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The Twilight Zone: The Rip Van Winkle Caper (1961)
Opportunity Knocks
This is one of my favorite Twilight Zones because of the thought of jumping ahead 100 years is a wonderful daydream. However, there are silly plot holes as others have mentioned, but it still makes for a fun 30 minutes. It's clear these guys don't trust each other, and how did the genius leader get mixed up with the other three losers? So - here's what I would have done. If I were one of the four people involved at the beginning, the instructions were to count to ten and then press the button to release the sleeping gas. I would be the only one NOT to press my button. Then wait ten minutes or so, and then jump out of my box. Now I have all the gold, the truck, and goodbye to those other three dopes.
Spring Breakers (2012)
Terrible
I was roped into this movie the same as everyone else. I thought I was going to watch a comedy spring break movie with a lot of nonsense fun. Instead I was subjected to multiple slaps in the face with uncomfortable dialog, visuals, violence, abuse, and absolutely no comedy. It will make the viewer very uncomfortable, and it was a given fact that many if not all of the characters would end up dead by the end of the movie. I'll bet Selena Gomez wishes that she could somehow erase this terrible mistake of her life off her filmography. And it is noted that with all the violence and law breaking going on - by everyone in the movie, including the beach party extras, there was no evidence of adult supervision or police anywhere. Yeah, right. Terrible movie that should have never been made, and certainly not viewed.
Dragnet 1967: The Bullet (1967)
How Did The Bullet Case Get In The Study?
I've seen this episode multiple times, and it never gets old. First, I always thought the stiff character and dialog of the wife was odd. But I also have an observation: I have always had this question, and maybe someone can answer it here. Both guns were fired in the living room of the house. The .38 gun that shot the Bible keeps the shell casing in the gun - it doesn't eject, and that's where they found it. However, the 9mm Luger that killed the man (shot by the Grandma) ejects the shell casing when shot. All this shooting took place in the Living Room. My question: HOW did the 9mm shell casing end up in the office room, where it was later vacuumed up from the floor?
M*A*S*H: Dear Dad (1972)
The worst of all the episodes
Other people have already reviewd many obvious errors with this episode, so I won't repeat all of them, but there is one scene that is so ridiculous, that I need to post it. The final scene when Hawkeye is dressed up in a bright red Santa suit, and for some unexplained reason, he is needed to fly up to the front for some lame medical excuse (when the helicopter could have easily done the job). So, the helicopter is hovering over an active battlefield with bullets flying, and lowering Hawkeye on a rope - in a BRIGHT RED target suit for the North Koreans to have a field day with their rifles - at either him OR the chopper. And this is underscored when Hawkeye hits the ground, and has to belly crawl several feel to avoid the bullets. Of course, he is not hit. It just strikes me as stupid.
Dragnet 1967: The Big Search (1968)
Very Annoying Mother
I must admit Peggy Webber was a great actress, because this episode never fails to make me sick of her. She is anal and overbearing, and she does nothing to help solve the problem of her missing children. In fact, she does nothing but sit on her lazy backside on a chair she never gets out of for the entire thirty minutes. She also verbally fights with Friday and Gannon whenever they offer suggestions as to where the children may be. No wonder her husband turned to the bottle. You would need to in order to live with this woman. Other thoughts: I thought the refrigerator scene was a little over the top; the two cute kids were not credited; and about ten minutes into the show when Friday and Gannon were on the front porch, in the background you see a red, 1967 Plymouth Barracuda, which appeared in multiple previous Dragnet scenes.
Leave It to Beaver: Beaver's Short Pants (1957)
Oh No! Aunt Martha!
If I were to rate all of the LITB episodes, my bottom list would include all the shows that Aunt Martha appeared in. This particular show is the worst of the worst. What is there to like about Aunt Martha? In my opinion, nothing. It's no surprise to me that she is a spinster. Who would ever want to marry her? She is annoying, uppity, and haughty. Why would she dress Beaver in that Monkey Suit? And why does she allow Wally to go untouched? It would have been interesting to see what outfit she would have put Wally in. Two nice things that helped save the show. First, the cool way dad came to the rescue and dressed up Beaver for school in the garage. And second, the last scene was nice when Beaver dressed up for Aunt Martha because he didn't want to hurt her feelings. The boys were raised right, in spite of June's mistakes. It's also interesting to note that you never know how far away Aunt Martha lives from Mayfield. Sometimes it's a short drive, and sometimes it's a long plane ride. "Good-Bye Aunt Martha! Don't hurry back!"
Leave It to Beaver: Beaver Sees America (1963)
Butt Out, Gilley!
One point always bothered me about this episode, so I thought I'd share it: When Beaver is all dressed up and visiting Mary Margaret on the front porch - in essence having a date with her, I think it was beyond rude for Gilbert to show up, "Anybody home?", sit down and include himself in this scene where he was clearly not invited. I think Beaver should have told him to get lost and get his own girl. Another point that I've wondered about - this is a very special and expensive six week bus tour of the United States. I wonder why it was never offered to Wally when he was thirteen? Events often became available to Beaver that were never offered to Wally, such as this trip, and enrollment at a private academy by his Aunt Martha, just to name a couple.
