brothersk Reviews

Get Smart: Anatomy of a Lover (1966) Season 2, Episode 1

Funny how life and art offer unseen symmetries

[18 June 2017]

I was a Get Smart fan back in the day. One of the first color shows I watched on a regular basis. I was also a fan of NBC's The Virginian but was disappointed when Gary Clarke (Steve Hill) was written out of that show shortly after Season 2.

Thanks to IMDb and the ability to cross examine credits, I have been delighted to find out that Gary Clarke went on to pursue another love, writing, and that it was his pen that produced the scripts that introduced Hymie the Robot, easily one of the high-water marks of the Get Smart series.

Hurrah to you Gary if you are out there reading somewhere. Your work has given me great pleasure.

Lonesome Dove (1989)

The standard for made-for-TV movies

[10/10 · 3 July 2006]

It took four episodes to come close to what Larry McMurtry accomplished in his book but this movie does it. It's only flaws are in the occasional cheesy special effects (sandstorm) that more that fifteen years ago were inevitable on a TV budget.

Perfect casting, even to the most minor roles, a beautiful score by Basil Poulidaris, and Bill Witliff's amazingly taut script (yes, taut, even at this length) make this, along with Ken Burns' 'Civil War' documentary, the best made-for-TV productions I have ever seen. It is little wonder that Robert Duvall still claims that Augustus McCrae is the greatest role he has ever played, equating the part's depth and richness to that of Hamlet.

The scope of this story, which in some ways dwarfs the small screen and cries out for something larger, makes up in depth for what it lacks in breadth. The only thing more grand than the majesty of the West is the ability of the human heart to expand to fill it. Gus McCrae, Woodrow Call, Clara Allen, July Johnson and 'Deets' are all so real to me that their history disappears seamlessly into the history of this nation. 'Lonesome Dove' is America's version of 'Les Miserables' with the human heart the ultimate victor in life's tragedy.