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HERCULE POIROT: DEAD MAN’S FOLLY (1986 TV Film)

SUMMARY:                     RUNNING TIME: 94:00 Min.

Adapting Agatha Christie’s same-named 1956 Hercule Poirot novel, CBS-TV first broadcast this Warner Bros. Television film on January 8, 1986.  Set in the present-day, acclaimed British mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver (Stapleton) is commissioned to devise a mock ‘Murder Hunt’ for a Devon village’s community fair. 

With the fair set up at the posh Nasse House estate, Oliver invites the esteemed Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot (Ustinov), to attend as her guest consultant.  Yet, the event’s macabre fun turns shockingly real when the supposed teenage victim is indeed murdered in the secluded boathouse. 

Further complicating the crime, the estate’s owner (Pigott-Smith) discovers that his reclusive wife (Sheridan) has ominously vanished.  Soon afterward, an inebriated third victim drowns due to the elusive culprit.  It’s up to Poirot, along with Mrs. Oliver and his trusted associate, Hastings (Cecil), to unravel the sordid truth behind the nefarious events plaguing Nasse House.

Hercule Poirot: Peter Ustinov

Ariadne Oliver: Jean Stapleton

Capt. Arthur Hastings: Jonathan Cecil

Sir George Stubbs: Tim Pigott-Smith

Hattie Stubbs: Nicollette Sheridan

Amy Folliat: Constance Cummings

Detective Inspector Bland: Kenneth Cranham

Police Constable: Jack Ellis

Alec Legge & Sally Legge: Christopher Guard & Caroline Langrishe

Michael Weyman: Ralph Arliss

Amanda Brewis: Susan Wooldridge

Marilyn Gale: Sandra Dickinson

Mr. & Mrs. Tucker: Leslie Schofield & Marjorie Yates

Marlene Tucker: Pippa Hinchley

Marilyn Tucker: Vicky Murdock

Eddie South: Jeff Yaegher

Merdell: Jimmy Gardner

Boatman: Alan Parnaby

Hostel Girl: Siv Borg

Unnamed Women: Dorothea Phillips, Joanna Dickens, & Fanny Carnaby

Unnamed Men: James Gaddas & Cyril Conway

Fair Attendees: Uncredited

Note: This film would be Ustinov’s fourth of six Poirot films (three of which were released theatrically).

REVIEW:

Reasonably faithful to Agatha Christie’s source material, this decent adaptation recognizes that its storyline is indeed TV-caliber, as compared to Peter Ustinov’s ultra-scenic Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun.  Populated by a good cast, the highlight is Ustinov & Jean Stapleton’s entertaining chemistry, with some third-wheel help from Jonathan Cecil, giving all three of them amusingly comical quirks. 

As to the mystery itself, Christie’s novel isn’t among her best Poirot whodunnits, but the plot still makes for watchable mainstream television.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                                    5½ Stars

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STAR TREK – THE ORIGINAL SERIES: THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER (Season 2: Episode 24)

SUMMARY:              RUNNING TIME: 50:00 Min.

First airing on NBC-TV on March 8, 1968, second season writer/producer  John Meredyth Lucas directed this episode off a script  devised by Laurence N. Wolfe & D.C. Fontana.  The U.S.S. Enterprise is mysteriously summoned off its current assignment by Starfleet to be fitted with the experimental M-5 computer. 

Designed by Dr. Richard Daystrom, this revolutionary A.I. computer system is the first step towards Starfleet potentially utilizing mostly automated starships for future galactic exploration.  For initial testing, the Enterprise‘s crew is reduced to a mere handful, leaving Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy aboard as glorified on-hand observers. 

First up is a round of simulated ‘war games’ pitting the M-5-automated Enterprise against a trio of fellow Federation starships without live firepower.  Under Daystrom’s gloating supervision, the M-5 achieves easy victory until the elite computer’s self-defined superiority then accelerates with deadly results.  A stunned Daystrom is reduced to a nervous breakdown having lost an emotional battle to salvage what should have been his greatest career achievement. 

