Some gifs of Morgan Woodward in various guest star roles...

Some gifs of Morgan Woodward in various guest star roles (1962-1979).

McMillan And Wife 20

Buddy Hackett, Michael Ansara .

• Silly story, padded out to movie length.


• No chemistry between the large cast.


• Way too many unfunny Mildred scenes.


• Yet another story based on a killer from Mac’s past?!

4/10

McMillan And Wife 19

Steve Forrest. Clever murder-mystery, using the world of espionage as a way to include elaborate clues. Good twist at end. 8/10

McMillan And Wife 7

McMillian And Wife. Episode 7. “'Til Death Do Us Part” The first season of McMillian And Wife got better and better. The previous episode was great. This one is superb! The whole thing takes place over the course of one evening, with Mac and Sally trapped in their own house and facing almost certain death. The first half of the movie, featuring no action of any sort and only two actors on screen, is like watching a ticking bomb. The tension builds and builds.



Mac has just arrived home from a press conference. A serial killer is on the loose and San Francisco is up in arms. It’s Sally’s birthday and the happy couple want to try and celebrate, despite the stress of Mac’s job. We know that somebody is outside watching the house, they don’t. Inside the house, inconsequential events have an added layer of meaning/tension because we know they are being stalked. And it works a treat. Various objects are missing. Minor household objects… gone! Mac and Sally talk about it, but neither one is concerned about it. We are. The couple we love also remark on how odd it is that everyone on the circle has been sent away, or out of town, by a strange fluke of chance. Neither one of them is particularly concerned about it, but we are.



At the mid-way point, the action ramps up and all hell breaks loose. At this stage the show moves into the sort of territory usually to be found on shows like The Avengers. What happens? Well, the bad guy throws a huge bag over the whole house, traps them inside and starts to pump in some poisonous gas. There’s a bit more to it than that, it’s really some mis-led exterminators, but that’s essentially what happens on-screen. And boy does it make for great television! Big, larger-than-life, a bit daft but lots of fun. And very exciting and scary. I really could not imagine how the writer was going to get them out of this. It’s that good. And the ending - when it does come - is just as good as the build up.



I loved this. And will happily watch it again and again.



The sub-plot given to Sgt. Enright is also wonderful. He’s out of town with a beautiful model and he doesn’t quite understand how he could be so lucky. But we do, thanks to a wonderful performance by Samantha Jones, who convinces us that she’s smitten with the rumpled side-kick. Nothing much happens to them, and they only get a few scenes, but they are a wonderful couple and I would happily watch them week after week.

McMillan And Wife. Episode 11. "Cop of the Year"

McMillan And Wife. Episode 11. "Cop of the Year" Enright, a murderer?!

This one has a brilliant opening. Bang! We open on a heated argument between (beloved regular/sidekick) Sgt. Enright and a woman we've never seen before. She is hysterical. They are in a bare empty room (great camera angle). Suddenly she starts shouting as if he is going to shoot her. He's not. But, then, a shot rings out and she falls to the floor... dead. Enright draws his gun, whirling around in confusion.

People pour into the room. We can see a bride in the mix, so it's obviously a wedding, and our hero Stewart McMillan and his wife are part of the group. The credits have a barely rolled when we learn the the woman is/was Enright's wife... and she's dead. With a bullet from his gun!!

WTF?!

This show often opens with a humorous chase sequence that has no baring on the movie to follow. Mostimes you have to wait several minutes before a story starts to emerge. Not this time.

The tale that follows is a real treat. It's a crazy murder, mystery peopled by some extreme characters (Enright's ex-wife - shown briefly in flashback - is a real nutjob) and it positively zips along. The revelation at the end is pretty easy to guess at, but that's does not diminish the enjoyment at all. In fact, it's kinda find to watch Stewart uncover the facts that will lead him to the answer the viewer kinda suspects all along.

John Schuck and Nancy Walker are typically great in their supporting roles, and it's a treat to see John Astin and Martin E. Brooks back on the show again, with substantial roles. Brooks' character is usually an unreasonable hardass so it's refreshing to see him written as genuinely trying to help Mac and Enright unravel the mystery. The fact that he doesn't really think Enright could really be the murderer adds welcome depth to his character.

