bj_bassett Reviews

Marcus Welby, M.D.: I Can Hardly Tell You Apart (1971) Season 3, Episode 4

Ah, the 70's angst and drama!

[3/10 · 18 September 2022]

Sally Field plays identical twins - one has terrible resentment about having a twin and acts out badly after the other has an accident with fire and needs skin grafts which only her messed up twin can provide.

Lots of drama (drunk driving scenes, sister with issues paints only "double exposure" paintings, imagined death scenes). Dr. Kiley takes a class on twins and knows all after.

Of course, the twin does right in the end and all is right with the world.

While I'm sure Sally Field loved the role that had many dimensions, looking back 50 years later it's really amazing how far we've come in medicine and in television drama.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

It's a long slog, but it's not untrue.

[6/10 · 2 August 2022]

Coming home from school, we would flip on the PTL club and make fun of them all afternoon. We couldn't believe people bought into all the crap they sold. It wasn't a surprise that they went down when you watched how they did it. And there are still people doing it today, more and more and more.

I find it had to believe Tammy was that gullible, but I think she truly believed in people and saw the good in them. Jim was then and still is now, a man after money and power. This movie gave a good insight into their decent into all of it. I find it sad that he lived and she didn't.

Lucky Dog (2013– )

Heavily scripted, but helps dogs

[3/10 · 14 November 2020]

Premise: Trainer has a dog that suddenly needs rescue, so he does. Desperate person needs dog because of major drama in life. In five days, Brandon trains dog to be exactly what the person needs. There is always a "bad behavior" that he is able to fix in a day. Dog presented to new person and healing of person begins.

That said, the show highlights that rescue dogs are worthy, can be trained and become members of families.

All of this could be said without the fake drama and scenarios. But three stars for effort.

Dragnet 1967: Public Affairs: DR-12 (1968) Season 3, Episode 8

Typical Webb

[4/10 · 7 July 2019]

Five tears after a president is assassinated and five months after RFK was killed in LA, Webb decides to make a show about how terrific the Secret Service was.

Truth be told, the Secret Service was still in the throws of both assassinations and still hasn't figured out how to protect in a meaningful way.

The false story about Lincoln having Secret Service agents - and saying the story was posted at their sign in desks for a reminder was ludicrous, but Webb often was.

The press conference, the half giddy way they react to Air Force One made this a fairly laughable episode.

Charlie's Angels: Angels on Skates (1979) Season 4, Episode 9

I remember this fad...

[2/10 · 27 February 2019]

First, I have to laugh at one review...that the writing was not great. WHEN has Charlie's Angels EVER had great writing?

The ending is so laughable when the kidnapped girl is told by Kris to change into her costume and get out there and "win one for the Gipper"... she's only been tied up, held in a hidden room and menaced by a goon who threatens to rape her for days...to heck with that, GO WIN THE CONTEST! Then she and Ed Begley Jr don some gold lame outfits, skate around twice and SPLICE, two stunt people who wear horrid wigs take over. One lift, one twirl later, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!

The other was Bosley and Kelly doing surveillance from their car on the boardwalk when Ed grabs the ransom bag. Both leap out of the car, but Kelly is on skates! Come on! The guy they're chasing is clubbed from his bike by Pinky Tuscadero while they dash to the club on bicycles to solve the crime.

Lord, this was so bad.

It Happened One Christmas (1977 TV Movie)

A remake that never should have been

[2/10 · 29 December 2018]

First, let's suck all the heart out of the movie. Let's just make sure we put the scenes in people remember, with no context. A woman who, of course is a feminist ahead of her time plowing through all of the things that gave George Bailey heart. You have no reason at all to like her at all. The movie doesn't build any relationships or make you care about anyone. Then BOOM! Mary is the rescuer. It just doesn't work.

Andy Williams' Kaleidoscope Company (1968 TV Special)

Welcome to Andy Williams in 1968!

[8/10 · 22 February 2016]

This "concept" show opens with a silhouette of Andy's head singing against a kaleidoscope background. The credits are read by his then wife, Claudine Longet at a volume that can barely be heard. Andy does a short monologue on the meaning of the show, wearing a white Nehru jacket.

First number is with Ray Charles singing Baby What I Say with Andy and Charles back up singers.

Simon and Garfunkle sing Mrs. Robinson. The producers added laughter during different places in the song making it a very odd performance. They followed with Old Friends with many "serious face" close ups and cut-ins of old people, children on swings and more old people. For their third song, Andy joins them for Scarborough Fair, wearing denim and a neck scarf. Lots of close ups of Simon's fingers playing guitar.

The first solo appearance of Cass Elliot starts the next set with Andy on a revolving platform. Andy and Cass do a comedy bit, and then Andy sings "Words" while Cass cuts in with "Words of Love". The whole bit is typical 1960s comedy/variety, face mugging, winking at the audience, et. al. Each "tries" to one-up the other. Cass is wearing a psychedelic dress and Andy has on another scarf with his three button, military style suit. Then they merge into "You've Got Your Troubles and I've Got Mine", then back to the Words bit. The set is reminiscent of a kindergarten class, painted in homage to Cass' dress.

Cass then performs alone with Joni Mitchell's "I Had a King". At the end of her song, Andy walks out with a gerbera daisy and hands it to her, then we cut to commercial.

Andy, now in tuxedo introduces Burt Bacharach. Bacharach seems extremely shy and uncomfortable as Andy does a bit describing Burt. Andy sings a medley of "Walk On By", "There's Always Something There to Remind Me", "The Look of Love", What's New Pussycat" "Wives and Lovers", "I Say a Little Prayer" (sung by the back up singers), and "What the World Needs Now" while Bacharach conducts the orchestra and plays piano.

Andy closes the show in a brown Nehru jacket and orange scarf by saying - "Good night, everybody". Claudine Longet appears with headphones and a microphone saying "This has been a Barnaby Production" (Williams recording company).

Had they cut the mugging and comedy tries, this would have been a terrific concert show.