Meanwhile, without Daystrom’s help, Captain Kirk & Spock try to improvise a means of regaining control of an Enterprise gone amok once Starfleet determines the M-5 system must be immediately destroyed – even if that means the Enterprise goes with it.

Captain James T. Kirk: William Shatner

Commander Spock: Leonard Nimoy

Dr. Leonard H. McCoy: DeForest Kelley

Lt. Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott: James Doohan

Lt. Uhura: Nichelle Nichols

Lt. Sulu: George Takei

Ensign Chekov: Walter Koenig

Dr. Richard Daystrom: William Marshall

Commodore Bob Wesley: Barry Russo

Lt. Leslie: Eddie Paskey

Lt. Brent: Frank da Vinci

Lt. Lemli: Roger Holloway

Harper: Sean Morgan

REVIEW:

No matter how predictable this episode’s plotting really is, “The Ultimate Computer” remains very watchable.  The reliable chemistry between Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley, is a treat, as is their well-played teamwork with guest William Marshall.  The story itself is heavy-handed, in spite of its good intentions spelling out the fallacy why technology shouldn’t supersede humanity. 

In the end, though, “The Ultimate Computer” is a kid-friendly Trek that merits a chance to be seen by younger generations.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        6 Stars

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STAR TREK – THE ORIGINAL SERIES: THE GALILEO SEVEN (Season 1: Episode 16)

SUMMARY:                  RUNNING TIME: 51:00 Min.

First airing on NBC-TV, on January 5, 1967, Robert Gist directed this mid-season episode off Oliver Crawford & Shimon Wincelberg’s (aka S. Bar David) script.  During the U.S.S. Enterprise’s journey to Markus III to deliver much-needed supplies to its New Paris colony, a quasar-like phenomenon, Murasaki 312, necessitates scientific investigation.  Aboard the shuttlecraft, Galileo, Spock commands an exploratory team consisting of Scotty, Dr. McCoy, and four others. 

Yet, an emergency situation strands the Galileo on the primitive world known as Taurus II.  Amidst makeshift repairs, the shuttle’s crew defends itself from multiple attacks by the planet’s barbaric and increasingly aggressive natives.  Pressured by Commissioner Ferris, Captain Kirk is rapidly running out of allotted time to find his missing crew members.  Essentially, the lost Galileo is a needle in a galactic haystack. 

From the ship’s bridge, Kirk fears the worst once his search parties encounter the same lethal brutes that have previously attacked the Galileo.  Pursuing one desperate shot at an escape and saving his team, Spock’s cool-headed logic and command abilities are increasingly doubted by his skeptical subordinates.  Ultimately, it’s up to Spock and Scotty to devise a means of overcoming the team’s slim odds of rescue.  

Captain James T. Kirk: William Shatner

Commander Spock: Leonard Nimoy

Dr. Leonard H. McCoy: DeForest Kelley

Lt. Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott: James Doohan

Lt. Uhura: Nichelle Nichols

Lt. Sulu: George Takei

Lt. Boma: Don Marshall

Lt. Gaetano: Peter Marko

Yeoman Mears: Phyllis Douglas

Commissioner Ferris: John Crawford

Lt. Kelowitz: Grant Woods

Lt. Latimer: Rees Vaughn

Transporter Technician: David Ross

Taurus II Brute: Buck Maffei

REVIEW:

Though its outcome is never really in doubt, Nimoy & Kelley’s reliable chemistry as Spock & McCoy ensures that “The Galileo Seven” is a dynamite Trek.  In a welcome change, especially reciprocating against Kelley and guest Don Marshall, Nimoy overshadows Shatner as this episode’s true dramatic star. 

No matter its familiar TV plot contrivances, “The Galileo Seven” is well-played (particularly, with the welcome insertion of modern F/X).     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 7 Stars

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DARK AND STORMY NIGHT (2009)

SUMMARY:           RUNNING TIME: 93:00 Min.

