vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Oct 12, 2019 21:52:13 GMT
The Count episodes are are great.
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Oct 13, 2019 12:11:31 GMT
“ I noticed that the toy clown that served as a prison for James West in "The Night of the Whirring Death" is present (in living color!) in the opening scene.
They also reused the prop(mouth he comes out of) in the opening scene with Vance Markham in S4 TNO Miguelito’s Revenge.
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Oct 13, 2019 16:08:48 GMT
“ I noticed that the toy clown that served as a prison for James West in "The Night of the Whirring Death" is present (in living color!) in the opening scene. They also reused the prop(mouth he comes out of) in the opening scene with Vance Markham in S4 TNO Miguelito’s Revenge. I'll watch for that when I get there. I remember reading in Sue Kesler's book that Michael Garrison had a reputation as a spendthrift when he produced the episodes early in Season 2. And that lead to Bruce Lansbury being brought in as producer #5 (after Collier Young, Fred Freiberger, John Mantley, and Gene L. Coon) to bring the show under control. But watching "The Night of the Eccentrics", it doesn't appear a particularly lavish production compared to what we saw in Season 1. The prop reuse being evident for example. However, apparently the switch to color photography was, in itself, very expensive and perhaps CBS expected Garrison to cut back on the production in other ways to offset costs. For example, as stated regarding contemporary show "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (a show I never watched until it came to DVD in 2006):
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Oct 26, 2019 0:00:03 GMT
"The Night of the Golden Cobra"I watched this episode several days ago, but am just getting around to posting my commentary now. I first needed to catch up on Sue Kesler's book, and I see that Ethel Winant was quoted about Michael Garrison going over budget in the early season two episodes. And looking at this episode, I can see why. In addition to a prominent guest star (Boris Karloff), there was a large cast, including a pair of Hindu Dancers, and also several animals including a tiger, leopard, and elephant. All of this could not have come cheap, and it wasn't all essential to the plot. Regardless, a good, fun outing. I especially liked Jim's "secret weapon" box of matches and Artie's Indian rope trick.
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Oct 26, 2019 2:11:03 GMT
I like parts of this episode, but overall to me it lacks something. “Cobra” was the first episode shot in color.
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on Oct 26, 2019 21:09:27 GMT
Good to know. I was wondering when the color started but too lazy to check.
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Oct 27, 2019 18:42:44 GMT
Good to know. I was wondering when the color started but too lazy to check. The first color episode shown was TNOT Eccentrics.
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Nov 8, 2019 0:26:07 GMT
"The Night of the Raven" AKA "The Incredible Shrinking (Secret Service) Man" Obviously inspired by The Incredible Shrinking Man, right down to the cat, dollhouse, and spider. But what a great episode! This may be another reason why Michael Garrison had a reputation as a spendthrift. The sets and special effects to pull off West's miniaturization must have been expensive. Some other thoughts: - The interior of the Sheriff's office was obviously shot on a sound stage
- The interior of Loveless' house was used in various Season 1 episodes
- Black thread moving the Venus Flytraps is visible in one shot
- The miniature effects are good, shadows are visible throughout. I mention that because when the titular The Incredible Shrinking Man casts no shadow, it's a dead giveaway that a process shot was used.
There is one continuity error, though. West tells Loveless, "Three times you tried, and three times you failed." Excuse me Jim, I count four times: - The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth (1965) - The Night That Terror Stalked the Town (1965) - The Night of the Whirring Death (1966) - The Night of the Murderous Spring (1966)
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Nov 8, 2019 1:05:38 GMT
Don’t judge a house by its shutters.
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Nov 23, 2019 21:15:04 GMT
"The Night of the Big Blast"For some reason I was hesitant to move on to this episode, perhaps because I recalled it as being campier than usual. And to some extent that's true, particularly when it comes to the character of Prudence Fortune (Patsy Kelly). But it is a good episode, obviously inspired by Frankenstein, with a great performance by Ross Martin. Some thoughts: - If you watch the fake West explode in slow motion, you'll see a very cartoony animated explosion
- This episode reuses some very familiar sets from Season 1, namely the one manor house with the wood panelling and the other one with the marble staircase and checkerboard floor
- Although Susan Kesler writes about how Ross Martin did most of his own sword fighting, I thought the use of a stunt double was very obvious at times
- Around the 37 minute mark, there's an interesting shot where the hutch/cabinet at the far end of the main room in the train has been removed from the set, to allow the camera to follow Lily Fortune into the small room where Jim stashed his clothes and guns in the pilot
- When the preparations to zap ex-convict Artemus Largechestcavity are being made, it's unclear how Dr. Faustina avoids seeing the real Artie and Jim standing in the doorway. At one point she seems to look right at them.
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Nov 23, 2019 23:51:18 GMT
I was wondering when Alpha was going to post a new update. “Blast” is a very interesting Artie centric episode.
