Post by niecie on Sept 30, 2015 12:03:45 GMT -5
So I finally asked one of the kids to find me copies of the two reunion movies. I kind of expected to be disappointed, but instead I was hit by the sort of excitement I surely felt when I first watched the tv movies back when they originally aired. Wild Wild West! New stuff! Jim and Artie, Bob and Ross! Plus, I saw some names in here that I probably didn't recognize all those years ago, but I sure do now! Much squeeing!
Anyway, I got about 15 minutes into the first one, and I was so happy that I thought I should start over and do one of my stream-of-consciousness reviews. And here it is.
Now, I will admit, I was a bit put off by the opening credits, what with the train part coming before the animation with the freeze-frame boxes. The alterations to the theme music were a bit off-putting too. In particular, I thought the various sound effects (starting with the scritch of the match) overpowered the theme music.
Ah, 1885 - Cleveland administration. And the Treasury Dept - good, good. Reasonably accurate.
Oh, here's Harry Morgan! Now, I knew he was in here, but it's still nice to see him. He does a great no-nonsense fire-breathing boss (probably his specialty).
And wait, who's that with him? I wouldn't have recognized him when the show first aired, but that's a face I came to love on Magnum PI - Jeff MacKay! *squee!* (Dunno why he keeps consulting his watch though.)
Guy who comes in from the left looks down at Morgan's feet, then does a little skippity step to get in step with him. *grin*
(Wish my copy had closed captioning!)
Ok, so MacKay is being the out-of-the-loop character to allow for Morgan to recap the problem. And my first thought upon hearing the problem is of Mr Braine-with-an-e.
Ok, the joke about the lengthy name of the traveling show and Morgan's comments thereupon is a bit lame and obvious. Still, I did kind of chuckle. (The guy in the middle positively grinned. He’s a yesman, no doubt!)
Hugo, conversely, is a twit.
Michelito? That's how they spell it??
*squee!* Rene Auberjonois!
Love the beautiful shot of the train!
Oh right - I do remember Shields & Yarnell doing their robot act.
I like the fiesta. The band on the wagon reminds me of TNOT Steel Assassin.
Y'know, except for the band, the streamers, and the kids playing with the piñata, it really doesn't look much like a festive occasion. (Well, one dude is kinda dancing by himself.)
Ah, here's Jim! Hollering at Jesús to stop chasing his sister. (I presume these are both Jim's kids?)
Caterpillar alert! Seriously, why is that thing on Jim's lip? (He's sipping something that's probably supposed to be alcoholic, I guess. He and Artie have a LOT of drinks in the first fifteen minutes.)
I didn't catch the little girl's name. Here's where closed captioning would be my friend. *sigh*
Where did that bunch of banditos come from? Boy, they're annoying! And one of them takes such a big slug straight from his bottle, he falls right off his horse! (He looked a bit like Dick Cangey, I think.)
Jim just watches at first. I guess he's waiting to see if the guys are planning to cause trouble or just join in the fiesta?
The guy with the huge mustache doesn't seem to understand that if the girl is hitting at his arm, that means she doesn't want to dance. Enter Jim to enlighten Mustachio.
Four women! O... k...
Guess Mustachio thought his line about 'borrowing' one of the women for a few minutes was really funny. He thought wrong.
Jim still can fight! The fight is played a bit humorously though, what with the off-key music and the reaction shots of the burro and oxen. Oh well...
Jim gets knocked down, then punched before he can get up again - and he stays down for a bit. But when he kicks the dude's foot and surges back up again - yay, Jim!
(And he punches the dude so hard, he knocks himself down too. Although frankly I think he may have overplayed the fall.)
Goes to soak his head after the fight - and here comes Hugo. Now, I'm very fond of Jeff MacKay as an actor, but he's doing a great job here of playing a character I would cheerfully watch get his comeuppance - sure hope I'm being prophetic there.
What does 'ignorant peasant' have to do with anything? How does Hugo know anything of the fighters' levels of education, not to mention the fact that the ability to fight or not fight also has nothing to do with one's schooling or lack thereunto. (In other words, Hugo's annoying me. Again.)
Jim's reaction is exactly right: Who are you? And Hugo flips his ID out and back again too fast for anyone to see what it really is. City boy dandy telling Jim his business - oy!
Jim's prediction about not getting along with Hugo strikes just the right note too.
Hugo either can't remember the proper way to refer to his uncle, or he just can't resist waving around the fact that his uncle is director of the Secret Service. Twit! (But I do love how flustered Jim makes him!)
Love Jim's laugh about Skinny Malone!
Bring on the short jokes about Miguelito Jr! Well, that's why they hired Paul Williams - another favorite actor of mine.
Jim's mad at Artie. Artie's mad at Jim. Neither remembers why. Plot device?
And yet when Jim accepts the case and Hugo asks if he can speak for Gordon, Jim says Yes he can! Doesn't sound like they're really all that mad at each other.
I really love the bit about reporting to the President, and why J&A shouldn't report to him!
Skinny asked... Uncle Bob asked... Director Malone asked!
Train! *grin*
Oh boo hoo, Hugo doesn't like Jim! What a big huge crying pity!
And off to Kansas City to pick up both Artie and the train. Why, the titles on the playbill for the Deadwood Strolling Players is even longer than Skinny reported it to be!
Artie's listed as a quick change artiste - shades of Watery Death!
'And give up all this!' Yes, let's throw in a punchline for a very old joke!
Jim's still wearing his clothes from Mexico. No offense, but I'd rather be upwind of him by now...
'This IS my dressing room!' *snerk* I saw that one coming!
Why on earth is his pocket handkerchief hanging out of the pocket so very much though?
Oo - piping on Artie's jacket - someone remembered!
Yep, Artie doesn't remember the dirty trick Jim pulled on him; just remembers it was dirty. Cute joke, and saved the writers the trouble of coming up with the actual reason for them to be mad at each other.
I like how Artie is talking to Jim by talking to Jim's reflection in the mirror. Shades of the first Loveless story!
Who on earth is that woman?? Begs Artie for a date, then immediately dumps him for Jim! Ew, ew, ew!
And that's what makes up Artie's mind! *grin*
(His suit and hat here remind me a bit of his Inferno ditto suit and small-brimmed hat.)
Wonder why Artie shines his shoes on the back of his trouser legs as he steps from the stage? Cute touch, but I dunno why he threw that in.
I DO NOT like Mr Deadwood! The man obviously has no taste whatsoever! (Funny, but he looks vaguely like Jack Elam - Slade in Montezuma's Hordes. Also, his delivery is dreadful.)
Was Artie really intending to punch the dude's lights out? I like how Jim stops him with 'That's my department,' then socks the guy right out of the tent.
And Artie is horrified! Only twelve feet?? But never fear, Artie's taking over Jim's training. In one month, Jim will either be in top shape - lovely dramatic pause while Artie waves a hand back and forth - or two weeks dead. (It's the 'two weeks' that makes the line for me!)
The train! Thetrainthetrainthetrainthetrainthetrain!!! I'm so happy!
