Tom Holmberg

Normally an episode that didn't follow the the WWW formula are the boring ones and this episode had no supervillains, steampunk devices or love interests. However, it did feature the wonderful Frank Silvera, who always stands out. Silvera was an African-American actor, but, due to being light-skinned, he often played ethnic roles unrelated to his race. He portrayed a lot of Mexican roles, like here or in "Hombre", or Italians, as in "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre," Indians, or Polynesians, as well as roles of an indeterminate race. In the 1960s he was active in the Civil Rights movement. Although he often had relatively small parts, he always stood out for me. https://thefsww.org/frank-who%3F Also Robert Conrad didn't wear his traditional bolero jacket and tight pants for most of the episode. He was dressed more like a traditional TV cowboy.

It's a great movie!

It goes so deep you can taste it.

Tried to watch this, bur being asportual, I couldn't sit through it all. I thought Alan Alda did a decent job channeling George Plimpton. Some on IMDB complain about his performance but it seemed to be close to Plimpton's calm, cool and collected aristocratic personality.

The Greatest Villain of the Spy Craze (I agree 100%) https://hmssweblog.wordpress.com/2023/09/01/greatest-villain-of-the-spy-craze/

Cleopatra and the Undoing of Hollywood: How One Film Almost Sunk the Studios Patrick Humphries ISBN: 9781803990187 The extraordinary story of the making of Cleopatra, the film that changed the face of Hollywood Cleopatra has its place as one of the most fabled films of all time. While others have won more Oscars, attracted better reviews and taken more money at the box office, the 1963 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton stands alone in cinema legend. What began in 1958 as a $2 million vehicle for Joan Collins eventually opened five years later, having cost more than twenty times that amount. The making of the film soon became a cautionary tale, for the lavish extravagance of Cleopatra all but bankrupted 20th Century Fox and almost singlehandedly set in motion the decline of the major studios. Actors and filmmakers were hired and fired at a breathtaking rate, and by the time the film was finally released, Hollywood could only watch in horror as it died at the box office. This is an epic tale of love and lust; of gossip, money, sex, movie-star madness, studio politics and the birth of paparazzi journalism. Within the saga of Cleopatra lies the end of the era of Hollywood’s studio system, the seeds of the Swinging Sixties, and the stuff of timeless movie legend. What early 1960s madness had a multimillion-dollar production convinced it could recreate the magnificent grandeur of a sunlit, ancient kingdom in a rain-sodden location west of London during the first chill of autumn? By the third day of shooting, Elizabeth Taylor was still ill. Typically, with the health of this troubled star, the cold turned into a fever and for the ensuing five weeks, the star did not leave her suite. Already the future of the film was in the balance; without Miss Taylor, there simply was no Cleopatra. Taylor had been dogged by illness for most of her adult life. By 1970, she was on her twenty-eighth operation. Among the health issues affecting her was a glandular condition, hypertrichosis, an ulcerated eye, ruptured spinal disc, phlebitis, pneumonia, Asian flu, laryngitis, meningitis and bronchitis. On the night of the 4 March 1961, the star came perilously close to death. Gasping for breath in her Dorchester suite, she started to turn blue. Fortuitously, a doctor and specialist in respiration techniques was rushed to the room and brought her back to consciousness. Taken to the London Clinic (which was soon besieged by the media), she underwent a tracheotomy so she could breathe, leaving a 2in scar in her throat. The wound was like a medal, a symbol of her unerring ability to survive. Within a week she had recovered and was swigging champagne with Truman Capote. ‘It was like riding on a rough ocean,’ she told the waspish author of her near-death experience. ‘Then slipping over the edge of the horizon. With the roar of the ocean in my head, which I suppose was really the noise of my trying to breathe.’… The casting for Cleopatra is a tale in itself. There was fascinating documentation to be found. Twentieth Century Fox in Hollywood wrote to their London office on 6 May 1959, announcing that their Cleopatra project would go into production in June and asking for London’s advice on casting. … London responded to the Hollywood request with its usual thoroughness on 26 May 1959. In hindsight, it makes for fascinating reading. For the title role, Fox suggested a long list of lovely likelies, including Janette Scott, Lee Remick, Mandy Miller, Jean Simmons, Claire Bloom, Dana Wynter, Cyd Charisse, Kim Novak and Joan Collins. The future dame was a strong contender; she was another one under contract to Fox and let it be known that she was ‘dying to play it’. The studio were equally keen and screen tested the actress. Producer Walter Wanger wrote witheringly in 1959, ‘Hermes Pan is working with Joan, trying to improve her posture and walk so she will have the grace and dignity of Cleopatra.’ As a flavour of the times, the biographer of Fox head, Spyros Skouras wrote that Collins had ‘eyes bigger than boobs’. … And there, nestling at No. 17 on the original list, was Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor said she only took the role on as a whim. Newly independent and free from studio contracts for the first time in over fifteen years, the star admitted, ‘I was in my bath when my lawyer called and asked me what I wanted to do about the “Cleopatra thing”. I thought I would dispose of it by asking something impossible. “Tell him I’ll do it for a million against 10 per cent of the gross”.’ In his autobiography, Eddie Fisher claims the credit. ‘Elizabeth was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and I shouted in to her, “Elizabeth, you should do this for a million bucks”.’ It was an impossible demand – Marilyn Monroe only received $500,000 for 1959’s Some Like it Hot and Marlon Brando and William Holden had edged up to the magical million, but when they reached the mark, it included percentages of the gross. Elizabeth Taylor was the first screen star to receive a million up front. Serious or not, when Taylor signed that seven-figure contract on 15 October 1959, it made headlines around the world.

