12 Novels to Read Before TV Ruins Them

Actually the header is: 12 Novels to Read Before They Head to TV

Binging on Longmire

I've been binging on Longmire and here's the first result. Your thoughts on the season premiere and the following episodes are always welcomed.

Longmire 4.02: “War Eagle."
Longmire 4.03: “High Noon”
Longmire 4.04: “Four Arrows”
Longmire 4.05: “Help Wanted”
Longmire 4:06: "The Calling Back"
Longmire 4.07: “Highway Robbery”

“Would you believe…”

Get Smart at 50: Shrewd and Still Intelligent

The Flash

I grew up reading The Flash comic and am looking forward to the new show. So, I'm at Tor.com with A Barry Allen Primer: What You Need to Know Ahead of The Flash’s Series Debut. Looking forward to talking to you over there.

Harvest

“Harvest” picks up where we left off with Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) receiving care for a flesh wound and Vic looking genuinely drained from her hellish experience as a captive.

When Walt and Vic hugged in the hospital, my wife said to me, “I can see them as a couple,” and I had to finally agree. The relationship happens in Craig Johnson's series of novels from which the show originates, and it seems like it’s time on the TV series. But, like water in a dam rising to the occasion, we are kept waiting again, because Vic’s husband Sean (Michael Mosley) has given her an ultimatum to quit her job in two weeks or they’re done. When Branch Connally (Bailey Chase) broke into Vic’s house in last week's episode, I was thinking, you’re going to be in a world of hurt when she finds out. Sure enough, in this episode, Vic (Katee Sackhoff) tears Branch a new one and lays everything wide open.

My full review, of the latest Longmire episode, can be found at Criminal Element.

Population 25

Vic in some serious trouble in “Population 25." My review at Criminal Element.

Reports Of My Death Can’t Be Trusted

"Reports of My Death" Can’t Be Trusted.

“Of Children and Travelers”

My thoughts on last night's Longmire episode.

Longmire 3.01: Season Premiere “The White Warrior”

“The White Warrior” opens with Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) thundering across the dusty landscape in his SUV with Deputy Branch Connally’s bleeding body in the back en route to the nearest medical service: a clinic on the reservation. He skids to a stop in front of an attendant sitting outside. When the man hurries around and notices Branch’s injuries, he asks, “What did you do to him?” and in a flashback, we see Longmire sewing up the gunshot wound with fishing line to slow the bleeding.

Read the rest of my review at Criminal Element.

How Peter Falk Made Lt. Columbo Iconic

Lee Goldberg has a terrific article on Mr. Falk at the WSJ.

Peter Falk

Peter Falk, TV's "Columbo," is dead at 83. One of the greats. R.I.P.

New Angels

The 2011 Charlie's Angels.

My favorite will always be Jaclyn Smith. What about you?

Pulp

J.J. Abrams Brings 'Pulp' To TV.

A Hero of My Childhood Returns

What can I say. I'm a fan.
Lee Majors: DVD Issued Of Six Million Dollar Man - Memories Of A Bionic Icon | Majors Does Not Like Bionic Sound Effects | DVD review.

Tony Curtis

I enjoyed many of his films and this particular TV show with Roger Moore was a favorite. R.I.P.

Wanted Dead or Alive

"Three hard mother-grabbin' years, but I learned my trade and it gave me discipline." —Steve McQueen, The King of Cool, commenting about his experience on the series

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Jodi MacArthur read my short story "The Great Whydini" and mentioned how much she enjoyed magician tales. That, in turn, reminded her of this old Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode titled "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starring Brandon de Wilde and Diana Dors. I hadn't seen this episode before and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story was written by the incomparable Robert Bloch.



Part 2 | Part 3

Mannon

As a kid, I watched Gunsmoke faithfully every chance I got, and out of all the episodes, there was one in particular starring Steve Forrest that stood out. Forrest played Will Mannon, a ruthless gunfighter who shows up in Dodge during Marshal Matt Dillon's absence and paralyzes the townspeople. For most of the hour, the suspense built around Mannon's fast draw, just about the fastest anybody had ever seen, and it seemed that as quick as Matt was there was no way he'd be able to take down Mannon. When Dillon finally shows up in the closing minutes, well, ...

Anyway, I see TV Land is showing the "Mannon" episode until August 9th. I hope it's as good as I remember. Wish my dad was here to watch it with me.

Bat Masterson

I've been watching this old entertaining tv western and can't get the theme song outta my head. Not the best quality here but I recommend clicking over to HULU and checking out a few episodes.

My Saturday Mornings

I was a Saturday morning cartoon fanatic in the 1970’s. I couldn’t wait to plop down in front of the boob tube, tune into Bugs, Scooby, Tarzan, and soak 'em up until my mom pulled the plug, so to speak.

Though I loved all the cartoons, probably my favorite excursions were the live action dramas that came on after the animations. Does anybody else remember Ark II?

The Ark II is a futuristic, high-tech RV that carried the crew of Jonah (the leader), Ruth and Samuel (a sister and brother team), and Adam (a talking chimpanzee) across the country. The crew's mission was to right the wrongs and promote peace in a post apocalyptic world. The Ark Roamer, a jeep like vehicle, and jet packs allowed the crew to go where the Ark II couldn't take them.

The ever-expanding YouTube had a clip from the show:



After all these years, I have one question, why Jonah and not Noah?

Of course, YouTube is brilliant because one memory leads to another. Here's Isis and Shazam.

When it came to animation, Tarzan was a favorite of mine. Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (36 episodes from 1976–77) was rather intelligent entertainment for Saturday morning and, in many ways, it is the most faithful adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough’s creation. This Tarzan is smart and well-spoken. His sidekick is N’kima the monkey (Cheeta is from the movies). The animation is based upon the work of Burrough's favorite Tarzan artist, Burne Hogarth, and the series featured many of the lost cities from the novels. Ok, I just read all that from Wikipedia, but from my continued "research" for this post, I watched Tarzan ‘The City of Gold’ and it was as good as I remembered it.

Yeah, it’s dated for today’s audiences but not for this big kid looking through 1970's spectacles.