Thursday, September 26, 2019

Thursday Movie Picks:TV Edition-Fantasy


Wandering Through The Shelves came up with a good one this week as it is all about Fantasy.  I love Fantasy but I have not seen many of the newer shows because they are on Netflix or Prime or HBO..ughh. Well, Here are my 3...

1. BEWITCHED-1964-1972


This was the time when most shows started in September and had more than  just 10 episodes.  The first season of this great show has 36! It stars Elizabeth Montgomery, a beautiful witch, who marries an unassuming, Ad Executive played, initially by Dick York. Samantha loves Darren and marries him but fails to mention she is a witch. Enter her mother, played gloriously by Agnes Moorehead as Endora who hates this situation and tries, for many years to dissolve this "mixed-marriage". Darren, being a typical husband of the time, doesn't want any help from his wife's witchcraft and forbids(HA!) her to use it. You know this never works and her witchcraft often saves the day. There are many characters that show up like Larry Tate, Darren's boss,(a series regular) Abner & Gladys Kravitz, the nosy neighbours. The great Alice Pearce played this role withholding the fact that she was dying of cancer. You have Samantha's Aunt Clara, Uncle Arthur, her dad and various cousins and Aunts come and go. It lost some sparkle when Dick York had to retire due to a severe back injury and was replaced by Dick Sargeant who was not as good as the original Darren. Marion Lorne, who played Aunt Clara died and the character just never showed up again. They replaced the character with a maid who was also bumbling but just not the same. Regardless, how I wish I could just wiggle my nose and have the house cleaned or take a trip to Europe.

2. I DREAM OF JEANNIE-1965-1970


This, I think, started because Bewitched was so popular. It stars Barbara Eden as Jeannie who saves an astronaut, played by Larry Hagman and goes to live with him often causing much mayhem. His best friend, played by Bill Daily, also knows about Jeannie but that is it.  Of course, with her arms crossed across her boobies and a nod of her head, they can go or do anything. The astronaut, Tony, wishes she wouldn't do a thing but she doesn't listen. She becomes jealous whenever a girl comes around and, eventually, Tony realizes he loves her. It is a fun show that is not as good as Bewitched but is still fun even though Barbara Eden could not show her belly button as that would be too sexy.  Did I say I love both opening music pieces from both these shows.

3. FANTASY ISLAND-1977-1984


Oh this was such a big show in its day which premiered right after The Love Boat. You have Ricardo Montalban as the mysterious Mr. Roarke who is the main man of this island along with his side kick, Tattoo played by Herve Villechaise. Each week, 2 or 3 guests come to the island ("Da Plane...Da Plane!) to have their fantasies realized. Mr. Roarke seems to have supernatural powers to help his guests play out their dreams often ending in a way they were not expecting but still feeling success. I used to watch this back in the day and I have been watching it again and, Oh MY God! How hoaky!! Michelle Phillips plays a mermaid who wants to know love so Mr. Roarke stares intently at her only for her to lose her tail and have legs. Some of the acting is corny and Tattoo becomes a comical sidekick to the point Herve left the show. It still is fun to watch especially that many guests were big name actors back in olden days.

Bonus...

4. THE HILARIOUS HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN-1971


This is a Canadian program that most of us Canucks just adore. It was made on a shoestring budget with Billy Van playing many parts most notably, Dracula who prefers pizza over blood. Igor always screws things up but we still get to learn some fascinating things since this was geared for children but many young adults loved it even more. They would have pet vets talk about caring for your pet to zoologists who would bring on more untamed animals. They also had a mad scientist played by a real life scientist, Julius Sumner Miller, who created real scientific experiments and explained how it worked. This man was a student of Albert Einstein! You know what else is cool...Somehow Hamilton, Ontario was able to get Vincent Price to be the narrator of this show...so cool! Go to Youtube and look up the Wolfman dancing to Innocence and Peppermints...groovy.

