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Post by topbilled on Feb 26, 2023 16:38:33 GMT
Okay, so I decided that I'd like to go through an iconic series, episode by episode on this forum.
Hopefully others will join in and comment on various episodes as I go along.
I want it to be a show that I know fairly well but haven't seen every season, so there will be some "new" episodes to discover.
***
I am deciding which show I will focus on...stayed tuned...
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Post by sepiatone on Feb 26, 2023 17:15:37 GMT
As Slip Mahoney would say...... "I'll be waiting with bait breath!"  Sepiatone |
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Post by topbilled on Feb 26, 2023 17:39:45 GMT
As Slip Mahoney would say...... "I'll be waiting with bait breath!" Sepiatone
Okay, here's my short list...I will try to narrow it down later today and make my final selection.
- Cheers, 11 seasons...but I am not leaning towards this one, because I feel the Shelley Long years are slightly better than the Kirstie Alley years and I am afraid I will lose interest in the later seasons, even though they are still well written.
- Gunsmoke, 20 seasons...I do want to go through this entire series, but with over 600 episodes, even if I talk about one episode per day, that will mean this project will go on for about two years, which seems long!
- The Andy Griffith Show, 8 seasons...for the opposite reason of Cheers, I prefer the second half after Don Knotts leaves. His occasionally annoying performances (notice I said occasionally, since I know there are Don Knotts fans out there LOL) may aggravate me no end if I have to sit through all of the early seasons with him!
- Cannon, 5 seasons...I do love William Conrad's acting, and I think this show is very well written, on par with other Quinn Martin productions. But there are only 122 episodes so I'd get through it in about five months.
- Dallas, 14 seasons...the original, not the reboot. I love the middle years of Dallas. I have not seen the last two seasons, except for the series finale episode. I think the first year or two would be a chore to sit through, as I don't feel the show really hit its stride until season 3 with the Who Shot J.R. arc. This one is a possibility, but...not totally sure...
- Rawhide, 8 seasons...the last season was abbreviated, with Clint Eastwood taking over. I really enjoy Eric Fleming's performances as Gil Favor. The only thing holding me back on picking this series is that while I like Rawhide very much, I like it slightly less than The Virginian, Wagon Train and The Big Valley.
- Dynasty, 9 seasons...again, the original not the reboot. A few years ago I bought season 9 and it was a lot of fun to watch. I think this series has a lot of iconic moments and amazing guest stars, not to mention the costumes, cars, etc. Aaron Spelling poured a lot of money into the show, and it's a good time capsule of the 1980s. Unlike Dallas, it is contained in that one special decade. None of the episodes were made in the 70s or 90s like Dallas or Knots Landing. The other thing, an intriguing plus, is I own both seasons of the spinoff show The Colbys, and sometimes there are crossovers, where characters from Dynasty show up on The Colbys, and sometimes storylines are referenced from Dynasty on The Colbys. So if I chose to cover Dynasty, when I get to season 6 of Dynasty, I can weave in The Colbys, in order of the original airdates and actually cover both series together. This is probably necessary since Emma Samms and John James return to Dynasty after The Colbys ends, and later Stephanie Beacham and Tracy Scoggins also turn up on Dynasty during its final season. This would give me 220 episodes of Dynasty to cover, plus 49 episodes of The Colbys, for a total of 269 episodes. Also, there is a reunion TV movie that resolves dangling plot threads and brings the triangle with John James, Emma Samms and Maxwell Caulfield full circle, since Caulfield is in the TV movie reunion special.
Yes, I am leaning towards Dynasty / The Colbys. If I go this direction, then I will need to order the complete series of Dynasty because like I said, I only own season 9. Not certain how long it will take to arrive, but I can probably start covering Dynasty & The Colbys sometime in March, and with 269 episodes plus the reunion movie, at about one episode per day, that will probably take me to December. And if this is something I enjoy doing, then I can pick another long running series to cover next year in 2024, maybe a different genre, such as a western, crime drama or sitcom. |
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Post by sepiatone on Feb 27, 2023 16:42:39 GMT
OK..... For "Cheers" I did prefer the Shelly Long years and the original cast member "Coach" over the Kirstie Alley, woody Harrelson and Fraiser period. But it was still pretty funny after the change. I just never took to some of the new characters. GUNSMOKE.... I still watch the reruns on the Inspiration channel. Seen most of them several times. And after all these years I'm finally beginning to warm up(a bit) to Festus. And I still chuckle to myself a bit whenever the episodes with Burt Reynolds as Quint Asper come on in remembering how my Mom always called him "Squint".  I guess we'll never see eye to eye on the Barney Fife matter. My opinion is that when both Knotts and Nabors left the show lost half of it's charm. And remember.... Knott's annoying portrayals of Barney Fife was the point. And Knotts' portrayal of the know it all without a clue was splendidly done by Knotts. For me, it worked much better on the small screen than the big one. RAWHIDE was another fond memory from my childhood, as it was one of the few shows on TV that me and my brother agreed on. My major complaint about it is I felt they should have not kept James Murdock's role as "Mushy" such an idiot. I still watch them all on H&I. And too, WAGON TRAIN on another channel, but after Ward Bond died and was no longer on the show, it began to lose it's luster for me. And I always could take or leave THE VIRGINIAN. I never bothered to watch the other show you mentioned, so I bow out at this point. Sepiatone |
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Post by marysara1 on Feb 28, 2023 12:32:19 GMT
I wonder with long running shows if things had to change because of the audience. I remember the Greatest American Hero his name was Hinkley but after Reagan was shot the referred to him as Mr. H.
