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rL-WqWSG9caQOo09fsLSlNU6Ye6nclPMyg89A_IYhP1Qy6GGzI4JgRRzUTRRJu8fA1S8ZRrX57GALPkmbQqr1VExkWUWUrNyFmC43IqxCUPLeUI1DhRWSi_PigpNDwznf0qIcgTnNNEsVkL-kJDpUBodk6egjxRSysFv1uYf0KmeCdhDkOQOhHu3yCY/s320/sptm0766.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Jason:</b> I think that's true, but I also think <i>Space: 1999</i> is a very different animal. It is more impressionistic, less naturalistic, and despite attempts to make the characters a greater part of the show's appeal, not that interested in the characters. To me it feels pulpy in a particularly British way but with a non-rational, liminal quality perhaps only available in the post-psychedelia 1970s. It's clearly not Science Fiction in any real sense, but more an attempt at psychological fantasy with SF trappings, at least in the first season. By the second season, it's a bit more action-oriented but, if this first episode is any indication, also more bananas. </p><p>I've always admired Gerry Anderson's contributions to fantastic media, but from afar. His shows, all featuring marionettes until UFO, <i>Space: 1999</i>'s immediate predecessor, impress with their toyetic designs and devotion of screen time to effects sequences, but I haven't yet been able to get into the Uncanny Valleys they occupy. The addition of actual human actors to the equation, unfortunately, takes this show into a weirdly Unpleasant Valley. </p><p><b>Trey:</b> I believe those are <i>super</i>-marionettes with powers and abilities far beyond those of regular marionettes. </p><p><b>Jason:</b> Yes, well, they still reside in the same Uncanny Valley. A side note: I'm curious to have a look at writer Johnny Byrne's short story contributions to the UK SF magazine <i>Science Fantasy</i>. </p><p><b>Trey: </b>That could prove interesting. We should hunt it up!</p><p><b>Jason: </b>Alright. Verdict time: I enjoyed watching this episode and am curious to dip my toe further into the series' two very distinct seasons. Will I? I don't know when!</p><p><b>Trey:</b> I thought it was interesting, but I feel like it would take a lot to make me love it. Even perhaps the mild affection for the eccentric relative as I feel for <i>Lost in Space</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w1-K5d3qkjsfoIdBccZwgC1JnP4ydHidgC1ObhjW0s1o3iKZi1c7g47Bz9TUlIXfPjc5K5TnWXKUV751MXlkKeALBF1PlNDcUDyoMpbKr7t9tiYDbVsxg83p8g-zyTpUr0vQug5HGui86diO-PBWSv4vGojDVVNQJtsDJmw8rU231m_GfvsC7vmlm9g/s750/Space-1999-3-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="750" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w1-K5d3qkjsfoIdBccZwgC1JnP4ydHidgC1ObhjW0s1o3iKZi1c7g47Bz9TUlIXfPjc5K5TnWXKUV751MXlkKeALBF1PlNDcUDyoMpbKr7t9tiYDbVsxg83p8g-zyTpUr0vQug5HGui86diO-PBWSv4vGojDVVNQJtsDJmw8rU231m_GfvsC7vmlm9g/s320/Space-1999-3-1.png" width="320" /></a></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-2788721353912117292023-09-26T09:04:00.002-04:002023-09-26T11:13:13.960-04:00Classic TV Flashback: The Renegades (1983)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dKCZQBsW7xM2Nsltb4eukCLyZMetACrRHlyefv6f7QwHWAAHKhAKcyy4XqP3CNZGYCdM14hqZiA1KF8Dc9t20Nlg9gS73YOUjgS_RbF7O8wWhe6cK__qHxjmjoqDWrDotiFYfcWCypS8o98X8jdjxG3iJPdkbFm90pB2ylXiDkiM5cTkTufWcl1yyE4/s832/renegades_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="832" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dKCZQBsW7xM2Nsltb4eukCLyZMetACrRHlyefv6f7QwHWAAHKhAKcyy4XqP3CNZGYCdM14hqZiA1KF8Dc9t20Nlg9gS73YOUjgS_RbF7O8wWhe6cK__qHxjmjoqDWrDotiFYfcWCypS8o98X8jdjxG3iJPdkbFm90pB2ylXiDkiM5cTkTufWcl1yyE4/s320/renegades_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Renegades</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> March 4, 1983</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Steven E. de Souza, Rick Husky<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: normal;">Patrick Swayze, </span>Randy Brooks, Paul Mones, Tracy Scoggins, Robert Thaler, Brian Tochi, Fausto Bara, Kurtwood Smith, James Luisi<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> An urban street gang operates as undercover agents for the police.</i></div><p><b>Trey:</b><i> The Renegades </i>was an attempt to cash in on the success of The Warriors by bringing the youth gang concept to TV--with the confines of the well-established TV genre of the cop show. The creators looked to Patrick Swayze as the star who had established is credibility in show rolls with another failed TV effort <i>Return of the Rebels</i> and the film <i>The Outsiders</i>. ABC picked it up and the pilot movie aired on August 11, 1982, with the series to follow in March of 1983. Due to low ratings, ABC pulled the plug after 6 episodes. He watched the last one on YouTube. It's a VHS rip (complete with commercials!), presumably from the broadcast on April 8, 1983. The episode is titled "Target: Marciano" and involves an escaped murder (former drug dealer and record producer) who is out for revenge against the cop that sent him away: Lt. Marciano, who's in charge of the Renegades, It involves part of the team going undercover and taking part in a battle of the bands!</p><p>So, to start with, I'm going to say the opening of this show must be seen (it's also on Youtube) for a jolt of pure 80s directly to the brain. If you feel the urge to wear parachute pants, don't blame this blog!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZP-vuqYGLqA" width="320" youtube-src-id="ZP-vuqYGLqA"></iframe></div><p><b>Jason:</b> A jolt is putting it mildly! It grabs you by the lapels and rubs your face in a distillation of 80s tropes so potent you'll come away reeking of its heavily applied Drakkar Noir. It could alm6st pass for a SNL parody. But it is all too real! </p><p><i><b>Trey: </b></i>I know Swayze was meant to be the draw here, and he and Scoggins are the standouts among the Renegades, but they are really just a brighter shade of unmemorable. Their parts are sort of thin. </p><p>The real "stars" of this episode to me are the supporting cast and the guest stars. Kurtwood Smith plays a pretty similar character in everything but he was born a hardass police captain. He embodies this role fully. Likewise, James Luisi as Marciano, who has played cops on other shows, is like the apotheosis of vaguely ethnic veteran police detectives. </p><p><b>Jason:</b> The Renegades are semi-reformed street gangsters of the fantasyland Warriors variety composed of one-dimensional stereotypes (80's token diversity in full effect) with names like Bandit, Eagle, Dancer, Dragon, and.... Tracy. Their hair is always perfect. Only the lack of masks and capes separates this crew from D-list superhero characters. </p><p>If this episode show could be saved, Smith and Luisi would be its saving grace(s)! Smith's police captain is perpetually unimpressed with Marciano's experimental team. He quickly became my personal viewpoint character. </p><p><b>Trey:</b> You make a good point regarding superheroes. I've often thought the cheesy dialogue and thin, but distinct characterization of 80s action shows is very much like 80s superhero comics. A lot getting to imagine whatever line delivery you need to make it work helps comics, though. That an an unlimited budget.