Jim in his long drawers. (Ah - are some of the training scenes out of order? Jim starts out sans mustache - yay - but a few scenes down the line, he's shaving it off while doing sit-ups. Someone wasn't paying sufficient attention in the editing!) Actually, I would have placed the punching bag workout later anyway, since it would have been funnier after seeing more of Artie's training methods - because by then we'd be wondering if Jim might accidentally miss the bag on purpose...
Oh, one difference between tv shows in the 60's and tv shows in the late 70's: by the 70's, characters were permitted to have belly buttons.
Love Artie's wave of the hand for Jim's to punch the bag some more. (Ross does look like he's feeling those punches, I think.)
Jim's doing pushups while Artie's lounges on the coach, drink in hand?? Artie you little bug! Oo, but the carpet looks right. Sofa too, curtains ditto. Nice job of replicating the varnish car! Applause for the set dressers!
But why does Artie stop Jim and tell him to start over? This is where I need close captioning, because I just cannot make out Artie's words. I do love his huge hand gestures, counting the pushups.
Jumping rope - and again Artie is lounging while Jim works out! (Oo, Artie has those knee-high boots!)
And here at last is the mustache-shaving scene! This should have come first! Love the details such as Artie's foot on Jim's ankles, and the way he droops the mirror between times that Jim needs it.
Oh, and the running scene. Man, the punching bag really really should have come after this scene! Only a best buddy could get away with treating Jim the way Artie does here! (Cracked me up like crazy!) Jim's line about Artie wearing himself out pulling on the cord, and Artie's smile when he says the next four miles are uphill! Oh, those two!
Now, this was the first good look I got at the train Our Heroes are using, and it's not quite the same. The length is about right, but it isn't two cars - varnish and baggage - but instead one long car. I wonder will we get a look at the whole of the interior; so far we've only seen the parlor.
Yay, a freeze frame! Good to see it!
Hidden compartments have not been forgotten: the flip-over statue hiding a gun, the fake fireplace. Wonder is the flip-over table going to make an appearance?
Artie's drinking again. I don't recall Our Heroes drinking much during a case, mostly just in the tags. And wow, those smoking jackets! Gorgeous.
I'm not that fond of Ross with a part in his hair, preferring the pompadours Our Heroes sported during most of the original run. Still, this version of a part is vastly better than anything late in the fourth season. Now, Bob's hair looks pretty nice.
(Forgot to mention, but Ross looks mighty fine still, maybe just a touch heavier; you mostly see the added mileage in his jowls. Oh, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had, er, touched up the color of his hair a bit. As for Bob - he looks great! I must like an older man, because Bob looks much more my kinda guy here than he did in the series.)
Exposition, nicely done, with a shout-out to TNT Terror Stalked the Town.
Love the Skinny Malone joke!
Mmm, picturesque Wagon Gap, with the water tower, cattle chutes, and tiny depot. Doesn't look like there's anything more to the town at first.
Oh, and now Our Heroes exit the train, with Jim in his blue suit and Artie in his mauve cutaway. And their gun belts! And a walking stick in Artie's hand! *sigh* This was the moment the show won my heart.
Here's the rest of the town. Kind of spread out for a western town, but whatever.
(Wonder if Jim's gun has the rattlesnake on it!)
Who's the twit kid?
Artie tries to slip away. Well, I wouldn't want to be in the line of fire of some vengeance-craving kid either!
Yay for Artie! 'I draw with either hand.' Yeah, and Artie smacks the other hand too. The Kid didn't see that coming?? (And anyway, that is one clumsy draw with his left hand! Even I could do better, and I often need three tries to pick up something off the floor.)
Seriously though, who's the Kid's pa??
Oh, that's the story! (So the right guy fought the Kid after all!)
Hey hey hey! Right there while the can-can girls are on the stage - there at one of the tables clapping is none other than Red West! *grin*
Ha, and Red grabs the guy in black to yank him back off the stage. Good going, Red!
Same red and green windows as graced many a saloon in the good ol' days.
Artie, don't trip trying to walk and eyeball the dancing girls at the same time.
Hey, did both guys order two beers??
And the girl in green jumps into Red's arms coming off the stage. She must be important, as many times as the camera focuses on her. (I don't recognize her, though she looks familiar.)
Artie's face says he's sure Jim does NOT remember the girl in green. And he's trying to flirt with the girl even as the girl is focused entirely on Jim.
Oh! Jim knew her MOTHER. Yikes! And when Jim says he's gonna be sick and Artie starts laughing, it looks like there's smoke coming out of Artie's ear.
I love the banter after the girl leaves, culminating in 'Two whiskeys!' 'Same for me!'
Oh, but that Gabby is just as cute as a button.
The blonde who gives the barkeep that look - she reminds me of Belladonna.
And Our Heroes sink out of sight...
I notice they're not retaining the previous freeze frame when they go to the second one.
Oh, surely Miguelito Jr's lair is not what can be seen above ground! He has to have something lavish and well-appointed underground!
And yep, there's the entrance in the windmill.
Oh yes, this is much more like it!
J&A recovered quickly during the elevator ride.
Persian rug alert!
Sorry, but the first sight of Paul as Miguelito is not very impressive. And he giggles too much. And says 'come in' too much.
(The guy in the background holding Our Heroes' hats looks a bit like Mason from Casual Killer, as well as a bit like Mickey Golden from many episodes.)
Library! *whimper*
Yeah, the more Jr talks, the less impressive I find him. (He knows nothing of the proper way to monologue, alas, a skill of which his father was a grandmaster!)
Ulcers! Pity we now know that ulcers are caused by bacteria, not by frustration!
Ah, but Jr does have Daddy’s ego, don't he?
Yeah, Jr's a poor substitute for our dear departed Loveless - and what's that with smacking his sister on the bustle? Naughty naughty Jr!
I always did love Shields & Yarnell. (If only one of them had been available to play Tiny in Miguelito's Revenge!)
Paul, don't get mesmerized by your own hand there...
Seriously, Artie? You just watch him set his elbow exactly right and don't move out of the way??
Artie's stunt double gets a work out.
Six hundred dollar people - snerk - that's before inflation, of course.
Artie really doesn't want Alan to dust him off.
Hat guy doesn't know whether to follow or wait where he is.
Paul really yells a lot! Doesn't he know his daddy hated noise?
The cape is really starting to annoy me. Wonder if Syndrome was based on Jr...
Oh my word! Look at that gravestone! So fakey and obviously painted! And are those two small stones intended for Our Heroes?
Love Jim's line about Jr looking in the wrong direction.
Ah yes, the close-up shows that I guessed the names on the small stones correctly.
Because Jr's pretty red cloak will protect him from the fallout of his big blast! (No, I know it was to protect his eyes.)
Artie gapes. Gape, Artie, gape.
Jr is just so melodramatic! And not in a good way.
(Oh hey, isn't that Red West in the background? Hard to tell with that hat on him.)
Mommy didn't? So who was Mommy then? Apparently neither Antoinette nor Belladonna.
Not the needle! (And ew, the way Alan wields it is so very very creepy!)
Jim! That wasn't very nice, dumping the rest of the pitcher over Artie!
So at this point I had to go do something for one of the kids, and decided to take a break. And I got to thinking, puzzling over why Paul William's performance as Miguelito Jr annoys me so. And I think I may have it.
