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A Christmas Story (1972)
The "theme song" was re-worked by KINGS ISLAND.. for the "enchanted voyage ride"..
I was lucky many years ago..to see this. It is NOT really all that memorable of a story..as other have stated. HOWEVER..I am quite SURPRISED..no one else noticed..that the opening song in the cartoon.."All on Christmas day". was RE_WORKED into the song played on the "Enchanted voyage" dark ride.. at the Amusement park Kings Island, near Cincinnati Ohio. That ride is LONG gone, redid several times..now "boo blasters".. But form 1971-1983.. it was the enchanted Voyage..and this tune with different words..about the " happy friends that live in my tv".. played throughout the dark boat ride !!.
Megaforce (1982)
Lots of fireworks, explosions...and NOT MUCH ELSE !! (spoilers)
I have been wanting to see this movie for many years.I recall when it was new--some people I knew then saw it and recommended it....saying it "was my kind of of thing. It had missiles, lasers, flying motorcycles and lots of action. Indeed...this DID sound like "my kind of movie" But somehow...I never was able to see Megaforce....
Till just now.
And I will say it WAS "my kind of movie"....THEN. It does have all of those things I mentioned. And when I was 14, maybe even 16-18....I WOULD have loved it !! But...even though it has PLENTY of fireworks....that is about ALL it has going for it. A VERY weak plot--if you can call it that....and simply unfeasible action. Today--and for some time now--I want a GOOD, REALISTIC plot in a movie. All of the laser blasts, explosions and car chases in the WORLD...cannot make up for a poor, unrealistic plot line!! I guess I never missed much...for all of these years.
Gun (1997)
The 1974 MOVIE called "the gun" was a lot better.....with the SAME plot!!
I vaguely recall this series, and when it came out....I was interested to see if it would be like a movie I had seen many years before, with nearly the same title. At the time--I only had my distant memories of the movie, as NO ONE else seemed to even know of it's existence. But I recalled that the movie, called "the gun", was about a handgun, and it followed the gun from it's manufacture, sale and then through the various hands it passed, and what then transpired . I recalled that the gun was used in a robbery, for a protection device, and that near the end, it ended up being fed into a shredder with many other guns and such....but THIS gun survived. It would not be for several years later that I would actually SEE this movie, somehow finding a copy on Ebay some years ago--to find that my nearly 20 year old memories of the movie were pretty much right on--other than having forgot a couple of things....including the ending, where the scrap worker finds that gun intact, in the shredded materials, takes it home to use for protection--where it gets found by his young child, who thinks it is a toy.....
Well...when I watched the series called "gun" in 1997, it WAS a lot like that movie--but not NEARLY as good. I saw a few episodes--and lost interest. There was just too much "cheese" in the show, such as the guy who thought he was the "man with no name" after watching Clint Eastwood movies. And I recall a guy, maybe Daniel Stern getting "tempted" by Kathy Ireland or such--to cheat on his wife, IIRC.
All in all--a forgettable series. Find a copy of the 1974 movie with nearly the same name--SOMEHOW--and you will like it a LOT better!!
The Incredible Hulk (1978)
"Highway to heaven" meets Frankenstein.
I love this show, like many others who posted here. I too, grew into my teenage years watching this show. When I was first told about this show, at age 10, I was led to believe it would be some kind of "horror show", about "Some scientist who turns into a monster, when he gets mad" as I recall my sister putting it. Nonetheless--for some reason, I watched "Death in the family", my first episode...and was sold from there---and still am.
Here was a show where a "scientist DOES "turn into a "monster" when he gets angry or upset"...but it was MUCH, MUCH more than that!! The "green monster" is only a small part of the show, and when the "hulk" DOES surface--he ALWAYS changes something for the better, albeit causing a lot of destruction in the process.
NO person or persons who got to "know" David "Banner"(or the MANY "B" aliases he used) during the course of the show, came out not being touched, for the better--and often had their business, family or even lives saved. As Banner roamed across the country in search of research jobs and such that would enable him to get access to gamma-ray irradiation equipment--he would invariably get "Drawn into" the lives of some people along the way....and in doing so, found out that some nefarious schemes were going on, by someone who either wanted someone's business, was a corrupt official or politician, engaged in some illegal and dangerous experiments, or trying to cover up some conspiracy. Banner would normally try to intervene on his own, only to be bullied by the bad guys, occasionally even women, and would invariably get beat--up and tossed into some dark corner...and then--the "hulk" would suddenly emerge. When he did surface--the Hulk knew EXACTLY what needed to be done, to resolve a situation--though he DID sometimes do things "the hard way" (such as in "Ricky"--a retarded man is in a race car, and getting gassed by the fumes...all the Hulk needed to do was to "REACH IN THE CAR--and TURN OFF THE IGNITION--instead...he slams the hood of the car down, mashing the car to the ground , jamming out the engine and collapsing the suspension!! Of course..he DID save the guy..).
The Hulk has been called by many a "gentle giant". This is true, as he would not EVER really hurt anyone, and often even saved bad guys who either got caught in their own trap or were double--crossed by their cohorts. The most the Hulk would normally do--was to toss a bad guy across the room, but NEVER did he actually hurt them--though he DID destroy ANY weapons they had--such as the favorite--of bending a gun barrel down or even crushing one in his hand. Often, after he caught the bad guys, the Hulk would bend some conduit or such around them--making it unable for them to escape, and be caught by the ensuing police. Not to mention--the Hulk was VERY gentle to someone who appeared to be injured--and he would gracefully remove that person from danger--and carry them to safety.
Always in pursuit of the Hulk was a pesky reporter, named Mcgee. Mcgee was curious about the origin of the hulk from the beginning, and his meddling causes an explosion in a lab where Banner and his friend were working, as he is hiding in a chemical closet, and when Discovered by Banner--he knocks a bottle of something, presumably an acid, over, and it runs on the floor over to some chemical, possibly potassium,--and a hypergolic reaction results, blowing up the lab. Mcgee only sees the Hulk carrying a scientist--and he thinks he killed her, Elaina Marks and Banner. From here--he is always in pursuit of the hulk--and a few times along the way--ends up in trouble himself that only the Hulk can resolve. At least twice-the Hulk saves Mcgee's life directly.
By the end of each episode...Banner has reverted back to himself, and is normally seen heading out of some town ...on foot, to another town. Along the way--someone's livelihood--and possibly life--was changed for the better. Except for his own. Even though he helped countless people and saved many lives--banner NEVER was able to "help himself" by finding a "cure" for his "Hulk--outs". He does come VERY close a couple of times--notably in "the First" where he actually gets a chance at a cure"--but alas--not quite. It was hard not to feel bad for Banner....giving himself to others EVERY time--but never getting his own recourse. Of course....without the Hulk--Banner is nearly powerless to do much of anything to help anyone--as he is a wimp--and pretty much anyone can overpower him--UNTIL those "eyes start to change"....
I am glad this show is now being shown in the Cincy area on RTV. I still watch it--and always will.
Hawaii Five-O: Computer Killer (1975)
A "hacker" makes catching a murderer difficult for Mcgarret...
"Computer Killer" has long been one of my favorite 5-0 episodes. In many ways, the episode was WAY ahead of its time, since, in early 1975 when the episode premiered, few "average" people had even seen a computer themselves. I first saw this one about 25 years or so ago, by which time such a scenario was a bit more possible in reality. Nowadays--EVERYONE deals with computers from day--to day--so, A young person seeing this one would NOT be impressed with the terribly outdated computer technology in the show.
(SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!)
