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Post by alpha128 on May 2, 2020 14:59:30 GMT
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. I remember "Spanish Curse" as being pretty good. We'll see what my opinion is after I rewatch it.
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Post by vrkalak on May 3, 2020 12:10:47 GMT
“TNOT Spanish Curse”not one of the better S4 episodes. I remember "Spanish Curse" as being pretty good. We'll see what my opinion is after I rewatch it. IMO, the best from S4: Fire and Brimstone Fugitives Egyptian Queen Pistoleros
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Post by alpha128 on May 3, 2020 14:13:22 GMT
I remember "Spanish Curse" as being pretty good. We'll see what my opinion is after I rewatch it. IMO, the best from S4: Fire and Brimstone Fugitives Egyptian Queen Pistoleros I remember "Fire and Brimstone" and "Fugitives" pretty well. I'm also looking forward to the season opener, "The Big Blackmail". So, did you ever pick up the Season 4 DVD set?
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Post by vrkalak on May 3, 2020 14:57:00 GMT
IMO, the best from S4: Fire and Brimstone Fugitives Egyptian Queen Pistoleros I remember "Fire and Brimstone" and "Fugitives" pretty well. I'm also looking forward to the season opener, "The Big Blackmail". So, did you ever pick up the Season 4 DVD set? Blackmail is well etched in my mind. Remember watching that one as a 9 year old. No to S4 pick up.
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Post by alpha128 on May 3, 2020 15:23:04 GMT
I remember "Fire and Brimstone" and "Fugitives" pretty well. I'm also looking forward to the season opener, "The Big Blackmail". So, did you ever pick up the Season 4 DVD set? Blackmail is well etched in my mind. Remember watching that one as a 9 year old. No to S4 pick up. Far be it from me to tell you how to spend your hard earned greenbacks. I will merely point out that Season 4 is still available from Amazon.com for $14.99 new or $11.99 used. $11.99 is 50 cents per episode! www.amazon.com/Wild-West-Season/dp/B00105307O/Given the huge fan of the series you are, I think you would kick yourself if this title went out of print before you got a chance to buy it. IMO, after twelve years, you're lucky that this set is still available at reasonable prices. I've seen first hand how many classic "Doctor Who" DVD titles went out of print and started to command ridiculous prices.
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Post by vrkalak on May 3, 2020 16:56:33 GMT
Haha, thanks for the link. I get to see S4 about every 7 weeks via FETV. They start at S1 and go through S4, which takes about 9 weeks. They do cut some of the episodes , however, which is slightly annoying.
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Post by alpha128 on May 3, 2020 17:12:48 GMT
Haha, thanks for the link. I get to see S4 about every 7 weeks via FETV. They start at S1 and go through S4, which takes about 9 weeks. They do cut some of the episodes , however, which is slightly annoying. If you owned Season 4 on DVD, you could watch it uncut, on your schedule. Who knows how long FETV is going to continue running them?
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Post by alpha128 on May 6, 2020 12:37:59 GMT
"The Night of the Hangman"Like the previous episode, the title alone was not enough for me to remember the contents of this show. However unlike "The Night of the Samurai", where my memory didn't kick in until about 12:24, in this case it didn't take long for my memory to return. In fact, as soon as I saw the close-up of the cattle baron and his "dutiful" wife (at 1:18) the entire plot came rushing back to me. Some thoughts: - Eugenia Rawlins was played by Sarah Marshall, another babe who also appeared in Star Trek, in her case "The Deadly Years".
- The flame effects before and after the first act break once again look convincingly dangerous.
- At 23:01, when the sign of the Ace Novelty Co. came into view I said out loud, "Oh I remember this - lots of Gas!"
- The interior walls, around the upper story doors that Jim climbs through, visibly wobble at 23:25, even though the exterior wall was shown to be solid brick. Obviously, this is a suboptimal transition from location to sound stage.
- It looks like the clown Dr. Loveless stuffed Jim into ("The Night of the Whirring Death") makes a return appearance starting at 26:23.
- And at 27:33 the Gas appears!
- At 34:07 Artie pulls Henrietta from a secret compartment in his jewelry case, and uses her to convey a message to Jim. This may be the first time we see a carrier pigeon message sent instead of received. In the process, we see the bird lose at least three feathers during the sending and one during the receipt of the message!
- Another first: at 35:01 we actually see the message on the screen. We know from "The Night of the Colonel's Ghost" that at least some of the prior messages in the series were coded. But this one is not coded at all.
- At 42:39, Jim tells the prosecuting attorney, "That's the same method you used in the livery stable. You're in a rut Poore." Livery stable? What livery stable? The only other structure we see burn in the episode is the Aztec Hotel!
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Post by vrkalak on May 6, 2020 19:52:21 GMT
I watched Hangman the other day. Another very good one from S3.
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Post by alpha128 on May 7, 2020 1:21:14 GMT
I watched Hangman the other day. Another very good one from S3. Agreed.
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Post by alpha128 on May 9, 2020 23:01:11 GMT
"The Night of Montezuma's Hordes"This may be my favorite of the more traditional western episodes of Season 3. Other than a few gadgets, there's little spy flavor in this one. Like "The Night of Jack O'Diamonds", also directed by Irving Moore, "The Night of Montezuma's Hordes" features extensive location footage. But this episode also has impressive studio sets, particularly the Aztec complex referred to as "The Castle of Montezuma". This episode plays like a mini-movie. I find it reminiscent of a Jules Verne adventure, like the film adaptation of Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). Both stories start with the discovery of an artifact, have bad guys along for the ride, and feature the remnants of an ancient civilization. Some thoughts: - The Mask of the Sun Goddess, first seen at 2:36 looked awfully familiar. I checked, and it looks like that prop first appeared in "The Night of the Hangman" as the Ace Novelty Co.'s Gas! delivery system. But the mask in the earlier episode was silver instead of gold.
