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Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E19: "A String of Puppets" -- review
http://www.thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#19
Added: August 31 2017 12:40:52 PM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
I saw the epilog of "Crossfire" and it is pretty bad. Sometimes their banter is just so forced and cheesy that you're begging for it to stop lol. By the way it's not Barry Bonds, it's Bobby Bonds, Barry's dad. Barry would have been only 10 in '74. [Got that, thanks - MQ]
Added: August 29 2017 06:54:36 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
Russ's comment about wanting the rape victim to like him makes total sense. The guy is a major loser, probably has no experience with women at all, and he has been subjected to Stroud saying words to the effect that he will demonstrate how to get some "real action" and how "she'll be happy to see us and go with us." Russ is so dumb he doesn't "get it" what Stroud really means. I think he gets a big surprise about what does happen.
Added: August 29 2017 06:28:07 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E18: "Crossfire" - review
http://www.thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#18
Added: August 29 2017 06:22:24 PM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Russ's comment about wanting her to like him doesn't make any sense since he never had any contact with her. Unless he's talking about something that we didn't see. Like maybe he frequented that restaurant regularly and tried to pick her up. So in steps Donny Stroud to show him how it's done. Def creepy!
Added: August 29 2017 11:42:55 AM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
As far as Russ, the Charlie Martin Smith character is concerned, I think this guy is a bit off mentally. When he starts blabbing to his mother about his involvement in the crime, he says "I just wanted her [the rape/murder victim] to like me." Considering his mother has been looking after the judge's kids for 16 years, you have to wonder what happened to Russ's father. After all, there are laws about leaving kids on their own up to a certain age. Did the father die, or did he abandon the family? And what age was Russ when this happened? (There is no mention of the father in the show at all.) I think that Russ looks up to Stroud as kind of a father figure in the absence of his own father, which is creepy. I think Russ really "doesn't have much of a life." He is seriously messed up, that's for shure.
Added: August 29 2017 10:01:50 AM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
I saw the Blockade episode and it's excellent! I might even place it ahead of Commitment (maybe). Don Stroud is a total psycho creep in that one. The way he tears open the roof of Cheryl Ladd's car and sticks his ugly mug in is like something out of a horror flick. Totally creepy! Poor Cheryl :(
There's a scene in Ida Lupino's house where Stroud is holding them all captive, after he's done threatening them, he just sits in that rocking chair rocking back and forth with a stupid grin on his face. Lol!
I don't know if that gizmo that he put in the engine to make the car stall is a real thing or not but it sure made sense. It cuts off the gas supply to the engine and provides just a little gas (which that gizmo contains) to the engine to make it go for just a little distance. Then that gas runs out and the car stalls. Makes sense to me.
One thing that I find weird is why would the "rabbit" (Charles Martin Smith lol - he does look like a rabbit!!) go along with this creep. I know that he probably didn't have any friends and seemed kinda neglected by mom Ida Lupino but what could he possibly have in common with a serial rapist like Stroud? Even more peculiar is what did he actually think was gonna happen that night when they trapped poor Cheryl? Was he really that stupid to think that's how you pick up girls? Stroud told him he was gonna show him how to have a good time. What did he think was gonna happen? They were gonna take Cheryl out to dinner? Or that she was just gonna take her clothes off for them and they would all have a good time? I don't get it. From the moment they started sabotaging her car he must have known this was not gonna end well.
Added: August 28 2017 08:52:59 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E17: "Blockade" - review
http://www.thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#17
Added: August 28 2017 06:48:57 PM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Yes it makes sense what you say. But on the other hand too much information may be seen as spoon-feeding the audience. I believe we should be smart enough to put 2 and 2 together. I guess it can be tricky. You gotta be able to walk that fine line between too much info and too little. Also keep in mind that some of the most memorable films are those where everything isn't exactly spelled out. Whereas those that have everything spelled out tend to be frowned upon.
As for SOSF vs Five-Faux. There's no comparison. I honestly don't remember a SOSF episode that's as stupid as the typical Faux episode. And I don't believe I'm being biased. In the 70s story telling was much more believable. Lenkov just throws anything and everything into the story that he can. SOSF never did that. All i have to think of is AOL scaling the side of that high rise like Spider-Man and all of a sudden everything in SOSF looks like brilliant writing in comparison. There's a huge difference between some things not being explained and brain-dead entertainment. Five-Faux is the latter.
Added: August 26 2017 12:33:44 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
The "problem" is that all this baloney is not defined in the show. Sure, you can speculate as to what happened, like we have done with Dedini being the mastermind in Commitment, but why should I have to second-guess the plot of a show because the writers are too lazy or stupid to do things correctly?
Admittedly, there may be issues with the fact that the writers >did< define this, but the information got edited out of the story somewhere, either by the story editor or the editor of the show itself (the guy who deals with the film).
An example of this kind of "editing" can be found in Kojak episode S01E06 (http://kojak.tv/kojak-1.htm#6) which has a "gay" theme along with the usual criminality, and some guy who had a minor part in this show posted on social media somewhere that "In this Kojak episode I am one of a gang of gay robbers." But there is absolutely nothing to suggest this in the show itself; it was obviously censored.
In the SOSF psychic show, there is a possible "hook" for Dillon and Rubiro being friends. Remember, Dillon got busted for stealing a car a couple of years ago (Stone hassles Dillon about this when he is doing his "bad cop" routine). Dillon said something like "Me and some pals got high and I stole a car, what's the big deal?" Maybe Rubiro was one of those "friends," therefore the two guys know each other and they ran into each other on the street. They went for a drink somewhere and Dillon told Rubiro that he was screwing this rich dame's daughter, so Rubiro, who was a gigolo, decided to make a play for the mother, and he found out she was really loaded. Now Rubiro was also in Madam's wacko group. Maybe he was "introduced" to the group by Mrs. Sloane? Or perhaps Rubiro saw Madam's nutty get-togethers as a good place to meet rich/older women, and maybe Rubiro cozied up to Madam as well, finding out she was a shady character (aside from running her scammy "chapel," and they decided to go into "business" together.
So there we have an explanation as to how Rubiro and Dillon were "pals." Don't forget that Dillon says that Rubiro gave him "a ride home" from somewhere, where was that? Actually, with all the ambiguity over these issues, I am really wondering if Dillon really wasn't involved in the plot in some way. It would certainly make it a lot easier to figure out how Rubiro's body ended up in the block of ice.