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZf2pHdgImnbrrzCGhRJdO87OF8CQbfVw4OGh4HBgKp0cRr20j5wEIbKhmKjD3qLlg8I7ADgCQ4ljpOXau1Mz9OwYhjOv7l4vpwDAajG_4wIxHCIoZCSZQ60GU-6WwHdMrIlvT93n9UyzDlf74_z-Y0cVsqu33K-8tGdr-jqfvI_nGhUBG_eN0JnuyvEg/s267/thom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZf2pHdgImnbrrzCGhRJdO87OF8CQbfVw4OGh4HBgKp0cRr20j5wEIbKhmKjD3qLlg8I7ADgCQ4ljpOXau1Mz9OwYhjOv7l4vpwDAajG_4wIxHCIoZCSZQ60GU-6WwHdMrIlvT93n9UyzDlf74_z-Y0cVsqu33K-8tGdr-jqfvI_nGhUBG_eN0JnuyvEg/s1600/thom.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><p>Anyway, I also want to note Thom Christopher as the villainous Tony Gunn. Christopher was the badass warrior alien, Hawk, in the second season of <i>Buck Rogers</i>--that season's only salvation, really. Here he plays Gunn, a character more Charlie Manson than Phil Spector, with an intensity that could make Pacino's Scarface say, "you know, this guy maybe should get psychiatric help?"</p><p><b>Jason:</b> Christopher is indeed suitably creepy as the ludicrous psychopath record producer/rifle lover. His character is a hair's breadth away from being a D-list Batman villain. </p><p><b>Trey: </b>Like comics once again!</p><p>The band bits here really illustrate something I've long thought about the portrayal of rock/pop musicians in 80s movies and TV, namely: the production and creative staff just don't seem to get it. We're typically shown a band whose look is a mismatch of punk/New Wave, glam metal, and maybe a bit of disco, and then their songs are like bar rock or the most indistinct pop rock. The band here is no exception.</p><p><b>Jason:</b> Agreed. This disconnect was quite palpable in The Renegades. I'll guess this particular show was made by people just old enough to be unaware of how out of touch they were . No actual New York City hipsters of the day were consulted. </p><p>The climactic sequence was set in an abandoned roller derby arena the villain uses to stage a spectacular show trial/execution/musical performance. What could have been a zany Batman action set piece was instead a dire and bizarre sequence, seemingly intended to replicate the imagery of then-novel music videos (years before something similar would be attempted by the similarly ill-fated Cop Rock). It was an ambitious plan that failed aggressively. </p><p>My verdict: There was potential in this show's premise, but it just didn't come together. Trey, I must admit I looked forward to the commercials. My wife, a confirmed Swayze supporter, passed out after 20 dreary minutes. Therefore it is my unpleasant duty to sentence this show to be swiftly returned to the obscurity from which it came. With the high pressure firehose of entertainment available 24/7 in today's modern world, don't waste a minute on this one. But watch that trailer! </p><p><b>Trey:</b> I'm not going to praise <i>The Renegades</i>. There are too many options in the modern TV landscape to think about "so bad it's good." will, however, give it the benefit of contextualizing it for the modern reader, too young to remember the 80s, who might have a smartphone mishap and accidentally arrive at this blog. The network tv action show of 80s was built to deliver reliable and unchallenging entertainment to a lowest common denominator swathe of America. Compared with other shows of that kind, well, I don't think <i>The Renegades</i> fares too badly, though it would be far from top of the heap. Why was it so unsuccessful then even in its era? Well, I think its writing and characters (aside from some adult themes) place it more inline with more kid-appealing action shows like <i>The A-Team</i>. Unfortunately, it had a 9 pm timeslot, perhaps due to those adult themes, making kids unable to see it. If this episode is representative, it lacks some of the drama and more importantly sex appeal needed to succeed with the purely adult viewership.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCTyQr1EXMV3V0LhZQQeAgt_EFv03fFAUrQF-qALJtui-Bh1JqycnBOxr6pJOqfGS3GZkCZ3FMgr70pZ2hlXb80vJNyKJVOcVextsDu0qf0SPNcdCCOgqXrpG2jT-mDvzGv-QR2PBMx2PTPqI8vwVb1U7FlesnxiVOPBZEo5Jl8xZout7OSC_SHSAVrc/s500/renegades-ad-2-26-1983.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="500" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCTyQr1EXMV3V0LhZQQeAgt_EFv03fFAUrQF-qALJtui-Bh1JqycnBOxr6pJOqfGS3GZkCZ3FMgr70pZ2hlXb80vJNyKJVOcVextsDu0qf0SPNcdCCOgqXrpG2jT-mDvzGv-QR2PBMx2PTPqI8vwVb1U7FlesnxiVOPBZEo5Jl8xZout7OSC_SHSAVrc/s320/renegades-ad-2-26-1983.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-23719395903141070562023-09-19T07:00:00.012-04:002023-09-19T08:35:27.264-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Riverboat (1959)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZcsv-89hCjHmb3QlUgUXA1vy139vQkmxBnYYFeGq5gWKF4JcE3e39DfW13si3iEhRGK5sZNrMnQRrIS54Chr1mq0sdAWAWsrsbl75nxSnygadBlezIBfyiUUVIfhGKAzFvuVXD5TscCtMx54NCluek4yX3fvbaN_GEkVRdNJcMqvhp7xufUGrWhpUuI/s2481/100_3887.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2481" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZcsv-89hCjHmb3QlUgUXA1vy139vQkmxBnYYFeGq5gWKF4JcE3e39DfW13si3iEhRGK5sZNrMnQRrIS54Chr1mq0sdAWAWsrsbl75nxSnygadBlezIBfyiUUVIfhGKAzFvuVXD5TscCtMx54NCluek4yX3fvbaN_GEkVRdNJcMqvhp7xufUGrWhpUuI/w400-h279/100_3887.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Riverboat</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> September 13, 1959</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>Darren McGavin; Burt Reynolds<span style="white-space: pre;"><br /></span><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> These are the voyages of the riverboat </i>Enterprise<i>. Captain Grey Holden and his pilot, Ben Frazier, guide the stern-wheeler along the Mississippi River in the 1840's.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b><i> Riverboat</i> ran from 1959 to 1961 on NBC. Wikipedia dubs it a Western, and I suppose at times it engaged in Western themes and stock elements, but it's set within mostly settled areas of pre-Civil War along the major rivers of the Midwest. I became aware of <i>Riverboat</i> thanks to discussions with this blog's founder, Jim, and <a href="http://flashbackuniverse.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-secret-origin-of-star-trek.html">this post he wrote in 2014</a> suggesting it had an influence on <i>Star Trek</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>We watched episode 3 of the first season "About Roger Mowbray" from September 27, 1959. It was from a story by <i>Star Trek</i> alum Gene L. Coon! In it, a young man (Robert Vaughn) has his marriage and his father's wealth-seeking schemes endangered when a spurned ex-fiancée (Madlyn Rhue) claims that he married his new wife for money and threatens to reveal his deceptions!