Then there's John Astin who pretty much steals the show. All of his scenes, with Rock Hudson as an impeccable straight man, are laugh out loud funny. "I feel like I'm convicting him single-handed!" is the funniest line of the entire story.

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McMillan And Wife, Police Squad

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

08.00 McMillan And Wife
10.00 Police Squad

McMillan And Wife. Episode 10. "Blues for Sally M"

After two particularly strong episode in a row, the series takes a downward turn with a very weird and predictable yarn.

When the tale begins we discover that Sally has had a musical piece named after her by a famous composer/pianist. Sally is mystified by this, because she has never met the man. As far as she can recall...

That, by itself, would be kooky way of getting the McMillan's involved in a case-of-the-week but the writers (Alfred Brenner and Oliver Hailey) take it a step further by telling us that Sally reads once a week to the pianist's sworn enemy: a near-blind newspaper critic who hates everything that the musician creates.

Huh?!

I mean, seriously, this is one strange tale. And it gets odder when Sally visits the mysterious critic - to read to him - and he is filmed from a distance, always wearing a wig and false beard.

Between all this oddness, there's the usual mixture of banter, chases and comedy. Sally and Mac have some amusing romantic scenes, Mac's cop sidekick gets a couple of funny scenes and there's a bit of action here and there.

But, as episodes of this series to, this is a weaker than normal outing and ending is easy to predict from about twenty minutes in, which makes the remainder of the movie a bit of a time waster. Shame.

Police Squad. Episode 1. "A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)" Bank

The humour in Police Squad works on two levels. Certain gags are funny to anyone, and certain gags are aimed at those of us who have watched a lot of 70s cop shows.

1. When a character called Ralph Twice is shot during a bank robbery it leads to a wonderful dialogue scene having much confusion about "Who shot twice?" and so on. A scene that pretty much anyone paying attention will find hilarious. It's wonderfully written and superbly performed by Leslie Nielsen, Alan North and Kathryn Leigh Scott.

2. When our hero takes to the streets and gets vital case information from a shoeshine boy named Johnny (William Duell) it's a scene that will be found funny by anyone who's familiar with characters like Huggy Bear and the tropes and idioms of television detective fiction.

And some of the gags are timeless, so much so that they are more relevant today. In this episode when Drebin stops off at the lab there's a scene that's as much a parody of every modern CSI episode as it is of anything else. Olsen (Ed Williams) shoots bullets into video tapes and details the results as if the mean something significant. That's how the CSI shows work. The audience is in the dark, and the characters tell us what is significant to them and we believe it. Willing suspension of disbelief. The genius of Police Squad is that it holds a mirror up to that.

As opening episodes go, this is a strong one. The gags are relentless and Leslie Nielsen instantly establishes himself as having star power and an ability to rise above the sea of jokes. Witness his "I did live with a guy once" soliloquy to see his talent at work.

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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Fri, Oct 3, 08 - McMillan And Wife

07:00 McMillan And Wife



McMillian And Wife. Episode 7. "'Til Death Do Us Part" The first season of McMillian And Wife got better and better. The previous episode was great. This one is superb! The whole thing takes place over the course of one evening, with Mac and Sally trapped in their own house and facing almost certain death. The first half of the movie, featuring no action of any sort and only two actors on screen, is like watching a ticking bomb. The tension builds and builds.

Mac has just arrived home from a press conference. A serial killer is on the loose and San Francisco is up in arms. It's Sally's birthday and the happy couple want to try and celebrate, despite the stress of Mac's job. We know that somebody is outside watching the house, they don't. Inside the house, inconsequential events have an added layer of meaning/tension because we know they are being stalked. And it works a treat. Various objects are missing. Minor household objects... gone! Mac and Sally talk about it, but neither one is concerned about it. We are. The couple we love also remark on how odd it is that everyone on the circle has been sent away, or out of town, by a strange fluke of chance. Neither one of them is particularly concerned about it, but we are.

