Late Night Retro Television Review: Good Morning, Miss Bliss 1.7 “Save The Last Dance For Me”

Posted on August 30, 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 Saturdays, I will be reviewing Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which ran on the Disney Channel from 1988 to 1989 before then moving to NBC and being renamed Saved By The Bell. The entire show is currently streaming on Prime!

This week, the Eighth Grade Dance nearly turns violent!

Episode 1.7 “Save The Last Dance For Me”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on January 25th, 1989)

Mikey (Max Battimo) wants to go to the Eighth Grade Dance with Shana (Alexondra Lee) but Shana wants to go with Mikey’s evil best friend, Zach Morris. Zach agrees to go to the dance with Shana before he finds out that she’s the girl that Mikey was planning on asking. But, once Zach does find out, he refuses to cancel his date with her. Mikey gets upset. Mikey, I should add, is totally in the wrong here. Shana wants to go with Zach. Deal with it, Mikey.

Mr. Belding is worried about a fight breaking out at the dance. Fortunately, when Mikey tells Zach to meet him outside so they can fight, Zach apologizes and refuses to fight his friend. All the students go, “Awwww!” (That would not have been the reaction of the students at any school that I ever went to.) Mr. Belding is relieved that the fight is cancelled. Miss Bliss and her date Sherman (Lonnie Burr) bust out some disco moves.

This was a thoroughly predictable episode. I will say that Max Battimo, who retired from acting after Good Morning Miss Bliss, gave a pretty good performance as Mikey. Mikey may have been in the wrong as far as Shana was concerned but he was absolutely right to wonder why Zach always gets everything that he wants. Mark-Paul Gosselaar almost sold the scene where he apologized to Mikey. That’s not something that would ever happen in a real middle school but whatever. It is something that used to happen pretty frequently on shows like Good Morning Miss Bliss.

The main problem with this episode was that it was overlit. Zach’s hair was glowing so brightly that it actually hurt my eyes. This was actually a frequent problem on Saved By The Bell. The lighting was always way too harsh. The whole school looked like it was about to burst into flames.

Retro Television Review: The American Short Story #13: Barn Burning

Posted on August 30, 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 Saturdays, Lisa will be reviewing The American Short Story, which ran semi-regularly on PBS in 1974 to 1981. The entire show can be purchased on Prime and found on YouTube and Tubi.

This week, we have an adaptation of a William Faulkner short story.

Episode #13: Barn Burning

(Dir by Peter Werner, originally aired in 1980)

The year is 1895 and everyone in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi knows that Abner Snopes (Tommy Lee Jones) is no good. The taciturn and bitter Abner is notorious for burning down the barns of those who he feels have mistreated him. When Abner is dragged into the Justice of the Peace’s courtroom (which also happens to be a general store), he’s only acquitted because the judge and the prosecutor realize it would be unfair to force Abner’s young son, Sartoris “Sarty” Snopes (Shawn Whittington), to testify against him. Abner and his family are ordered to move to another town but Abner avoids any legal punishment. Despite that, Abner still accuses Sarty of thinking about betraying him.

This episode follows Sarty as he tries to understand his abusive father, a man who is offended over being told to wash a rug that he intentionally damaged that he plots to burn down another barn. (The owner of the rug is played by Jimmy Faulkner, the grandson of William Faulkner.) Sarty wants his father’s love but it soon becomes clear that Abner is too angry and resentful to love anyone. The story ends with a fire and an ambiguous tragedy, leaving both the fate of Abner and the future of Sarty unclear.

With his shifting viewpoints and his internalized style of narration, William Faulkner is not an easy writer to adapt to the screen. With Barn Burning, director Peter Werner takes a straight-forward approach to Faulkner’s short story. While Werner’s film might lack the nuance that was brought to the tale by Faulkner’s stream-of-consciousness style, it does work as a portrait of living with an angry man who is determined to let the world know that he’s not going to be pushed around anymore. Tommy Lee Jones gives a strong, intimidating, and ultimately charismatic performance as Abner, a tyrant who only shows emotion when he feels that he’s been treated disrespectfully. The story takes place in the ruins of the Old South and capture the struggle between the forced gentility of the old aristocracy and the crassness of the future, represented by Abner and his family.

