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Post by alpha128 on Apr 22, 2020 12:27:20 GMT
Any book the size of "The Wild Wild West: The Series" is bound (no pun intended) to have a few errors in it. That’s forward thinking my friend. Also, we're both referencing the first edition (1988). It's possible that the 30th anniversary edition (2018) corrected this error.
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Apr 22, 2020 23:16:00 GMT
That’s forward thinking my friend. Also, we're both referencing the first edition (1988). It's possible that the 30th anniversary edition (2018) corrected this error. What, there’s an updated version? Did not know this was the case.
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Post by alpha128 on Apr 22, 2020 23:26:42 GMT
Also, we're both referencing the first edition (1988). It's possible that the 30th anniversary edition (2018) corrected this error. What, there’s an updated version? Did not know this was the case. Indeed there is an updated version:
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Post by alpha128 on Apr 22, 2020 23:50:37 GMT
"The Night Dr. Loveless Died"Another excellent Loveless episode. Some thoughts: - The fire effects that begin when Jim shoots down the chandelier in the funeral home, and later during sanitarium's spontaneous combustion, look convincingly dangerous.
- At 5:29, Jim emerges through the back door into the parlor and wishes Artie, "Good Morning", implying once again that there are hidden sleeping quarters down the hall.
- What was the point of blowing up the barn door at 27:29? Why didn't Jim just open it normally?
- Another gastastic episode! First, Deuce's men launch a poison gas grenade into Arthur Tickle's house. Then a jet of anesthetic plays over Jim from inside the safe. Finally, Artie gains admittance to the sanitarium via a balloon filled with green knock-out gas.
- The leather strap that Jim "cuts" through at 44:58 has clearly already been cut through. If you pause the playback, you can see the strap starts to split before Jim even brings the blade up to it!
- Susan Oliver plays Triste, continuing the tradition of replacing Antoinette with a babe who previously appeared on Star Trek.
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Apr 23, 2020 12:18:01 GMT
Loveless is great, but Loveless Died is my least favorite Gary Miller episode.
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Post by alpha128 on Apr 23, 2020 12:30:31 GMT
Loveless is great, but Loveless Died is my least favorite Gary Miller episode. In her book (first edition), Susan Kesler writes that The Night Dr. Loveless Died is "much better than the final Loveless episode, Miguelito's Revenge." At this point, I don't remember that final episode well enough to say whether I agree with her.
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Apr 23, 2020 14:08:20 GMT
Loveless is great, but Loveless Died is my least favorite Gary Miller episode. In her book (first edition), Susan Kesler writes that The Night Dr. Loveless Died is "much better than the final Loveless episode, Miguelito's Revenge." At this point, I don't remember that final episode well enough to say whether I agree with her. What will we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning! Haha. Loveless was more himself in the 4th season finale. I love when he addresses the folks he kidnapped.
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Post by alpha128 on Apr 24, 2020 0:45:36 GMT
In her book (first edition), Susan Kesler writes that The Night Dr. Loveless Died is "much better than the final Loveless episode, Miguelito's Revenge." At this point, I don't remember that final episode well enough to say whether I agree with her. What will we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning! Haha. Loveless was more himself in the 4th season finale. I love when he addresses the folks he kidnapped. About all I remember about that one is it was a Jeremy Pike episode and Loveless had some kind of steam powered robot.
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Post by alpha128 on Apr 25, 2020 2:53:13 GMT
"The Night of Jack O'Diamonds"Like "The Night of the Firebrand", "The Night of Jack O'Diamonds" is another show that plays more like a traditional western. This particular episode makes extensive and impressive use of outdoor locations. Some thoughts: - Starting at about 13:00, there is a lengthy sequence that is repeated in Season 4's "The Night of the Plague". Jim climbs up the same steep incline, knocks out the same poncho-wearing sentry, pulls out and looks through the same heptagonal telescope, fires the same piton into the same rock with the same revolver, and lowers himself down the same cliff face. The only difference in the footage between the two episodes is what Jim sees through the telescope. Both episodes were directed by prolific TWWW director Irving J. Moore. Apparently this scene was expensive and/or dangerous to shoot the first time, prompting its reuse.
