Having only just discovered this movie on "Svengoolie" that I taped a month ago, I found most of the narrative quite believable and compelling dramatically. The ending, while befuddling, was also quite believable though not what I'd consider a happy one. While the low budget shows, what's done with it still impresses here and there. The dialogue and performances do not seem stilted as there seems to be an effort to make this as believable as possible to anyone who loves science fiction and just the possibilities of imagination. That fact that people like Gene Roddenberry and Irwin Allen would use some of this movie's ideas for their hit shows is evidence that this was quite an important movie for future icons like them. So on that note, I recommend The Time Travelers.
Reviews
107 Reviews
The surrounding segments in "The Time Travelers" ep of "Svengoolie" were pretty entertaining
5 June 2024
This review is not of the movie being showcased but of the taped segments surrounding it. This one has the host show clips of his show from 1959. Of course, they're just a recreation of what it possibly would be like during that time. We see stock audience footage for that one as the Svengoolie of that time does jokes about Soviet Russia. The present version tells why he doesn't do those or any political humor after the reaction to them. He also mentions what other things the cast of this movie also did as well as does a number about the goings-ons of the narrative. These segments were amusingly corny and I enjoyed every minute of it, that's for sure! Now, I'll review the movie proper under the actual title...
"Search and Destroy" was another compelling ep of "Cannon"
5 June 2024
A teen girl witnesses her aunt involved in a murder with her masked accomplice so she runs to a home owned by a coach she admires. And not long before her mother is coming for a visit. So Frank Cannon is sent to find her though he's not told why she ran away...This was another thrilling ep of "Cannon" with some familiar character actors like Alex Rocco and Abe Vigoda, both of whom were in The Godfather and Vigoda was also on "Barney Miller" when doing his role here. Another familiar face is Priscilla Pointer as that teen's mom who'd later appear with real daughter Amy Irving in the original film version of Carrie as parent and offspring then have a recurring role as the parent of Cliff Barnes and Pamela Barnes Ewing in "Dallas". In summary, I'd recommend "Search and Destroy".
"Freefall to Terror" is another enjoyable ep of "McMillan & Wife"
4 June 2024
A friend of Mac is involved in a merger with his company that not many in his employ is looking forward to. That friend is later possibly falling from his building but he's not seen doing so until much later in the day. And perhaps his secretary is also involved somehow...This was quite an intriguing ep especially with familiar guest stars like Barbara Feldon, Tom Bosley, Edward Andrews, and John Fiedler. Amusing stuff involving regulars John Schuck and Nancy Walker. Ms. Feldon keeps her beauty intact a few years after the cancellation of "Get Smart". Susan Saint James of course, has her charms as well. So in summary, "Freefall to Terror" is quite an enjoyable ep of "McMillan & Wife".
"Murder, A Self Portrait" is another pretty good Columbo ep
4 June 2024
A famous painter seems to have it all with an ex-wife next door, living with his current one with a young model also staying at their house as they all often have dinner together. But the ex is also seeing a psychologist and she reveals their plans to that artist. He doesn't take it well, to put it mildly. After it's done, Columbo takes the case and, like many others, he's thoroughly charmed by him...This was quite an amusing ep with some nice black-and-white dream sequences concerning that ex-wife. There's also a wonderful appearance by Vito Scotti as a bar owner. I just saw him in another ep with Dick Van Dyke. The wife is played by Peter Fail's real-life one, Shera Danese. He sure got lucky with that one, that's for sure! Anyway, I say give "Murder, A Self Portrait" a look.
"The Ivy Maze" seems to bring it closer for a conclusion of "The Fugitive"
4 June 2024
So this is the only ep of "The Fugitive" where Dr. Kimble, Lt. Gerald, and Fred Johnson-the one armed man Kimble saw leaving his wife's murder, appear together. It's at a college where Kimble's old fraternity pal is now conducting experiments making sleep-deprived patients confess to crimes of which one of them is Johnson under an assumed name working maintenance at the building. I'll just now say that while I understand many reviewers questioning the logic of what happened at the end of this ep, it's still an exciting one just the same. So on that note, I recommend "The Ivy Maze" ep of "The Fugitive".
"The Execution" was another exciting ep of "Mission: Impossible"
4 June 2024
So a week after seeing Vincent Gardenia playing a cop in "The Fugitive", I then see him in "Mission: Impossible" playing a mob boss in charge of food distribution who wants Jim Phelps dead because of his disguise of being a goods handler who refuses to join his union! (Not to mention his confrontation with him!) So the IMF team tries to get the assassin to bend by making him think he's about to be executed unless he confesses...This was one of the most thrilling of eps of this often entertaining show, that's for sure! Especially when Rollin Hand-in disguise as a death row inmate-"pleads" for mercy to no avail. So that's a high recommendation of "The Execution".
