Scenes That I Love: The Clubber Lang Interview From Rocky III

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we wish a happy birthday to the one and only Mr. T! Today’s scene that I love comes from 1982’s Rocky III:

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.21 “The Little Prince”

Posted on November 1, 2024 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!

This week, T and T comes to an end.

Episode 3.21 “The Little Prince”

(Dir by Ken Girotti, originally aired on May 26th, 1990)

The Sultan (Fareed Ahmed) of the tiny island nation of Domain has come to Canada or wherever the Hell this show is supposed to be taking place so that he can announce that he is bringing democracy to his nation. Yay! Democracy rules! However, the Sultan is also bringing along his bratty 12 year-old son, the Prince (Marlow Vella). Out of everyone that he could have hired, he selected Terri and T.S. Turner to look after the Prince.

Unfortunately, a gangster named Don Giovanni wants to kidnap the Prince. Fortunately, Don Giovanni has hired recurring crooks Fritz (Dominic Cuzzocrea) and Nobby (Avery Saltzman) to handle the abduction. Why any reputable gangster would hire Fritz and Nobby, I don’t know. Fritz and Nobby have appeared in several episodes of this show and they have never came close to pulling off any of their schemes. As usual, Turner is able to easily defeat Fritz and Nobby and, oddly, there doesn’t seem to be hard feelings. With all of the times that Turner has captured Fritz and Nobby, you do have to wonder why the two of them are never in jail.

This was the last episode of T and T. Not only did it end season 3 but it ended the show itself. The show ends without anyone ever asking what happened to Amy or any of the other supporting characters who came and went over the past three seasons. The continuity of this show was always a mess. That’s especially clear in this episode. Turner has to tell Terri who Fritz and Nobby are, despite the fact that Terri has met them at least twice before. I’m going to guess this episode was probably meant to air earlier in the season. Either that or the show’s writers just didn’t care.

For a show that started off as the story of streetwise guy who was unjustly imprisoned for murder, T and T certainly ended on a silly and rather inconsequential note. I mean, don’t get me wrong. It’s a Canadian detective show that starred Mr. T. Obviously, T and T was never meant to be taken seriously. The show didn’t need an epic finale but still, I always feel like the final episode of the show should at least wrap things up. The final episode is the equivalent of a final chapter. Its the show’s chance to leave the viewers with one final thought or to at least acknowledge everything that led up to the end. It’s always a bit sad when any show — even something like T and T — doesn’t get a chance to do that.

Now that it’s over, what can I say about T and T? There were a few entertaining episodes. Mr. T didn’t have much range an actor but he was still a big personality and his “don’t be a criminal” speeches were earnest delivered. The show worked better with Amy than Terri. The first season was the show’s strongest. Things went downhill afterwards. By the third season, Mr. T seemed bored with the whole thing.

Anyway, I’m done with T and T! To be honest, there were times when I felt like I would never finish this show. This is probably one of the most obscure pieces of entertainment that I’ve ever reviewed on the Shattered Lens but that’s what I’m here for. I like reviewing the shows and the movies that have been overlooked or otherwise forgotten.

Next week, I’ll be reviewing a new show in this time slot. What will that show be?

Uhmm …. I’ll let you know as soon as I figure it out myself!

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.20 “Wild Willie and the Waves”

Posted on October 25, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, the second-to-last episode of T and T is all about the Czar of Canadian Surf Guitar!

Episode 3.20 “Wild Willie and the Waves”

(Dir by Don McCutcheon, originally aired on May 19th, 1990)

A fat bald man named Willie (Gordon Masten) walks into Decker’s gym and tells Turner that he needs helps getting into shape. Turner looks at Willie and says, “That’s a lot to take off, brother.” Willie explains that he’s planning on making a comeback. “A come back from what?” Turner growls. Willy reveals that he’s actually Wild Willy, the Czar of Canadian surf guitar!

T.S. Turner has never heard of Wild Willy but Decker is a huge fan. He’s even written a song called Surf Cincinnati, in tribute to his hero. However, Decker points out that Wild Willy died years ago in a plane crash in Brazil. Willy says that his manager convinced him to fake his own death as a way to push up record sales. Willy says that he’s spent the past two years lost in the Brazilian jungle. (So how did he get so fat?) Decker believes him but Turner is skeptical.