Leave It to Beaver: Beaver's Prep School (1963)
The Worst LITB
IMO, this is the worst episode of the series. First, I have always found Aunt Martha to be the most annoying character ever to invade the Cleaver world - in every episode. Second, Ward really belittles Beaver when he says he doesn't want to go away to school. Father of the year he is not. Third, everyone says Beaver changed his mind - this isn't true. He never wanted to go away in the first place. It's like they're trying to get rid of him. Fourth, why wasn't Aunt Martha enamored with Wally like she is the Beaver? He seems to be overlooked here. Fifth, in every previous episode featuring Aunt Martha, she was always within an easy drive from Mayfield, no more than maybe two hours. In this episode for some reason, she has to fly in to visit the Cleavers. This is a glaring error. Sixth, Wally is so anxious to get rid of his brother that he rearranges the bedroom furniture, and tells the Beaver he can sleep on a cot. "You won't be home anyway", he tells him. In a previous episode Beaver lamented that nobody likes him. Based on this episode, I can understand why he feels that way.
Dragnet 1967: I.A.D.: The Receipt (1970)
Virginia Gregg Does It Again
Two things have always been bothersome about this story. #1 At the conclusion of the show, it was disclosed that both officers were cleared of all charges and returned to duty, but nothing was mentioned about Agnes Emmerson (played great by Virginia Gregg) being arrested and charged/convicted of several charges: perjury, making a false police report, attempted robbery, and so on. It would seem they just let her walk out of there and go home. And #2, if Emmerson wanted the $800 for herself, why didn't she just keep it in the first place and just turn over $200 to the officers instead of trying to place the blame on them for stealing? Heck, why didn't she just keep all the $1,000? Absolutely no one knew she had the money in the first place. It just doesn't make sense. The scene stealer to me was the final expression on Virginia Gregg's face at the end of the show, when the camera zooms in on her expression. It essentially says "Oh poop - now how am I going to get out of this?" I loved her participation in this series.
Leave It to Beaver: The Late Edition (1962)
Beaver the Bully
I feel compelled to add my opinion here as a LITBF and a father. Every time I see this episode I am appalled at why the writers would put this episode together. I'm speaking directly to the scene when Beaver lies in wait for the paper boy to come by, then runs him/her down and (no other word) assaults him by pulling her off her bike and commences to "beat her up". In real life, then or now, the girl would have gone home, told her parents what happened, and the police would have been called. The police would have made a trip to the Cleaver home and at the very least, issued him & his parents an order to appear in Juvenile Court for assault charges. Not a good episode for the "all American" kid.
Gunsmoke: Tatum (1972)
Very unlikely Story
The other reviews sum up the story well. My only comment is this: Bodie appears to be the healthiest "dying man" I've ever seen on television. He gets mauled by a bear in the first 2 minutes of the show, and then spends the next 45 minutes of the show perfectly healthy, lucid, seemingly without pain, and, well, just matter-of-fact. If you didn't know from the start that he's gonna die (from Doc Adams) you would never guess he was even hurt.
On cue, he dies (off camera) with 5 minutes left in the show, just in time to wrap up the drama.
Bonanza: El Toro Grande (1960)
Not Bonanza Quality
Yep I agree with the others here - this show was put together at a Friday Night pool party. Just two of my own observations: First, at the very beginning of the episode, when Ben is in the bank withdrawing $15,000, he and the banker act like he is taking out fifty cents. If this actually happened, it would be cloaked in total secrecy - behind closed doors - and the money would be at best hidden in the clothing or even horse tackle when the brothers left on their trip - from their home, not the town. Instead, the money is broadcast in full volume in both the bank and street alley for all the bad guys to hear. Ben even smiles and nods at one of the loitering crooks as he leaves the bank. Stupid. The second dumb thing was the way the Senorita - who was engaged to another man! - threw herself at Joe and practically demanded, well, "relations". Pretty sad stereotype of Mexican women.
Highway Patrol: The Truckers (1958)
This Coffee Tastes Funny!
Viewers may recognize Ed Nelson from his hundreds of subsequent tv and movie appearances, most notably Peyton Place. Not a bad episode, but the operation makes me wonder about the company policy of allowing all these truck drivers to stop along their route for a meal while "on the clock". And how do the crooks know they are going to stop? They seem to expect it as part of the driver's regular routine. I would find it a lot more convenient and reasonable for the company and patrol to simply hide an officer in the rear of the truck during the drive, and surprise the crooks when they open the back of the truck. But that wouldn't give Crawford the spotlight for the episode, would it?