I think it's the approach. Both Paul Williams and Michael Dunn were well-known singers and actors, but Paul is more noted as a comic actor. For many of his roles (including this one here), he was specifically cast because he was a bit short. (I'm thinking of that Burt Reynolds movie - Cannonball Run? Smoky and the Bandit? can't remember which - where Paul was cast alongside the really huge Pat McCormick as a sort of Mutt and Jeff joke.)
Not so with Michael Dunn. He was primarily a dramatic actor; he knew how to handle comedy, but he was a master at playing it straight - the fudge scene from Murderous Spring comes to mind. Yes, it's funny, but he's not being funny. He's being angry and letting the juxtaposition of his smug rant about people as animals followed by his temper tantrum over the missing candy speak for itself. We laugh, not because of Michael’s stature, but because of his humanity as he portrays a man who despises in others what he cannot recognize in himself.
Paul, on the other hand, isn't playing it straight. I keep catching him saying a line, then pausing, his eyes darting around, as if he's waiting for the laughter to die down. (Except with me as the audience, there's no reason to wait, 'cause I'm not laughing.) The word that keeps popping to my mind to describe his style of acting here as Jr is bombastic.
The thing is, I like Paul Williams - always have - and I want to like him here! But Michael Dunn set a very high mark as the one and only Dr Loveless, and Paul just can't compare.
Ok, end of digression; on with the show!
(Oh, wait, one more thing: that's the wrong sort of washstand for use on a moving train - the rocking of the train will quickly cause the basin to slide right over the edge to crash to the floor. The washstand should have a circular cutout for the basin to rest in to keep in properly in place.
And for that matter, what's a washstand doing in the middle of the parlor anyway? It should be tucked away in either a stateroom or a washroom!)
Ok, so now we're back in Washington. Wonder will there be more Skinny Malone jokes?
Outrun a train? Who mentioned that?
Artie has some good points about hallucinations.
Um... I need to check, but I'm fairly certain Pres Cleveland was not yet married in 1885. Like the joke, but I wanna factcheck that one. (And... Pres Cleveland got married to Frances Folsom in June 1886 - a full year after the story takes place.)
Why is Hugo taking notes anyway? Why is Hugo even in the room?
Every time Hugo opens his mouth, I wonder if he's a mole.
Here's a carriage waiting for Our Heroes. Wonder if it's a trap!
'With no interference from anyone!' Cue the interference...
Good heavens, what's with the boob window on Miss Interference's dress???
Make her eat it? And then, whoa! Silencer!
I'm not entirely sure, but it think the fact that Artie just put his hat back on is him subtly saying, 'Lady, you ain't no lady.'
Did the carriage horses just knock that gate open for themselves? Shouldn't some human have opened it for them?
Yay, it's Rene! I've been looking forward to him showing up since I saw his name in the credits. (Oo, spats!)
That laugh he gives after mentioning Queen Victoria's name is like fingernails on a blackboard.
Oh, the dainty way he lifts the skirt of his jacket as he sits back down! And I love the 'simple question' he has for J&A. *snerk*
I like Artie’s snark about being called 'colonials' - and is that perhaps a shoutout to his acting in the musical 1776?
My word, Rene was just asking for what he got, sticking his chin out at Jim like that! (And I was about to ask what does Jim say out of the corner of his mouth at Artie just before he pastes Rene, but I paused to write this just as Our Heroes were making for the windows, so yeah.)
Yikes, that looked painful...
(By the way, love the 70's hairstyles on the men!)
Artie's exit line! *snickering madly*
I really really wanted Penelope to smack Rene for his obnoxious humming of Rule Britannia...
Ah - this is the 'guest room.'
So was Jim slipping his lock pick back into its pocket under his lapel? Can't use it in there?
Betting talk and odds - shoutout to Mr Lucky?
I love Artie's rotten idea to get out - especially when Jim comes out with that line about having been driven nuts by working with Artie all these years, and Artie gets this pugnacious look like he might just smack Jim for that one!
Beautiful beautiful teamwork! Jim grabs the first guy and slams him into a wall, while Artie slams the door into the other guy, leading to that lovely slow fall onto his face!
Followed by 'Thank you' 'You're welcome' as Jim passes Artie his hat.
Now they gotta get out of the building...
Oh, that was wonderful! Artie got the Girl! Ok, briefly - one kiss. But his line about wanting to always remember her as she is now - puzzled. Priceless! (And Jim points her handbag with its special contents at her. *grin*)
Back to the train - glimpse of engineer's sleeve...
Ah, Artie reverse engineering Penelope's gun - I like! Oh, and I love the letter to Skinny! (Hey, was that dude walking in step with Skinny again?)
It's official: I am a charter member of the Wanna Smack Hugo Upside the Head Club!
Awwwww - Artie doesn't seem to like his disguise! (And Jim's reassurances don't seem to be helping either.)
Ok, I was wondering why we kept getting shots of the train going along the tracks...
Hey, the platform door is solid wood, no glazing! *gasp* And there's a plaque on the railing that reads WANDERER 1! *extended squeeing*
Oh goody - it's the Russians! And with a cute little ol' Gatling gun.
Since when does Artie not know Russian! *grumble grumble grumble*
'Ladies first!' Jim, when this is all said and done, if you both survive, I guarantee you: Artie is gonna kill you for that!
(However I think I know now why the door wasn't glazed this time, to avoid the breakage of the glass.)
Oh, thank you so much, Russian Lady. Let's all rub Artie's nose in the disguise he's wearing...
'I don't have it!'
Nice flip of the ashtray...
So I guess we're about to see what Artie made of the table cloth...
Oh boy - the Kid again! And are his wrists healed up now, hmm?
Jim's learned not to waste time with the Kid, nor to trust the whiskey that barkeep pours. But I do get a kick out of what he does with the Kid's guns!
Oh. My. Word! (Well, I'd say more about Artie's incredible disguise, but for the moment it's left me speechless!)
Artie seems to be getting along quite well with Gabby. I wonder does she suspect anything.
Whether or not Ross has the legs for that, he's got some rather beefy upper arms. Just sayin'.
Y'know, at first I thought the watch said the same time both times. But I finally realized (after studying the pics carefully) that the hour and minute hands had switched positions. (I am NOT good with analog watches.)
Nice punch!
I don't know about Jim, but I'm still not convinced he should trust Carmelita. (But if there were different mothers, maybe she is Belladonna's kid. I still think she looks like her.)
If she really believes her brother is gonna blow up the dungeon and she'll be killed, why on earth is she still in town???
Ok ok ok, waaaay too much smoochy face!
Weird girl. Seriously weird.
(I was really afraid Jim would follow her up the stairs!)
I love how Artie whirls through doorways! He did it in Inferno, and now he does it again!
(Speaking of what a night though, they just had an establishing shot showing it's daytime, but when Artie opens the door, it's dark out there.)
I like how Artie slips up his blonde wig like tipping back his hat.
Oh, and it's full dark again. Time goes by so quickly there.
(And suddenly I'm afraid the Kid will pop up again...)
Ah, typical: Artie goes to pick the lock, and Jim finds the door is already open.
The partly-open door lures them down the hall...
Putter around the fringes! Oh-ho-ho... Rene's looking to get his chin clobbered again...
Actually, Penelope just jumped higher on my Do Not Like list than Rene!
