Reviews

As one born in the last year of the Boomers I missed much of the Cold War fever...and the "Evil Empire" of the 80s had a warmed-over "The Day After" feel for me. Perhaps if I had been born earlier this Season 3 ep may have had more resonance to me.

Charles Bronson and Elizabeth Montgomery are the only two survivors from what appears to be a nuclear holocaust. One is American (Bronson); the other Russian (Montgomery). What begins as a fight over food turns into something quite different at the end.

The lack of dialogue could be considered groundbreaking...if it hadn't already been done in "The Invaders" already. Both actors do good work with what little they have to work with but the ending is a too simplistic eye-roller for me.

Nice to see Liz as a brunette...she's a much better actress than given credit for (it's in the genes).

A great early episode shows all the facets of Mannix that would make the show a staple for 8 years. He's tough, independent, tender, sexy and so much more.

Joe gets "hired" by a young girl whose father's on death row for a crime he did not commit. Joe being Joe he can't resist helping her out leading to several suspects and one very sexy woman.

He's roughed up, shot at, has a bomb planted in his home yet nothing will stop Joe until he solves the case and his boss (played by the always great Joe Campanella) eventually helps him do just that.

Eagle eyed viewers will notice the goof (mentioned in this blog) during the altercation in his bedroom.

Mike Connors was terrific with children...so not surprisingly they recycled this plot point a few times over the series.

All the great Mannix traits (save Peggy...she's coming in Season 2) are on display...well written and well worth a watch!

If you wanted to pick a Twilight Zone episode that still resonates today, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one.

A flash of light comes over AnyTown USA and suddenly the electricity goes out, cars stop working and neighbors are looking for answers.

One boy who's been keeping up on his comic books suggests it's some sort of signal to those who have already arrived...and that's when the "fun" begins.

Nice performances from Claude Akins and Jack Westin (Mr. Kellerman fron "Dirty Dancing".

Points off for the 60s ending...it'd been MUCH better without it (and I'm sure Serling wrote it that way).

If only they had gone downtown...and left their neighborhood every once in a while.

Simply put this is one of the best half-hours in television history...period.

And I don't know that you need to qualify it as just television...one of the best half hours of anything...ever.

Burgess Meredith plays a bookish bank teller with an aggravated boss and an impossible wife, neither which of whom will allow him his one simple passion...to read.

A catastrophic accident gives him the opportunity to do just that...or does it?

Amazing script, an all star performance by Meredith and one of the great endings of any show...EVER!

This one will stay with you (it's never left me) and even more incredible when you remember the era in which it was written.

Truly MUST see TV.

An obvious companion piece to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" this Liz Taylor tour-de-force could be considered that classic's sequel...or "When George and Martha Tuned in and Dropped Out".

La Liz plays Zee Blakely, unhappy wife to an unhappy husband, played by the brilliant Michael Caine. They go to a swinging 60s party (even though this is 1972...the Brits just didn't want to let the decade go...yet!) and Caine meets the lovely Susannah York who he immediately flirts with and ultimately gets involved with. Sparks fly as Liz inserts herself into their relationship...in more ways than one!

A must-see for Liz's performance, as bold and brave as any actress (or actor) gets. Caine keeps pace and matches her at several points but poor Susannah has little to do but watch from the sidelines. Not familiar with the source material (book) but some changes were made for obvious reasons (I mean, free love and all but is STILL is 1972!).

Can't believe in my decades of watching I've never seen this one...thanks to TMC for unearthing it for their "Summer Camp"...frankly the ONLY camping I'm interested in! 😂

NOT for everyone and the ending is a bit "wonky" as the Brits say but a great movie for a Sunday brunch during Pride month!

Nice break from the usual procedural as Ironside finds himself "home alone" (just like MacCaulay Culkin) with a crazed man bent on exacting revenge.

Ironside senses something's amiss and starts putting together an elaborate trap to outwit his nemesis (just like MacCaulay Culkin!). He's being watched by the killer though he cannot see him...a nice homage to Hitch's "Rear Window" starring Burr.

Good acting in this one and a very good scene at the college which may have you wondering if what you saw is what you saw!

Eve has to teach Ed better manners, though...chatterboxes like him have no business at the opera. And I hope the couple behind them moved into their seats in the box...better view and MUCH quieter!

9 of 10...one of the good ones!

