Topic: Roger's Random TV Episodes Watched

[Rogmeister]

To keep this to a manageable figure, I will limit this to what I watch that's via DVD.

Have Gun Will Travel
The O'Hare Story

Paladin gets involved in a story about a man damming up the water that a town needs.  It's an okay story...nothing real special except that it guest-stars the great character actor Victor McLaglen (who won an Oscar for "The Informer") and who is directed here by his son, Andrew V. McLaglen.  Victor McLatglen would have just 3 more credits before his demise.  His final role was appropriately in another western, an episode of Rawhide, where he was again directed by his son.  I'll have to get that...it's in the second season.  I only have Rawhide's first season at this point.

[addicted2dvd]

I never seen a single episode. 

[Rogmeister]

The Young Riders
Pilot

The Young Riders was a western series from the 1990s that lasted (I think) about 3 seasons.  It dealt with a young group of riders for the Pony Express who ran a route on horseback delivering precious mail in their saddle bags.  Among the riders were a few notable names...William F. Cody (later to be known as Buffalo Bill) and Wild Bill Hickok...Jesse James would show up on the series in a later season.  Among the young cast were Josh Brolin, Stephen Baldwin and Ty Miller.  Yvonne Suhor played Lou, a young woman posing as a man trying to earn enough to buy her own home and get her brother and sister out of an orphanage to join her.  The way station was managed by the grizzled Teaspoon, played by veteran actor Anthony Zerbe and Melissa Leo played Claire who was the young riders' mother hen as well as the one who cooked food for them.

In this pilot episode, we meet all these characters and see them cross paths with a dangerous group of desperadoes.  One of the male riders discovers Lou's secret but keeps it.  The  young cast is engaging and I can see where it was popular enough to last 3 or 4 seasons.  One of these days I want to learn more about the real Pony Express which, if I remember correctly, actually had a very short existance.  John Debny provided a lively score.

[Rogmeister]

The New Adventures of Superman

I began seriously collecting comic books in the fall of 1966.  I don't think it was a coincidence that that was around the same time this cartoon series began airing.  It was the first of the DC comic book series (and which has hardly stopped ever since).  In this half-hour series, they had two Superman cartoons with a Superboy cartoon sandwiched in between...each probably about 7 minutes long.  This collection only includes the Superman cartoons but you get 38 of them on two discs.  Of course, they played loose with the rules then...in the first cartoon, Superman seems to kill off some aliens in a spaceship attacking Earth with an energy monster...and we all know Superman has a moral code to never take a life.  Many of the cartoons in here are written by people I am totally unfamiliar with but I note that some are by George Kashdan who was also an editor at DC Comics.  Superman is voiced by Bud Collyer who had also played Superman on radio and in the Fleischer movie cartoons of the 1940s.  Joan Alexander, who also did the voice of Lois back then, voices Lois in some of these cartoons as well (Lois is voiced by another actress in some of the cartoons as well).  To me, it's impossible to get past the nostalgia factor...I see and hear that old opening and all of a sudden I am 14 years old again.  Compared to the cartoons of today, these are pretty much the stone-age of super-hero cartoons but I still get a kick out of them.  Whether you will (especially if you've never seen them before) may be a totally different matter. 

[Rogmeister]

The Range Rider, Vol. 2 (Alpha)
"Border City Affair"
"Outlaw Pistols"
"Blind Trail"
"The Chase"

I'm not sure if they are available outside of North America but here in the U.S., we have a company called Alpha that puts out very inexpensive DVDs.  They can usually be had for $5 to $8.  Their TV ones are usually single disc affairs featuring 4 half-hour episodes each.  This week I have watched the second volume they have put out of The Range Rider.  This was a series during the early 1950s produced by Gene Autry's company.  It starred Jock Mahoney (though back then he was still being billed as Jack Mahoney) as The Range Rider (the only name he ever went by) who went from town to town righting wrongs aided by his young sidekick Dick West (Dick Jones).  These episodes are very lively with the heroes rarely mounting their horses in the foot-in-the-stirrup way...they tend to jump up in the saddle from the rear of the horses. 