At the mid-way point, the action ramps up and all hell breaks loose. At this stage the show moves into the sort of territory usually to be found on shows like The Avengers. What happens? Well, the bad guy throws a huge bag over the whole house, traps them inside and starts to pump in some poisonous gas. There's a bit more to it than that, it's really some mis-led exterminators, but that's essentially what happens on-screen. And boy does it make for great television! Big, larger-than-life, a bit daft but lots of fun. And very exciting and scary. I really could not imagine how the writer was going to get them out of this. It's that good. And the ending - when it does come - is just as good as the build up.

I loved this. And will happily watch it again and again.

The sub-plot given to Sgt. Enright is also wonderful. He's out of town with a beautiful model and he doesn't quite understand how he could be so lucky. But we do, thanks to a wonderful performance by Samantha Jones, who convinces us that she's smitten with the rumpled side-kick. Nothing much happens to them, and they only get a few scenes, but they are a wonderful couple and I would happily watch them week after week.

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Fri, Sep 12, 08 - McMillan And Wife

05:00 McMillan And Wife

McMillan And Wife. Episode 6. "The Face of Murder" In many ways this looks and feels like a different show. There's no opening titles sequence and no opening theme. There's also no opening gambit. All episodes before this started with McMillan and Enright in the middle of a big chase of some type. This time we jump right into the story.

The story is different, too. Most previous episodes had convoluted stories. This time the story is linear in style and faster in pace. It moves from set-piece to set-piece with little-or-no downtime or padding. The movie opens with the McMillans arriving at a party to find the police there because there has been a robbery. This opening has lot of funny/interesting characters and plenty of backstory to bring the viewers up to speed. Next: the action switches to Palm Springs where Mac and Sally are taking a working vacation. There is a long, and funny, golfing sequence which showcases not only the comedic skill of Susan Saint James but also the love between the McMillans in way that earlier episodes sometimes failed to do. I was laughing out loud at Sally's bad golfing and simultaneously touched by Mac's very obvious love for his goofy wife. It helps that Susan Saint James looks incredible hot in a very short skirt.

Anyway, Mac finds a witness who can help with the case back in San Franciso and before too long the regulars are in a battle between two small airplanes, which ends with that old-reliable source of tension: our hero has to fly the plane. Nice.

Back in San Francisco and... Sally is kidnapped! The kidnapping was sudden and quite serious in tone. I was really shocked. The show didn't tell us who was holding her hostage and there was a great scene where Sally was in shot, behind a desk, blindfolded and trying to make jokes while her kidnapper was slightly off camera and not responding at all. And it was rather chilling. In the end, the movie ended up with a long fake funeral and a few good laughs.

Lastly, this episode was wonderful due to a great performance from guest star Claude Akins. I've seen Akins in hundreds of shows and I've always liked him but he was superb in this McMillan and Wife. He plays an ex-boxer, now down on his luck when makes a living by trading off his name on golfing circuit. Akins is funny, very likable and brings a sublte poignancy to the role that is simply wonderful.

I've enjoyed all the episodes so far but they were silly and you had to make allowances to enjoy them. This one was different. It really held together and was superb entertainment. Reminded me why I loved this show, not just liked it.

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Fri, Aug 22, 08 - McMillan And Wife, That '70s Show

07:30 McMillan And Wife
01:30 That '70s Show



McMillan And Wife. Episode 5. "Death Is A Seven Point Favorite" Another complex story with multiple murders and someone trying out some elaborate ways to fix a football game. As usual, it doesn't really make a lot of sense but it is amusing. Not laugh-out-loud funny or anything, but it's fast moving and the great regular cast are capable of raising a smile every few minutes. Sally is relegated to third-place character as Mac and Enright do most of the legwork (Enright gets the episodes biggest laugh, too, with his new hairstyle). Other elements of the formula are in place, too: The movie starts with an action sequence (showing Mac closing a case) and ends with an action sequence (which, in line with other endings, is a bit over-the-top).

