Post by Chiyo on Aug 25, 2014 0:20:54 GMT -5
I noticed this is how others tend to respond so I hope this way is alright. If not please let me know. So okay, here are a few comments for Zimmerman. I will probably make more of my own comments later.
Awww, you are so lucky to be sharing time with your parents Zimmerman. I was never that fortunate.
"The Night of the Inferno" was probably one of the most expensive TV pilots ever produced following David Dortort's "Bonanza" and all of the great elements that would make this series great are slowly beginning to blossom here.
James Gregory was great as the first President Grant, but I do think that Roy Engel really made him belivable and realistic. It is kind of surprising that some of his opening lines of dialoogue to Mr. West could pertain to this day and age: "This nation is in a pot of trouble--Inflation eating the South alive. Washington. Washington crawiling with carpetbaggers, jackals just garnering for the kill, and now.....new trouble."
I liked Roy Engel as Grant for the same reasons you gave.
Nehemiah Persoff is good as the faux-Juan Manolo, but my personal favorite performance from him would be his guest-shot in TNOT Underground Terror. He plays the faux-Manolo with Wreckless, ruthless abandon and passion and really gets into the character. In the table scene, he gets to show off his sly playfulness in his conquest for the world.
Excellent observations Zimmerman! I did enjoy his fake Manolo very much.
The chemistry between Jim and Artie is very much in effect in this pilot episode, as Gilbert Ralston's script gave them some great lines to sink their teeth into. My favorite scene with the two of them together is when Artie is quietly calling out Jim's name and James surprises him with a sneak attack, right in his face, causing him to let out the zinger question "You like this kind of work?" It is in this scene that we get the first glimpse of their comeraderie and their friendship for each other that would be a recuriing theme throughout the series.
Yeah, I had a good chuckle at that scene! Even in the first episode we see their "camaraderie", chemistry which ever, it is very apparent right away almost like they have worked together before this assignment. I wonder at this point how long they have been working together if this is true the way you are led to believe or it is insinuated that they have worked together before. Can you imagine the story telling fodder for you guys and gals?!!
We get a little bit of James' history when he says "I am a trained Calvary officer with ten years of top experience."
Do we have a date for the Inferno episode? Wouldn't Jim be kinda young being an officer during the Civil War? Also doesn't one need to have a university degree to be an officer? That would be remarkable if Jim was able to accomplish all that at a very young age. He's awesome!
Suzanne Pleshette, later better-known as Emily Hartley on "The Bob Newhart Show" plays a female villian in this episode that is truly multi-faceted. She comes off as kind of ditzy in her first few scenes, but, in time, really shows off her true colors. She also has one of the best lines in the whole ep when James is planning to blow up her house: "By some unhappy coincidence, every time I run into you, I lose something. First its money, now its the only house I ever owned."
Suzanne Pleshette was really good. I liked her character. Now there was chemistry between her and Jim.
Victor Buono is interesting as Wing Fat, a.k.a. the REAL Juan Manolo, wearing what looks like is an outfit made from an afhgahn, predating Micky Dolenz's table cloth outfit by a couple of years. Jim suspects right away that something is awry when he comments to "Wing Fat", "You are the biggest Chinese I've ever seen." To which Manolo charmingly responds with "We are an extremely versitile race." I am not sure if James bought that or not.
Victor Buono was excellent in this episode.
Not much for Artie to do in the disguise department in this "First draw", but his opening scenes as the goofy prisioner as West comes in undercover are very funny and believable. Plus the charming handsome, dashing debonair dandy personality that us Artie fans have come to know and love is very much in exsistence. Love the scene when he comes on the train for the first time and rubs it in James' face, with his hangman's noose gesture.
ha! Artie was great! Loved it! Artie keeping an eye on his partner and making a lot of fun out of his funny scene. One of my favorites. He was also a Mexican peasant and what looked like a traveling salesman so that make 3 disguises.
Really enjoy the scene where James prepares for his mission. That was very important in conveying the overall flavor of the series.
Yup, yup yup!! I have to agree with you Zimmerman. I too really enjoyed James prepping for battle. Beautiful touch to the show.
This is one of the few times that we causally have the bad guys find James' secret stash of weapons and guns!
Probably one of the best compliments James ever got from a villan is with Manolo in this particular episode, telling Jim that he has "Considerable Style"
Manolo respected his enemy. .
Overall, a great introduction to one of the most unique television shows ever produced, but the best was truly yet to come.
I agree Zimmerman and it looks like other agree with you too. And.....what a great review. Thank you so much for this. It is so nice to see how other think and see each episode. Thanks for putting in the time and how you know so much details just blows my mind but very good job Zimmerman. I see others liked your review also. This is my first one, I will be reading all of your reviews.......in time. Please, keep up the good work you do Zimmerman!
8 out of 10 from me.
I'm still thinking.
By the way seems there are some screen captures missing that I would have liked to see what happened to them? I'm I allowed to add screen captures to your thread Zimmerman or is this Elsordo's thread? I just would like to know so I don't step on anyone's toes or break any rules I don't know about like I seem to have done earlier. I'd appreciate anyone's feedback please and thanks in advance.
