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Post by alpha128 on Mar 2, 2020 2:57:32 GMT
"The Night of the Feathered Fury"Another classic West episode with an alliterative title and all four elements on display. Some thoughts: - The opening of this episode seems to have the same outdoor band stand seen in the opening of the previous episode, "The Night of the Tottering Tontine".
- At 7:03, there is some kind of production trickery when West's gunbelt is "thrown through the window". Apparently the glass-breaking was matted in and made semi-convincing with added sound effects. In reality, the window was open the whole time.
- At 13:42 the way Artie provides Jim with a gun from a hidden compartment, and then emerges from the fireplace is just great! I agree wholeheartedly with the Count's assessment of "well done".
- At the 20:00 mark, I don't understand why Jim ducks out on giving the Colonel a report and investigates Heinrich Sharff's toy shop on his own. If he had reported his newfound lead to the Colonel, no doubt he would have ordered both West and Gordon to check out the shop.
- At 24:51 there's another instance of the "Dance of Death" courtesy of Herr Sharff.
- About the 28:00 mark, I remembered Jim's gambit of using some kind of super-sticky putty to hide the chicken.
- The footage of the hand with a gun, rising from the dish, was used in a commercial when my local station showed TWWW in syndication.
- At 40:45, Artie gets more into the fray than usual, throwing himself at Benji and then grappling with him on the floor.
- I remembered how the Count escapes, first through a rotating wall section and then via a hot air balloon, while Gerda dies with the Midas touch.
- Sadly, the Count's proclamation, "We shall meet again" never comes to pass.
- Finally, I remembered that the gold leaf turns back into the chicken in the finale.
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Mar 2, 2020 16:45:11 GMT
•The opening of this episode seems to have the same outdoor band stand seen in the opening of the previous episode, "The Night of the Tottering Tontine".
Yes, it is the West favorite 4024 Radford Avenue location.
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 3, 2020 0:13:58 GMT
•The opening of this episode seems to have the same outdoor band stand seen in the opening of the previous episode, "The Night of the Tottering Tontine". Yes, it is the West favorite 4024 Radford Avenue location. I pasted that address into Google Maps and it looks like little remains in terms of outdoor shooting locations. For example, the lagoon from Gilligan's Island, which appeared in "TNOT Bottomless Pit", is now a parking deck. YouTuber Rick Nineg did a couple of videos about CBS Studio Center. He focuses on Gilligan's Island, but much of it applies to TWWW as well.
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 11, 2020 23:26:20 GMT
"The Night of the Gypsy Peril"After two West classics for the ages, ("Tottering Tontine" and "Feathered Fury") we get an episode based on a failed Hanna-Barbera project. According to Sue Kesler's book, Ken Kolb's script began as an episode of "The Thief of Baghdad" series, which apparently was never produced. I suspect the reason that project didn't go forward is because "Gypsy Peril" is, IMO, boring and a chore to sit through. Some thoughts: - Although I didn't notice it while rewatching the episode, I subsequently determined that "Gypsy Peril" features two repeat players. Charles Horvath (Gombal) previously appeared as Ironfoot in "The Night of the Glowing Corpse". Meanwhile Ruta Lee (Zoe Zagora) previously appeared as Laurie Morgan in "Night of the Casual Killer". Steps were apparently taken to make these characters look different. Horvath had facial hair in this outing, while Lee changed her hair color from blonde to brunette and adopted an outrageous accent.
- At 5:26, Jim wheels in Akbar's dinner. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time in the series we see the interior of the "stable car". We get a pretty good look at it as Jim pushes the cart, and also later when the outlaws enter.
- Jim's line at 25:50 "Well Scullen took off, he can't hurt you now" sounds dubbed.
- Around 31:30, the lead male gypsy (Johnny Seven) claims Jim has challenged him to the gypsy "Dance of Death". That's what I've been calling it when a corpse stands or kneels motionless for a few seconds before toppling over.
- Jim and Artie's escape on horseback at about the 41 minute mark was well done.
- Near the end Artie receives a message on the telegraph while the train is in motion! IIRC, in every previous instance the train has been stopped at siding when sending/receiving messages by telegraph. What are they doing - stringing a very long wire behind them as they go down the track?!?
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Post by Prime etc. on Mar 12, 2020 1:20:40 GMT
For example, the lagoon from Gilligan's Island, which appeared in "TNOT Bottomless Pit", is now a parking deck.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 12, 2020 1:33:46 GMT
For example, the lagoon from Gilligan's Island, which appeared in "TNOT Bottomless Pit", is now a parking deck. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! If it makes you feel any better, the street that runs alongside the parking deck is named "Gilligan's Island Road" in honor of the site's history.
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Mar 12, 2020 1:44:23 GMT
Near the end Artie receives a message on the telegraph while the train is in motion! IIRC, in every previous instance the train has been stopped at siding when sending/receiving messages by telegraph. What are they doing - stringing a very long wire behind them as they go down the track?!?
