As I’ve already said this week, rest in peace to the great William Friedkin. Much like Paul Schrader, he was a veteran of the Golden Age and he was willing to say whatever was on his mind, regardless of whether it was the conventional wisdom or not. We could definitely use more filmmakers like Friedkin.
It’s still hot. When I try to think about what I did over this past week, I mostly remember getting mad about the heat. Right now, my main focus is on getting things ready for October.
I watched two of the best crime films of the 70s, Dirty Harry and Death Wish, Eastwood and Bronson at their best!
Here’s what I watched, read, and listened to this week!
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Sundays, I will be reviewing the made-for-television movies that used to be a primetime mainstay. Today’s film is 1974’s Houston, We’ve Got A Problem! It can be viewed on YouTube!
The year is 1970 and Apollo 13 is the latest manned NASA mission into space. The head of the mission of Jim Lovell and the destination is the Moon. Unfortunately, the American public has gotten so used to the idea of men going to the Moon that hardly anyone is paying attention to Apollo 13. That changes when Lovell contacts mission control in Houston and utters those famous words, “Houston …. we’ve had a problem.” An oxygen tank has exploded, crippling the spacecraft and leaving the three men in danger. If Houston can’t figure out how to bring them home, Apollo 13 could turn into an orbiting tomb.
Yes, this film tells the story of the same crisis that Ron Howard recreated in Apollo 13. The difference between Houston, We’ve Got A Problem and Apollo 13 (beyond the fact that one was a big budget Hollywood production and the other a low-budget made-for-TV movie), is that Apollo 13 largely focused on the men trapped in space while Houston, We’ve Got A Problem is totally Earthbound. In fact, Jim Lovell does not even appear in the ’74 film, though his voice is heard. (The film features the actual communications between the crew and Mission Control.) Instead, the entire film follows the men on the ground as, under the leadership of Gene Kranz (Ed Nelson), they try to figure out how to bring the crew of Apollo 13 home. Houston, We’ve Got A Problem is a far more low-key film than Apollo 13, one that features narration from Eli Wallach to give it an effective documentary feel but one that also lacks the moments of wit and emotion that distinguished Apollo 13.
NASA cooperated with the making of the film and it works best when it focuses on the men brainstorming on how to solve the biggest crisis that the American space program had ever faced to that date. The film is less effective when it tries to portray the effects of the men’s work on their home lives. Sandra Dee is wasted as the wife who can’t understand why her engineer husband (reliably bland Gary Collins) can’t spend more time at home. Clu Gulager plays the guy who fears he’s missing out on time with his son. Robert Culp plays the man with a heart condition who places his hand over his chest whenever anything stressful happens. Steve Franken has to choose between his religious obligations and his obligation to NASA. The melodrama of those fictional moments are awkwardly mixed with the based-in-fact moments of everyone calmly and rationally discussing the best way to save the crew. Jim Lovell, as a matter of fact, complained that Houston, We’ve Got A Problem did a disservice to the flight controllers by presenting them all as being hopelessly inept in their lives outside of mission control. (Lovell was reportedly much happier with Apollo 13.)
Because it features the actual conversations between the crew and Mission Control, Houston, We’ve Got AProblem is interesting as a historical document but it never escapes the shadow of Ron Howard’s better-known film.
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!
124 years ago, the master of suspense was born in England. Today, we honor the career and legacy of the great Alfred Hitchock with….
6 Shots From 6 Alfred Hitchcock Films
Rebecca (1940, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: George Barnes)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Joseph A. Valentine)
Notorious (1946, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Ted Tetzlaff)
Vertigo (1958, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Robert Burks)
North by Northwest (1959, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Robert Burks)
Psycho (1960, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: John L. Russell)
The latest season of this reality show premiered this week. I kind of watched it but, to be honest, I got bored and tuned out after 20 minutes or so. As far as I can tell, The Challenge mostly seems to exist to give work to former reality show contestants who don’t want to return to their former lives.
The remaining contestants finally figured out that Hugo was Jimmy Carter’s grandson and they sent him packing. I’m enjoying this show, though I’m still annoyed all of my favorites have been eliminated. That said, Hugo wasn’t one of my favorites so this week was a good one.