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Nov 24, 2019 0:04:30 GMT
I was wondering when Alpha was going to post a new update. “Blast” is a very interesting Artie centric episode. And now you know! Although I looked ahead and I see the next episode is "The Night of the Returning Dead", an episode I distinctly remember not liking very much.
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Nov 24, 2019 1:00:50 GMT
I like “Returning Dead.” Easy to tell it is Whitey Hughes as the stuntman wearing the Carson getup.
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Nov 24, 2019 2:40:20 GMT
I like “Returning Dead.” Easy to tell it is Whitey Hughes as the stuntman wearing the Carson getup. We'll see what I think of it this time.
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Nov 24, 2019 2:51:13 GMT
Good use of Bronson Canyon. Good Artie line, “On the Sabbath? Never on Sunday.”
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Nov 24, 2019 20:10:39 GMT
Good use of Bronson Canyon. Good Artie line, “On the Sabbath? Never on Sunday.” "The Night of the Returning Dead"I decided to power through this one and get it over with. Despite a good cast, and both a talented writer and director, this episode is a mess, with plotholes large enough to stampede horses through. For example: - Although it's never stated, apparently Jim and Artie were shooting blanks in their first meeting with "Col. Beaumont". But what's to stop anybody else from shooting him with real bullets?
- How did Jeremiah/Beaumont get to the top of the cliff opposite in mere seconds?
- Apparently Jim lied to everyone about the deadliness of his dynamite filled shell anti-theft mechanism. But how come no one asks questions like, "Wouldn't that seriously damage your horse's hearing?" or "Isn't blowing up a horse thief excessive force?"
- Jeremiah's ability to make horses stampede is never explained other than to say he has an "affinity for animals".
- The stovepipe used to make a "pepper cannon" should be open at both ends. And yet they raise it to a near vertical position and dump pepper down it, and yet the pepper doesn't all fall out the opposite end.
So in conclusion, thank goodness that's over! IIRC, the rest of the season, apart from "The Night of the Infernal Machine" is pretty solid.
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Nov 29, 2019 12:33:33 GMT
I found West on a new station, fetv, in my area. They show two episodes from 1pm - 3pm every day. They are on episode 11 S1 today.
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Nov 29, 2019 15:43:55 GMT
"The Night of the Flying Pie Plate"This is the first episode (in air date order) to including the following credit: "Produced by Bruce Lansbury". As noted in Susan Kesler's book, Lansbury was the ninth and final producer, following in the footsteps of 1.) Michael Garrison, 2.) Jack Arnold, 3.) Ben Brady, 4.) Collier Young, 5.) Fred Freiberger, 6.) John Mantley, 7.) Gene Coon, and 8.) Michael Garrison (again)! However, Arnold and Brady were each with the series only a short time, and neither actually produced an episode. After Michael Garrison's untimely death (more on that in a future post), Lansbury remained producer for the rest of the series. Sue Kesler's book details that some of the writers felt the series went downhill after Garrison's death. Although one could also argue that Lansbury's arrival ushered in the mildum, er, golden age of the series. Personally, I agree with the appraisal of Ethel Winant: And now some thoughts on this episode: - At the 7:30 mark, the black rope pulling Hellfire Simon back is clearly visible. However, since Simon later gives an in-universe explanation that a wire pulled him back, I guess this doesn't count as a blooper.
- At the 26:38 mark, it's clear that a good portion of the town of Morning Glory is a painted backdrop. I'm not sure if the whole thing was constructed indoors or not.
- I have on my computer a video mashup that someone did, based on the opening credits of Gerry Anderson's UFO. And while that original mashup is not available on YouTube, I see that as of Feb 23, 2022, a new version has been posted on YouTube! Like the original mashup, the new video uses all the same music as the clip below, including the intro, which substitutes "Jules Verne" for "Gerry Anderson". The graphic "1872" repeatedly appears instead of "1980", and like the original mashup, much of the footage is from this episode.
|
|
vrkalak
Sophomore
@vrkalak
Posts: 510
Likes: 416
|
Post by vrkalak on Nov 29, 2019 16:21:56 GMT
“Pie Plate” was also the first episode to have drawings instead of pictures at the commercial breaks.
|
|
|
Post by alpha128 on Dec 1, 2019 23:33:45 GMT
"The Night of the Poisonous Posey"This episode is a lot of fun. The crime syndicate and it's members are very memorable. IIRC, this is the first time Artie impersonates someone, only for the actual person to show up later. Some thoughts: - Is it just me, or does Justice, Nevada look a lot like Morning Glory, Arizona?
- After the trick carriage so obviously inspired by Goldfinger's Aston Martin, this episode takes a page from Dr. No, and employs a tarantula as a murder weapon. The syndicate's meeting room, with the table that slides out of the wall, and the map that comes down, is also reminiscent of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
- There's a pretty significant plot hole where the agents, for some reason, fail to take Pinto's gun after the fight in the ice house. Pinto fires only two shots, and is a wearing a bullet belt. Then Artie complains about not having a gun and Jim tells him, "You're spoiled." Guys, you walked away, leaving Pinto's gun right there!
|
|