I did recognize that bluff they just rode past. (And if Artie's in the lead, it's probably his stunt double, yeah?)
Carmelita - and I think that's Red behind her.
Um... so did Carmelita know to look for the Russians because she heard 1812 Overture playing?
Oh yippie - Spaniards too! Hail, hail, the gang’s all here!
That light signal is mighty showy; hope someone (such as Our Heroes!) notices it.
Ah - guess not.
(Jim's horse just does not like walking slowly. Always has to start prancing sideways when he has to walk.)
Bit of a nasty way to take their hats... (Also Alan’s actions kinda stepped on his boss' lines.)
So when Jr said, 'My father - wherever he is' - did he look up, then down?
Pipsqueak! Hehehehehe! And Artie gets such relish out of saying, 'All of them'!
Powerful pipsqueak!
'I was afraid we'd be way down the list.' 'I was hoping.' *snerk!*
Interesting - this time around, Jr's not nearly so annoying to me. I don't know if he's growing on me, or if he got some acting advice since his earlier scenes.
Taxidermy! Hey, his daddy used to do that! (And I love Artie's reaction, popping his eyes at Jim.)
(Poor Carmelita. She just gets to stand in the background and roll her eyes a lot.)
Oo, Jr tries to stand taller than Sis, and she beats him by standing even taller! (At least he didn't give her a slap on the rump this time!)
Argh! Just what is Carmelita up to?
Oo, Alan speaks!
Not now, Jim? Why not now, Artie?
Hey! Is that Wilfred Brimley?
*cackling madly* And Rene thought Jim hit him hard!
Rene does a great gangly bird, doesn't he?
So, the Russians are already locked up with their tsar, and the Spaniards with their king.
(By the way, why is Queen Victoria wearing her crown in the dungeon?)
By 'putting his mind to it,' does he mean asking J&A to bail them all out? Oh, he wants to ask about the robogirl! And Artie's having trouble not laughing his face off over Jim's answer.
Ah, now he asks about getting out!
Thanks so much, Jim. We all feel so much better now! (I knew there was a freeze frame coming!)
Hmm, approximately 19 minutes left. Just about time for the grand finale.
(It really takes me hours to do a review this way, I might add - which is why I don't get them done very often.)
Tchaikovsky music, Spanish music, Rule Britannia... Oh, Artie's over there chatting with Penelope. And Jim sees a snoring guard. (Tsk, tsk, Jr! Don't you train your guards not to sleep on the job?? Horrors!)
Jim calls to Artie, and you can see (and kinda hear) Artie say 'Excuse me' to Penelope before he comes over. Artie's so polite!
Ha ha ha! A tap on the shoulder, a quiet little shush, then POW! Good ol' Jim!
Not quite sure, but I think the guy who tried and failed to kick Jim before winding up measuring his length on the dungeon floor is the same guy Red tossed across the barroom when he tried to climb onto the stage with the dancing girls.
Oh right - let's stand around inside the dungeon arguing about who goes out first! And arguing LOUDLY! (And Artie isn't helping by letting himself get drawn into the argument.)
Amen, Jim! You are right!
I love that the king of Spain asks Artie '¿Qué dice?' ('What did he say?') and Artie replies with 'Shut up'!
Um... what? Look for the bomb? How about just get out of there, huh?
(Not sure, but I think the king of Spain says a bomb is a very bad thing to have happen.)
The way they keep focusing on everyone's feet walking over that patch of floor, I wonder if the bomb is buried there.
How come they look AT the boxes and not IN the boxes, huh?
Of course! Artie leans on a sconce and opens a secret - yep, secret hole in the floor!
Aw, such a cute little brightly colored bomb! And it gets its own Also Sprach Zarathustra theme! (Oh, and it's anachronistic, having been composed in the 1890's.)
Penelope: Artemus, could this be it?
Me: No, it's a vacuum cleaner. Keep looking!
Oh yeah, let's carry the bomb with us!
(Seriously, I do not understand: why did Jim want to look for the bomb, then take it away with them? My own personal philosophy about bombs may be stated thusly: Get away from them - far far far away!)
Aww, Artie neatly hangs the keys back up in their place again!
Hi, Red! Brought you a present!
Oo, not just an idiot, but a blithering one to boot!
Heh - looks like Artie's got a fangirl there!
Really, Rene? You think Jim's gonna drop everything to shake your hand? Considering what the everything he's currently holding is? (Yep, Her Majesty's assessment was right on the nose!)
All right, a Doctor Who line: I'll explain later!
And... back down the elevator shaft to the underground lair. (Which has me wondering: how did they get up to the top from the dungeon? Is the dungeon a separate hole in the ground?)
No one hears the elevator arriving? Oh, apparently someone did! (Hi, Alan.)
Artie sure looks shocked when Jim tosses him the bomb!
Now that's how you fight the robodude! (Aw, his poor widdle armsie got all borkeded.)
Electronic noises when Artie acts like he's going to throw the bomb against the wall.
We'll be back? As in, we're not taking you with us right now?? Excuse me, Jim, but why aren't you arresting Jr this minute???
Oh, and here's Carmelita: Oh, Jim! Take me with you! Argh...
Um... where's Robogirl? For that matter, where's Hugo?
Ah, given what Carmelita just told them (hope she ain't lyin'), that chest is a great place to drop of the cute lil bomb...
Meanwhile, Jr continues bombasticking. (*ahem* Couldn't resist.)
Uh... Has Jim been wearing the black chaps over the blue pants all this time? I didn't notice till just now. And I still haven't gotten a good look at his gun to see if it's the rattlesnake gun!
Seriously, Jr, don't give yourself a heart attack. (Or, dare I say it, an ulcer!)
Ok, I could have done without the giggle fit...
Nine more minutes approximately - oh, and this segment of the show starts off with a BANG!
So that's what Artie and Penelope have planned: he's going to be her acting manager??
Oh, yay! The Kid's back! And he's got a few bandages yet... (I'm sorry, Kid, but I'm snerking at your pigheaded persistence.)
Artie sighs and takes a seat.
Um... Jim did that fanning trick while still looking at the Kid, didn't he?
Oh, there's a Cold War joke: the Russian agent defecting to the West!
Hugo shows up at last! And where did he get that hat? (Case of a ten-gallon hat on a three-gallon head, I think)
Ah... and where did he find Gabby? (Looking so non-saloon-girl-ish, I might add.)
Little filly! Argh, did he have to say that? Did he have to???
(There was a little door of some sort behind Hugo and Gabby while they were talking to J&A, and the little door kept distracting me, because it seems to be blocked from opening by the stairs. So why was it there?)
Ah! And now Jim comes forth with the theory that's been biting at the back of my head for most of the movie: what if they rescued the replicas and are about to force the real folks out of their proper places? Chilling thought!
Oh... don't tell me Carmelita-in-the-white-dress is about to become Mrs James West the fifth! *facepalm*
Good grief, Penelope's wearing the boob-window dress again!
Well... Carmelita took that a bit calmly... (Seriously though, I really wanted Jim to explain to her about the troop of the Señoras West he already has.)
Yikes, Jim, stop messing with Artie's mind like that!
*snerk* Oh, I'm loving Skinny the IV's lines about the supersecret agency he works for!