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzk3lp9-AT9HBNHoRmvQszXFE35i8mDviDMtO3NeUezQaps2rDuQRPmF5bAkVLEMFfYvMsgVm6O_Ms1ALT3bTnG-ofmByEW164VoJKE2t46_zH7wwUEjUiAlPYaX_RwffU36_jAj7M3ejf2GWYe_UnsXjISb3S-U30bWdDfEP-MWZN-ioK1DpmG_i7nAY/s539/riverboat-mcgavin-reynolds-560x498.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="539" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzk3lp9-AT9HBNHoRmvQszXFE35i8mDviDMtO3NeUezQaps2rDuQRPmF5bAkVLEMFfYvMsgVm6O_Ms1ALT3bTnG-ofmByEW164VoJKE2t46_zH7wwUEjUiAlPYaX_RwffU36_jAj7M3ejf2GWYe_UnsXjISb3S-U30bWdDfEP-MWZN-ioK1DpmG_i7nAY/s320/riverboat-mcgavin-reynolds-560x498.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Jim's idea of a strong influence feels right, having viewed two episodes, both with stories penned by Gene Coon. The other episode I watched (mislabeled by whoever posted it to YouTube as episode 3), also with a screenplay by Coon, had a pronounced ST vibe, or at least a strong Gene L. Coon voice.</div><div><br /></div><div>A brief moment in this episode made me laugh out loud, when, while rushing to seek medical help for one of the passengers, the captain orders his crew to crank the <i>Enterprise</i> up to full speed. We then cut briefly to the engine room, where Dick Wessel as engineer Carney Kohler shrieks out to his frenzied crew to give the engines everything they've got!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>The harried engineer. It's a staple. This episode was very much in the <i>Wagon Train</i> mode, where the story primarily revolves around the drama of passengers on the riverboat. Our stars, the captain and crew, only play incidental roles in that. I wonder if this was the standard for the series?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> This pretty much holds true for that other episode I watched, though the personal involvement of the captain was a bit more central to the plot. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Let's talk about that Captain! McGavin's Captain Holden is set up as a heroic man of principle in the episode, but throughout most of the episode he's sort of passive and refuses to head off developing trouble--though at times he takes actions that seem ill-advised and possibly make it worse! In many ways, he's more the catalyst here than the protagonist.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> What kind of screwball would allow a spurned ex-lover to retain their recently brandished Derringer after (barely) talking them out of murder? How about letting an actual (attempted) murderer remain at large after displaying clear signs of derangement?</div><div><br /></div><div>To get us acquainted, this episode presents a moment early on when, apropos of nothing, a mule breaks through a stable wall into the street as Holden strolls by. The mule's owner strikes the animal viciously while trying to rein it in. Holden, appalled at this cruelty, immediately unleashes a fusillade of knuckle sandwiches followed by an impassioned speech to the dazed and prone animal abuser. This man is a knee-jerk, two-fisted moral enforcer! He is not shy when triggered by abuse of any kind, is strongly anti-murder, and also seems to be a rather staunch supporter of the second amendment. </div><div><br /></div><div>Holden is a fun character made delightful by McGavin's performance, but is perhaps more quirky than the late fifties audiences were up for given the show's relatively short run and middling ratings. To my eye, McGavin brings a singular kind of light ironic detachment to many of his roles. Here as the captain, he sometimes seems poised to break the fourth wall and address the audience directly in his exasperation with the chicanery of his various passengers. </div><div><br /></div><div>Holden's super-power -- he seems to round the corner with uncanny timing, forever interrupting plot-centric conversations or coming across unsavory scenes that incite his previously mentioned moral outrage.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Yeah, he's got an almost supernatural ability to also turn up just at the end of the dramatic scene. Of course, the whole episode shows a bit of the soap opera trope of "I was happening by and just couldn't help but hear the last of that.." to seamlessly transition to another scene.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9W46ztEA8TEYYCYnYFhd6bePtrDN9opUNRrJpXXa7yXEenocMMbjaKy17jLdeZQOblRtGfIpHc3LXDIKTMcMWDpHI4-laAlnOCTlHToq33-5yKnz-GdmSDLsG16uqZ7zVx9K3UX0DP2xmX6Xf3yTJAq1GQQcKYMSJ4m7dW5uc1ogppVovaOdVudrYTLA/s650/vaughnrb59.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="650" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9W46ztEA8TEYYCYnYFhd6bePtrDN9opUNRrJpXXa7yXEenocMMbjaKy17jLdeZQOblRtGfIpHc3LXDIKTMcMWDpHI4-laAlnOCTlHToq33-5yKnz-GdmSDLsG16uqZ7zVx9K3UX0DP2xmX6Xf3yTJAq1GQQcKYMSJ4m7dW5uc1ogppVovaOdVudrYTLA/s320/vaughnrb59.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In the rest of the cast we have Robert Vaughn as the titular Mowbray who will of course go on to play Napoleon Solo in the <i>Man from U.N.C.L.E.</i> series and a haunted and hunted killer in both <i>The Magnificent Seven</i> (1960) and <i>Battle Beyond the Stars</i>. His jilted ex, Cassie, is played by Madlyn Rhue who also played Khan's love interest in the <i>Star Trek</i> episode "Space Seed." Mowbray's wife, the heiress Jeanette Mowbray, is played by Vera Miles who was also in <i>The Searchers</i> and <i>The Man Who Shot Liberty</i> Valance--as well as being Miss Kansas 1948.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Vaughn delivers an ace performance here, somehow remaining sympathetic despite highly questionable behavior. Likewise with Rhue, Cassie also behaves terribly, but remains redeemable due to her charisma and talent for melodrama. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then there's Burt Reynolds, who plays the helmsman of the <i>Enterprise</i>. He doesn't have much to do in this episode, but when does get a moment of screen time keeps 85% of his charm tied behind his back. Maybe he's better in other episodes, the other one I've seen was after his departure from the show. </div><div><br /></div><div>My verdict: I'm finding these decades-old tv shows fascinating from a cultural standpoint and Jim's Star Trek theory added another layer of interest I probably wouldn't have otherwise. That said, this was an entertaining show, a well acted, well crafted, and well written piece of melodrama. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>I agree. It was exactly what I expected, but works, and I can see why it appealed to Jim.