In 2009, writer-director Larry Blamire devised this low-budget, black-and-white parody of haunted house murder-mysteries featuring his unofficial repertory company.  Most specifically, Blamire’s spoof homages the horror-comedy silent classic, The Cat and the Canary, and, to a degree, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

One night sometime in the 1930’s, at the secluded Cavender estate, rival journalists “8 O’Clock” Farraday (Roebuck) and Billie Tuesday (Blaire) attend a contentious will reading for the late tycoon, Sinas Cavender.  Amidst a nasty overnight storm, multiple uninvited guests claiming to be stranded (conveniently, due to car trouble) quickly show up and attend the will’s reading. 

Worst yet, a notorious serial killer is evidently terrorizing the area in search of female victims with a certain first name. It’s revealed that this odd name was once a childhood nickname for one of the household’s residents. Adding to the ‘bone-chilling’ vibe, local legend also has it that the 300-year old ghost of ancestor Sarah Cavender is reputedly set to haunt the estate that very night.  Word of an escaped mental patient now on the loose also eventually reaches the attendees.

Once Cavender’s naïve adult ward, Sabasha (Masterson), inherits the bulk of his considerable estate, it appears that she has been targeted for death by someone else in the house.  Standing watch over a hysterical Sabasha are Farraday, Tuesday, &  bemused taxi driver Happy Codburn (Conroy), who insists on getting his remaining thirty-five cents fee from either his deadbeat fare, Farraday, or anyone else willing to pay it. 

Over the course of an ominous night, Sabasha vanishes, as a series of ghoulish homicides ensue.  Then again, there’s also the threat of whatever dark secrets are lurking upstairs in the Cavender mansion’s attic.

“Eight O’Clock” Farraday: Daniel Roebuck

Billie Tuesday: Jennifer Blaire

Happy Codburn: Dan Conroy

Burling Famish, Jr.: Brian Howe

Ray Vestinhaus: Larry Blamire

Jack Tugdon: Jim Beaver

Seyton Ethelquake: James Karen

Sabasha Fanmoore: Fay Masterson

Mrs. Cupcupboard the Psychic: Allison Martin

Teak Armbruster: Kevin Quinn

Jeens the Butler: Bruce French

Pristy Famish: Christine Romeo

Jane Hovenham the Maid: Trish Geiger

Inspector Riley: Tom Reese

Archie the Cook: Robert Deveau

Gunny Luckcakes’ Spirit: Marvin Kaplan

Farper Twyly: Mark Redfield

Lord Partfine: Andrew Parks

Mrs. Hausenstout: Betty Garrett

Gorilla: Bob Burns

Thessaly: Susan McConnell

Dr. Van Von Vandervon: H.M. Wynant

Hooded Villain(s): Unrevealed

Notes: Geiger is the film’s co-producer.  In terms of real-life family, co-star Jennifer Blaire is Blamire’s spouse while Betty Garrett and Andrew Parks are mother and son.

REVIEW:

Despite its outlandish premise, Dark and Stormy Night is really more amusingly watchable than the hilarious anything-goes farce it ought to have been.  In that sense, the film’s ambiance exudes a generally PG-rated stage play.  Still, the film’s likable cast is game from start to finish; in particular, Blaire, Howe, Masterson, and Romeo are terrific portraying their roles. 

For fans who have enjoyed 1976’s Murder By Death, 1985’s Clue, and/or some adaptation of The Cat and The Canary, they won’t likely be too disappointed. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                    5½ Stars

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THE VILLAIN (1979)

SUMMARY:            RUNNING TIME: 1 Hour, 29 Min.

In 1979, Rastar Films released director Hal Needham’s cartoony spoof playing up classic Western genre clichés.  Set sometime and somewhere in the Old West, rancher Parody Jones (Martin) badly needs a loan for his struggling ranch.  He sends his beguiling daughter (and she knows it), Charming (Margret), off to a frontier town to collect a much-needed loan from the local banker, Avery Simpson (Elam). 

