Monthly Archives: August 2025

Late Night Retro Television Review: Highway to Heaven 4.11 “In With The In Crowd”

Posted on 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 brings vengeance to a high school.

Episode 4.11 “In With The In Crowd”

(Dir by Michael Landon, originally aired on December 9th, 1987)

This week, Jonathan and Mark are cops, assigned to a ritzy private school where a student recently died of an overdose.  They’re working with Denise Kelly (Lar Park Lincoln), an undercover cop who is pretending to be a student in order to uncover the identity of and arrest the school’s main dealer.  Unfortunately, the dealer figures out that Denise is a cop and he orders another student (Tom Hodges) to testify that Denise seduced him to get information.  Suddenly, it looks like Denise might lose her job and even get charged with a crime herself!

Mark, feeling protective of Denise and also guilty that he stopped recording Denise’s conversation with the student who subsequently accused her, decides to go undercover himself.  He tells drug dealing student Ray Russo (Jason Oliver Lipsett) that he’s actually a dealer himself.  Ray, however, sees through the ruse and knocks Mark out before injecting him with pure cocaine.

Mark’s in coma.  Denise feels like there’s no point in fighting crime.  Seeking revenge, Jonathan calls a school assembly and specifically accuses Ray of being the school’s main dealer.  Ray pulls out a gun and then  runs out of the school.  He gets in his car and starts the engine.  As he’s speeding down the street, Ray sees that Jonathan is sitting in the passenger’s seat.  Ray shoots at him, twice.  Jonathan, untouched, says that Ray should look in the back seat.  Ray sees the spirit of the girl who died over an overdose.  The terrified Ray is so distracted that he crashes into a truck and his car explodes.

JONATHAN KILLED A GUY!

WOW!

That’s something I never thought I’d see on Highway to Heaven.

Now, to be clear, Ray was a very, very bad guy.  He tried to murder Mark.  He sold the drugs that killed the student.  He brought a gun to school.  There really wasn’t much hope that Ray would ever reform but still, Jonathan killing him seems to go against everything that Highway to Heaven was usually about.  Highway to Heaven usually emphasized the idea of redemption and that everyone — even the worst among us — could change their ways.  Part of the appeal of the show was that it was so unapologetically earnest.  Ray getting blown up may have been emotionally satisfying but it just seemed to go against everything that the show was about.

In the end, Mark wakes up and Denise is cleared of all the accusations against her.  Jonathan and Mark leave for their next assignment.  Who knows who Jonathan will kill next!

Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.1 “Stranglehold”

Posted on 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 Thursdays, I will be reviewing Decoy, which aired in Syndication in 1957 and 1958.  The show can be viewed on Tubi!

This week, we start a look at Decoy, a show that will hopefully be a considerable improvement on Malibu CA!

Episode 1.1 “Stranglehold”

(Dir by Don Medford, originally aired on October 17th, 1957)

“There are 249 of us in the Department. We carry two things in common wherever we go – the shield, called a “pottsy”, and a .32 revolver. We’re New York’s finest …. we’re police women.”

Those are the words that end the first episode of Decoy and they’re delivered by Casey Jones (Beverly Garland), a former ballet dancer who now works undercover as a member of the NYPD’s Department of Policewomen.  Casey holds up her revolver for the audience to see, leaving them no doubt that she’s telling the truth.  A woman who know how to handle a gun!?  Audiences in 1957 were no doubt stunned.

Of course, the audience had also just spent 25 minutes watching Casey work undercover.  After a merchant seaman is murdered and a woman named Molly Orchid (Joanne Linville) is caught with some of his jewelry, Casey is sent to live across the hall from Molly.  (Casey is also living in the dead man’s apartment.  Casey, a true New Yorker, comments that she’ll do anything to get a good apartment.)  After hiding her gun in a lighting fixture and hiding her badge under her blouse, Casey befriends Molly and tries to meet George, the mysterious boyfriend that Molly says gave her the jewelry.

Molly loves to talk about George but George never seems to be around.  Molly says that George is a musician and that he’s often out of town.  Casey comes to feel sorry for Molly, feeling that the emotionally vulnerable woman is being manipulated by George.  Whereas the male cops would just as soon shoot Molly than try to negotiate with her (this entire show is from the pre-Miranda era), Casey does her best to reason with Molly.  That is the difference between a policewoman and a policeman.

Of course, as you probably already guessed, there is no George.  Casey eventually figures it out after she realizes that Molly has been going to the movies alone as opposed to meeting up with George.  Molly, spotting Casey’s gun, grabs it and finally admits the truth.  The merchant seaman tried to assault her and Molly strangled him in self-defense.  George is a figment of her imagination, someone who she made up as a way to deal with her guilt.  A policeman barges into the apartment and points his gun at Molly but Casey steps in front of him and then manages to talk Molly down.