Seriously, if you are going to take "unanswered" stuff like this at face value and not question it, then I don't understand why you are not a big fan of Five-Zero where poorly written and/or edited scripts are the norm. (Actually, I was surprised that if you watch Five-Zero and your brain is numbed by the loud music/sound effects and fast pace, you will miss a LOT of details, but if you go back after the show is finished and either listen carefully or check out one of the subtitle sites on the internet, you will find out that in many cases, all these nitpicky things which you think were not there ARE there, usually a throwaway line by some minor character or whatever.)
With Five-Zero, in addition to stuff which is not defined, and therefore makes the show stupid, there are a lot more things which are defined and totally stupid. For example, when Chin Ho went to Mexico to check out his niece who had been kidnapped, all of the "ohana" went there as well (big issues with jurisdiction here, how can they operate as Five-Zero in Mexico, overriding the local authorities, blah blah blah), and suddenly Adam shows up at the door of their motel, and he was serving time in jail in Honolulu before he was released for good behavior, therefore he should be subject to parole rules about leaving the state!
Anyway, if you are going to just consider SOSF on the level of being "entertaining" or "a TV show" despite its flaws (and I have made exceptions to this rule myself!), I'm not going to make a federal case out of this. It's just that I (usually) like to have i's dotted and t's crossed, etc. That is the basis of "anal-ysis®", LOL.
Added: August 26 2017 10:30:20 AM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Well, Dillon does admit that the 2 were friends. So then what's the problem? I don't really see an issue. They were friends (from who knows where) and that's how Dillon was set up.
Are you saying them being friends is an unlikely coincidence?
Added: August 26 2017 09:05:01 AM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
Here is the dialogue re the gun:
Stone: How did your prints happen to get on Rubero's shotgun?
Dillon: Rubiro set me up. I was the real pigeon. Rubiro, "my friend." That's why he offered me a ride home that day. He had the guns in the car. "Here, Dillon, look at the pretty little gun." My fingerprints all over the place.
None of the above explains anything, though!
Added: August 26 2017 12:03:57 AM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
I think you're pretty much spot on with all this stuff. It's never specified that Dillon and Ribero were pals though. I'm guessing both are characters with a somewhat shady past and somehow ran into each other. I still say that it's possible Ribero was trying to sell him that shotgun. Maybe they ran into each other in a bar. Who knows?
I guess I can forgive Julie not hearing what was said from inside the trunk.
Added: August 25 2017 11:02:59 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
I figure that Madam listened to Mrs. Sloane bitching about her prospective son-in-law, that he was a no good and an ex-con, so they (by "they," I assume that Madam, Mr. Stutter and Rubiro were a team) decided to make him the patsy. It sounds like Mrs. Sloane was a close pal of Madam for quite a while, a member of her wacky "circle" and so forth.
Rubiro had a skeet shooting set, and one of the guns (the shotgun) was missing when Stone and Keller went to his place, the one used to knock off Stutter. Rubiro used to like "doing it" with rich broads with no husbands, and a skeet shooting set would probably fit well into that lifestyle (perhaps there is a picture of him with one of those women shooting skeet in the show, I can't remember).
There is a lot of stuff missing from the script. Dillon says to Stone and Keller that he was set up by Rubiro who got him to handle the shotgun, it wasn't like he wanted to sell it to him, it's just that he wanted to show it to him because it was a truly swell gun or something like that and as a result Dillon's prints were all over the gun. I dunno how they could have preserved Dillon's finger prints so perfectly on this rifle, though! Where did they mention that Rubiro and Dillon were pals? I don't want to watch this show again just for this one line...
As far as the daughter not hearing "Olga" from the trunk, I have never been locked in a car trunk, so I dunno how much you can hear from the outside. What kind of car was this, anyway? One of those Ford products, like a huge boat? Maybe it was well insulated in the trunk so you couldn't hear dialog clearly.
Added: August 25 2017 10:00:47 PM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
I rewatched the Chapel of the Damned episode which brought back lots of memories. It's a very good show!
Signe Hasso is pretty freaky, especially when she dresses as a man and then blasts Mr. Stutter away with a shot gun (that's just cold, man!!) That disguise was really good btw. With the exception of being a bit too short and slight she really did look like a man!! She also wears this Satanist star on her chest in the chapel scenes. Damn devil worshipper!
After he gets out of his car and just before he gets a shotgun blast to the face Mr. Stutter is heard saying something along the lines of "way to go OLGA!" but the kidnapped girl is right there in the trunk of his car. Wouldn't she have heard this and realized that Madam Olga is in on it? Or does she not know who she is or that her mom knows her? Still I would think she would have given the cops this bit of info, even if it meant nothing to her.
As for your question as to how Dillon and Rubiro knew each other, they mentioned that the kidnapped girl's boyfriend Dillon is an ex-con and it mentions that he did have some gun-related dealings with Rubiro. In fact Dillon says that Rubiro tried to sell him a gun and got him to touch it. That's how his fingerprints got on it.
As far as the note is concerned, yes that was from Dillon to the girl and I guess Madam Olga (or her accomplices) got that note and planted it at Rubiro's.
Added: August 25 2017 08:54:17 AM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
Ringfire:
Stone and Keller go into the storage room when they return to the ice making place looking for Dillon (but he is not there, because he got fired).
Stone: Hey, come on, buddy boy. I get frostbite easy.
Keller: Buddy boy, huh?
By the way, don't you think it is peculiar when Keller meets Dillon in another cold room (with temperatures at 20 degrees F.) earlier in the show, that Dillon is not wearing any gloves?
Added: August 25 2017 08:28:04 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E08: "No Badge for Benjy" - review
http://www.thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#8
Added: August 25 2017 07:31:04 PM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
As I think about it I guess it makes sense for Dedini to be at the gym. Since he's the one setting up Mike he probably wants to stay close to make sure everything is going according to plan. If questioned he can just say he was following Lyman.
Mike, in the "Chapel" episode Stone pronounces Ferrari as "Ferreri" lol. That's a new one for me! Also you say that Keller uses the word "buddy boy" in this episode. When was that?
