Episode Review: Taxi - Blind Date

 

Synopsis

After Alex has a long, enjoyable conversation with a girl named Angela from Bobby's answering service, he asks her out. But when he meets her in person, she's a lot less friendly, with hang-ups about her appearance. Meanwhile, Latka finds $2,000 in a cab, and the cabbies try to figure out what to do with it.

Thoughts

This is another episode with a lot of heart, though the difference in demeanor between Angela on the phone (a conversation we only hear about and don't witness directly) and in person is extreme. It seemed a little too extreme to me, even if the underlying reason -- Angela feeling inadequate about her appearance -- is understandable. Alex proves himself to be a good guy, and for the first time so far, the other cabbies seem less chummy and supportive, and a little more (what I would consider) realistic, ribbing Alex over Angela's appearance (with the possible exception of John, who tells Angela he was happy to meet her). As for the subplot with Latka and the money, it goes nowhere.

As a side note, the main theme to the series was originally written as a piece of music for this episode, and is titled Angela. Composer Bob James had originally intended for a more upbeat track, Touchdown, to be used as the series theme. Both tracks are available on James' album Touchdown.

Episode Review: Taxi - One-Punch Banta

 

Synopsis

Tony gets the chance to spar with a professional boxer at the gym, but things aren't what they seem.

Thoughts

This episode gives Tony Danza a chance to shine, and he does well. I'm not sure if he's more famous for Taxi or Who's the Boss (which is where I know him from). 

Like the first episode, this one also makes a point of showing how tight-knit the group of cabbies are, and the support they give each other. The other cabbies pitch in to buy Tony a boxer's robe, and at one point Alex is giving some advice about driving a cab to Elaine and John, and tells them not to feel bad if they don't know this information already because he's had 10 years experience. This sort of...being good to each other, I guess, isn't so common in the shows I've watched. I noticed Glen and Les Charles, and James Burrows, mentioned in the credits, and even their show Cheers didn't feature this level of intercharacter support (I'm remembering the episode where Cliff was in the hospital and nobody wanted to visit him).

Louie gets a moment alone in the garage which is pretty funny (and I wonder if it gets cut for syndication -- it seems prime to be), though Latka barely appears, and John doesn't have much to do here either. Louie comes across as very despicable and unlikable, and while I realize that's the point, I hope they tone him down a bit as the show goes on. Though at the end, even he admits he was rooting for Tony, and for a brief moment shows some geniality.

The first season of most TV shows tends to be a little atypical in hindsight as the show goes on, so I'm curious as to how much the rest of the series is like the first two episodes, especially in regard to how supportive the characters are of each other.

Episode Review: Taxi - Like Father, Like Daughter

Taxi was a show I'd known about from syndication when I was a kid, but I'd never watched an episode until yesterday. I recently picked up the entire series for $30, and will be reviewing each episode as I watch them for the first time.

The first episode of Season 1, Like Father, Like Daughter, introduces us to the characters and the taxi garage they work out of. Cab driver Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch) shows up with a passenger, John Burns (Randall Carver) because he didn't have change for the bill John gave him. There, we also meet Alex's coworkers, which include struggling actor Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway), losing boxer Tony Banta (Tony Danza, who I know mostly from Who's the Boss), their abusive dispatcher Louie De Palma (Danny Devito), new employee Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner, who is a mainstay on Hallmark Channel these days), and mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman). And because this is the first episode I've ever watched, I had to look up these character and actor names on Wikipedia!

While at the garage, John, who has an incredibly positive attitude, raves about how great their pay phone is, because the change compartment can be opened and therefore anyone can just keep inserting the same coin and call anywhere! This prompts the employees to begin making phone calls they normally wouldn’t, or couldn’t, make. Alex is encouraged to make a call to the daughter his hasn’t spoken to in 15 years, only to learn she’s left for college, but will be making a connecting flight in Miami, Florida. So, Alex, along with Bobby, Tony, Latka, and even John (who he’s just met) borrow a cab and drive from New York City to Miami so Alex can talk to his daughter and see her for the first time since she was a toddler.

As first episodes go, this one’s very unusual, given the heartfelt plot. I liked that Alex’s coworkers and John made the trip with him, and when Alex waded into the passenger area to try and find his daughter, Bobby said “Don’t worry, we won’t leave you.” as a show of support. It’s a very touching scene, more so than most premiere episodes of sitcoms. I'm looking forward to watching the next episode.