5.  DEAD LIKE ME-2003-2004


This is quite an off beat comedy-drama but with more comedy, just the dark kind. It starts off with a miserable teen, who tussles with her mom and, generally, hates, her life. She hates her temp job but this all will not last...why? well, when she is on her break, after getting a coffee, she looks up into the sky and gets killed by a toilet seat that came from the MIR station in outer space.  She is now dead but must fulfill her obligation as a grim reaper.  She becomes a member of a team led by chief Grim Reaper, Mandy Patinkin who gives out post it notes of the next person to meet their end. The reapers must find the people and touch them so that their souls can leave the earth and go towards the light. I thought this show was clever, funny, offbeat and you feel for these people who must  give out the touch of death. They always meet in a German waffle house to discuss their life events as it were. How fun is that?

Which 3 would you choose?

34 comments:

  1. Those first three are a blast from my childhood past.
    The best one right now is the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Others I could name would be Hercules (with Kevin Sorbo) and What We Do in the Shadows. (Which is also hilarious.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
      or
      call/whatsapp:+2349057261346










      i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
      or
      call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

      Delete
  2. Hi, Birgit!

    I was a regular viewer of all of these TV shows with the exception of the Canadian Frankenstein series.

    I'm doubling down and reasserting that the first Darrin Stephens - Dick York - was the REAL Darrin Stephens. Thanks for remind us that in the 60s television seasons contained many more episodes than they do today. Current Brit comedies like the Emmy award winning Fleabag (highly recommended) have only 6 eps per "series." On Bewitched I loved the recurring characters played by Marion Lorne and Paul Lynde. I don't care much for Barbara Eden but I liked Larry Hagman. Bill Daily was also terrific in Jeannie. I enjoyed series like The Love Boat, Hotel, Love American Style and Fantasy Island because they relied on an endless parade of guest stars including old celebs of yesteryear and hot young up-and comers. The best part of Dead Like Me, Chicago Hope and Criminal Minds in its early seasons was the acting of Mandy Patinkin. Starting in the mid 80s Cynthia Stevenson started showing up in many movies and TV series, a very familiar face and personality. I loved Vinny Price, and his intro to H.H.F. sent delightful chills down my spine. That 1971 clip of the Wolfman getting down to "Incense And Peppermints" reminds us that TV directors were giddy over the array of new special effects developed during the period and made heavy use of them.

    I hope you and your hubby and well and in good spirits. Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend BB.

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    1. Birgit and I match on Fantasy Island. I agree about half the fun being the old celebrities, and seeing whether the people they were trying to groom as the new stars of tomorrow actually became stars. I picked a second show reliant on guest stars, and among them was Helen Hunt a dozen years before she won her Oscar.

      I bet a lot of people who only know Montalbán from Fantasy Island or as Khaaaaaaaaan! don't realize what a talented actor he was in the 1940s and 50s.

      Delete
  3. I watched the first three when they were on TV originally. Enjoyed them then, but not so sure I would now in my very senior years. Never heard of the other two.
    My son recommended the Dark Crystal on Netflix. He remembers the movie from when he was young and was surprised that I don't. Maybe if I see it again I will remember.

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  4. I used to watch your first two picks on Nick at Nite occasionally, though they weren't my favorites. (That was Happy Days and the Brady Bunch lol)

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  5. I have seen the first three in reruns, but never cared for Fantasy Island and only watched it once. One TV channel hosts weekends with these first three (one at a time) every so often.

    I never saw the Frankenstein show, nor had I even heard of it, but I remember watching every episode of Dead Like Me, and LOVED it. Great choices, Birgit. Hope all is well in your world, dear.

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  6. Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie would absolutely be on my list. After that, what else is there to say?

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  7. Those sure brought back memories. Wonderful ones.

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  8. Other than #4, I have seen all of these. And watched them back in the day. (Bewitched and Jeannie in reruns as I wasn't around during their original runs.) Fun picks. (I shudder to revisit Fantasy Island. I'm sure it would now read as horrible, but my child self would deliberately stay up late Saturday nights to catch it.)

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  9. Brilliant TV programmes Birgit, the first three I remember well from childhood, well maybe not quite childhood, more teenagehood. Loved them. Don't know the others though, take care, Kate x

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  10. I just loved Bewitched. Strangely, I don’t remember Aunt Clara disappearing though. Hope things are well with you.

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  11. Back in the day, the first two were my faves.

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  12. I really enjoyed Bewitched, first Darren was the best indeed. I Dream of Jeannie was okay, but found some of it so dumb. Seen some of 3 and 5 but never even heard of 4. Hercules and Dark Crystal pop in at the moment.

