ronaldb8179's Reviews

Hawaii Five-O: Once Upon a Time: Part 2 (1969)

Season 1, Episode 20

9/10

Again, one of the best episodes of any TV series of this era

29 June 2012

Warning: Spoilers

Indeed, we do have lots of quacks out there even today, perhaps more than back then. Today, this woman could send people the self-test kit where they could FedEx the blood sample back, then they log on for online treatments while she bleeds their bank accounts. Hey, that's an idea for the new series remake!

The previous reviewer points out that we do not see whether the woman is convicted of the fraud charge. I would be inclined that she would be but since she had no prior record and since some followers would keep paying her lawyers, she would get off without any time while she appealed over years.

As for McGarrett kissing the records clerk after her assistance, that was then and this is now. Since when did anybody talk sexual harassment c. 1969?

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Hawaii Five-O: Once Upon a Time: Part 1 (1969)

Season 1, Episode 19

8/10

One of the best episodes of any TV series of this era

29 June 2012

I've just watched this again on the Season One DVD of the original H5O. I caught a few scenes on a Me TV rerun a few weeks ago. Time to give my age away, but I saw the show first run when I was in junior high. The first reviewer, could not have said it better as far as how this showcases Jack Lord's excellent acting.

This DVD set enables me to see the original series from the start from an adult's perspective. Also, the other reviewer is very right about how this issue of quackery is still relevant today.

A roundabout remake of this episode in the new H50 could be very well done. The new McGarrett has a sister, I think also named Mary Ann. She does not have children but some other angle could be done, perhaps with the new Dan-O and his ex.

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Bonanza: Day of Reckoning (1960)

Season 2, Episode 7

6/10

What a find for a Trek fan! Khan and Lt. McGivers together before Trek!

26 October 2006

Warning: Spoilers

I just watched this Bonanza episode on a $1 DVD which has one episode each of several Westerns like Bonanza, Rifleman, Lone Ranger, etc.

I was not surprised to see Ricardo Montalban in a guest role. When I first saw his character's wife, I thought she looked familiar. For good reason! Madalyn Rhue played Lt. Marla McGivers who had a fatal attraction to Montalban's Khan character in the Star Trek episode "Space Seed." Of course this episode was the premise for Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan.

In all these years of reading Trek trivia, I had not come across anything pointing out the two actors having played together previously.

As for the dramatic critique, there are the usual archetypes of the Western TV of the day. I highly doubt that a real life 19th century rancher of Ben Cartwright's stature would have given land to an Indian, even in return for his life. Also, another hole in the story is why Ike wasn't arrested for murder after he shot Hatoya. Ironically, it is revealed in Trek II that Lt. McGivers, who had become Khan's wife, had been killed by parasitical creatures on the planet where Captain Kirk had marooned them. Matsou's anger toward Ike is IMHO quite like Khan's anger with Kirk. There is one line by Matsou that made me think of Khan's "He tasks me and I shall have him..." rant in Trek II.

All said I must give it a 6.

I wonder if Madalyn Rhue's MS was the reason that Lt. McGivers was written out of the Trek II script? She had developed it a few years before that movie was made.

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Cellblock Sisters: Banished Behind Bars (1995)

3/10

Respectable effort but some dud delivery

24 June 2006

Warning: Spoilers

Hey, I do peek at Babes Behind Bars flicks every so often. I even had a worn out copy of Chained Heat I bought at a closing video store.

History repeated itself when I got Banished Behind Bars (aka Cellblock Sisters) at 80% discount ($1.49 I believe was the price) at yet another video store closing sale. I figured that for that price, if there was a long shower scene, I would get that much worth. And I did but not a whole lot more. BTW, there was great care to minimize the pubic show in the showers.

I do believe this movie's set and uniforms have been used in several BBB movies, perhaps even Chained Heat, and some TV movies where prison was in the plot. Girls In Prison, a parody/remake of the 1950s version, was made perhaps just before or after this one.

The riot scene and the final gunfights did not come across, especially the death scene of the older sister. IMHO, the survivor should have ripped off Chained Heat a bit more by covering the body and/or kissing her departed sister. Her false stabbing of Mandy was just as much a take from CH.

I agree with previous posters that lesbian scenes could have been done. Also, I agree about the Brit babe's poorly designed fake tits.

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Prison of Secrets (1997 TV Movie)

3/10

Watered down TV version of typical women's prison movie

1 May 2001

I had the tube flipped on when this one came on a local station on Saturday afternoon. Should have known that it would be a flop to be running in a graveyard time spot like that. Since I was tired out from Friday night, I sat back and took it.

I'm sorry to see a promising actress like Stephanie Zimbalist doing crap like this. Women's prison movies are often the bottom of a career, as shown by Linda Blair (Chained Heat) and more recently by Catherine Oxenberg (Time Served).

Most flicks in this genre generate sympathy for the main character, but not so here. In this one I felt no sympathy for Zimbalist's vain character who believed that no jury would say that she did wrong by her misuse of her company's money. If she was stupid enough to believe that a turn down the virtual slap on the wrist deal she was offered, then IMHO she deserved to get sent up the river and have Big Bertha breathing down her back. I expected to see some scenes where the typical down and dirty women cons told her to stop her high and mighty act as "rich bitch" or "white collar criminal." Ashley Judd got that "rich bitch" lecture in the first prison scene of Double Jeopardy.

This movie degenerated into a suitable for TV version of the typical "babes behind bars" fare, with shoulder level shower scenes, before and after sex scenes, and the poorly delivered riot scene. The ending, though typical of this genre, did not deliver due to the lack of sympathy for the main character, even after she had taken her lumps and exposed all the corruption.

I do hope Stephanie Zimbalist can put her career back on track after this dud.

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