Private West vs. General Grimm
Jul 9, 2013 15:51:13 GMT -5
Mojave Mike, Lone Rider, and 1 more like this
Post by zimmerman on Jul 9, 2013 15:51:13 GMT -5
"The Night of the Red-Eyed Madman" is another one of those great action-packed tales from the multi-producer, multi-format first season when they were trying anything to make the series work. This one comes from the Fred Freiberger-produced era of the series, who went on to produce the ABC Western "Iron Horse" in the second year and got creamed in the ratings following Lawrence Welk!!
This particular episode has James initially going undercover to save the fiancee of a senators daughter. When it turns out that James saved him too late, causing him to get killed from all of that extensive torture from General Grimm, the focus turns to stopping General Grimm's rein of terror, wherein he wants to control the southwestern part of the United States Army, with only a handful of men, kind of like a rogue Gideon from the Biblical book of Judges, and is a war visionary, wherein he finds females are equally as capable as serving in the military as the men. It probably was not until World War Two came along that that finally became a reality.
The opening fight, wherein James quickly fights off quite a few thugs in the elevator, is great, with a much faster pace than some fights in the programs later seasons. We get a great quote from Jim afterwards when he meets the daughter for the first time--"For the first time in my life, It's a pleasure to hear a woman scream."
In Sgt. Musk, James has one of the harder ladies to woo over with his charming personality. It is not until the middle of the program that she trusts him to help rescue the prisoner--only to have him killed and her confidence shattered when General Grimm catches Jim and Artie going over paperwork. She also one of the most truthful lines in the whole ep: "You lied--that hurts worse than the truth."
Poor Jim! He has wheedle his way out of not one, but TWO executions--the first with Artie's exploding tobacco, and the second in the training ring with General Grimm, who met his match with the knife in the wall abruptly stabbed in the back. Interesting that he was accused of the crime of Espionage!!
Speaking of General Grimm, Martin Landau does a great job portraying this rogue military commander, who tries to hang people just for fun in the barracks! For him, it is all about the power, prestige, and respect. He says so when he talks to Jim outside the cantina: "My doctrine is quite simple. Stradegy and tactics are nonsense. All that really matters is the superority of soldier over soldier in close plausible combat with the elemant of surprise."
Even though this is mostly James' show early on, Artie manages to steal the show with his dialogue and disguise as "Colonel Cross", plus gets the chance to point the twin revolvers at George, and shows off his vulnerable tough side, really showing off the versitility of Ross Martin's acting ability. He also has got a great quote in the first act when the Wanderer arrives in Mars, Nevada: "Sun, Sand, cactus, Gila Monsters and rattlesnakes--Ideal place for a honeymoon." I also like the voice inflections he places as "Cross" when he says the line "As soldier for the TRUTH. but at the moment without a leader." Plus, as "Colonel Cross", Artie gets to fraternize with the enlisted ladies!
I still cringe whenever Jim throws that axe at Artie. Talk about close!
Overall, this is a good episode to watch after the end of a very long day. The action is a little-slower-paced, yet the script is very well wriiten, keeping you involved to the end.
Oh , and did you notice the name of the Associate producer in this episode? Richard Landau!!
Martin must have learned a few tricks from the master when he went to play Rollin Hand on "Mission: Impossible", a show that made ours looked like first grade, and, in the later seasons, was produced by our own Bruce Lansbury.
Overall, good episode. 8 out of 10 from me.
This particular episode has James initially going undercover to save the fiancee of a senators daughter. When it turns out that James saved him too late, causing him to get killed from all of that extensive torture from General Grimm, the focus turns to stopping General Grimm's rein of terror, wherein he wants to control the southwestern part of the United States Army, with only a handful of men, kind of like a rogue Gideon from the Biblical book of Judges, and is a war visionary, wherein he finds females are equally as capable as serving in the military as the men. It probably was not until World War Two came along that that finally became a reality.
The opening fight, wherein James quickly fights off quite a few thugs in the elevator, is great, with a much faster pace than some fights in the programs later seasons. We get a great quote from Jim afterwards when he meets the daughter for the first time--"For the first time in my life, It's a pleasure to hear a woman scream."
In Sgt. Musk, James has one of the harder ladies to woo over with his charming personality. It is not until the middle of the program that she trusts him to help rescue the prisoner--only to have him killed and her confidence shattered when General Grimm catches Jim and Artie going over paperwork. She also one of the most truthful lines in the whole ep: "You lied--that hurts worse than the truth."
Poor Jim! He has wheedle his way out of not one, but TWO executions--the first with Artie's exploding tobacco, and the second in the training ring with General Grimm, who met his match with the knife in the wall abruptly stabbed in the back. Interesting that he was accused of the crime of Espionage!!
Speaking of General Grimm, Martin Landau does a great job portraying this rogue military commander, who tries to hang people just for fun in the barracks! For him, it is all about the power, prestige, and respect. He says so when he talks to Jim outside the cantina: "My doctrine is quite simple. Stradegy and tactics are nonsense. All that really matters is the superority of soldier over soldier in close plausible combat with the elemant of surprise."
Even though this is mostly James' show early on, Artie manages to steal the show with his dialogue and disguise as "Colonel Cross", plus gets the chance to point the twin revolvers at George, and shows off his vulnerable tough side, really showing off the versitility of Ross Martin's acting ability. He also has got a great quote in the first act when the Wanderer arrives in Mars, Nevada: "Sun, Sand, cactus, Gila Monsters and rattlesnakes--Ideal place for a honeymoon." I also like the voice inflections he places as "Cross" when he says the line "As soldier for the TRUTH. but at the moment without a leader." Plus, as "Colonel Cross", Artie gets to fraternize with the enlisted ladies!
I still cringe whenever Jim throws that axe at Artie. Talk about close!
Overall, this is a good episode to watch after the end of a very long day. The action is a little-slower-paced, yet the script is very well wriiten, keeping you involved to the end.
Oh , and did you notice the name of the Associate producer in this episode? Richard Landau!!
Martin must have learned a few tricks from the master when he went to play Rollin Hand on "Mission: Impossible", a show that made ours looked like first grade, and, in the later seasons, was produced by our own Bruce Lansbury.
Overall, good episode. 8 out of 10 from me.