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Reviews
Petticoat Junction: Cannonball Christmas (1963)
Mind-numbing
I hadn't watched this show since I was a kid in the '60s, and thought I'd treat myself to a bit of nostalgia. This episode aired in late '63, when 'rural comedy' was at the height of its popularity (Petticoat Junction was kissin' cousins with The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres. There were, if I recall correctly, a few crossover episodes with Sam Drucker and his general store as the common denominator.
While 'Hillbillies' and 'Acres' had plenty of bonafide comedy, 'Junction' by comparison is truly lame. The storyline, script and acting, at least in this particular installment, are insipid, dumb and just plain unfunny. By the end of this episode I couldn't wait to leave Hooterville. Even if I had to take the handcar.
Gunsmoke: The Magician (1963)
Thoughts of Dallas still fresh
This episode originally aired just a month after JFK's assassination. In the climactic scene, Tom trains his rifle from a 2nd story window on Mr Dark...only to be shot from behind by his father. This had to remind viewers of Dallas...a national wound that was still very fresh. Further, I imagine this scene made viewers wish someone had followed Oswald into the schoolbook depository in similar fashion, and taken him out before he could squeeze the trigger.
All that not withstanding, this is an excellent episode... among the best of the series. Well-acted by all. Burt Reynolds as Quint, has a touching and restrained relationship with the comely daughter.
So many Gunsmoke episodes are downers, but at least in this one, the good people survive and the bad guy gets his comeuppance.