Tag Archives: Lisa Marie Bowman

Retro Television Reviews: Welcome Back Kotter 3.4 “The Visitors”

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 Saturdays, I will be reviewing Welcome Back Kotter, which ran on ABC  from 1975 to 1979.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

This week, Julie and the twins return home!

Episode 3.4 “The Visitors”

(Dir by Bob Claver, originally aired on September 22nd, 1977)

Julie and the twins are home!

Soon after arriving at the apartment, Julie and Gabe start to argue over what to name the babies.  Gabe suggests that they name them This One and That One.  Gabe also suggests that they name them Ethel and Lucy.  Julie, not being a fan of television or comedy in general (which makes it a bit odd that she ended up married to Gabe), suggests that they name the babies after their grandmothers, Rachel and Robin.

Speaking of grandparents, Julie’s mother and father show up unannounced.  Mr. Hansen (Jack Dodson) and his wife (Alice Backes) are from Nebraska and they don’t know much about city folks or Sweathogs or apartment buildings.  The Hansens actually appear to be extremely nice and polite but Gabe also immediately starts to complain about them staying at the apartment.  Yeah, Gabe …. I guess it’s not fun when visitors show up at random and then just decide to hang out.

Speaking of which, the Sweathogs also show up at the apartment.  Unfortunately, because Barbarino is stuck in the 10th Grade until he can pass a makeup exam, they are without their leader.  Watching this episode made me realize just how important Barbarino was to the Sweathogs.  Though John Travolta does appear in this episode, he doesn’t share any scenes with the other Sweathogs and without Travolta’s likeable screen presence to ground them, the other Sweathogs are just too weird to believably function as a group.  It was halfway through this episode that I found myself wondering if Epstein and Washington would actually hang out with Horshack if Vinnie wasn’t around to tell them to do so.

With Gabe gone, the responsibility for teaching his class falls to Mr. Woodman.  The students are bored with Woodman as a teacher but Woodman doesn’t care.  Woodman doesn’t care about much of anything, which makes it all the more heart-warming when he shows up at the Kotter apartment and proves himself to be a natural when it comes to taking care of babies.  Woodman was usually such an bitter character that it’s impossible not to smile when you see how much he seems to sincerely like talking to one of the Kotter twins.

Woodman proves himself to be not such a bad guy but telling Kotter than he’ll give Barbarino a makeup exam and allow him to join the 11th Grade if he passes.  “But if he fails by one point,” Woodman says, “he stays in the 10th Grade.”

“Did I ever tell you about my uncle who was in the 10th Grade for three years?” Gabe replies.

Woodman says that he’s willing to bring gifts to the babies and give Vinnie a makeup exam but “I will not listen to one of your uncle stories.”

And that’s it for this episode!  This episode was pretty slight, with characters randomly coming in and out of the Kotter apartment and getting on Julie’s nerves.  I’m going to assume that Barbarino’s absence from much of the episode was due to Travolta’s burgeoning film career as opposed to Barbarino being held back a grade.  (Barbarino better pass that exam.  The Sweathogs need their leader!)  That said, the bit at the end with Woodman was funny and full of heart so I’ll give this episode a solid B.

Next week: Gabe and Barbarino buy a lottery ticket!

Live Tweet Alert: Watch The Believers With #ScarySocial!

Posted on 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 1987’s The Believers, starring Martin Sheen!

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.

 

Music Video of the Day: White Line by James Apollo (2014, dir by Jason Affolder)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I just recently discovered this video, despite the fact that it’s been around for a while.  I like the song, I like the music, and I love the fact that watching the video reminds me of my favorite (and sadly, now closed) restaurant/bar in Denton.  Sweetwater had a wonderful outdoor patio, where my friends and I would spend many a night having the most wonderful conversations ever.

This place also reminds me of a few of the clubs in Deep Ellum where I would attempt to flirt my way past the doorman go whenever I snuck out of my house I happened to be in the neighborhood.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Reviews: Friday the 13th 1.13 “The Baron’s Bride”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing Friday the 13th, a show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990. The show can be found on YouTube!

This week, Micki and Ryan go to 1870s London!

Episode 1.13 “The Baron’s Bride”

(Dir by Bradford May, originally aired on February 15th, 1988)

The latest cursed antique that Jack has decided to retrieve is a cursed cape.  As Jack explains it, any man who wears the cape will automatically become irresistible to women.  So, with that in mind, why does Jack take Ryan and Micki with him?  Wouldn’t it make more sense to leave Micki at home and just bring Ryan who, as a guy, would be immune to the cape’s powers?

Seriously, Jack did not think this through!

As well, Jack also doesn’t know the full extent of the cape’s power.  It not only makes the wearer irresistible to women but it also turns him into a vampire.  And if blood gets on the cape’s brooch, the vampire and anyone near him will be transported into the past.