Yet, the unscrupulous banker wants to keep the money for himself, not to mention the Jones ranch upon foreclosure.  After bungling an overnight bank heist in the same town, notorious “Cactus” Jack Slade (Douglas) faces either an imminent hanging, or he can secretly work for Simpson.

Specifically, Charming and her ultra-dense bodyguard, Handsome Stranger (Schwarzenegger) are traveling cross-country by wagon through the desert back to her family’s ranch.  To earn his fee from Simpson, all a down-on-his-luck Slade has to do is rob them during this journey. Shadowing the ornery Slade is another of Simpson’s inept cohorts: Native American Chief Nervous Elk (Lynde), who has brought along a horde of marauders from his tribe.

With the help of his frisky horse, Whiskey (the smarter half of this outlaw duo), Slade pulls out all the stops trying to intercept his intended quarry.  Meanwhile, Charming tries her best seducing her oblivious protector.  

“Cactus” Jack Slade: Kirk Douglas

Handsome Stranger: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Charming Jones: Ann-Margret

‘Whiskey’: Ott the Horse

Avery Simpson: Jack Elam

Parody Jones: Strother Martin

Damsel in Distress: Ruth Buzzi

Nervous Elk: Paul Lynde

Mashing Finger: Robert Tessier

Bank Clerk: Foster Brooks

Telegraph Agent: Mel Tillis

Sheriff: Jan Eddy

Train Conductor: Mel Todd

Bartender: Jim Anderson

Saloon Crowd: Laura Liza Sommers, Ed Little, Dick Dickinson, & Richard Brewer

Townspeople: Uncredited

Nervous Elk’s Raiders: Uncredited

Notes: Tillis also performs the title song.  Interestingly, this comedy offers the rare sights of seeing both Lynde (in a politically incorrect role) and Schwarzenegger riding on horseback.

REVIEW:

This wacky, live-action Hal Needham cartoon tries to be the next Blazing Saddles, with its obvious homages to Chuck Jones’ classic Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote gags.  Despite the plot’s inability to reach its potential, reliable veterans Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret, at least, are game trying to make the best of this comedy-Western misfire. 

The unavoidable obstacle, however, is that they can’t overcome such weak storytelling, let alone jokes (too many off-color) that fall flat … just like Slade often does.  Case in point: the movie’s finale abruptly shifts into the closing credits without even resolving the evil banker sub-plot.  This omission spells out that Needham’s movie is merely settling for a series of hit-or-miss gags vs. concocting an actual story.   

If there’s any hilarious incentive/guilty pleasure to see The Villain (aside from perusing one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s earliest roles), then it’s the fact that Ott the Horse (aka ‘Whiskey’) steals this movie from Douglas several times over.  Suffice to say, he’s a far better thief that the moronic “Cactus” Jack Slade.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        3½ Stars

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STAR TREK – THE ORIGINAL SERIES: SPECTRE OF THE GUN (Season 3, Episode 6)

SUMMARY:                      RUNNING TIME: 51:00 Min.

First airing on NBC-TV on October 25, 1968, Vincent McEveety directed this episode penned by Gene L. Coon (per his pseudonym, Lee Cronin).  Disregarding Melkotian insistence not to beam down, Captain Kirk leads an U.S.S. Enterprise landing party down to their misty world to intrude and stubbornly push Federation diplomacy. 

As fitting retaliation, the offended Melkots transplant Kirk’s team into a partial replica inspired by Earth’s deadly history: October 26, 1881, at Tombstone, Arizona.  Hence, the Enterprise’s stranded landing party are forced into the roles of the hapless Clanton/McLaury gang awaiting the showdown vs. the coldly belligerent Earp Brothers and “Doc” Holliday at the ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.’

With time running on their destined ‘fate,’ Kirk’s team must uncover a means to alter established ‘history.’  In essence, their alien captors intend to pit the crew’s sense of virtue against humanity’s worst impulses resorting to lethal violence.    