That '70s Show. Season 6, Episode 5. "I'm Free" Two stories unfold in this very funny episode: The marriage of Fes and Laurie is under investigation by INS and Kelso tells Brooke he wants to be part of the baby's life. Both storylines deliver laughs but the Kelso storyline is the best. It's fun to watch him partnered with Donna, and great viewing as we watch her uncover his conscience and (slightly more) mature side. Cool episode.

Highlight? That '70s Show (Kelso & Donna)
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Fri, Jul 25, 08 - McMillan And Wife, Two Guys And A Girl, That '70s Show, Barney Miller

10:00 McMillan And Wife
12:00 Two Guys And A Girl
12:30 That '70s Show
01:00 Barney Miller

McMillan And Wife. Episode 4. "Husbands, Wives, and Killers" Silly stuff, but very entertaining nonetheless. While the previous movie was padded out to fill the required length, this one has enough plot for two movies. In fact, it got so complex towards the end I had totally lost track of who was doing what to whom! Not that it really matters. The point of this show is to be entertained watching Mac and Sally do their thing and to enjoy the running gags, which are sustained here in fine style. For instance, there is still nobody that can read the maid's handwriting, Mac gets pulled over by a traffic cop and the Mayor is tied up in strike negotiations. Previous stories have shown Enright being dragged out of bed at odd hours by phone calls from Mac, this time he's shown repeatedly trying to eat a large sandwich and the writers find clever ways to sustain the joke for several scenes.

Unlike previous stories, Mac takes the lead in this one and Sally has a very slight involvement. He returns home from time-to-time (to talk things out with her and - on one occasion - get very drunk) but this is mostly about Mac and Enright investigating some robberies that are tied to the McMillan's group of friends. The ending, however, finds a silly way to put Sally in jeopardy. But lots of this is silly: Mac running around in a pink bunny suit, for instance (like how exactly did he drive his car with those huge feet?). No matter, it moves fast and is very entertaining.

Two Guys And A Girl. Season 3, Episode 9. "Bridesmaid Revisited" One of the show's more unusual episodes. Many times during it's run, Two Guys did different types of experimental episodes. This one involves musical numbers acted out by an acappella group that are 'invisible' to the regular cast. Specifically Sharon and Ashley who get drunk in this episode and - as a result - become better friends. All of their scenes are interrupted by sequences in which the lighting changes and three male singers pop-up to sing songs that have a bearing on the action. Once done, they duck down, the lighting changes back to normal and the girls carry on talking as if nothing had happened. There's no real reason for any of this, but it sure does look cool.

The bit-at-the-end where Sharon and Ashley talk serious for a minute is superb. Ashley is always the outsider in the group and scenes like this show the writers take time to write about the friendships of these characters.

That '70s Show. Season 6, Episode 3. "Magic Bus" Donna is leaving Eric to go off to college and this is their last day together. He, of course, ruins it. Typical Eric. The ending is wonderful. They make up and he takes her to the bus station. He wants to ask her to stay, but doesn't. Then, in a clever twist, she stays anyway (sneaking off the bus). One of my favourite scenes ever on the show.

Barney Miller. Episode 3. "Snow Job" Not as strong as the second episode but still pretty good, as the gang deal with a suicide attempt from one of the prisoners. The drama on this show works best when there is a human element to what is happening. Something to make us care about the characters. The guy who tries to kill himself here is little more than a cartoon character, so there's no great level of engagement from the audience. We don't really care about whether he lives or dies. But it's still interesting to see the gang do their thing.

Highlight? That '70s Show
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Fri, Jun 20th, 2008 - McMillan And Wife, The Name Of The Game

06:30    McMillan And Wife
08:00    The Name Of The Game

McMillan And Wife.  Episode 3.  "The Easy Sunday Murder Case" is the first episode where it feels like the comedy is padding, being used to extend a slim story out to movie-length proportions.  Sally's mother's best friend has her dog kidnapped.  The fact that her husband was also taken is of no real concern to her!  It's a funny idea and there are some laughs to be had, but after a while I tired of seeing Mac and Sally get in and out of their car over and over (He isn't supposed to drive, but keeps forgetting).  It's average stuff, it lacks the polish of the Columbo episodes being produced at the same time and it would have been a much better story at half the length.