</div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-56944115021145483742023-09-12T07:00:00.001-04:002023-09-12T07:00:00.146-04:00Classic TV Flashback: M Squad (1957)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4_Y1hwvBDrAIW7rpkCledWgvCzFEsFGlnWncbKDVZ_0Rg1R20B2tAC1wAoKywTYUXj-9zB9YQ9DikZgmtuZ6LIvoxeNF1ZUdVmlTIWuxO5GOw9UOXYpVfrWy2zEShCYbb3KVQ9w0jaaNRvz47zl5_0uC8vcy5zG-I5WvG7jYwkrQKuXaR5POKVZMTT0/s1440/msquad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4_Y1hwvBDrAIW7rpkCledWgvCzFEsFGlnWncbKDVZ_0Rg1R20B2tAC1wAoKywTYUXj-9zB9YQ9DikZgmtuZ6LIvoxeNF1ZUdVmlTIWuxO5GOw9UOXYpVfrWy2zEShCYbb3KVQ9w0jaaNRvz47zl5_0uC8vcy5zG-I5WvG7jYwkrQKuXaR5POKVZMTT0/s320/msquad.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>M Squad</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> September 20, 1957</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> The hard-boiled adventures of Lieutenant Frank Ballinger, a member of the Chicago Police Department's M Squad, an elite crime-busting unit.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b><i> M Squad</i> ran from September 1957 to June 1960 on NBC. It starred Lee Marvin (in his debut as a lead) as the tough-as-nails Frank Ballinger. In the 2nd and 3rd season, it had a theme music composed by Count Basie. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />We found several episodes on YouTube and watched episode 37 in season 2 from June 12, 1959. It's called "Decoy in White" and has M Squad investigating the murder the owner of a chemical company ties in to a mob money laundering scheme. Bellinger has to protect a young woman who was an unwitting accomplice to the lethal ambush and who grabbed a double sawbuck from the scene that could expose the whole criminal enterprise.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">An interesting note, The show's main sponsor was Pall Mall cigarettes who Marvin did promotional spots for. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUujbxScUwq_HqxfLzNfU9g4rjHJ04F_U_SmpUtlTyvOPp9IqGIMlWSLgqL_PwrEsTMPKsUXMcHH1q0pLjJzGDs71tNt_Pb8yq1Wo_0LJ3C5LO3QFlWAZVtKR2oCC9AZlVmMxsz4z2-uSEjlFDNDg2JEdHG8hPSSjxulBAVEZ9ZibOphAHLMXYUPy-Fo4/s625/m-squad-01.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="625" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUujbxScUwq_HqxfLzNfU9g4rjHJ04F_U_SmpUtlTyvOPp9IqGIMlWSLgqL_PwrEsTMPKsUXMcHH1q0pLjJzGDs71tNt_Pb8yq1Wo_0LJ3C5LO3QFlWAZVtKR2oCC9AZlVmMxsz4z2-uSEjlFDNDg2JEdHG8hPSSjxulBAVEZ9ZibOphAHLMXYUPy-Fo4/s320/m-squad-01.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason: </b>The past is a foreign country! Back to that Bassie theme, it really sets the tone for this debauched noir-adjacent world of men's men, smooth swindlers, stone cold killers, and platinum blondes. Notably, a young John Williams also contributed jazzy musical cues to M Squad over the course of its run.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey: </b>Interesting! I think Marvin is great in this episode. He's already got the screen presence he;s going to take into his tough guy movie roles. And that "menacing purr" (as I read one reviewer described it) of his line delivery.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> I totally agree. That trademark presence is fully developed and deployed to excellent effect. His speedily delivered, information-packed voiceover narration is a vital element of the condensed storytelling, but still manly as hell. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> Admittedly, there isn't a lot to it here. The story seems a bit simple maybe to those of us weaned on hour long dramas. But you know, I'm sort of sorry this format didn't hang around. It gets to the point and doesn't skimp on the action!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> The plot is king here - we've only got 25 minutes to cram in all the beats required to get us to the climactic (and spectacular) beat-down. There is no time for character development or delving into the various characters' lives. The cast must deliver lines almost entirely devoted to advancing the plot, injecting whatever personality they can manage with scant moments of screentime. It's a bit jarring, but I have to agree that it works!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b>Trey:</b> The platinum blonde, Judy Bamber, plays the young woman, Kitty Osborne. IMDB describes her as a "lovely, buxom, and shapely blonde bombshell" which is perhaps a bit repetitive, but I can't fault its accuracy! I recall her from Corman's <i>A Bucket of Blood</i> (1959).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLILLQIc1MThXv3ZIbw7XdPpkdEoQ_X4YYWD4PNjAYYmh-vxsz6wq-dzycUglaoMsEZsMM4Mzkq8Q5lrF9MT4EzLtQ3cGgkMqvVOt0CTSOSxGomI87HwgJ9CHs0_B9TAPs01D1MhF3wxreiYn8dvvUHq7jSIh0566Yg7zrv1821ygc2wbJGd96_1m_1M/s633/bamber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLILLQIc1MThXv3ZIbw7XdPpkdEoQ_X4YYWD4PNjAYYmh-vxsz6wq-dzycUglaoMsEZsMM4Mzkq8Q5lrF9MT4EzLtQ3cGgkMqvVOt0CTSOSxGomI87HwgJ9CHs0_B9TAPs01D1MhF3wxreiYn8dvvUHq7jSIh0566Yg7zrv1821ygc2wbJGd96_1m_1M/s320/bamber.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> Her performance here is almost as hard-boiled as Marvin's. A moment that raised at least one of my eyebrows: when Kitty produces her birth certificate for Bellinger's examination, fearful that he will declare her unfit to conduct her own life and ship her back to her parents for much-needed supervision. Or something!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> Good thing she kept it handy!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> Though produced in the late 1950s, the shadow of WWII hangs over this hyper-masculine entertainment. Bellinger (and presumably many of the tough guys of a certain age he encounters) is a veteran of the War, specifically the South Pacific Theater, where he learned about karate, which (as presented) was still regarded as novel and exotic. Bellinger calls it "the most vicious form of hand-to-hand combat known to man." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> Maybe I should take my daughter out of those after school classes?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> Or up the frequency?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> Is it just me or are TV fight scenes just better with a jazzy soundtrack?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jason:</b> You are not alone! And what a fight scene! Revolvers are emptied, karate chops land with devastating effect, both combatants are staggered, and only old-fashioned, straight ahead American body blows can bring down a convincingly powerful foe like character actor Mike Mazurki. </div><div><br /></div><div>For me this show was entertaining on multiple levels. I am left with an urge to find more, especially episodes featuring some of the impressive list of guest stars like DeForest Kelly, Burt Reynolds, and Leonard Nimoy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> It's well worth a few more action-packed half hours!