A shamefully forgotten Bette Davis flick (most likely because it was too so-FISH-tick-ated for 1940s audiences...it was her first loser for WB) should be scene (pun intended) for the amazing performances of the three leads. Rains is at his best playing the cad conductor Bette used to be involved in...and wouldn't YOU be involved with this egomaniac? Look at that NYC loft apartment...those antiques! That mink! The high life, indeed.

Heinreid is just as good but his role is not as juicy (only a fool couldn't see what was going on...and that's exactly what Rains plays him for) and Bette wears shoulder pads that would make her rival Joan Crawford green with envy!

The plot is predictable but the performances are first-rate and the score is SPECTACULAR! It IS too long...EASILY could trim 30 minutes from it and make an even better movie as it drags a bit in the middle...but the B&W cinematography and production levels are top-notch.

A MUST SEE for classical music lovers...or any music lover, for that matter...worth the watch!

I've recently been rewatching "Ironside" again, a show I remember fondly when I was a kid. I started in the last season and picked up from the first episode and often wondered why I liked this show in the first place...this 2-parter is why.

In the first season Bob is overly gruff and brusque with his team...you often wonder why they work for him. You learn it here. Lots of great scenes with all of the principals as he awaits a potentially life-changing operation while on the hunt for a killer he let go...quite literally.

Maybe in Season One he was trying to differentiate his new character from his Perry Mason role...but his full range is on display here, one of the reasons he was one of the most underrated actors of his generation.

No spoilers...just enjoy the good script and great acting!

I unexpectedly LOVED this ep...particularly Scotty who just wanted to take a nap...all the time! #Who Can Relate

The crew travel down to a planet where everyone is aging mega-rapidly and no one seems to know why. Then they beam back aboard and all of the (except Chekov) start to age rapidly, too. As one of the reviewers so aptly put it...what a drag it is getting old!

Kirk gets forgetful and cranky, McCoy starts drawling like a Southern belle and gets even CRANKIER and Spock would like the thermostat at 200, please...can someone get him a shawl? Nurse Chapel's furrowed brow says it all...these are some grumpy old men!

Commander Stocker does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING under Romulus attack...was he going to talk them to death? Turns out the reason for Chekov's immunity will save the day...AND the Enterprise...but not that awful Monkee wig he wears in the final (recycled) shot.

LAUGHED a lot in this one...which may not have been the intent...but mostly b/c I can relate to all of them...I've never felt more connected to Scotty in my life!

8/10 but it's prolly a 9...I forget...my mind wanders. Time for a nap! 😴

Whilst reading through the Trivia for this just-about-average ep, I discovered that it was Jason Alexander's favorite. His George character never had "hand" in his relationships on Seinfeld...ironic, don't you think? (Much apologies. Alanis.)

I also learned that the hand seen in the ep was ADDED in for the restoration! Right there that's a star or two deduction...OOF.

The allegory of Gods and "the only one we need" according to Kirk (can't deny the Higher Power just yet...this is 1967, after all) was mostly lost on me...the love struck Scotty and the goofy Chekov Monkees wig also are net minuses here.

A BIG letdown after the Season Two opener...but it's about to get better!

The sort of movie that probably played well at the time but is horribly dated today. Such a waste of a talented cast and too long by half. To think the script got an Oscar nom is beyond belief. Put this one in your rear view mirror.

Love John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton but somehow this one flew under my radar until I saw it pop up in a Buzzfeed post on non-traditional Christmas movies...glad I found it!

Yes, it runs through familiar territory (including Bill Bob's own superior "A Simple Plan") but I found it enjoying with some true surprises and overall great performances...not a bad way to spend a cold Winter's Day!

Ridiculous...from start to finish. I'm adding more to this review because IMDB won't let me just say ridiculous. But it is. Ridiculous. A waste of a talented cast and crew.

I agree with the earlier reviewer...this ep is engaging, entertaining AND informative!

The fact that the actor was performing as Franklin in a one-man show definitely was a bonus...very believable!

Bonus that the DVD has no laugh track for this ep for some reason...one of the better shows and the first shot in color...another historical fact!

One of the best early episodes...tense, exciting...and the crafty mind of James T. Kirk at work. His ability to outmaneuver foes is on display here...and will come in handy later on!