"A Friend in Deed" was another fine episode of "Columbo"
3 June 2024
Richard Kiley plays the police commissioner boss to Columbo here. But before the lieutenant is seen, Kiley's character has to take care of business of helping a friend cover up his accidental murder of his wife which had already occurred when the narrative begins. Instead of revealing the rest of the plot, I'll just say it's sort of like Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train so you know it's gonna be good! So, anyway, with Columbo now having to deal with his boss, he has quite a challenge in trying to solve the murder but solve it he definitely will, that's for sure! And there's also a burglar in the narrative who may or not be involved. So that's my recommendation of "A Friend in Deed".
"The Enslaved" is another good showcase for Betty Jones in "Barnaby Jones"
3 June 2024
Concerned about friend Peggy's relapse, Betty Jones goes undercover at Peg's recovery clinic after a death occurs involving another patient. Yes, this is another ep of "Barnaby Jones" in which the leading character only appears in a few scenes though he does get to participate in the final sequences. Is Betty in over her head? Well, yes, though she's smart enough to pass some samples to J. R. who of course gives them to his cousin to observe in his microscope. I'll just now say this was another good showcase for Lee Meriwether and she's never looked more beautiful, that's for sure! So that's a recommendation for "The Enslaved".
"Artificial Genius" was one of the most enjoyable of "Elsbeth" eps I've seen so far
31 May 2024
A young woman who suffered an attack years before has a crime fighting site but is threatened with unwanted exposure from a reporter doing a story on her. When the deed is done, Elsbeth is on the job with help from her female police officer friend, as usual, to figure out how to catch her. I've enjoyed many of these Columbo-like cases and this was one of the most enjoyable of them so far, that's for sure! Oh, and it seems in this one Elsbeth got a new pet dog for her efforts. There's also an intriguing subplot about her superior trying to get out of some kind of jam. Only two more eps to go for this season. So I highly recommend "Artificial Genius".
"The Miracle" was one of the better eps of "The Invaders" I saw recently
31 May 2024
In the beginning, a teen boy and girl are snuggling in an open field. The girl then goes to a nearby church to drink some water. At the same time, a man is bitten by a snake and disappears in front of her while carrying a bag which he offers to her. She sees what's inside and suddenly feels converted as she then prays to the female statue she's standing next to. Cut to David Vincent in a New Mexico town as his car goes to a place that seemed to not have changed since the 19th century. In a bar there's a crystal object that attracts the attention of several Native Americans. The owner offers to sell it to David but his daughter, that same girl from the beginning, refuses believing it to be sacred having retrieved it from that bag...This ep of "The Invaders" made more sense to me than others I watched before this one. Among the guest stars were Barbara Hershey as the teen girl and Ed Asner as her father a few years before becoming Lou Grant on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". I really enjoyed "The Miracle" so that's a recommendation.
"A World Without Sundays" was another exciting ep of "Mannix"
31 May 2024
A former football quarterback is mixed up in a money laundering scheme which involves a couple of women and some mobsters from Las Vegas. So, of course, Joe Mannix is hired to solve it all...This was quite a thrilling ep of "Mannix" with quite a few twists and turns, that's for sure! I recognized one guest star Michael Conrad who would later become a regular on "Hill Street Blues" while another one, Joe E. Tata who later was recurring on "Beverly Hills 90210", I suddenly remembered him in a bar and later alley scene so I rewinded to those scenes to find out his character's name and looked it up on this site and, sure enough, that was him! I had trouble recognizing him in a "Cannon" ep from a few weeks ago called "Coffin Corner". Anyway, I highly recommend this "A World Without Sundays" ep of "Mannix". P. S. That former quarterback's name is Marty Hatch which was also the name of Mary Hatch Bailey's brother in my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life.
The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden - The Greatest Arena Run of All Time
(2024 TV Special)
This was one of the greatest of Billy Joel's concerts I've seen on TV yet!
31 May 2024
How awesome to finally watch this, Billy Joel's 100th concert at Madison Square Garden after taping the repeat broadcast from CBS (I also taped the first broadcast but I had to delete it after finding out it was delayed by live golf on that Sunday broadcast. I later found out from Stephen Colbert it was also interrupting the "Piano Man" number by a commercial inadvertently put in the middle of it so I obviously was lucky for that repeat.) I recognized most of the hit songs he performed and later noted some that were missing such as "Just the Way You Are", "Tell Her About It", "Pressure", and "Allentown" among others. Oh, and I'm guessing "We Didn't Start the Fire" is very much an "of it's time" number though he could've added topical lyrics if he wanted to. Anyway, I'll just now say that this was one of the most awesome of Mr. Joel's concerts I've seen on TV yet, that's for sure!