Added: August 25 2017 02:18:38 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
Ringfire, Dedini's presence in the gym is interesting. To me, this suggests that Dedini is the master manipulator behind the whole business with Carlino's murder and setting up Stone for taking the fall. Dedini wanted to put all the blame on Stone because Carlino (whom Dedini would have been familiar with) was getting to close to closing his case on Lyman, and you can bet if Lyman was busted, he would probably start blabbing about Dedini's involvement with his organization. Is it possible that as part of his plan, Dedini got Lyman to intentionally meet Stone at the gym just so Dedini could later testify that he saw Stone and Lyman together? Dedini likely also arranged for Sims and Denny Miller to knock off Carlino. After all, don't forget when Sims and Miller are busted, Miller mentions "the cop ... who smashed up the old lady" meaning Dedini, which ties them in with him, though you would have to wonder how they would know about Dedini beating up Baxter's wife, which happened more recently than Carlino's murder (like >very< recently). Dedini is very slimy, because after Dexter makes a big case for Stone being guilty when the two of them are on the docks, Dedini, suddenly convinced, says "I think we'd better go downtown. I wanna make a full statement," which is when he says that he saw Stone and Lyman "together" at the gym, even though Stone couldn't care less about the dirty joke that Lyman wanted to tell him. If someone asked Dedini what was he doing at the gym, he could just say that he was keeping his eye on Lyman.
Added: August 25 2017 06:50:07 AM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E16: "Chapel of the Damned" -- review
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#16
Added: August 23 2017 08:07:21 PM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Re: Commitment
I actually thought about the possibility of a shell casing still being left in the chamber. I thought maybe that's what Sims removed. But I didn't know whether this was realistic or not. Not being a gun expert I assumed all casings are always ejected. At least that's what you see in the movies. Guess I was right. Now it makes sense!
I agree that the case against Stone seemed pretty circumstantial. Decker seemed to be on some kind of a crusade to clean up the department, but I always thought the character was written this way to make him a red herring. I remember wondering if he might not be the dirty cop on Lyman's payroll. I didn't think it was Dedini. But answer me this. What's the significance of Dedini showing up at the boxing ring at the beginning and spotting Lyman and Stone together? I know Lyman was setting Stone up but for whose benefit was that? The only witness to this whole thing is the dirty cop himself. He later tells Decker that he saw Stone and Lyman together but he didn't need to be at the ring for this. He could have told Decker anything. Was Dedini trying to talk to Mike about something but then saw Lyman there and decided to back away? Or was this scene written before they decided to make Dedini bad, and then forgot to go back and fix it?
I agree with you about Collin Wilcox's special guest credit. The only thing she was really known for was TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (in which she was VERY good) but she didn't really do much of anything outside of that. I remember a COLUMBO episode she was in but that's it. I'm pretty sure Sheen was a bigger star than her even at the time, and his star was a rising. He already had a few films under his belt. Maybe it's because he didn't have that one defining role the way she did. Maybe that's why she was a SGS.
Added: August 23 2017 12:03:04 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
Ringfire, to deal specifically with some of the questions you asked:
- Carlino was shot with a .38-caliber weapon. This is presumably a .38-calibre Police Special: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38_Special According to that page, "The .38 Special was the standard service cartridge of most police departments in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1990s."
- According to Stone after Decker asked for his gun to run a test on it, Stone said "It hasn't been fired," because he was unaware of what Sims (William Smith) had done to it.
- I don't know much about guns either, but I checked out a couple of YouTube videos. If you have a .38 police special, you load the thing with bullets, then shoot them. The casings are not ejected from the gun, you have to do this afterwards. So Sims shot Carlino dead, then took that casing out of the gun and replaced it with a new bullet and cleaned the gun. I'm surprised that they didn't examine Stone's clothing for gunshot residue (GSR), but according to Wikipedia, the history of GSR in investigations only dates back to 1971, so perhaps this technology was not a big thing when the show was being made.
- Stone was found on the ground according to Dedini when he is with Decker at the scene where Carlino was found dead. Decker asks "That X, that's where Stone went down?" There is nothing mentioned about whether Stone was conscious or unconscious when he was found, and no mention of who actually called the cops. Considering this is the proverbial "out of the way abandoned area of the docks" where Stone met Sims, I think it unlikely that someone was just walking in the area, though in a Kojak episode, some woman is on the "abandoned area of the docks" thinking about her life when a body is dumped and becomes a crucial witness. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Sims who called the cops anonymously -- after all, he was the one who set the whole thing up and wanted Stone to go down!
- Decker is a hotshot who has this "leave no stone unturned" (no pun intended) attitude towards solving the case. He is not interested in "gut instinct" ways of dealing with the issues, for example that Stone has been on the police force for 20+ years (23 years in this show, 27 in another), has been totally honest, never shown signs of corruption, etc. Of course, you can say that the fact that Stone has been on the force for so long is irrelevant, because Dedini has known Stone for 11 years and he is dirty (though Dedini has only been in Lyman's employ for 3 years). According to Keller, Decker has evidence against Stone "five different ways," but most of it, aside from the business with the bullets, is circumstantial.
- As far as William Watson being a "special guest star" is concerned, I think this is just a money/prestige issue which was negotiated by Watson's agent. Look at S02E02 where Martin Sheen plays a sleazy stockbroker. In that show, his character's girl friend is played by Collin Wilcox-Horne who gets the SGS treatment -- but was she more "famous" at the time (certainly not now, people would say "who the heck was that?")? I don't think so.
Added: August 23 2017 07:15:29 AM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Commitment is an excellent episode. Better than the Benjy one. Mostly because the focus here is our star Stone and he's been set up. Plus I always loved the Dedini reveal at the end. I remember when I first saw it I suspected Decker of being the bad guy, since he was a new character that we'd never seen before and we already saw Dedini before and he was the good guy. So that really threw me for a loop. I thought that was really cool and certainly not something you saw much of in the 70s. A recurring character would NEVER become the bad guy. That's something you expect in this day and age with serialized dramas (remember Nina or Logan on 24?) but not back in the day. It's cool to think that Dedini was dirty even in the Benjy episode, except that didn't come out at that particular time. Not until this story here. Very realistic!
Overall I'd still maintain that this is probably my second favorite season 2 episode, behind "For the Love of God". And much better than Shield of Honor or Karat Plague, both of which I enjoyed. In addition to Donner directing, the script is by my favorite Five 0 scribe John D.F. Black.
I agree that Denny Miller looks kinda fat in this episode. Like he ate a dozen donuts as a regular meal. Far from his lean and muscular Tarzan days! It's also surprising that he's relegated to the closing credits (same as in "Mask of Death", except there he was killed off very early in the show). And how does the "special guest star" thing work, especially on this show?? No way is William Watson more famous than William Smith or Denny Miller!! Then or now. Is it because he's a recurring character? But I've seen other instances on the show where they give the "special guest" billing to someone who's really not a special guest and not all that famous. Even back then. It's strange.