They... they have the president's face blobbed out on the wall behind Skinny...
'Sleep well' - yeah, thanks, Skinny - thanks a lot!
It ends, and I'm grinning my face off. I loved it!
Anyway, I got about 15 minutes into the first one, and I was so happy that I thought I should start over and do one of my stream-of-consciousness reviews. And here it is.
Now, I will admit, I was a bit put off by the opening credits, what with the train part coming before the animation with the freeze-frame boxes. The alterations to the theme music were a bit off-putting too. In particular, I thought the various sound effects (starting with the scritch of the match) overpowered the theme music.
Ah, 1885 - Cleveland administration. And the Treasury Dept - good, good. Reasonably accurate.
Oh, here's Harry Morgan! Now, I knew he was in here, but it's still nice to see him. He does a great no-nonsense fire-breathing boss (probably his specialty).
And wait, who's that with him? I wouldn't have recognized him when the show first aired, but that's a face I came to love on Magnum PI - Jeff MacKay! *squee!* (Dunno why he keeps consulting his watch though.)
Guy who comes in from the left looks down at Morgan's feet, then does a little skippity step to get in step with him. *grin*
(Wish my copy had closed captioning!)
Ok, so MacKay is being the out-of-the-loop character to allow for Morgan to recap the problem. And my first thought upon hearing the problem is of Mr Braine-with-an-e.
Ok, the joke about the lengthy name of the traveling show and Morgan's comments thereupon is a bit lame and obvious. Still, I did kind of chuckle. (The guy in the middle positively grinned. He’s a yesman, no doubt!)
Hugo, conversely, is a twit.
Michelito? That's how they spell it??
*squee!* Rene Auberjonois!
Love the beautiful shot of the train!
Oh right - I do remember Shields & Yarnell doing their robot act.
I like the fiesta. The band on the wagon reminds me of TNOT Steel Assassin.
Y'know, except for the band, the streamers, and the kids playing with the piñata, it really doesn't look much like a festive occasion. (Well, one dude is kinda dancing by himself.)
Ah, here's Jim! Hollering at Jesús to stop chasing his sister. (I presume these are both Jim's kids?)
Caterpillar alert! Seriously, why is that thing on Jim's lip? (He's sipping something that's probably supposed to be alcoholic, I guess. He and Artie have a LOT of drinks in the first fifteen minutes.)
I didn't catch the little girl's name. Here's where closed captioning would be my friend. *sigh*
Where did that bunch of banditos come from? Boy, they're annoying! And one of them takes such a big slug straight from his bottle, he falls right off his horse! (He looked a bit like Dick Cangey, I think.)
Jim just watches at first. I guess he's waiting to see if the guys are planning to cause trouble or just join in the fiesta?
The guy with the huge mustache doesn't seem to understand that if the girl is hitting at his arm, that means she doesn't want to dance. Enter Jim to enlighten Mustachio.
Four women! O... k...
Guess Mustachio thought his line about 'borrowing' one of the women for a few minutes was really funny. He thought wrong.
Jim still can fight! The fight is played a bit humorously though, what with the off-key music and the reaction shots of the burro and oxen. Oh well...
Jim gets knocked down, then punched before he can get up again - and he stays down for a bit. But when he kicks the dude's foot and surges back up again - yay, Jim!
(And he punches the dude so hard, he knocks himself down too. Although frankly I think he may have overplayed the fall.)
Goes to soak his head after the fight - and here comes Hugo. Now, I'm very fond of Jeff MacKay as an actor, but he's doing a great job here of playing a character I would cheerfully watch get his comeuppance - sure hope I'm being prophetic there.
What does 'ignorant peasant' have to do with anything? How does Hugo know anything of the fighters' levels of education, not to mention the fact that the ability to fight or not fight also has nothing to do with one's schooling or lack thereunto. (In other words, Hugo's annoying me. Again.)
Jim's reaction is exactly right: Who are you? And Hugo flips his ID out and back again too fast for anyone to see what it really is. City boy dandy telling Jim his business - oy!
Jim's prediction about not getting along with Hugo strikes just the right note too.
Hugo either can't remember the proper way to refer to his uncle, or he just can't resist waving around the fact that his uncle is director of the Secret Service. Twit! (But I do love how flustered Jim makes him!)
Love Jim's laugh about Skinny Malone!
Bring on the short jokes about Miguelito Jr! Well, that's why they hired Paul Williams - another favorite actor of mine.
Jim's mad at Artie. Artie's mad at Jim. Neither remembers why. Plot device?
And yet when Jim accepts the case and Hugo asks if he can speak for Gordon, Jim says Yes he can! Doesn't sound like they're really all that mad at each other.
I really love the bit about reporting to the President, and why J&A shouldn't report to him!
Skinny asked... Uncle Bob asked... Director Malone asked!
Train! *grin*
Oh boo hoo, Hugo doesn't like Jim! What a big huge crying pity!
And off to Kansas City to pick up both Artie and the train. Why, the titles on the playbill for the Deadwood Strolling Players is even longer than Skinny reported it to be!
Artie's listed as a quick change artiste - shades of Watery Death!
'And give up all this!' Yes, let's throw in a punchline for a very old joke!
Jim's still wearing his clothes from Mexico. No offense, but I'd rather be upwind of him by now...
'This IS my dressing room!' *snerk* I saw that one coming!
Why on earth is his pocket handkerchief hanging out of the pocket so very much though?
Oo - piping on Artie's jacket - someone remembered!
Yep, Artie doesn't remember the dirty trick Jim pulled on him; just remembers it was dirty. Cute joke, and saved the writers the trouble of coming up with the actual reason for them to be mad at each other.
I like how Artie is talking to Jim by talking to Jim's reflection in the mirror. Shades of the first Loveless story!
Who on earth is that woman?? Begs Artie for a date, then immediately dumps him for Jim! Ew, ew, ew!
And that's what makes up Artie's mind! *grin*
(His suit and hat here remind me a bit of his Inferno ditto suit and small-brimmed hat.)
Wonder why Artie shines his shoes on the back of his trouser legs as he steps from the stage? Cute touch, but I dunno why he threw that in.
I DO NOT like Mr Deadwood! The man obviously has no taste whatsoever! (Funny, but he looks vaguely like Jack Elam - Slade in Montezuma's Hordes. Also, his delivery is dreadful.)
Was Artie really intending to punch the dude's lights out? I like how Jim stops him with 'That's my department,' then socks the guy right out of the tent.
And Artie is horrified! Only twelve feet?? But never fear, Artie's taking over Jim's training. In one month, Jim will either be in top shape - lovely dramatic pause while Artie waves a hand back and forth - or two weeks dead. (It's the 'two weeks' that makes the line for me!)
The train! Thetrainthetrainthetrainthetrainthetrain!!! I'm so happy!
Jim in his long drawers. (Ah - are some of the training scenes out of order? Jim starts out sans mustache - yay - but a few scenes down the line, he's shaving it off while doing sit-ups. Someone wasn't paying sufficient attention in the editing!) Actually, I would have placed the punching bag workout later anyway, since it would have been funnier after seeing more of Artie's training methods - because by then we'd be wondering if Jim might accidentally miss the bag on purpose...