But, after Wild Willy tries to break into his old house to see his wife Francine (Terri Hawkes) and confront his manager, Big Steve (Nigel Bennett), Turner starts to change his mind. Big Steve claims that this Wild Willy is an imposter but, after Willy is nearly killed by a miswired electric guitar, Turner does some digging and discovers that Big Steve is about to sign a record deal to release all of Wild Willy’s previously unreleased material. “Willy is worth more dead than alive!” Terri exclaims.

Fear not. It all works out. Big Steve is defeated by Turner, Willy, and the power of rock and roll. Wild Willy doesn’t lose any weight but he still makes a comeback. He also steals Decker’s song and turns it into a hit. Decker is heart-broken but Terri says, “That’s rock and roll!” Hey, Terri — you’re a lawyer. Maybe you could help Decker file a lawsuit as opposed to just making fun of the poor guy? I mean, it seems like a good idea to me but what do I know?

This episode felt very familiar. People were always wandering into Decker’s Gym and claiming to be someone famous. The main problem with this particular episode is that Wild Willy was such an annoying and over-the-top character that it was hard to really care about whether or not he made his comeback or not. Add to that, why is Decker writing songs about Cincinnati when it’s totally obvious that T and T takes place in Canada?

Next week …. it’s the final episode of T and T! How will the saga end?

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.19 “Turner’s Tale”

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, things get trippy as Mr. T tells a story about a magical forest.

Episode 3.19 “Turner’s Tale”

(Dir by Patrick Loubert, originally aired on May 12th, 1990)

T.S. and Decker discover a little kid named Daniel (Amos Crawley), who is hiding out underneath the boxing ring at Decker’s gym. Figuring that Daniel ran away from home after getting in trouble for something, T.S. tells Daniel a story while Decker tries to track down Daniel’s parents.

As you can guess from the episode of this title, the majority of the episode is a dramatization of the story that Turner tells. (The story is also told in rhyme, just so you know what you’re getting yourself into.) In Turner’s story, Daniel (Sean Roberge) and his sister Terri (Kistina Nicoll) move into a happy forest that is populated by people dressed up as mice, rabbits, and owls. When Daniel enters a forbidden part of the forest and picks a flower, the police show up and Terri is taken away. So, Daniel has to go to the police captain’s castle and admit what he did so that Terri can be set free and the forest can be happy again….

What? No, I’m not kidding. That’s the plot of this episode.

Okay, this is a weird one. For 24 minutes, T and T goes from being a show about Mr. T solving crimes to a show about a teenager walking through a magic forest and trying to return a forbidden flower to the cops. I can’t imagine that anyone really watched T and T for the action but if they did, this episode probably really pissed them off.

But I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting sentimental as I mature but this episode was actually really sweet and kind of cute. Mr. T really got into telling the story and there was a funny moment where Turner suddenly realized that he had no idea how the story was supposed to end. One thing that has always remained consistent about T and T is that Mr. T was always at his most likable when acting opposite kids and trying to teach life lessons. He and David Nerman made for a good team in this episode and watching them play off each other, it was easy to understand why Decker was the only one of the show’s supporting characters to appear in all three seasons of T and T. There’s not really much else to say about this episode. It was clearly made for kids and the lesson is that you should never be scared to tell your parents the truth, even if it means getting punished. It’s pretty simple but the episode had a few funny moments and everyone seemed to be having fun.

Sometimes, that’s enough.

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.18 “Suspect”

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, we have yet another surprisingly serious episode of T and T.

Episode 3.18 “Suspect”

(Dir by Ken Girotti, originally aired on May 5th, 1990)

On trial for having physically abused his girlfriend, Giles (Tom Melissis) can only smirk when his girlfriend, Ally (Isabelle Mejias), takes the stand and says that she doesn’t remember who beat her. Far less amused is Ally’s lawyer, Terri (Kristina Nicoll).

After telling Ally that she needs to recant her testimony and testify against Giles, Terri starts to receive threatening letters. While Turner immediately suspects that Giles is the one behind the threats, it turns out that it’s actually Ally! Ally explains that she’s actually an ex-convict named Deborah, a former client of Terri’s who got sent to prison. This, of course, leads to a huge question — why didn’t Terri recognize Ally when she agreed to serve as her attorney? And how did Ally manage to fool everyone into thinking she was Ally when she’s actually Deborah? Ally doesn’t say anything about getting plastic surgery or anything like that. She also implies that her last encounter with Terri was only a year or two ago. (Seeing as how Terri wasn’t even on the show until the start of this season, it couldn’t have been that long ago.) Terri immediately recognizes the name Deborah but she didn’t recognize Deborah when she was standing right in front of her. Wow, Terry …. and I thought I was self-centered!