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Post by topbilled on Feb 28, 2023 15:15:32 GMT
I wonder with long running shows if things had to change because of the audience. I remember the Greatest American Hero his name was Hinkley but after Reagan was shot the referred to him as Mr. H. |
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Post by sepiatone on Feb 28, 2023 16:21:57 GMT
On that point I still question the reason behind the name change of the main character on THE INCREDIBLE HULK. For years in both the comic book and cartoons the man who transformed into the Hulk was named Robert Bruce Banner. When it hit the tube the name became David Banner. Why?
Sepiatone
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Feb 28, 2023 19:39:36 GMT
- Rawhide, 8 seasons...the last season was abbreviated, with Clint Eastwood taking over. I really enjoy Eric Fleming's performances as Gil Favor. The only thing holding me back on picking this series is that while I like Rawhide very much, I like it slightly less than The Virginian, Wagon Train and The Big Valley.
ber. And if this is something I enjoy doing, then I can pick another long running series to cover next year in 2024, maybe a different genre, such as a western, crime drama or sitcom. I've been watching a lot of 50s and 60s westerns with Rawhide being one of them. At first I wasn't that much of a fan of Eric Fleming and his character Gil Favor. I would say to myself: Where is the juice? BUT as I continued to watch I became impressed with his acting. Here was an actor, playing the leading character of a TV show that was the most down to earth, and understated on the show. An actor that put his ego aside and let others dominate scenes, but was the backbone of the show. One western I didn't recall watching when I was younger was Cheyenne with Clint Walker; I've been watching this show and I really like it. Walker was also an understated actor, but the show is well done, with many high-quality guest stars (many well-known from movie studio-era). |
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Post by dianedebuda on Feb 28, 2023 22:14:02 GMT
The Westerns that I remember watching as a kid and liking were Maverick, Rawhide, Cheyenne, The Virginian and Have Gun, Will Travel. Still remember the theme songs for all except the last. Guess we also watched Gunsmoke, Wagon Train and The Rifleman too, but they made less of an impression. A Sat AM show I watched was Fury. Don't really remember much about it other than really liking Peter Graves & the horse; didn't even remember there was a kid in it.
Might be fun to watch some of them again, but where do you get the time? Stop posting? đ
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Post by uncle charlie on Mar 1, 2023 1:33:05 GMT
Going through every episode of a series seems like an ambitious endeavor. Not sure Iâd have the stamina for that. If I were doing it, Iâd start with something easy like âThe Fugitiveâ. Only four seasons and solid all the way through.
Good luck, Iâll be tuning inâŚ
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Post by topbilled on Mar 1, 2023 15:41:56 GMT
Okay, update time LOL
As much as I was leaning towards Dynasty and The Colbys which I may cover later, I have to make a confession. Yesterday, February 28th, was the 40th anniversary of the finale of M*A*S*H which still remains one of the highest rated TV broadcasts of all time. I read a wonderful article in which Loretta Swit was interviewed, and she was so lovely in that article, providing some behind-the-scenes information that made me think this show would be an interesting choice to go through from beginning to end.
There are 256 episodes of M*A*S*H if we count the five-part finale, and if I watch and review one 22 minute episode per day this won't be too time consuming, and I can still do this between now and December, then maybe go on to Dynasty and The Colbys in January.
All of the episodes are on Hulu, including the finale. So yeah, folks, I am going with M*A*S*H and I will start with episode 001 this weekend. Feel free to chime in if you're a fan of the series and want to look at certain episodes with me, whether you already have the show on DVD or have a subscription to Hulu.
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Post by sepiatone on Mar 1, 2023 17:38:54 GMT
. A Sat AM show I watched was Fury. Don't really remember much about it other than really liking Peter Graves & the horse; didn't even remember there was a kid in it.