The Alpha discs are usually hit-or-miss regarding quality but these are okay.  They're not pristine or anything but they're certainly watchable and I enjoyed watching these.  There were a few familiar faces in here such as western veteran Myron Healey (you may remember him as the bully in the Adventures of Superman episode where Jimmy and Lois go to a western town), John Doucette (who played a bad guy also in many Superman episodes), Sheb Wooley (from Rawhide) and Stanley Andrews (one-time host of Death Valley Days) among others.  One episode here even features a female bandit which is kind of unique for the time.  Nothing here will make you forget Lonesome Dove but these were made for the kids and they entertained them.

By the way, Dick Jones...who played the young sidekick...would star in his own series a few years after this...Buffalo Bill Jr.  I have two Alpha discs of episodes of that series...and I may watch them next.

[Rogmeister]

Bewitched: Season One

I decided to finally get around to watching my Bewitched series...I have the first 5 seasons, stopping there since that concludes Dick York's run as Darrin.  I never cared half as much for his replacement, Dick Sargent.  I had watched the first four episodes (including the pilot and the episodes where we meet the Kravitzes and where Darrin meets Endora) so we pick it up with episode 5...


LITTLE PITCHERS HAVE BIG FEARS: A neighborhood kid with an over-protective mother wants to play baseball, and Samantha helps him out.

THE WITCHES ARE OUT: Darrin's new client is in the Halloween candy business and wants an ad with an old ugly witch in it, but Samantha and her elderly witch friends, change the new client's mind with a Scrooge-like visit in his sleep.

THE GIRL REPORTER: A young college girl interviews Darrin for her school's paper and also tries to steal him away from Samantha, who is confronted by the girl's football player boyfriend, "Monster."

WITCH OR WIFE? : While Larry and Louise are on a business trip in Paris, Darrin is left behind with a heavy workload. Samantha is alone and bored at home and accompanies her mother for lunch, in Paris! They meet up with the Tates and soon Darrin learns of Samantha's whereabouts and it furious!

I especially like "Little Pitchers Have Big Feara".  June Lockhart plays the overprotective mother (I'm guessing this must've been done around the same time she was playing Timmy's mom on Lassie) and her son is played by Jimmy Mathers who looks just like his better-known brother Jerry (star of Leave It To Beaver).  The other episodes are fun, too.  Interestingly enough, Endora is absent from two of these episodes (Samantha does mention in one episode that Endora leaves the country during the Halloween season as she finds the U.S. depiction of witches appalling).  I like Endora but I like the occasional episode where she's absent...just as I find too much Barney on The Andy Griffith Show to not always be a pleasant thing.  The first two seasons of this series were done in black & white...you can get these first two seasons in colorized editions but I, of course, bought the proper B&W versions.

[Rogmeister]

Due to a money crunch, I was late paying my cable bill and now my cable service has been suspended.  Bad timing for me as the baseball season is starting...but it gives me more time to devote to DVD-watching I guess.

Bewitched: The Complete First Season

I started watching Disc 2 this evening...

"Just One Happy Family"--In this episode we first meet Samantha's father Maurice (played by Maurice Evans), a warlock with a temper tantrum who gets all wicked when he learns Samantha has married a (gasp!) mortal.  This is a fun episode.

"It Takes One To Know One"--Sam finds out that a model who is scheming to take Darrin away is in actuality a witch herself.  They could've had a real war between witches here...but perhaps they didn't have the special effects to pull it off?  An okay episode.

"And Something Makes Three"--This may be the episode with the smallest amount of witchcraft.  Gladys thinks Sam is swimming...but they have no pool.  The only real "special" effect is when Sam temporarily makes herself move fast to get cleaning done quicker as Louise Tate is coming.  Louise finds she is expecting...but Larry overhears and misunderstands, thinking it's Samantha who is pregnant.  This episode could actually be pretty much the plot of any sitcom.