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALGCTUScdJ4qPaUxb6fNhxiP-mOy4txPZQm27nTvdB2lsuw4QEhf4-kNTLbaP9B0Eq7k02vgntCMwJ70B3_H-uiutD-f4sDTcA6YcdoHRydvbyQlemDpupO1M6WN2GEXv9Et2W4k7-PUPe8FhGuouZsGXBrfI0YzLSYWQuyyRsDSFT3M6yqqM6-Hl-08/s474/m-squad.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="474" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALGCTUScdJ4qPaUxb6fNhxiP-mOy4txPZQm27nTvdB2lsuw4QEhf4-kNTLbaP9B0Eq7k02vgntCMwJ70B3_H-uiutD-f4sDTcA6YcdoHRydvbyQlemDpupO1M6WN2GEXv9Et2W4k7-PUPe8FhGuouZsGXBrfI0YzLSYWQuyyRsDSFT3M6yqqM6-Hl-08/s320/m-squad.webp" width="320" /></a></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-73581070003521772742023-09-05T07:00:00.016-04:002023-09-05T07:47:57.276-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Raumpatrouille Orion (1966)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvYVHvwIL2TA3z5vBzu9pOYkiNrjRfcQwkgM_QqEGcA3KgretHDp0G_7ysxQgdg5eUVuESVU_84cEW-sFf8wE3cTiOT7A9vuv0ELpfdI0InaD3KIfTR2pYy4vr9JZqi3DN2I2Wuu-6M9kGistLvlkGfHoWGohGnv5SxFRjvsLswr-lA3jdYtFDGWCdkA/s964/w964.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="964" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvYVHvwIL2TA3z5vBzu9pOYkiNrjRfcQwkgM_QqEGcA3KgretHDp0G_7ysxQgdg5eUVuESVU_84cEW-sFf8wE3cTiOT7A9vuv0ELpfdI0InaD3KIfTR2pYy4vr9JZqi3DN2I2Wuu-6M9kGistLvlkGfHoWGohGnv5SxFRjvsLswr-lA3jdYtFDGWCdkA/s320/w964.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Raumpatrouille - Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> September 17, 1966</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Rolf Honold, Hans Gottschalk a.k.a. W.G. Larsen<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dietmar Schönherr, Eva Pflug, Wolfgang Völz, Claus Holm, Friedrich G. Beckhaus, Ursula Lillig, Charlotte Kerr, Franz Schafheitlin<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Maverick Commander Cliff McLane and the crew of the space cruiser Orion patrol Earth's outposts and colonies in space, averting disasters and protecting them from danger.</i></div><p><b>Trey:</b><i> Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion</i> (lit. "Space Patrol – The Fantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion"), also know as <i>Raumpatrouille Orion</i>, and <i>Space Patrol Orion</i>, was the first German science fiction television series. Its seven episodes were broadcast by ARD from September 19 to December 10, 1966. It's since developed a bit of cult following.</p><p>In it's unspecified future, Earth has been united under one government and flying saucer type cruisers patrol Earth colonial space. Orion is one of the fast of these ships. It's commanded by Cliff McLane who gets put on a punishment patrol duty and saddled with a hard-nosed security officer due to his tendency to buck his superiors. Nevertheless, McLane and his crew are depended on in times of crisis. </p><p>We watched episode 5, "Der Kampf um die Sonne" ("The Battle for the Sun") where variations in the sun's energy output threaten the Earth's climate, so the <i>Orion </i>crew investigates and discovers a long forgotten, gynocritic colony is responsible. </p><p><b>Jason:</b> Still reeling from the sad mediocrity of <i>Barbary Coast</i>, I dutifully queued up episode 5 of <i>Space Patrol Orion</i>. My attention was immediately arrested by the urgent horns of the propulsive theme music. I enjoyed the jazzy musical cues throughout the episode, which supported and enhanced the somewhat pulpy tone. I say somewhat because it seems to straddle the often blurred lines between pulp SF and more serious Golden Age SF. Am I crazy, Trey?</p><p><b>Trey:</b> I wouldn't say you are crazy. I think (and this is likely only the first of comparisons I will make to <i>Star Trek</i>) it is in some ways a "purer" descendant of <i>Star Trek</i>'s influences (<i>Voyage of the Space Beagle</i>, <i>Forbidden Planet</i>) than <i>Star Trek</i> is.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDq1pUG36MbGupfq7m-qMG_09jPNXsFpMUSLJdxMtPwAnQT8Hj1iLabL1Eh6MMhIAhWT5-vY4dBH7Esrgt4Z42MSRCUACI_ifI9TW51OH_2mCKoq1cWujswkmdBid_pzmfaj2qBi6XwOzltlfjhP04zAgNJw3GS4r7snSze5Ea-fBMrRwYEzWm1jFA76Y/s463/rump71.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="463" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDq1pUG36MbGupfq7m-qMG_09jPNXsFpMUSLJdxMtPwAnQT8Hj1iLabL1Eh6MMhIAhWT5-vY4dBH7Esrgt4Z42MSRCUACI_ifI9TW51OH_2mCKoq1cWujswkmdBid_pzmfaj2qBi6XwOzltlfjhP04zAgNJw3GS4r7snSze5Ea-fBMrRwYEzWm1jFA76Y/s320/rump71.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Jason: </b>Well yes, the show has been called The German <i>Star Trek </i>for its obvious similarities, but the distinctions are interesting. Where <i>Star Trek</i> is commonly noted for its optimistic take on the future of humanity, Orion's future society is decidedly darker: post-colonial only in that their colonies were beaten into submission after two disastrous "Space Wars," environmental catastrophe on Earth evidently couldn't be avoided, and the Space Patrol is controlled by a panel of trigger-happy generals inclined to listen when the Central Computer recommends an apocalyptic preemptive strike to prevent their unknown adversaries from doing the same thing: <i>"Threats may make them push the button.. And we don't know what buttons they have."</i></p><p><b>Trey:</b> While being very pulpy and naïve in science aspects (perhaps even more so that <i>Trek</i>!) and simplistic in its character drama (and again, its at least less compelling in this aspect than <i>Trek</i>), it has an hint of realistic politics to its setting that was beyond at least what Roddenberry wanted to see in Primetime American TV.</p><p><b>Jason:</b> An issue with the plot, from that SF stand point you allude to, would indeed be the hand-wavey faux science driving the story along. It was (appropriately) glossed over speedily and without any long-winded jargon-filled explanations. Just swallow it and move on! <i>Trek</i> isn't without this flaw, either.</p><p><b>Trey:</b> True enough, though it's a matter of degrees.</p><p>Jason: I found it's dialogue snappy and enjoyable throughout, even with the vagaries of subtitling and possible losses due to translation:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i>"Are you from Earth?"</i></p><p><i>"Where else?"</i></p></blockquote><p><b>Trey:</b> I would agree with the caveat that the delivery is perhaps not always compelling.</p><p><b>Jason:</b> I don't know. The cast was also pretty great with solid performances all around, most notably to my mind was the portrayal of the matriarch (or at least one of the most important officials, it is a bit unclear) of Chroma by Margot Trooger, whose regal presence and gravitas make her totally believable as a planetary ruler. She gets plenty of juicy lines. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUKHw4g-_PBOinwoQYG3GvGRP9Hn4JS2rPmfFAA4Bg1r0Qn_gBEIvwuEOKIrx9PLlzYiVs_VZ3IdHphU59EOgBklC5VAsTnp55oGdkHoTW7xjokLz8JJL0StQxn7UxJ4xZZVrRdsilukfcBdxVaVqvvpGJ8UakSbsCIVU-KtwR_1EXnXB14R_Nw_7tQ0/s462/rump81.