This episode will always hold a special place in my heart because it is the first WWW episdoe I ever watched. It was a Friday night in March of 2007. We had just finished watching the bonus episode of the last disc of a "Murder, She Wrote" season, when my parents finally plunged into the first season discs that I had gotten from them through the libarary. Little did I know, as I watched this pilot, that I would discover a great series that would become an intergral part of my life.
Awww, you are so lucky to be sharing time with your parents Zimmerman. I was never that fortunate.
"The Night of the Inferno" was probably one of the most expensive TV pilots ever produced following David Dortort's "Bonanza" and all of the great elements that would make this series great are slowly beginning to blossom here.
James Gregory was great as the first President Grant, but I do think that Roy Engel really made him belivable and realistic. It is kind of surprising that some of his opening lines of dialoogue to Mr. West could pertain to this day and age: "This nation is in a pot of trouble--Inflation eating the South alive. Washington. Washington crawiling with carpetbaggers, jackals just garnering for the kill, and now.....new trouble."
I liked Roy Engel as Grant for the same reasons you gave.
Nehemiah Persoff is good as the faux-Juan Manolo, but my personal favorite performance from him would be his guest-shot in TNOT Underground Terror. He plays the faux-Manolo with Wreckless, ruthless abandon and passion and really gets into the character. In the table scene, he gets to show off his sly playfulness in his conquest for the world.
Excellent observations Zimmerman! I did enjoy his fake Manolo very much.
The chemistry between Jim and Artie is very much in effect in this pilot episode, as Gilbert Ralston's script gave them some great lines to sink their teeth into. My favorite scene with the two of them together is when Artie is quietly calling out Jim's name and James surprises him with a sneak attack, right in his face, causing him to let out the zinger question "You like this kind of work?" It is in this scene that we get the first glimpse of their comeraderie and their friendship for each other that would be a recuriing theme throughout the series.
Yeah, I had a good chuckle at that scene! Even in the first episode we see their "camaraderie", chemistry which ever, it is very apparent right away almost like they have worked together before this assignment. I wonder at this point how long they have been working together if this is true the way you are led to believe or it is insinuated that they have worked together before. Can you imagine the story telling fodder for you guys and gals?!!
We get a little bit of James' history when he says "I am a trained Calvary officer with ten years of top experience."
Do we have a date for the Inferno episode? Wouldn't Jim be kinda young being an officer during the Civil War? Also doesn't one need to have a university degree to be an officer? That would be remarkable if Jim was able to accomplish all that at a very young age. He's awesome!
Suzanne Pleshette, later better-known as Emily Hartley on "The Bob Newhart Show" plays a female villian in this episode that is truly multi-faceted. She comes off as kind of ditzy in her first few scenes, but, in time, really shows off her true colors. She also has one of the best lines in the whole ep when James is planning to blow up her house: "By some unhappy coincidence, every time I run into you, I lose something. First its money, now its the only house I ever owned."
Suzanne Pleshette was really good. I liked her character. Now there was chemistry between her and Jim.
Victor Buono is interesting as Wing Fat, a.k.a. the REAL Juan Manolo, wearing what looks like is an outfit made from an afhgahn, predating Micky Dolenz's table cloth outfit by a couple of years. Jim suspects right away that something is awry when he comments to "Wing Fat", "You are the biggest Chinese I've ever seen." To which Manolo charmingly responds with "We are an extremely versitile race." I am not sure if James bought that or not.
Victor Buono was excellent in this episode.
Not much for Artie to do in the disguise department in this "First draw", but his opening scenes as the goofy prisioner as West comes in undercover are very funny and believable. Plus the charming handsome, dashing debonair dandy personality that us Artie fans have come to know and love is very much in exsistence. Love the scene when he comes on the train for the first time and rubs it in James' face, with his hangman's noose gesture.
ha! Artie was great! Loved it! Artie keeping an eye on his partner and making a lot of fun out of his funny scene. One of my favorites. He was also a Mexican peasant and what looked like a traveling salesman so that make 3 disguises.
Really enjoy the scene where James prepares for his mission. That was very important in conveying the overall flavor of the series.
Yup, yup yup!! I have to agree with you Zimmerman. I too really enjoyed James prepping for battle. Beautiful touch to the show.
This is one of the few times that we causally have the bad guys find James' secret stash of weapons and guns!
Probably one of the best compliments James ever got from a villan is with Manolo in this particular episode, telling Jim that he has "Considerable Style"
Manolo respected his enemy. .
Overall, a great introduction to one of the most unique television shows ever produced, but the best was truly yet to come.
I agree Zimmerman and it looks like other agree with you too. And.....what a great review. Thank you so much for this. It is so nice to see how other think and see each episode. Thanks for putting in the time and how you know so much details just blows my mind but very good job Zimmerman. I see others liked your review also. This is my first one, I will be reading all of your reviews.......in time. Please, keep up the good work you do Zimmerman!
8 out of 10 from me.
I'm still thinking.
By the way seems there are some screen captures missing that I would have liked to see what happened to them? I'm I allowed to add screen captures to your thread Zimmerman or is this Elsordo's thread? I just would like to know so I don't step on anyone's toes or break any rules I don't know about like I seem to have done earlier. I'd appreciate anyone's feedback please and thanks in advance.