This entry on the Bellisario and Cannell revisit has private eye Jim Rockford (James Garner) dealing with cases of blackmail and murder!! The Countess, with a teleplay by Cannell, based on a story by Roy Huggins (under the name of John Thomas James) originally aired the 27th of September, 1974. Jim has been hired…
Author: TD Rideout
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) – Robert Hamer
The Great Movies – 100 Years of Film brings me this English comedy I had never heard of before, starring Dennis Price and Alec Guinness. A tale of murder and woe told from the point of the killer seems like it may not be very funny, but this one proved to be very entertaining….
The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared (2009) – Jonas Jonasson
I’d heard about this book, and finally found time to enjoy this Forrest Gump-like adventure. It was a pure delight, engaging, heart-warming, often very funny (I occasionally chuckled on my transit ride to and from work, eliciting the occasional odd glance). Allan Karlsson is turning 100 today, and he’s decided that he’s had enough of…
Doctor Who (William Hartnell) – The Daleks (aka The Mutants)
Terry Nation wrote this story, broadcast as The Mutants, but rebranded as The Daleks when it was released to home video, for William Hartnell’s Doctor, and introduced the series most enduring villains… The Daleks. Aired in 7 parts from December 21, 1963 to February 1, 1964, the titles hinted at what you could expect…
Avatar (2009) – James Cameron
The 101 Action Movies comes to a close with James Cameron’s sci-fi action-adventure epic. No matter what one thinks of the story, and for me, it was simply a rehash of Pocahontas, again. There is a strong environmental message, one about living in harmony with our surroundings as opposed to pillaging and destroying as…
Battlestar Galactica (1978) – The Gun On Ice Planet Zero
This week’s installment of my look back at Battlestar Galactica features the two-parter, The Gun On Ice Planet Zero written by Bellisario, Michael Sloan and Leslie Stevens, from a story idea by John Ireland, Jr. The first episode aired on October 22, 1978, with its conclusion airing the following week on the 29th. The fleet appears to be in trouble…
To Be Or Not To Be (1942) – Ernst Lubitsch
The recommendations from Bringing Up Baby from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book features Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in this satirical romp that takes on the Nazis! Benny plays Joseph Tura, a bit of a high-strung actor, while Lombard plays his wife Maria. The two along with their theater group, who…
The Rockford Files (1974) – The Kirkoff Case & The Dark and Bloody Ground
In this installment of Bellisario & Cannell we talk about the first two episodes of Season 1 of James Garner’s The Rockford Files. First off we have The Kirkoff Case, penned by series creators Cannell and Roy Huggins which aired September 13, 1974 and features James Woods. The answering machine gag this week is…
The Philadelphia Story (1940) – George Cukor
Cary Grant makes another welcome appearance in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, this time in the recommendations for his film Bringing Up Baby, alongside Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart, who won an Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role for his performance. Katherine Hepburn is wealthy socialite Tracy Lord, and…
The Palm Beach Story (1942) – Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges wrote and directed this screwball romantic comedy that is one of the recommendations from Bringing Up Baby in the Great Movies – 1oo Years of Film book I am working my way through. This one is a little out there, and deals with sex, love, divorce and money in an entertaining way,…
