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 Saved By The Bell, which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993. The entire show is currently streaming on Prime and Tubi!
Screech has the worst friends in the world.
Episode 1.18 “Screech’s Birthday”
(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 14th, 1992)
Screech is upset because all of his “friends” (and his robot, Kevin) forgot his birthday. His friends decide to make it up to him by throwing him a small party in Mr. Belding’s office. However, in order to use Belding’s office, they need control of the halls so they come up with an elaborate scheme to get hall monitor Neil (Jesse Wilson) fired so that Screech can take his place. However, Screech takes his job too seriously and sends everyone to detention, including almost everyone who is supposed to be at his party.
Oh my God, what is Zack going to do!?
Zack uses the PA system to ask that Slater, Lisa, Jessie, Kelly, and Screech come to the principal’s office.
Seriously, that’s all he does.
A few thoughts:
First off, the only reason that Zack his available to call everyone to the principal’s office is because Screech doesn’t send him to detention despite the fact that he catches Zack in the hallway without a hall pass. Now, you might think Zack has immunity because he’s Screech’s best friend but Screech previously sent Lisa — the girl he loves — to detention so why would he give Zack a break? Add to that, Screech is mad at Zack for forgetting his birthday. So, I would think Zack would especially be someone that Screech would want to punish.
Secondly, why couldn’t they just throw Screech a surprise party at Zack’s house? Or Slater’s house? Or the Maxx? Or anywhere other than Belding’s office?
Third, this episode does feature two of my favorite supporting characters, Neil the nasty hall monitor and Mr. Dewey (Patrick Thomas O’Brien), the burned out teacher. Sadly, this was Neil’s only appearance.
Fourth, this episode was filmed for the first season and aired in syndication as a part of the first season but, for some reason, NBC didn’t air the episode until the fourth season. It’s really not any worse than the typical Saved By The Bell episode so it’s odd that NBC held off on airing it for so long.
Fifth, always remember your friends’s birthdays. It’s not that hard!
Matthew Perry played the boyfriend of Kirk Cameron’s sister. He drank too much, he crashed his car, and he died. This is one of those very special episodes that one might roll their eyes at, if not for the fact that it guest starred Perry. Because it did guest star Perry, it was very sad to watch.
Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock)
A review for this episode will be dropping tomorrow.
Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (Shout TV)
In this show, from Japan, a group of teenagers used the power of the dinosaurs to defeat a witch. I watched three episodes on Saturday. The stop-motion dinosaurs and tigers were cute.
The Right Time (YouTube)
This was a 90s music show that was hosted by singer Tom Jones. I watched two episodes on Friday. The first one was called “Pop Music” and I enjoyed it. The second one was called “Gospel Music” and it was a little dull.
Saved By The Bell (Tubi)
A review for this episode will be dropping later tonight.
Who’s The Boss (Prime)
On Friday, after Jeff and I finished up The Trip, Amazon took us straight into this Tony Danza-starring sitcom. We watched the first episode, which was pretty forgettable. (Danza is a former baseball player turned housekeeper and no one can believe it.) The theme song kind of got stuck in my head though.
WKRP In Cincinnati (DVD)
Jeff and I watched several episodes of this 70s sitcom over the week. Even if the humor was a bit dated, it was a funny show. Herb Tarlek’s suits were amazing.
Welcome to 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 Baywatch, which ran on NBC and then in syndication from 1989 to 2001. The entire show can be viewed on Tubi.
This week …. oh, who cares? Season one is nearly over.
Episode 1.20 “Old Friends”
(Dir by Douglas Schwartz, originally aired on March 30th, 1990)
Cort is shocked when he thinks he sees his old friend, Lance (Jeff Lester), piloting a boat. But Lance is dead! Nope, it turns out that Lance faked his death and now he wants Cort to help him commit insurance fraud. Cort doesn’t want to do anything of the sort but he is kind of in love with Lance’s sister (Susan Diol).