This was a strong episode that truly did justice to William Faulkner’s short story.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Maureen O’Hara Edition

Posted on August 30, 2025 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 is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

These 4 Shots From 4 Films are dedicated to the memory of the great Maureen O’Hara.

4 Shots From 4 Maureen O’Hara Films

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939, dir by William Dieterle)

Dance, Girl. Dance (1940, dir by Dorothy Arzner)

Miracle on the 34th Street (1947, dir by George Seaton)

The Quiet Man (1952, dir by John Ford)

Sláinte!

Live Tweet Alert: Watch Zombie Island Massacre With #ScarySocial!

Posted on August 30, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and 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, for #ScarySocial, I will be hosting 1984’s Zombie Island Massacre!

If you want to join us on Saturday night, just hop onto twitter, start the film at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! The film is available on Prime and Tubi! I’ll be there co-hosting 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!

Scenes That I Love: Elsa Lanchester as Mary Shelley in Bride of Frankenstein

Posted on August 30, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The writer Mary Shelley was born on this date in 1797. Shelley, of course, is best-known for writing Frankenstein, a book that some claim is the first science fiction novel. (That’s debatable but it was still a major literary achievement.)

In this scene from 1936’s Bride of Frankenstein, Elsa Lanchester appears as Mary Shelley, continuing her story. (Of course, Lanchester also played the Bride herself.)

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 2.13 “In Sickness and In Health”

Posted on August 29, 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!

This week, Victor gets married!

Episode 2.13 “In Sickness and In Health”

(Dir by Mark Tinker, originally aired on February 8th, 1984)

This week’s episode features three storylines.

The least interesting one features Joan Halloran’s father, Charlie Halloran (William Windom), being admitted to and eventually dying at St. Eligius. The entire Halloran family comes out to visit Charlie and this is one of the storylines that would have worked better if I had the slightest bit of interest in Joan or her family. For the most part, though, Joan is a boring character and her wealthy family is not that interesting. I got the feeling this storyline was mostly included to remind us that Joan is a character on the show. We really have seen much of her over the past few episodes.

Dr. Chandler trained for the Boston Marathon by running the route in the rain. A car ran him off the road. A dog chased him. An attractive woman flirted with him. (He is Denzel Washington, after all!) And he finally reached the finish line and nearly collapsed while imagining everyone cheering for him.

Finally, Ehrlich married Roberta. The wedding took place at Dr. Craig’s house. Dogger (Kevin Scannell) was the best man and turned out to be just as crude as you might expect someone named Dogger to be. Dr. Craig was disgusted by the whole thing. Roberta got cold feet after her mother confessed to having never loved her father. However, Dr. Craig’s abrasive mother-in-law (Lurene Tuttle) was there to order Roberta to take a chance and marry the man who she might eventually come to love. This marriage is so obviously doomed. I’m predicting Ehrlich will be divorced before the season ends.

This episode really didn’t work. Dr. Chandler training for the Boston Marathon finally gave Denzel Washington something to do but the storyline excuse was mostly just an excuse to do some Boston location shooting. The Halloran storyline didn’t work because the Hallorans themselves aren’t that interesting. And, after all the build-up, the wedding was a bit anti-climatic.

They can’t all be winners.

Live Tweet Alert: Join #FridayNightFlix for Rocky V!

Posted on August 29, 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? 1990’s Rocky V!

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 happily tweeting. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

Rocky V is available on Prime!

See you there!

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special William Friedkin Edition

Posted on August 29, 2025 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, we honor director William Friedkin on what would have been his birthday.

4 Shots From 4 William Friedkin Films

The French Connection (1971, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)

The Exorcist (1973, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)

Sorcerer (1977, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Dick Bush and John M. Stephens)

To Live And Die In L.A. (1985, dir by William Friedkin, DP: M. Scott Smith)

Scenes That I Love: The End Of The French Connection

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens celebrates what would have been birthday oif the great William Friedkin. As a director, William Friedkin revolutionized both the horror genre and the crime genre. The car chase from 1971’s The French Connection has been much imitated but rarely equaled.

That said, as impressive as the car chase is, the ending of the French Connection is a perfect example of the bleakness of 70s cinema. Between the seemingly crazed Doyle firing his weapon into the void to the end cards that leave us wondering if any of this was worth it, the final minutes of The French Connection still pack an undeniable punch.

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

Posted on August 28, 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 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!