Highway Patrol: Mother's March (1958)
You Had One Job
Highway Patrol has a knack for spotlighting the most stupid of criminals, such as this case. This guy did all he could to drop clues pointing to himself as the robber, when in actuality, it could have been the perfect crime. First, he used a mask made from material taken from the shop where he worked. This would implicate everyone at that shop, which wouldn't take long to eliminate the innocent. Second, he doesn't provide any vehicle to drive after the robbery - he has to steal the victim's car, and then drive it to a motorcycle, which he hid miles away. (How did he get from the hidden motorcycle to the beauty shop in the first place?) Third, after he had gotten clean away with the loot, for some reason known only to him, he returns to the beauty shop, breaks into the shop, (with an absurd excuse to "plant" some of the stolen money to implicate the shop owner), and then immediately gets caught red handed by the shop owner. Duh. Fourth, as usual, the chase action takes place on seemingly abandoned dirt back roads with no other vehicles in sight. And, of course, they set up a road block quickly and exactly where the thief shows up on his motorcycle - and he makes a U turn right in front of the HP (that's not suspicious, of course), and then is quickly blocked in and apprehended. Finally, I liked the nice touch at the end of the episode where the lady is picking up all the spilled currency/bills (coins too, don't forget) and determines that after she collects it all from the ground, she is $30 short. Even with these silly plot lines, I still enjoy HP as an historical window into the past to see how 1950s shows were put together.
Highway Patrol: Hired Killer (1957)
You Had ONE Job...
This episode had multiple issues that dealt with credibility and silliness, but I'll just focus in on the one most obvious. The hit man was suppose to kill George and Tony. He finds George alone and kills him pretty quickly, but then has to go on a scavenger hunt to find his brother Tony. He DOES find him, with his girlfriend, out in the country, apparently miles from anyone else. So, of course, he kills them both there, right? Nope - he wants to go for a car ride with Tony. While they are in the car, they pull over, all alone again, so he kills Tony there, right? Nope - he knocks him out and drags him into the bushes, where he kills him there, right? Nope - missed opportunity two or three. Makes no sense at all. Another odd thing I noticed, when the hit man boards the fairly empty bus, he sits down in a seat occupied by a single woman. Red Flag! I think any woman would have either told him to get lost, or gotten up and moved to another row. That's enough. Too many unlikely things to count in this episode.
Highway Patrol: Convict's Wife (1957)
Unlikely
I usually just read the reviews here, but I watch HP and enjoy it for the 1950s LA scenery. I wanted to review this one to point out the obvious. If an escaped inmate had killed a guard and was on the run in 2021, every law enforcement person in the state would be on the case. In this episode, I have to shake my head because they treat it like a man who failed to check in with his parole officer - very casually. So, two policeman are running down this dangerous killer, and opportunities abound to apprehend him: at the café, he's visibly running around the front lawn with a handgun while Dan sits and drinks a cup of coffee inside while Stuart stands there and watches him; at the house, instead of dozens of law enforcement protecting the wife and waiting for him, there is one policeman pretending to trim hedges, and gets shot in the process as he looks totally surprised when the bad guy shows up. Where is the SWAT team? Oh, I forgot, this is the late 1950s. At this point I was thinking that I felt sorry for the wife of the prison guard that was killed, as no one seemed to care about nailing this con. I also counted 10 shots out of Dan's revolver at the end of the show.
Leave It to Beaver: Train Trip (1958)
The Haskel Jerks
Pensman wrote a great review of this episode. I only wanted to gripe about the way the writers chose to have Mr. and Mrs. Haskel view Wally and Beaver in dire trouble on the train, only to ignore and laugh at them. No wonder Eddie is such a jerk - he learned from the best. Then, on top of it all, Mr. Haskel later laughs in Mr. Cleaver's face about how his boys were in trouble. Why didn't Mr. Cleaver ask Haskel, pointedly, "WHY didn't you help my sons?" I'll be da**ed if I ever help Eddie in the future. Now, please, GET LOST." It would have been just as good an episode if the boys had received help - and much more realistic.
Leave It to Beaver: Three Boys and a Burro (1962)
Another Silly Animal Theme
The cleavers had about half a dozen shows themed around getting a pet, having a problem with the pet, then getting rid of the pet. These have included dogs, horses, reptiles, frogs, even monkeys. In this case, a burro. All of these pet shows are themed the same, and unentertaining. Why would Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver even give permission for Beaver to buy a burro in the first place? In a city suburb? Not. I love the series, but the writers really needed to get away from this tired plot line.
Leave It to Beaver: No Time for Babysitters (1961)
Beaver Needs New Friends
Gilbert and Richard (especially Gilbert) are obnoxious brats. WHY is Beaver friends with them?? He needs to stand up to them. But then, if Gilbert wasn't such a creep, Beaver wouldn't get into so much trouble - like a soup bowl.
Leave It to Beaver: Substitute Father (1961)
Missed The Mark
This episode missed the point about school bullying. Beaver was tripped (assaulted?) by another boy with his buddies at school. The Beav responded by standing up to him (good for him) and calling him a bad name (instead of a punch in the nose - again, good for him). Who gets in trouble? Beaver of course, for his language, while the bully and his friends walk off laughing. Compounded by Beaver's friends taking off too, without any explanation to Miss Landers as to why Beaver was the victim. Is this how it was in the 50's? School bullies are OK, but a cuss word (even justified) is not? So the next 20 minutes dealt with the dreaded bad language instead of the bullying. You can bet the bully and his friends go right on hurting and harassing the student body the next day, weeks, and years. Nice.