"The Goes the Ball Game" was another exciting ep of "The Fugitive"
30 May 2024
This was yet another exciting ep of "The Fugitive" as Dr. Richard Kimble attends a baseball game sitting next to a young woman who's sent away for awhile by a man walking by. We later discover she's been kidnapped and her father sends for Kimble because he saw the man's face. Of course, Richard goes under an assumed name initially but as always, his real identity is discovered. I'll just now say how great to see first former Dead End kid Gabriel Dell as one of the kidnappers, Martin Balsam-who had just won an Oscar for A Thousand Clowns-as the father and Vincent Gardenia as the cop pursuing The Fugitive. So that's a high recommendation of "There Goes the Ball Game".
"Have You Never Been to a Wedding?" was one of the more awesome eps of "Will Trent"
30 May 2024
Will and his partner Faith attend a wedding with her son Jeremy where they find they're being held hostage though Will uses an assumed name in ID'ing himself and Faith isn't discovered for awhile as she's upstairs when the trouble first takes place...This was quite a thrilling and funny in parts ep (Dig the use of "Cha Cha Slide" in breaking the tension in one of the more intense scenes). During the melee, Will flashes back to when he suffered a similar situation as a 12-year-old. His grace in pretending to be someone else is quite admirable here. Faith herself is quite kick ass especially when she tousles with a female member of the would-be thieves. In other words, "Have You Never Been to a Wedding?" was an awesome ep of "Will Trent", that's for sure!
"The Medium" is yet another ep of "Barnaby Jones" that showcased his cousin J.R.
30 May 2024
This ep of "Barnaby Jones" begins with a woman riding with a a man she thinks is going to take her to the house she's going to inhabit. When she realizes he's taking her to someplace else, she tries to run but he has his hammer ready. We then segue to a priest whose sister had possibly suffered the same fate as that woman at Barnaby Jones Investigations recommending a psychic since other legitimate tries to find her went no where. So J. R. visits this woman named Cleo...This is yet another ep of the show with Barnaby in not too many scenes as J. R. is the one being showcased this time. So, yes, he flirts with Cleo quite a bit here. She's played by Sarah Kennedy who I know from the indie film The Telephone Book and the final season of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In". I'd know that voice anywhere though her hair style is what you'd expect from this late '70s period. The hammer guy I mentioned earlier was played by Norman Alden who I remember as a child from being the voice of Aquaman in the Hanna-Barbera "Super Friends" series as well as Professor Frank Heflin in Sid and Marty Krofft's "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl". Years later he was also in my favorite movie of the '80s, Back to the Future, as the proprietor of the diner who tells Marty McFly "I can't give you a tab unless you order something" when he asks for a Tab soft drink and then says "You want a Pepsi, pal, you're gonna pay for it" when he orders a Pepsi Free drink. He's quite menacing in this ep, that's for sure! So on that note, this was quite an enjoyable ep of "Barnaby Jones" called "The Medium".
I enjoyed watching the "Sex and the Married Detective" ep of "Columbo" again recently
30 May 2024
While this was the first of the second "Columbo" series eps I watched when this was broadcast in the late '80s, there was quite a bit of it I didn't remember when watching this again just now. The beginning, when the female sex therapist from books and radio sees her boyfriend and producing partner in bed with his secretary, I definitely remember as well as her later putting a disguise when later killing him. That filler scene with Columbo playing the tuba in front of some pre-teen students I also remember. And the ending as well. But everything in between I didn't remember so much. Anyway, while part of me thought some scenes were unnecessary like that tuba one as well as a later one with that foreign maid, I mostly enjoyed this again especially when the Lieutenant is talking to the Lindsay Crouse character of that sex therapist. Perhaps not as great as many of the '70s offerings but enjoyable enough on its own. So I say give "Sex and the Married Detective" a viewing.
"Lady on the Run" is an excellent episode of "Cannon"
29 May 2024
Barbara Rush is a troubled wealthy woman with an estranged husband who puts the petal to the metal after witnessing her current lover kill somebody. That husband hires Frank Cannon to find her and get her back. I'll just say this was thrilling from beginning to end. Other guest stars are Russell Johnson, yes, the Professor on "Gilligan's Island", as that hubby and Barbara Luna as a friend of Rush. I also recently saw her in an ep of "Mannix". I really enjoyed this one as it's chock full of great details concerning many of the characters in the narrative. And this is another one with a lack of humor at the end but a fine happy ending, nonetheless. So that's a recommendation of "Lady on the Run".