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="462" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUKHw4g-_PBOinwoQYG3GvGRP9Hn4JS2rPmfFAA4Bg1r0Qn_gBEIvwuEOKIrx9PLlzYiVs_VZ3IdHphU59EOgBklC5VAsTnp55oGdkHoTW7xjokLz8JJL0StQxn7UxJ4xZZVrRdsilukfcBdxVaVqvvpGJ8UakSbsCIVU-KtwR_1EXnXB14R_Nw_7tQ0/s320/rump81.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Trey: She certainly deserves mention. In its specifics, hers is a role American TV of the period wouldn't have offered. Though I don't think that it avoids the cliches <i>Star Trek</i> or <i>Lost in Space</i> would have served heaping spoonfuls of entirely!</p><p>Jason: Yes, the scenes between McClane and She are a highlight, but they are marred by McClane's puzzling reaction to the matriarchal government of Chroma. He's got women bosses already that he seems to respect! The reaction was needed I guess as a stand-in for whatever outrage such a notion would have induced in West German audiences, but there is where it falls into typical genre TV tropes. I did like:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i>"You're a child of the Earth!"</i></p><p><i>" A child of bad parents must free herself to gain success."</i></p></blockquote><p><b>Trey: </b>That was a great riposte on her part!</p><p><b>Jason:</b> Though made on a fraction of Star Trek's budget, I thought the costumes, sets, props, and special effects really worked for the era, aided by the black and white production. Effects were employed tastefully, for story telling purposes, and get the job done. </p><p><b>Trey: </b>The baggy uniforms on the Space Patrol don't work for me, but overall I think the design is pretty good, even the obvious budget constraints. So, your summation?</p><p><b>Jason:</b> My verdict: My new favorite show! I will be watching all seven episodes. </p><p><b>Trey</b>: I'm perhaps not as big on it as you, but I think it's good. An American remake in the 70s with a higher budget could have been really great as long as they stuck to the same sort of worldbuilding.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9J7Et50O33kAe0qvqzfawgEt8JgUMNRNmPeukFSZ-9HMRQauA9A6LSzYlohN8whwyA4qJy7GRdtgrd22rwSqJJe5MZd1dMAjYx1kVYkVs-EqdiWaH3dynO9wVDGK5JPJLkoWZgaOyUyvW6iHr-ktynDoWLznmSKKlz6iaXpxH-nkLXgZwr_7X8e0WuM/s463/rump70.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="463" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9J7Et50O33kAe0qvqzfawgEt8JgUMNRNmPeukFSZ-9HMRQauA9A6LSzYlohN8whwyA4qJy7GRdtgrd22rwSqJJe5MZd1dMAjYx1kVYkVs-EqdiWaH3dynO9wVDGK5JPJLkoWZgaOyUyvW6iHr-ktynDoWLznmSKKlz6iaXpxH-nkLXgZwr_7X8e0WuM/s320/rump70.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-54555953929150875892023-08-29T07:00:00.003-04:002023-09-05T07:52:20.197-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Barbary Coast (1975)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgbzueWFQ8C_rZMaS6SQSq510sk2D-mm31SKFVuOP37scyacMXeTN5mhaAHQvvNMse91XI_HK9FLx71_EPMdnDcbsXJVjzXt0FMPDxEngvrxUuHVALBxj01chwIJj_OKGfYJ-3aFsfvIumfDBei5Oxjiqh1ffHw2RD5yw7MSzO9JBaRw_X6N2pYux-Vo/s640/barbarycoast007-640x394.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="640" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgbzueWFQ8C_rZMaS6SQSq510sk2D-mm31SKFVuOP37scyacMXeTN5mhaAHQvvNMse91XI_HK9FLx71_EPMdnDcbsXJVjzXt0FMPDxEngvrxUuHVALBxj01chwIJj_OKGfYJ-3aFsfvIumfDBei5Oxjiqh1ffHw2RD5yw7MSzO9JBaRw_X6N2pYux-Vo/s320/barbarycoast007-640x394.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Barbary Coast</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> May 4, 1975</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Douglas Heyes<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b>William Shatner, Richard Kiel, Dave Turner, Doug McClure<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> 19th-century government agent and master of disguise Jeff Cable fights crime with the reluctant aide of San Francisco owner and gambler, Cash Conover. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> <i>Barbary Coast</i> is a 1975-1976 Western series that aired on ABC. It was William Shatner's first live action starring TV role since<i> Star Trek</i> and featured 70s B-movie staple, Doug McClure, as his sidekick. The show is named for its primary setting, San Francisco's infamous red light district in the latter half of the 19th century.</div><div><br /></div><div>The series didn't get a great reception and only lasted one season. We watched the final episode "The Dawson Marker," which aired January 8, 1976. In it, Cable (Shatner) is on the trail of gold stolen by Confederate raiders that's about to be claimed by the heirs of the original thieves, each of whom has a marker that together will unlock the secret location of the treasure. I suspect as typical with this show this involves some disguise, con artistry, and a modicum of fisticuffs, generally handled humorously.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think the setting and set-up is a good one. It clearly takes some inspiration from <i>The Wild Wild West</i> but removes some of the 60s spy-fi eccentricity and settles the action in San Francisco full-time. The more humorous direction is borrowed from <i>Maverick</i> (certainly the gambling focus is), and maybe <i>Alias Smith and Jones</i> which also featured two leads.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> The premise is one with potential. I could see a modern HBO remake with the debauchery turned up to 11 working. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Shatner acquits himself well, doing a better job than audiences of the era might have expected with the humorous material.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS9WNC3rrNMZDLj_D03ATI_CgzXhl4F71yyHZ6j3X1UbZIOIxsi_Zj60TBzcO_IJKfbrTCSbA5IfX_-N5zNeG5j9CXCd5NV28_YlC6WbPDRf3Ot9z4cStGAEGFEr8y2qq4N_L2nJ1GgaBduy8TMZOwarhisFXguJEXE9kJ9MPg--mGWl8cHtjyhIbvKs/s720/shatner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS9WNC3rrNMZDLj_D03ATI_CgzXhl4F71yyHZ6j3X1UbZIOIxsi_Zj60TBzcO_IJKfbrTCSbA5IfX_-N5zNeG5j9CXCd5NV28_YlC6WbPDRf3Ot9z4cStGAEGFEr8y2qq4N_L2nJ1GgaBduy8TMZOwarhisFXguJEXE9kJ9MPg--mGWl8cHtjyhIbvKs/s320/shatner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Shatner, whose character appears in disguise as one of the would-be heirs throughout the episode, pulls it off with panache to spare, but it's not enough!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> It is not. McClure is a bit flat, to me, and may be miscast.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> McClure, who I know chiefly from his 70s Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptations, seems more at home fighting animatronic plesiosaurs. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>The script for this episode is serviceable, but not great. Uninspired, might be the word. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Serviceable is the right word. The plot works on paper! But, by the end of the episode I thought to myself "<i>Well, so long </i>Barbary Coast<i>, you were a serviceable hour of lukewarm entertainment.</i>" </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>The guest stars seem unwilling or incapable of enlivening it. It was funny to see Spencer Milligan--<i>Land of the Lost</i>'s Rick Marshall--as a bad guy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> It was, but only for a moment. I think we are in full agreement here. Sometimes you look back at the nearly forgotten past and uncover hidden gems like <i>Mr. Lucky</i>. Other times are like this. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJC_XtqAqZ_dY9jWDuUyANnXL04ViBAATa6ZooDRk7CtMpyg_VBPe9SnxAm0wyxLsmSBpVOyWR6Mjxm7hA_ydeXWuP0RlddzIvUVdUspQxifDXNBWXFCCfIZ37MWfiWe0WG0CjSglmH66pN24RFHFAOxY78xvb2AdAYGX4f8heF3hl0CtJQFA9deq2v8Y/s1000/mcclure_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJC_XtqAqZ_dY9jWDuUyANnXL04ViBAATa6ZooDRk7CtMpyg_VBPe9SnxAm0wyxLsmSBpVOyWR6Mjxm7hA_ydeXWuP0RlddzIvUVdUspQxifDXNBWXFCCfIZ37MWfiWe0WG0CjSglmH66pN24RFHFAOxY78xvb2AdAYGX4f8heF3hl0CtJQFA9deq2v8Y/s320/mcclure_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-40648521969377134932023-08-22T07:30:00.009-04:002023-08-22T08:53:31.011-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Gigantor (1964)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5_B7Gn4w_jRaXfc3zDEsPbjsY_foN_puAjb_oqdeBLUumaLDAWggiRMcv1m_B851shvIThr658wSl6GEaxP7NWf7oe1QFyGJJxVtcGmOEimr5c78bDCW5uirM2otfogu93tm9Jb-WbguU7JOs5sb-_TkSxEkqVg_Gh92QXfkGEwv5PS0aLjlvo2-j2U/s500/gigant.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5_B7Gn4w_jRaXfc3zDEsPbjsY_foN_puAjb_oqdeBLUumaLDAWggiRMcv1m_B851shvIThr658wSl6GEaxP7NWf7oe1QFyGJJxVtcGmOEimr5c78bDCW5uirM2otfogu93tm9Jb-WbguU7JOs5sb-_TkSxEkqVg_Gh92QXfkGEwv5PS0aLjlvo2-j2U/s320/gigant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Gigantor</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut:</b> U.S. syndication 1964? 1966?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Peter Fernandez<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring (English dub):</span> </b>Billie Lou Watt, Ray Owens, Gilbert Mack, Sonia Owens<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> When terrorists, criminals, and aliens threaten, the virtually indestructible robot, Gigantor, is there to combat them, under the control (for some reason) of 12 year-old Jimmy Sparks.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trey:</b> According to Wikipedia, Gigantor is the English translation of a 1963 anime adaptation of Tetsujin 28-go, a 1956 manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It debuted on US television in January 1966 in syndication (Interestingly, IMDB disagrees and says it debuted in 1964). A direct translation of its Japanese name would be “Iron Man No. 28” but since Marvel had recently come out with a character named Iron Man, No. 28 became Gigantor.</div><div><br /></div><div>The series did not exactly receive glowing reviews. Again according to Wikipedia, It was playing at 7:00 p.m. on New York's WPIX-TV when a review in Variety called it a "loud, violent, tasteless and cheerless cartoon" which was "strictly in the...babysitter class." The reviewer at least noted that it was popular; "Ratings so far are reportedly good, but strictly pity the tikes and their misguided folks."</div><div><br /></div><div>Like <i>Speed Racer</i> and other anime, the names and places were changed for the English dub and the violence was toned down.</div><div><br /></div><div>We watched Seasons 2, episodes 1 & 2 on Freevee on Amazon Prime. The first concerns the wealthy baddie whose name I can’t recall funding the evil Dr. Envee’s work to create a duplicate Gigantor under their control. The second is about that same bad guy trying to get the nation of Keenymeanie to produce an army of budget Gigantors from the plans from last episode in their war with the nation of Snork.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jason, how did you find <i>Gigantor</i>?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> I watched the first episode early Saturday morning, hoping to coax myself into a mindset receptive to an early 60's animated series for small children. I stopped short of pouring myself a bowl of mid-century breakfast cereal, which may have been a mistake, as the sugar rush could have helped sustain my interest and attention. As it happened, any initial goodwill eroded rapidly!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTiEH0zZrZGIH3c9ua8kWQFf7h6HXHSJX1d7kd6NxsLRaBGIuPLZXwZoXm1b1RrK1GHbTbtCji0MInP1D28I9j5AeU3WFORosdkPb0hsiwQYXR89BQw8AdZ8wtNPNgeeASflAAXJ9wIa1dP5F11XGFlzS1seJT-kGw3hb6Ht6wavB2vItRuqmyB7gUU8/s504/Gigantor_Robot.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="504" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTiEH0zZrZGIH3c9ua8kWQFf7h6HXHSJX1d7kd6NxsLRaBGIuPLZXwZoXm1b1RrK1GHbTbtCji0MInP1D28I9j5AeU3WFORosdkPb0hsiwQYXR89BQw8AdZ8wtNPNgeeASflAAXJ9wIa1dP5F11XGFlzS1seJT-kGw3hb6Ht6wavB2vItRuqmyB7gUU8/s320/Gigantor_Robot.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I thought the first episode was aggressively dull, boiling down to a contest of remote-control skills in the battle of the twin Gigantors. Distinguished only by their paint jobs (not ideal for black and white television!), their conflict looked like a visual representation of the battle between the writers and their creative powers. Or perhaps between the original creators and the translators. In either case, there were no winners.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second episode, "The Ten Thousand Gigantors," promised more of the same (ten thousand times more!), but to my surprise, was much more engaging. It seemed like much more effort went into every aspect of this production. The animation seemed livelier, character designs more consistent, and more of them. The war between Snork and the Keenymeanies actually seemed to have stakes! Your thoughts?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCeO0HtyGw5RLpHGe3HHHRMiFZXN3FhHn43C-KAUop_kE-pIf1hd4QZFMwI4A0tMJ7KXp7xWrK2dPBB-eeXOehhyswPBVmKEmOT7MItlVyuLznSRio4NRk3c-oo4KGoCJV-Ytrkh5pSQGU8QHLerl-F-scfgoDsfGewvJ809xzzFaqH9krPe088ZoAvQ/s300/Jimmy_Sparks.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCeO0HtyGw5RLpHGe3HHHRMiFZXN3FhHn43C-KAUop_kE-pIf1hd4QZFMwI4A0tMJ7KXp7xWrK2dPBB-eeXOehhyswPBVmKEmOT7MItlVyuLznSRio4NRk3c-oo4KGoCJV-Ytrkh5pSQGU8QHLerl-F-scfgoDsfGewvJ809xzzFaqH9krPe088ZoAvQ/s1600/Jimmy_Sparks.webp" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> I agree regarding the dullness of the first episode. I think it's mostly the tension and excitement free chase that takes up about half its allotted time that does it in, though. I was actually amused by the battle between the two Gigantors as their potbellies made me think of two sumo wrestlers going at it, and one's with humorously stove-pipe arms and legs, at that. There's a Tick Tock of Oz quality to the Gigantor design that gives it a bit of charm.