Douglas Adams iconic story The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy continues with Arthur Dent’s (Simon Jones) comedic and intergalactic travels . The fourth episode aired on 26 January, 1981. The gang are still on Magrathea and the reveal that mice were the ones who financed the planet Earth, and were conducting experiments there. Arthur confers…
Tag: january 1981
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1981) – Episodes 1, 2, and 3
I feel that most of North America was introduced to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when this version of the novel, adapted from the BBC radio broadcast, jumped the pond. I remember 1980, at Christmas the novel was under the Christmas Tree for me. I may have been a little young for it at…
Hill Street Blues (1981) – Double Jeopardy, and Film at Eleven
Double Jeopardy, known in some markets as Dressed to Kill first aired on 31 January, 1981. Written by series creators Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, the episode puts Operation Duckling into action. It seems the serial rapist they’ve been trying to apprehend since the beginning of the series is still out there, and the precinct…
Hill Street Blues (1981) – Politics as Usual, and Can World War III Be an Attitude?
Series creators Steven Bochco and Micheal Kozoll pen Politics as Usual which first aired on 22 January, 191. The presidential visit is on the horizon, and Howard (James Sikking) is less than thrilled with how Captain Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) is handling the situation and negotiating peace treaties with the local gangs for the walking…
Hill Street Blues (1981) – Hill Street Station, and Presidential Fever
When I was a teen every time I came across Hill Street Blues I would find myself stopping to watch it, and would even set the VCR to record it (when I remembered to). I always found it interesting in the way that it worked to show the police officers of the Hill Street precinct…
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1981) – The Guardians, and Mark of the Saurian
Buck (Gil Gerard) and the crew of the Search have an interesting encounter this week when they become The Guardians. Written by Paul and Margaret Schneider this episode was first broadcast on 29 January, 1981. After a strange encounter with a dying man, who claims to have been waiting for Buck, Hawk (Thom Christopher) and…
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1981) – Journey to Oasis
Mark Lenard guest stars in the second feature length instalment of what is Buck Rogers derided second season. Written by Bob Mitchell, this double episode first aired on 22 January, 1981, and sees Buck (Gil Gerard) leading a party – despite the presence of a higher ranking officer, COLONEL Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) in the…
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1981) – Time of the Hawk
So the retooled Buck Rogers launched on 15 January, 1981, with a two hour premiere that was written by Norman Hudis. Fans at the time, and anyone rewatching the series, like me, must have been scratching their head over the nonsensical changes that had been forced onto the series, even as it tried to shoehorn…
M*A*S*H (1981) – Tell It to the Marines, Taking the Fifth, and Operation Friendship
Harry Morgan directs Tell It to the Marines, which first aired on 12 January, 1981, and was written by Hank Bradford. Charles (David Ogden Stiers) takes over as CO while Potter (Morgan) is away, and turns Klinger (Jamie Farr) into his personal attaché, and seems intent on living in a means he’s more accustomed to….
M*A*S*H (1980/1981) – Death Takes a Holiday, A War for All Seasons, and Your Retention Please
Mike Farrell directs this episode that he wrote alongside John Rappaport, and Dennis Koenig from a story by Thad Mumford, Dan Wilcox, and Burt Metcalfe. It aired on 15 December 1980 and was used as that year’s Christmas episode. Farrell knows how to pack his story with emotional impact without being super sappy about it….
The Mind Reels 