Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 1.16 “The Count”

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing St. Elsewhere, a medical show which ran on NBC from 1982 to 1988. The show can be found on Hulu and, for purchase, on Prime!

It’s time to go under the knife in Boston.

Episode 1.16 “The Count”

(Dir by Kevin Hooks, originally aired March 8th, 1983)

Harold Beaumont (Michael Halsey), an adult film actor better known as The Count, has checked into St. Eligius. Of course, Dr. Samuels immediately recognizes him because Samuels is obsessed with porn. Dr. Annie Cavanero does not recognize him but, once she learns what he does for a living, she has to tell him that she finds his work to be offensive because Dr. Cavanero’s entire personality pretty much revolves around getting offended by stuff.

It’s not much of a plot. There’s a process server (William G. Schilling) who wants to serve the Count with a courts summons so Samuels and Cavanero help the Count hide and disguise his identity. It’s silly and dumb story that involves the two of the least likable members of the show’s regular cast.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wendy Armstrong (Kim Miyori) comes to suspect that one of the hospital’s heart surgeons, Dr. Larry Andrews (Peter Michael Goetz), is giving pacemakers to people who don’t actually need them. She takes her concerns to Dr. Craig. Craig, an old friend of Dr. Andrews, is initially dismissive but he later confronts Dr. Andrews and finds out that Armstrong was correct. Dr. Andrews explains that it takes a lot of money to fund his lifestyle. This story was an improvement over the Count but it perhaps would have had more power if it had been someone like Dr. Ehrlich who suspected that Dr. Andrews was giving people pacemakers that they don’t need. Ehrlich actually has a complicated relationship with Dr. Craig and his own less-than-stellar record as a resident would have added some ambiguity to storyline. Dr. Armstrong, on the other hand, has been portrayed as being hypercompetent and a bit self-righteous and, if we’re going to be honest, she’s kind of a boring character.

Speaking of Dr. Ehrlich, he is getting fed up with living with Fiscus. Howie Mandel is driving someone crazy? Who could have seen that coming?

This week’s episode was pretty forgettable. The story involving Dr. Andrews had potential but choosing to make the show’s least interesting characters the center of an entire episode was a decision that really didn’t pay off.

Live Tweet Alert: Join #FridayNightFlix for Road House!

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly watch parties. On Twitter, I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday and I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday. On Mastodon, I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.

Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix! The movie? 1989’s Road House!

The name is Dalton! Everyone thought that Dalton would be bigger but he’s the second best bouncer in the world and if anything happens to Wade Garrett, he’ll be the absolute best. He’s a legend but can he clean up the wildest bar in Missouri? Will Ben Gazzara convince him to switch sides? Will Doc convince him to give peace a chance? And will Tinker ever get over his fear of polar bears? Just remember, pain don’t hurt. Be nice until it’s time not to be nice. And always check the boots for blades.

If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag! I’ll be there tweeting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

Road House is available on Prime!

See you there!

Scenes That I Love: Gary Oldman in Oppenheimer

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to actor Gary Oldman!

My scene that I love features Gary Oldman as Harry S Truman in Oppenheimer. Oldman doesn’t get a lot of screentime in Oppenheimer but he shows what a brilliant actor can do with a small role. His casual dismissal of Oppenheimer’s guilt is one of the strongest moments in the film. (And, for those of us who found Oppenheimer, as a character, to be a bit self-asborbed, it’s a cathartic moment, as well.)

Song of the Day: Bulls on Parade (by Rage Against the Machine)

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Arleigh

Anyone who lived through the mid-1990’s cannot say that they have never heard of Rage Against the Machine. They ushered in the rap metal/rap rock/alternative metal scene which would include such acts as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock and Body Count just to name a few.

While the genre itself had some early beginnings with such metal and rap groups as Anthrax and Cypress Hill, respectively, it was with Rage Against the Machine that the scene really came into its own. As Scott Ian would later say, it was with Rage Against the Machine that rap metal as a genre was born.

Today’s “Song of the Day” with Rage Against the Machine’s 1996’s second single from Evil Empire, the band’s second studio album. That song is “Bulls on Parade”. The band released their self-titled album in 1992 that gave birth to the rap metal scene with “Killing in the Name” the birth cry of the genre. While success would follow the band pretty quickly with this debut album and their subsequent festival appearances it would be with “Bulls on Parade” that they would also achieve their most mainstream success.

A song decrying the military-industrial complex that the United States has become through the decades, the song was a mainstream-friendly calling card (as mainstream as RATM could ever be seen as) for the band known for it’s anti-establishment, anti-authoritarian and revolutionary lyrics. The band would be the boogeyman for the traditional and conservative movement many years even after the band’s break-up in 2000.