- Likewise, the brief scene (21:50-21:52) where Jim rides across the desert on the titular Jack O'Diamonds is also recycled in "The Night of the Plague".
- Starting at 22:09 the setting changes to a Mexican cantina, which is a very smoke-filled room, with no apparent source. Maybe the guitar player uses a smoke machine?
- The watering hole at 27:15 doesn't look very clean. Even the horse hesitates before drinking from it.
- At 33:30, Artie and Captain Fortuna ride across a dirt road that looks very twentieth century.
- Jim doesn't divulge to Sordo that he's taking the horse to President Juarez until 36:10. He might have saved himself some trouble if he had mentioned it earlier.
- At 38:10 Jim says he never met Juarez. Didn't they meet near the end of "The Night of the Eccentrics"?
- There is a rifle slung on the right side of the horse at 40:18, which is gone when Sordo rides away at 41:14, and then reappears in Sordo's hand at 42:04.
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Post by Prime etc. on Apr 25, 2020 4:11:13 GMT
NIGHT OF THE GLOWING CORPSE Very good one. Had "Colonel Green" from Star Trek (he even shows up at the end after he has been dead--I guess they re-used the shots from the beginning). Clever line about what might have happened if the shooter aimed higher than the bullet proof vest, as well as the problems getting the fuse to ignite. Artie's Irish porter was an amusing disguise.
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Apr 25, 2020 11:07:03 GMT
"The Night of Jack O'Diamonds"Like "The Night of the Firebrand", "The Night of Jack O'Diamonds" is another show that plays more like a traditional western. This particular episode makes extensive and impressive use of outdoor locations. Some thoughts: - Starting at about 13:00, there is a lengthy sequence that is repeated in Season 4's "The Night of the Plague". Jim climbs up the same steep incline, knocks out the same poncho-wearing sentry, pulls out and looks through the same heptagonal telescope, fires the same piton into the same rock with the same revolver, and lowers himself down the same cliff face. The only difference in the footage between the two episodes is what Jim sees through the telescope. Both episodes were directed by prolific TWWW director Irving J. Moore. Apparently this scene was expensive and/or dangerous to shoot the first time, prompting its reuse.
- Likewise, the brief scene (21:50-21:52) where Jim rides across the desert on the titular Jack O'Diamonds is also recycled in "The Night of the Plague".
- Starting at 22:09 the setting changes to a Mexican cantina, which is a very smoke-filled room, with no apparent source. Maybe the guitar player uses a smoke machine?
- The watering hole at 27:15 doesn't look very clean. Even the horse hesitates before drinking from it.
- At 33:30, Artie and Captain Fortuna ride across a dirt road that looks very twentieth century.
- Jim doesn't divulge to Sordo that he's taking the horse to President Juarez until 36:10. He might have saved himself some trouble if he had mentioned it earlier.
- At 38:10 Jim says he never met Juarez. Didn't they meet near the end of "The Night of the Eccentrics"?
- There is a rifle slung on the right side of the horse at 40:18, which is gone when Sordo rides away at 41:14, and then reappears in Sordo's hand at 42:04.
A Top 10 vrkalak favorite.
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Post by alpha128 on Apr 25, 2020 16:59:23 GMT
"The Night of Jack O'Diamonds" A Top 10 vrkalak favorite. Yes, I remembered this episode was on your Top Ten List. Would you care to elaborate why this is one of your favorite episodes? Any reaction to my voluminous commentary? I like the episode, but I found it confusing. Maybe contemporary audiences were better versed in Mexican history. From what I've been able to gather from Wikipedia, it seems that Captain Fortuna and his men were loyal to President Benito Juarez, while the Imperialistas were remnants of the Second Mexican Empire.
