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Adam-12: Log 106: Post Time (1971)
Seminal, Classic Cannell
This one of the late Stephen Cannell's earliest TV credits, and the first he wrote for A-12 - and its a beaut! This HAD to have been the script which got him the story editor job for A-12's fourth, and best season.
It's classic Cannell, with humor that is never forced - a rarity in Mark IV productions - tight plotting, and great characterizations, even for the 'walk ons'. Plus that little touch of - what else to call it - goofiness that will show up in almost all of Cannell's future work; i.e., the guy who drives a tank around L.A. as his vehicle. Another plus is that Universal and/or Mark IV seems to have picked up on this, and gave director Nyby a couple of extra shooting dollars, as there are no obvious back lot scenes, and Nyby gets a couple of really nice shots in - especially the shot at the end pulling back from the unfinished ramp.
It would have been interesting to see what Cannell could have done with DRAGNET 6X....
Barney Miller: Werewolf (1976)
A Howling Good Time at the 12th
One of the many, many hysterical Barneys of Season Three. The detectives deal with getting flu shots and a crazy who thinks he is a werewolf, all in typical BM style.
The entire cast as usual plays it straight, with an incredible over the top performance by regular guest player Ken Tigar as poor Mr Kopechnie, the werewolf wanna be. Of the regulars, Jack Soo steals the show with his droll delivery of some of the funniest lines ever:
(barking noises coming from down the hall)
BARNEY: What the hell's going on down there?
(Harris comes in the squad room, all disheveled)
HARRIS : Its Mr Kopecknie, Barney....he thinks hes a werewolf
(Yemana looks at both of them)
YEMENA: I'll go get the newspapers for the cage.
and so on...
one of Barney's not-to-miss episodes!
Star Trek: The Naked Time (1966)
Naked...and Essential
The Enterprise is assigned to pick a scientific team of a planet which is soon going to die - only to find the team dead - in very mysterious and bizarre circumstances. Thus begins one of THE most essential Trek episodes of all.
When the team of Spock and young Joe Tromolen returns to the ship, Tromolen begins acting in a remorseful and then suicidally way - stabbing himself out of regret for 'polluting space' - infecting Sulu and navigator Kevin Riley in the process - beginning the fast spread of madness throughout the ship.
Very cleverly, Roddenberry and company use the disease to display the inner thoughts and desires of some of the characters, even as the ship spins closer to death.
This is beautifully acted, and expertly directed by veteran TV director Marc Daniels. Some of the highlights:
The scene in the briefing room with Spock slowly losing his emotional control is perhaps one of the best Trek scenes ever. It is done in one take, with a slow dolly shot that subtly closes in on Spock's breakdown. THIS is the scene which made Spock as a character -with a few slips, Nimoy never looked back as far as overplaying Spock.
The incredulous look Scott gives Kirk when he finds out that the engines have been totally shut down -"It'll take thirty minutes just to regenerate them!" basically sets the Scotty character mold also - right through the "I canna change the laws of physics!" line.
From the point where Kirk finds Spock in the briefing room ("My mother..I never told her I love her!") through Kirk's infection, and HIS lamentations about a captain's relationship with 'his' ship, all the way through the risky engine implosion and subsequent time warp, are as dramatic and exciting science fiction ever done. The key line here is Kirk, gathering his strength to return to the bridge, wistfully looking up at his love (The Enterprise), and whispering to himself, "Never lose you...never" I have literally seen this more times than I count, but it STILL gets to me, as THIS is Kirk laid bare - and it stays part of his character for the rest of the shows AND movies.
And of all the goofs - anyone notice Spock NEVER gets 'the cure'?
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Just Some Historical Perspective....
A timeless story,as evidenced by all the allegories to recent personalities here ( Howard Stern, Clinton, etc...)...HOWEVER..the film is based (loosely) on a personality of the mid-50s: one Arthur Godfrey..yes, the IL' Redhead himself. Skillfully wrapped in the cliché of 'country boy makes good' story, the Godfrey story was hot news in 1957,and there weren't too many people back then who missed its allusions For those who do not know: Arthur Godfrey was one of THE hottest things in the country in the early to mid 1950's: he literally had about two or three different TV shows on the schedule, plus a radio show that was among the most popular in the day. Godfrey was JUST like this movie in this respect: on the air, he was America's home-spun hero..telling folksy stories....crooning in an off tone baritone, and presenting pure, CLEAN entertainment. OFF the air,however the legend that is Arthur Godfrey to this day is one of THE biggest control freaks in show biz history..to the point of controlling the lives of all of his 'family'..unfortunately that turned out to be downfall...One Julius LaRosa had been a singer that Godfrey had 'discovered' in the US Navy Band...after he was discharged LaRosa became a singer on Godfrey's nighttime TV show "Arthur Godfrey and Friends",where he became an instant star among the bobby sox set. In time, LaRosa started a recording career,and started to have VERY successful records..then suddenly, in 1953, Godfrey suddenly fired LaRosa from his show for the mysterious reason of him having 'no humilty' ...it has been assumed since then that Godfrey was extremely jealous of Larosa's success...Anyways, this exposed the 'real' Godfrey to the public.,and while it didn't happen as quickly or as totally as Lonesome Rhodes' career,Godfrey's career as a superstar was effectively over after that..he eventually was reduced to hosting game shows and such. Writer Schulberg obviously also puts in his 2 cents on fame...politics..the show business...and early television here, but as I said,there wasn't NO ONE in those days who didn't know it was about Godfrey....