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Post by alpha128 on Jun 13, 2020 15:01:43 GMT
THE NIGHT OF THE DANCING DEATH They mention the train engineer in this one. The secretary at the embassy reminded me of Ursula Andress. "Am I to be rejected by the Albanians?" Wow, that's Season 1, Episode 8. You're way back there. BTW, there's a scene in the recently reviewed "The Night of the Iron Fist" where the Stark gang pile railroad ties on the track to force the train to stop. There's a medium zoom shot of the train exterior, where you can see the engineer looking out the window, seeing the obstacle, and then braking the train.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jun 13, 2020 15:11:12 GMT
Wow, that's Season 1, Episode 8. You're way back there. Yep I tend to be chronological although I did skip to season 2 to watch a couple of color ones. I have the Wild Wild West Revisited and the other reunion show but have resisted temptation to check them out in advance. Thus far.
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 13, 2020 15:29:50 GMT
Wow, that's Season 1, Episode 8. You're way back there. Yep I tend to be chronological although I did skip to season 2 to watch a couple of color ones. I have the Wild Wild West Revisited and the other reunion show but have resisted temptation to check them out in advance.
Thus far. Season 1 is great. And it's remarkable because there was so much turmoil going on behind the scenes. My Season 1 reviews don't start in earnest until The Night of the Torture Chamber (S1, Ep 13). By the time I get to The Night of the Eccentrics (S2, Ep1), I'm doing regular detailed reviews of every episode. EDIT: I did watch and review the two reunion movies in another thread. IMO, The first one is decent, but the second is mediocre at best. At this point I'm not enthusiastic about rewatching either one, and may just repost my earlier reviews in this thread after I've rewatched the entire series.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jun 13, 2020 17:24:36 GMT
Season 1 is great. And it's remarkable because there was so much turmoil going on behind the scenes. Reminds me that I see Fred Freiberger listed in the credits--isn't he associated with the troubled cost cutting third season of Star Trek. The Dancing Death was also written by him.
Oh yeah-there's also a cat on the train in this episode.
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 13, 2020 17:57:38 GMT
Reminds me that I see Fred Freiberger listed in the credits--isn't he associated with the troubled cost cutting third season of Star Trek. The Dancing Death was also written by him. Yes, it's the same Fred Freiberger. However, his tenure on The Wild Wild West, unlike Star Trek, is highly acclaimed, proving that he could be a capable producer under the right circumstances.
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vrkalak
Sophomore
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Post by vrkalak on Jun 13, 2020 19:45:18 GMT
“ I did watch and review the two reunion movies in another thread. IMO, The first one is decent, but the second is mediocre at best.“
Agree.
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 14, 2020 13:36:33 GMT
"The Night of the Running Death"I did not remember the contents of this episode based on its title alone. However, I saw a screencap from the episode in Sue Kesler's book, which was all the reminder I needed. So this is a memorable episode, but it doesn't have a memorable title. I guess it's a "Running Death" in the sense of a death that is "continuous or recurring over a long period." Still, given how important Enzo's hands are to the plot, I'm surprised they did not incorporate that aspect into the title. For example, "Hands of Death", "Deadly Hands", " Hands of Fate" - OK maybe not that last one! Some thoughts: - At 2:43 there's another instance of the "Dance of Death". The hotel clerk is seemingly asleep until Jim touches him and then he falls back.
- At about the 7:00 mark, as Jim dismounts, his horse pushes him into the back of a parked wagon. That could have gone badly.
- At 21:13, as Jim throws Bardhoom against the boulder, it moves. In addition, a stick goes flying and rolls off the fallen Bardhoom's back.
- At 26:16, as the girl in the purple dress steps down from the wagon, she gets her dress caught on the wagon wheel, and has to yank it free.
- At 30:15-30:27 is the infamous stunt gone wrong with Red West and the piano.
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vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Jun 14, 2020 13:44:25 GMT
Running Death is a fantastic episode. A lot was packed into an hour. The actress playing Topaz was also in S1 episode “Freebooters.”
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 17, 2020 12:51:23 GMT
"The Night of the Arrow"I wrote in a previous post, "Looking over the remaining episodes on Disc 3 and those on Disc 4, the only ones I really remember, based on the titles, are 'The Night of the Turncoat' and 'The Night of the Arrow'... The latter is a more traditional western, but a good one." I not only stand by my earlier statement, but would now add that this episode is even better than I first thought. This is a highly memorable hour of television. I recalled the basic premise going in, but as I rewatched, large portions of it came back to me. Some thoughts: - This is the second episode with a political theme this season, following "The Night of the Legion of Death" just four episodes earlier. Both stories have ostensible underlings trying to get a public figure elected President by nefarious means.
- When the cigar-smoking man was first shown from behind at 8:50, I remembered that this was President Grant.
- I also remembered that Artie would find Indian costumes in a trunk when searching the office of Col. Theodore M. Rath.
- The scenes of West's and Gordon's respective escapes from the fort's jail are both very entertaining!
- I also remembered that Jim would find Strong Bear dead in Sulfur Springs Cave, and would be framed for his murder.
- And I remembered that Aimee Baldwin was in on the plot, and would try to prevent Jim from crawling out of a pit in the cave. (It was actually more of a mine than a cave.)
- And I also remembered that Artie would impersonate the dead chief, giving us this episode's quota of Gas! in the process!
- And when the intruder alarm ("blue alert") went off at 47:16, I remembered that the intruder was President Grant again.
- General Baldwin's resignation takes effect on April 6th, 1874. This is the first exact date we've been given this season. The previous such date reference occurred in Season 2's "The Night of the Brain", which took place on July 12th, 1872. Interestingly, there are 633 days between the two in-universe dates, but only 315 days between the air dates of the two episodes.