Dr. Phil (YouTube)
Despite being opposed to Dr. Phil on general principle, I did have the show on for background noise while I was getting some work done on Tuesday. The first episode featured an out-of-control teen who got sent to rehab. Phil said that the parents were ultimately to blame and, for once, I agreed because her parents really were the worst! The 2nd episode featured a man who somehow thought it would be okay to live with both his wife and his mistress in the same house. Dr. Phil explained why this arrangement probably would not work. The 3rd episode featured a woman who hired a nanny off of Craig’s List and who was shocked when the Nanny turned out to be a bit shady. The fourth episode featured a former beauty pageant contestant who was now an out-of-control teen. Dr. Phil sent her to a mental health facility, which led to a lot of tears. It was awkward. I’m not sure I agree with Dr. Phil’s solution. I think it was more about making the audience happy than helping the child. Finally, for the fifth episode, I watched an episode about two sisters who claimed they would never accept their new stepmother. The family was a complete mess. I felt bad for the stepmother.
On Sunday morning, I watched three full hours of Saved By The Bell. Zack started dating Kristy, the new wrestler. But then, in the next episode, he was suddenly trying to date Slater’s ex-girlfriend from Germany, showing that Zack definitely had commitment issues. Zack then had an operation on his knee and returned to school in time to convince everyone to not allow oil drilling on Bayside’s property. (Poor Becky!) Then, it was time to rig a chess tournament and head to the mall so that he and his friends could buy tickets to (snicker) the U2 concert. The common factor in all of these episodes was everyone putting way too much faith in Screech.
Solid Gold (YouTube)
I watched an episode of this old 80s music show on Sunday night. The episode I watched was from 1982 and it featured some good music and a lot of dancing so I enjoyed it.
Stars on Mars (Monday Night, Fox)
The Lance Armstrong redemption has come to an end as Armstrong left “Mars” this week.
In the special one-hour Christmas special, Jim Hacker became Prime Minister! While it’s true that he became PM because everyone was impressed by the fact that he had no strongly held beliefs, it was still hard not to be happy for him. I love this show.
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!
It’s exam time!
Episode 1.20 “The Telethon”
(Dir by Bob LaHendro, originally aired on February 12th, 1976)
Gabe tells Julie about the time he went to visit “my uncle, Mo Kotter, in the hospital.” Uncle Mo was in an oxygen tent. Gabe accidentally stepped on his air hose. Uh-oh!
At school, Gabe shows up for class and immediately makes the Sweathogs groan by announcing that it’s time to take a test. He passes out the test papers and Freddie announces that this is a test that he can pass. Yay! I’ve always felt that Freddie was actually one of the smarter Sweathogs and I’m glad to see that he is finally making an effort to excel academically and …. oh wait. Freddie is just pointing out that the test papers are blank because the school’s Xerox machine has broken down.
Yes, the school desperately needs money. But how can the Sweathogs raise money for their much-needed supplies? Barbarino volunteers to sell kisses. Freddie suggests stealing hubcaps. Horshack starts shouting, “Let’s put on a show!” Gabe argues that no television station — not even public access channel 52.4 — would agree to air a Sweathog telethon. However, Mr. Woodman stops by the classroom to gloat about how, due to budget cuts, the remedial Sweathog class is going to have to be cut, unless the Sweathogs can come up with $700. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Gabe and the Sweathogs invite the president of channel 52.4 to the school so that he can see the Sweathogs perform Me and My Shadow. Needless to say, the Sweathogs get their telethon! Will they be able to raise $700?
(Seriously, no one had an extra $700 lying around?)
The telethon is broadcast live from Gabe’s classroom and even Mr. Woodman shows up in a tux. “I sing!” he explains. Once the show goes live, Gabe (of all people) freezes up on camera so Julie has to grab the microphone from him and explain the purpose of the telethon. Julie proceeds to sing a deliberately off-key version of Let Me Entertain You. Juan Epstein sings a version of “Day-O” while playing the bongo drums. Freddie sings a song and turns out to be just as off-key as Julie. Gabe and Horshack do a somewhat disturbing routine where Gabe pretends to be a ventriloquist and Horshack pretends to be the dummy. Barbarino sings his “Ba-Ba-Barbarino song.” And I have to admit that I actually laughed at all this. I’ve seen a lot of “let’s put on a show” episodes from the 70s and this is one of the first where the point is that no one is as talented as they originally claimed. It’s a fun little twist.
As the telethon comes to an end, Gabe realizes that they still need to raise $22 to make their goal. (Can’t Gabe just donate $22 from his next paycheck?) Anyway, Gabe’s mom calls and offers to donate $22 if Gabe sings some silly song from his childhood. Gabe sings something about apple pie and — yay! The Sweathogs are saved. Woodman sings My Way as the telethon comes to a close.
Back the apartment, Gabe asks Julie if he’s ever told her about his Uncle Ben. “Did he make rice?” Julie replies. Gabe explains that Ben didn’t make rice but that he was schizophrenic.
Anyway, the important thing is that the Sweathogs raised $700 without having to contribute any money themselves. New York City really is a generous city.