The first episode of Decoy was distinguished by some on-location shooting in New York City and the performances of Joanne Linville and especially Beverly Garland.  Garland’s empathetic but strong-willed performance dominates the show and it leaves us with little doubt that Casey Jones is the best at what she does.  Meanwhile, Linville, in the role of Molly, may be dangerous but she’s also sympathetic.  Her crime was initially one of self-defense and George was someone she created as her way of surviving in a world where no one was willing to look out for her.

Next week: Casey searches for a missing artist.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special David Fincher Edition

Posted on 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!

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 63rd birthday to David Fincher!  It’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 David Fincher Films

Seven (1995, dir by David Fincher. DP: Darius Khondji)

Fight Club (1999, dir by David Fincher, DP: Jeff Croneweth)

Zodiac (2007, dir by David Fincher, DP: Harris Savides)

Mank (2020, dir by David Fincher, DP: Erik Messerschmidt)

Music Video of the Day: Anything She Does by Genesis (1986, directed by Jim Yukich)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

It doesn’t get much more British than Genesis trying to rehearse while Benny Hill tries to keep groupies (some of whom are Page 3 girls) from sneaking backstage!

This video was never officially released.  As far as I know, it never aired on MTV.  Instead, the video was used to introduce the band during their Invisible Touch tour.  Anything She Does was the one Invisible Touch song that was not performed live by the band during that tour.  Keyboardist Tony Banks, who wrote the song, said it was difficult to play.

The song itself is about a man who is in love with a model that he’s never met.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Review: 1st & Ten 1.7 “Uneasy Lies The Head”

Posted on 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 Wednesdays, I will be reviewing 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

This week, Coach Denardo has a bad dream and put the future of the Bulls in jeopardy.

Episode 1.7 “Uneasy Lies The Head”

(Dir by Bruce Seth Green, originally aired on January 6th, 1985)

After having a nightmare in which the members of the Bulls all appear as parts of his failing body and a demonic linebacker (Donald Gibb) and a saintly quarterback (Jeff East) tell him that he has to decide whether he wants to go to Heaven or Hell, Coach Denardo fears that his time is up.

At the next game, Denardo is distracted.  He calls the last time out, not realizing that he doesn’t have any left.  The clocks runs out while the Bulls are trying to get set up for field goal.  “Time out!  Time out!”  Denardo yells.  “You have no time left, coach,” the referee replies, which is maybe not the best way to speak to a man recovering from a heart attack.  As for the game, it’s a humiliating loss.  Denardo says that he might have to retire….

Yeah, that sounds about right.  I don’t know much about football but I can tell that Denardo made a lot of mistakes in the course of  just two minutes.  Get that old man out there!  Heck, just let Diane coach like she did last week….

Diane decides to trick Denardo into staying.  She rolls a really old computer out during practice and lets it call the plays.  Denardo gets angry.  No machine is going to replace Ernie Denardo!

Meanwhile, Bubba (Prince Hughes) upsets his mother-in-law.

Seriously, that’s the entire episode.  That’s all that happens.  I know it doesn’t sound like much but what can I tell you?  I sat through this and spent the whole time wondering when the episode’s actual story was going to start and it really didn’t.  Denardo had a bad dream.  Bubba upset his mother-in-law.  That’s it.

This episode was forgettable.  Diane should have fired Denardo after that loss.  I fear the Bulls aren’t going to make it to whatever this show’s version of the Super Bowl is.

Retro Television Review: The Love Boat 6.14 “Paroled to Love/First Impressions/Love Finds Florence Nightingale”

Posted on by casewright

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing the original Love Boat, which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986!  The series can be streamed on Paramount Plus!

Gavin MacLeod of the clan MacLeod declares (after the song number) “There can be only one!”, runs amok

This episode should be called- Lying Liars Who Lie!!!!

There are three stories all of which have pathological liars. The first story is “Paroled to Love” and it is beyond impossible. Gloria Baxter (Vicki Lawrence) is a criminal defense lawyer who just got a pardon for her embezzling client Eddie (Richard Kline). As the plot would have it, Eddie and Gloria love one another, but Eddie has a secret: he done did it and Gloria thought he was an innocent man!

Sidenote: as you may know, I was a criminal attorney for a number of years and in all of those cases, I can’t say that I had no innocent clients because I had one. One!

When I told my criminal defense attorney public defender friends that I had an actually innocent client, they told me to hold on because they needed to get recesses in the courthouse so that all of the PD’s could come out and hear this tale that sounded like lore! These attorneys had been doing criminal defense for decades and never had an innocent client! There was a crowd of over 70 attorneys, both public and private! They listened rapt to every detail of my story like I was Gandolf telling the stories of the rings!