Captain James T. Kirk (Ike Clanton): William Shatner

Commander Spock (Frank McLaury): Leonard Nimoy

Dr. Leonard H. McCoy (Tom McLaury): DeForest Kelley

Commander Montgomery Scott (Billy Clanton): James Doohan

Ensign Pavel Chekov (Billy Claiborne): Walter Keonig

Sylvia: Bonnie Beecher

Wyatt Earp: Ron Soble

Morgan Earp: Rex Holman

Virgil Earp: Charles Maxwell

“Doc” Holliday: Sam Gilliman

Melkotian (voice): Abraham Sofaer

Tombstone barber: Ed McCready

Ed: Charles Seel

Cowboys: Paul Baxley & Richard Anthony

Lt. Hadley: Bill Blackburn

Note: Kelley had previously portrayed Morgan Earp in 1957’s Gunfight at the O.K. Corral co-starring Burt Lancaster & Kirk Douglas. Holman would later play a supporting role as one of Sybok’s recruits in 1989’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.   

REVIEW:

Though the premise isn’t half-bad, suffice to say, Trek’s first Western doesn’t age well.  Given the production’s glaring budgetary limitations, at least a plausible excuse is conjured up justifying the flimsy Tombstone set (i.e. the aliens possess an incomplete knowledge of Old West historical detail).  Still, the episode itself invariably looks and feels cheap. 

Distorting even rudimentary historical facts, this Trek, unfortunately, conveys that the Clantons and McLaurys weren’t sleazy outlaws facing frontier justice they deserved.  Ironically, by replacing their historical criminality with the heroism of Kirk, Spock, etc., the Clanton/McLaury faction is sympathetically depicted as being bullied and gunned down by the vindictive, trigger-happy Earps. 

As crudely produced as this episode is, “Spectre of the Gun” is still more re-watchable than some of the viewer-insulting dreck Season 3 dubiously peddled (“Spock’s Brain,” anyone?).    

Note: A 1987 Real Ghostbusters animated episode (“Ghost Fight at the O.K. Corral”) recycles this same concept and actually does a much better job.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  4 Stars

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STAR TREK – THE ORIGINAL SERIES: METAMORPHOSIS (Season 2: Episode 9)

SUMMARY:                        RUNNING TIME: 50:00 Min.

First airing on NBC-TV, on November 10, 1967, Ralph Senesky directed this episode penned by Gene L. Coon.  An U.S.S. Enterprise shuttlecraft is abducted by a mysterious energy cloud, which then strands Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and terminally ill Federation diplomat Nancy Hedford on the remote Gamma Canaris N planetoid.  Effectively marooned, the shuttle’s crew are stunned to discover that their fellow inhabitant is engineer Zefram Cochrane: the legendary inventor of warp drive. 

According to Earth history, an elderly Cochrane had vanished some 150 years prior, leaving an unsolved mystery.  Yet, he has resided alone on this planet — somehow restored to his physical prime.  It’s revealed that the ethereal ‘Companion,’ in an act of compassion, has brought the quartet there to befriend a lonely and evidently now-immortal Cochrane. 

With Cochrane’s reluctant help, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy desperately try escaping The Companion’s captivity, in part to seek Hedford’s emergency medical care.   

Captain James T. Kirk: William Shatner

Commander Spock: Leonard Nimoy

Dr. Leonard H. McCoy: DeForest Kelley

Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott: James Doohan

Lt. Uhura: Nichelle Nichols

Lt. Sulu: George Takei

Zefram Cochrane: Glenn Corbett

Commissioner Nancy Hedford: Elinor Donahue

The Companion (voice): Elizabeth Rogers

Lt. Leslie: Eddie Paskey

Lt. Hadley: Bill Blackburn

REVIEW:

Suffice to say, it’s Star Trek’s most underrated love story.  Instead of a slam-bang Trek adventure, writer Gene L. Coon ensures that the mature romanticism powering “Metamorphosis” caters to a wider adult audience than stalwart Trekkers.  Enjoying solid chemistry with guest stars Glenn Corbett and Elinor Donahue, the trio of Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley reliably carry this episode’s poignant themes to a satisfying finish. 