At the end of the episode, John becomes a driver for the cab company as well, and the series’ ensemble is set in motion.

Resuming This Blog

It's been almost 7 years since I've written anything here, and I honestly don't know if anyone has ever visited this blog. My original point in starting this blog, apart from my regular blog, My Life and Code, was as a way to find a little solace in the classic TV shows I love, as a refuge from the craziness of everyday life. Different people unwind in different ways, and for me, certain TV shows help me unwind.

As evidenced by the limited number of posts written here so far, the plan didn't really pan out. And it was starting to get to the point where I'd only be writing when someone from the world of classic TV had passed away.

I recently purchased the DVD boxed set of Taxi for $30. I'd never watched a single episode, but based on the talent behind the show, and the things I'd already heard about it, I thought I'd take a chance. I've since watched the first episode, and afterwards decided that it would be an interesting exercise of sorts to review each episode as I watched it. Taxi is a classic series, but one that I'm only experiencing now, decades after it premiered. So, if anyone is reading this, I'm about to embark on an episode-by-episode, watched-for-the-first-time journey through Taxi.

Shout! Factory to Release WKRP In Cincinnati: The Complete Series...With Original Music?

Shout! Factory has announced that they will be releasing the complete WKRP In Cincinnati series on DVD, and rumor has it that it will be including the original music. I've been having trouble finding the original press release, and going to the product page of Shout! Factory's website (via a Google search -- the site's internal search returns nothing) displays a message stating that you must be registered to view the page. I registered and logged in, but the page still gave me the same message.

However, viewing the page via Google's cache, Shout! Factory describes the show as ""Pairing an impeccable ensemble cast with hilarious wit and popular tunes". In addition, the set is available for pre-order on Amazon, albeit without an expected release date.

You can view the cached version of Shout! Factory's WKRP product page here.
You can pre-order the set on Amazon here.

Episode Review: The Six Million Dollar Man - The Price of Liberty

Over the past year or so I've been watching The Six Million Dollar Man, starting with the original made-for-TV-movie, and progressing an episode at a time in order through the seasons. Yesterday I watched the 3rd season episode, "The Price of Liberty".

When I saw that the episode was written by Kenneth Johnson, I knew I was in for a treat. Johnson is responsible for some of the series' best episodes, as well as having created the character of Jamie Summers (the Bionic Woman), bringing The Incredible Hulk to television, creating the original "V" miniseries, and helming the TV version of Alien Nation.

Johnson excels in writing characters, and this episode is a prime example. The premise of the episode involves the heist of the Liberty Bell prior to its tour of the United States in celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial. Without giving away too much of the plot, Steve Austin must enlist the help of a convict (played, quite effectively, by Chuck Conners) in securing the bell.

Now, I love the 1970s. And I have a nostalgia for the U.S. Bicentennial, which I was too young to remember at the time. And, of course, I love classic television. So this episode appealed to me in many areas. The script is excellent, and Lee Majors and Richard Anderson are solid as Steve Austin and Oscar Goldman, respectively.

The episode does, however, have one comical shortcoming: even though it's supposed to take place in the Philadelphia area, it was obviously filmed in California. I'm very familiar with the Philadelphia area, and the the building they tried to pass off as Independence Hall looks nothing like the real thing, but much more amusing is their use of the dry, arid hills of California as a stand in for Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania isn't exactly known for dry areas of sand and brush -- its name means "Penn's Woods" after all. So I had to chuckle a few times during this episode when it came to the scenery. But hey, they couldn't exactly justify a location shoot on the opposite side of the country, could they?

A great episode, scenery shortcomings notwithstanding.

You can visit Kenneth Johnson's website here. At some point, I'm going to have to create the Classic TV World Hall of Fame, and Mr. Johnson will most likely be the first inductee.

It's Been Awhile...

It's been quite awhile since I've written here. My schedule has been pretty hectic and I haven't had much time to post anything here. Of course, whenever someone from the world of television passes away, I want to try to find the time to post a tribute here, yet at the same time, I don't want this to become the "Classic TV World of Celebrity Deaths".

Over the past year, we've lost some of TV's greats, even though some of them weren't household names. Hal Sutherland of Filmation passed away in January, as did Lou Scheimer, also of Filmation, in October of 2013.

We lost Harold Ramis -- more famous for movies than television, but he made a huge impression in SCTV as both an actor and a writer -- back in February. And, most recently, Casey Kasem passed away last Sunday, June 15th.

All of these talented people are sorely missed.