It Takes a Thief "A Matter of Royal Larceny" #1.15 (1968) (TV)

Plenty of Al doing what Al does best, 10 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Instead of stealing, Al’s mission involves returning a golden orb to a royal treasure room.  But what Al doesn’t know is that the orb has been packed with plastic explosives.  

A Matter of Royal Larceny is another solid episode.  None of these episodes are what I'd call great, but most are entertaining enough.  In this one, we get plenty of Al doing what Al does best - lots of sneaking around, some spy work, and wooing the women.  I especially enjoyed Al’s final dramatic assault on the treasure room. Overall, quite fun.

A few random thoughts:

1. I’m sure I’ve seen the main building featured in this episode in about half of the ones I’ve watched so far.  It Takes a Thief seemed to recycle the same sets on a regular basis.

2. Exactly where was the Kingdom of San Marcos supposed to be?  I’m sure I heard at least four different accents - American, French, British (and very heavy British at that), and some sort of weird Eastern European accent.

3. I had forgotten just how stunning Lynda Day George was in the 70s.  She never looked better than here. And what about those fabulous outfits?  Really nice

4. Maybe it was just me, but it felt like J Pat O’Malley and his dog had stepped over to It Takes a Thief from another show.  Their bits had a weird vibe to them.

5. Finally, I was shocked to see Ben Murphy, of all people, playing the King-to-be of San Marcos.  Too funny,

7/10

It Takes a Thief "Locked in the Cradle of the Keep" #1.14 (1968) (TV)

Nice casting, 9 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Al is tasked with stealing an object from an Eastern bloc museum.  The trouble is that he’s not at all sure what he’s supposed to steal. 

On the whole, I quite enjoyed Locked in the Cradle of the Keep.  The opening shootout is exciting, even if the ultimate outcome is terribly predictable.  The part of Al’s plan to get in the museum without stepping on the floor was humorously clever.  And the bit where Al tricks his tail into following the wrong motor-scooter was a nice scene. But the best part of the episode for me had to be the relationship between Al and Ilsa.  Robert Wagner and Celeste Yarnall made quite the handsome couple and had some real chemistry together. In almost every episode, Al gets the girl. But other than Susan Saint James, none seemed as natural with Wagner as Yarnall.  A nice bit of casting. 

My complaints are minor and center on a few ridiculous plot points (like why there wasn’t more security personnel at the museum during the final scene), but they’re hardly worth mentioning.  Overall, a nice episode.

7/10

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries "The Mystery of the Silent Scream" #2.11 (1977) (TV)

The Worst of the Hardy Boys, 8 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Joe and Frank get mixed-up with a deaf woman who may have “overheard” a plan to blow up a casino.

It’s been awhile since I last watched an episode of The Hardy Boys, but I don’t remember any being as bad as The Mystery of the Silent Scream.  It’s just plain old Gawd awful! I’ll start with the plot – ridiculous. It makes no sense that these two goofballs were able to solve the mystery behind the bombing so easily or that the police would even let them.  And what about the bomber’s motivation? Again, it makes no sense. Second, the dialogue is painful. No one in the real world talks like that. The scene where Joe tricks the deaf girl into kissing him – cringy beyond belief.  Third, why make the bomber’s accomplice a mystery? The reveal isn’t much of a surprise when there are only two other people in the episode with speaking parts. Fourth, and this is a problem with the entire series, the ADR is about as bad as you’ll see in an American made TV show with English speaking actors.  Finally, when your “guest stars” are Larry Storch and Trini Lopez, that pretty much says all you need to know about the quality of what you’re watching. 

There are several other Hardy Boys episodes I’ve never seen.  I hope they aren’t be as bad as this.

2/10

There's Always a Woman (1938)

Joan Blondell – Cute, Funny, and Sassy, 7 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Husband, who works for the DA, and wife, who is secretly running her husband’s old detective agency, compete to see who can solve a murder.

As my rating indicates, I generally enjoyed There’s Always a Woman.  It’s no Thin Man, as it’s often compared and as Columbia Pictures had hoped it would be, but the movie is decent enough entertainment.  The mystery may not be much, but this kind of light-hearted, who-done-it is never deep on plot. The film looks good and moves at a good pace.  The direction is snappy with very little in the way downtime. Joan Blondell really shines as Sally Reardon. She’s cute, funny, and sassy. She dominates the screen anytime she appears.  Co-star Melvyn Douglas is good in his own right and makes a good straight man for Blondell, but he can’t compete with her screen presence. There are a variety of other solid actors in the supporting cast, most notably Mary Astor, in what is pretty much the same role she played a few years later in The Maltese Falcon.  