Though Cochrane’s tale isn’t among the most re-watchable Original Series episodes that spring to mind, “Metamorphosis” remains a classy and genuinely welcome Trek-or-treat.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   8 Stars

Note:  Co-written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, the 1994 Original Series/Next Generation crossover novel, Federation, serves as a direct sequel to this episode (and, to a much lesser degree, “Journey to Babel”).

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FANTASY ISLAND {1984}: ETERNAL FLAME / A DATE WITH BURT (Season 6: Episode 16)

SUMMARY:                RUNNING TIME: 51:00 Min.

First airing on ABC-TV on March 5, 1983, Don Weis directed this episode.  Concurrently depicted, a newlywed couple (Oakes & Boomer) blissfully seeks out romantic immortality while a middle-aged spinster lands a dream date with her favorite Hollywood celebrity. 

Specifically, the young Westons find a magical lagoon is a portal into an alternate reality where an ancient civilization still exists on a remote island.  As it ominously proves for one of them, supposed immortality is indeed sold for a steep price. 

Meanwhile, at risk of losing his iconic James Bond-like role to a teenager, aging action-film icon Burt Hunter (Ely) resorts to manipulating his biggest fan, Margaret Winslow (Dee), to persuade the franchise’s disinterested producer (Landsberg) into saving his career.  Tattoo and a young girl (Spelling) contribute to an adoring Ms. Winslow’s unlikely romance with her self-involved heartthrob.

Mr. Roarke: Ricardo Montalbán

Tattoo: Hervé Villechaize

Diana Weston (“Eternal Flame”): Randi Oakes

Alex Weston (“Eternal Flame”): Linwood Boomer

Maatira (“Eternal Flame”): Stella Stevens

Ra-Mas (“Eternal Flame”): Alex Cord

Vaal (“Eternal Flame”): Nicholas Worth

Soldiers (“Eternal Flame”): Uncredited

Maidens (“Eternal Flame”): Uncredited

Margaret Winslow (“A Date With Burt”): Sandra Dee

Burt Hunter (“A Date With Burt”): Ron Ely

Various Party Guests (“A Date With Burt”): Uncredited

John Pike (“A Date With Burt”): David Landsberg

Christy (“A Date With Burt”): Tori Spelling

Yvonne (“A Date With Burt”): Terri Lynn

Stuntmen as ‘Pretend Thugs’ (“A Date With Burt”: David Cass Jr. & John Tuell

Additional ‘Thug’ Stuntmen (“A Date With Burt”): Uncredited

Island Dancers: Uncredited

Island Inhabitants: Uncredited

Note: Worth later played one of Montalbán’s evil henchmen in 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad.

REVIEW:

Reminiscent of a seven-layer dip, melted cheese oozes throughout this inane episode.  Aside from producer Aaron Spelling’s glaring nepotism casting his young, pig-tailed daughter, one is left with a middling pair of love stories struggling to remain watchable. 

Both storylines serve up laughably clichéd pap, including a long-lost Egyptian/Greek/Roman civilization appearing freshly-minted from some second-rate Hollywood costume-and-prop department.  Most likely, viewers are lucky to tolerate a single viewing.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       3 Stars

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SLIMER AND THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS: ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WINSTON (Season 5, Episode 4)

SUMMARY:                 RUNNING TIME: 22:00 Min.

First aired on ABC-TV on September 16, 1989, this early Season 5 episode was directed by Will Meugniot.  With New York City readily emanating evil, the apparitions of Professor James Moriarty and a monstrous (dragon-like) Hound of the Baskervilles arise to collect enough evil supernatural power to bring Moriarty back to ‘life.’   Courtesy of a primitive-looking automobile, the ghostly duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson subsequently chase their foes across the city. 