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Post by vrkalak on Apr 27, 2020 17:23:19 GMT
"The Night of Jack O'Diamonds" A Top 10 vrkalak favorite. Yes, I remembered this episode was on your Top Ten List. Would you care to elaborate why this is one of your favorite episodes? Any reaction to my voluminous commentary? I like the episode, but I found it confusing. Maybe contemporary audiences were better versed in Mexican history. From what I've been able to gather from Wikipedia, it seems that Captain Fortuna and his men were loyal to President Benito Juarez, while the Imperialistas were remnants of the Second Mexican Empire. I just really like the very straight western theme. Most was shot out on location, very little filmed on a sound stage. Frank Silvera was great as El Sordo. I can’t imagine Keenan Wynn playing the role anywhere as good.
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Post by Prime etc. on Apr 27, 2020 20:23:47 GMT
Oh btw-another thing I caught in the Glowing Corpse episode was Artie saying to Jim that he was having the train put in for servicing!
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Post by Prime etc. on Apr 27, 2020 22:03:43 GMT
And another thing with the episode--I liked the emotional breakdown of the villain at the end. A touch of irony I think-since the character was presented as being manipulative and in charge and in the end not so iron-willed as we assumed.
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Post by alpha128 on Apr 27, 2020 22:43:44 GMT
"The Night of Jack O'Diamonds"Would you care to elaborate why this is one of your favorite episodes? I just really like the very straight western theme. Most was shot out on location, very little filmed on a sound stage. Frank Silvera was great as El Sordo. I can’t imagine Keenan Wynn playing the role anywhere as good. I agree that the location work was impressive and that Frank Silvera was much better than Keenan Wynn would have been.
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Post by alpha128 on May 1, 2020 23:29:44 GMT
"The Night of the Samurai"Just looking at the title on the DVD menu, I drew a complete blank on the contents of this episode. However, as I watched, it started to come back to me, as outlined below. Some thoughts: - At 2:53 the guests pass out from spiked sake, reminiscent of "The Night of the Grand Emir".
- Reiko was played by Irene Tsu, who I just happened to watch recently in "Mystery Science Theater 3000" Women of the Prehistoric Planet (TV Episode 1990).
- At the sight of the stairs at 12:24, I remembered that this was the episode with Thayer David as "Fat Old Hannibal" AKA
"Fake Old Dutchman" . - At 20:36, as Artie starts to fight with the thugs at the Bucket of Blood tavern, I suddenly remembered that Artie's package would deliver this episode's quota of Gas! Sure enough, at 20:41, Artie launches into gastastic action, with bonus sparks and flames!
- I half-remembered that the blade Reiko offers Jim at 24:27 is called "Kiss of a Friend".
- And I remembered that "The Dutchman's" chair was, shall we say, armed with deception.
- I also remembered, as Artie filled the corner of the leather case with powder (at 33:48), that Hansel West would be putting it to good use.
- And I remembered the true identity of The Dutchman.
- At 42:21 the production team tries to make it appear that the sword was hidden inside the samurai armor, but if you watch closely, you can see that Robert Conrad was merely holding the sword behind it.
- The spiky "decoration" first seen at 44:50 seems to have no purpose, other than to hasten the bad guy's demise. However, the same can be said of the spiky "decoration" in this clip from On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
- And finally, I did remember that there were jewels hidden in the tsuka of the katana!
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Post by vrkalak on May 2, 2020 0:38:27 GMT
Thayer David was a very good actor. He was great as Ben Stokes.
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Post by alpha128 on May 2, 2020 0:46:10 GMT
Thayer David was a very good actor. He was great as Ben Stokes. He returns next season as Cortez in "The Night of the Spanish Curse". He also had a very memorable performance as Count Saknussemm in the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth.
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Post by vrkalak on May 2, 2020 14:35:46 GMT
Thayer David was a very good actor. He was great as Ben Stokes. He returns next season as Cortez in "The Night of the Spanish Curse". He also had a very memorable performance as Count Saknussemm in the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth. “TNOT Spanish Curse”not one of the better S4 episodes.
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