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Subject: Re: tv series reviews


Author:
Susan
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Date Posted: 10:27:35 06/13/01 Wed
In reply to: jab 's message, "tv series reviews" on 15:59:59 06/04/01 Mon

Hi, Jab. I'm curious about everyone else's reviews of the episodes too. I've been wanting to pick a favorite and least favorite episode to round out my review, but it'll take me a little time to sit down and try to find the ones I have in mind.

That scene in the Eviction with Purity is one of my favorites--that look on his face when he's comforting her, then realizes what he's just said, is so comical--it's priceless. (Yep, I've watched that one a few times!)

Off the top of my head, I think it was Ship o' the Dead that I thought had one of the best written stories--but I'm not sure of that. Another one really sticks out in my mind as being the worst of the series, but I can't remember the title, and I've blocked out most of the details. It involved a guy disguising himself as a woman by wearing a dress and covering his face with a veil--only to have one of his pursuers him fall in love with him thinking that he's really a woman, even though it's still blatantly obvious to the audience that he's a guy ... IMHO the all-time dumbest (and most overused) comedy device in the book! Anyone happen to know which episode that was?

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Replies:
[> [> Subject: Re: tv series reviews


Author:
Cinéphilia
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Date Posted: 18:06:00 06/13/01 Wed

> Another one really sticks out in my mind as being the
> worst of the series...

IMHO the three worst episodes of the series were reunited in the LJS movie.

The LJS scriptwriters were not exactly geniuses but most of the episodes are entertaining anyway if you don't think too much while watching them. And with hams like RN and Connie Gilchrist around, who could ever get 100% bored?

> It involved a guy disguising himself as a woman by
> wearing a dress and covering his face with a veil--only
> to have one of his pursuers him fall in love with him
> thinking that he's really a woman, even though it's still > blatantly obvious to the audience that he's a guy ...

At least the guy wasn't LJS! Although it would have been a great addition to my Actors Three tape! BTW, are you sure that scene wasn't really on the AT video with that French actor I'm making you so sick of? Did the guy in the LJS episode defend himself with a pineapple too?

Really, I don't remember seeing that scene in a LJS episode... My memory is slowly rotting away...

> IMHO the all-time dumbest (and most overused) comedy
> device in the book!

Mmmmmm... Does it mean that you're not a fan of "Some Like it Hot", "Tootsie", "The Birdcage"...

If it's not the dumbest, it's one of the most overused. I saw Louis de Funès do it just yesterday.

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[> [> [> Subject: Gender benders


Author:
Susan
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Date Posted: 13:41:46 06/14/01 Thu

> IMHO the three worst episodes of the series were reunited
> in the LJS movie.

Actually, I get the impression it's the other way around--the episodes were created by dividing up the movie. But I'd love to know for sure. (I should adjust the wording a little in my review.)

> Mmmmmm... Does it mean that you're not a fan of "Some Like
> it Hot", "Tootsie", "The Birdcage"...

Not necessarily. I didn't mean the general concept of a person disguising him/herself as the opposite sex, necessarily. I suppose it could be believable if it's done well. What I meant was a very *poor* disguise that everyone on screen believes--yet is totally transparent to the audience. No real person would ever be fooled by it, especially in person! For example, when you can see the guy's mustache or he's speaking in an unnatural falsetto. And if his face is so covered up that you can't tell he's a man, how could this other person fall in love with him at first sight?!

(Reminds me of another of my favorite "this would never happen in real life" TV devices: Three people are in a room. One starts "whispering" to another, but they manage to dupe the third person who, for some reason can't hear them even though we can hear them loud and clear--in fact, Person #3 doesn't even realize they're whispering at all! I've got a really funny list of those somewhere I should share!)

Actually, I haven't seen the other films you mentioned, but I'm not totally sure I'd have been fooled by Dustin Hoffman in real life either. I didn't find Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari at all convincing as women in Bosom Buddies, which was based on Some Like It Hot. Hard to imagine Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis were any more convincing! I guess I'm just too good at spotting female impersonators--although I have seen a few in real life who I didn't notice were men till I got close. But those are usually people who actually *live* the part, not actors who do it *once* for a movie.

