Post by zimmerman on Jul 2, 2013 17:04:47 GMT -5
TNOT Casual Killer was probably my first favorite episode of the series when I was watching it with my parents. It is a good, funny episode with plenty of wit, a dignified villan, an interesting lady that you either love or hate ;D, a very good storyline, Artie briefly getting back into the limelight of the bright lights of the stage, and showing off his musical talents on the viloin ! I think it was the music aspect that really turned me into the Artie fan that I am today.
John Dehner does a marvelous job here portraying John Maxwell Avery. He is one of the more dignified, sophisticated villans our fair duo has to deal with, but his henchmen are truly a mixed bag: Some supporting his causes, others seeming to be "Along for the ride. He even has his own private hunting ground , yet he slowly convinces the Marshalls to join him in his daring scheme. Yet, as Red suggested in her review, both Mr. Avery and his men do not seem to approve of Artie's Shakesperian moment , yet he is so dignified in the end when he decides the rolling cell. It is not very often that you get a villan who also happens to be a gentleman on WWW, but you certainly get it with Mr. Avery in this particular episode.
Ruta Lee, a very fine actress, does a wonderful job portraying Laurie Morgan, a singer from San Francisco. She only comes off as ditzy toward the very end of the episode; for the most part, she is a very nice lady who wants to do all she can to get delivered from Mr. Avery and his men. Plus, she is one of the few women in the series to ever turn down a request from James T. West ! Love how Artie rubs it in as he says, "James my boy, you just can't win them all" as he grins and plays Annie Laurie on the violin: great tag in the entire series.
Speaking of Artie, this is one of his very best episodes. As I mentioned earlier, we find out that he has musical talent by playing "Chopin's Nocturne in E-Flat, gentlemen, and beautifully executed" in addition to the aforementioned Annie Laurie.
Plus, he is back on the stage after James subtly ropes him back in. He probably subtly grinned when James introduced him "Direct from a triumphant tour before the crown heads of Europe." If President Grant had not recruited him for the Secret Service, he probably would have done a similar acting tour. Even though he was subtly coerced by Jim into doing this, Artie loves having the attention: "Oh what it feels like to get back on a stage. Just listen to that." Also, his drunken performance in front of Dub Taylor's cornpone guard is another wonderful highlight of this particular program. We also find out that "The name of Artemus Gordon is sheer magic in Chicago Theatrical circles. It can open doors."
This is another one of the Season 1 episodes where James goes undercover. The name of Conroy Whitney could be a subtle reference to his real name, Conrad Robert Falk. Avery's men did not deserve to act like kid bullies in front of West's prescence, messing up James nice black hat like that : At least those gentlemen got what they deserved ;D. And, by all counts, James West is not a showman! Listen to the way that he pronounces "Abracadabra" in that monotonous voice tone of his as he entertains Avery and his men. Most magicians turn their shows into a true performance, as they would encounter in later episodes with villans like Count Manezeppi (Victor Buno). Plus, it is refreshing to see West NOT get the girl for a change !
This is another episode in the Tennyson Trilogy, and he has even less to do than he did on "Double-Edged Knife": Escort the soldiers inside and let them know of the trains exploits. Just two scenes, but very tastefully done. He does seem a little out of place in this Jim & Artie-heavy episode, though .
Did you notice that Avery's headquarters looks exactly like the barracks of General Grimm in TNOT Red-Eyed Madmen ?
When this episode was made, little did anyone know that years later, there would be a motivational speaker named John Maxwell and a country singer named Lorrie Morgan ;D.
Still, a wonderful, outstanding, very entertaining episode
10 out of 10 from me.
John Dehner does a marvelous job here portraying John Maxwell Avery. He is one of the more dignified, sophisticated villans our fair duo has to deal with, but his henchmen are truly a mixed bag: Some supporting his causes, others seeming to be "Along for the ride. He even has his own private hunting ground , yet he slowly convinces the Marshalls to join him in his daring scheme. Yet, as Red suggested in her review, both Mr. Avery and his men do not seem to approve of Artie's Shakesperian moment , yet he is so dignified in the end when he decides the rolling cell. It is not very often that you get a villan who also happens to be a gentleman on WWW, but you certainly get it with Mr. Avery in this particular episode.
Ruta Lee, a very fine actress, does a wonderful job portraying Laurie Morgan, a singer from San Francisco. She only comes off as ditzy toward the very end of the episode; for the most part, she is a very nice lady who wants to do all she can to get delivered from Mr. Avery and his men. Plus, she is one of the few women in the series to ever turn down a request from James T. West ! Love how Artie rubs it in as he says, "James my boy, you just can't win them all" as he grins and plays Annie Laurie on the violin: great tag in the entire series.
Speaking of Artie, this is one of his very best episodes. As I mentioned earlier, we find out that he has musical talent by playing "Chopin's Nocturne in E-Flat, gentlemen, and beautifully executed" in addition to the aforementioned Annie Laurie.
Plus, he is back on the stage after James subtly ropes him back in. He probably subtly grinned when James introduced him "Direct from a triumphant tour before the crown heads of Europe." If President Grant had not recruited him for the Secret Service, he probably would have done a similar acting tour. Even though he was subtly coerced by Jim into doing this, Artie loves having the attention: "Oh what it feels like to get back on a stage. Just listen to that." Also, his drunken performance in front of Dub Taylor's cornpone guard is another wonderful highlight of this particular program. We also find out that "The name of Artemus Gordon is sheer magic in Chicago Theatrical circles. It can open doors."
This is another one of the Season 1 episodes where James goes undercover. The name of Conroy Whitney could be a subtle reference to his real name, Conrad Robert Falk. Avery's men did not deserve to act like kid bullies in front of West's prescence, messing up James nice black hat like that : At least those gentlemen got what they deserved ;D. And, by all counts, James West is not a showman! Listen to the way that he pronounces "Abracadabra" in that monotonous voice tone of his as he entertains Avery and his men. Most magicians turn their shows into a true performance, as they would encounter in later episodes with villans like Count Manezeppi (Victor Buno). Plus, it is refreshing to see West NOT get the girl for a change !
This is another episode in the Tennyson Trilogy, and he has even less to do than he did on "Double-Edged Knife": Escort the soldiers inside and let them know of the trains exploits. Just two scenes, but very tastefully done. He does seem a little out of place in this Jim & Artie-heavy episode, though .
Did you notice that Avery's headquarters looks exactly like the barracks of General Grimm in TNOT Red-Eyed Madmen ?
When this episode was made, little did anyone know that years later, there would be a motivational speaker named John Maxwell and a country singer named Lorrie Morgan ;D.
Still, a wonderful, outstanding, very entertaining episode
10 out of 10 from me.