"A Vision Of Sugar Plums"--I skipped ahead about 3 episodes to watch this Christmas episodes tonight.  Darrin and Samantha take in an orphan for the holidays who doesn't believe in Santa, so Sam takes him and Darrin on a visit to the real Santa...at the North Pole.  Child actor phenom Billy Mumy plays the nonbeliever and future sitcom star Bill Daily has a bit part as the man who wants to adopt him.  With episodes like this and the one I mentioned earlier about the boy pitcher, it's no surprise they wanted Samantha to have a baby pretty quickly...then they could stop using their kid storylines on guest-kids and save them for their own!

[Rogmeister]

Bewitched: The Complete First Season

Finishing off Disc 2...

"Love Is Blind"  Samantha decides to play matchmaker, getting a girlfriend of hers together with a male friend of Darrin's.  Darrin's friend in this episode is played by Adam West.  I noticed Endora's absence again in this episode...she seems to be absent from several first season episodes.

"Samantha Meets The Folks"  Darrin's parents come to visit and Samantha's Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne) picks the same time to...ummm...drop by.  Darrin's parents are played by Robert F. Simon and Mabel Robertson...who also played Howard Sprague's meddlesome mother on The Andy Griffith Show.

"It's Magic"  In this episode, Samantha is given the job of getting some talent for a hospital benefit show and she hires a former vaudevillian magician...who she helps regain his confidence.

"A Is For Aardvark"  This episode was directed by actress Ida Lupino.  Darrin sprains his ankle so Samantha has the house obey his every whim...which makes Darrin rather power mad and he decides to quit and take his wife on a tour around the world.  Don't ask me what the title means, though!

"The Cat's Meow"  A female chairman of the board (Martha Hyer) for a company Darrin is trying to land an account of has him come to Chicago to meet with her...where she puts the moves on Darrin.  Darrin, meanwhile, thinks a cat who shows up there is actually Samantha in disguise.

I've also checked out the short extras on discs 1-3 (which disappeared very quickly in future sets).  Discs 1-2 featured short interviews with Bill Asher and some still surviving cast members.  It is  mentioned that this was the first show to feature a separated couple (Samantha's parents) and also the first TV show in which a couple (Darrin and Samantha) actually slept in the same bed.  The third disc shows some small mistakes during the show that most people would miss...such as Samantha getting a new dress in one episode...despite the fact she had previously worn the same dress in 3 previous episodes.  Still, it's a fun little short.

[Rogmeister]

Bewitched: The Complete First Season

This evening, I watched Disc 3 of this set.  This time, however, I didn't bother marking down the episode titles so I can't list specific episode plots and such...but I can still make a few comments.  Most of the episodes were fun though there was one really sweet episode about Aunt Clara babysitting and how some parents reacted to her telling the children she was a witch.  Quicker than you can say Kris Kringle, we have a hearing reminiscent of Miracle On 34th Street.  Paul Lynde made his debut in another episode in which he is a driving instructor (a very nervous one, of course) and he attempts to teach Samantha to drive.  At least she picked it up faster than Aunt Bee did!  Sam seems to like turning animals into people (and vice versa) and there's an episode here in which she turns a cat into a beautiful woman.  And Endora, posing as Samantha, winds up dating a friend of Darrin's...and, of course, hilarity ensues.

One of my favorite characters is Gladys Kravitz...at least the original Gladys as played by Alice Pearce.  Unfortunately, if I remember correctly, Miss Pearce died about two years into the series and the character then had to be recast and it just wasn't the same.  Since they recast Mrs. Kravitz, I wonder why people made such a stink when they recast Darrin?

[addicted2dvd]

I haven't watched any of my Bewitched in a while... other then the pilot when I was in the B's of my Pilot Thread. It is another series I am behind one. I really should look into getting caught up.

