darbski

***SPOILERS*** Looks like Kim may have gotten hooked by the fun of being on the edge of right and wrong, even though what she decided to wing out there was clearly illegal. The idae of flooding the D.A.s work product with letters and phone messages, making it seem as if there was going to be a real media mess with attendant costs to pay for, finally overrode the A.D.As sense of duty I still say that she doesn't like the way her "corporate" career is going. For sure it must be boring work, especially when one sees that she's done all the serious ground work. She's pulling back from another "rabbit out of the hat". Good for her on that count, but she's courting danger by getting more deeply involved with Jimmy. Also, it looks like he's completely over the loss of his brother - THAT was fast, even for an adversary.

Nacho now has another creep to deal with, until Tuco shows back up. This is real bad news. Mike's idea about R+R was sound, but Kai again turns out to be a loose nut that should be screwed down tight; probably permanently. One other thing is that I just can't remember an elevator in B+B. I'll have to review my episodes for that. Maybe they could arrange to have Kai blow himself up? So, it looks like Huell may be off the hook for now, but for how long? Can Kim keep herself afloat around Jimmy? I hope that things work out for Kim, and that Jimmy doesn't screw up too badly. No doubt that Nacho MUST inform Gus about the development in their arrangement, and I wonder what the new bad guy will do with Nacho's safe, if anything? Sadly, this will probably be my last entry of reviews, so all I can do is hope for the best for the characters I like... I'm giving this one a 10.

***SPOILERS*** I like his series, and this is a pretty good episode, with the usual life snapshots while Tom Barnaby and company (Jones) go about solving the crimes they're stuck with. Now, Barnaby kinda reminds me of Columbo in the fact that he is persistent, very intelligent, and not prone to violence; i.e., smarts wins. Christmas is in full swing as the silliness of the new taskmaster's relevancy training gets in the way of anything resembling intellect, and shows very clearly just how phony the premise of these games truly is. Jones tells CS Cotton how Tom feels about the training, and it is painfully evident that his idea of using first names and telling the truth about how one feels is not accepted - that is to say stupid.

The crimes , of course, are still there there to be solved, and Tom and Ben do their best to drag the miscreants to the docket. If there is one thing that I truly like about this series it is exactly that. All the elaborate nonsense that has to be dealt with is politesse to be ignored in the face of reality. The writers have the same approach as the presentation of the American series "Law And Order". Normally the more wealth, the less brains, the less consideration for fellow man and the rule of law, and the more likely they are to be even worse than the poorer classes in behavior. I'll give this one an 8.

***SPOILERS*** I read the other reviews, and everyone is entitled to their viewpoint. I firmly believe in the first amendment, even if I disagree. I think it was darrenpierce111 who was the first to address the connection to A Stop At Willoughby, and I see it too, although it might have been a gentler message than the one I saw in this episode. I mean, the kids just disappeared from their parents, instead of being found floating lifeless in the pool, even IF that was the connection. Kids almost always think that they are to blame for their parent's troubles/ Enough psychology. I gotta say that I am a Rocky&Bullwinkle man, and I did not head June Foray's voice. I understand that she did a LOT of voice characters down through the years; no doubt she was great, but I must be too far gone to hear her voice. As far as the accents go, I don't think that's quite as weird as "scout-sport, and jem-jeb; I think it's perverse. I was pretty young (16) when this episode first aired, and I remember it. We did, have, and do live in the "escape to anywhere" plan. As far as a plan of life, that is; we all want to be somewhere else. This story, and Willoughby, tie into that desire. I liked this one, and I'm giving it a 9.

***SPOILERS*** If you like Ramblers, you'll love this one, but maybe you should watch it first, before you red this missive. Dick (of course) crashes the Rambler. This is an old convertible, red and white, and is totally cool. Naturally dick never bothered getting insurance, so the car is a complete loss - they can't afford to fix it. Second SPOILER - a slick (who would guess?) insurance salesman, Gary, (played by Bob Odenkirk - none slicker) explains to Dick about how it's necessary to buy insurance BEFORE any damage is done to your car. What he winds up doing is selling a bunch of insurance to Harry, who certainly has NO clue what he's doing. The rest of the episode devolves into the normal nutzo koo-kooness that we all know about. You've got to see and hear the emotional truth behind the craziness to appreciate it. Odenkirk is very good as a beginning Jimmy McGill (Saul), and the whole thing is great as normally insane. It's a 10.