Oh, one difference between tv shows in the 60's and tv shows in the late 70's: by the 70's, characters were permitted to have belly buttons.
Love Artie's wave of the hand for Jim's to punch the bag some more. (Ross does look like he's feeling those punches, I think.)
Jim's doing pushups while Artie's lounges on the coach, drink in hand?? Artie you little bug! Oo, but the carpet looks right. Sofa too, curtains ditto. Nice job of replicating the varnish car! Applause for the set dressers!
But why does Artie stop Jim and tell him to start over? This is where I need close captioning, because I just cannot make out Artie's words. I do love his huge hand gestures, counting the pushups.
Jumping rope - and again Artie is lounging while Jim works out! (Oo, Artie has those knee-high boots!)
And here at last is the mustache-shaving scene! This should have come first! Love the details such as Artie's foot on Jim's ankles, and the way he droops the mirror between times that Jim needs it.
Oh, and the running scene. Man, the punching bag really really should have come after this scene! Only a best buddy could get away with treating Jim the way Artie does here! (Cracked me up like crazy!) Jim's line about Artie wearing himself out pulling on the cord, and Artie's smile when he says the next four miles are uphill! Oh, those two!
Now, this was the first good look I got at the train Our Heroes are using, and it's not quite the same. The length is about right, but it isn't two cars - varnish and baggage - but instead one long car. I wonder will we get a look at the whole of the interior; so far we've only seen the parlor.
Yay, a freeze frame! Good to see it!
Hidden compartments have not been forgotten: the flip-over statue hiding a gun, the fake fireplace. Wonder is the flip-over table going to make an appearance?
Artie's drinking again. I don't recall Our Heroes drinking much during a case, mostly just in the tags. And wow, those smoking jackets! Gorgeous.
I'm not that fond of Ross with a part in his hair, preferring the pompadours Our Heroes sported during most of the original run. Still, this version of a part is vastly better than anything late in the fourth season. Now, Bob's hair looks pretty nice.
(Forgot to mention, but Ross looks mighty fine still, maybe just a touch heavier; you mostly see the added mileage in his jowls. Oh, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had, er, touched up the color of his hair a bit. As for Bob - he looks great! I must like an older man, because Bob looks much more my kinda guy here than he did in the series.)
Exposition, nicely done, with a shout-out to TNT Terror Stalked the Town.
Love the Skinny Malone joke!
Mmm, picturesque Wagon Gap, with the water tower, cattle chutes, and tiny depot. Doesn't look like there's anything more to the town at first.
Oh, and now Our Heroes exit the train, with Jim in his blue suit and Artie in his mauve cutaway. And their gun belts! And a walking stick in Artie's hand! *sigh* This was the moment the show won my heart.
Here's the rest of the town. Kind of spread out for a western town, but whatever.
(Wonder if Jim's gun has the rattlesnake on it!)
Who's the twit kid?
Artie tries to slip away. Well, I wouldn't want to be in the line of fire of some vengeance-craving kid either!
Yay for Artie! 'I draw with either hand.' Yeah, and Artie smacks the other hand too. The Kid didn't see that coming?? (And anyway, that is one clumsy draw with his left hand! Even I could do better, and I often need three tries to pick up something off the floor.)
Seriously though, who's the Kid's pa??
Oh, that's the story! (So the right guy fought the Kid after all!)
Hey hey hey! Right there while the can-can girls are on the stage - there at one of the tables clapping is none other than Red West! *grin*
Ha, and Red grabs the guy in black to yank him back off the stage. Good going, Red!
Same red and green windows as graced many a saloon in the good ol' days.
Artie, don't trip trying to walk and eyeball the dancing girls at the same time.
Hey, did both guys order two beers??
And the girl in green jumps into Red's arms coming off the stage. She must be important, as many times as the camera focuses on her. (I don't recognize her, though she looks familiar.)
Artie's face says he's sure Jim does NOT remember the girl in green. And he's trying to flirt with the girl even as the girl is focused entirely on Jim.
Oh! Jim knew her MOTHER. Yikes! And when Jim says he's gonna be sick and Artie starts laughing, it looks like there's smoke coming out of Artie's ear.
I love the banter after the girl leaves, culminating in 'Two whiskeys!' 'Same for me!'
Oh, but that Gabby is just as cute as a button.
The blonde who gives the barkeep that look - she reminds me of Belladonna.
And Our Heroes sink out of sight...
I notice they're not retaining the previous freeze frame when they go to the second one.
Oh, surely Miguelito Jr's lair is not what can be seen above ground! He has to have something lavish and well-appointed underground!
And yep, there's the entrance in the windmill.
Oh yes, this is much more like it!
J&A recovered quickly during the elevator ride.
Persian rug alert!
Sorry, but the first sight of Paul as Miguelito is not very impressive. And he giggles too much. And says 'come in' too much.
(The guy in the background holding Our Heroes' hats looks a bit like Mason from Casual Killer, as well as a bit like Mickey Golden from many episodes.)
Library! *whimper*
Yeah, the more Jr talks, the less impressive I find him. (He knows nothing of the proper way to monologue, alas, a skill of which his father was a grandmaster!)
Ulcers! Pity we now know that ulcers are caused by bacteria, not by frustration!
Ah, but Jr does have Daddy’s ego, don't he?
Yeah, Jr's a poor substitute for our dear departed Loveless - and what's that with smacking his sister on the bustle? Naughty naughty Jr!
I always did love Shields & Yarnell. (If only one of them had been available to play Tiny in Miguelito's Revenge!)
Paul, don't get mesmerized by your own hand there...
Seriously, Artie? You just watch him set his elbow exactly right and don't move out of the way??
Artie's stunt double gets a work out.
Six hundred dollar people - snerk - that's before inflation, of course.
Artie really doesn't want Alan to dust him off.
Hat guy doesn't know whether to follow or wait where he is.
Paul really yells a lot! Doesn't he know his daddy hated noise?
The cape is really starting to annoy me. Wonder if Syndrome was based on Jr...
Oh my word! Look at that gravestone! So fakey and obviously painted! And are those two small stones intended for Our Heroes?
Love Jim's line about Jr looking in the wrong direction.
Ah yes, the close-up shows that I guessed the names on the small stones correctly.
Because Jr's pretty red cloak will protect him from the fallout of his big blast! (No, I know it was to protect his eyes.)
Artie gapes. Gape, Artie, gape.
Jr is just so melodramatic! And not in a good way.
(Oh hey, isn't that Red West in the background? Hard to tell with that hat on him.)
Mommy didn't? So who was Mommy then? Apparently neither Antoinette nor Belladonna.
Not the needle! (And ew, the way Alan wields it is so very very creepy!)
Jim! That wasn't very nice, dumping the rest of the pitcher over Artie!
So at this point I had to go do something for one of the kids, and decided to take a break. And I got to thinking, puzzling over why Paul William's performance as Miguelito Jr annoys me so. And I think I may have it.
I think it's the approach. Both Paul Williams and Michael Dunn were well-known singers and actors, but Paul is more noted as a comic actor. For many of his roles (including this one here), he was specifically cast because he was a bit short. (I'm thinking of that Burt Reynolds movie - Cannonball Run? Smoky and the Bandit? can't remember which - where Paul was cast alongside the really huge Pat McCormick as a sort of Mutt and Jeff joke.)