No worries, though! Despite all of the threats, Terri agrees to not turn Ally into the police as long as Ally testifies against Giles. I don’t know if I could so easily overlook a harassment campaign but whatever. The important thing is that Giles goes to jail and Ally is free to continue leading a double life.

This episode featured good performances from Isabelle Mejias and Tom Melissis and I appreciate any show or film that ends with an abuser getting sent to either prison or the graveyard. But the story itself felt really rushed. This is one of those episodes that would have benefitted from a longer running time because there was a lot to unpack in just 30 minutes. As well, it’s hard not to feel that Ally’s backstory would have had more impact if Amy was still on the show. Season 3 (and the show itself) are nearly over and I still don’t feel like I really know how Terri Taler is supposed to be. Amy was established, over the course of two seasons, as a whip-smart attorney who had a long history as a crusader. Terri, on the other hand, still feels like someone who just showed up nowhere.

Like last week, this was a surprisingly serious episode of T and T. The episode didn’t quite work but the show still deserves credit for trying.

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.17 “Nightmare”

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Terri is approached by a man who claims to be a political refugee. But is he really? It’s a good thing T.S. Turner doesn’t have anything better to do than help her out.

Episode 3.17 “Nightmare”

(Dir by Don McCutcheon, originally aired on April 28th, 1990)

While walking down the street in Canada, Terri is approached by a desperate man (William Colgate), who introduces himself as Sebastian Fuentes. He explains that he was a newspaper editor in his native country of San Miguel. After a left-wing death squad killed his family, Sebastian fled to North America. Now, he needs Terri’s help to be designated a refugee. He claims that there are people from San Miguel who want him dead and, for that reason, he cannot risk going to the authorities or even being seen in Terri’s office. He says he has to hide, no matter what.

Terri doesn’t know anything about immigration law. Both T.S Turner and a sleazy lawyer named Kerr (Don Allison) warn her that she shouldn’t be so quick to believe Sebastian’s story. But something about Sebastian’s fear touches Terri’s heart and she agrees to help him.

Unfortunately, it turns out that both Turner and Kerr were correct. Sebastian is actually a colonel who murdered the real Sebastian. The nightmares that haunt him are not about watching his family being killed but instead about being the killer himself. The people who are searching for him are not government agents but instead the relatives of the people who he victimized in his home country. Eventually, Sebastian’s real identity is discovered by some fellow refugees (one of whom is played by a young Jill Hennessy) and he ends up in prison, haunted by his crimes.

This was an unusually serious episode of T and T. Indeed, it was shot more like an episode of Monsters than a typical episode of this show. Unfortunately, with the exception of Don Allison’s performance as the sleazy Mr. Kerr, the acting in this episode was pretty dodgy and it was easy to guess that Sebastian was going to turn out to not be who he said he was.

Probably the most interesting thing about this episode is that it aired 34 years ago but the issues that it deals with are the same issues that are going on today. Dictators are still coming to power and abusing their citizens and, as a result, refugees are still flooding over the border. The immigration system is still broken and it doesn’t appear that anyone is truly interested in finding a way to fix it. This episode aired in 1990, long before men like Venezuela’s Maduro came to power. The issues that are dealt with in this episode existed before the current crop of dictators and they will undoubtedly continue even after people like Maduro fade into history.

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.16 “TV Turner”

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, a documentary crew proclaims T.S. Turner to be the West’s greatest crime fighter.

Episode 3.16 “TV Turner”

(Dir by Patrick Loubert, originally aired on April 21st, 1990)

A Japanese television crew shows up at the Canadian police station and tells Detective Hargrove that they asked a computer for the name of the greatest crime fighter in North America. The computer replied with “T.S. Turner,” so they have traveled to Canada to interview Turner. The only catch is that they have no idea where Turner is and they don’t know anything about him.