***SPOILERS*** Any time you get these three together, you know it's gonna be a total fiasco. That's just what this on is - a complete mess. Why, then, did I give it a 10 you ask??? Because that's just exactly what Japanese monster movies are. This one fulfills all the basic requirements, and has really cool destructo-graphics, too. I'm talking about a completely stupid plot, good acting, ridiculous development, great special effects, an, of course, a feel good ending among the ruins of what I believe is supposed to be Yokohama. Who knows, really? Not me, and I don't even care. It's a whole lot more fun than the last Godzilla movie I reviewed in IMDb. That one was the San Francisco Godzilla, and the graphics as far as the battling monsters went were not up to par. The young girl ace reporter from B.S. News Network was really cute. As usual, they are always cute in these movies, and of course, the guys are usually handsome idiots or dorky brainiacs.

This girl (cub) reporter Yuri, is super brave, and just like usual, she finds herself in all kinds of trouble with three tough guy monsters. There seems to be a breakdown in communication with the military, because they start firing on Godzilla, and all he seems to be doing is hanging out in a forest. They shoot a bunch of smart rockets (or cruise missiles) at "Zilla, but this just pisses him off. He fires up his internal death ray, and knocks out the fighter aircraft without working up a sweat. THEN some hippie-type reporter informs the commander that "Zilla is a "guardian Monster" and they shouldn't be attacking him. Well, too late to worry now...

The other two monsters, of course, are the bad guys (in almost every Godzilla movie, he is ultimately "Good Monster" vs. fill-in-the-blank "Bad Monster". The story proceeds from there with a special ending, but, rest assured, folks. we ALL know that if he's ever needed again, he'll be back. Part of the end is the "super submarine commander" telling the two kids (Yuri, and wonder-dork) that there were others who should get as much credit as he does, but you can tell he really doesn't mean it, and then Yuri gives him a lame-o military salute. I mean, HE should be saluting HER, She was about ten times braver than he was, anyway. This Godzilla is, by the way pretty good looking. I still think that original American Godzilla co staring (Matt Broderick) is badder looking, but with the content, a cute girl and lots of action, I'm not gonna complain. It's a 10.

***SPOILERS*** It's nice to see that Gus has Hector's best interests at heart, isn't it? Yeah, he knows by watching the recording of Hector's rehab work, that he knocked the little water glass off the cart/table to get a look at the sexy nurse's bum. Gus has him right where he wants him - permanent hell for his past dirtiness. The beginning of the episode shows just how separated Jimmy and Kim are becoming, and the meeting (get together) gave Jimmy an opportunity to witness just how much nicer the office she now has than the one he thinks (thought) she'd love. He HAD to make a jerk out of himself, and screw up Kim. Oh, yeah, he'd never admit it, but he's just gotta do just that. And she absolutely HAS to get away from him before he ruins her life. I hope he sees this, because whatever she's planning is very risky. she made zero impression on the A.D.A., and it really looks like Huell Babineaux is gonna take at least a little fall for the sandwich smackdown. I mean - come on - I've been hit with a ball bat and stayed up. Rang my bell but good but I stayed up. One important point is that the cop (P.O.) was right there with enough dirt on Jimmy to violate him as a parole offender, and the writers didn't do it - why not?? Mike was all business this week, and realizes that R+R is a necessary ingredient to progress on the project. It was a good conversation he had that led to the idea - how they get it done is gonna be interesting. Rhea Seehorn's acting pushes this one up from a slow 9 to a serious 10.