Not so with Michael Dunn. He was primarily a dramatic actor; he knew how to handle comedy, but he was a master at playing it straight - the fudge scene from Murderous Spring comes to mind. Yes, it's funny, but he's not being funny. He's being angry and letting the juxtaposition of his smug rant about people as animals followed by his temper tantrum over the missing candy speak for itself. We laugh, not because of Michael’s stature, but because of his humanity as he portrays a man who despises in others what he cannot recognize in himself.
Paul, on the other hand, isn't playing it straight. I keep catching him saying a line, then pausing, his eyes darting around, as if he's waiting for the laughter to die down. (Except with me as the audience, there's no reason to wait, 'cause I'm not laughing.) The word that keeps popping to my mind to describe his style of acting here as Jr is bombastic.
The thing is, I like Paul Williams - always have - and I want to like him here! But Michael Dunn set a very high mark as the one and only Dr Loveless, and Paul just can't compare.
Ok, end of digression; on with the show!
(Oh, wait, one more thing: that's the wrong sort of washstand for use on a moving train - the rocking of the train will quickly cause the basin to slide right over the edge to crash to the floor. The washstand should have a circular cutout for the basin to rest in to keep in properly in place.
And for that matter, what's a washstand doing in the middle of the parlor anyway? It should be tucked away in either a stateroom or a washroom!)
Ok, so now we're back in Washington. Wonder will there be more Skinny Malone jokes?
Outrun a train? Who mentioned that?
Artie has some good points about hallucinations.
Um... I need to check, but I'm fairly certain Pres Cleveland was not yet married in 1885. Like the joke, but I wanna factcheck that one. (And... Pres Cleveland got married to Frances Folsom in June 1886 - a full year after the story takes place.)
Why is Hugo taking notes anyway? Why is Hugo even in the room?
Every time Hugo opens his mouth, I wonder if he's a mole.
Here's a carriage waiting for Our Heroes. Wonder if it's a trap!
'With no interference from anyone!' Cue the interference...
Good heavens, what's with the boob window on Miss Interference's dress???
Make her eat it? And then, whoa! Silencer!
I'm not entirely sure, but it think the fact that Artie just put his hat back on is him subtly saying, 'Lady, you ain't no lady.'
Did the carriage horses just knock that gate open for themselves? Shouldn't some human have opened it for them?
Yay, it's Rene! I've been looking forward to him showing up since I saw his name in the credits. (Oo, spats!)
That laugh he gives after mentioning Queen Victoria's name is like fingernails on a blackboard.
Oh, the dainty way he lifts the skirt of his jacket as he sits back down! And I love the 'simple question' he has for J&A. *snerk*
I like Artie’s snark about being called 'colonials' - and is that perhaps a shoutout to his acting in the musical 1776?
My word, Rene was just asking for what he got, sticking his chin out at Jim like that! (And I was about to ask what does Jim say out of the corner of his mouth at Artie just before he pastes Rene, but I paused to write this just as Our Heroes were making for the windows, so yeah.)
Yikes, that looked painful...
(By the way, love the 70's hairstyles on the men!)
Artie's exit line! *snickering madly*
I really really wanted Penelope to smack Rene for his obnoxious humming of Rule Britannia...
Ah - this is the 'guest room.'
So was Jim slipping his lock pick back into its pocket under his lapel? Can't use it in there?
Betting talk and odds - shoutout to Mr Lucky?
I love Artie's rotten idea to get out - especially when Jim comes out with that line about having been driven nuts by working with Artie all these years, and Artie gets this pugnacious look like he might just smack Jim for that one!
Beautiful beautiful teamwork! Jim grabs the first guy and slams him into a wall, while Artie slams the door into the other guy, leading to that lovely slow fall onto his face!
Followed by 'Thank you' 'You're welcome' as Jim passes Artie his hat.
Now they gotta get out of the building...
Oh, that was wonderful! Artie got the Girl! Ok, briefly - one kiss. But his line about wanting to always remember her as she is now - puzzled. Priceless! (And Jim points her handbag with its special contents at her. *grin*)
Back to the train - glimpse of engineer's sleeve...
Ah, Artie reverse engineering Penelope's gun - I like! Oh, and I love the letter to Skinny! (Hey, was that dude walking in step with Skinny again?)
It's official: I am a charter member of the Wanna Smack Hugo Upside the Head Club!
Awwwww - Artie doesn't seem to like his disguise! (And Jim's reassurances don't seem to be helping either.)
Ok, I was wondering why we kept getting shots of the train going along the tracks...
Hey, the platform door is solid wood, no glazing! *gasp* And there's a plaque on the railing that reads WANDERER 1! *extended squeeing*
Oh goody - it's the Russians! And with a cute little ol' Gatling gun.
Since when does Artie not know Russian! *grumble grumble grumble*
'Ladies first!' Jim, when this is all said and done, if you both survive, I guarantee you: Artie is gonna kill you for that!
(However I think I know now why the door wasn't glazed this time, to avoid the breakage of the glass.)
Oh, thank you so much, Russian Lady. Let's all rub Artie's nose in the disguise he's wearing...
'I don't have it!'
Nice flip of the ashtray...
So I guess we're about to see what Artie made of the table cloth...
Oh boy - the Kid again! And are his wrists healed up now, hmm?
Jim's learned not to waste time with the Kid, nor to trust the whiskey that barkeep pours. But I do get a kick out of what he does with the Kid's guns!
Oh. My. Word! (Well, I'd say more about Artie's incredible disguise, but for the moment it's left me speechless!)
Artie seems to be getting along quite well with Gabby. I wonder does she suspect anything.
Whether or not Ross has the legs for that, he's got some rather beefy upper arms. Just sayin'.
Y'know, at first I thought the watch said the same time both times. But I finally realized (after studying the pics carefully) that the hour and minute hands had switched positions. (I am NOT good with analog watches.)
Nice punch!
I don't know about Jim, but I'm still not convinced he should trust Carmelita. (But if there were different mothers, maybe she is Belladonna's kid. I still think she looks like her.)
If she really believes her brother is gonna blow up the dungeon and she'll be killed, why on earth is she still in town???
Ok ok ok, waaaay too much smoochy face!
Weird girl. Seriously weird.
(I was really afraid Jim would follow her up the stairs!)
I love how Artie whirls through doorways! He did it in Inferno, and now he does it again!
(Speaking of what a night though, they just had an establishing shot showing it's daytime, but when Artie opens the door, it's dark out there.)
I like how Artie slips up his blonde wig like tipping back his hat.
Oh, and it's full dark again. Time goes by so quickly there.
(And suddenly I'm afraid the Kid will pop up again...)
Ah, typical: Artie goes to pick the lock, and Jim finds the door is already open.
The partly-open door lures them down the hall...
Putter around the fringes! Oh-ho-ho... Rene's looking to get his chin clobbered again...
Actually, Penelope just jumped higher on my Do Not Like list than Rene!
I did recognize that bluff they just rode past. (And if Artie's in the lead, it's probably his stunt double, yeah?)
Carmelita - and I think that's Red behind her.
Um... so did Carmelita know to look for the Russians because she heard 1812 Overture playing?