The Name Of The Game.  Season 1, Episode 5.  "Nightmare" is an ordinary crime drama, telling how Dan Farrell tracks down the men who shot and killed his wife five years earlier.  The only real highlights are the performance of Robert Stack (the expression 'steel jawed determination' was probably created with him in mind!) and two great scenes.  Mid-way through the story one of bad guys meets Farrell's young daughter as she plays on a swing.  The evil of the man and the innocence of the girl are contrasted.  He shows her his gun, and they talk about it.  She is full of questions.  Then, when asked to show how it works, he casually points it at her chest and pulls the trigger.  The gun turns out to be a toy but the scene is truly chilling.  Later on, the story concludes with a great scene between Stack and guest star Martin Balsam which is worth watching over and over.  Farrell has chased these men for years and he finally has them.  But he doesn't want them dead.  The final line of the movie "Why would I want you dead?" is a wonderful piece of character development and does more to distinguish Dan Farrell as a TV Hero than anything else that happened in the story up to that.  Great stuff.

Highlight?  The Name Of The Game

Sat, Jun 7th, 2008 - Columbo, McMillan And Wife, Mary Tyler Moore, WKRP, Rising Damp

08:00    Columbo
09:30    McMillan And Wife
11:00    The Mary Tyler Moore Show
11:30    WKRP In Cincinnati
12:00    Rising Damp

Columbo.  Episode 6.  "Suitable For Framing"  From the weakest Columbo ending to the very best.  None of the Columbo endings were ever as abrupt or satisfying as this.  And, unlike any other episode that I can remember, this one has two rapid twists in the final seconds just before the credits roll.  It helps that the bad guy in this one (Ross Martin) is one of the least likable characters ever to grace the show.  Who am I kidding?  He's a jackass!  And a cold-blooded killer, too.  And it's so sweet when Columbo brings him down.

This is one of those Columbo episodes were there is no great "moment of clarity" for the great detective and no great tell-tale mistake from the killer, either.  It's one of those nice simple cases where - logic dictates - there really is only one suspect from the start.  And Columbo just hones in on the guy from the moment he meets him.  It's also one of those episodes that - while showing everything that happens on the night of the murder - doesn't let the audience know until near the very end what the killer's full plan is.  And it's a great plan.  Very clever.  And, on first viewing, it really does appear like he's going to get away with it.

Even now, years later, watching it again and having a vivid memory of how it all came together (and that glorious final shot) I was at pains to remember how the pieces of the jigsaw actually fell into place.  That's great television.  Great storytelling.  And it reminds me that Columbo episodes can be watched over and over and always satisfy.

The episode is also noteworthy for a great guest shot from Mary Wickes who plays a woman who annoys Columbo in exactly the same way he annoys his suspects.  She has a photo of the killer (Columbo hopes) in a place where he said he never was, but on her way to getting that particular photo she keeps stopping to tell Columbo about all the other photos in her album.  Bombarding him with pointless trivia about her life.  Brilliant.

McMillan And Wife.  Episode 2.  "Murder By The Barrel"  The ending finds a clumsy way to place Sally in danger and some of the comedy falls flat but, by and large, this is yet another solid episode of McMillan And Wife.  John Schuck gets more screen time than in the pilot.  Which is fine by me.  John Schuck, Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James are three actors with superb comedic timing, so putting together a lot serves to keep the show amusing.

Sally stumbles across a dead body.  Which is fine by me, too.  That's basically the premise of the series.  If Sally isn't accidently in the middle of various murders and crimes then the show doesn't exist.  I used to hate it when heroes like Magnum, PI, spent more time helping friends and accidentally finding crimes that actually solving cases they had been hired for, but on some shows you just have to accept how the stories happen.  And this is how they happen on McMillan And Wife: Sally is always in the wrong place at the wrong time!  And, on this occasion, she finds a body, which then disappears before anyone else can see it.  Later on, Sally is attacked, but nobody else sees the attacker.  And on it goes.