Jack, Ryan, and Micki arrives the home of Marie Simmons (Diana Barrington), just in time to see her giving the cape to her new boarder, Frank Edwards (Tom McCamus).  Of course, as soon as Micki sees Frank, she falls under her spell.  When Marie attacks Micki, she cuts Micki’s cheek.  Micki’s blood hits Frank’s brooch and they (along with Ryan) are transported into the past.

All three of them end up in London in 1870.  While Frank stalks victims on the streets of London, Micki and Ryan team up with a young writer named — *ahem* — Abraham (Kevin Bundy) and his wife, Caitlin (Susannah Hoffman).  Frank is determined to find Micki and, because Frank is still wearing the cape, Micki once again finds herself falling under Frank’s spell.

This is an excellent and atmospheric episode.  As soon as Ryan, Micki, and Frank are transported to London, the show switches from color to black-and-white and the story plays out like a macabre Universal horror film.  The episode is full of scenes of Frank running in slow motion towards his victims and revealing his fangs as he snarls at his enemies and Tom McCamus gives a wonderfully sinister performance as the innocent boarder turned vampire.  This episode packs a lot action into just 45 minutes of screen time and Micki and Ryan (and Robey and John D. LeMay) again prove themselves to be a good team.

The episode ends with a neat, if predictable twist.  Back in the present day, Jack asks Micki and Ryan if they happened to learn Abraham’s last name.  When they reply that they only knew him by his first name, Jack reveals that they spent their time in London working with Bram Stoker.  So, in their way, Micki and Ryan are responsible for Dracula!  Woo hoo!  Way to go, guys!

This was a great and fun episode.  Episodes like this make me glad that I decided to review this show.

One final note: Keep an eye out for Friday the 13th — A New Beginning‘s John Shepherd as a police constable.

Retro Television Reviews: T and T 2.11 “Hard Way Home”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing T. and T., a Canadian show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990.  The show can be found on Tubi!

T and T is back …. with a kidnapping!

Episode 2.11 “Hard Way Home”

(Dir by Al Waxman, originally aired on January 23rd, 1989)

Joe has the worst luck when it comes to making new friends!

One of the main themes of the second season of T and T has been T.S. (and, occasionally, Amy) acting as a mentor for teenage Joe Casper.  The season began with Joe losing his mother to a bomb that was set by Canadian Neo-Nazis.  T.S. apparently adopted Joe and now, the kid spends all of his time at Decker’s gym.  Whenever Joe makes a new friend, they either turn out to be a criminal or a victim of a crime.

This week, Joe’s new friend is George Papadopolous (David Stratton), who invites Joe to toss a football around with him in the park.  However, once they get to the park, George is grabbed by a couple of thugs and tossed into the trunk of a car.  Joe chases the car and even grabs onto the bumper but ultimately, he can’t save George.

When a banged-up Joe returns to Decker’s gym, T.S. assures him that his new scars will make him the most popular kid at his school.  Joe then calls George’s father and is told that the whole kidnapping was a prank and that he shouldn’t call the police.  This sounds strange to T.S. so he investigates on his own.

It turns out that George’s father is Peter (George Sperdakos), a big man in Toronto’s Greek mafia.  Someone has kidnapped George and is demanding a huge ransom.  Members of the Greek community are all donating their own money to help Peter raise the amount.  Because Joe was able to get the license plate number of the car that George was tossed into, it doesn’t take long for T.S. to discover that George was abducted by Peter’s rival, a used car dealer named Frangos (George Touliatos).  However, Frangos is not working alone.  It turns out that Peter arranged the kidnapping of his own son so that he could pocket the ransom money!

Needless to say, thinks work out in the end.  George is freed and Peter is arrested.  At first, Amy tells T.S. that there is no way that she would ever agree to represent Peter because 1) she knows that Peter is guilty and 2) Peter can’t afford to pay.  But then the members of Greek community (who are apparently very forgiving) donate their own money to convince Amy to defend Peter in court.  Does Amy win the case?  The episode ends before we find out.

This episode really showed the disadvantage of trying to tell a story like this in just 30 minutes.  There was never any suspense over who kidnapped George because there was only time to introduce one suspect!  Peter turning out to be in on it was a nice twist but it came out of nowhere because there really wasn’t any time to properly set it up.  This would have been a good hour episode but, at 30 minutes, it just felt rushed and it didn’t have any fun Mr. T line readings.  Toronto looked nice and cold but otherwise, this was a forgettable episode.

Scene That I Love: Tom and Tessio in The Godfather

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As we continue to observe Robert Duvall’s birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from my favorite movie, 1972’s The Godfather.

In this scene, Tom Hagen lets Tessio know that Michael knows that Tessio is the one who betrayed him.  It’s a short scene but one that is wonderfully acted by both Abe Vigoda and Robert Duvall.

