1 - A ONE SENTENCE EPISODE SYNOPSIS.....
*Inspector Lieutenant Mike Stone is accused of a crime he didn't commit and it's up to his partner and pal (Inspector Steve Keller) to blow the investigation wide open to find the truth, save Mike's career, reputation and life!
2 - VIEWERS TAKE NOTICE............
*BYE, BYE POLICE SHOW REALISM...... At 6:34 one of the "bad guys" calls Stones house. That's right - a "bad guy" calls Stone's personal home phone. I was in Law Enforcement (much more recently than 1970's) and there is no way a person could gain access to a police officer's personal phone number.
* I MEAN - HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!! ......... Lieutenant Stone goes out, in the dead of night - ALONE - to meet with the "bad guy" who had magically gained his home phone number. He goes out to meet him on the end of a lonely pier! There is not a "bad guy" in the world who could sneak up on a police officer - as close as this one does - especially on a wood pier! There are several things wrong with this opening act in the world of police realism - disappointingly so......
*BARNEY FIFE - A BETTER EXAMPLE OF GUN SAFETY!!!............. At 13:10 an inspector of inspectors (Jeffery Duel - love that actor! - as Inspector Decker) asks for Stone's .38 revolver to run a ballistics check on it (after the lieutenant got bonked on the head. Someone got blasted into eternity with a .38). Stone quickly pulls his revolver from the holster, points the .38 directly at Decker and says, "My gun hasn't been fired." Oh my Lord! And......I'm not making this up: his trigger finger is INSIDE The trigger guard as he hands his gun to the inspector!!! Let's see...Loaded gun, pointed directly at someone, trigger finger inside the trigger guard, hands gun to inspector without opening cylinder and removing bullets..... WTH! Barney Fife was a better example of gun safety! Where in the world was the police officer on the SOSF set to coach these actors in realism?!?!!! Arrrggghh!
*THE LACK OF REALISM CONTINUED TO A COMPLETELY INFURIATING MOMENT INVOLVING STONE'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER........ Let me get this straight...."bad guys" have access to my home phone, have set me up in the murder of another cop using my service revolver, have knocked me unconscious on a dark pier in dead of night, have followed me to my personal residence and are following me in their car from my residence to the grocery store. Meanwhile my daughter is alone at home and the "bad guys" know it. Hmmmm. I'm wondering if Inspector Mike Stone, who has threatened the lives of people who even leer at his daughter in previous episodes, would be wise enough to brief his daughter on the current situation, not let her be home by herself or maybe move the 2 of them to a safer location until this particular drama involving murder, beatings and mayhem dies down? Ummm I guess the answer is, "nope"!!??!!
I'm telling you...the writers in charge of reality moved down the hallway to join the Twilight Zone writers for this week! WTH...
*MUSCLE CARS AND PRIME TIME TV IN THE 1970'S.......... I love seeing these old muscle cars from the 1960s-1970's chasing each other through the historic warehouse section of old San Francisco (at approximately 24:00). Squealing tires, sliding sideways, revving retro V-8's, raising dust clouds, power braking and trying to cross the railroad tracks before the train comes - all of this way before the Fast and the Furious movies came out. Car chases were on TV every single night (every prime time show for sure) in the 1960's-1980's.
*DOUGLAS VS DUEL.............. An EXCELLENT, rare, emotional exchange of dialogue (26:30) between 2 great -up and coming at the time- Hollywood actors (Michael Douglas and Geoffrey Duel). TSOSF rarely allows for an exchange like this - so it was refreshing to see the two young bulls lock horns and tangle for a bit.
*TYNE DALY (33:22)......... A very early TV appearance by one of (in her future on Cagney and Lacey) Emmy's most decorated TV personalities (6 Emmy awards).
*THE LITTLE ACTION HERO IN SUSPENDERS....... At 50:00, in the epilogue, a little boy 3-4 years-old (wearing suspenders) goes wandering in the background behind a lady in red. The lady, moving right to left at beginning of scene suddenly appears moving from left to right (50:23) crossing against main actors & right next to them. She is moving slow and casual-like. She goes up a short set of stairs in background and when she feels like she is out of the scene - she tears off in a sprint from right to left (at 50:30)! At 50:39 she is barely visible moving from left to right in far background and slung over her shoulder is the little boy in the suspenders!!! Lol. I've replayed that unscripted bit over and over and it is awesomeness accidentally captured on film!
3 - WHAT DID YOU THINK? FINAL REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS AND FINAL GRADE............ *This was a pretty good episode. A buddy/partner going to extreme and passionate measures to save his friend always makes for good storytelling in many genres and even different time eras. It is a cosmic principle and the plot/story doesn't matter nor the setting or time (prehistoric, medieval, renaissance, etc) As Jesus once said, "no greater love that someone has then to lay down your life for your friends." The SOSF with a solid cast and solid guest stars presented a fine block of entertainment for their loyal viewers. Well done!!