But at the time...it must have seem almost "otherworldy". A man named Tillis accidentally kills his wife, in a fit of rage, to keep from a divorce. Suddenly...a strange man is seen in his car, with a telephone, making a call to the BMV. Once through...he takes the receiver and places it on a small computer terminal, in his car, and begins to type in a license #. From there...the computer displays the info he is looking for...the driver's name, age, address and so on. Soon..this man approaches the father of the murder suspect, telling him "I can clear your son". He lets him know he can use computers to clear him, and gives him a list of phone #'s that the father uses to discredit a major witness. The father then agrees to pay $500k. for the hacker's services. Now, the hacker, named "Charles Aarons", takes his "bypass code book" with which he uses to access, and alter--private information in computers at the 5-0 police office, the BMV, a department store, banks, and an airline. Using his "ADDS Envoy", "portable" (in the OLD sense of the word...at least..)computer and a "home computer terminal by "Lockheed"(I wonder if this is the same "Lockheed as in "Lockheed Martin??)--he is able to manipulate these computers to "create" a "new suspect" to divert suspicion from the real killer. Aarons however..is ALSO a COLD--BLOODED KILLER himself, and to reinforce his electronic trail, he kills TWO people,--a former burglar, and a woman, supposedly his last victim...and places items in various places to make it LOOK like this SAME guy, "Palmer",... killed the Tillis woman. Of course...after the "deed".."Palmer" "jumps on a plane, to LA", under an Alias...and is "long gone".. Case closed...murderer gets off.. Hacker gets rich...right?? WRONG!!
The ever--vigilant Mcgarret, about to "throw in the towel" and resign to the fact that Palmer killed both of the women, STILL has doubts about things. He soon realizes that EVERY piece of information that now "proves the Tillis man innocent" has ONE thing in common:: ALL of them came from some computer. Steve begins to wonder:: could it be possible--that SOMEONE has PLANTED ALL of that data--to make it look like Palmer--which simply "disappeared"(was buried by Aarons) is the killer--is a plant??
The early computer technology really sets this one apart. True--it IS a VERY outdated setup--and TOTALLY text--driven, with NO graphics or such on ANY computer screen, and the data transfer speed is terribly slow, but still--it "gets the job done" and in an interesting way--even today, when an Iphone would probably have MUCH more computing power than ANY of the large mainframe drives and/or processors shown on the show....some made by "Control Data Corp".
Mission: Impossible: Underground (1972)
One WILD MI episode!!
This is one of those MI episodes I remember seeing as a child probably at least 30 years ago. I recalled something about a chair in a room, and it spun around, pretty fast, and the pole it was on swiveled around at the same time--resulting in an orbit of the room, while spinning. But I never did know which episode it was--till about this time in 1986, when "underground" aired,on WXIX, which WAS a metro media station(now it is fox, and has been since 1987) and I was lucky to have it ready to record. THEN--I did NOT know the episode name--but VERY quickly realized it was the "one I was after". But in the late summer of 87, MI was taken off of WXIX and NEVER shown around here again--till AMlife started airing it last October.
This episode was on the other night and I recorded it AGAIN, as the old tape it was recorded on is now 22 years old.
The basic synopsis of this episode is that a group of criminals offers a "way out" for mobsters and other rich, high-profile criminals, and promises to "get them out of the country under a new identity"--for a price.
But what REALLY happens, is that they kidnap a criminal and then take him to a mortuary, where in a secret, closed off area, is an IPCRESS (Induced Psycho neurosis through Condidioned REsponse and Stress) setup, used to "brainwash" the subject into telling where some money he has access to is at, or such. This is done with a powerful drug, more powerful than pentathol(and MUCH more dangerous), along with a high-tech(for the time) setup involving a small sealed room, with a chair in the middle, that can rotate quickly and also orbit the room while spinning. On the walls of this room are a bunch of psychedelic lights and such and also a powerful sound system. A subject is drugged, strapped into the chair, and then, the lights are turned on, and some VERY scary, loud sounds are blasted at him while he is in the spinning chair. The subject undergoes this treatment for several hours at a time--to "break him".
The IMF decides to infiltrate the group, to get back the latest "subject" they have--Gunther Schell. Schell hid over 27 million dollars, of mob money before he was arrested--and then "freed' by the "underground" group". Jim poses as Dr. Brady, a rich doctor on the run for murder. He is connected with the group, and promised "freedom', but instead is taken to the IPCRESS setup. Before he is put in the chamber however, he is able to sneak into the HVAC room and place a powder into the blower, which will circulate the powder throughout the room--and cause a severe reaction in Schell only, as he is a diabetic. At that time--Schell is in the IPCRESS room, and nearly breaks to his captors about the money's location--but manages to "hold out". He is then taken, babbling about wanting "no more" torture, to a holding room. Dr. "Brady" is then taken to the IPCRESS area, to begin his "escape", but instead is drugged and placed into the chair. Dr. Hargraves, the lead torturer, asks him some questions--but since Jim has been "programmed" not to reply unless he hears Barney's voice, he does NOT respond. Hargraves surmises some form of auto-hypnosis, and begins his session. The spinning chair, sounds and lights begin to weaken Jim's "resitance"--and would no doubt break him after awhile.
By now, the powdered drug in the ducts has caused Schell to show symptoms of death. Since they cannot risk bringing in an outside doctor, "Dr. Brady" is removed from the chamber, given an antidote to the drug, and brought to the room Schell is in. He resists to help Schell, but is told unless he does--he will not leave. "Brady" then summons his "Colleague" (Willy) , and He is brought, in a blindfold to the holding room. Jim and Willy apply tiny gas masks, and gas the room, and sneak Schell out. Barney then delivers Schell to his superior, Lutz, who demands to know if Schell "talked" as if he did--Lutz, Schell and all of their cohorts are dead. The group goes to a warehouse, uncovers the stolen money-and then, the IMF arrives, along with the "underground" group. A shoot-out ensues, and the Police arrive and arrest all of the crooks.
I consider this to be a GOOD mission episode. With the wild IPCRESS setup, and such--it is definitely NOT a "normal" episode!! 9 out of 10!!
Evening in Byzantium (1978)
A plot that would make 9-11 look like a TRAFFIC ACCIDENT.
It is amazing that this show had a terrorism plot of the type it did. in this case--NUCLEAR terrorism.
A plot that had MANY similarities to 9-11. An attack using commercial planes. Targets cities"" NEW YORK, LA and DC." Hijacked planes flying to those cities. BUT in THIS case--with small nukes on board(IIRC, 20KT yield) Such a bomb, detonated above Manhattan or DC or LA would have killed probably killed 100 THOUSAND people, or more EACH!! ALL of the trade center area, for about 5 square miles around would have been ASHES, had they been fired off over them.
IN the movie, of course, the plot is averted in the final seconds before detonation of the bombs, and only the terrorists and the crews of the hijacked planes die.
A very gripping movie, especially after September 11.
High School Reunion (2008)
Looks interesting..but is probably ALL staged!!
I would LIKE to believe this is just a HS reunion of a 1987 class from a real HS..but I do not. Too many things have happened, that "fit the stereotype" of the "dream/nightmare" reunion that most people think of when thinking about HS. A geeky guy getting the beauty, a divorced couple BOTH there, fighting, and the "other one" shows up.. A bully meets his "victim". A widowed man gets attention from a divorced woman and some chemistry seems to be there.. JUST what a good script for a show about this would have.
I AM interested in the show, as I graduated in 86 and am VERY close in age to most of the "students" in this "class(who most likely are just actors playing to a script...), and as such..so far I am kind of interested.
I hope I am wrong about this show.
Gilligan's Island: X Marks the Spot (1965)
Nice "cold war" plot here...
During the height of the cold war, and not long after the Cuban missile crisis, the US was seeking to produce smaller, and much higher yield H-bomb warheads to fit on its missiles, to use against the Soviets in the event of a war. There was serious talk of a 35 megaton warhead for the Titan II. Some proposed even larger yield warheads. This episode fits into that mindset well.