I really never had a problem with Stone being knocked out and framed for killing Carlino. The idea to clean Stone's gun and replace the bullet was a smart move since that's exactly what a cop would do if he were to murder someone using his gun (though preferably he wouldn't use his gun). As for the theory of Stone and Carlino struggling I can buy it. Did they really say that they found Stone unconscious? Maybe I missed something. I thought Stone came to on his own and called the cops. Which would mean his story of being knocked unconscious would be just that - HIS STORY. One question I had though was the bullet that Smith replaced. Something here doesn't make sense. What's shown is that he takes out a bullet from the chamber, cleans the chamber, then puts the bullet (same one or different one?) back in the chamber. But I thought the idea was to replace the bullet that was fired. Then why is he taking out a bullet? And did he have another spare bullet to put back in? An exact bullet for that particular gun? I'm not really a gun expert but I'm assuming Dedini told him exactly what kind of gun Stone uses so that Smith knew what type of replacement bullet he would need? Or do all cops carry the same gun?
Added: August 22 2017 06:20:37 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E14: "Commitment" -- Review
http://www.thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#15
Added: August 21 2017 07:45:39 PM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Mike, I get what you're saying. It's true that "School of Fear" has a ridiculous premise but the overriding factor is how much enjoyment I get out of it. My "Winterkill" reaction comes merely from reading your review. But who knows? Maybe if I saw it I'd totally change my mind and find it really enjoyable. Even though the premise would still be pretty dumb in my mind. It's just that reading your synopsis I couldn't help but laugh about one geezer asking money from another geezer and because he's not getting that money the immediate next step is to plant bombs everywhere. LOL!! It's like me asking my boss for a raise and then because I'm not getting it I resort to booby trap his entire house with bombs. Sure I may get that raise but what then?? At what cost?? I don't think I'd be free long enough to enjoy that raise. Same thing with getting one old guy cataract surgery. I'm sure there are millions of people all over the county needing cataract surgery.
Five-O of course also had a senior citizen with a bomb episode and believe it or not it's actually my favorite from season 9. But it's all about the execution. The way Barnard Hughes played it and the fact that he wasn't really planning to go through with his threat (despite saying he would) and could easily turn it off with just one switch somehow makes it more believable and you really feel sorry for the old guy. There's also none of that cutesy-poo stuff there to distract - it's a serious issue. Plus the tension is really ratcheted up with the REAL bad guys (Mary Beth and George) when they take advantage of the situation. It all just works!!
Speaking of tearing down that house overnight in "Here Today" I don't know about you guys but sometimes while going to work I'll see a house going up and by the time I'm heading back home the house is near completion. It's amazing how quickly these guys work!! And that's to put up the house. I imagine to tear it down takes no time at all, in comparison.
Added: August 20 2017 03:11:02 PM
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth
I agree with Mr. Mike on "Winterkill". Good episode. The bombs all over the building is a stretch, but not too big of one. The old guy was fighting against being old. It is a good cause, especially as I get older. 
I like Here Today -- Gone Tonight in spite of the lame bogus helicopter ride idea and the total destruction and clearing of a fairly full functioning house in one night.
Added: August 20 2017 09:18:57 AM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
The English 100 interpretation of Winterkill has already been suggested to me, but, instead, maybe this show should have been called Winterthreat, considering no one was actually killed. I find your comments that the episode has a "ridiculous premise" pretty interesting, Ringfire, especially considering I was using the same kind of anal-ytical logic with my thoughts on School of Fear. But then, if you watched Five-Zero, you would think I am nuts for giving S05E13 three and a half stars. To quote myself, in this show "[A] giant wrecking ball hits McGarrett's car and several terrorist types appear out of nowhere and kidnap Lange." This makes no sense at all, because how did the bad guys know that McGarrett and Joe White would be taking a particular road and would be at a certain location at exactly at a certain time, and how did they time the wrecking ball to hit the car with exactitude? (Hmmm, "exactitude," that sounds like a word Big Chicken would use, LOL.) As far as Winterkill is concerned, I thought the "cuteness" of the show overrode any illogic, sort of like the Sam Jaffe/Luther Adler episode from season 3, and, after all, I am "old," so I am partial to shows featuring "old folks." Let's face it, people have their favorites from various shows which make little sense at all -- for example, Here Today -- Gone Tonight and Deadly Courier. Some people even think that Classic Five-O's 12th season is really not so bad!
Added: August 20 2017 08:36:50 AM
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth
Mr. Mike mentions that the titles for "Most Feared in the Jungle" and "Winterkill" are hard to understand. I agree about Winterkill, but Most Feared in the Jungle is easily understood. There was nothing more feared on the streets (jungle) than a new mother on the hunt, searching for her stolen new born baby. You can't mess with a mother over their baby!
Added: August 20 2017 08:08:01 AM
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Winterkill is a deeper episode than most people realize. Tillman (Paul Fix) helped out his friends in the older age place when they needed things. Casey would be out of a place to stay without the money Tillman provided in the gas station robbery. Also, Tillman asked around the hospital about Casey's eye surgery. It was $10,000 and the doctor was sympathetic to his plight but it still needed to be done. I admire Armstrong earning his millions but what's $10,000 to a multi-millionaire?!They went back a long way Tillman & Armstrong. In each case, Tillman tried to find a solution and resorted to something criminal after he was thwarted. I don't agree with Tillman's hiding bombs and that kind of threat or violence. 3 stars for Winterkill. Mr Mike, I think Winterkill means Armstrong, Casey, Tillman these characters were in the last season of life The Winter season. Most were in their 70's or older. Most associate winter with cold and kind of a freeze death of life (flowers,trees etc) until spring. JC
Added: August 20 2017 03:35:32 AM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Reading the review of "Winterkill" (which I have very little memory of) I can't help but laugh at the ridiculous premise. So you have this old geezer who goes to see his old buddy (who is now very rich) and asks him for some kind of a loan. This buddy who I'm guessing is a bit of a Scrooge refuses to give a loan. So what does the geezer do? He resorts to placing bombs all over this dude's buildings in order to force the dude to hand over some bread? Am I the only one thinking this is really ridiculous? It's even more so when you take into account the age of the perpetrator. So you've got like an 80 year old terrorist mad bomber? LOL!! And for what??? To get some money for some cataract surgery?? Gimme a break!! The writers were really stretching it with this one. And in the epilog these 2 geezers are pals again and bickering and nudging each other like 2 old coots?? Yeah, riiiiiiiight. Lol
If geezer 1 decides to blackmail geezer 2 in order to get the money I'm fine with that. But planting bombs all over town?? Umm, no. Not buying it. Did he expects the guy to fork over the money and then just forget about it? Despite the fact that this guy set bombs all over? Well, apparently that's exactly what happened, according to the review. Which only goes to show what a dumb script it is. I'm sure in the 70s planting bombs was considered a terrorist act same as today.
