Month: January 2016

Twilight Zone: “The Last Flight” [Season 1, Episode 18] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Last Flight” [Season 1, Episode 18]
Original Air Date: February 5, 1960

Director: William F. Claxton

Writer: Richard Matheson 

Starring: Kenneth Haigh and Alexander Scourby.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Lt. William Decker [Haigh] lands his WWI fighter plane at an American Air Force base in France no one believes he’s found his way there from 1917.  Decker explains he and another pilot, Alexander Mackaye, were outnumbered in a dog fight and he turned tail and ran leaving his friend to a certain death.

This only adds to the confusion as Mackaye, now a ranking officer is on his way to the airfield!

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18 Simple Facts About “Tropic Thunder”

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Roger Cormier and Mental_Floss present 18 Simple Facts About Tropic Thunder.  Here are three of my favorites…

3. ROBERT DOWNEY JR. BASED KIRK LAZARUS ON THREE ACTORS.
At a press conference, Downey said he based Lazarus on three actors: Russell Crowe and Daniel Day-Lewis, “with a little” Colin Farrell. Lazarus was originally written as Irish; Downey changed him into an Australian because he was more comfortable improvising in that accent. When Stiller first pitched the idea of the character, Downey called it “The stupidest idea I’ve ever heard!” Stiller screened the movie to the NAACP, and received mostly positive feedback.

5. TOM CRUISE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF HAVING A STUDIO HEAD CHARACTER.
Stiller approached Cruise about playing the agent Rick Peck and sent him the script. Cruise thought it was funny, but wondered what the studio would be doing while all of the film’s events transpired, so the role of studio head Les Grossman was created. It was also Cruise’s idea to give Grossman really big hands. After four days of makeup tests, Grossman’s look was finalized.

15. CRUISE’S INVOLVEMENT WAS MEANT TO BE A SURPRISE.
Cruise wasn’t in the trailer and no images of Grossman were in the press kits on purpose. Cruise’s lawyer threatened legal action to media outlets that posted leaked images of Cruise as Grossman before the movie debuted. It was traced back to an INF staff photographer.

Twilight Zone: “Fever” [Season 1, Episode 17] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Fever” [Season 1, Episode 17]
Original Air Date: January 29, 1960

Director: Robert Florey

Writer: Rod Serling 

Starring: Everette Sloan and Vivi Janis.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Franklin Gibbs [Sloan] begrudgingly accompanies his wife, Flora, to Las Vegas, for a two night expense-free trip that Flora won.  Franklin views gambling as a fool’s game until a drunk gives him a silver dollar for a free pull on a slot machine.  Soon Franklin has the fever and is gambling away their life savings… and more.

Final Thoughts: Fever is one of my least favorite Twilight Zone episodes.

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Mike Torrance Presents: Jack Carter & Digger McCrae in “Who Killed Pinky Savage?”

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Mike Torrance aka The Krayola Kidd is back and he’s outdone himself with his faux Thrilling Mystery cover featuring Sly as Jack Carter and Lee Marvin as Digger McCrae in “The Man Who Killed Pinky Savage.”

Mike is a great guy and his commissions are always a blast!

You can see more of Mike’s art at his Deviant Art site. Mike is available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable.

 

16 Ear-Tugging Facts About “The Carol Burnett Show”

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Kara Kovalchik and Mental_Floss present 16 Ear-Tugging Facts About The Carol Burnett Show.  Here are three of my favorites…

8. HARVEY KORMAN WAS THE FIRST CAST MEMBER HIRED.
The producers wanted a “Harvey Korman-type” for Burnett’s second banana, but didn’t bother to actually ask Korman if he was interested in the job because he was already a regularon The Danny Kaye Show, and most likely he wouldn’t leave a steady job for an unproven new show. Burnett herself spotted Korman in the CBS parking lot one day and “practically threw him over the hood of a car” begging him to join her show. Unbeknownst to her, Kaye’s show was about to get the axe after a four-year run, so Korman cheerfully accepted her offer shortly after that first meeting.