On the radio, it is announced that the US is going to test launch a new missile, in an operation called "Operation Powder keg. The missile evidently had some new type of VERY high yield Nuclear warhead, probably 100 megatons or so, because they claim that it will destroy EVERYTHING within a 100 mile radius!!. Needless to say, the missile is going to be launched at an "uninhabited island" so that no injuries or major fallout concerns will arise(although in reality ANY warhead of that capability would produce A LOT of fallout that would reach a LONG way from the detonation...but it is a TV show...) Of course..that island is "Gilligans island". upon realizing this...at first the castaways think they are doomed. THEN..the professor remembers that before any test of a nuke, the military sends out a "search plane" to make sure "all is clear". The castaways then try and put together a mirror, to signal the pane when it passes, but Gilligan manages to break it, and this fails. All hope then appears to be lost..and there is nothing to do but wait. Since they have no way to leave the island in a boat, there is no way to get clear of the blast..so they just wait for the inevitable.
Meanwhile, a military officer reports to the commanding officer in charge of the launch that there is a "technical problem" with the nuclear warhead. However--the test WILL proceed.. This will test the accuracy and reliability of the guidance and propulsion systems--but the missile will be unarmed. However--this is NOT announced on the radio!!
The radio reports that the missile has been launched..and it is a "perfect shot". Soon, the castaways start looking to the sky for the missile. They see it coming in...and prepare for the brief flash that will signal their, and the islands, demise. However..the missile impacts near the water, with a small inertial explosion, from its mass, but NO nuclear blast. "It didn't detonate", screams the professor. "And it didn't explode either" replies Gilligan, evidently not knowing what detonate means!!
Still- not realizing that the missile is unarmed, the Professor is worried that the warhead STILL could go off, and that SOMEONE needs to try and disarm it..but only Gilligan can fit inside the access panel...and HE is given the task of "disconnecting the right wires" to the missing warhead. This does NOT go according to plan...and Gilligan causes a short, which fires the missiles engines and sends it screaming around the island wildly!!
In the end..the castaways realize that the missile was unarmed..and breathe a sigh of relief..till the next "adventure".
Funny episode, but SERIOUSLY wrong in many technical ways. A Ballistic missile of the type launched would NOT land "intact", but only send the nose cone , or "reentry vehicle", which carries the warhead, to the target area. All of the other stages would have been dropped, as they ran out of fuel. Also, the fallout issue I discussed earlier, restarting the engines after impact, and other such things. But then..Gilligans island is NOT Mission impossible, and such obvious errors are forgivable, and not usually picked up by its audience.
The Incredible Hulk: Broken Image (1980)
This one is a LOT of FUN!!
This IH episode is a nice ride..as Bill Bixby plays David Banner AND an older hood named Cassidy, who looks a LOT like Banner!! Mike Cassidy is a hood, evidently part of some mob-type organization. he has stolen $100k, and is on the run from 3 goons, who want to get back the money, and "teach him a lesson". At the beginning, he flees from a hotel room, while being pursued by these guys.
His small-time con friend, teddy, then points out Banner, who just happens to be "working" (to pay off his rent) as a custodian/handyman at an apartment complex. Cassidy then notices how Banner looks JUST like him, just a bit younger and with no mustache. So..Cassidy shaves off his mustache, and dyes his hair, to make himself look like Banner..and vice-versa. He then phones his "girlfriend" Lorraine, to meet him, ..and sends HER to BANNERS apartment!! Once inside, Lorraine embraces banner, and starts talking to him about how she "loved him since they first met, and that they should just take the money and run". Needless to say..Banner is confused, tells her she has the "wrong person, and when she calls him "Mike" he then KNOWS she is mistaken, and tells her this. This angers Lorraine..and she then sets up "Mike"(Banner) to be captured by the leader of the gang pursuing Cassidy, Steve, and his goons Danny and Pete.
After a near-miss with the Police, Banner is "rescued" by Lorraine, who then takes him to a parking garage, where Steve and his boys are waiting. They question "Mike" about the missing 100 grand, and when Banner keeps saying his name is David Bowman,not Mike, they then drag him to the office of the garage, and Pete begins to beat Banner, to get him to talk. Banner still insists that he is not Mike, and that he knows nothing about the money, and then Pete begins to hit him with a pair of Brass knuckles, as Lorraine tries to intervene, now assured that they have the wrong man. Lorraine bites the other goon, Danny, and he and Pete drag her out to Steve, JUST as Banner begins to change into the Hulk. AS Steve tries to get Lorraine to a car for Danny to take her home, Pete returns to the office to question "Mike" some more, and the Hulk emerges and throws him THROUGH the door, and then Steve and Pete then flee in their car, and the Hulk tosses an I-beam at them..but they escape.
Once at her Apartment, Lorraine receives a call fro the real Mike, and asks who the other, gentler, caring man was. Mike then tells her that he will give back the money, but Steve has to "come to him". Cassidy then prepares for Banner to "take the fall", and be killed..while he gets away.
During all of this, Jack Mcgee has been nosing around, and is told that the Hulk was near the apartment where Banner is staying at. He is then told by a resident to ask "Bowman"(the name Banner is operating under) and confronts Banner at his apartment!! However..Teddy is there..and Banner claims to be Cassidy, and man-handles Mcgee..who is then told of the "mistake" by teddy. Teddy then tells banner that Cassidy wants to "make things right" with him, and takes him to see Cassidy. Both are shocked at how much they look alike. Cassidy then tells Banner to meet him at a construction site,where he will then give him traveling money and a way out of town. In reality, Cassidy PLANTS half of the stolen money on Banner, and sets him up as bait for Steve and his gang, who then accost Banner and toss him in a pit, believing he is Cassidy.
Meanwhile, Lorraine is now realizing that something is wrong..and alerts the police to the goings-on at the construction site, to save Banner.
Steve then taunts "Mike" in the pit, as he comes to, about how long he has waited to get him into this situation. He then tells him that he is going to make him a "permanent part of the foundation", tosses a piece of plastic over Banner, and his goons then pour cement into the pit. However, the Hulk emerges from the pit and ALL of the hoods, both Cassidy, who was watching with Teddy from a distance and Steve and his gang, try to flee, but the hulk rips a girder from the new buildings skeleton and tosses it at Steves car, as the police come to arrest all. The hulk then flees the area.
In interrogation, Cassidy tries to blame Banner, but his fingerprints assure the detectives that he is the one they wanted. Mcgee, at the police station, is the assured that the man he saw was indeed Cassidy, and not Banner.
Inside/Out (1988)
BOY...does this ever make the "hard drive" do a "deep search" (as in my memory, that is.)
It took a LOOOONNNNGGG time, but I FINALLY know that this was the name of the "film series" I saw as a child in grade school on 16MM film!! I seem to remember a FEW of them; in particular several scenes from these episodes::
(Keep in mind, I last saw these in about early 1979--this is ALL from memory!!!)
Just joking: I seem to remember, that this boy who enjoyed "playing jokes" on people, especially his sister, "got his" by the end of the episode, when his sister switched one of her dolls, for his airplane(I think), which was supposed to be HIS show and tell item--and ALL of the FUN that ensues therein!!
I dare you:: I remember these kids that went around and dared each other to do increasingly foolhardy things. One that I VIIDLY remember--they got one kid to climb up on a roof of some guys house, and drop a BIG water balloon down the chimney, while the fire was burning!!
Yes I can:: This DUMB kid had to "show everyone" that he could go camping alone. He even agrees to taking only THREE matches to get a fire going!! Well--things do NOT work out the way he plans--and there is a storm, and it gets bad,and he needs a fire, but his 3 matches are NOT enough to get the fire going..and he is sitting there in the rain, freezing, unable to get a fire going, with no tent(AFAIK), and realizes how dumb he was...a bit too late of course!!
That is about all of them I remember. We saw those and some from a show called "Knowing about growing" every couple of weeks or so, we saw one I think.
Mission: Impossible: The Execution (1968)
The IMF gas chamber!!