Oh yippie - Spaniards too! Hail, hail, the gang’s all here!
That light signal is mighty showy; hope someone (such as Our Heroes!) notices it.
Ah - guess not.
(Jim's horse just does not like walking slowly. Always has to start prancing sideways when he has to walk.)
Bit of a nasty way to take their hats... (Also Alan’s actions kinda stepped on his boss' lines.)
So when Jr said, 'My father - wherever he is' - did he look up, then down?
Pipsqueak! Hehehehehe! And Artie gets such relish out of saying, 'All of them'!
Powerful pipsqueak!
'I was afraid we'd be way down the list.' 'I was hoping.' *snerk!*
Interesting - this time around, Jr's not nearly so annoying to me. I don't know if he's growing on me, or if he got some acting advice since his earlier scenes.
Taxidermy! Hey, his daddy used to do that! (And I love Artie's reaction, popping his eyes at Jim.)
(Poor Carmelita. She just gets to stand in the background and roll her eyes a lot.)
Oo, Jr tries to stand taller than Sis, and she beats him by standing even taller! (At least he didn't give her a slap on the rump this time!)
Argh! Just what is Carmelita up to?
Oo, Alan speaks!
Not now, Jim? Why not now, Artie?
Hey! Is that Wilfred Brimley?
*cackling madly* And Rene thought Jim hit him hard!
Rene does a great gangly bird, doesn't he?
So, the Russians are already locked up with their tsar, and the Spaniards with their king.
(By the way, why is Queen Victoria wearing her crown in the dungeon?)
By 'putting his mind to it,' does he mean asking J&A to bail them all out? Oh, he wants to ask about the robogirl! And Artie's having trouble not laughing his face off over Jim's answer.
Ah, now he asks about getting out!
Thanks so much, Jim. We all feel so much better now! (I knew there was a freeze frame coming!)
Hmm, approximately 19 minutes left. Just about time for the grand finale.
(It really takes me hours to do a review this way, I might add - which is why I don't get them done very often.)
Tchaikovsky music, Spanish music, Rule Britannia... Oh, Artie's over there chatting with Penelope. And Jim sees a snoring guard. (Tsk, tsk, Jr! Don't you train your guards not to sleep on the job?? Horrors!)
Jim calls to Artie, and you can see (and kinda hear) Artie say 'Excuse me' to Penelope before he comes over. Artie's so polite!
Ha ha ha! A tap on the shoulder, a quiet little shush, then POW! Good ol' Jim!
Not quite sure, but I think the guy who tried and failed to kick Jim before winding up measuring his length on the dungeon floor is the same guy Red tossed across the barroom when he tried to climb onto the stage with the dancing girls.
Oh right - let's stand around inside the dungeon arguing about who goes out first! And arguing LOUDLY! (And Artie isn't helping by letting himself get drawn into the argument.)
Amen, Jim! You are right!
I love that the king of Spain asks Artie '¿Qué dice?' ('What did he say?') and Artie replies with 'Shut up'!
Um... what? Look for the bomb? How about just get out of there, huh?
(Not sure, but I think the king of Spain says a bomb is a very bad thing to have happen.)
The way they keep focusing on everyone's feet walking over that patch of floor, I wonder if the bomb is buried there.
How come they look AT the boxes and not IN the boxes, huh?
Of course! Artie leans on a sconce and opens a secret - yep, secret hole in the floor!
Aw, such a cute little brightly colored bomb! And it gets its own Also Sprach Zarathustra theme! (Oh, and it's anachronistic, having been composed in the 1890's.)
Penelope: Artemus, could this be it?
Me: No, it's a vacuum cleaner. Keep looking!
Oh yeah, let's carry the bomb with us!
(Seriously, I do not understand: why did Jim want to look for the bomb, then take it away with them? My own personal philosophy about bombs may be stated thusly: Get away from them - far far far away!)
Aww, Artie neatly hangs the keys back up in their place again!
Hi, Red! Brought you a present!
Oo, not just an idiot, but a blithering one to boot!
Heh - looks like Artie's got a fangirl there!
Really, Rene? You think Jim's gonna drop everything to shake your hand? Considering what the everything he's currently holding is? (Yep, Her Majesty's assessment was right on the nose!)
All right, a Doctor Who line: I'll explain later!
And... back down the elevator shaft to the underground lair. (Which has me wondering: how did they get up to the top from the dungeon? Is the dungeon a separate hole in the ground?)
No one hears the elevator arriving? Oh, apparently someone did! (Hi, Alan.)
Artie sure looks shocked when Jim tosses him the bomb!
Now that's how you fight the robodude! (Aw, his poor widdle armsie got all borkeded.)
Electronic noises when Artie acts like he's going to throw the bomb against the wall.
We'll be back? As in, we're not taking you with us right now?? Excuse me, Jim, but why aren't you arresting Jr this minute???
Oh, and here's Carmelita: Oh, Jim! Take me with you! Argh...
Um... where's Robogirl? For that matter, where's Hugo?
Ah, given what Carmelita just told them (hope she ain't lyin'), that chest is a great place to drop of the cute lil bomb...
Meanwhile, Jr continues bombasticking. (*ahem* Couldn't resist.)
Uh... Has Jim been wearing the black chaps over the blue pants all this time? I didn't notice till just now. And I still haven't gotten a good look at his gun to see if it's the rattlesnake gun!
Seriously, Jr, don't give yourself a heart attack. (Or, dare I say it, an ulcer!)
Ok, I could have done without the giggle fit...
Nine more minutes approximately - oh, and this segment of the show starts off with a BANG!
So that's what Artie and Penelope have planned: he's going to be her acting manager??
Oh, yay! The Kid's back! And he's got a few bandages yet... (I'm sorry, Kid, but I'm snerking at your pigheaded persistence.)
Artie sighs and takes a seat.
Um... Jim did that fanning trick while still looking at the Kid, didn't he?
Oh, there's a Cold War joke: the Russian agent defecting to the West!
Hugo shows up at last! And where did he get that hat? (Case of a ten-gallon hat on a three-gallon head, I think)
Ah... and where did he find Gabby? (Looking so non-saloon-girl-ish, I might add.)
Little filly! Argh, did he have to say that? Did he have to???
(There was a little door of some sort behind Hugo and Gabby while they were talking to J&A, and the little door kept distracting me, because it seems to be blocked from opening by the stairs. So why was it there?)
Ah! And now Jim comes forth with the theory that's been biting at the back of my head for most of the movie: what if they rescued the replicas and are about to force the real folks out of their proper places? Chilling thought!
Oh... don't tell me Carmelita-in-the-white-dress is about to become Mrs James West the fifth! *facepalm*
Good grief, Penelope's wearing the boob-window dress again!
Well... Carmelita took that a bit calmly... (Seriously though, I really wanted Jim to explain to her about the troop of the Señoras West he already has.)
Yikes, Jim, stop messing with Artie's mind like that!
*snerk* Oh, I'm loving Skinny the IV's lines about the supersecret agency he works for!
They... they have the president's face blobbed out on the wall behind Skinny...
'Sleep well' - yeah, thanks, Skinny - thanks a lot!
It ends, and I'm grinning my face off. I loved it!