9. TIM CONWAY RARELY FOLLOWED HIS SCRIPT.
Conway had been a frequent guest star on the show and when Lyle Waggoner decided to leave the show in 1974 (he felt that he was being “underused”), Conway was hired to replace him the following year. Conway was legendary for veering off-script and ad-libbing for lengthy stretches, to the amusement of some of his co-stars (Korman) and annoyance of others (Lawrence, who sometimes resented Conway’s disruptions and spotlight-hogging). Lawrence finally slipped her own ad-lib in on one memorable occasion, as Conway rambled on and on about an elephant during a “Family” sketch. Her NSFW remark brought the rest of the cast to their knees and was said to be Dick Clark’s favorite all-time outtake on his Bloopers and Practical Jokes TV show.

16. THERE WAS ONLY ONE CELEBRITY GUEST THAT BURNETT WAS NEVER ABLE TO BOOK.
Over the 11 seasons the show ran, a veritable “Who’s Who” of the entertainment industry did a guest turn, from Steve Martin to Julie Andrews to then-governor Ronald Reagan to Robin Williams to Ethel Merman. The only guest who Burnett dearly wanted to have but never did get was Bette Davis. Davis was willing to appear but demanded more money that the show had budgeted. Joe Hamilton advised his wife that if they gave in to Davis’ demand, it would set an unpleasant precedent.

The Twilight Zone: “The Hitch-Hiker” [Season 1, Episode 16] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Hitch-Hiker” [Season 1, Episode 16]
Original Air Date: January 22, 1960

Director: Alvin Ganzer

Writer: Rod Serling based on the radio play by Lucille Fletcher

Starring: Inger Stevens, Adam Williams and Leonard Strong.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Nan Adams [Stevens], a young woman driving cross-country alone, becomes unnerved when a hitch-hiker continues to approach her for a ride no matter how many times she passes him and no matter what roads she takes.

Final Thoughts: After a string of strong episodes, The Twilight Zone comes up with an average offering.  Not great and not bad… but good.

Rating:

The Twilight Zone: “I Shot an Arrow in the Air” [Season 1, Episode 15] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “I Shot an Arrow in the Air” [Season 1, Episode 15]
Original Air Date: January 15, 1960

Director: Stuart Rosenberg

Writer: Rod Serling based on an idea by Madelon Champion

Starring: Dewey Martin, Edward Binns and Ted Otis.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a U.S. spacecraft crash lands on a barren wasteland leaving only four surviving crew members, the Commander of the expedition has his hands full when one of the crew wants to make it every man for himself.

Final Thoughts: Another classic Twilight Zone twist ending.  Madelon Champion met Rod Serling at a party where she suggested her story idea.  Rod Serling bought it on the spot and fleshed it out into I Shot an Arrow in the Air.

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The Twilight Zone: “Third from the Sun” [Season 1, Episode 14] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Third from the Sun” [Season 1, Episode 14]
Original Air Date: January 8, 1960

Director: Richard L. Bare

Writer: Rod Serling based on a short story by Richard Matheson

Starring: Fritz Weaver, Edward Andrews and Joe Maross.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

William Sturka [Weaver] and Jerry Riden [Maross] work at a government security installation on a top-secret space craft.  With the threat of world-wide nuclear war imminent security is tighter than ever.

Security Officer Carling [Andrews] is watching everyone like a hawk which makes it tough on Sturka and Riden since they have a plan to steal the space craft and escape to another planet before nuclear Armageddon.

Final Thoughts: A classic Twilight Zone twist ending!

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Twilight Zone: “The Four of Us Are Dying” [Season 1, Episode 13] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Four of Us Are Dying” [Season 1, Episode 13]
Original Air Date: January 1, 1960

Director: John Braham

Writer: Rod Serling based on a short story by George Clayton Johnson

Starring: Harry Townes, Phillip Pine, Ross Martin and Don Gordon with a cameo by Beverly Garland.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Arch Hammer [Townes, Pine, Martin and Gordon] has the ability, with intense concentration, to change his appearance to look like anyone.  Hammer arrives in town and begins to impersonate various people in order to con their friends and business partners out of cash.

Hammer’s ability to change his appearance makes it easy to convince others that he is who he looks like.  Women and money are ripe for the taking.  Sadly, as this is the Twilight Zone, Hammer’s ability will bring him even more than he bargained for.

Final Thoughts: When this episode was first being prepared it was thought that one actor would play all four characters that Hammer impersonates.  When it was determined that it would take too much time in make-up, it was decided that a different actor would play each part.

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