Same way it works on a ship.
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Post by Prime etc. on Mar 12, 2020 1:50:22 GMT
If it makes you feel any better, the street that runs alongside the parking deck is named "Gilligan's Island Road" in honor of the site's history. Not much. lol You would think they could have milked its value as a tourist attraction. Gilligan's Island restaurant or something.
Hey, I wonder if the lagoon was used for DOC SAVAGE: THE MAN OF BRONZE--the lagoon set in that seemed awfully familiar.
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 12, 2020 2:17:05 GMT
Near the end Artie receives a message on the telegraph while the train is in motion! IIRC, in every previous instance the train has been stopped at siding when sending/receiving messages by telegraph. What are they doing - stringing a very long wire behind them as they go down the track?!? Same way it works on a ship. That would work, but wireless telegraphy would be an anachronism in West's 1870's setting. According to Wikipedia, "the first practical radio transmitters and receivers invented in 1894–5 by Guglielmo Marconi used radiotelegraphy" and "after Marconi sent wireless telegraphic signals across the Atlantic Ocean in 1901, the system began being used for regular communication including ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communication." Of course West has had anachronisms before. The electric chair featured in "TNOT Bars of Hell" was conceived in 1881, developed throughout the 1880s, and first used in 1890.
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 12, 2020 2:33:24 GMT
If it makes you feel any better, the street that runs alongside the parking deck is named "Gilligan's Island Road" in honor of the site's history. Not much. lol You would think they could have milked its value as a tourist attraction. Gilligan's Island restaurant or something. Hey, I wonder if the lagoon was used for DOC SAVAGE: THE MAN OF BRONZE--the lagoon set in that seemed awfully familiar. It's sad they don't preserve these bits of TV history, but it's still a working TV studio and apparently space is at a premium. According to that other site one of the locations for Doc Savage was Harold Lloyd's Greenacres Estate - 1740 Green Acres Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA. That's probably where their lagoon was.
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Mar 13, 2020 15:42:36 GMT
From what I hear the lagoon water was pretty nasty.😎
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 13, 2020 23:26:17 GMT
From what I hear the lagoon water was pretty nasty.😎 YouTuber Rick Nineg did another video specifically about the lagoon:
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Mar 14, 2020 19:28:41 GMT
Antoinette and Miguelito almost drowned in “Murderous Spring.”
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 15, 2020 16:18:26 GMT
Antoinette and Miguelito almost drowned in “Murderous Spring.” Yes indeed. I've posted this video before, but from 3:15-3:59, the "Murderous Spring" incident is discussed.
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Mar 22, 2020 19:36:26 GMT
Happy 100th birthday Artie. March 22, 1920.
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 25, 2020 0:31:50 GMT
"The Night of the Tartar"This is a solid but not spectacular episode that is, IMO, a step up from the previous and also heavily accented episode. Some thoughts: - This episode opens with a dark and moody scene reminiscent of a first season show.
- At 1:45 Jim opens a hidden safe containing sealed orders. I don't recall seeing that safe before.
- At 12:38 Artie explains, as "Rimsky", why he has no beard. I'm not sure why that is necessary. Artie is, of course, no stranger to wearing fake beards.
- Speaking of fake, around 13:30 we see an obviously fake "Russian musician" who plays a lot of notes merely by strumming furiously, while moving his fretting hand hardly at all.
- If I recall correctly, Jim and Artie's drop out of the carriage around the 20 minute mark was featured in a CBS commercial that was a special feature on the first season DVD set.
- Right after that, we see Count Sazanov (John Astin) jumping in front of what looks like the smokehouse Jeremiah was held prisoner in from "TNOT Returning Dead".
- At 23:50 Jim says, "Alaska's out Count, we bought that from you five years ago", thus setting this episode circa 1872, as the Alaska Purchase was completed on October 18, 1867.
- If I'm not mistaken, jet engine contrails are visible in the sky at 43:20-43:21.
- Sadly at no point does Artie provide Jim with trick toothpaste or mouthwash for Tartar control.
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Post by Prime etc. on Mar 25, 2020 0:34:37 GMT
From what I hear the lagoon water was pretty nasty.😎 Another shattered illusion.
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 25, 2020 23:54:57 GMT
And now, a special two-for-one posting. "The Night of the Vicious Valentine"This episode won Agnes Moorehead an Emmy for best supporting actress, and overall it's pretty good. Some thoughts - Portions of this episode look different than the surrounding scenes, as if the original print was damaged. The apparent print damage happens at 7:05-7:19 and during Sherry Jackson's close-ups from 23:22-23:52.
- At 10:09, Whitey Hughes appears in, IMO, his most memorable role in the series, that of Laughing Henchman.
- At 31:15 we see the "Love Eternal Machine", which is, IIRC, the first (and perhaps only) computer featured in the series.