Oh, who cares? It’s a typical Cort story. Apparently, Cort is some sort of international bad boy, even though he just comes across as being a beach bum. Cort stories are always kind of boring because Cort has never made much sense as a character.
Meanwhile, Mitch, Craig, and Garner go camping. Mitch goes hang gliding. He ends up crashing into a tree and then getting attack by a snake. Craig uses his hang glider to search for Mitch. Craig finds him but his radio breaks down so Garner — who has never hang glided before — decides to use the one remaining hang glider to search for his friends. A gust of wind takes Garner from the mountains to the beach. Eventually, Mitch and Craig are rescued. No one dies. Snake bites aren’t that dangerous, I guess.
This was a weird episode. The first season of Baywatch premiered on NBC. NBC cancelled the show after the first season and this episode definitely feels like a show on its way out. The whole episode looks and feels cheap. There’s a noticeable lack of extras on the beach. The hang gliding scenes are not particularly convincing. Everything about the episode practically shouts, “Nearly bankrupt!” Even Hasselhoff apparently didn’t want to do too much with this episode as he spends almost the entire running time delirious from the snake bite.
This episode had one funny moment. Mitch, losing control of his hang glider, yells into his radio, “Is anyone there!?” Cut to Craig and Garner at the campsite, totally ignoring the radio. I guess it makes sense. Why would a lifeguard pay attention when someone was doing something that could potentially get him killed?
Welcome to Late Night 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 Freddy’s Nightmares, a horror anthology show which ran in syndication from 1988 to 1990. The entire series can be found on Tubi!
This week, Freddy has a message!
Episode 2.9 “Monkey Dreams”
(Dir by Robert Englund, originally aired on December 3rd, 1989)
At a college science lab, Joe (Joseph Cali) tries to communicate with aliens. Next door, Jeannie (Sharon Mahoney) tries to teach her monkey to speak. When Joe starts getting strange messages on his computer, he thinks that it’s an alien code. Then it turns out that it’s actually just the monkey trying to type out its name on its own computer. Joe is then murdered by his bookie.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lynch (Sherman Howard) is using the monkey for some experiments to see how much pain a living creature can take. Dr. Lynch seems to change his mind when he hears the monkey speak. But it turns out that we were just seeing the monkey’s dream.
“Think about it!” Freddy tells us.
Freddy Krueger, animal rights activist? I guess it makes sense when you consider that Robert Englund directed this episode. The episode’s message was heartfelt but it seemed a bit out-of-place on a show about a undead child molester. Whatever message you want to deliver, Freddy Krueger probably isn’t the best one to do it.
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 Daily Motion.
This week, things continue to be awkward in Boston.
Episode 3.16 “Saving Face”
(Dir by Charles Braverman, originally aired on January 16th, 1985)
This episode of St. Elsewhere was even busier than usual.
Tough-as-nails Dr. Mary Woodley (Karen Austin) has been hired to oversee the ER. Dr. Fiscus isn’t happy about it. He’s going to have to work for a woman? Agck!
Dr. Cavanero is also not happy. Of course, the last time that St. Eligius hired a new female doctor, Cavanero told everyone at the hospital that she was a lesbian and, for some reason, this led to the doctor having to leave town. (It was the 80s.) Maybe, just maybe, there are reasons to have doubts about Cavanero’s professionalism.
Dr. Westphall shows Dr. Woodley around the hospital and, as usual, comes across as being the saddest man on the planet.
Dr. Westphall informs Jack that he will be allowed to continue on as a resident. However, Westphall also rather glumly states that he will be watching Jack from now on. Jack better not screw up or Westphall will “come down” on him. Personally, I think Westphall is too depressed to really do much of anything.
Feeling guilty about Murray’s death, Elliott brings Mrs. Hufnagle a ham. Mrs. Hufnagle has an allergic reaction and ends up back in the hospital. “She thinks I tried to kill her!” Elliott says.