The thing that bothered me the most about There’s Always a Woman was the casual depiction of spousal abuse.  Maybe attitudes have changed since 1938, but I don’t enjoy seeing a woman having her hair pulled or being hit by her husband.  It didn’t come off as funny or playful, just mean. Without those moments, I would have definitely rated There’s Always a Woman higher. 

6/10

It Takes a Thief “The Radomir Miniature” #1.13 (1968) ( TV)

It’s a good one, 6 August 2019

Al’s mission is to rescue a young girl being held in Bulgaria.  Al has the help of the local underground, but one of their members may be a double-agent working for the Secret Police.

The Radomir Miniature is one of the better episodes I’ve run into.  What sets it apart from some of the others is a real sense of tension.  It’s all a little more serious (for lack of a better word) than the average episode.  Al has to do some real spy work. He has to think quickly on his feet when things go wrong.  He has to use his wits to uncover the mole before his mission is ruined. The writing and direction go a long way to creating this tension or atmosphere – better than what you expect from a random episode of It Takes a Thief. 

Another big plus for The Radomir Miniature is the cast.  Just look through the IMDb credits for some of this episode’s guests.  You’ll see several actors with 100+ credits. Two actors I’ll specifically mention are Ina Balin and Eve Plumb.  Ms Balin more than holds her own with Robert Wagner. She’s not just another pretty face. As for Eve Plumb, to be as young as she was, she did a fantastic job.  Too bad about some of the really poor ADR work on her lines. 

8/10

Five Came Back (1939)

Who will live and who will die?, 3 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Twelve people board a plane that crashes in the South American jungle.  While they work to fix the plane and with angry natives closing in, the group realise the plane will generate enough thrust for only five passengers.  Who will live and who will die?

What a nice, little B-film!  Five Came Back was quite a nice watch.  Director John Farrow should get a lot of the credit.  He crafted a tight film with a very small budget and was able to inject well placed tension and atmosphere.  There are few wasted moments in the 75 minute runtime. Every scene matters. I also like the way he and the writers turned societal norms on their head.  The passengers you would expect to do well in the jungle, don’t. Those who may have had problems in polite society end up being the heroes. It’s a very interesting look at how adverse conditions can change people.  The ending is very satisfying. The decisions about who will and who will not be on the plane lead to some very interesting drama.  

Five Came Back is helped by having an outstanding cast.  The most immediately recognizable name is Lucille Ball. This was long before she became Lucy.  Here, she’s the tough-talking sexpot. Allen Jenkins, Joseph Calleia, and Chester Morris are also standouts.  Finally, has there ever been a more British looking actor than C. Aubrey Smith? One look at the man and you can all but hear God Save the Queen playing in the background.  Overall, some strong performances.

I’m not sure I had ever heard of Five Came Back before watching it the other night.  But it’s a solid film that I plan to revisit again in future. My 8/10 is probably about right given the quality of the film and the enjoyment I got out of it.  

8/10

She (1984)

“Our law is She, the goddess, who’s your god?” 2 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  In a post-apocalyptic world, Tom and his friend set out to rescue his kidnapped sister.  The pair is quickly kidnapped by a group led by She. Eventually, She agrees to help the guys on their quest.  They’ll face a variety of foes, each more bizarre than the previous one, if they’re to be successful.

I’ll start this by saying that I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve seen She.  I believe it was a staple on the old USA Network “Up All Night”. However, even though I’ve seen it who knows how many times, I will readily admit that She is garbage.  The plot is completely nonsensical, the production values are lame, and the acting is, for the most part, incredibly weak. So, if She is that bad, why have I seen it so many times?  Because She is just fun. It’s 80s-era cheese at its finest. When you combine elements of movies like The Road Warrior and The Warriors with a giant in a tutu, a band of toga-wearing werewolves, a Robin Williams-esque bridge guard, a cult leader with glowing green eyes, and a variety of other outlandish characters, you end up with She.  It’s all a mish-mash of largely incoherent ideas and visuals that never fail to pull me in. 

The film stars Sandahl Bergman as She. If you’ve seen Ms Bergman in other films, you know what to expect.  I really did, however, like the way she played it all straight, regardless of the nonsense going on around her.  Gordon Mitchell pops up near the end in what amounts to little more than a cameo. Still, he’s always fun to watch. She’s partner, Shandra, is played by Quin Kessler.   I thought she had a real screen presence and I’m surprised to discover she didn’t do many more movies. The rest of the acting is largely forgettable. 

7/10