- At 33:05, there's a great exchange between Emma Valentine (Agnes Moorehead) and James West (Robert Conrad). Valentine tries to flirt with Jim, who says something like, "If I have a choice, I'd like to go back to questions and answers." Valentine slaps him - hard. It's very convincing.
- During the previous episode (in airdate order), "The Night of the Tartar", I wondered why Artie wore only a fake nose, and no fake beard, to impersonate Rimsky. This episode may provide the answer. In production order, "Valentine" preceded "Tartar". And in "Valentine", at 31:47, Artie is discovered and his fake beard is ripped off. I suspect the creative team was trying to avoid too much repetition, so in "Tartar" Artie has no beard and his fake nose is torn off.
- This episode has high production value with lots of impressive sets, especially the chapel.
"The Night of the Brain"IMO, this episode is really good, but not quite a classic for the ages. Some thoughts: - The opening scene features a James West doll on a chess board. I suspect this is a reuse of the doll-sized Jim prop created for "The Night of the Raven".
- We get an exact date that occurs in this episode, July 12th, 1872. The 1872 date is consistent with other Season Two episodes, but contradicts Season One's "The Night of the Whirring Death" which gives an on screen date of 1874. Since Grant was President from 1869 to 1877, perhaps Bruce Lansbury was preparing for a longer network run than the show actually got.
- Around 8:00, we see the familiar hotel and band stand exteriors from earlier episodes.
- The "rocket chair" at 18:03 was well done. I rewatched the scene in super slow motion and determined that cables were used to create the effect.
- The lovely Voulee (Brioni Farrell) is featured in both the first and second act freeze frames.
- This a gastastic episode. Artie uses knock-out gas three times on Braine's henchmen.
- The layout of the tunnels is confusing. Jim, Artie, and Voulee say they are following the secret tunnel for a long time. But around 44:30, it's revealed that the White House secret conference room at the end of the tunnel is right next to Braine's central "chess board" room.
- My only complaint with the episode is how easily Braine's steam powered wheelchair explodes when it collides with the observer's box. Why put a spiked battering ram on a vehicle that will blow up when it hits something solid?!?
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 27, 2020 2:37:39 GMT
"The Night of the Deadly Bubble"This is an excellent episode. Some thoughts: - In the opening scene, there's a nice use of color while maintaining the appropriate mood.
- At 9:14 Jim pulls aside a curtain to reveal Dr. Pringle (Judy Lang), who I remembered was a beautiful woman.
- At 16:15, we take another trip to "The Island of Stock Footage", AKA "The Home of the Tottering Tontine", AKA "Bleak Island".
- Around 21:14, isn't that the same elevator from "The Night of the Puppeteer"?
- Some serious dereliction of duty by Artie at 22:50. He responds to Pepe the innkeeper's cry, leaving the door to Dr. Pringle's room wide open!
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Post by alpha128 on Mar 28, 2020 1:22:55 GMT
"The Night of the Surreal McCoy"Now this episode is another all-time West classic. I knew, as soon as I saw the title, that this was "the one with the paintings." Some thoughts: - The opening scene where the Hersburg Crown Jewels are stolen is reminiscent of the opening scene in "The Night of the Burning Diamond".
- Another instance of the "Dance of Death" occurs at 2:17. Jim barely touches the seated guard and he topples out of his chair and on to the floor.
- Speaking of "The Night of the Burning Diamond", the first floor set for Mr. Morgan's house looks like the same set used as Lady Margaret's house in that episode.
- At 14:31, Morgan reminds Loveless that he found him hiding in a mountain cave sometime after the events of "The Night of the Green Terror".
- During the same scene we see that much of Dr Loveless' lab equipment first appeared in "The Night of the Big Blast". I guess there was a sheriff's sale of Dr. Faustina's assets after she was arrested!
- At 18:30 Loveless reuses another old prop of his own - the peashooter from "The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth"!
- The basic premise of this episode is far-fetched to say the least. However, the explanation that starts at 32:00 is well-enough written by John Kneubuhl and well-enough acted by Michael Dunn to almost seem possible.
- I had forgotten all about Jim's clever twine trick at 44:07.
- A variation of the "Dance of Death" happens in the duel between Jim and the real McCoy. The shots are fired at 46:39, but McCoy doesn't collapse until 46:54. McCoy even speaks a line praising Jim for his speed before he topples over.
- At 49:06, Jim Artie, and the Ambassador exit the main room of the parlor car to get some sleep. The question is, of course, where are they going? Are there bedrooms down the hall? We're almost two seasons in and we still haven't seen any sleeping quarters. And IIRC, we never do. I assume there are sleeping berths somewhere aboard, even though we never see them.
- One other thing of note, there are no beautiful women in this episode. That makes this one of the few in the series that lacks this crucial element. Even Antoinette is missing.
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