It is at the 2:30min mark that one of the most inventive and unique sounding guitar solos that signifies “Bulls on Parade” as having reached legendary status. Lead guitarist Tom Morello replicates the vinyl scratching typically heard with DJ artists in rap and club records. It is not your typical rock guitar solo, but a rock guitar solo it is nonetheless.

Bulls on Parade

Come wit’ it now
Come wit’ it now

The microphone explodes, shattering the molds
Either drop the hits like De La O or get the fuck off the commode
Wit’ the sure shot, sure to make the bodies drop
Drop and don’t copy yo, don’t call this a co-op
Terror rains drenchin’, quenchin’ the thirst of the power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on the face of mother earth gets bigger
The triggers cold empty ya purse

Rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells
They rally ’round the family with a pocket full of shells

Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal
I walk the corner to the rubble that used to be a library
Line up to the mind cemetery now
What we don’t know keeps the contracts alive and movin’
They don’t gotta burn the books they just remove ’em
While arms warehouses fill as quick as the cells
Rally ’round the family, pockets full of shells

Bulls on parade

Come wit’ it now
Come wit’ it now
Bulls on parade
Bulls on parade
Bulls on parade
Bulls on parade
Bulls on parade

Great Guitar Solos Series

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Russ Meyer Edition

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

103 years ago, on the very day, Russ Meyer was born in San Leandro, California. Meyer would get his start filming newsreels during World War II, with much of his newsreel footage later showing up in films like the 1970 Oscar winner, Patton. When he returned to the United States, he continued to make films, though the subject matter changed a bit. Meyer was one of the pioneers of the adult film industry, though his once controversial films now seem rather quaint and innocent when compared to the industry’s later films. Meyer’s strong visual sense and his intentionally over-the-top plots made him a favorite amongst underground critics. In the 70s, he was briefly embraced by mainstream Hollywood but, unhappy with having to deal with the studio bosses, Meyer returned to making the type of independent, grindhouse films that made him famous.

Russ Meyer was 82 years old when he died in 2004. He was acclaimed as one of America’s first and most iconic independent filmmakers.

Here are 4 Safe-For-Work Shots From 4 Russ Meyer Films.

4 Shots From 4 Films

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965, dir by Russ Meyer, DP: Walter Schenk)

Motorpsycho (1965, dir by Russ Meyer, DP: Russ Meyer)

Cherry, Harry, & Raquel! (1970, dir by Russ Meyer, DP: Russ Meyer)

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970, dir by Russ Meyer, DP: Fred J. Koenekamp)

Artwork of the Day: Climax (by Stanley Borack)

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

by Stanley Borack

This tattoo and cover are both from 1959.

Music Video of the Day: Make You Mad by Autumn Eve (2025, dir by Autumn Eve and Ben Cooper)

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This powerful song and video deals with domestic violence and the survivor within us all.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Reviews: Highway to Heaven 3.17 “A Night To Remember”

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Highway to Heaven, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi and several other services!

This week, Jonathan and Mark go back to high school, just in time for prom! I went to four proms over the course of my high school years and I loved every one of them. There is no greater American tradition!

Episode 3.17 “A Night To Remember”

(Dir by Michael Landon, originally aired on January 28th, 1987)

It’s time for the prom!

Danny (Mitchell Anderson) wants to ask out Melanie (Kimberly MacArthur) but can’t bring himself to do it because he’s feeling insecure about the fact that his father lost his engineering job and is now working at a gas station. Danny makes extra money working at the local pizza joint but he loses his job when he throws a punch at bully Richard Davies (J. Eddie Peck, future star of Lambada).

Sammy (Joel Hoffman) wants to ask his lifelong friend, Kate (Susan Savage). But Sammy feels insecure because he’s short. When he tries to buy lifts to make himself taller, Richard calls him out right when he’s about to ask out Kate. Sammy is an aspiring stand-up comedian and he’s on the verge of dropping out of school all together. “I can be a comedian or a teenager but I can’t be both!”

Don’t worry, though. Jonathan is their new social studies teacher. And Mark is the coach of the girl’s volleyball team because every assignment is designed, in some way, to humiliate Mark. In this case, Mark takes a volleyball to the nose and spends the entire episode worrying that it’s broken. Mark really can’t catch a break (heh) on this show. He has to drive everywhere. He’s usually the one who has to do all of the hard physical work while Jonathan just appears wherever he wants. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a union for human angel helpers but then again, it’s not like Mark ever seems to get paid for all of his hard work.