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 26, 2020 0:03:22 GMT
"The Night of the Headless Woman"In her book, Sue Kesler writes a one sentence review of this episode: "A much more intriguing title than storyline." Personally, I think the episode deserves more consideration, as I took four pages of notes. IMO, "The Night of the Headless Woman" is no all-time classic, but a solid episode, and much better than "The Night of the Cut-Throats" or "The Night of the Iron Stinkburger". It's action packed, entertaining, and has an excellent guest cast. Some thoughts:
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vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Jun 28, 2020 12:33:39 GMT
"The Night of the Headless Woman"In her book, Sue Kesler writes a one sentence review of this episode: "A much more intriguing title than storyline." Personally, I think the episode deserves more consideration, as I took four pages of notes. IMO, "The Night of the Headless Woman" is no all-time classic, but a solid episode, and much better than "The Night of the Cut-Throats" or "The Night of the Iron Stinkburger". It's action packed, entertaining, and has an excellent guest cast. Some thoughts:
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 28, 2020 14:20:16 GMT
I like the part when Jim fights Hassan’s henchmen, one of which is stuntman coordinator Whitey Hughes. He knocks out Hughes with a big gong cymbal(or it a cymbal gong?), climbs up steps to escape (without his hat). He appears at an opening with his hat on. Uses his derringer/wire combo, to slide down and knock Whitey, dressed differently than the scene before, off his horse to make the escape. 😎😁😎 I recognized Whitey Hughes in the indoor scene. I didn't realize that the horseman in the outdoor scene was also Whitey Hughes. Good catch.
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vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 511
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Post by vrkalak on Jun 28, 2020 18:23:34 GMT
I like the part when Jim fights Hassan’s henchmen, one of which is stuntman coordinator Whitey Hughes. He knocks out Hughes with a big gong cymbal(or it a cymbal gong?), climbs up steps to escape (without his hat). He appears at an opening with his hat on. Uses his derringer/wire combo, to slide down and knock Whitey, dressed differently than the scene before, off his horse to make the escape. 😎😁😎 I recognized Whitey Hughes in the indoor scene. I didn't realize that the horseman in the outdoor scene was also Whitey Hughes. Good catch. Well, when you’ve watched these episodes as many times as I have...😀
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Post by Prime etc. on Jun 28, 2020 18:50:38 GMT
I am so behind, still in season 1.
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 28, 2020 19:22:36 GMT
I am so behind, still in season 1. I've got seven episodes left in Season 3. I remember the season finale, "The Night of the Death-Maker", quite well. Going just by the titles, I remember varying amounts about the others. One of them, "The Night of the Death Masks", I'm drawing a complete blank on. I'm confident that they'll come back to me as I rewatch them.
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vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
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Post by vrkalak on Jun 28, 2020 19:24:06 GMT
I am so behind, still in season 1. I've got seven episodes left in Season 3. I remember the season finale, "The Night of the Death-Maker", quite well. Going just by the titles, I remember varying amounts about the others. One of them, "The Night of the Death Masks", I'm drawing a complete blank on. I'm confident that they'll come back to me as I rewatch them. “Masks” is a better episode IMO.
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 30, 2020 13:09:14 GMT
"The Night of the Vipers"Going into this one I remembered only two things: - Nick Adams plays a
corrupt sheriff - The titular Vipers are bad guys in hoods
This episode reminds me of the Tenth Season of the original Hawaii Five-O. By that I mean it has a lot of repetition and mediocrity. Consider the bad guys in hoods aspect: "The Night of the Dancing Death" (Season 1) "The Night of the Vipers" (Season 3) Going beneath the surface, consider this is the third episode with a political theme this season, following "The Night of the Legion of Death" and "The Night of the Arrow". The main difference here is that the politician knows what he is doing, and manipulates others, rather than being manipulated himself. Some thoughts:
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vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 511
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Post by vrkalak on Jun 30, 2020 18:35:27 GMT
“ One thing that elevates this otherwise rather weak story is the tense scene in the bank, where Jim coldly tells the mastermind, "What about you?"
One of the best West lines in the series.
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Post by alpha128 on Jun 30, 2020 22:31:05 GMT
“ One thing that elevates this otherwise rather weak story is the tense scene in the bank, where Jim coldly tells the mastermind, "What about you?" One of the best West lines in the series. The delivery by Robert Conrad is perfect.
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Post by alpha128 on Jul 3, 2020 15:59:57 GMT
"The Night of the Underground Terror"I recalled the basic premise of this one going in. I knew it involved a search for missing gold and a group of Civil War veterans who were not what they appeared to be. Some thoughts: - The lovely Sabrina Scharf appears as Major Hazard's daughter. When her name was first spoken, I thought it was "Tina". Then I thought they said "Gina". But when the end credits rolled, it was revealed that her name was actually "China" - spelled like the country but pronounced like the two names I misheard.
- I had forgotten the trick skull that Artie uses at 8:42 to deliver this episode's quota of Gas!
- Col. Richmond's line at 17:21, "Col. Moseley is finally brought before the bar of judgment" sounds dubbed.
- The interior of Moseley's house is the same set used for Morgan's house in "The Night of the Surreal McCoy".
- Jim leaves Artie a punched out newspaper with a Morse Code message. Jim asks for Artie's help at Susquehanna Prison, which Jim abbreviates down to the first three letters. In other words Jim sends an SOS at SUS.
- During a fight, Jim splits his pants wide open at 46:30. But thanks to his standard issue U.S. Secret Service self-repairing pants, the damage largely disappears in about thirty seconds, apart from a tear in the right leg.
- Artie's research on Susquehanna Prison must have been very thorough. Not only did he know the prison used Y-shaped restraints, but he fashioned his trick diving rod into the perfect size and shape to blow up those particular locks.
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