Final grade: A-
2 - VIEWERS TAKE NOTICE............
*BYE, BYE POLICE SHOW REALISM...... At 6:34 one of the "bad guys" calls Stones house. That's right - a "bad guy" calls Stone's personal home phone. I was in Law Enforcement (much more recently than 1970's) and there is no way a person could gain access to a police officer's personal phone number.
* I MEAN - HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!! ......... Lieutenant Stone goes out, in the dead of night - ALONE - to meet with the "bad guy" who had magically gained his home phone number. He goes out to meet him on the end of a lonely pier! There is not a "bad guy" in the world who could sneak up on a police officer - as close as this one does - especially on a wood pier! There are several things wrong with this opening act in the world of police realism - disappointingly so......
*BARNEY FIFE - A BETTER EXAMPLE OF GUN SAFETY!!!............. At 13:10 an inspector of inspectors (Jeffery Duel - love that actor! - as Inspector Decker) asks for Stone's .38 revolver to run a ballistics check on it (after the lieutenant got bonked on the head. Someone got blasted into eternity with a .38). Stone quickly pulls his revolver from the holster, points the .38 directly at Decker and says, "My gun hasn't been fired." Oh my Lord! And......I'm not making this up: his trigger finger is INSIDE The trigger guard as he hands his gun to the inspector!!! Let's see...Loaded gun, pointed directly at someone, trigger finger inside the trigger guard, hands gun to inspector without opening cylinder and removing bullets..... WTH! Barney Fife was a better example of gun safety! Where in the world was the police officer on the SOSF set to coach these actors in realism?!?!!! Arrrggghh!
*THE LACK OF REALISM CONTINUED TO A COMPLETELY INFURIATING MOMENT INVOLVING STONE'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER........ Let me get this straight...."bad guys" have access to my home phone, have set me up in the murder of another cop using my service revolver, have knocked me unconscious on a dark pier in dead of night, have followed me to my personal residence and are following me in their car from my residence to the grocery store. Meanwhile my daughter is alone at home and the "bad guys" know it. Hmmmm. I'm wondering if Inspector Mike Stone, who has threatened the lives of people who even leer at his daughter in previous episodes, would be wise enough to brief his daughter on the current situation, not let her be home by herself or maybe move the 2 of them to a safer location until this particular drama involving murder, beatings and mayhem dies down? Ummm I guess the answer is, "nope"!!??!!
I'm telling you...the writers in charge of reality moved down the hallway to join the Twilight Zone writers for this week! WTH...
*MUSCLE CARS AND PRIME TIME TV IN THE 1970'S.......... I love seeing these old muscle cars from the 1960s-1970's chasing each other through the historic warehouse section of old San Francisco (at approximately 24:00). Squealing tires, sliding sideways, revving retro V-8's, raising dust clouds, power braking and trying to cross the railroad tracks before the train comes - all of this way before the Fast and the Furious movies came out. Car chases were on TV every single night (every prime time show for sure) in the 1960's-1980's.
*DOUGLAS VS DUEL.............. An EXCELLENT, rare, emotional exchange of dialogue (26:30) between 2 great -up and coming at the time- Hollywood actors (Michael Douglas and Geoffrey Duel). TSOSF rarely allows for an exchange like this - so it was refreshing to see the two young bulls lock horns and tangle for a bit.
*TYNE DALY (33:22)......... A very early TV appearance by one of (in her future on Cagney and Lacey) Emmy's most decorated TV personalities (6 Emmy awards).
*THE LITTLE ACTION HERO IN SUSPENDERS....... At 50:00, in the epilogue, a little boy 3-4 years-old (wearing suspenders) goes wandering in the background behind a lady in red. The lady, moving right to left at beginning of scene suddenly appears moving from left to right (50:23) crossing against main actors & right next to them. She is moving slow and casual-like. She goes up a short set of stairs in background and when she feels like she is out of the scene - she tears off in a sprint from right to left (at 50:30)! At 50:39 she is barely visible moving from left to right in far background and slung over her shoulder is the little boy in the suspenders!!! Lol. I've replayed that unscripted bit over and over and it is awesomeness accidentally captured on film!
3 - WHAT DID YOU THINK? FINAL REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS AND FINAL GRADE............ *This was a pretty good episode. A buddy/partner going to extreme and passionate measures to save his friend always makes for good storytelling in many genres and even different time eras. It is a cosmic principle and the plot/story doesn't matter nor the setting or time (prehistoric, medieval, renaissance, etc) As Jesus once said, "no greater love that someone has then to lay down your life for your friends." The SOSF with a solid cast and solid guest stars presented a fine block of entertainment for their loyal viewers. Well done!!
Final grade: A-