Episode 1.21 “Kotter Makes Good”
(Dir by Bob LaHendro, originally aired on February 19th, 1976)
Gabe asks Julie if he’s ever told her about the time that his cousin Brucie didn’t want to go to school because all the student made fun of him. Aunt Elsie told Brucie that he had to go to school because, “You’re 37 and you’re the principal.”
At school, the Sweathogs are worried about exam week. Horshack makes out his last will and testament because his father is going to kill him when he sees his grades. (Yikes!) Epstein has a note from “Epstein’s mother,” requesting that he be excused from exams because he’ll be attending the Ecumenical Council in Rome. Gabe attempts to encourage the Sweathogs to just study and take the tests but he is interrupted by Mr. Woodman, who drops by to announce that Gabe never took his senior exams. Horshack says that Gabe should just take the upcoming exams with the Sweathogs.
Back at the apartment, Gabe searches for his old school records while Julie tells him that he needs to study. Suddenly, the Sweathogs show up to help Gabe study. Epstein brings the blackboard from school. (“It just fell off the wall,” Epstein says.) Horshack shows up dressed like Mr. Kotter and asking Julie if she wants to hear a joke about his uncle. Though it takes a while, especially with Gabe deciding to show the Sweathogs what its like to teach them (“Hi there,” Gabe repeatedly says to Freddie), Gabe eventually realizes how much his students care about him and he decides to study with them.
At the school, a chagrined and twitching Woodman tells Gabe that he made a mistake and Gabe actually did take his senior exams while a student at Buchanan High. Gabe, however, takes the makeup exams anyways. He passes every exam, though he does come very close to failing his Algebra test. The Sweathogs celebrate by singing a version of the Mickey Mouse Club song.
Back at the apartment, Gabe tells Julie about his Aunt Selma, who was a lousy driver and parked her car in the kitchen. This is followed by a second joke, in which Gabe tells Julie about two brothers who always went fishing. The jokes probably would have been funnier if Gabe had been able to tell them without Julie interrupting him every few minutes. This was one of those episodes were you could really see that there was some truth behind the stories of Marcia Strassman hating her time on the show.
This was one of those episodes that worked primarily due to the chemistry between the members of the cast. Horshack’s Kotter impersonation was surprisingly effective and John Sylvester White’s unhinged performance as Woodman was, once again, a highlight of the episode.
Next week: Barbarino becomes a priest and the first season ends!
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, Deanna Dawn will be hosting 1972’s Frogs, starring Sam Elliott and Ray Milland!
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 YouTube. I’ll probably be there 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.
142 years ago, on this date, director Cecil B. DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts. From the silent era until his death in 1959, DeMille was one of Hollywood’s superstar directors. His films, which were often over the top and effective at the same time, helped to build the modern film industry.
Today’s scene that I love comes from DeMille’s final film. From 1956’s The Ten Commandments, Moses parts the Red Sea.
(Please note, this video starts with a frozen image that lasts for about 12 seconds.)
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!
On this date, 111 years ago, Samuel Fuller was born in Massachusetts. Before he became a filmmaker, Fuller was a crime reporter and a pulp novelist. His films were often melodramatic and unapologetically sordid. They were also often dismissed when they were initially released but almost all of them were subsequently rediscovered by audiences who appreciated Fuller’s striking visuals and the often subversive subtext to be found underneath the surface of his genre films.
Today, we celebrate Fuller’s legacy with….
4 Shots From 4 Sam Fuller Films
Forty Guns (1957, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Joseph Biroc)
Shock Corridor (1963, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Stanley Cortez
The Naked Kiss (1964, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Stanley Cortez)
The Big Red One (1980, dir by Samuel Fuller, DP: Adam Greenberg)
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!
Now that we’ve finished up The Master, it’s time to review a new show on Fridays. After much thought, I’ve decided to go with a Canadian show called T. and T., which featured Rocky III‘s Mr. T as an ex-con turned private investigator who worked for a crusading lawyer named Amy Thaler (Alex Amini). Why did he work for Amy? Let’s let the opening credits explain things:
The show was also produced in Canada for their Global Television Network but it aired in syndication in the United States and, despite the fact that it was technically a drama, each episode was only 30 minutes long. So, feel free to think of T. and T. as being a part of the Degrassi Cinematic Universe.
Episode 1.1 “Extortion in Chinatown”
(Directed by Doug Williams, originally aired on January 11th, 1988)
“In this episode, an extortion ring turns up the heat in Chinatown. It’s up to Amy and me to put out the fire!”