I wonder if women are better at spotting a fake woman than men are. It's kind of like how a fake accent can sound authentic to everyone except someone who really speaks with that accent! I'm curious: Did any of you men think Julie Andrews was convincing as a man in Victor/Victoria? I didn't--but maybe it was only because I knew who she was before I saw it. I thought she did a pretty good job though.

Then there's "Pat" on Saturday Night Live ... !

Thank goodness RN never had to play a woman! That we know of. Or did he??

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[> [> [> [> Subject: I found the list!


Author:
Susan
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Date Posted: 13:59:06 06/14/01 Thu

All of Life's Mysteries are on TV

1. If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate
any strange noises wearing their most revealing underwear.

2. If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year.

3. All beds have special L-shaped top sheets that reach up to armpit level on a woman but only waist level on the man
lying beside her.

4. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.

5. It's easy for anyone to land a plane, providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.

6. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.

7. The ventilation system of any building is a perfect hiding place. No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building without difficulty.

8. You're likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.

9. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German accent will do.

10. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris.

11. People of TV never finish their drinks.

12. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.

13. The chief of police is always black.

14. When paying for a taxi, never look at your wallet as you take out a note - just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.

15. If you lose a hand, it will cause the stump of your arm to grow by 15cm.

16. Kitchens don't have light switches. When entering a kitchen at night, you should open the fridge door and use that light instead.

17. During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.

18. Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning, even though the husband and children never have time to eat them.

19. Cars and trucks that crash will almost always burst into flames.

20. Wearing a singlet or stripping to the waist can make a man invulnerable to bullets.

21. A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of a football stadium.

22. If a killer is lurking in your house, it's easy to find him. Just relax and run a bath - even if it's the middle of the afternoon.

23. Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.

24. Although in the 20th century it is possible to fire weapons at an object out of visual range, people of the 23rd century will have lost this technology.

25. All single women have a cat.

26. Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.

27. Even when driving down a perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to
right every few moments.

28. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at one.

29. Creepy music coming from a graveyard should always be
closely investigated.

30. If a phone line is broken, communication can be restored by frantically beating the cradle and saying, "Hello?, Hello?"

31. Most people keep a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings - especially if any of their family or friends has died in a
strange boating accident.

32. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involved martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessor.

33. During a very emotional confrontation, instead of facing the person you are speaking to, it is customary to stand behind them and talk to their back.

34. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in
your room will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.

35. Dogs always know who's bad and will naturally bark at them.

36. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is
their total opposite.

37. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.

38. Action heroes never face charges for manslaughter or
criminal damage despite laying entire cities to waste.

39. No matter how badly a spaceship is attacked, its internal gravity system is never damaged.

40. If there is a deranged killer on the loose, this will coincide with a thunderstorm that has brought down all the power and phone lines in the vicinity.

41. You can always find a chain saw whenever you're likely to need one.

42. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch-enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gases, lasers and man eating sharks that will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.

43. Having a job of any kind will make all fathers forget their son's eighth birthday.

44. Many musical instruments - especially wind instruments and accordions - can be played without moving the fingers.

45. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going
to go off.

46. It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.

47.Guns are like disposable razors - if you run out of bullets, just throw the gun away. You can always buy a new one.

48. Make-up can safely be worn to bed without smudging.

49. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.

50. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will know all the steps.

Addenda (by Susan):

50a. And if you suddenly get in the mood to sing, everyone else around you knows the tune and all the words!

51. Never knock when entering friends' homes. Don't worry; their doors are never locked.

52. Don't say "goodbye" or sign off before hanging up a phone.

53. Cars don't have rear-view mirrors.

54. If you hear a strange noise in the house that you think is an intruder, don't call the police; *always* get up to investigate!

Are there any others not listed here?