Most of what happens is very funny and the actually story is pretty good to.  One sequence of verbal gymnastic between the three stars falls flat and the ending where Sally is lured to the bad guy is really dumb, but I had a lot of fun watching this.

I confess that I really like this show for the happily married couple in the middle of it.  The McMillans have always been a favourite TV couple of mine.  They are much more fun than the Harts and they are so evidently in love.  In this episode, I was watching Mac to see how much suffering he could take and still be devoted to Sally.  Even when her stories seem crazy he never doubts her and he always follows up on her suspicions.  And that's one thing I really love about the show, too.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Episode 12.  "Anchorman Overboard"  Ted loses his nerve and starts to mess up every newscast.  It's kinda Mary's fault (in a roundabout way) so Lou decrees that she has to fix it.  Classic MTM fare.  It uses Mary, Ted, Phyllis and Lou to perfection and generates much laughter by leaving them all together in Mary's appartment for a character-based crisis.

WKRP In Cincinnati.  Episode 60.  "Venus and the Man"  A famous episode, where Venus tries to talk a high-school dropout into going back to finish out his education.  It should be awful.  A sit-com trying to preach about something serious and offering up pointless TV solutions.  But, instead, it's very good.  It does have a point to make and it makes it very well.  There are laughs to be had (particularly from Les, whose one scene is truly superb) but most of it is written (and played) straight.  Venus makes some great points.  And the kid decides to go back, at least until the end of the year.  It's a small victory and Venus reflects in the final scene that the chances of the kid actually staying in school are slim.  It's that kind of story-telling that makes WKRP a classic.

Rising Damp.  Episode 2.  "Black Magic"  Phillip is a bit nicer now to Alan, which is how I remember things.  They appear to be more of a team now (united against their small-minded landlord) although Alan is still bombarding Phillip with pointless questions.  The actual plot revolves around Phillip's 'magic powers' and Eric Chappell generates many laughs from the simple idea that Miss Jones is waiting for a knock on the floor to tell her to come up.  It's great.

Highlight?  Columbo

Wed, Jun 4th, 2008 - McMillan And Wife

09:00    McMillan And Wife

McMillan And Wife.  Episode 1.  "Once Upon a Dead Man"  Great fun.  The opening scene of this pilot sets up the series that would follow as perfectly as any pilot I have ever seen.  Police Commissioner McMillan is woken from a deep sleep to find that his wife ("a nut") is running around the city on an errand.  Police officers have spotted the McMillan car out and about and have called to alert the Commissioner in case anything is wrong.  Nothing is wrong.  It's just that Police Commissioner McMillan has no way to rein in his nutty wife.  Even in the middle of the night.  And that's essentially the series that would follow.  Sally running around doing things and her husband trying to slow her down.  And most of what Sally gets involved in leads to murder and mayhem along the way.

The movie is a quarter of the way done before Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James appear on-screen together, but when they do.. Wow!  The chemisty between them is fantastic, and - coupled with some great writing - makes them one of Television's Greatest Couples.  Both of them are very funny, and fun to watch, and they play the McMillans as a very loving couple.  They may disagree a lot but their honest affection is never far below the surface and they make a great team.

The story for the opener is pretty good.  A sarcophagus is stolen from a charity auction that Sally is organising and - before long - the murders start to happen.  The cast is first rate.  It's particularly cool to see Jonathan Harris and Kurt Kasznar sharing some screen time, since they played - essentially - the same character in different sixties sci-fi TV shows.  James Wainwright is well cast as a guy who may or may not be a crook.  The McMillan's believe in him, but we have a reason to be suspicious.  And it's cool the way the story makes us wonder about him.  It's also cool to see the McMillan's go about solving the case.

The pilot also has a long, and fun, bicycle chase where we get to see McMillan playing the action hero.  But this show isn't about action scenes or murders.  It's mostly about comedy, and watching the McMillans do their thing.  And there is lots here to laugh at: throwaway comments about the mayor, stubborn coffee machines, missing underwear, etc.  And Sally herself - a wonderful creation - is a great source of amusement.  My favourite Sally-scene is her attempt to prevert herself being overheard on the phone.  Priceless.