For this mission, the IMF need to implicate Lewis Parma, a mob hood who has found a way to get his hands on all food distribution in the US. (A VERY unlikely scenario..that ONE hood could control ALL food distribution??) To do this..they must "get to" his number one killer, Vic Duchell.
Phelps poses as a produce man who gets a visit from Pamrmas goons, who try to get him to join their "union". When Phelps refuses to do this, he is bullied and his stock ruined with a fire extinguisher.
Phelps then goes to Parma's office, slaps him around and threatens his life. He then makes Parma pay for his damaged stock. All of this boils Parma, who then orders Phelps killed. Parma summons Duchell to kill Phelps..NOW!! Duchell then tells Parma he will "make the hit tonight". Duchell is seen purchasing a few items from a hardware store, and Phelps figures out he is making a "rifle grenade". Phelps "comes home" to his "wife" to his apartment, and Duchell is there to make the hit. However...the IMF have rigged a projection system to make it LOOK like Phepls and his wife are in the apartment..when in fact..they are safely behind padding a distance away.
Duchell then fires his grenade into the window, and the "room explodes". He tires to run away from the scene, but is intercepted by an "angry resident(Willy) and passes out.
Duchell "wakes up" in a small cell, and sees a calender that shows that several years have passed. A man is in a cell across from his and a guard is reading a paper with the headline "two to die!" on it, showing details of 2 executions to be performed that day, by gas chamber. The man in the other cell(Rollin) then lest Duchell know he is on death row..and is scheduled to die in less than 2 hours!! About this time, Cinnamon visits Duchell as his "lawyer" She tells him that Parma denies knowing him....and if he agrees to testify against Parma, he will be given a life sentence instead. Duchell still doubts everything, as the last thing he remembered, he was running and everything blacked out. He refuses to roll over on Parma..still believing that Parma will save him (this happened before, only a few hours from Duchell's execution..so he figures it will happen again.)
About that time, the "prison doctor" enters..and goes to Rollins cell, to prepare him for his "execution". A small disk is strapped to his chest to detect when his heart stops beating. Rollin is "on death row", for the "accidental killing of his wife". In a few minutes... the warden and guards enter, and he is taken to the gas chamber. Rollin breaks down in front of Duchell , kicking and screaming, as he is dragged to the "gas chamber" which is just outside of the cell room. A clock ,angled toward the chamber is set to reflect the scene to Duchell, so that he can see Rollin being prepared to be gassed. He sees Rollin forced into the chamber, strapped down and the door closed..the the door to the chamber room is closed and he can see no more. He KNOWS that HE is going to get this treatment in about 90 minutes or so....about 30 minutes later..the door opens..and The "guards" enter carrying a stretcher with the "Executed" strapped to it, totally covered in a plastic bag.
Once again, Cinnamon returns, offering the deal to Duchell::in return for his testimony, he will be spared from death. Cinnamon leaves, and once again, the mirror clock shows the chamber being prepared for HIS execution.
Meanwhile...Parma knows nothing of this. he has not seen or heard of Duchell's whereabouts for more than a day. A tip (from Rollin, as Duchell) reveals that Duchell is in a warehouse not far away..and Parma decides to go and find him.
By this time, Duchells appointment has neared. The "doctor" enters to prepare him, and soon...the warden comes. with no reprieve, the warden announces his execution"by lethal gas until dead". He is then told to go to the chamber. Like Rollin--he puts up a fight, and is dragged kicking and screaming into the chamber.
Inside, Duchell can see and hear all of the final steps to activate the gas generator. First--the "air is sucked out", to form a partial vacuum(in a REAL chamber, this is a safety measure to prevent gas leakage in case of an leaking seal), and then, he hears the "acid being poured" into the holding bucket" below him. The curtains are then closed--and finally--the execute lever is slowly clicked forward, slowly lowering the "cyanide pellets" into the acid. as the pellets hit the acid (from the audiences view), a reaction begins to take place, and " cyanide gas is produced", and begins to rise towards Duchell. At this point--he breaks and screams that he will talk, as the pellets are lifted out of the acid.
(it is not revealed if the pellets are REAL cyanide or not, likely, they are some inert substance, made to "look" like they produce poison gas, but this is unlikely--more likely, they are moth balls or such.)
Duchell then begins to reveal the hits he did for Parma, to the fine details. All of this is recorded, as Parma enters the warehouse, sees and hears Duchell, and tries to get him to stop. He then shoots at the chamber to kill Duchell, but the glass is bulletproof. Rollin then points a shotgun at Parma, as the IMF take the tape leaving Parma and Duchell for the police to take into custody.
One of the most realistic MI's, with a VERY convincing gas chamber scene. Probably would NOT hold up in court, as the IMF "tortured" Duchell, but makes for a good mission!! HIGHLY recommended!!
Mission: Impossible: The Train (1967)
The first of the "false journeys" on MI..and possibly the best!!
The Prime minister of Svardia, Fernec Laryra, is a decent man, who is trying to bring freedom to his country. But he is dying of an incurable heart ailment. He is grooming his protégé, Pavel to succeed him, thinking that Pavel shares his style of leadership. However, Pavel is NOT like Laryra, and has plans to turn the country into a dictatorship, and eliminate anyone opposing , or even speaking out against him if he takes power. Several jails are full of "dissidents" which Laryra wants pardoned, but Pavel has plans for "another way" to "empty" the jails. However, Laryra trusts Pavel implicitly...and will not believe he would be a butcher if he assumed power.
The mission is to see to it that Pavel " sees for himself" the REAL plans of Pavel, so that a true follower of Laryra's beliefs can be appointed.
To pull this one off...first, the IMF must convince The PM that he may just have a chance at treatment...and then, have him "travel" to another country for that treatment. Cinnamon, and a doctor working with the IMF, fakes an X--ray, showing that perhaps there IS a chance of treatment. However, this treatment must be done in another land. So, a train is prepared to take Laryra, Pavel, the doctor, his nurse, and some associates to another location for treatment of the Prime Minister.
After a bit of confusion, and a usual "fly in the ointment" of the IMF plan, Rollin, posing as a security chief, orders that the last car be prepared for the PM and his entourage. The train is then connected to a locomotive and prepared for "departuare". Sunlight being flashed into the window irritates the PM, and so Cinnamon, posing as a nurse, closes the blinds. Now, the car is unhooked from all others...and driven by Barney into a warehouse, which has been sealed off under the guise of fumigation.
Once in the warehouse, a large number of IMF operatives quickly attach a rocker assembly to the car, and place a projection system around the windows of the car. "Train sounds" are also created to insure the coming illusion. A couple of minutes later..all is prepared and the rocker cylinders begin shaking the car back and forth enough to simulate movement..while the projection system simulates outside scenery, including a passing train. The wheel and track sounds, gate bells and train whistles are created while all of this is going on. In the train car..all are convinced of a real train voyage.
The "journey" continues for a while unheeded, when one more "glitch" occurs. A large selenium rectifier, part of the power supply for Barneys sound system, begins to smoke, signaling impending failure...which would KILL ALL sound effects..and spoil the mission. Barney quickly realizes this..and "hot swaps" a new one in place, then, after the new one is patched in, cuts out the old one... and the sound effects continue unaffected.
Some time later--the "speed" of the train "picks up" and a scraping sound is heard by the riders. Rollin--posing as the conductor, tells an aide that the "brakes are gone" and the "train" is heading for a "crash". During this time, the PM has been sedated by Cinnamon, and knows nothing of the events. The "Doctor" DEMANDS that Pavel help him "protect" the PM from the imminent "Crash", and as the train car shakes violently, and "flips upside down"(in the projection scenes), Pavel is rendered unconscious by a slap-needle, and things go black for him--and the audience.