A teenager (Tim Van Patten) brings in his pregnant girlfriend, who has OD’d. Dr. Woodley says she is required to call family services. Myself, I started shouting, “I am da futah!” as soon as Tim “Stegman” Van Patten showed up on the screen.
Dr. Caldwell performs extensive plastic surgery on a disfigured young woman. When Dr. Ehrlich says that the patient looks like she got hit with the “ugly stick,” Caldwell kicks Ehrlich off his team.
Nobody wants to work with Ehrlich! Dr. Craig declines to invite Ehrlich to his 34 year anniversary party. Cavanero agrees to take Ehrlich as her date. “What are you doing here!?” Craig snaps as soon as he sees Ehrlich in his living room.
Dr. Craig’s younger brother, William (Lou Richards), also shows up. He was invited at Ellen’s insistence, despite the fact that William and Mark haven’t spoken in over four years. Mark feels that William has wasted his life and his potential. But when William proves to be the life of the party, it becomes apparent that Mark is actually jealous of how likable his younger brother is.
In the kitchen, Mark and William have a long conversation. William admits that he’s struggling to pay the bills. Mark writes him a check. For a few minutes, the brothers actually reconcile.
However, Mark later hears William joking about how much money surgeon’s make and he loses his temper. In front of the entire party, he calls out William and reveals that he doesn’t have a dime to his name.
That night, after everyone else has left and William has gone to the guest room, Ellen tells Mark that he should apologize. Mark agrees and says he’ll do it in the morning.
Later, during the night, Mark steps out of his bedroom and discovers that William has gone home. He left behind the check, which he ripped in half. Mark stares at the check and starts to cry.
This was another episode that did a good job balancing the serious and the humorous. Dr. Ehrlich’s inability to say the right thing will never not be funny. For that matter, the same can be said of Dr. Craig’s general irritation with everything. And yet, seeing Dr. Craig break down and cry was truly heartbreaking. Dr. Craig and Dr. Ehrlich share an inability to socialize and a habit of screwing up even the kindest of gestures. Even when they try to do the right thing, they somehow always manage to screw it up.
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 Hunter, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1991. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi and several other services!
Today, we start a new series.
Episode 1.1 “Hunter”
(Dir by Ron Satlof, originally aired on September 18th, 1984)
Ah, Hunter.
Hunter is one of those shows that, up unitl now, I’ve never really specifically felt the need to track down and binge but I’ve still seen a handful episodes. Some of that is because Hunter is a mainstay on the nostalgia channels. If you fall asleep while watching an old episode of Fantasy Island, there’s a good chance that you’re going to wake up to an episode of Hunter. Hunter is also a mainstay on both Prime and Tubi. Again, if you fall asleep watching your favorite Eric Roberts movie, there’s a decent chance that you’re going to wake up to an episode of Hunter.
I have to admit that every episode I’ve seen has been entertaining. It’s the epitome of an 80s cop show, in all of its action-filled, simplistically-plotted glory. Rick Hunter (played by former football player Fred Dryer) is a cop who gets results by doing things his way. “His way” typically involves shooting a lot of people. (Hunter’s catch phrase? “Works for me.”) Hunter’s partner is Dee Dee McCall (Stepfanie Kramer), a cop who gets results by doing things her way. “Her way” typically involves going undercover and …. uhmm, shooting a lot of people. And while I am certainly aware of the dangers of police overreach and I generally don’t support shooting anyone without just cause, it’s still fun to watch Hunter and McCall break every regulation in the book. In almost every episode that I’ve seen, Hunter and McCall end up shooting so many people that the action ends up verging on self-parody. Fortunately, both Dryer and Kramer appeared to be in on the joke.
(From what I’ve seen, I should also mention that Fred Dryer appears to have been a slightly better actor than some of the other former pro athletes who have decided to go into acting. He may not have had a huge amount of range but he was still better than most of the basketball players who showed up on Hang Time. If nothing else, he was better at showing emotion than OJ Simpson.)