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  13. Ack! I just commented to Brittani that I never watched any fantasy show with regularity completely forgetting Bewitched! I guess I never really thought about it as fantasy just comedy but of course it is. LOVED THAT SHOW!! Dick Sargent was okay but Dick York will always be the real Darrin. He and Elizabeth Montgomery had such a spark that was never present with Sargent. All the supporting characters were gems, Endora, Serena (I know she was EM but still), Aunt Clara and Dr. Bombay were my particular faves.

    I Dream of Jeannie was okay but I only watched it occasionally. Same with Fantasy Island.

    I'm passing on this week since I couldn't think of a single show, obviously my brain was malfunctioning since I couldn't even come up with Bewitched!

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  14. Some fabulous vintage shows today! The hilarious world of Frankenstein is one I am not familiar with, but the others are great memories of my younger days! Happy Fall.

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  15. Oooh! I used to watch Dead like Me all the time when I was little! And I enjoyed watching Bewitched too! Lots of great classics here!

    Here’s my Thursday Movie Picks!

    Ronyell @ The Surreal Movies and TV Blog

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  16. hi Birgit...my that selection brought back some fun memories....Bewitched being my favorite....
    How is hubby doing?....xxxx

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  17. I loved Bewitched and Fantasy Island! ♥ Jeannie was okay, but I thought it was sillier than Bewitched and agree, it came about because of the former's popularity. Saw a few episodes of the other two, but never got into them. My favourite fantasy show was Highlander (starring Adrian Paul. Roger Daltry of The Who had a recurring role and it featured music from Queen. "Who Wants To Live Forever", etc.). I also love Lucifer (only on Netflix now, but it was a network show for three years). Xena: Warrior Princess was pretty cool, too. Hope you and hubby are doing well! Have a good weekend.

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  18. I know only the first two shows you mentioned but love them both. I discovered them when I was well in my teens (the shows aired before my time) and immidiately fell for them.

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  19. I watched both Bewitched and Jeannie--they are big favorites of mine. I saw maybe an episode or two of Fantasy Island but that one just didn't float my boat so to speak. The others I have no idea about.

    I've never been overly big on the fantasy genre except for the comedies. Those can be fun.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  20. Which 3 would I choose? Hmm, sorry I can only choose 2: Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. I particularly loved Bewitched when I was a child. :)

    Susan A Eames at
    Travel, Fiction and Photos

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  21. I'm so sorry to hear the biopsy was difficult.
    Rest and heal.

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  22. I loved and watched all of the first three shows. Thanks for sharing.

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  23. Hmmm... Well, if 'THE TWILIGHT ZONE' counts (and I feel it should), then *that* is my #1 choice by a long shot!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

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  24. They should've retired the show when Dick York left. Poor Dick Sargent. He did okay but his bulging eyes were not the same. I always liked watching Uncle Arthur and Aunt Clara. Also when both Sam's mom and dad were on at the same time.

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  25. I loved (and still love) Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, and Fantasy Island. I always wanted to be able to twitch my knows like Samantha. :)
    ~Jess

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  26. Ricardo montalban, wasn't he Khan in Star Trek2 and Bill Bixby the incredible hulk? That place was unreal with its soaring birds, palm trees and scantily dressed babes. There was a little chap. I had forgotten his name, (Herve/Tattoo) but he was always in on the fantasy. I always found him to be funny wasn't he? Michelle Philips aka Jenice starred in Star Trek - We'll Always have Paris! how corny is that?

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  27. Thank you everyone for all your responses and loved some of your picks like Xena, which I almost chose and I always love The Twilight Zone but I have picked that one more than once before. Fantasy Island and The Love Boat, although corny often brought huge stars from the great decades of the 30s, 40s and 50s.

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  28. Fantasy Island was fun.
    Hope today was a good one.

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  29. I can just imagine what Fantasy Island would be like watching it now. I don't have any trouble believing it is not exactly timeless. My sister and I never missed it - Love Boat first and then Fantasy Island. Exciting Saturday nights. :)

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  30. I love Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.
    I've seen Dead Like Me too, very quirky.

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  31. i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346










    i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

    ReplyDelete