Pavel awakes in the "hospital", with a broken leg. A picture of Laryra is at his bedside, along with some "sympathy messages" for him and Pavel. Pavel's aide, with him in the "hospital" also "comes to" and learns of Laryras death from "nurse Cinnamon". Pavel then begins to discuss what" has to be done now" with his aide. He takes the "oath of office" from his aide, and assumes power.
Pavels FIRST order is that the funeral be quick and simple."The old way died with the old man. There are to be no monuments, no memories, no mementos. They will soon forget the old fool ever existed". He tells all of this to his aide. He also tells him to "empty" the jails of those "individuals that he so detests". Pavel's aide then replies, "their executions will proceed at once", and picks up a telephone to give the order.
All the while--the whole "hospital room" is an IMF mock-up....and standing behind a "two-way mirror", the PM oversees and hears ALL of this. Standing with Laryra, Cinnamon explains that they hated to do this, but there "was no other way to show him the truth". Then, the false hospital wall is rolled back...and Laryra faces down Pavel..who is is speechless... "I accept your resignation, Pavel", the PM tells him. He then asks if he can really be treated, and Cinnamon tells him she is sorry, but he cant. Laryra then thanks the IMF for "letting him see beyond his own death"...and says he now has to pick a worthy successor, as the mission is accomplished.
This is the first of a number of "false voyage" missions that would be created, to fool someone into thinking they had traveled somewhere, when in fact..they had not. Later on, "planes" "submarines", "Trucks" and such would be simulated. But in this case, the viewer is given a behind-the-scenes view of the complex machinery used to simulate the voyage. This makes this a VERY good example of this M.O., and a great mission overall. One of the best first season episodes, and a great one overall--MUCH better than the pilot, IMHO. VERY HIGHLY recommended!!
Mission: Impossible: Snowball in Hell (1967)
This one centers a lot on Barney.
A former torture prison warden named Sefra, still resides at a now-closed prison called Bourador. He revels in the memories of his former "job" of beating prisoners into submission. Now, he has "come into possession" of a radioactive isotope, called Cesium 138, said to be "a key to a low-cost nuclear arsenal". (This is HIGHLY improbable, as cesium is NOT considered good "weapons-grade" fuel, for either fusion or fission designs...) Anyway, he has plans to sell this to the "highest bidder," along with the formula for its use. This could of course cause international repercussions in the cold-war atmosphere. Briggs is sent to stop the sale of the Cesium and make sure that the formula, which " Sefra memorized and then destroyed", cannot fall into the wrong hands".
So, the IMF arranges a little visit to Sefras prison, under the guise of taking a "photo expose", and Rollin and Barney pose as a photographer and model. After some reluctance, Sefra agrees to "re-create" conditions that inmates once faced. While preparing to recreate a flogging, Sefra notices that Barney has been "flogged before.." and it looks like his work. (this was just a good make-up job by Rollin, but it DOES fool Sefra.). Sefra then remembers that a few inmates manged to escape and one in particular, Jean Michael Carre, resembled Barney.
Rollin and Barney then go to the 'punishment cell" to " get some photos" and to place a powerful electromagnet inside of the wall area, where a tunnel had been dug. This is so that Briggs and Willy, can use a compass to find the way,and dig a path to the tunnel. All the while, Sefra is poring over Carre's old file.
Sefra then finds Barney and Rollin in the cell, and pretends to "leave them there forever", and he notices that Barney in particular fears the cell greatly. He then lets them leave, satisfied with his "joke".
Barney and Rollin prepare to leave, but Rollin sends Barney back to look for a strobe flash unit that was lost. Sefra questions his guard, Raff, and learns that Barney is still on the premises, and finds him in the cell. He questions Barney, and under duress, Barney "admits" that he is Carre, and that he came back to "kill Sefra". Sefra starts to beat "Carre" and then places him back in his cell.
While this is going on, Briggs and Willy make their way to the prison and foul up the generators supplying power. This causes great concern for Sefra...not so much for their comfort, but for the care of the isotope..as "cesium 138 will explode if the temperature goes over 70 degrees F." He has kept it in a freezer in his office, but without power, it will soon overheat and explode.
Then.."Carre" starts screaming that he is "sick, and needs to go to the hospital". This gives Sefra an idea...he will take the Cesium to the hospital and place it in the freezer, until his generators are repaired.
The cesium is placed into the hospital freezer and it is closed. But Rollin is there, and takes the cesium and pours the liquid into a container, and places it into a thermoelectric cooler, built into a small tank-like vehicle, and puts the empty bottle back into Sefra's container. Sefra learns that his generators are now running and retrieves his cesium and covering it in a bunch of ice, heads back to his lair.
Once there, Sefra learns that the generators were DELIBERATELY sabotaged by pouring molasses into the fuel. This makes him wonder..Why?? First "Carre" shows up out of the blue...and now this..he checks his isotope. The outer container looks OK, but the inner bottle is EMPTY!! He then figures out that it was all a plot by Carre and his cohorts to steal his Cesium. Sefra has "Carre" brought to his office and begins to flog him to get him to admit the "truth". "Carre" tells Sefra that his Cesium is in the cooler, under the punishment cell. Sefra goes to get his isotope, promising "Carre", that he "will be back for him...and it will be like the old days.."
Briggs places the cooler in the tunnel, switches the temperature control to "HOT"(a thermoelectric cooler can either produce cold or hot conditions), and starts the vehicle in motion toward the tunnel. He then LEAVES, knowing that in a few minutes the whole place will go BOOM!! "Carre" (Barney) then retrieves a lock pick, and frees himself from his cell, as Sefra goes to get his cesium. Just as Sefra sees the cooler coming his way..the temperature reaches the critical point..and the whole complex goes up in huge blast. Barney then joins the others waiting for him....and all drive off, mission accomplished.
This is one of my favorite missions, probably my favorite of the first season. Barney gets a lot of screen time as "Carre" and shines in his performance. Highly recommended for MI fans.
Mission: Impossible: The Town (1968)
If not for Phelp's eyes.....
On vacation to meet Rollin, Phelps accidentally stumbles into a town where "all is not as it seems". Getting a drink at a café, Phelps sees a tear gas gun accidentally get set off, and helps clear the room--only to be taken prisoner by the attendant of a local car repair garage.
Phepls is led to a room where a briefing is being held on "an assassination plot" involving a defecting scientist to the US". Will Geer is a doctor, heading the group of enemy agents, and he sees that Phelps has seen and heard WAY too much. Knowing that Rollin is meeting Phelps, instead of killing him outright..the good doctor decides to cause Phelps to "have a stroke" and then "die". This is accomplished by injecting Phelps with a measured dose of Curare, in the right way as to paralyze him, but allow him to breathe and still live OK...for the time...the plan is to later kill him with a true dose, making it look like a fatal stroke.
When Rollin arrives, he is informed of the "stroke" Phelps had. In privacy, trying to console Phelps, Rollin sees something odd... Phelps is blinking his eyes in Morse code!!!! He is able to get enough information from Phelps code that he learns that Phelps has been drugged, that town is full of agents of the enemy, and of the assassination plot. Before he can learn more....he is interrupted by the "nurse", to "check on Phelps." But this is enough...and Rollin activates the team, with a coded phone call to Cinnamon, as he figures the phones are bugged. This is done is the guise of a call to Phelps "wife".
Cinnamon then gets the rest of the IMF team together, and they head to the town to save Phelps and stop the hit on the defector. Barney plays a "limo driver", Cinnamon as Phelps wife, and Willy is a "truck driver" who injures himself to gain access to the clinic where Phelps is being held.
By the time the rest of the team arrives, Rollin has gained enough information to figure out a plan. First, Rollin takes out the doctor, and with Cinnamons help, "replaces him". Awaiting the "go command" from the pair sent to LA to kill the scientist, Rollin relays a "hold" code to them, putting the killing on hold, long enough for police to capture the two assassins. Meanwhile, Willy "injures himself", to gain access to the inside of the clinic, and once there, helps Rollin control the situation. Cinnamon, strong woman she always is, takes out the "nurse".