***SPOILERS*** No doubt about it. That was an ending. It's a great story, with great characters, an inexorable dread, and the beauty of Jean Simmons. I've always thought that Jean is one of the most beautiful of the Hollywood brunettes, and in this movie, I'm not wrong. It was just shown again, this time on TMC's Noir Alley. This is one of the - nah, scratch that- it IS the best final test of the dark art of sinister film creations. Hosted by Eddie Muller (whose name would fit quite well in any of the subject's character lists), this series show off the coolest of the cool movies. You know, bleeding knuckles, tough guys, tough dames, tough talk and of course, tough subjects with (no surprise) tough endings. The ending of this entry was, and is controversial, and is also one of the most permanent, and shocking of any of the time. If you aren't ready for it, it'll haunt your sleep. I saw it first when I was a teenager on late night T.V., and it made my girlfriend cry. I hated it. With good reason. ***SPOILER***

Why anyone would kill off an incredible beauty like Jean was beyond my reality. Great ending - without a doubt; why kill Jean? Mitchum? So long, pal. Jean?? No, no, please. NOW, I see this movie, and it's clear that her acting skill shows that you can be beautiful and still nuts enough to want to take it all with you. The crash itself was fantastic in detail and action, but the look that Jean gave Bob before she put the sweet Jag in reverse was just scary as hell. Obsessive/possessive suicidal psychopathic, and probably a whole book full of psychiatric studies. Ben Casey would have had another year tacked onto his nutso T.V. series with just this look. Don't get me wrong; I still love Jean. So, I guess you know where I'm at on Noir, and the wonderful Jean. The movie was just terrific; Jean's parents totally fooled by their daughter, Bob Mitchum who shouldn't have been, and the ending of all endings.

I'm gonna take this a little farther, now. If we're talking Noir, we're also talking about black hearts. Host of the series, and top of the class educator Eddie Muller (great name, also), explains two really creepy guys. Great men, no doubt, but complete creeps in their personalities. Howard Hughes, who owned Jean Simmons' acting contract, and who decided that he should be able to bang her if he wanted. NOT. Both she and her husband told him NO with clarity, and his bought and paid for friend Otto Preminger who made Jean's life brutally hard on the set, and during filming of this very fine movie. By the way, bravo to Bob for his stand-up guts in dealing with Otto. If you get a chance, see the movie and watch Muller's intro, and final thoughts - they are a revelation. This one's an over the top 10.

***SPOILERS*** One of the other reviewers brought up a very interesting point, and one that is present in several, if not many, episodes. The timeline. In a story like this, it seems that there a lot of killers hanging around behind door, behind curtains, just in the other room, and in the twinkle of an eye, they wait for the innocent client (who usually hasn't heeded Perry's advice, or had common sense enough to stay away from the deceased individual) to leave, and then they do the deed, and scoot right out of there. Another gripe of mine is the incredible number of clients who just go right over to the dead guy's place, and then just pick up whatever weapon is right there, walk in the blood, leave fingerprints, or other evidence - you get it, right. What about the time of day? How many people do you know that are dumb enough to have any business at night? Especially when the person they're dealing with is kinda skeevy???

So the executor of the estate decides NOT to involve Perry's client in the selling of her prized horse? I mean, even IF he's the executor, shouldn't he have told her? And then of course, she HAS to go get the horse at night? This episode has a lot going for it, but almost all of it revolves around the character actors in the play. As usual, they are top drawer actors and actresses who never really get their due; well, here it is: those who played these parts were and are some of the very best talents we'll ever see. I thank them all for their fine work, and dedication to a craft that can be rewarding, but also cruel. Thanks to S.A.G., and IMDb, and of course the casting directors for making some good choices. I'll give this one an 8.

***SPOILERS*** Right around All Hallows Eve, A.K.A. "Halloween", a bunch of elderly to late middle age geeks get together to play with spooky stuff, and supposedly ancient magical rituals. That's just great - everyone has their own religious nonsense to get them through life, don't they? The problem here is that these dorks actually believe in this silliness, and also that there is a book - The One Book - or whatever you want to call it - that has mystical power over mere mortals, and mortals who recognize and obey it's wisdom. Therefore, the quest for this book produces a couple of murders that Tom Barnaby and company must solve. A couple of the other reviewers apparently didn't like this entry into the murderous world of Thoth (the ancient keeper of the dingbat). I won't really spoil it for you, because it really is a fun one, at that. There are old names, and old books, and a cool end to a bad guy that I KNEW was just creepy by nature. The end of the episode is quite good, with a reminder of who Halloween is really for.