Added: August 19 2017 09:48:34 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E14 -- "Most Feared in the Jungle" -- review
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#14
Added: August 18 2017 09:35:41 PM
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
The Victims was an intense and gritty episode in the Streets SF catalogue. I think it was an authentic prisoner episode. Phalen & Wilson are 2 guys you didn't want to meet. The cold-blooded murder of the old folks about as brutal as it gets. No reason to kill them. It's always good to see the sexy Jo Anne Harris in these 70's crime shows. This time as Connie, Keller's girlfriend. I think I like The Victims because it stays with you. Anybody could have been killed by the prison escapees giving them a ride, handing them a few $, pumping the gas etc. I'd give it at least 3 stars. JC
Added: August 18 2017 04:29:03 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E13: "Winterkill" -- review
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#13
Added: August 18 2017 11:43:21 AM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E11 - "The Victims" - Review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#11
Added: August 18 2017 07:53:36 AM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF - S02E13 - WINTERKILL
I watched this senior citizens episode last night where this geezer threatens to bomb buildings if his rich pal doesn't pony up $$$ to pay for a cataract operation for another geezer in the old folks' home. Sort of OK.
One question is, how does the guy get the dynamite ... well, he used to be a "blaster," though I dunno if you have a license to do this, it would still be valid after 40 years!
The 1970's version of CGI for the final explosion is very lame, sort of like some of those explosions on Five-O.
The bomb squad in this show is laughable, sort of like the Keystone Cops. They put the bomb in this thing that looks like a Rubbermaid garbage can, which doesn't even have a top on it, and put this in a Ford Econoline van instead of the usual highly-insulated bomb truck which can withstand a bomb going off, hello!
Reminds me of one Kojak episode where they have a bomb squad and the guys from the squad are all cops in suits and ties, not the usual highly protective clothing!
The title of this episode, Winterkill, is stupid.
Added: August 18 2017 07:52:32 AM
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Big fan of Shield Of Honor. Drea a police officer the leak in the police force when Cahill the witness is shot and killed by Larwin. Fascinating episode as Miss McCormick giving info to Cullen a criminal type but married to her pregnant sister Liza. Both McCormick & Cullen in deep as Keller & Stone narrow down the suspects. Andrea a great shot guy shot in the heart. Good stuff 3.5 stars!
Added: August 16 2017 07:00:00 PM
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth
Regarding the two gold episodes, I think I'll go with Five-O as well, but it's very close! Both are very good episodes, but not great.
Added: August 15 2017 04:52:06 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E10 -- "Shield of Honor" review:
http://www.thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#10
Added: August 15 2017 04:28:42 PM
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Two gold-themed episodes - Twenty Four Karat Plague vs. Murder with a Golden Touch. Pick your poison! I'd probably go with the latter because it's Five-O after all.
Of course GOLDFINGER trumps them both!
Added: August 15 2017 09:20:10 AM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E09 -- "The Twenty-Four Karat Plague" review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#9
Added: August 14 2017 05:43:23 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
The rather long message below had something in it that caused the anti-spam filter in the forum to reject the posting with a message of "You cannot sign this guestbook at the moment!" I have no idea what this might be. This is just to let you know that this kind of behavior can be unpredictable, and therefore you should create your posting in a word processor and then copy and paste it into the Comments box on the forum. This way, if something goes wrong, you can contact me and I can try and figure out what went wrong. There are ways to post messages like this that cause problems (obviously, because I was able to post >my< message). If you get the "You cannot sign..." message, this does not mean you are banned from the forum (that is a different message). In order to get back to normal, you should shut down your browser completely and then start it up again. At that point, you should be able to resume posting on the forum.
By the way, there was an issue where postings made were not being e-mailed to me for approval. This stopped working at the end of last week, but this functionality has resumed again just a couple of hours ago. As before, it can take some time for me to approve your message. If it does not appear, that means it was not approved. [Less than a day later, this has stopped working again -- MQ.]
Added: August 13 2017 07:20:46 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
The Twenty-Four Karat Plague (SOSF S02E09)
This show is quite interesting, though I dunno if it all makes sense scientifically speaking. For example, one of the characters contracts radiation poisoning and within a day he gets all twitchy and scrunches up his face, etc. I dunno how long it would really take for these kind of symptoms to show up.
But the thing that bothers me about this show is, how do all these people involved in the scheme to hijack a shipment of gold which turns out to be deadly radioactive know each other? They are as follows:
Vic Tolliman - Vic Morrow, a parking lot attendant
Eddie Whitney - Anthony Zerbe, he served time in San Quentin, had experience with the foundry there, works at a floral company now
Gordy Sondheim - Milt Kamen, the manager of the floral company where Eddie works
Lew Morrison - Herb Edelman, wants to start a chain of hamburger stands with the money he will make
Charlie Durand - Paul Jenkins, works at the real estate company, he got the abandoned warehouse for them, his kid is sick, he owes $20,000 in hospital bills
Les Slauson - Wright King, aide to the professor at the university, he didn't realize the gold was very radioactive
These guys all got together to play poker on a regular basis and, with the exception of Sondheim, came up with this idea about robbing the gold. (Slauson is not involved in the profit for some reason.)
Other things that don't make sense either:
When they are talking about how long it takes for the gold to become "safe," Morrow says that the gold has been in the truck for "two days" already, therefore, they only have to wait .7 of a day to touch it (which Eddie will do). I don't think there was a gap of two days in the story at this point.
Eddie has to make 5,000 "planchets" (the blank coin-shaped things that counterfeiters will use to make bogus coins), he makes these in one day? Seems like a pretty long job to me, based on how long it takes him just to make one coin, when he is shown using the foundry equipment...
The truck which transported the radioactive material is discovered in the warehouse when a kid's Frisbee flies through the window of the building. Why would kids be playing Frisbee on the docks?