- The padlock, seen in close-up starting at 39:51, looks old but not ancient Aztec old.
- The chanting that is first heard at 43:38 is recycled from "The Night of the Druid's Blood".
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Post by vrkalak on May 9, 2020 23:47:57 GMT
"The Night of Montezuma's Hordes"This may be my favorite of the more traditional western episodes of Season 3. Other than a few gadgets, there's little spy flavor in this one. Like "The Night of Jack O'Diamonds", also directed by Irving Moore, "The Night of Montezuma's Hordes" features extensive location footage. But this episode also has impressive studio sets, particularly the Aztec complex referred to as "The Castle of Montezuma". This episode plays like a mini-movie. I find it reminiscent of a Jules Verne adventure, like the film adaptation of Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). Both stories start with the discovery of an artifact, have bad guys along for the ride, and feature the remnants of an ancient civilization. Some thoughts: - The Mask of the Sun Goddess, first seen at 2:36 looked awfully familiar. I checked, and it looks like that prop first appeared in "The Night of the Hangman" as the Ace Novelty Co.'s Gas! delivery system. But the mask in the earlier episode was silver instead of gold.
- The padlock, seen in close-up starting at 39:51, looks old but not ancient Aztec old.
- The chanting that is first heard at 43:38 is recycled from "The Night of the Druid's Blood".
I watched this episode recently. I really like the first half or so of the show, but when they reach their destination, it trails off, a pun intended, to me. Jack Elam always makes a show better.
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Post by alpha128 on May 20, 2020 17:37:33 GMT
"The Night of the Circus of Death"Like some earlier episodes this season, the title alone was not enough for me to remember the contents of this show. In fact my first thought was, didn't we already have this episode, back in Season 1? Indeed, there are a few similarities with " The Night of Sudden Death" (Season 1, Episode 4). Both episodes center around counterfeiting, both have a circus setting, and both feature a beautiful female lion tamer played by a babe who also appeared on Star Trek. Some thoughts: - Judi Sherven plays "Priscilla Goodbody", a character with a very Bondian name. The actress will be back playing a different character next season.
- Although a circus features in the plot, the main site of villainy in the episode is Moore's Emporium. I suppose "The Night of the Emporium of Death" doesn't have the same ring to it.
- Speaking of Moore's Emporium, I wonder if it's a coincidence that the director of this episode is Irving J. Moore.
- Mary Lennox is played by Joan Huntington, returning for her third and final appearance in the series.
- Erika the lion tamer is played by Arlene Martel. As I noted earlier, "The Night of Sudden Death" also had a female lion tamer, played by Antoinette Bower.
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Post by vrkalak on May 20, 2020 21:36:00 GMT
Great scene of Jim showing off the sleeve gun.
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Post by alpha128 on May 29, 2020 1:21:56 GMT
"The Night of the Falcon"I had no difficulty remembering the contents of this great episode. "The Night of the Falcon" feels like a welcome throwback to Season 2 for three main reasons: - Colonel Richmond (Douglas Henderson) is back, for the second time in the series. His first appearance was in Season 2's "The Night of the Skulls".
- The plot involves an assembly of international crime figures, one of whom Artie impersonates, and thus is very reminiscent of Season 2's "The Night of the Poisonous Posey". The connection is made all the stronger by the fact that one of the criminals is played by George Keymas in both episodes. Artie even says, "Scratch one Spanish gentlemen" after Munez is killed, very similar to the "Scratch one fink" line from "Poisonous Posey".
- This episode ditches the traditional western flavor and returns to the series' original concept, "James Bond in the West". More on that in a minute.
Some thoughts: - At 8:11 Artie enters a new lab set that seems to be in another train car.
- The character of Lana Benson was played by Lisa Gaye, who previously appeared as Lorelei in "The Night of the Skulls".
- The Sinful Bank and Trust exterior looks like the Denver mint in the previous episode, "The Night of the Circus of Death".
- As we see starting at 33:11, the falcon-shaped cannon is a truly impressive full scale prop. According to Sue Kesler's book, this was the largest prop ever constructed for the series.
- The old "hide near the ceiling trick" appeared earlier in the James Bond film Goldfinger.
- As in Goldfinger, one of the criminals (Heindorf/Solo) decides he wants no part of the scheme and is killed.
- And again, like Goldfinger, Jim writes a message and conceals it. Fortunately for Mr. West, his message is found by Artie. Mr. Bond's message never makes it to its intended recipient.
- At 43:34 Balya dies via a "knife chair" as previously seen in "The Night of the Tottering Tontine".
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Post by vrkalak on May 29, 2020 1:35:33 GMT
I was thinking we were due for an Alpha review soon.
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Post by alpha128 on May 29, 2020 1:54:34 GMT
I was thinking we were due for an Alpha review soon. Hopefully I'll be able to post one every seven days or so.
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Post by vrkalak on May 29, 2020 19:41:40 GMT
I was thinking we were due for an Alpha review soon. Hopefully I'll be able to post one every seven days or so. I loved the part where West tries not to laugh when discussing strategy with Artie after the death of Munoz.
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Post by alpha128 on May 29, 2020 22:27:57 GMT
I loved the part where West tries not to laugh when discussing strategy with Artie after the death of Munoz. Sue Kesler mentions the same in her book, but I didn't notice. I'll have to go back and watch that scene again.
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Post by vrkalak on May 29, 2020 23:08:43 GMT
I loved the part where West tries not to laugh when discussing strategy with Artie after the death of Munoz. Sue Kesler mentions the same in her book, but I didn't notice. I'll have to go back and watch that scene again. Yes, her book clued me in watch for it.
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