There is also one thing that I'm going to ruin for you, if you haven't heeded the SPOILERS. That is... the find of at least the half-century, in an old scripted book that truly would have held some very serious power. The find was three pages of an old bible. When it was published, the very possession of it was a death sentence. This is historically accurate. "The Church" at that time was so terrified of anyone but their own upper ranked churchmen being able to read anything like the so-called "word of god" that they would happily torture and murder anyone who dared even touch such a book. These kind of fears exist today in politics and religion. In this episode, I was compelled at least twice to say to the television screen "Look out behind you". Of course, the turkey never did, but at least once the fireplace poker didn't immediately kill the victim. Rachel Pickup (her real name) played Isolde Balliol, and the only other blond who could have pulled off the pretty-but crazy part would have been Olivia D'Abo. One other thing that I liked was the fact that the old books were so creepy to look at. I use to draw treasure maps when I was a kid, and I liked that real old spookiness that went with pirates, gold, and such. This episode had a great ending (oh, wait -- did I already say that?), and great acting... I'm giving it a 9.

***SPOILERS*** Yeah, well, I told you about payback, didn't I? Sure I did. Kim, I believe, is more knowledgeable about Jimmy than we may know, and this is crucial. SHE can go to the same therapist that she recommended to Jimmy, and ask about his behavior. When (if?) she does, she's gonna find out, that jimmy is ultimately self-destructive and a complete con man. First, she has to admit to herself that, for him, it's NOT a game. For him, it actually IS the life he has, and he absolutely will never be able to tell her the truth.

Cons can/will never, ever, ever, let anyone close to them. see, if they do, then they may find out that the one they're running from is themselves. Almost all have a form of sociopathy, whether anyone ever catches them or not. I keep saying that the one person that I don't want to get hurt is Kim, and I hope that her innate survival mechanisms will activate in time for her to get to the side of the crap whirlpool Jimmy's gonna make of things, and pull herself out. It will be hard, but necessary. He is a good-natured crook that is getting closer and closer to selling out his own life. The skanky skeeves that got turned upside down? Jimmy should separate himself from them A.S.A.P., they will be dead weight around his neck. I wonder if his new bodyguards know just how deadly he can be when cornered. after all, it is the ones who pay the game for real who win. good luck with the rest of this series.....

***SPOILERS*** But only because I thought that the dog was good. Now, finding unexploded bombs was a really big deal in Great Britain and Europe after WW2; still is, as a matter of fact. Not so much, over here nevertheless, old ordinance, and old dynamite occasionally would blow up due to mishandling, kids playing around, etc. In this show, the family dog, "Tramp" (great name for a dog, maybe from "Lady and the Tramp"?) drags home what is suspected to be a stick of old, unstable, dynamite. Dad is away on a business trip, and, as usual, a series of missed communications, and normal misunderstandings prevent Dad from talking to anyone at home. There were two construction workers who found the errant nitro stick, but then, for some reason, just left it alone for Tramp to wander in, and pick it up in his mouth. This starts the "will the dog blow everyone to kingdom come" in motion. You've gotta see it for yourself, I'm afraid. Now, what is dumb about it is the fact that the audience is left to wonder what happened to the dynamite (yeah, Tramp drops it under a drainpipe, and it was drowned from rainwater runoff) - NOBODY was ever stupid enough to think that it would go off, were they? Of course, it would have been a great way to end the series, wouldn't it? Sure - Dad comes home because fr some obscure reason, he's worried, and Chip, the third brat that won't pay attention to grouchy old Bub (nowhere near as cool as "Grandpa" from the Munsters) hits the stick that everyone keeps not seeing, and Whammo, Blammo, Bloowie, Bango, so long much beloved long running family comedy/drama. Yeah, so much for lost opportunities. Oh.. did I mention the stupid part? Yeah, the end of it is that Dad is on the phone, and then.... yup. It might as well end right then, because, for some idiotic reason, Dad finally gets through to the household on the phone, finds out thre's a thunderstorm going on, and goes back to sleep. was it a dream? Reality? an Hallucination from a C.I.A. mind altering experiment? nobody says, and it proves out to be one of the stupider episodes of the series. The action was good, so was the acting, the characters were irritatingly real, the ending dull as dirt, except for Tramp (maybe I just like dogs). The two construction workers gave a fabulous explanation of exactly WHY YOU NEVER play with explosives - - It's till a 6.