I told them that I had documented proof that the police officer had not only lied, but falsified his police report, you could feel their goosebumps. Several of them begged me to just let them sit next to me as co-council or let them file a motion for me for free just so they could be part of this once in a career event. So, why in the world did Gloria not just presume that Eddie was not only guilty but a liar? Was this her first case? Was she hit on the head with something hard? Was her law school in Candyland?

Yes, Eddie lied to Gloria so she would get him a pardon when in fact, he was an embezzler, and she insists that to have her love he must go back to jail. At first, Eddie refuses, then she changes her mind, and Eddie decides to change his mind and go back to prison! It’s weird for many reasons: lawyers can’t date their clients and once a pardon is issued, it can’t be revoked! Once a pardon is accepted- It’s over.

The second story with a lying liar who lies is the Phyllis Faraday (Carole Cook) storyline. Phyllis wants to get a part playing of Florence Nightingale so decides to be a fake nurse for the Doc in order to get practice. Sadly, there was a shuffleboard accident and she did not set a compound fracture properly, the patient became septic, died, and the show was renamed The Death Boat. The show still had song and dance numbers, but they were all by Adele.

JK, she meets a guy who’s a rancher out of Wyoming, who thinks she’s an actual nurse and he falls in love with her after 24 hours because he thinks she’s a tenderhearted nurse. However, she is not a nurse and must confess this.

But did she really need to confess anything? I mean, this guy fell in love with her after 24 hours. How do you know that he won’t fall in love with the cab driver who picked them up for the ship and took them to their hotel or a cashier or anyone he meets for any period of time over 60 seconds?

The last storyline of lying liars who lie was probably the most weird, but it did allow them to have their required vaudeville acts of impressions and singing. Doris (Leia’s Mom) and Marsha (Marilyn Michaels) started a talent company with Julie. Gotta say, Julie seems agitated – I wonder why? Could it be????

Unfortunately, Doris and Marsha booked all of these celebrities to go on the cruise, but they sent them on the wrong cruise. They sent the stars on an Alaskan cruise and they didn’t bring any warm clothes which makes me wonder. Are they all dead? Is this like “Alive?” Why would that cruise ship take these stars aboard, when they were not on the manifest? What kind of a rogue cruise ship was this? Was it, in fact, a ship devoted to human trafficking? Are all these poor Hollywood stars now in some bizarre salt mine fighting to the death for the amusement of The Rumble on the infamous Money Plane???

I couldn’t find the “it’s rumble time”GIF

Doris and Marsha decide to do the most obvious thing: they pretend to be all these different Hollywood stars with OK impressions and then do a song number. Honestly, they might as well do that. It’s so hard for this show to contrive credible reasons for a song and dance number for every episode that I’ve seen so far; so, why not this?

I would describe this episode as OK.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Robert Richardson Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 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!

Today, TSL wishes a happy birthday to cinematographer Robert Richardson.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Robert Richardson Films

JFK (1991, dir by Oliver Stone, DP: Robert Richardson)

The Horse Whisperer (1998. dir by Robert Redford, DP: Robert Richardson)

Inglourious Basterds (2009, dir by Quentin Tarantino, DP: Robert Richardson)

Hugo (2011, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Robert Richardson)

Music Video of the Day: 2 Legit 2 Quit (1991, directed by Rupert Wainwright)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Do you want to watch one of the most expensive music videos ever made?

Even more importantly, do you have 15 minutes to watch MC Hammer?

The idea behind this video is that MC Hammer is thinking about quitting the business but James Brown wants him to steal Michael Jackson’s glove.  Before we even get to Hammer, we sit through James Belushi as a newscaster and cameos from several 1991 celebrities.  Danny Glover, Henry Winkler, Freedom Williams, David Faustino, Barry Sobel, Ralph Tresvant, Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, Eazy-E, DJ Quik, 2nd II None, Tony Danza, Queen Latifah and Milli Vanilli all appear in this video, as do several athletes: José Canseco, Isiah Thomas, Kirby Puckett, Jerry Rice, Rickey Henderson, Deion Sanders, Andre Rison, Wayne Gretzky, Chris Mullin, Roger Clemens, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, Lynette Woodard, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, David Robinson, and former Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville.  Obviously, with David Faustino and Tony Danza standing behind him, there was no way MC Hammer could quit.

This video was named the fifth worst music video of all time by MAX Music.  That was only with hindsight, though.  A shortened version was a hit on MTV and, in 1991, the Atlanta Falcons dubbed themselves the 2 Legit 2 Quite Falcons.  (They went 10-6 that season.)

Director Rupert Wainwright also did the video for U Can’t Touch This.

Enjoy!