What is the significance of Charlie lighting a second cigarette when he is already smoking one when Stone and Keller are at his office? Is this to suggest that he is very nervous?
The review at IMDB has some goofs: "Making things ever worse for him Tolliman [Morrow's character] now completely losing it had also since murdered his Chinatown fence-Dale Ishimoto- for cutting the price for the gold he offered him in half:From $300,000.00 to $150,000.00." There is no indication that the fence was killed, and the guy didn't offer Morrow half the money, he paid him half and then said Morrow would get the rest when the gold had "cooled off" (which would be several million years, I think!!).
Speaking of goofs, there is one at around 43:50 where a microphone's shadow and then the mike itself very obviously creeps into the scene...
Added: August 13 2017 06:27:05 PM
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
On Men Will Die: There's plenty to digest in Men Will Die. Jack Marlin needs a good lawyer. There's Nancy,Miss Parker's ID of Marlin, plus Stone seeing Marlin nearly assaulting Jeannie. That's 3 witnesses& a 4th if you include the lawyer Catherine Wyatt who will testify about Marlin arriving to sign the documents. I'm surprised Nancy wasn't given more protection later after the rape. She was a victim and provided info on the rapist. Maybe, the episode would have been more impactful if Wyatt had organized a march to the courthouse and 3 or 4 women had spoken about the horrible rape experiences outside the court or at a local park. I guess Wyatt was right though that many of the rape victims want to remain anonymous or don't report the incidents. Good to see Paula Kelly. She has a natural beauty a confidence to her. Enjoyed her acting in what roles I've seen of her.A Vera Miles fan. Catherine Wyatt in this episode. She has long days as both a lawyer and volunteer at the WAC.
Added: August 13 2017 03:06:01 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S04E04 -- "Men Will Die" review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-4.htm#4
Added: August 13 2017 09:50:46 AM
John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
MR. MIKE. A quick 3 for 1 Streets Of SF. On Men Will Die: It's definitely one of the weaker Streets SF episodes. The Parks character wasn't well-written. I like Vera Miles characters intelligence and spirit as the criminal defense lawyer and leader of the women's group. Jeanie's friend was raped plus she got involved with the women's group. A defense attorney would have a field day in the final scenes where Parks character is lured to the Miles character workplace. No way that rape victim would have survived the fall of that height jumping a few stories on stone marble floor.
On The Stamp Of Death-You are right about the questions on this episode. I guess Doc killed the printer Jenks. Conway was shocked he was dead. It had to be an inside job Keller & Stone concluded since the policies don't square and nobody was sure Sturdevant had the stamp. Only an insider would know the combination of the safe, how to manipulate the books, turn the alarm off etc. 2 or 2 1/2 stars. No Badge For Benjy was an excellent episode. Benjy was a magnetic character who made it his job to interact with people and solve problems. Wish I could have seen more of Benjy before he was shot in the phone booth. Vy the daughter excellent acting. Benjy deserved more protection at the hospital. The ending was kind of cumbersome with the switching of cars and the cliche bad guy talk. I would still give No Badge For Benjy 3.5 stars. JC
Added: August 12 2017 04:14:50 PM
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
The pilot to SOSF is pretty good, but, as we discussed quite a while ago, it falls down badly at the end because of the booga-booga cult baloney connected with the actor who is the villain. There are issues connected with this ending which have to do with explaining how the actor is connected to people elsewhere in the plot (Holly, her brother, etc.). I downloaded the book that this pilot is based on from Amazon, and it does explain a few things that are kind of glossed over in the show. For example, the brother, who worked in a gas station, wanted to sell the actor a set of new tires, so he opened the guy's trunk to check the spare and saw the stuff from the murdered kid that the cops were looking for, which was in the news around that time. This and some similar important details >are< referred to in the pilot, but they are not dealt with in a really obvious way. The woman who wrote this book must have made a shitload of money, because every episode of the show mentioned that it was based on her book in the end credits!
Added: August 12 2017 02:45:56 PM
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Streets OF SF Pilot Part II
Farr is constantly revisited Columbo style by Keller & Stone. He returns to his boat and finds Holly's belt and some of her things. Farr becomes the prime suspect and does his own detective work. He finds her brother Del who might have seen the bearded killer working at the gas station. Del is in hiding and drugged out and refuses to reveal what was in the trunk to the lawyer Farr. The killer follows Farr and quickly murders Del with a shot to the carotid artery. Farr is taken to the killers basement surrounded by fire torches. Stone breaks the case when he compares a TV guide found at the Del death scene with his home. The ripped out portion matches Angel Of Death and the actor's name Gregory Praxas.The name matches a gas receipt Gregory Praxas had in his possession. Stone & Keller ask Praxas questions and discover a lie. Praxas is revealed to be a psychotic, ritualistic style killer over several years. They find several souvenirs from his victims including a boot that solves another case. Praxas wore several disguises bearded and otherwise to escape detection. I would give the Streets SF Pilot 2 1/2 stars. A star for Robert Wagner and a good cast. JC
Added: 10 August 2017 13:58:40 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
No Badge for Benjy:
This episode was quite good. William Watson, who plays an SFPD detective, is hyper as usual.
This is a two for one show, the cops are on the case of some Japanese businessman who got knocked off. I think they proved that the American owner of the company killed him because of issues to do with the transfer of the business. But this plot line is just left hanging.
The woman who played Benjy's daughter was really good, she had a real attitude like "now you are giving lots of attention to my father because he is all shot up (and later, dead)." She reminded me of Nichelle Nichols playing a tough-assed take-no-shit mama in charge of a stable of "hos" in the blaxploitation movie Truck Turner. (Look this up on YouTube, your eyes will pop -- this is no Uhura!)
Anthony James, the psycho-looking guy from The Guarnerius Caper and the villain from the movie In the Heat of the Night plays a bad guy in this Benjy show. I don't totally understand this guy's connection to the plot. Benjy had James' phone number, because he got a tip from him about a shipment of drugs, but why would James give him this information? Maybe because they wanted to knock off Benjy anyway, and this was an easy way to do this, because they knew he would try and pass this information along to the cops?
I also watched the episode "Men Will Die" again, and liked it more than the first time I saw it. This show is about rape. Vera Miles plays a lawyer who defends rape victims who is very cynical about their treatment by the justice system. The epilog for this show is full of horrible cliched lines, definitely one of the "suckier" endings.