Hunter premiered with a 90-minute made-for-television movie. The action starts with Los Angeles Police Detective Rick Hunter crammed into a beat-up car that has definitely seen better days. Because Hunter is the son of a mobster, he’s not totally trusted by his fellow detectives. Because he’s a cop, he’s not totally trusted by the mob. And because he’s a shoot-first renegade, all of his partners end up going to the hospital. Captain Cain (Michael Cavanaugh) is trying to get him to quit the force and that means only allowing him to drive the department’s worst cars, not allowing Hunter to respond to most calls, and trying to partner him up with bowtie wearing moron, Bernie Terwilliger (James Whitmore, Jr.)
Hunter knows that LAPD regulations will allow him to pick his own partner if he can find someone willing to work with him. The problem is that no one wants to put their life on the line. Finally, Hunter tracks down Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, the widow of a fallen officer. Nicknamed the “Brass Cupake” (cringe!), Dee Dee is currently working undercover as a prostitute and is trying to take down Los Angeles’s biggest pimp, King Hayes (Steven Williams). Hunter has a proposition for her. Since neither wants a partner and they both prefer shooting first and asking questions later, why not pretend to work together? They’ll check in and out at the station together but, otherwise, they’ll separate and work their own cases once they hit the streets. McCall agrees.
Unfortunately, Captain Cain is not dumb. He figures out exactly what they’re doing and he tells them that he will have people watching them to make sure that they are actually working together. Luckily, McCall has just arrested King Hayes. Hunter shows up as McCall is handcuffing Hayes and immediately sees that Hayes’s bodyguard is driving his car straight at them.
“You want this guy?” Hunter asks.
“That would be nice,” McCall replies.
Hunter, much like Dirty Harry, proceeds to fire several bullets into the car windshield, causing the car to flip over.
With King Hayes and his bodyguard now taken care of, it’s time for Hunter and McCall to investigate the murders of two blonde women who both enjoyed hanging out at country western bars. McCall puts on a blonde wig and goes undercover at a honky tonk. Hunter is shocked to see that she is being stalked by Dr. Bolin (Brian Dennehy), the psychiatrist who the LAPD brought in to examine all of their detectives. As a viewer, I was not particularly surprised to discover that Dr. Bolin was the killer. You’re not going to cast an actor like Brian Dennehy on a show like Hunter and then just have him spend the entire episode sitting in his office. McCall and Hunter work together to stop Bolin before he kills again.
The pilot of Hunter was actually a lot of fun. The pilot may have been violent but it still had a sense of humor. The show understood that the sight of 6’6 Fred Dryer crammed into a dented station wagon would not only make the viewer smile but it would also go a long way towards humanizing Hunter as a character. He may be big and cocky and quick to shoot people but he also has terrible luck when it comes to cars, police radios, and bystanders. At one point, he even gets pepper-sprayed by Dee Dee’s neighbor. As for Dee Dee, I liked the fact that she was capable and tough without being a stereotypical action girl. I also appreciated that she and Hunter chose to work together. I feared, initially, that the pilot would be full of scenes featuring Hunter whining about having to work with a woman and I appreciated that the show went the opposite direction. From the start, Hunter respects Dee Dee as a cop and it’s made clear that she has nothing to prove to him. If anything, Hunter has to earn her respect.
Of course, the main appeal of Hunter is that both Dryer and Kramer looked good holding a gun and yelling at people to “freeze!” As opposed to the wishy washy police procedurals of today, the pilot of Hunter was absolutely shameless about giving the viewers what they wanted as far as bullets and car chases were concerned.
This was a good pilot. Watching it, I could understand why the show ended up running for 8 seasons. And, every Thursday, I’ll be reviewing Hunter. I look forward to the action!
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, Casey is haunted by the past.
Episode 1.27 “The Sound of Tears”
(Dir by Marc Daniels, originally aired on April 14th, 1958)
A wealthy young man has been gunned down in a New York park. It falls to Casey to deliver the news to both the man’s mother (Muriel Kirland) and the man’s ex-fiancée, Wendy Jenkins (Suzanne Pleshette). At first, Wendy is the number one suspect but, as she investigates, Casey comes to suspect that the killer was actually Susan Connor (Molly McCarthy), a family friend who had fallen in love with the victim.