[Rogmeister]

Bewitched: The Complete First Season (Conclusion)
I've now watched the fourth and final disc of this set.  It includes these 9 episodes...

"Open the Door, Witchcraft"  A fun little episode in which the Stephens get a garage-door opener...flying aircraft radio signals keep opening and closing it but Darrin thinks Samantha is doing it magically.

"Abner Kadabra"  Gladys Kravitz again sees Sam doing magical things...but Sam, thinking fast, makes Gladys think it was HER doing the levitation and then Gladys goes nuts trying to do wilder and wilder things.

"George the Warlock"  This is the first of two episodes this disc introducing us to yet another of the magical friends and/or foes of the witches.  Here we meet George, a warlock...played by Christopher George.  In this episode, George tries to break up Darrin and Samantha.

"That Was My Wife"  Samantha goes brunette...and Larry, seeing her only from the back kissing Darrin, thinks Darrin is seeing another woman.

"Illegal Separation"  The Kravitzes have a fight and split up...and Abner winds up rooming at the Stephens' so they try to figure a way to get them back together. 

"A Change of Face"  Endora and Samantha have fun changing Darrin's features and when he learns what they did, he suddenly becomes self-conscious of his natural looks.

"Remember The Main"  The Stephens get involved in politics as they back a candiate for council who is battling the crooked incumbent.

"Eat At Mario's"  Samantha and Endora use their magic to advertise for a failing Italian restaurant they love...which puts them at odds with Darrin's trying to keep an account with a pizza chain owner.

"Cousin Edgar"  This is the second episode this disc introducing a new magical character.  Cousin Edgar is an elf (played by Arte Johnson) who sees himself as Samantha's protector...and since he sees Darrin as unfit for her, sets out to ruin his life.

A fun group of episodes and I enjoy seeing all the supporting characters in various episodes.  We even get a fairly pleasant conversation or two between Samantha and nosy next-door neighbor Gladys. 

[Rogmeister]

Bewitched: The Complete Second Season
Disc One

After watching the first season of Bewitched, I have decided to go ahead and move on to the second season...sadly this would be the last season with Alice Pearce as the orginal Gladys Kravitz as she developed cancer during this second season and would be replaced by a different actress in season 3.

"Alias Darrin Stephens" has Darrin accidentally turned into a chimpanzee by Sam's Aunt Clara (whose magic never goes quite right).  Sam also learns she is going to have a baby in this episode.

"A Very Special Delivery"--Endora gives Darrin pregnancy symptoms.

"We're In For A Bad Spell"--A visitor from Salem is the victim of a witch's curse and the Stephens attempt to help him find the cure.

"My Grandson The Warlock"--The Stephens are babysitting the son of Larry and Louise Tate...but Sam's father, thinking it is Sam's baby, takes him away.

"The Joker Is A Card"--This episode introduces us to Uncle Arthur (Paul Lynde) and his wicked sense of humor.

"Take Two Aspirin And Half A Pint of Porpoise Milk"--This would be the first of a series of episodes in which Samantha gets a weird malady.  In this one, she develops square green spots and Aunt Clara must put together an antidote (future episodes of this type would require the services of Dr. Bombay).

"Trick or Treat"--Endora turns Darrin into a werewolf on Halloween.  By a weird coincidence, two guest-stars in this episode would later go on to appear in The Brady Bunch...Maureen McCormick (Endora as a little girl) and the actor who would become Mike Brady's boss.

"The Very Informal Dress"--Aunt Clara zaps up attire for Sam and Darrin for a party...but they don't hold up well during the event.

"And Then I Wrote"--Sam is roped into writing a play about the Civil War...and her imagination brings several characters to life including an Indian and a Confiderate soldier...and his horse.

Watching these episodes, I think one reason I preferred this series to I Dream of Jeannie (apart from the fact Jeannie was a slave to her "master" and Sam was an independent young woman, despite being married) is that I feel Bewitched definitely had better writing.

