What are you watching right now?

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

Criminal Minds: "Amplification"

[Henry R. Kujawa]

Just dug out my tiny set of UNCLE tapes today for the first time in over 10 years.  Don't have a single regular episode... only several movie versions, including the greatly-expanded feature version of the pilot, and, the 80's reunion movie.

Just posted at the IMDB boards... 

When I think back to the 60's, I realize that I had a much shorter attention span. I loved half-hour shows, both comedies and adventure shows. (Remember when they used to make HALF-HOUR adventure shows? THE LONE RANGER, THE GREEN HORNET, DRAGNET, etc.) There were VERY few hour-long shows I had the patience to sit all the way thru without getting bored. THE OUTER LIMITS was a rare exception, but for whatever reason, as a kid, I only turned that on occasionally. LOST IN SPACE was the first hour-long adventure show I remember getting really hooked on, but unfortunately, it got sillier as it went.

I sometimes wonder why I watched so little of THE MAN FROM UNCLE. I know I used to watch it occasionally, and even watched some episodes of THE GIRL FROM UNCLE. but it never seemed to be one of those shows I made a point of watching EVERY week.

By comparison, from the day I first ran across GET SMART (about 5-6 weeks into the 1st season), I was HOOKED, and never, ever missed it (unless I was away from, home with my parents somewhere).

Then again, I do seem to have a preference for shows with humor. I much prefer DR. STRANGELOVE, for example, to FAIL SAFE (which is pretty much the identical story).

I know I'm not adverse to COMPLETELY serious shows. I definitely got hooked on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, starting with its 2nd year. (I don't know what it was up against, but to this day, I have still never seen a single M:I episode with Steven Hill in it! But, like UNCLE, I did read the book about the show, which has really made me wanna get ahold of those episodes.)

Incidentally, one thing I haven't seen anyone mention on this site yet is that UNCLE was almost cancelled during its first 13 week trial period. Ratings were so bad, Robert Vaughn & David McCallum launched a cross-country promotional tour to get the word out about the show, making dozens (hundreds?) of personal appearances. IT WORKED. The show was renewed for the 2nd half of the season, ratings climbed steadily, and by the time the 2nd season arrived, they had a bona fide HIT on their hands.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

The last couple weeks of WHO...

NIGHTMARE OF EDEN
TERROR OF THE VERVOIDS
THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE GALAXY
THE HORNS OF NIMON
THE LEISURE HIVE
THE ULTIMATE FOE
THE MIND ROBBER
THE HAPPINESS PATROL
MEGLOS
PLANET OF FIRE
Professor Wagstaff's Time Machine  (not really WHO but close...)

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...What did you think of the Runaways biopic ???

  I used one of Kim Fowley's lines there , one that starts with something like " The President is a crook..." , as my motto on another (non-comics) board for a while !!!!!

  I've heard of Empire Records but never seen it ----- What is it like from the vantage point of this decade , in this century , to see a movie set in a (meaning "physical audio-sound-carrier , not specifically vinyl) RECORD STORE ?????????

  Any movies set in buggy whip retail outlets ?????????

Kirk G said:

"Empire Records"  on FUSE movie channel.  The local cable company is previewing it on a free channel today, and I've seen the Runaways bio pic and then this great comedy movie that everyone loves, but I've never had the chance to catch til today!

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Henry , was that " WAGSTAFF " one of those " pseud-WHOS " that British fans of the 90s-era period made ?????????

  I am aware of two ones , one with Colin Baker and one with Sylvester McCoy , playing " almost " " under another name " Doctors ?????????!!!!!!!!!!!

Henry R. Kujawa said:

The last couple weeks of WHO...

NIGHTMARE OF EDEN
TERROR OF THE VERVOIDS
THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE GALAXY
THE HORNS OF NIMON
THE LEISURE HIVE
THE ULTIMATE FOE
THE MIND ROBBER
THE HAPPINESS PATROL
MEGLOS
PLANET OF FIRE
Professor Wagstaff's Time Machine  (not really WHO but close...)

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

I'm watching Big Bang Theory, much to the chagrin of people who see that show as making fun of nerds instead of celebrating them!

[Henry R. Kujawa]

Emerkeith Davyjack:

"Henry , was that " WAGSTAFF " one of those " pseud-WHOS " that British fans of the 90s-era period made ?????????"

Not exactly... It was made in 1978 under the name A STITCH IN TIME, apparently as part of a series of "Saturday Morning" adventures or some such.  It starred 2 school-children who run across an eccentric inventor working in an abandoned castle, who's built himself a time machine whose design was slightly similar to Dr. Doom's (a platform you stand on to be transported by).  Oddly enough, Patrick Troughton got 3RD billing.

The kids have this one REALLY obnoxious school-teacher, and as they're bounced around to various time periods, they keep running across different ancestors of his... all of whom are as obnoxious as the one they know and loathe.  The funny thing is, the guy who played the teacher later turned up in the Peter Davison story FRONTIOS, as "Plantagenet", the initially-paranoid leader of the colony on the brink of starvation & extinction.

Troughton's Professor reminds me a bit of Peter Cushing's Doctor, and I've read a number of early-60's WHO comics where the Hartnell Doctor had a pair of school children as travelling companions.

Mind you, ever since I found out Troughton had starred on WHO for 3 years, I've thought that his role as the Wizard Milantheus in SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER was rather WHO-like, including having a daughter as his assistant (she was a sort of smarter, more capable version of Susan-- heh).  Actually, the funny thing is, Troughton's Milantheus reminds me more of Hartnell's Doctor than Troughton's.

The '78 film was retitled when Prism ran it in the US in 1983.  You could tell, they did it very sloppily, the lettering didn't match the rest of the opening credits.

[Richard Willis]

Just started watching the new Mickey Mouse Shorts on the Disney Channel. The first one, with Mickey and Donald being refused service because they have dress code problems, is pretty funny. If you don't have access to the Disney Channel, they have the first couple online at:

Disney Mickey Shorts

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

The Reds are getting their butts handed to them by Texas right now.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

Tonight on WHO...

"We shall continue this later.  If you need anything-- there are guards outside.  MANY guards!!!"

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

I'm watching a show called West Coast Customs right now, a reality show about gruff guys doing garage work. It was pre-empted by the Reds game, which is why I have it on. But this episode has them doing customizations for Kia, which wants them to create cars based on Aquaman and the Flash. They had Jim Lee on earlier, giving them his design ideas.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

Man, I just caught a few minutes of that myself not too long ago.

Wandering Sensei: Emeritus said:

I'm watching a show called West Coast Customs right now, a reality show about gruff guys doing garage work. It was pre-empted by the Reds game, which is why I have it on. But this episode has them doing customizations for Kia, which wants them to create cars based on Aquaman and the Flash. They had Jim Lee on earlier, giving them his design ideas.

[Doctor Hmmm?]

The 2nd Six Million Dollar Man movie -- "Wine, Women and War"

I had no idea The Six Million Dollar Man once had a theme song.