However...McCoy dressing down the captain on the bridge in front of the crew (the SECOND time so far in the series) wouldn't be tolerated. He'll be reprimanded for sure...then they'll share a glass of Romulan ale and all will be forgotten...he's too good to lose.

Nice byplay by the crew, including Scotty on the bridge (shouldn't he be down in engineering during a life-or-death crisis?)...add in a surprise appearance by Opie's brother and you've got a royal flush. Oh, and Yeoman Rand bringing coffee to the captain in the middle of all this? It's not a leisurely Sunday cruise around the galaxy here...and how did she not spill it with all of the shaking and rocking??? As Spock would say...it is NOT logical.

Aces up on this one...you'll love it!

Stumbled onto this one on TCM the other day and was pleasantly surprised. Not the biggest Harlow fan but liked her and LOVED Robert Taylor in their roles...they definitely had chemistry together.

Director WS VanDyke briskly keeps the pace moving (just like in the "Thin Man" films) and some adorable oddballs "give the joint atmosphere", to paraphrase Nick from "It's A Wonderful Life". There are still some risque moments in this remake...I think in this case it's better that I HADN'T see the pre-Code original first so I could watch this fresh.

I REALLY loved the ending but I also am puzzled how Robert speaks perfect American while all of his family talks the Queen's English...elocution lessons?

Too bad it was Jean's next to last film...I'dve loved to see more of her...and I'll look for more Robert Taylor pics now, too.

It's a "Yes" from me.

A truly great early episode in the series...the first Vulcan mind meld, a terrific (not overdone) performance by Shatner and some nice byplay at the end.

A standout performance by Morgan Woodward as the troubled assistant of another "genius" who seems to have taken his experiments a bit too far..it's a "yes" from me!

A hitman (John Hillerman, excellent as always) assassinates a mob boss but can't find the body...did he miss? Is he still alive? His employers aren't exactly happy so he hires Joe to find him.

An excellent set-up for this next-to-last ep of a truly great detective series. Peggy plays a big role in unlocking the mystery...too bad it's her last go-round (To answer the reviewer's question, they had no idea Mannix would be cancelled...a dispute between Paramount, ABC and CBS over reruns led to CBS pulling the plug.)

This one will keep you guessing until the end...worth a watch!

Looks like Joe shoulda let his friend Tony borrow some of his own lures for their fishing trip rather than dropping by the Warren Building to pick some up...that way he wouldn't have been "lured" into this web of deceit!

An EXCELLENT Mannix...one of the best! Lots of great actions sequences and camera work...highly recommended.

Yippe kay yay, baby!

Still waiting for the laughs...maybe they came in 1972...not today.

A good cast is wasted save for Zero Mostel...because...Zero. Otherwise...it's a "no" from me.

Seriously, though...if you were Peggy and got your life put in peril all the time, you'd give your two weeks, right?

Mannix's unbelievably loyal secretary gets kidnapped again while Joe is being tortured to give a gangster a name he doesn't know because a crazy Korean war buddy put him up to it (he thinks Mannix double-crossed him).

It's all a bit confusing but Mannix does looks quite haggard in this one and does use his senses to find the criminal's lair...you might remember he needed them when he was temporarily blind in an earlier episode...a nice throwback.

Not bad but not the best...there have been many worse.

One of the best Mannix eps I've seen...intriguing from the start, gripping until the end...a winner!

Mannix gets roughed up (again!) and the police help him out (again!) but minor quibbles for a show that will have you guessing until the end...and after.

Given the shows inevitable decline in the last season this is a breath of fresh air and a reminder why we loved the show in the first place. Bra-vo!

Weird ep as Season 8 draws to a close. A tycoon is shot...then so is an informer and a lovely photog who served in Vietnam...Mannix falls for her so sets out to find out what's going on.

Confusing in the beginning with an ending so abrupt I had to rewatch it to figure out WTH just happened. Take a point off for the old "Mannix gets knocked out" cliche and it lands at a three for me. Hope there's better to come.

With a capital E! No idea how I've missed this one but I stumbled onto it during TCM's Charlton Heston day and it's certainly the best remake of the Dumas classic I've ever seen. An all-star cast in its prime (including Heston in one of his rare underplayed roles) with great locations, great costumes and terrific energy. You can tell the cast had a ball doing it...almost as fun as you'll have watching it!

Featuring some of the most realistic fight scenes ever filmed...a must see!