So as not to allow the enemy agents to escape or revolt against them, Rollin then "kills" Phelps with the final stroke, and he is taken out in a coffin to waiting Barney. Barney, Cinnamon and Phelps all then "leave". The garage attendant, second in command, then lets the "doctor"(Rollin in disguise) know how "releived he is that all is over". Angry at "so many mistakes" the "Doctor" calls a meeting of all agents to the meeting room, as a huge number of police are secretly summoned by the IMF. Starting the meeting, the "doctor" then is told that the "nurse" is missing, by the garageman. The "Doctor" then orders all to stay there, and follows the garageman outside, knocks him out, and departs...as about a dozen cops storm the meeting room!! Though this is a mission lacking high-tech or exotic locales, it is nonetheless a GREAT mission, and a personal one, but at the same time one with international repercussions. HIGHLY recommended for MI fans!!
Mission: Impossible: The Counterfeiter (1968)
A VERY high tech mission...
Raymond Halder is counterfeiting important pharmaceuticals, using inert ,worthless fillers in place of real medicines. He then sells these as the real thing. His latest target--Dilatrin, a drug made by the Gant co. to combat primary vascular disease. He has made thousands of these fakes, but Gant is now planning to re-issue them in a counterfeit-proof form.
So...to stop Halder, the IMF uses some of the highest tech tools to date. An ultrasonic pain generator, which when aimed at Halder makes him dizzy, and a laser inside of a pill machine, to fake the symptoms of vascular disease.
Halder knows of the new dilatrin form, and he attends one of the briefings on the plan. Cinnamon plays a Gant employee, demonstrating the new pill, and Halder decides to find a way to "Force" her to reveal the new form of Dilatrin Gant will use, so that Halder can fake it anyway.
The IMF secretly installs a laser device inside of one of Halders pill making machines and also plants a recording of "trouble sounds" from the machine so that Halder will look into the machine to see what is wrong...at which time the laser will be fired at him.
At other times in the Mission, such as when he is trying to bribe the "head of the department of drug control" (Phelps), Halder is hit with a wave from the IMF's ultrasonic device causing him to feel dizzy, and like he is getting sick. Nonetheless, Halder goes to his lab and starts the machinery, and upon a remote signal the "broke sounds" start coming out of one machine. Halder looks at this, and the laser hits him in the side of his head...faking the symptoms of Primary vascular disease. He summons one of his aides to get his blood pressure meter(which has been rigged by the IMF) and it shows a VERY high blood pressure condition. The effects of the laser, combined with repeated ultrasound shots at him, causes him to feel faint...and in need of treatment. He passes out...and ends up in one of his clinics.
The doctor (Barney) tells Halder that he has PVD, and that only the drug Dilatrin can save him...but he knows most are fakes. He then reveals that he faked a bunch of the tablets AND sold them, a major crime. He is then told of this, and subject to arrest.
Mission: Impossible: Doomsday (1969)
another brilliant, but flawed plan...and the IMF improvises as usual!!
In this episode, an industrialist has somehow managed to get hold of some weapons-grade plutonium, and other items needed to produce an H-bomb, which he plans to sell to the highest bidder, without concern for any global repercussions that might cause.
So, the IMF is called in to stop the sale and recover the plutonium. a false alliance is forged between one bidder from an enemy country and Phelps and cinnamon, in the guise of "wanting to insure that the bidders country wins if a war breaks out in the region". 3 million in "phony' money is then added to the bidders 3 million real dollars, to insure he wins the auction of the bomb. Cinnamon accompanies the bidder, as his "technical adviser", appearing to know some about the inner workings of nuclear weapons, particularly the plutonium implosion casing, or core.
At the sale, the capabilities of the weapon are demonstrated, as the fission primary core is removed and tested, and shown to contain highly-enriched plutonium. Vandaam and his associate then reveal that the expected yield of the bomb would be 2 megatons, (not a huge yield at the time, but still more than enough to destroy DC or Manhattan) that it is a "clean" bomb,(having NO "outer shell" or tamper of uranium 238, and thus, no "secondary fission", which would have probably more than DOUBLED the yield to 5MT, or even more, BUT made the bomb "dirty" with a LOT of fallout") and that a number of different types of fuses can be accommodated to the bomb. All of the bidders seem pleased with the devices capabilities.
The bidders, including Rollin, who has replaced one enemy bidder, then go to bid on the bomb. During this time, Barney, hidden in the elevator shaft, secretly sneaks in to the vault in which the bomb is stored and takes the core, replacing it with a duplicate that contains no plutonium. All appearances are that the plan was to steal the core, and at the end of bidding, surprise Vandaam with the revelation of the missing plutonium, embarrassing him in front of the bidders and insuring that he would not again pose such a threat. But the theft IS discovered, and guards begin searching for Barney and the core. However, Vandaam, desperate for the cash, continues the bidding anyway, while knowing that his once city-killer would now be lucky to have enough explosive power to blow up one house.
With Cinnamons help the bomb is won by the correct enemy agent and the cash is placed in Vandaams safe. However SOME of it is not real, and contains incendiary material to destroy all of the money on command from a remote Cinnamon has.
As per the original plan, Cinnamon suggest that they look at the bomb again before it is to be removed from the vault. Vandaam, knowing that the plutonium is missing, balks at this proposal, but relents and shows the bomb to the group. As they leave to go to the bomb vault, Cinnamon remotely destroys the money in the safe.
Once at the side of the bomb, having removed the implosion casing, Cinnamon then says that it is NOT the original they examined before and at that time Vandaam admits it has no radioactive material in it. He then tells about the theft...but NO ONE believes him, since he reveals that he KNEW of this theft and THEN went ahead and sold the useless bomb anyway. At Gunpoint, the winning bidder demands the plutonium, but Vandaam cannot produce it. He is then forced to return the money until the plutonium is recovered, but once opening his safe, all that is there are ashes!! With Vandaam unable to return the money and with no plutonium, the winning bidder figures that the "whole thing was a swindle from the beginning", and has Vandaam shot, as the IMF force leaves the building and the police are coming.
Not a bad mission, with a typical cold-war plot. Some errors, namely, the construction of the "bomb". It is HIGHLY unlikely that a fission primary core would be cylindrical,or placed in such a heavy casing, as this would make proper compression to critical mass difficult. Also, the "implosion assembly" for the core appeared to be a number of "sliding rods" evidently containing the implosion charges, but this is NOT a very workable design. And--where was the initiator? There appeared to be no connection to the core for it, for the booster, or for that matter, to the secondary assembly!!
I guess Im being too technical, and on "The Peacemaker" or such, this would not be an issue. But MI is a VERY technical show, geared toward us technical types. Such obvious errors do not go overlooked by scientific types.
Mission: Impossible: Ultimatum (1972)
It was FIFTY megatons, but it doesn't make much difference...
Either a 15 or 50 megaton thermonuclear bomb planted in the sewers of LA would TOTALLY wipe out the whole city and likely trigger the San Andreas fault, destroying much of Calif, in the process.
But all in all- a pretty good mission. (though somewhat of a "rehash" of "Operation Rogosh".) It does leave a number of questions though--what exactly did Dr. Cooper want "changed" about American foreign policy in the first place? And--destroying a WHOLE LOT of ones own country(and irradiating a lot of the rest in the process) is NO WAY to gain favor with foreign nations!! The Bomb hardware looked a bit hokey too--a clock, with what appeared to be a long, mechanical rotary switch (presumably to set in motion the triggering of the various bomb systems), and a variable potentiometer to "arm or disarm" the bomb according to the correct resistance being dialed into it (theoretacally possible I guess),and just HOW would the good Dr. get that bomb down into the sewer under city hall in the FIRST place(since it was about the size of a small water heater) without SOMEONE asking "what is this?" as it was being lowered into the sewer!! It HAD to be VERY heavy, probably over a ton, more likely many tons, to be a 50 meg hydrogen device!! Even having a "Q" level clearance would NOT make one immune to questions from city workers, police, etc, curious as to why a heavy, cylindrical object is being placed in a sewer access port under city hall, would it??