Meanwhile, Turner is preparing to leave for his interview with the Japanese documentary team when …. wait a minute, I thought they didn’t know where to find Turner. I thought they hadn’t even called Turner before arriving in Canada. So, why is Turner getting ready to leave for his interview? This is a confusing episode.

Anyway, an old friend of Turner’s asks him to help her track down her missing husband, who lost his job after he was framed for a theft at work. Turner blows off the interview to search for him. This means that the film crew instead interviews Hargrove and then Terri about Turner. The film crew is disappointed to learn that Turner does not drink and he’s not a womanizer. A random criminal (Phillip Jarrett) gives an interview about the time he was arrested by Turner but it turns out that he’s thinking of a different Turner.

Finally, Turner shows up at the station. However, before he can do the interview, Terri’s latest client (Angelo RIzacos) grabs a gun and threatens to shoot his way to freedom. By an amazing coincidence, it turns out that the client is also the missing husband! Turner convinces the man to put down the gun by explaining that everyone now knows that he was framed for the theft.

(That said, the guy is still looking at serious jail time. He threatened to shoot up a police station!)

The film crew decides not to interview Turner because he’s not exciting enough. The end.

Weird episode. I was expecting it to be a clip show but instead, it was just people talking about how Turner didn’t drink, have sex, or fight any supervillains. I guess the idea was to show that Turner was a good man and that’s what made him a hero. That’s a nice message but it also leads to Turner losing his chance to be the subject of a documentary. Turner’s just too good for the world, I guess.

Let’s give some credit where credit is due. After sleepwalking through most of season 3, Mr. T actually seemed to be invested in this episode and the scene where he talked the guy into putting down his gun was very nicely done and acted. As an actor, Mr. T had zero range but he could be likably earnest and that’s certainly the case here.

Anyway, this was an odd episode, even by T and T standards. There’s only five more to go!

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.15 “The Butler Duet”

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week …. oh my God, it’s a surprisingly good episode of T and T!

Episode 3.15 “The Butler Duet”

(Dir by Don McCutcheon, originally aired on April 14th, 1990)

Sometimes, one screenshot tells you everything that you need to know about an episode.

In this episode, T.S. is indeed hired to bodyguard a parrot. The parrot, named Higgins, has been named the sole beneficiary of Mrs. Wells’s will. Mrs. Wells’s children (one of whom is played by comedian Colin Mochrie) want to declare their mother incompetent. While Terri does her best to defend Mrs. Wells in court, T.S. works with Mrs. Wells’s butler (Ian White) to protect the parrot.

How does T.S. protect the parrot? By putting on a tuxedo and working as the Butler’s assistant. “Dinner is served,” T.S. Turner growls at one point. Of course, to the surprise of no one, it turns out that the Butler is really the one whom is behind the effort to make Mrs. Wells look mentally incompetent. “It’s always the butler,” Turner growls after grabbing the Butler in the courtroom. Turner, it should be noted, does a lot of growling in this episode and I was happy about that. What’s the point of casting Mr. T if he’s not going to growl at anyone?

With the Butler exposed, Mrs. Wells is ruled to be mentally competent and I guess that means that Higgins is going to be one rich bird. Good for Higgins. I like parrots. I could never own one, of course, not with my love cats and my dislike of hearing my own words repeated back at me. But still, they’re good for television shows and movies. I think it’s a shame that Higgins didn’t have more of a Canadian accent but whatever. You can’t have everything, I guess.

(How do parrots learn to talk? And how difficult would it be for me to teach a parrot to like give an hour long speech or something? I think next year’s state of the union address should be delivered by a parrot. I mean, if a parrot were president, there would be no war. There would be no government and things could go bad really quickly. It would probably work better as a TV show than a real-life thing.)

This was an incredibly silly episode but it was also oddly likable. For one thing, the judge in the courtroom was fascinated by the parrot and it was hard not to smile at him trying to get the parrot to talk while the witnesses testified. As well, the episode was smart enough to realize that there’s no way that Mr. T cannot be amusing while wearing a tuxedo.

By T and T season 3 standards, this was a surprisingly good episode.

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.14 “Mr. Big”

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Fritz and Nobby return and Terri actually gets to do lawyer stuff for once.

Episode 3.14 “Mr. Big”

(Dir by Don McCutcheon, originally aired on April 7th, 1990)

Fritz (Dominic Cuzzocrea) and Nobby (Avery Saltzman) are back!