That kid was Bobby Diamond who, after FURY ended didn't have much luck in his acting career. Just some sporadic guest roles. He did turn down the role of middle son Robbie on MY THREE SONS. when reaching adulthood he finished college and made his living as a lawyer, as I understand. FURY was a "must see" in my house growing up as my older and much bigger than me brother insisted on it. Major horse freak he was. That I also liked the show took much of the sting out of having no choice but to watch it. Sepiatone |
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Post by topbilled on Mar 4, 2023 17:17:03 GMT
M*A*S*H
001 Pilot
The pilot episode of M*A*S*H establishes the showâs original six characters, most of them previously included in the book and feature film. In the opening credits the top three actorsâ names are presented first, with a long delay before the last three actorsâ names are presented while an instrumental version of âSuicide Is Painlessâ is heard. The first three are Alan Alda playing Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce known as Hawkeye; Wayne Rogers playing Captain John McIntyre known as Trapper; and McLean Stevenson playing Col. Henry Blake.
There are some live action shots with the men and women meeting helicopters bringing wounded to the camp, before we see the other three actorsâ names. The last three actors presented in the opening credits are Loretta Swit playing Major Margaret Houlihan, known as Hot Lips (a term she dislikes); Larry Linville playing Major Frank Burns; and Gary Burghoff playing Corporal Walter OâReilly known as Radar. Jamie Farr who plays Corporal Maxwell Klinger in the series and William Christopher who plays Father John Mulcahy are not seen yet, though the Father Mulcahy character is present in the pilot, but played by George Morgan. As for the main cast, Alan Alda and Loretta Swit are the only two who will appear every season, all the way till the final episode.
Speaking of the final episode, that was a five-part finale which aired on Monday February 28, 1983. It was a huge television event and the broadcast obtained very high ratings. One thing I remember about the finale is that people across the U.S. were having M*A*S*H parties to celebrate the end of the showâs iconic run. Many fans referred to this ritual as a âM*A*S*H bash.â I mention the finale because it was slated to fill a 2.5 hour time slot that evening, meaning if you lived in the Central time zone like my family did, it ran from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m.. And CBS gave the first half hour to a special rebroadcast of the pilot episode. Meaning this very first episode of the series had a primetime broadcast on September 17, 1972 and then again on February 28, 1983 (even though it was already in syndicated reruns by that point).
The plot for the pilot episode is detailed on the IMDb page, but I do want to reference it quickly because it involves a few of the showâs recurring characters that transitioned over from the movie but did not last beyond the inaugural season. These peripheral characters include Hawkeye and Trapperâs Korean houseboy Ho-Jon, whom they are trying to send to America. And there is also someone named General Hammond, a former paramour of Hot Lipsâ, as well as a nurse named Lt. Dish. Plus we have two African American characters, one with a derogatory nickname. If the show was launched today, obviously political correctness would dictate that there would be at least one continuing black character and most likely a continuing Asian character.
It is fitting that the first characters we meet at the top of the pilot episode are Hawkeye and Trapper, and that it doesnât take long for us to see them all in the operating room. The pilot quickly finds its groove. The direction and writing were nominated for Emmys, and while several of the characters are a bit rough and will require some polishing as the show goes on, things do get off to a decent start. One thing that strikes me in retrospect, watching the show in 2023, is how irreverent the tone is about war, which probably reminded viewers in 1972 of Hoganâs Heroes. The show would retain a fair amount of sardonic humor but would also become much more dramatic in terms of the storylines that would be depicted over the next eleven years. Itâs interesting that a war which started in 1950 and ended in 1953, and basically lasted three years, ran for eleven years on TV though nobody every complained about the actors aging more than a decade during its 1972-1983 run.
One final comment about the pilot. In the beginning a phrase appears on screen that says Korea 1950, a hundred years ago. So was this meant to be a show that was actually taking place in 2050, with someone looking back at all the stories of these medics in Korea a century earlier? Yes, I get that âa hundred years agoâ is probably meant to be sarcastic, but it is kind of fascinating to think that M*A*S*H the TV series does seem to suggest a flash forward to a time we have not yet reached, as of this writing.
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Post by sepiatone on Mar 4, 2023 17:47:04 GMT
I always too "Korea: A Hundred Years Ago" to be more sardonic as what transpired in Korea in 1950 was by 1972 long in the past but as at the same time, The U.S. was still involved in an Asian military conflict makes it all seem so never ending.
As you know, whenever the 1970 film is shown on TV, they do "blank out" the name of he character "Spearchucker" Jones. Although at the time, I don't recall any rabid complaints or negative blow-back to the film's producers about it. But that's all digressing. It's been so long since I've seen the finale I really don't recall too much about it.
Sepiatone
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Post by dianedebuda on Mar 4, 2023 18:22:58 GMT
Maybe this should be a new thread with M*A*S*H in the title?
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