Gerber Life Insurance was a big thing back in the 1950s and earlier. My parents had Gerber Life Insurance policies on all the kids.

Yeas, there's an ad for some med that specifically says talk therapy doesn't work, I think they actually say its harmful, for that condition. I don't remember which one because I barely half-listen to these ads.

All these supplement ads emphasize that they're not prescription drugs. We have a number of people who come in where I work who spend literally thousands of dollars a year on supplements and refuse to take any prescription medications.

Of course Loveless never recognized Artie in disguise, so its only fair.

If you watch the show, and are familiar with "Cannon", you can recognize Conrad's voice.

Underwhelming, but the episode actually went somewhere-a beginning, middle, end, which most of the others didn't.

I probably watched 45 min. before giving up.

I saw that at a sneak preview before it was released and it was the only sneak preview I walked out on.

I like when the have different show interact, like the one where the original crew of "Star Trek" beam down to Mayberry.

A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch s Dune. an Oral History Max Evry ISBN: 9781948221290 “I see many things. I see plans within plans.” Following his underground hit Eraserhead and critically acclaimed The Elephant Man, visionary filmmaker David Lynch set his sights on bringing Frank Herbert’s beloved sci-fi novel Dune to the screen. The project had already vexed directors such as Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo) and Ridley Scott (Alien). But by the early ‘80s Universal Pictures was prepared to give Lynch the keys to the kingdom – and the highest budget in the studio’s history at the time – so that he could lend his surrealistic chops to this sprawling story of feuding space dynasties. They would also hopefully be creating a “Star Wars for adults” franchise-starter. As the hot young filmmaker commanded a cast with 42 major speaking parts as well as a crew of 1,700 (plus over 20,000 extras) on 80 sets built on 8 sound stages in Mexico, what happened next became as wild, complex, and full of intrigue as Herbert’s novel itself. Film writer Max Evry goes behind the erratic ride of David Lynch’s Dune like never before, with a years-in-the-making oral history culled from a lineup of new interviews with the film’s stars (Kyle MacLachlan, Sean Young, Virginia Madsen, etc.), creatives, film executives, and insiders – not to mention Lynch himself. David Lynch’s Dune initially left many filmgoers and reviewers scratching their heads, most dismissing the film upon its release. However, four decades and a big-budget remake later, Lynch’s Dune is finally poised to find its rightful place alongside the director’s other masterpieces such as Blue Velvet and Mullholland Drive. Max Evry’s A Masterpiece in Disarray takes you back to 1984 with the deepest dive yet into the cult classic that is David Lynch’s Dune.

