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Reviews
Hull High (1990)
A Lost Gem of a Show
I remember this show from 1990. I saw the pilot episode that aired. It featured Carl Anthony Payne as one of the Hull High Devil Rappers (just after years of playing Theo's best friend Cockroach on The Cosby Show and before his role as the dimwitted Cole on Martin) and future Baywatch babe Nancy Valen as Donna Breedlove, who had one of the more memorable musical numbers on the first episode (if I didn't hit puberty yet, I did when I saw that). It aired around the same time Cop Rock hit the airwaves; but Cop Rock, for some reason, did better than Hull High. It also featured Gary Grubbs, who is best known for his role on Will & Grace as Harlan, Will's southern client and Jennifer Blanc who would go on to play Bailey's girlfriend during the first season of Party of Five. I hope this show gets released on DVD in the mere future.
It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977)
One of my favorite Peanuts specials of all time!
This was one of my favorites, despite being also the most controversial of all the Peanuts specials. It also aired the year I was born: 1977, so I was an infant when it aired. This was also the first post-Vince Guaraldi special that aired since he died (the last one Vince scored was "It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown" which aired a year earlier). Ed Bogas (who also scored the third Peanuts movie "Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown" which also came out in '77) and Judy Munsen took over for Vince, even including "Linus and Lucy", although it sounded real different. Bogas was also responsible for co-scoring the Ralph Bakshi films "Fritz The Cat" and "Heavy Traffic". The music was real funky and the groove was down-pact.
The special itself was a departure for Charles Schulz and company. For the first time ever, The Little Red-Haired Girl was seen, AND given a name: Heather. Plus, the Peanuts gang was on a Football team playing in a Homecoming game. Heather is the Homecoming Queen and Charlie Brown is her escort (how lucky is he!!!!!!!!!). He tries to impress her because he is the place kicker for the team (who was being coached by Peppermint Patty), but, alas, Lucy was holding the ball (CB even tried to use a kicking tee before being stopped by Ms. Van Pelt) and, in classic Peanuts form, pulls the ball away from Chuck, and you know the results. Because of Lucy (NOT CHARLIE BROWN, WHO GETS THE BRUNDT OF THE BLAME) they lose the game by one point. Then the Homecoming dance comes and CB must escort the Queen (Heather) and give her the traditional kiss (as pointed out by Linus throughout the program). Chuck is a barrel of nerves (mostly nervousness and anxiety-NO LIE! He as shaky as Linus without his blanket), but goes ahead with the procession. The kiss leads to Chuck in Dreamland.
I like this special for many reasons: 1. Some of the girls (Not the normal Peanuts girls) sported lashes (a Peanuts special first); 2. Snoopy is all over the place on this special (Woodstock's helicopter, referee, cheerleader's squad man, band member); 3. The Little Red-Haired Girl is finally seen (even though Schulz wasn't responsible for how she would look-Bill Melendez and co. have that distention-however she would finally appear in the strip in 1998 in a Spring Dance story as a silhouette dancing with Snoopy). This wouldn't be the last time we'd see her in animated form. She would appear in 1986's "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown", 1988's "Snoopy: The Musical", and most recently in 2002's post-Schulz special "A Charlie Brown Valentine".
Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (1977)
Great show!!
Of course this Hanna-Barbera show was modeled off Charlie's Angels and their own two properties: Scooby-Doo (which Cavey and the Angels appeared with the cowardly Great Dane on Laff-O-Lympics) and The Flintstones (hich Cavey would appear with later in the 80's after the Teen Angels went off the air). But as a kid, I used to have a crush on all three of the Angels and the slapstick comedy of Cavey was humorous as well. In fact, the show is still good and entertaining, even though it's slightly modeled off the "Scooby-Doo meets Charlie's Angels" example. I'd still watch it today, as it airs periodically on Cartoon Network's offspring channel Boomerang.
Bogard (1975)
LA Grey indeed!! (WATCH FOR SPOILERS)
This movie was good except for the ending. It stars Richard Lawson as the main character, Leroy Fisk. Also Dabney Coleman is in rare form as Heineken (not to be confused with the beer), a crooked cop. Also you see Philip Michael Thomas (of "Miami Vice" fame) in here as a wino. The plot is that Leroy is a street fighter working for the mafia, which includes a bumbling black henchman named Avon. One of the funniest lines came from Avon in the beginning when the boss meets Leroy for the first time when he says, "I'll show you what a brother like me can do for a brother like you!" trying to be tough. Heineken, the crooked cop mentioned before, tries to get his cut of the pay from Leroy. It turns out the cop and the mob boss are in cahoots and Leroy wants out. (HERE COMES THE SPOILERS, SO PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS TURNS OUT STOP READING NOW!!! YOU BEEN WARNED!!!) Well after earning a load of money from his last fight, Leroy buys a club and one night, his brother-in-law pays him a visit. But things take a turn for the worse when Leroy's car gets bombed, but his wife and brother-in-law are in the car. Leroy swears revenge on the mob boss. Heineken also gets his by Leroy locking him up in a meat locker at a butchery, virtually freezing him to death. (BIG SPOILER COMING UP!!!) This is where the movie takes a really bad turn. The mob boss's rival tell Leroy that everything has been taken care of and that he's #1 now. Leroy ends up wrestling with the guy who shoots himself accidentally while grabbing for his gun. Then Leroy starts to lose it and have flashbacks of all the events that led to this and he starts punching mirrors all over the place, and that's it. Nothing else. In closing this movie is good up to the end and then it just get's stupid.