"Silent Target" is another ep of "Mannix" in which Joe is being pursued
29 May 2024
Joe is on his way to a fishing trip when his car breaks down. Unfortunately, it does so in a desert inhabited by assassins, one of whom knows Mannix. When they find him, a lady in their presence finds out she likes him and tries to help him escape. I'll stop there and just say this was one of the more exciting eps of this series even though, according to this site, it's the third consecutive one in which the detective is being pursued. Among the guest stars is John Hillerman who had done Paper Moon during this time and would years later become a regular on the original "Magnum P. I.". Then there's Frank Langella who I knew was one of the stars of Mel Brooks' The Twelve Chairs and would soon gain fame as Dracula in both the stage and the later movie. One more guest star is Barbara Luna who I would later also see in an ep of "Cannon" that I'll review next...
"The Investigator" was another fine episode of "Cannon"
29 May 2024
Hari Rhodes, who I just saw in a later "Cannon" ep called "Snapshot", appears here as the mayor of a small town which seems full of corruption especially of the police as they are responsible for the death of a reporter who was going to expose them. So Frank Cannon is recruited to investigate under an assumed name as he goes around snooping. I'll stop there and just say this was quite a thrilling ep of the show especially when it's revealed how just about everyone had something to hide! And unlike many other eps of this show, this one does not end in some light-hearted banter after the case is solved. So that's a recommendation of "The Investigator".
Robert Loggia made another appearance in the "Snapshot" ep of "Cannon"
28 May 2024
As the ex-wife of a mobster storms off in a huff while her former hubby tries to reason with her, she gets shot but survives. Frank Cannon, against his better judgement, agrees to investigate the matter when that mobster hires him. Turns out, there's more than meets the eye...This was the second time I've seen Robert Loggia in a "Cannnon" ep, the previous one being "The Exchange". I'm in agreement with the other two reviewers that his performance was a little over-the-top but he wasn't boring, that's for sure! Ep is thrilling throughout with usual light banter at the end. Looking forward to seeing this series from the beginning after the last few final ones are aired...
A Missed Fortune
(1952)
A Missed Fortune was another funny short starring The Three Stooges
28 May 2024
Moe, Larry, and Shemp are having breakfast (in which Moe inadvertently replaces syrup with glue when eating pancakes) when a radio quiz show calls and Shemp correctly guesses the answer leading them all to live it up at a classy hotel. But, of course, that doesn't last for long...This was funny from beginning to end with many of the expected physical comic business you get from the boys. According to this site, this was the last short shown when Moe and Shemp's brother, Curly, was still alive. He had quit the team after his stroke in 1946 leaving Shemp to replace him having previously left back in 1930 to be replaced by the younger Curly. Shemp, himself, would only live for a few more years before he himself had to be replaced...
"Killer on the Hill" was another enjoyeble ep of "Cannon"
28 May 2024
This is my second time watching a show with Brooke Bundy as a guest star, first time being "The Little Vitim" ep of "Dragnet". Here, she's a woman trying to get her hubby out of jail because of trumped-up charges against him. So, of course, Frank Cannon is involved. As usual, this was quite an exciting one for the series as there's an assassin on the run trying to get Frank and some others. While I was familiar with this show as a kid when it was first-run during the '70s, it's only now that I've been really paying attention taping and watching these reruns on MeTV. It's such a pleasure just now finally seeing these in their entirety for the first time!
"The Moose" was only fitfully amusing but it's an early indication of how admirable Hawkeye is on "M*A*S*H"
24 May 2024
A visiting Army sergeant visits the 4077th with his "moose"-actually, a young Korean woman who's his servant. When Hawkeye sizes up the situation, he confronts that sergeant but that officer tells him there's nothing he can do about it which is confirmed when Pierce then tells Henry. So instead, he then plays poker with him in order to "win" her. I'll stop there and just say that the woman character is only fitfully amusing when mixing certain American slang terms. In fact, the only genuinely funny moment to me was seeing Radar-who's spying through his telescope during the poker game-suddenly getting distracted by a robed woman from behind as she starts to go to the showers. I will say this was quite an early indication of how moral the leading character is concerning certain things that makes him such an admirable hero much of the time of the series run. Still, this ep gets a middling grade from me.
"The Little Victim" was quite a shocking ep of "Dragnet 1968"
24 May 2024
In this ep of "Dragnet 1968", Joe and Bill have to deal with an abused infant at a hospital and go looking for the mother. They managed to find her residence after initially being given the wrong address. She tells them her baby was just falling down the stairs and doesn't need any more treatment at the hospital but the two cops saw worse on the months-old kid and realize that's not so. When the hubby enters, he seems quite menacing and things just fall apart by that point...This was quite a shocking ep of this Jack Webb-created series even though we never see the baby's face. I have to admit that the woman's acting does seem shrill here but it's still pretty effective with what she was given. Oh, and what a nice surprise that the husband was played by future "Hill Street Blues" star Kiel Martin! So that's a recommendation of "The Little Victim".
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