I also like the one where she's in the witness box being cross-examined bu Perry Mason.

This was a somewhat boring episode, despite Novarro making an appearance and Artie getting so many disguises. I suspect there was a big wardrobe budget to buy Conrad new pants to replace the ones that ripped.

I would guess it "wears off." If you get henna tattoos or accidentally get an ink mark on your skin, it not permanent. The top later of your skin isn't permanent.

"What Do You Mean, Murder?" Clue and the Making of a Cult Classic John Hatch ISBN: 9781949024609 When the film Clue came out in 1985, audiences were baffled. A movie based on a board game, with three different endings, and you had to pick which one to go see? Bad reviews compounded the problem, and instead of choosing one ending, most people stayed away entirely. Clue, outgrossed at the box office by films that had been released months earlier, quickly faded away. When it unceremoniously premiered on Showtime a year after its theatrical debut, there was no sign it was destined for anything other than obscurity, another flop bound to be forgotten. Instead, Gen Xers and millennials, raised on pop culture and cable TV in an era long before the streaming wars, discovered this zany farce about a group of six strangers locked in a remote house with a killer. The movie appealed to kids. The creepy mansion and eerie music contrasted with slapstick gags and double entendres, deflating the tension. Today, almost forty years later, Clue is the epitome of a cult classic, with midnight screenings, script readings for charity, cosplaying fans, and a stage play. “What Do You Mean, Murder?” dives deep into the making of Clue and walks fans through the movie they know and love. From producer Debra Hill’s original idea of Detective Parker bumbling around a mansion to Carrie Fisher’s casting as Miss Scarlet, from Madeline Kahn’s iconic “flames” ad-lib to the legendary deleted fourth ending, it’s all here. With asides on fandom, Gen X nostalgia, and at how movies were made in the 1980s, the book offers plenty to chew on for die-hard buffs and casual fans alike. **** Cheers to TV: Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Television Characters Will Francis ISBN: 9783791388229 The perfect pop culture pairing, this collection of drinks inspired by iconic television characters blends old and new, spicy and sweet, strong and mellow. Cheers to TV connects sixty cocktails to stars of the small screen. Some are invented specifically for that character, such as the Bloody Ending, inspired by Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen, or the Stringer Bell, an ode to The Wire. Others deliver a TV twist to an established cocktail—a Rusty Nail for Better Call Saul’s titular hero, for instance. Some are cocktails created by the show itself—Absolutely Fabulous’ Stoli-Bolli is sure to outlive its boozy inventor Patsy Stone. There are mocktails like the Banana Stand (honoring George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development), coffee-tinged drinks such as the Central Perk (for Friends’ Rachel), and even a rainbow slushie inspired by Pose’s Blanca Evangelista. Along with clever, original illustrations, straightforward recipes, and engaging texts about the shows and characters, the authors cover the mixology basics: bar equipment; types of spirits, liqueurs, juices, and bitters; garnishes and glassware. Whether you prefer appointment television or an hours-long stream-a-thon, this book will up the enjoyment factor. Just remember: sip the cocktail, binge the show.

I was in Subway and they have a slicer, but the meat was already sliced. It didn't look like the slicer had been used. They are trying to compete with Jersey Mile's who slice the meat and cheese right in front of you.

"Don't it make your brown eyes blue" new theme song for Lumify

When it was originally released William Castle included one of his gimmicks, "Percepto", which were vibrating buzzers under selected seats at first run theaters.

They're boring. Since I'm asportual, I don't even know who these people are.

I did like Freya leaning out of her Deathmobile and firing off her machine pistols.