[Rogmeister]

Bewitched: The Complete Second Season
Disc Two, Part One

I've now watched about half the episodes on disc two...

"Junior Executive"--During an ad campaign to sign a new client, Darrin iws turned into a young boy.  Young Darrin is played by Billy Mumy.

"Aunt Clara's Old Flame"--An old flame of Clara (played by Charlie Ruggles) comes to visit and Sam helps her perform her magic so he doesn't think she has lost her abilities.

"A Strange Little Visitor"--The Stephens babysit a young warlock while his parents are away...and their house is robbed during that night.  The father of Merle, the warlock, is played by James Doohan.

"My Boss, The Teddy Bear"--Darrin thinks Endora has turned his boss, Larry Tate, into a Teddy Bear.

This disc also has a replaying of the Christmas episode from the first season with Billy Mumy...though they did add one short new scene so they are reminiscing about what happened the year before.  Billy Mumy is in this episode, too.  This is the episode with a short cameo by Bill Daly.

[Rogmeister]

A few days ago, I wrote about watching the pilot episode of the western TV series "Whispering Smith" which starred Audie Murphy in the lead role as a detective lawman in Denver in the 1870s.  i posted that in my TV pilot thread.  I just got done watching the 3 episodes following that one...
 
"The Grudge" was a strange tale of revenge.  A woman's husband (an outlaw and killer) had been killed years earlier by Whispering Smith and she raised her son to be a fast-shooting gunslinger with the ultimate goal being that he would shoot Smith down.  In this episode, that young gunfighter was played by a young Robert Redford.  She also had a daughter, played in this episode by Gloria Talbott.  She looked familiar...at first I thought it was an actress who had appeared on Petticoat Junction (she looks just like one of the dark-haired girls to me) but she wasn't ever on that show.  I thought this was an interesting episode.
 
"The Devil's Share" guest-starred Clu Gulager as a man who kills his own brother and then tries to plant evidence to make it look like someone else committed the crime.  This was an episode I l iked as we saw how Smith figured out who did it.
 
"Stake-Out" had different opening titles than the first 3 episodes.  I probably prefer the first opening...I'm not sure yet (obviously) if this new one became a  permanent opening.  In this episode, another deputy and friend of Smith takes center stage as some outlaws who he was once friends with try to get him to help bust their leader out of jail and they kidnap the deputy's pregnant wife to make sure he goes along.  There's some solid action in this and the other episodes.
 
If you've bought Timeless releases, you know that sometimes they don't have the best prints.  I did see a few scratches on the prints in one or two small spots (mainly in night scenes where I guess it's more noticeable) but it wasn't too bad and overall I am enjoying this series.

[Rogmeister]

Today I decided to continue watching the TV set of Whispering Smith.  I had watched half of Disc 1 before, the first four episodes.  So I put Disc 1 in again and watched the remaining 4 episodes on this disc...

Safety Valve--In this episode, Smith and his deputy work undercover as calvarymen to try to find out who is shooting down officers during fights with Indians.  Harry Carey Jr. guest-stars in this and there's a singing interlude inside a men's barracks which made me think of the singing moments of John Ford western films.  Les Tremayne also appears in this episode as the head of the fort they are at.

Stain of Justice--A young man is accused of murder when a woman, who happens to be the mistress of his father (a respected judge) is found dead with the son at the scene.  Guest-starring Richard Chamberlain.  This was an okay episode.

The Deadliest Weapon--Smith and his deputy watch over a gold mine owner who has been threatened with death with mysterious notes and attempts at his life.  This was a better-than-average episode with a few nice plot twists. 

The Quest--A young woman comes to Denver looking for her mother who she has not seen in 15 years.  Smith tries to help her find her mother while the young woman is also being warned to return East and never return.  This is a nice episode with a mystery angle and is probably my favorite of the series so far.  I'll be very happy if future episodes (I have 2 discs to go) are as good as this one.