***SPOILERS*** A rat by any other name would smell as crappy. Sometimes, you just have to take whatever life dishes out, you know? Like when you gun down an innocent man for a reward and then find out he wasn't wanted? And, of course, you're a coward anyway. Gee, that doesn't really make sense, does it? Admitting your bad deed when you're a coward? Well on Gunsmoke, we all know what happens to cowards, don't we? Sure we do. They did get a couple of things wrong, too (you knew this was coming, didn't you?) First - "Wanted Posters"? Very few were actually ever printed. Why? Printing costs money, and most of the time, only a vague description of the miscreant was available. Photographs were hard to copy, and most bad guys didn't have their pictures taken. There were exceptions, of course, and these are pretty well known. Second - the rule in law that states that a wife can't testify against her husband? BULL. What it almost always states is that a spouse "cannot be MADE to testify against" their spouse. Big difference, and probably most people didn't know it. The acting was good, especially from the guy who played Rickers (Don Keefer). They could have done a little better job on his "good-bye cruel world" scene, but, it was 1957, and the real test of any actor is playing someone that everyone hates, isn't it? His wife? ...oh, well... I'm giving this one an 8.

***SPOILERS*** Ever notice how small the "Longbranch is? Now, most likely, the REAL Longbranch was actually LONG, you know? But, on this series, it's a square, dumpy little dive with barely enough room to swing a cat. Too bad, too, because Kitty deserved a better place to call home. Now, of course, to this episode. One of the other reviewers mentioned the looks of the bartender. This was before the long term drinksman (Sam) took over, and I have to say that the girl in question was no Miss America, herself. In fact, she reminds me of a teacher I had in grade school who always had a grouch on for anyone breathing. One other thing, in most of these episodes, Kitty had a partner in the establishment, so he probably WAS doing alright financially. while we're talking about looks - - yeah, you guessed it. The so-called aristocrat from Philadelphia? He's a grownup pound puppy, too. That's my opinion only, but I'll bet Cruella Deville would have kicked him to the curb. Next issue: how long was it before the $500 went bye-bye in any business transaction at all? Thee acting was good considering the story, and the fact that the person to put Mr. Philadelphia in his place should have been Kitty. There wasn't enough time to really settle the issues, was there? I'll as far as a 7.

***SPOILERS*** Yup. The other reviewers did an excellent job; covering the acting and plot set-up. Those of you who have read some of my other reviews know what's coming, though, don't you? Now, I realize that there is only a half hour to tell this story, but the entire handling of the camera, the posing, and the developing of the images is so far off the rails that something should be said about it. And that is what I just did, isn't it? You know... having to stand still for a long time to prevent blurring, the dangerous chemicals used, the shutter release? Too many mistakes. Another small point is that the characters must have been deaf not to hear the Cheyenne riding hard in behind them. Also, the man Gart, did a good job of getting shot by an arrow. Yeah, I'm nit picking, but a Cheyenne arrow loosed at close range by a world class shooter would probably have run clear through the target. It looked like someone pushed it a little farther in his chest (Matt maybe making sure?), but, well, okay. Professor Jacoby getting his brains beaten in? Just desserts, especially after he clearly admitted to killing Grubby. Kitty's photograph? They really dropped the ball on that one. when you have a subject as good looking as Kitty, you take your time and get it right. Jacoby didn't - reason enough for his demise. P.S. - - Matt buried the miscreants, didn't he? Well, then, he was obviously entitled to their guns, money, tack, and horses, wasn't he? Forget about the camera, it was totalled anyway. This episode is a 9.