Aiding Holmes in his rescue of an abducted Watson, only Winston Zeddemore initially senses the Ghostsbusters’ true foes in this odd skirmish.  Worse yet, upon invading the Ghostbusters’ HQ, Moriarty intends to feed off the captured ghosts held in their containment chamber to make himself unstoppable.    

Note: Egon speculates that, though Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters are indeed fictional, their ‘ghosts’ somehow manifest themselves because mass audiences firmly believe in them.  Hence, Doyle’s characters exist in their own ‘quasi-reality.’ 

Dr. Peter Venkman: Dave Coulier

Dr. Raymond Stantz, Slimer, Hound, & Miscellaneous Voices: Frank Welker

Winston Zeddemore: Buster Jones

Janine Melnitz: Kath Soucie

Dr. Egon Spengler & Dr. John H. Watson: Maurice LaMarche

Sherlock Holmes: Alan Shearman

Louis Tully & Professor James Moriarty: Rodger Bumpass

REVIEW:

Aside from a nice homage referencing the original film’s library sequence, this episode doesn’t age well.  Courtesy of a blah script geared towards first-graders with, at most, a rudimentary idea who Sherlock Holmes is, adults expecting little won’t be surprised.  While it is fun seeing Winston essentially take command of the team, the flimsy plotting (much like the animation) won’t likely impress anyone.

More so, Dave Coulier’s annoying take on Venkman makes the show’s lead character sound as dim-witted as John Travolta’s Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter.  Let’s just say Venkman’s dubious contributions to this episode become an unwelcome distraction.  Despite entertaining its undemanding target audience for twenty minutes, the content of “Elementary, My Dear Winston,” clearly falls short of its intriguing premise. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     3½ Stars

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(SLIMER AND) THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS: GHOST FIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (Season 2: Episode 47)

SUMMARY:                 RUNNING TIME: 22:00 Min.

First aired in syndication on November 17, 1987, this episode was directed by Masakzu Higuchi.  At Tombstone, Arizona, celebrated Western novelist Dewey LaMort (spoofing Louis L’Amour) is the guest of honor for a press conference announcing a new Old West theme park.  Yet, the restless ghost of Wyatt Earp interrupts … appropriately enough, at Boot Hill cemetery.  Earp’s fast-shooting ghost has no intention of giving up Tombstone to anyone.  It’s time to call in the Ghostbusters!

Upon their arrival in present-day Tombstone, the team (including a stowaway Slimer) splits up and faces ambushes from a spectral Earp and his re-materialized allies (brother Virgil & Morgan, along with “Doc” Holliday).  Ultimately, the Ghostbusters reckon that the trigger-happy Earp faction intends to replay the ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.’  Yet, what can the team do in self-defense standing in for the hapless Clanton Gang outlaws?

Dr. Peter Venkman (and either Morgan or Virgil Earp): Lorenzo Music

Winston Zeddemore (and either Virgil or Morgan Earp): Arsenio Hall

Dr. Egon Spengler, “Doc” Holliday, & Mayor of Tombstone: Maurice LaMarche

Dr. Raymond Stantz, Dewey LaMort, & Slimer: Frank Welker

Wyatt Earp & Boris Mealey: Jonathan Schmock

Janine Melnitz: Laura Summer

Note: Although a gun is seen in Earp’s holster, the Earps & Holiday use their hands to simulate guns for their rapid-fire ‘ghost bullets.’

REVIEW:

On its surface, the premise practically duplicates a lesser Star Trek: The Original Series episode: “Spectre of the Gun.”  Like that Star Trek episode, again Wyatt Earp and his faction are conveniently the cold-hearted bad guys, regardless of actual American history.  Yet, upon a comparison of entertainment value, “Ghost Fight at the O.K. Corral” ages far better. 

Specifically, this Tombstone-themed episode sports more accurate historical research (including appropriate visuals for Wyatt’s squad) and, most obviously, a far-superior script where the Ghostbusters are forced into a defensive mode.  With the voice cast in terrific form, the much-better-than-expected “Ghost Fight at the O.K. Corral” merits a chance for re-discovery.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:        6½ Stars

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