This is an interesting episode, in that it reveals a bit of Casey’s past. Usually, Casey doesn’t let her personal feelings get in the way of doing her job but, in this episode, she finds herself thinking about the day that a policewoman told her that her husband had been killed in the line of duty. Casey has a unique understanding of the pain that the three women are feeling and Beverly Garland does a good job of showing the anguish that Casey is going through.
Unfortunately, the rest of the episode isn’t quite as good as Garland’s performance. From the start, Susan is portrayed as being so obviously unhinged that it’s not really a surprise when she turns out to be the killer. None of the guest cast, including a young Suzanne Pleshette, are as convincing as Beverly Garland is in the lead role. Indeed, Charles Mendick — cast of Lt. Doyle — gives one of the worst performances that I’ve ever seen on this show.
On the plus side, this episode does feature some good location footage of 1950s New York. The noirish black-and-white imagery nicely fits the melancholy story. The cinematography captures the world in which Casey lives, one in which pain doesn’t just go away after a few years and the guilty are often as traumatized as those they victimize.
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, 1st & Ten gets serious.
Episode 3.10 “Blood on Blood”
(Dir by Bruce Seth Green, originally aired on November 27th, 1987)
The Bulls are going to the playoffs! It’s not because they’ve had a particularly good season. It’s just that their division rival, Denver, lost a game and that narrowly allowed the Bulls to sneak their way into the postseason. Coach Grier yells at all the players for celebrating. He tells them that they have nothing to be happy about.
Well, Zagreb has something to be happy about. The Bulgarian kicker is about to get married to Anna (Valerie Landsburg) so that he can avoid being deported. However, at the wild bachelor party that Jethro throws for him, Zagreb strips down to his underwear and dances with a stripper. Anna happens to show up and she calls off the wedding. The next day, Jill tells Zagreb that the State Department is no longer trying to deport him. It turns out that Zagreb’s father was not a communist official but instead a double agent! (Zagreb says that he read the Communist Manifesto a hundred times for nothing.) Zagreb no longer has to get married to stay in the country. Except, now, Zagreb wants to get married….
Meanwhile, Billy Cooper gets his brother, Michael (Linden Ashby), a job as an assistant equipment manager. Mike has just gotten out of prison. He was serving time for armed robbery. When things turn up missing in the locker room, Mike is the number one suspect. TD Parker (played by OJ Simpson) fires him. Just imagine getting accused and then fired by OJ Simpson! Mike is not happy.
Later, Bubba catches another equipment manager stealing from the locker room. Realizing that Mike was innocent, TD and Billy drive out to the liquor store where Mike is now working. They hire Mike back. Yay! I love it when people get a second chance. We’d have a lot less crime in this country if people were willing to take a chance on folks like Mike, who made a mistake but who sincerely want to turn their lives around. Good for TD! Good for Billy! Good for America….
Of course, as soon as TD and Billy leave, two bikers rob the liquor store and shoot Mike dead.
Wow, this was a dark episode. I appreciated the fact that the show attempted to take a serious look at the struggle that someone like Mike would face upon reentering society. That said, the liquor store shooting happened so abruptly that it felt almost like a parody of a melodrama. Much like the player dying of steroid abuse earlier in the season, this was the type of big dramatic moment that 1st & Ten didn’t really have the gravitas to pull off.
Next week, the Bulls continue to try to make it to the Championship for the third year in a row!
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!
This week, the Love Boat takes a dramatic turn.
Episode 7.15 “How Do I Love Thee?/No More Alimony/Authoress! Authoress!”
(Dir by Kim Friedman, originally aired on January 7th, 1984)
As usual, this week’s episode features three stories. Two of them are very silly.