As expected, the bomb is NOT disarmed until the final few seconds on the timer are counting down, along with some VERY tension-building music to go with it. The terrorist thinks he has "conqured the world" , after it has been disarmed, thinking his demands have been met--when the police and others come and take him away for his crimes.
FYI-- on 7-11,I have JUST seen this episode for the first time since 1990. I HAD it on tape, but it got erased by accident(by someone else). Thanks to AMlife--I now have it again.
A couple of OTHER technical things now catch my attention. A true 50 Megaton bomb would have certainly destroyed all of LA, and most likely EVERYTHING within 100 miles would have been either destroyed or severely damaged and CERTAINLY uninhabitable for a LONG time!!.I do think the writers went a "bit" overboard, in having such a huge yield when 1-5 MT would have taken care of LA pretty well in reality. Remember..in 24 a couple of years ago, they were worried about those "suitcase nukes" destroying downtown LA and they were only 1 KILOTON yield!!
Also, the "bomb",that was supposed to be a 50 MT device was WAY too small to really be of that yield. It looked like it was a cylinder of MAYBE 2 feet or so wide and MAYBE 4 foot long. As such it could NOT have weighed more than maybe 2 tons or so. It is a FLAT OUT impossibility that a nuke could deliver a 50 MT yield from only 2 tons or less!! EVEN IF it had a MAXIMUM amount of secondary fission after the fusion stage lit off and EVEN IF it was a 3 stage device with a tertiary stage with full secondary fission, it would STILL be MUCH more than 2 tons and a LOT bigger. The maximum theoretical nuclear explosive yield given size and weight (known as Y/W ratio) is from 6 to 10 MT/T, with current maximum efficiency ratios.(And NO actual device produced has EVER exceeded about 6MT/T Y/W.) Therefore, EVEN IF it was at the MAXIMUM Y/W ratio, of 10 MT/T, it would STILL have weighed about 5 tons, and be MUCH larger!! And keeping in mind that this was a HOMEMADE bomb--well it is VERY unlikely that Dr. cooper would have the necessary equipment and data to produce even 6 MT/T Y/W... I know..IT IS JUST A TV SHOW...
Mission: Impossible: The Double Circle (1969)
"Double switch".
For this mission, the IMF has to retrieve a missile fuel formula that was stolen, and cannot be duplicated easily, as the only scientist capable of doing so has also been killed.
Victor Lazlo(James Patterson), has received the stolen formula from his cohort Dunson, who killed the scientist. Lazlo has hidden this formula in his highly-secured safe, set up to self-destruct if someone attempts to force it open or crack the combination. He plans to sell this formula to some enemy agents, and such a sale would seriously hinder the US defense program. Lazlo lives in an expensive, high-security apartment and collects prized art objects.
In order to pull off this con, the IMF decides to re-create Lazlo's apartment on the floor directly below his, to the last detail. They also rig the elevator to stop at the fake apartment floor when they need it to do so, to send the crooks to the fake apartment at the right time. Also, to protect the formula until it can be safely retrieved, the IMF plants a false-wall in front of Lazlo's safe, containing a duplicate safe,behind which Barney is ready to open the REAL safe and retrieve the formula.
The IMF enlists Anne Francis to pose as an "art dealer" who wishes to trade a Peking Buddah statue and some money to Lazlo in exchange for the formula. Lazlo refuses this deal, knowing that he has already made a deal to sell it to the enemy agents, and that they would kill him if he "backs out".
Phelps kidnaps Dunson, Lazlos partner, and takes him to a warehouse, pretending to be an agent of the enemy. Watching an IMF film, of Paris as Lazlo in the IMF's duplicate apartment, Dunson is convinced that Lazlo has double crossed him and to go and get proof of this. However, Dunson knows that Lazlo burglar-proofed his safe earlier that morning, and tells Phelps of this fact, just in time for Phelps to stop Barney from trying to crack the real safe, destroying the formula and killing him and the IMF plan.
Dunson goes back to "Lazlos" apartment, but it is really the IMF duplicate that he arrives at. Inside, Dunson overhears "Lazlo" (Paris) discussing the sale of the formula to Anne Francis, who has been determined to be an American agent. Dunson also finds the Buddah in a "secret room" in "Lazlos" apartment, hidden behind a "secret panel", all proof of Laslo's double cross. Dunson also overhears "Lazlo" saying he will blame Dunson for the theft of the formula.
Dunson is then told by Phelps to attend the sale, that the enemy agents are aware of "his cooperation"(of course they have no idea what is going on), and when Lazlo opens "his" empty safe, and feigns a "theft" he can then confront him about the sale of the formula for the Buddah. Dunson confronts Lazlo about trying to double cross and frame him and demands that Lazlo reveal the Buddah from the secret room, and since there is NO "secret room" (it is in the IMF duplicate in the apartment below), he cannot do so, and Dunson shoots him. Dunson is then forced to reveal the "secret room" to the enemy agents, and when he cannot find the "hidden panel" after tearing apart the place, he is shot by one of the agents, and then the agents leave, figuring that the whole thing was a sham in the first place.
Barney, hidden behind the false wall, then examines the fake safe and notes that an extra turn has been set on the dial long after that last tumbler clicked. He reasons that this must be the "fool proof" device Lazlo had installed, and also that the handle on the fake safe is turned to opened and THEN back to closed, to open the safe. Barney duplicates this on the real safe and it opens harmlessly, and he retrieves the formula, completing the mission.
A novel episode, with the fake apartment and the false wall inserted through the roof (of course it WAS convenient for Lazlo to have his apartment on the top floor...), and all of the "double crossing" back and forth, between the two crooks. Highly recommended.
Mission: Impossible: The Fountain (1973)
The fountain of youth. (spoilers abound!!)
George Maharis (Bachman) is a mob man who is seen to be getting a "bit long in the tooth". Cameron Mitchel,(Drake) another mob leader, tells him he is going to be "replaced". Bachman doesn't like this, and so, he sets up a bomb to take out Drake and his underlings, and steals a number of computer tapes loaded with records of account information detailing syndicate activity, holdings and other assorted items that could bring down the whole operation, if they were to get into the hands of the Law. Bachamn hopes to sell these records back to the mob for serious money. But the bomb does not kill Drake but leaves him crippled and vowing revenge against Bachamn.
Bachman decides to hire a private pilot to fly him to Mexico, but Barney intercepts the pilot and replaces him. Faking a plane crash, Barney drugs Bachman, and then lands the plane in a remote area, where Bachman is then taken to a "crash site", near a reclusive religious sect called "fellowship of the Golden circle". It appears that this group has discovered a "fountain of youth", under their estate, and either contact with, or drinking this water, provides healing powers and "restores youth". Braney, the "pilot" has a broken leg from the crash, and it gets "healed" by this water, as does a raccoon which was shot(drugged), which also gets healed (slyly injected with an antidote by Casey) in front of Bachamn. Bachman DEMANDS that he be given the water, even though he is warned that it has some "side effects". He takes this water and "passes out" (is drugged), and wakes up"a new, young man".(Having been cosmetically treated to look much younger by Casey and the IMF.)
As is always the case in MI, all of this is designed to convince Bachamn that "he has something that the Mob might want, and which would heal Drake," bent on revenge and who dispatches henchmen to find and retrieve Bachman, "whether he wants to go with them or not". The Henchmen infiltrate the estate and force Bachamn to go to Drake with them. But Bachman now WANTS to see Drake, convinced that the "foutian" can heal him, and offers back the stolen records he has.