Added: 10 August 2017 10:46:12 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
Streets Of San Francisco Pilot (1972) Review
I finally watched the Streets of SF pilot episode with Keller & Stone. The episode focuses on the death of young woman Holly Jean Berry and the prime suspect David Farr a lawyer played by legend Robert Wagner. Holly was found face down dead in the bay by a male jogger and his dog. She was wearing a David J. Farr business card laminated around her neck. They met at a party although I don't see what attracted David to Holly. She wasn't that sexy and wore a printed dress. There's also a good 15+ year age difference. Farr makes an ID of her body and explains to Keller and Stone that he was her lawyer when she wrecked her car on the freeway ramp. They found some grass on her at the hospital. She needed some representation. Farr has flashbacks remembering his time with Holly including their physical and sexual encounters. Keller & Stone visit the coroner who explains Holly was killed by a blow to the carotid artery. It wasn't a drowning and no sexual assault. Keller & Stone wonder if Holly's murder fits into a series of murders in SF. End Of Part I. JC
Added: 09 August 2017 15:20:32 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
With regard to the stamp episode:
>There would be a small number of rare stamp collectors in SF and only a few people would know Mr. Sturdevant had the unique stamp.
But Hawkins the stamp expert says words to the effect that >no one< knows who really has the stamp, that is part of its "mystique."
>That would include the 3 appraisers and the insurance company.
The guy who created the policy died two months before. The appraisers are unknown on the policy, and there is no way to figure out who they are, according to Conway. When Conway is seen stealing the stamps, he switches the original policy with one from his pocket, where presumably this information has been altered. He would have the capability of adjusting these things at the office, because he is the "investigator" on the case and was the one who set up the whole scheme from the beginning.
Added: 08 August 2017 08:01:54 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
The SOSF episode (S04E04) "Men Will Die," starring Vera Miles is about rape. There is something majorly dumb about this episode.
When Stone and Keller go to talk to the woman who witnessed a previous rape in Golden Gate Park (the rapist is suspected of being the Michael Parks character, who raped Stone's daughter Jeannie's friend in the current show; the raped woman in the earlier show later died), she is shown ONE picture, that of Parks.
Later, when Jeannie goes to the restaurant where the woman works to talk to her because she was not co-operative with Stone earlier, the same procedure is repeated, that she shows the woman ONE picture of Parks, which the woman finally identifies, calling him "scum."
But you can't have someone make an identification like this with only ONE PICTURE. You must show them a picture "lineup," and they have to pick the bad guy out of several.
So, what will happen is that the case against Parks, if it is based on the woman identifying one picture, will be thrown out of court, just like many other cases involving rapists where there is insufficient evidence or other "technicalities" which cause the criminal to get off!
Added: 08 August 2017 07:51:14 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
I like Stamp Of Death. It has some Flash Of Color, Flash Of Death quality to it in that you learn that opals are registered and each unique are like fingerprints. The uniqueness of the $300,000 stamp in this episode helps narrow the possible suspect pool. Maybe, I'm biased because I like Earl Holliman and Jessica Walter as actors. They fit well together here. I guess the question is Why Kill Sturdevant? Conway has the stamp in question and with all the party guests...There would be many possible suspects. This is a process of elimination type episode. There would be a small number of rare stamp collectors in SF and only a few people would know Mr. Sturdevant had the unique stamp. That would include the 3 appraisers and the insurance company. In this respect, Stamp Of Death paints itself in a corner. The average burglar or thief might have just left the stamp. There are also questions Mr. Mike asked like how did Conway know Sturdevant kept the stamp hidden in that safe. He easily could have moved it or placed it in a safety deposit box. There's also a printer knock off similar to For A Million Why Not? It might have been more suspenseful if they had asked a ransom for the stamp and Sturdevant dropped the money at a certain location. How To Steal A Masterpiece style. Stamp Of Death a solid 2 1/2 stars. JC
Added: 07 August 2017 13:13:29 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E06 - "The Stamp of Death" review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#6
(I really went to town on this one...)
Added: 06 August 2017 18:31:13 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
I don't think Nelson is miscast. As I indicated in my review, this episode is already pretty rank, so the writer probably resisted making Nelson into some kind of Charles Manson-like guru.
Added: 06 August 2017 08:31:17 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Probably Maureen, mostly because I only know her as Marcia Brady. Just Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!!
I've seen Bosley in other roles, including MURDER, SHE WROTE and his starring role in FATHER DOWLING MYSTERIES. Also he guested on BONANZA as a shifty and comical sort of guy, twice!
I'm not as familiar with Ricky. I remember seeing him in RIO BRAVO but that's it. I didn't watch OZZIE AND HARRIET.
Added: 06 August 2017 00:00:59 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth
What's the worse miscast in The Streets of San Francisco for an actor/actress is thought of as wholesome:
1) Tom Bosley - The crook in "Going Home"
2) Ricky Nelson - The pimp in "Harem"
3) Maureen McCormick - The prostitute in "No More Minor Vices"
4) Other
I vote for Maureen McCormick.
For the record, I like the Ricky Nelson episode.
Added: 05 August 2017 20:23:21 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Mike, what happened to your stars? Now we don't know what you think of the episode.
I don't think I cared much for "Harem" when I saw it. Of course that was a long time ago. Rick Nelson as a flute-playing sort of hippy pimp who lives on the street and wears sandals I guess was kind of an original idea. The typical 70s pimp was a black man with a big afro wearing lots of jewelry and some wild-colored suits and platform shoes, driving a cushioned pimpmobile. Still, I don't recall this one being particularly memorable. It was, however, written by John D.F. Black who wrote some of the very best FIVE-O episodes, including my personal favorites like "Rest in Peace, Somebody", "Candy and a Gun", "The Box", "Yesterday Died..."
Added: 05 August 2017 17:29:53 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E07 -- "Harem" review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#7
From: Saturday 05 August 2017 05:18:45 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
On Going Home:
Mr. Mike,you make some good points on Eddie. Alcatraz housed some of the fiercest and dangerous criminals. Eddie doesn't seem to be that kind of criminal. It was also uncanny how the bad guys could find him. I like that he placed the money in the bear. Probably a 2 1/2 type of star rating. JC
Added: 04 August 2017 12:18:18 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S02E05 - "Going Home" review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#5
Added: 04 August 2017 07:55:35 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth
Interesting that you brought that up Ringfire, because way back when, I did have Bosley and Doyle mixed up. They are so very similar.