Fritz and Nobby were two incompetent crooks who appeared in a handful of episodes of T and T. When they first appeared, they were murderers who tried to kill T.S. But, T and T being the type of show that it was, they soon become lovable bumblers who constantly needed Turner to save them when their plans went awry. In this episode, Fritz and Nobby hire Terri to defend them when they’re accused of running the biggest theft ring in Canada. Terri’s defense is that Fritz and Nobby are too stupid to be masterminds and she calls T.S. to the stand to testify to just how dumb the two criminals are. In the end, the real Mr. Big is exposed and the judge agrees that Fritz and Nobby are too stupid to go to prison. Unfortunately, the stupidity defense rarely works in real life so don’t try it the next time your in court. Then again, if you’re taking legal advice from T and T or from someone who is reviewing T and T, there’s probably no hope to begin with.

(Then again, it’s totally possible that the defense might work in Canada. Canadian judges are probably nicer than American judges.)

Turner being called to the stand does lead to quite a few flashbacks, though not enough to make this an official clip show. Interestingly, a lot of the flashbacks are taken from the episode that aired right before this one. So, in case you forgot what happened last week, this episode is here to remind you of the time that T.S. Turner faked his own death in order to outwit a superstitious gypsy. What? Seriously, I’m still trying to figure that episode out.

Usually, Fritz and Nobby kind of annoy me but they actually made me smile in this episode. They may be criminals but they’re also friends and there’s something sweet about Fritz not wanting Nobby to killed in prison. As well, this episode actually allows Terri to enter a courtroom and show off her legal skills. There’s nothing all that believable about T and T’s courtroom scenes but at least this episode exists to remind us that Terri does more than just hang out in Decker’s gym.

As with most of season 3’s episodes, Mr. T seems to be bored with the whole thing but Dominic Cuzzocrea and Avery Saltman make for a likable comedy team. By T and T standards — and especially by season 3 standards — this was an enjoyable episode.

Retro Television Review: T and T 3.13 “The Curse”

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

So, after two months, I guess it’s time to finish up reviewing T and T.

I have to admit that I had to remind myself just what exactly this show was about before I watched the 13th episode of the third season. It’s not a show that really sticks in your mind when you’re not watching it. In case you need a refresher, the third season of T and T finds T.S. Turner (Mr. T) working for lawyer Terri Taler (Kristina Nicoll), who is apparently the sister of Amy Taler, the crusading lawyer that Turner worked with for the previous two seasons.

Episode 3.13 “The Curse”

(Dir by Patrick Loubert, originally aired on March 31st, 1990)

When T.S. demands that Alfredo (Sam Malkin) pay an outstanding bill for Terri’s legal services, Alfredo reacts by putting a gypsy curse on T.S. T.S. does what anyone would do. He fakes his death and has his friends hold a fake funeral in order to guilt Alfredo into paying the bill.

What?

Again, it’s been nearly two months since I last watched this show. When I was taking care of my Dad, the last thing that I was thinking about was an obscure Canadian comedy/action show from the late 80s. So, I guess I had forgotten just how silly T and T actually was. And really, I can’t fault the show for being silly. I mean, it’s a show that stars Mr. T. Of course it’s going to be silly! That said, you know that a show is running out of ideas when they trot out a gypsy curse. The idea of T.S. Turner faking his own death had potential but the episode itself just kind of fell flat. By the third season of T and T, it was obvious that Mr. T was so bored with the show that there really wasn’t much difference between Turner pretending to be dead and Turner being alive.

The majority of the episode is taken up with Turner’s “funeral,” which is held at Decker’s gym. It’s a bit of a missed opportunity, especially when you consider that T and T was in its final season. Joe Casper returns and so do three of the show’s recurring crooks. But not present are Turner’s Aunt or his niece, both of whom were key characters during the show’s first season. And, needless to say, Amy Taler does not attend the funeral of the man she got out of prison and worked with for two full seasons. It really does leave the viewer wondering, once again, just what happened to Amy’s character and why the show’s third season insists on acting as if Terri has always been Turner’s partner.

Anyway, the scheme works. Alfredo pays his bill. Turner reveals that he’s not dead. The funeral turns into a party. That’s kind of nice.

I’m nearly done with this show. That’s nice, too.