Mario Puzo’s novel goes into a bit more detail about what is going through Tom’s mind while he watches Tessio being taken away.  Tessio was one of the last of the old breed of pre-prohibition era mobsters and he was someone who played a key role in Vito Corleone’s rise to power.  Tessio’s execution was not just revenge for betraying the family but also the end of an era, something that Tom full realized even if Michael didn’t.  When Tom tells Tessio that he can’t get him “off the hook for old time’s sake,” it’s a statement that those old times are gone forever.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Robert Duvall 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, we celebrate the 93rd birthday of Robert Duvall!  Robert Duvall is rightly known as one of America’s greatest actors but he’s also directed a few films as well.  Today, in honor of Mr. Duvall’s birthday, it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Robert Duvall Films

Angelo, My Love (1983, dir by Robert Duvall, DP: Joseph Friedman)

The Apostle (1997, dir by Robert Duvall, DP: Barry Markowitz)

Assassination Tango (2002, dir by Robert Duvall, DP: Felix Monti)

Wild Horses (2015, dir by Robert Duvall, DP: Barry Markowitz)

Rest in Peace, David Soul

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I just heard that actor David Soul passed away yesterday, at the age of 80.

Horror fans, of course, will always remember David Soul for playing Ben Mears in Tobe Hooper’s adaptation of Salem’s Lot.  Personally, I’ll remember him for his chilling performance as a vigilante motorcycle cop in 1973’s Magnum Force.

In the scene below, Soul and his fellow vigilantes confront Inspector Callahan in a parking garage.  Though he doesn’t get the scene’s best line (“All of our heroes are dead,” is delivered by Kip Nevin), Soul does get to explain why he and his fellow motorcycle cops are doing what they’re doing.

It takes a good actor to believably intimidate Clint Eastwood.

David Soul, R.I.P.

Live Tweet Alert: Join #FridayNightFlix For Kentucky Fried Movie!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on Twitter and Mastodon.  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, at 10 pm et, #FridayNightFlix starts 2024 with 1977’s Kentucky Fried Movie!

If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag!  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

Kentucky Fried Movie is available on Prime, Tubi, and a host of other streaming sites!  See you there!

Late Night Retro Television Reviews: Highway to Heaven 1.15 “One Winged Angels”

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 falls in love.

Episode 1.15 “One Winged Angel”

(Dir by Michael Landon, originally aired on January 16th, 1985)

This week, Jonathan’s mission seems simple.

Libby Hall (Robin Dearden) is a widow who owns a small hotel, one that she manages with her mother (Peggy McCay).  Libby’s son, Max (a young Wil Wheaton), has been struggling without a father figure in his life and has reached the point where he now regularly acts out and refuses to obey his mother.  He’s so obnoxious that guests will often check out of the hotel early rather than spend another minute around him.  The owner of the local gas station, Earl (John Lawlor), has a crush on Libby but he is too shy to ask her out.  It doesn’t help that Earl knew Libby’s late husband and he feels guilty about liking her.

When Jonathan and Mark show up at the hotel, it’s obvious what is meant to happen.  Jonathan just has to help Max deal with his anger and help Earl summon up the courage to ask out Libby.  Jonathan says that mission is so simple that Mark can spend the whole week fishing.  Mark’s excited about that!

Except …. uh-oh!  Jonathan starts to fall in love with Libby and Libby starts to fall for him.  Max is soon looking up to Jonathan and asking him if he wants to throw the old football around.  Earl can only watch helplessly.  Jonathan explains to Mark that he knows what his mission is but he can’t help how he feels about Libby.  Mark suggests that maybe “the boss” wants Jonathan to be reminded of what it feels like to be human.

Well, no worries!  With Jonathan struggling with his feelings, Mark takes it upon himself to go out fishing with Earl.  He tells Earl that he and Jonathan travel from town to town, get involved in people’s lives, and then move on.  Mark isn’t lying but Earl takes it to mean that Jonathan is just leading Libby on.  This gives Earl the courage to tell Jonathan how he feels about Libby (and to also tell Jonathan not to hurt her).  Realizing the Libby and Earl are meant to be together, Jonathan checks out of the hotel and tells Libby and Max that it’s time for him to move on.  Libby and especially Max are upset but things brighten up when Earl shows up.  He not only offers to give Max a job at the garage (and to also throw around the football with the kid) but he finally asks Libby out on a date.

This was a pretty sad episode, all things considered.  Earl and Libby are finally together and it’s obvious that they belong together but Jonathan is still really depressed as Mark drives him out of town.  But, seriously, Jonathan had to know about the dangers of falling in love with a human woman.  As an angel, he has surely read the Book of Enoch and knows about the Nephilim.  All that aside, this was a very sincere and a very earnest episode about lost love and it was nicely done.