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second episode was better, but the whole enterprise is brought down by the really limited animation and character designs. The designs just aren't stylized, they seem amateurish at times. Much more dynamic and interesting is the American series I had mused might have been inspired by this (and <a href="https://www.cbr.com/first-anime-imports-united-states/#gigantor-1964-influenced-future-giant-cartoon-robots-like-frankenstein-jr">this article at CBR</a> suggests it was): <i>Frankenstein Jr</i>. </div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-13780474763968653712023-08-15T07:00:00.017-04:002023-08-15T07:00:00.139-04:00Classic TV Flashback: Mr. Lucky (1959)<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkO0vLOU8pjJfXO4uQ7WU5AcdlvM_P8ZTdEprC0QP48JiGI4unqMTm1ez7PmTflPFfvERt44CzhLQyPc9UO3ffsCIiNjngAYYApZ9olLlrLi_BtF-h7D6n1vHcrBvovA5kr55M7JrcbsFtxk3OgoG19wH_evNdcdQVJkMBVVegBZ4NvtMJrw1UdA8uT-Y/s500/lucky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkO0vLOU8pjJfXO4uQ7WU5AcdlvM_P8ZTdEprC0QP48JiGI4unqMTm1ez7PmTflPFfvERt44CzhLQyPc9UO3ffsCIiNjngAYYApZ9olLlrLi_BtF-h7D6n1vHcrBvovA5kr55M7JrcbsFtxk3OgoG19wH_evNdcdQVJkMBVVegBZ4NvtMJrw1UdA8uT-Y/s320/lucky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mr. Lucky</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Debut: </b>Oct<b>o</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">ber 24, 1959</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Created by</b> </span><span>Blake Edwards<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starring:</span> </b><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>John Vivyan, Ross Martin, Pippa Scott, and Tom Brown<br /><b>Synopsis</b>:<i> Adventure, like guests, seem to come to Mr. Lucky. He's a professional gambler who runs a swank, floating casino, the Fortuna II, beyond the three-mile limit, with the help of his friend Andamo. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><b>Trey</b><i><b>:</b> Mr. Lucky</i> is a 1959-1960 series that aired on CBS. It was cancelled after only one season, even though it did pretty well in the ratings, due to loss of its sponsor. It ran 34 half-hour episodes. Created by Blake Edwards, it was loosely based on the 1943 Cary Grant film of the same name written by Milton Holmes. It stars John Vivyan in the title role and Ross Martin as his sidekick. Martin will be known to followers of this blog as Artemus Gordon from <i>Wild Wild West</i>. Mr. Lucky also has a score by Henry Mancini. </div><div><br /></div><div>We were able to watch this on Freevee on Amazon Prime. It's also <a href="https://youtu.be/3c0FqyCWQaM">on Youtube</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Mr. Lucky, the titular character this two-fisted, pulp dramedy, has a singular super-power -- extraordinarily good luck, at least where matters of gambling are concerned. Outside of high stakes bets, his fortunes appear to fall into the not-so-hot range. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first two episodes, taken together, constitute an origin story, setting up the circumstances that would become the show's formula. </div><div><br /></div><div>Blake Edwards makes damn sure we know he's in charge, stating so emphatically in the credits sequences, and his sensibilities are all over these episodes. I'm not an admirer of his work, aside from favorable memories of his collaborations with Peter Sellers, but he shines here. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>This is sort of a continuation of his stylistic approach with <i>Peter Gunn</i>, I think, but with a bit more humor.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Jason:</b> So, how badly has it aged? I'm inclined to think network standards and practices may have saved <i>Mr. Lucky</i> from Edwards' more objectionable mid-century proclivities. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>Trey:</b> Well, there wouldn't be so much smoking on modern TV! Martin is playing a Latino role and isn't (so far as I know) Latino, but I don't think we see anything really offensive here.</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Jason</b>: The first episode, written by Edwards, hums along smoothly, delivering more plot and juicy one-liners in a half-hour format than many shows manage in an hour.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> It really does, and it's a great introduction. Very quickly. it establishes the characters and the stakes in an interesting way. I like the setting and situation a lot: it's a Latin American "banana republic" where Mr. Lucky and Andamo have been navigating politics to get rich (and Andamo also working with the rebels!), but then everything goes out the window and they have to flee. It reminds me other such tales of ne'er-do well adventurers in volatile Central and South American countries. It's a classic setup.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCP7qlG1Lg8FW-lHUITFDYnx-gb42P1lgwuuBGV5xj6bNYDXQzIlkroCQ4jgeOT74Od-_MU_6NnnLjKaDM-gsFptF1RGBpbqzSaCAs56sQyYyvFoBjYGKqei8NnAq9jwXtAb98_6PtX8qKf33dk7eLKbbfZlsk43HP80O1_bxfrC8Op522p-WJlIxEXo/s500/lucky2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="418" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCP7qlG1Lg8FW-lHUITFDYnx-gb42P1lgwuuBGV5xj6bNYDXQzIlkroCQ4jgeOT74Od-_MU_6NnnLjKaDM-gsFptF1RGBpbqzSaCAs56sQyYyvFoBjYGKqei8NnAq9jwXtAb98_6PtX8qKf33dk7eLKbbfZlsk43HP80O1_bxfrC8Op522p-WJlIxEXo/s320/lucky2.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Episode two continues this high standard, and is clever, intense when it needs to be, and genuinely funny. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey: </b>Yeah, I think it points in the direction of the later episodes of series: run-ins with criminal-types in the U.S.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> Both episodes showcase fine performances from the leads and guest stars. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> Martin is great as always, but John Vyvan is unflappable in that mid-century, smooth, tough guy sort of way. Particularly, in the first episode. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Jason:</b> I was surprised by the speed, intensity, and fun in the Lucky vs. Mafia muscle fight sequence. Judo chops flew and the casual use of a garbage can lid shield only added to the exciting and convincingly gritty brawl.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey</b>: I think Mancini's music adds to the fight sequence--ups the energy. So.. verdict?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason:</b> verdict: my new favorite show!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trey:</b> It really is good. An auspicious beginning to this project.</div>Treyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.com1