***SPOILERS*** Bunny suit? Who got to play the gorilla? The only other story I can recall is the hated "A Christmas Story" (yeah, I'm a scrooge about Christmas stories). In that one "Ralphie" is supposed to unquestioningly love and wear an equally ridiculous costume. His father, played by the great Darren McGavin, (R.I.P., DARREN). Finally does the right thing, and tells everyone that his son is NOT gonna be humiliated - and it was about time he did something good. In this episode, Beaver is shown to be a real trouper, though. Suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, and the insults of his so-called friends, going through ridiculous nonsense before finally achieving his goal. He did everything he could, and gained the inevitable triumph - so help him God. Alright, maybe that was a little strong, but you get the picture. Any kid who's had to endure some of the idiocy that life hands out gets it; if you can hang in there, you'll be okay. In this case, the bunny suit was the bully, wasn't it? Beaver hung in there, and didn't do anything stupid. As a matter of fact, he did really good. I'll bet that the soles on the feet of the pink suit were shot, though. What I liked was that none of Beav's moron friends got him to do anything dumb and land in trouble. I've always wondered if he'd wise up and dump those clowns, though, you know? This one had some laughs, moved quickly, had good action and set changes, and exceptional acting the last scene's ending proved that. I'll give it a 9.

I mentioned in another review the right and wrong of things, and that's just what this episode is about. Unfortunately, there were quite a few legal issues in play, also, and let's see if we can get closer to actual history. First, anyone in uniform who is (was) drunk on the post is guilty of that infraction, and is supposed to be confined to the gaurdhouse. Normally, however, this was ignored because soldiers were routinely drunk, even on duty - the reasons were myriad. Next, I have a problem with Cherokees being off their reservation, and up into Kansas. I'm not saying it couldn't happen, I just don't think that the Indians were stupid enough to do it. Cherokees were and are very intelligent. The sergeant attempting to molest the Brave's wife. Yup, I believe that could happen, too. Only problem is this: as one of the soldiers remarked when Wyatt arrested the sergeant - Indians weren't citizens, and wouldn't be until the trial of Standing Bear (Ponca), years later. Still, the sergeant was guilty of a crime, wasn't he? Tricky. see Wyatt also worked for the State of Kansas, and the connection between State and Federal was hard to perceive, even now. Not complicated enough? There WERE seriously hard feelings between Whites and Natives in southern Kansas. For good reasons, too. The Cherokee were not violent, but the Comanche, and Cheyenne absolutely were. Cross them, or the Kiowa, and you've got a very large problem. That is reality in 1876. I don't even want to talk about the ways that white businessmen (?) would rip off Natives (why was the Indian and his wife in the store? The store owner changing his testimony? Yeah, I DO believe that would happen. All that aside, when Wyatt and his deputy finally got to the escaped sergeant, NONE of them could possibly had any ammunition left. This was a serious problem with westerns - WHEN do our heroes and villains stop to reload? Never, apparently, in this story. The owner with the broom? He hit the bad guy with the wrong end. Still, the action was good, the issues were important, and the law (what there was) was upheld. As for the 7th being in southern Kansas in 1876? I thin you already know the answer to that question. It's an 8.

***SPOILERS*** I may have mentioned in another review that it is only a matter of time before Jimmy's tripped up by his own arrogance - I think. The thing to wonder about though, is the fact that Jimmy only had 4 cel phones with him. My thinking (and probably ONLY mine) is that the bikers will no doubt want more. Now, I think that a little birdie may mention to our two wheeled friends, and I'm a biker myself, that maybe, just maybe, a lesson should be applied. A solution, if you will. Kind of Newtonian/Darwinian. The action-reaction principle, and the survival of the fittest. Looks like Kim is getting closer to the inevitable ending between her and Mesa Verde. Howard's in some kind of deep water, too. What can it be? Is it possible that Chuck was really the big brain at HHM? Nah - just spitballin'.