By the way, I saw that Phil Silvers Gilligan's Island episode again yesterday. 50 years later, I'm still hysterically laughing. Silvers is a comedic genius and I think you need to watch that episode again. IMDB raters didn't back me up on Blue Skies, but they strongly back me up on "The Producer". The Mosquitoes episode is right there too with only the radioactive vegetable seeds episode rated higher.
Added: 03 August 2017 18:54:10 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Exactly, Fred. In fact Tom Bosley reminds me of the other "Bosley", played by David Doyle on CHARLIE'S ANGELS. Doyle is actually even more slovenly, mostly due to his speech impediment (or lisp). I'm not saying I'd confuse the two if you put them side by side but they're similar in stature and play similar types of roles. And both are Bosley! I think both would be a perfect fit for this SOSF role.
Added: 03 August 2017 18:09:52 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth
I agree with Ringfire that Bosley was cast appropriately as the non assuming crook in "Going Home". Plus, I don't think he's well known as "Mr. C" at that time. If there's a miscast issue, it's the "slovenly" Bosley hooking up with the "bombshell" North.
Nonetheless, "Going Home" is a solid episode. 3 stars at least.
Added: 03 August 2017 11:07:52 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
Mike, I'm not sure I understand why you think Bosley was miscast. You say it's not because he played Howard Cunningham on HAPPY DAYS. What other reason is there? Bosley is short and unassuming-looking (even a bit slovenly) and seems just fine for this type of shifty role. It's not like he's playing some ruthless hitman - that would be a stretch. I have no problem with his role here. He's played similar types of characters trying to hit it big in other shows as well. Speaking of TV dads, I'd say Robert Reed is much more iconic as Mr. Brady and we don't have a problem accepting him as a crook in both his FIVE-O appearances.
BTW, how come the stars disappeared? 
Added: 03 August 2017 10:38:13 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
I watched Going Home, the episode where Tom Bosley plays a low-level crook who breaks into a store owned by Five-O stalwart Milton Selzer and steals these bags which contain $100,000 of bookmaking proceeds. Bosley is totally miscast in this show, and not just because of his later persona as the father on Happy Days. Asking him to play a character like this with a bit of shadiness about him would be like getting Christopher Walken or James Woods to play a normal family man (Woods did play such a role in one film, as I recall). What was also weird about this show was the way that everyone from the cops to the hitmen were able to figure out who Bosley's character really was and where he would be at a moment's notice. Another Five-O actress, Sheree North, plays Bosley's ex-wife, and she looks kind of haggard. This article is interesting, it says that North was originally intended to be the successor to Marilyn Monroe! https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/nov/19/guardianobituaries.film
Added: 03 August 2017 08:52:15 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
One other thing to note about "For the Love of God" is that it has a very good and suspenseful score! I just checked it out again and at the beginning when Strauss takes out his gun and enters the confessional there's an excellent piece of suspenseful scoring there - it's the same score heard in season 1's excellent "Act of Duty". It's a Pat Williams score. Unfortunately I didn't pay much attention to SOSF music (the way I did with FIVE-O) so I don't know what other episodes used this music. But it's definitely a great mood-setter!
Added: 02 August 2017 20:30:45 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S03E10 - "For Good or Evil" review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-3.htm#10
Added: 02 August 2017 20:24:00 MST
Submitted by: John Chergi
From: Pittsburgh PA
I've really enjoyed these last Streets Of SF string of episodes and reviews. Some of the best episodes in the series. For Love Of God is a FAV of mine. Gregory & Strauss are 2 of my FAV actors and they have a good chemistry. I like this episode because it seems the institutionalized priest received a raw deal. He probably would have made a great priest. It always shocks me seeing priests killed. Similar to Father Jack being killed in Engaged To Be Buried. Stone dressed up in the priest garments heightens the suspense.
Before I Die also a solid episode. I like the Leslie Nielsen character Connor name I think. The episode makes you think:What would you do with the remaining time on Earth if you were given a grave diagnosis? He decides to pursue and kill a slimy criminal. Murray is a good cop and a good man. He couldn't allow his partner to murder someone. I would give both of these episodes 4 stars ****.
Added: 02 August 2017 19:33:53 MST
Submitted by: ringfire211
From: Philadelphia
I'm surprised "For the Love of God" didn't get 4 stars. That's one of the very best in the series, right up there with the likes of "Beyond Vengeance" and "Mask of Death". A superb episode and definitely the best from season 2. A top 5 or top 3 in the entire series! In fact it's so good that it's basically remade as a season 4 episode "Judgment Day" with Michael Burns as the nutbar who instead of killing priests kills judges. It's another excellent episode but I prefer this one just a bit more, maybe because I saw it first. There's definitely a DIRTY HARRY connection here - targeting a Catholic priest, Mount Davidson, the school bus finale. Fantastic stuff!
I'd flip this one and "Before I Die" and give the latter 3 stars instead. Another very good episode (about on par with "One Last Shot") but not quite as stellar as "Love of God". About on par with "Betrayed" though.
Added: 02 August 2017 13:11:24 MST
Submitted by: Fred
From: Chatsworth
"Before I Die" gets 4 stars. No argument there.
I had been so conditioned by seeing Leslie Nielsen in "Airplane" and the Naked Gun movies that I was not prepared for what I got from him in his three SoSF guest appearances or his "We Hang Our Own" Five-O episode. Mike's three very strong reviews for his SoSF appearances echoes my thinking. Nielsen was a fantastic dramatic actor.
I remember seeing him in "The Poseidon Adventure", but his role was minor as he was done in by the massive "tidal wave". (The wave being a ridiculously done up Hollywood fantasy as tidal waves don't act like how we saw in the movie. Rogue waves do, but that's not what we were suppose to have seen.)
I digress. RIP Leslie Nielsen and thank you for your acting contributions, funny as well as dramatic!
Added: 02 August 2017 11:49:16 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S03E12 -- "License to Kill" review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-3.htm#12
Added: 02 August 2017 06:20:17 MST
Submitted by: Mr. Mike
From: Vancouver
SOSF S03E04 - "Before I Die" review:
http://thestreetsofsanfrancisco.info/sosf-2.htm#4
Added: 01 August 2017 16:11:21 MST
Submitted by: Jason C
From: La Verne, CA
Glad to see "Before I Die" earned 4 stars. A great episode with Leslie Nielson! Season 2 of the Streets of SF has really started well with these first four shows. Looking forward to seeing the review for "Harem" which was another good show.
Added: 01 August 2017 15:04:35 MST
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