Anyway, the stakes aren’t particularly high in this episode. Both Danny and Sammy eventually find the courage to ask their dates to the prom, though Danny doesn’t do it until he’s actually at the prom. And both of them take some time to tell off Richard. “Still wearing your mother’s underwear?” Sammy asks and Richard turns a dark shade of red as if Sammy has accidentally guessed his greatest secret.

I actually always like these episodes where Jonathan and Mark become teachers. They’re not as depressing as the ones where they end up working at a shelter or a retirement home. This episode was just about giving the students the best prom ever and that’s okay. Not everything needs to be a huge drama! Sometimes, you just need a night to remember.

Icarus File No. 19: American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally (dir by Michael Polish)

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

First released in 2021, American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally tells the story of Mildred Gillars, an American women who worked as propagandists for The Third Reich. Gillars would broadcast on German-radio, her show mixing music with propaganda messages that were meant to be heard by American and British soldiers in Europe. Gillars would talk about how wonderfully the war was going for Germany. She would tell the Americans that their mothers, sisters, and sweethearts were waiting for them back in the United States. She was one of the many female Nazi propagandists to be nicknamed “Axis Sally.”

(Interestingly enough, her broadcasts did gather a bit of cult following amongst U.S. personnel in Europe. Even though she was a propagandist, she played music and she also occasionally let slip the location of the German army. As the war progressed, her programs took on a “so bad it’s good” quality as she continued to insist that the Germans were still winning when they clearly weren’t.)

Mildred was arrested after the war ended and charged with treason against the United States. The prosecution claimed that Mildred was a committed Nazi who turned against her home country. Mildred and her defense attorneys claimed that Mildred only stayed in Germany because her boyfriend was there and that Mildred was largely apolitical. They also argued that Mildred would have been sent to a concentration camp if she had refused to do the broadcasts. Mildred Gillars became the first American woman to be convicted of treason. She lost her American citizenship, received a hefty fine, and spent 13 years in prison. Reportedly, she never showed much in the way of regret over being a Nazi propagandist.

It’s an interesting story but you wouldn’t know that from American Traitor, which is largely a vanity project. Meadow Williams not only plays Mildred Gillars but she also served as a producer on the film. Williams is the widow of vitamin tycoon Gerald Kessler. When Kessler died, he left his $800 million dollar fortune to Williams and, reportedly, a bit of that inheritance was used to fund this film. That perhaps explains why a name actor like Al Pacino shows up in the role of Gillars’s defense attorney. Pacino barks his lines with authority and manages to give a credible performance, even though he’s stuck wearing a ridiculous wig. There is absolutely nothing about Williams’s performance that suggests the type of charisma that Mildred Gillars would have needed to become an effective propagandist. She gives a blank-faced and blank-voiced performance, one that might be meant to seem enigmatic but which is instead just boring.

And really, that’s the best way to describe the film. It’s dull. The dialogue is dull. The performances, other than Al Pacino, are dull. Even the film’s visuals are dull. The film has little to say about propaganda, war, guilt, or innocence. It’s a vanity project turned Icarus file.

Previous Icarus Files:

His Private Secretary (1933, directed by Phil Whitman)

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Jedadiah Leland

Business tycoon Mr. Wallace (Reginald Barlow) is sick and tired of his hard-drinking, hardy-partying son refusing to act in a responsible manner. Hoping to teach Dick Wallace about the value of hard work, Mr. Wallace sends Dick to a small town with instructions to collect a debt from the local preacher (Alec B. Francis). Dick, however, is more interested in the preacher’s daughter, Marion (Evelyn Knapp). After Dick finally convinces Marion that he’s not as bad his reputation, they got married. Mr. Wallace is disgusted and refuses to meet his new daughter-in-law, convinced that she’s a golddigger. Without revealing his true identity, Marion gets a job as Mr. Wallace’s private secretary and attempts to repair the relationship between father and son.

This is a creaky romantic comedy from the early days of sound film and it would probably be forgotten if not for the fact that Dick Wallace is played by John Wayne. Wayne was 26 when he played Dick Wallace and already a screen veteran, though most of his roles had been in B-westerns and had featured Wayne riding a horse and carrying a gun. Wayne actually gives a pretty good performance as Dick. He’s better and more natural here than he was in many of the singing cowboy films that he was making at the time and this film suggests an alternate timeline where Wayne become known as a romantic comedy star instead of a screen cowboy. Wayne is especially good in the early scenes, when he’s still a no-good, hard-drinking, no-account lout. I get the feeling he enjoyed not having to be the upright hero for once.

His Private Secretary definitely shows its age but it’s worth watching for a chance to see a young John Wayne in an unexpected role.