As proof of this "healing water" Bachman forces Casey to go to Drake with him. Casey is supposed to be over 100 years old, having been given eternal youth by the water and needs to drink some at least once every 2 days, otherwise, she would "age rapidly to her real state". Knowing this, Bachman arranges for Casey to "die of old age" in front of Drake, proving that this water he has can really heal him and be a great new product that the syndicate could control distribution of. This does occur after Bachman refuses to allow Cssey to drink the water she brought, and she turns into an "old, dying lady", in seconds, in front of Drake and Bachman.(This is accomplished by Casey wearing a special mask which disintegrates when treated with a destabilizer, along with treated hair, that turns totally Gray when contacted by the same substance Casey discreetly applies to it. She also takes a pill which "kills" her.)
In exchange for backing him in the operation, Bachman then leads Drake to an abandoned restaurant where the records are hidden. At that time, the wool is lifted from Bachamn's eyes, as Casey, Phelps and others appear there to take the records, accompanied by the police, who then arrest the crooks.
All in all a pretty good mission, for the last season anyway. The "eternal life" scam is done pretty well, and suckers Maharis effectively. Recommended highly for MI fans.
The Astronaut (1972)
I also liked this movie and HAVE it too(from a recording in the '80's).
Like the others here, I liked this movie when I first saw it in the late '80s, probably the end of 1987 or early 1988. It was on some cable channel, maybe WOR(which we have not had here in this area for many years now), and the plot grabbed me, and I started watching it.
I noticed a few things in the movie:: (Spoiler alert!!)
The "base" in which the "replacement" astronaut reports to , and is "reformed in",looks a LOT like the wildfire lab from "andromeda strain". This would make sense, as the set may have still existed and would have been convenient to use. It looks intriguing here, as it did in AS.
The US actually ALLOWED the Rusians to send a manned Mars mission , KNOWING that they would die from the atmosphere, as did "Bryce" on the US mission. I doubt that would really occur in reality. I imagine that when the truth came out, near the end of the movie, that the Russian craft would most likely have made an abort, probably around the moon, and came back home, with a LOT of questions and innuendo, justifiably so!!
Near the beginning of the movie, on character(perhaps Jackie Coper) is driving in his car, and the radio is speaking about the "fiscal year 1981". 1981!! That is when we were SUPPOSED to have made a Mars landing. Of course, we can't even get to the MOON today, with the shuttle!!
All in all--I liked the movie.I have it somewhere on an old videotape, from TV. I watched it in the last few years, and it looked pretty good still, after all of these years!!
ADD edit- March 2017---This movie is now available on YOUTUBE. I would advise anyone who wants to see it..go to YT and "get it" while it is still there. I spoke of this a couple of years back on the message boards...but those are gone now..so I am doing it HERE..
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
A Tear-Jerker even MEN may cry over!(may contain some spoilers)
OK-- It has been mentioned, that what Meg Ryan did in this film amounts to stalking. Probably.(Though REAL stalking usually involves harmful intent, and none was intended here). That she used bill Pullman. Well, at LEAST she was honest with him, when she went to meet Tom Hanks near the end. She did NOT leave him hanging, as many Women (or men, if the situation were reversed) would do, without worrying about the pain they had caused the other person.
But hey, if she did not really love Bill Pullman, why should she have just "settled" for him? If hearing of Tom hanks situation gave her second thoughts on Marrying Pullman, she shouldn't have gone through with the marriage. After all, ENGAGEMENTS are supposed to be a time to decide if this is the person you want for the rest of your life.
Having said that, let's not forget that this just a movie. As such, it is a GOOD one, that tugs at the heartstrings, and is just one of those movies that will make a person fell warm inside, especially at the end.
Plus, you do NOT have to be a woman to be touched by this movie. As a 37 year old single male, I am touched whenever I see this movie, and I saw it when it was new. I do not really consider this to be a "chick flick", and do not get emotional at a lot of such movies. For example I saw "Titanic", at the end of '97, on it's first run. I went with my sister and cousin. BOTH of them cried hard near, and at, the end, and one woman behind us was crying uncontrollably. NOT ME. After all, EVERYONE knows what happened to the Titanic, so the ending was NOT a surprise to me. I did not feel much emotion , and was laughing, from the outburst by the woman behind us, as we were leaving.
Not so with this movie. I know the ending by heart by now, having seen it many times, but it is STILL touching to me.
****out of *****
The Gun (1974)
well done, and ahead of it's time
"contains possible SPOILERS"
This movie is about the various hands through a .38 caliber revolver passes,and the events that occur for each of it's owners.The gun is first purchased by a man for home protection. But his wife does not feel safe with the gun in the house. So the man gives the weapon away, to a security guard at his job. From here, the gun is sold to a pawn shop, from which it illegaly purchased by a man who does not want to waste time on a background check or a 5-day waiting period.(This was in 1974. most people think waiting periods and background checks are new things,but they are not.)The man takes the gun from the pawn shop, and uses it to terrorize people at his job,from which he has just been dismissed.When the police show up, the man tosses the weapon in a nearby car to get rid of it. The revolver is then found by a carwash attendent. From here, the weapon travels through several innocent hands,before ending up being used during a robbery.The robbery goes bad,and the gun winds up in a police impound room,where it is scheduled for shredding,along with hundereds of other weapons seized during acts of crime. Up to this point,THE WEAPON HAS NEVER BEEN FIRED.The weapons are taken to a scrapyard, where they are loaded onto a car on a conveyor belt feeding into a shredder. All of the weapons are destroyed, EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE .38 SPECIAL!.The gun passes through the shredder unharmed, and is picked up by a scrap loader. The worker takes the gun home ,and it stays at his home,until one day ,his curious young son finds it.needless to say the final moment, DURING WHICH THE GUN IS FINALLY FIRED ,IS QUITE SHOCKING.
With it's gun safety overtones, this movie is ahead of its time. The issue of kids and guns, and ownership of firearms by unstable people,is examined. The movie is a little too intense at times for young children.
I found a copy of this movie on e-bay (i'm not quite sure how, as it is VERY hard to find ,or even see.) I had seen it as a boy about 25 years ago on t,v, but was never able to see it again,until now.If you can find a copy of this i would advise it.
i rate the movie 3 out of 5 stars.
Pursuit (1972)
very good, could be ripped out of todays headlines.
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** I had been waiting to see this movie since i saw most of it 3 years ago while on vacation in myrtle beach, s.c.Was it EVER worth the wait!The subject of chemical weapons terrorism could be taken out of todays headlines. Perhaps that is why no network im my area has shown it. I was lucky enough to come across a used copy on e bay. I can't stop watching it!!
Michael crichton's influnce is obvious here, with a plot that begins quickly, and builds to an unexpected twist in the climax. Though some of the early digital technology shows it age,(the control unit with lots of blinking lights and switches, as is the case with most early computer technology in the movies), this does not diminish from the suspense that this movie carries. An on screen digital countdown appears frequently, further alerting the viewer that SOMETHING BIG IS COMING.The cat and mouse action between ben gazzara and e.g. marshall is very intriguing. Every time gazzara thinks he is one step ahead, marshall surprises him.
Near the end of the movie, marshall is caught and the nerve gas bomb is disarmed. ,or so it appears. Just when it seems that the good guys have won, crichton throws in one more twist. It is a race aginst time for a federal agent to find a hidden bomb that is a fail-safe, designed to release the gas onto san diego if the primary system is defeated.A heart-stopping sequence occurs when the agent has to race down many flights of stairs to get a bomb-sniffer, and then back up again ,because the elevators in the apartment building where the gas is at have been disabled. Of course ,the agent is able to save the day in the end.
As I write this on september 10, we here in the U.S. are at orange alert as a result of terroristic threats.This movie was made 30 years ago, but with its plot of chemical terrorism ,it could have been made yesterday.
If you like techno/political thrillers, and can find a copy of this movie, it is well worth your time.
I rate this movie at a 9 out of 10!!!!!