Betty White and Carol Channing play two Broadway veterans who are hoping to interest publisher Cesar Romero in Betty’s autobiography. Cesar is more interested in Carol. Betty and Carol collaborate on a book that is full of sordid lies. Cesar says he’ll publish it because “the hicks in the South” will love it. Carol announces that she is a hick from the South and promptly rips the manuscript in half. Good for her!
Alan Thicke wants his ex-wife, Michelle Phillips, to marry Fred Willard so that he’ll no longer have to pay alimony. However, when Alan discovers that Fred is a womanizer, Alan reconsiders his plans.
These two stories feel very familiar. They’re the type of stories that we’ve seen on many episodes of The Love Boat. They’re saved a bit because of the comedic skills of Fred Willard and Betty White but, in the end, they’re definitely on the silly side of the cruise.
But then you get the third story, which is not silly at all. Laura (Rue McClanahan) boards the ship with her husband, George (Dick Van Patten). Laura is an old friend of Captain Stubing’s and he’s alarmed when he sees that Laura has a black eye. Laura says she simply walked into a door. George laughs and says that Laura is a klutz.
Actually, Laura is being abused by her husband. George’s business is failing. George is jealous of Captain Stubing. George hits Laura in their cabin and it’s a shocking moment because 1) this is The Love Boat and 2) it actually looks like that Van Patten may have accidentally hit McClanahan for real. (Van Patten briefly breaks character, looking shocked, before quickly turning back into the angry George.) Stubing realizes what’s happening and confronts George. By the end of the episode, George is promising to “get some help” but it’s significant that Laura doesn’t leave the ship with him. One gets the feeling that she’s heard that promise before.
At first, it seems strange to have such an serious storyline playing out in-between scenes of Carol Channing and Betty White singing and Fred Willard leering at every woman on the boat but it actually works surprisingly well. The show makes an important point. Even on a fun cruise, abuse can happen. Abuse doesn’t take a vacation. And abusers can be the people you least suspect, like perennial nice guy Dick Van Patten. I have a lot of respect for this episode for dealing with a serious subject and doing it well.
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Pacific Blue, a cop show that aired from 1996 to 2000 on the USA Network! It’s currently streaming everywhere, though I’m watching it on Tubi.
This week, a loved one dies.
Episode 3.21 “Till Death Do Us Part”
(Dir by Michael Levine, originally aired on April 12th, 1998)
When two robbers invade a high-end clothing store and shoot a security guard, they also accidentally shoot and kill Linda, Victor’s fiancée. In fact, Linda was trying on a wedding dress when she was shot. She was accompanied by Chris. In typical Pacific Blue style, even though Victor is the one who has just lost his fiancée, Chris also gets a chance to tell everyone that it’s also something that she’ll never recover from because she was the one who was actually there when it happened. Chris is so upset that she initially refuses to even change her clothes, even though they’ve been splattered with Linda’s blood. The show seems to think that this makes Chris into a strong character. Personally, I think it makes her someone who is so self-centered that she even has to make the death of someone else’s fiancée all about her. I can only imagine how Victor feels seeing Linda’s blood all over Chris’s shirt.
As for Victor, he goes on a rampage, tearing up Santa Monica until he finds the man who shot Linda. Victor ignores regulations. He breaks rules. He nearly shoots the killer in a parking lot and his partner Cory promises to back him up if he pulls the trigger. In the end, Victor is not a cold-blooded murderer. He allows the killer to be arrested. He tells the killer that he can’t wait to witness his execution. (Good luck, Victor. You’re in California!) But, as the episode ends, it’s mentioned that Internal Affairs is going to want his badge.
(Apparently, that will be dealt with in next week’s episode, which is also the season three finale.)
Watching this episode, I can found myself asking myself if all the other cops in Santa Monica have been fired. I didn’t see anyone other than the bicycle cops investigating the robberies or the shootings. I didn’t see anyone from Homicide looking into Linda’s murder. Instead, the entire episode was full of people trying to look tough while wearing bicycle shorts.
Through the Shattered Lens 