The crooked engineers being called in to do the underground chem lab? Which I always found a great cover, and worthy of an entry in Popular Mechanics - brilliant diversion, and I gotta think that Gus is getting his talent pool from some connections in Madrigal. Mike's REALLY got his security talents under pressure, don't he? Gee - if he can handle this kind of set-up, it's hard to envision just HOW Walt ever got the better of him... anyway, it seems that way to me. One more small point. If you like scenery, this one points out the fact that New Mexico is on of our more spectacular states. Our beautiful country is ALL just too wonderful for words, but this episode shows a good reason to make the southwest a destination, even if only for a little while. This episode is a 10.

***SPOILERS*** In this fun episode, we are treated to a little less Granny than usual. Now, Irene Ryan is just hilarious as Granny, but let's face it, folks - a little Granny goes a long way. There are those of us out here in tube-ville who also enjoy Donna Douglas and Max Bear, to say nothing of the terrific Buddy Ebsen. In this story, however, we get to listen to Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and are also graced with the beauty and talent of Joi Lansing. This episode is a great vehicle for showcasing her talents, and I said, beauty. A lot of us old farts who were young punks back in those thrilling days of yesteryear had a crush on Joi, and were very sad to see her loss at a young age (R.I.P.,Joi). Like I mentioned before, this one was fun, and I'm giving it a 9.

***SPOILERS*** This is a good episode, and shows anyone who's enjoyed the series exactly what Wyatt was about. where other westerns gun down as many bad guys as possible, this one relies on brainwork to win the day. Not that there is NO gunplay - far from it. It's just that Wyatt (and his brothers) tried every way possible to avoid it. He didn't invent "buffaloing" an unruly cowhand or outlaw, he just perfected it. Indeed, there's a really good chance that an unwillingness to use that method was what got Bat's brother, Ed Masterson killed when he was a lawman. I believe that it is the differences in the type of westerns that we love that make our viewing that much more critical. This was one of the best of the type, with solid acting, good story, action, and a lesson in courage. I'm giving it a 10.

One other thing is the issue that wheeloffire (Cream?) brought out. It's a real puzzler, ain't it? I don't know the answer. I wonder if our good friends at IMDb could help us out? If it was the little snotnose that was always getting Beaver in trouble (like all the rest of his moron buddies did), maybe he could be somehow tracked backwards to find out - good luck.

I've often wondered just where "juvenile" delinquents got the money for hot rods like the one use to scare the bejayzuz out of the reform school punk in this episode. Anyone else? Probably not. Anyway, it was pretty fer away from any kid's budget - then, and now. It was a nice one, too. Built on the same lines (T-bucket) as the one Kookie used in "77", it made everyone envious, until cold weather, rain, or snow happened to be part of the local landscape. See, you just have to look at these custom sleds to realize that they have NO tops, and almost none of them had anything like working windshield wipers, or heaters. That's where us guys who had the less flashy, but more practical, and affordable rides that nobody envied. I had a '52 ford business coupe. No backseat (the guy did use it for hauling the pumps and hoses he sold), a '53 mercury truck engine, and a truck "4-speed" granny low included. It ran, and was great in the drive-ins Enough about me. The other reviewers did a great job of outlining and filling in this story, and they were right, that the Catholic "I've got a secret" angle makes for a good complication. The acting was good, and I really liked "the kid's" girlfriend. I'm giving this one a 9 - it brought back some sweet memories.

***SPOILERS*** I agree with the other reviewers, and I can't really criticize what they've said. Not really, but I wall say that I found Irene Tsu quite fetching. It seemed that the writers ad director tried to cram too many "just at the last minute" things, or coincidences, into one episode to suit me. I've seen this episode a number of times (Yeah, I'm a Perry fan), and the one big question to me is "what really happened to the package?" I'm NOT gonna get complicated here. I'm just gonna remind people of when they were young, and mom made them (us) take a bath to scrub off the dirt and other stuff we'd collect on our bodies - remember? Yup. a lot of it stayed in the tub, didn't it? This package had rocks in it. It sank. Quickly. Where the pilots park the ships (docks) isn't part of a natural drainage, but more like a big bathtub. The water will drop, but doesn't run out from the piers and jettys like it does closer to the middle or drainage of the bay (Frisco). I contend that anyone who worked around and on those docks knew that, and would realize that there was NO current in that space, but that the water would settle. They should ahve had a good chance of finding the package, and solving one of the main problems in this case. Della was beautiful. I'll give this one 6.