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[> [> [> [> [> Subject: More addenda


Author:
Susan
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Date Posted: 14:10:14 06/14/01 Thu

At the risk of getting too far off the topic of Robert Newton, I just found some more good addenda my dad sent me when I first shared that list with him:

55. The main source of light in a dimly lit room (a candle, a torch, a lamp) will always cast a perfect shadow of itself on the wall.

56. Asteroids, space ships, and missiles in outer space will always make "whooshing" sounds as they speed by, even though there is no air to carry the sound.

57. In a spy or war movie, any American will immediately recognize a foreign accent or mannerism on a character trying to pose as an American, but no foreigner will ever pick up an American accent or mannerism on an American posing as a foreigner.

58. The hero in a martial arts movie always has the mysterious power to control his opponents' minds so they forget that firearms have been invented.

Addendum to #42:
>42.. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill
>their arch-enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses,
>pulley systems, deadly gases, lasers and man eating sharks that
>will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape . . .
. . . and then they depart rather than watch the deadly scenario
they have so painstakingly set up work to its anticipated conclusion.

PS: Oops, I just realized that #54 was a lot like #1 on the original list!

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[> [> [> Subject: Some more addenda


Author:
Cinéphilia
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Date Posted: 17:51:24 06/14/01 Thu

The bad guys can never shoot straight. No wonder how many bullets they shoot, they can never hit the hero, while the hero always kills his enemy with his first bullet.

Of course, when the bad guys are shooting at the hero's best friend, especially if it's a cop just about to retire, they will hit him somewhere in the chest. Never in the head, because the poor man has to do a touching little speech before he dies...

Another thing that bothers me: In war films, Germans scream at Jews in German but speak English when they're among themselves.

A third thing: In sci-fi, when the heroes travel back in time or go to another planet, everybody in the past or on Mars speaks English.

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[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Some more addenda


Author:
Susan
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Date Posted: 09:28:30 06/15/01 Fri

>A third thing: In sci-fi, when the heroes travel back in
>time or go to another planet, everybody in the past or on
>Mars speaks English.

... and they all look strangely humanoid--except with slightly larger heads!

I thought of another one--a corollary to the gender-bender rule: The flimsiest disguise, such as a wig or a glued-on beard, will make you completely unrecognizable even to your best friend or your spouse!

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[> [> Subject: Re: tv series reviews


Author:
Jab
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Date Posted: 13:38:06 07/03/01 Tue

I think there was one episode that Kit Taylor wasn't even in - I remember noticing it, but now I cant remember which one...

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[> [> [> Subject: The good, the bad, and the cheeeeezy


Author:
Susan
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Date Posted: 10:47:50 07/17/01 Tue

I got a chance to watch some LJS episodes last night and found the episode you mean. It was "Sword of Vengeance." That's a really weird episode because not only is Kit Taylor not in it, but the usual cast seem more like supporting characters. It's almost like they were using the episode as a springboard/pilot to another TV series! Another thing that's really strange is that the beginning of the story is extremely similar to another episode (which, BTW, I'd have to rate as my favorite)--"Ship o' the Dead." In fact, Long John actually uses the words "ship o' the dead" in "Sword of Vengeance"!

And I also found that really <i>bad</i>, bad episode. It was "Turnabout." You know it's going to be bad when it starts off with someone slipping on a banana peel! It even includes the old "plum-duff-in-the-face" routine. And lotsa phony French accents. It's almost like they were <i>trying</i> to see how cheesy they could make it!

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[> [> Subject: Re: tv series reviews


Author:
Trisha
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Date Posted: 23:11:03 04/21/05 Thu

I really enjoyed the LJS series. With Robert Newton, what's there not to like? Anyhow, I really liked the episodes: Dragonslayer, Sword of Vengence, and The Eviction. In the episode which the French man was posing as a woman, I thought it was hilarious when LJS pushed him off his lap as soon as the danger of the him (the French man) being caught was over, hehe.

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