So begins the first episode of T and T, with Mr. T gruffly telling us what’s going to happen in the episode that we’re about to see. This is followed by the opening credits, in which we get the backstory about how T.S. Turner (Mr. T) was thrown in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and how Amy Taler (Alex Amini) got him released so that he could work for her as a private investigator. It’s a good thing that the opening credits tell us all that because the episode itself doesn’t provide any sort of backstory for T.S. or Amy. If you were a viewer who missed the opening credits, you would have no idea why T.S. and Amy were working together. To be honest, I’m a bit confused by the conditions of T.S.’s release. It sounds like he was released specifically so he could work with Amy. So, if Amy fires him, does that mean T.S. goes back to jail?
While leaving court, T.S. and Amy are approached by their teenage friend, Renee (Rachael Crawford), who introduces them to her friend, Kin Ling (Wayne Lam). Kin explains that his father, Ho Ling (Harvey Chao), owns a grocery store in the city’s Asian district but that he is being extorted by a gangster named Quang (Leonard Chow). Unfortunately, the Lings are undocumented and fearful of going to the authorities. While Amy tries to make a deal with the prosecutor’s office to keep the Lings from being deported, T.S. confronts Quang at his health club. T.S. tells Quang to back off so Quang sends his thugs down to a gym owned by T.S.’s friend, Decker (David Nerman). When T.S. sees that Decker has been beaten up, he decides to confront Quang at his office.
“A couple of your boys took their chopsticks to a friend of mine, didn’t do his health no good!” T.S. explains to Quang. Quang throws a ninja star at T.S., which causes T.S. to pass out. Quang’s men stuff T.S. in the trunk of their car and drive out to a river so that they can dump his body. However, it turns out that T.S. has woken up in the trunk and, as soon as they stop the car, T.S. bursts out of the trunk and tosses Quang’s men into river.
“I can’t swim!” one of them shouts.
“Then surf!” T.S. snaps back.
T.S. returns to Ling’s shop, just in time to capture Quang and to save the shop from being blown up. (It’s a good thing he did, since both Amy and Ho Ling were tied up in the shop.)
“Mr. Quang,” T.S. says, “Don’t you know what is taken by force is lost by force? So, take a long look around you because it’s going to be a long time before you see this place again!”
Later, at the courthouse, Amy informs Ho Ling that he was now have “official status” in Canada. “Welcome aboard, brother,” T.S. adds.
This was an odd first episode. You would expect the show to start with Amy getting T.S. out of jail and maybe some sort of explanation about how T.S. is now going to work as her private investigator. Instead, as the show opens, it appears that Amy and T.S. have been partners for a while and there’s very little said about either one’s backstory. As an introduction to the characters, the show failed but perhaps the backstory doesn’t matter when the star of the show is a performer like Mr. T. As for show’s actual plot, it was a bit predictable and Quang was not exactly an intimidating villain but, with only a 30-minute running time, at least the action moved quickly.
Episode 1.2 “Mug Shot”
(Directed by George Mihalka, originally aired on January 25th, 1988)
“In this episode,” Mr. T informs us, “an innocent picture turns into a deadly situation as Amy and I get a lesson in photography.”
Sounds like fun!
“He sings pretty good but he just don’t rap! And rappin’ is where it’s at! Can you dig it?” is what Mr. T has to say when Amy asks him if he’s ever heard of a singer named Adam Dalton (Mark Holmes). Dalton’s manager, Sam Roman (Rex Hagon), is suing Amy’s newest client, photographer Kate Richardson (Marnie McPhail). Roman is suing for two million dollars because he wants possession of some pictures that Kate took of Dalton. Kate is insulted that Roman is only willing to pay $5,000 for them.
Amy and Turner investigate why Roman is so determined to get those pictures and it turns out that is has nothing to do with Adam Dalton. In fact, Dalton turns out to be a nice guy who takes Amy out to dinner and then insists on helping T.S. solve the case. Instead, it turns out Kate took some pictures of the owner of a trucking company mere moments before he was murdered by a bunch of union goons. Evil union boss Gallagher (Terry Harford) is pressuring Roman to get the pictures. Take that, North American labor movement!
It may seem like a big case but, due to the show’s 30 minute run time, it’s resolved quickly. Gallagher tries to attack Kate and Amy at Kate’s studio. T.S. grabs him and tosses him through a door in slow motion. Kate is so grateful that she gives T.S. a camera and Adam and Amy go to lunch. Awwww!
This episode opened with a really fun scene in which Adam filmed a music video while surrounded by dancers who were holding plastic tommy guns. And I actually enjoyed the scenes of the gruff T.S. Turner having to deal with the perpetually enthusiastic Adam. That said, this is an episode that really would have benefitted from an extra 30 minutes. The mystery was kind of intriguing but the resolution ultimately felt a bit too rushed.
Through the Shattered Lens 