I also like westerns; as a matter of fact, I love westerns. There are just a few concerns that I have, One of the othe reviewers mentioned Wyatt taking the marshal's job in Dodge, when it was actually Wichita that he was offered a lawman's job in this episode. The other reviewer observed that there were a lot of lessons in human behavior that were given in this episode. True. we sometimes forget, that in these golden days of television, programs like this were not just supposed to entertain, but also to show the right and wrong of an event. I agree with the point, but, at the same time, these episodes were part of the "Lost Cause" following that was part of the social makeup of the time. The fact is, that smart or not, if an event like this were to have taken place in Ellsworth, the Kansans in that part of their state would have no doubt remembered what happened in Lawrence (look it up), and Wyatt notwithstanding, the fight would have been on, with an entirely different result than the former. Further, this program keeps bringing up Brocious and Ringo, and there is zero evidence that they were involved in any conflict with the Earps until Tombstone. It really wouldn't have cost anything to stick a little closer to history. Another small point is that Wyatt was never a marshal, he was a deputy marshal. Having blabbed on this long, let me finish by saying that this program was a work of fiction, and there is a thing called poetic license. I realize it, and just dream of more reality. This one's an 8.

***SPOILERS*** For one of the most underrated directors in Hollywood (or anywhere else) Ida Lupino had a walk in the park with this tribute to what 77 was all about, to wit: light work ethic, and cool settings. Three blondes, and ironically, the middle one was the prettiest, in my opinion (Suzette - fantastic French name), a villain played by a guy - Robin Hughes - who's playing the same type that he did in Perry Mason. Beatnik looking, El cheapo suave, fake tweed, and low grade Euro Trash/ex pat American, well done, Mr. Hughes. The tragic child molester, begging for pardon from his almost victim; he;s really easy to scorn. One other thing that I really liked was the use of the Lockheed Constellation (Connie) for the long distance flights. The most beautiful of all commercial passenger aircraft, the only thing wrong was the lack of the extra wing pod fuel tanks for TransAtlantic flights. I'm not gonna complain, it's good just to see this wonderful craft. The story was pretty good, but, like I said, for Ida Lupino, this was elementary. If it comes around again, and I hope it will, watch it - you will enjoy the acting, the action (there is a real good fight scene), and the waterfront/noir settings. Ms. Lupino is hard to top, I'll give this one a 10.

***SPOILERS*** This one, I've gotta pan. Not because of the story, or the acting, and absolutely not Della, but because the props dept. totally blew it when it came to "old" guns and other stuff found in the California countryside after what? 80-100 years? Nope. If you are lucky enough to find an artifact like a gun or bows and arrows, there will probably be next to nothing left of the wood, and fletching on arrows? Forget about it. add the fact that there was NO rust on the pistol, and you've got a Prop Flop. I'll give this one a 7.

***SPOILERS*** Well, they just had an episode that wasn't horribly far off the mark, and they follow it up with this mess. It's NOT that it's ALL fiction -- wait a minute -- yeah, it is. See, that's what makes it so bad. Because they had quite a lot of the details in the ballpark in the "Gunfight" episode, how can they go so wrong in this one? Like I said in the previous review, it was not perfect, but pretty close. Get five opinions on a car wreck, and they can all be substantially different. The acting was good, and I liked the part where Wyatt beat the dickens out of Ringo and Brocious. Besides that, forget it. Now, it was a good western story, and the Earp brothers are the heroes of the series. Fiction is and was the order of the day. It MUST sell, or it will not stay on the air. They STILL could have stuck to the facts, and had a great story. I'll go out on a limb (hopefully without a saw) and give it a 6.