Reviews
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959)
Zelda did not turn out the way you might think
Sheila James played Zelda - the smart girl viewers hoped Dobie would fall far - she would straighten him out. Zelda, maybe, Sheila James, no.
If you read her biography in the IMDb you will find she quit acting, got a law degree, declared herself a lesbian and now holds political office with an eye towards feminist issue.
Makes one long for the days when the smartest thing a bright girl did was marry well, as viewers hoped Zelda would.
To find the names of other cast members read the comments - they are embedded there.
77 Sunset Strip (1958)
Quality TV to grow up on
The transition for large screen to small was still unlearned when "77" was released. Playhouse 90, Live From Carnegie Hall and network sponsored orchestras were still in vogue - serious TV with a performing arts feel. Note the cinema feel to this series. It was filmed, not video taped.
I enjoyed this show as a child as it was intelligent mystery/drama. It was done before secret agents. It required the private investigators to be resourceful. They were alway honest. Just the stuff a boy scout like me needed to round out his masculinity. Stuart Bailey was the smart guy. Older and no-nonsense. Jeff Spencer was the cute guy. And Kookie, well, the only thing good about Kookie were the cars he drove.
Good stuff.
Have Gun - Will Travel (1957)
A thinking man's western
What a remarkable half hour of allegory and metaphor. Starting with the premise that our protagonist is a fellow who others don't like - he's a gunfighter. And that he charges a lot - $1,000 - and that he is cool - wears black and uses a business card - and he does good deeds for others.
And he doesn't like to use his gun to solve problems.
This vehicle is used over and over again to good effect. He solves interesting problems that span a large part of the country and a large array of people - blacks, chinese, mexicans, bums, crooks and good guys.
Writers include Roddenberry.
Good stuff, mostly.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Tight drama yet to be excelled
High credit for this film includes the way its screenplay quotes parts of the excellent book, verbatim.
Not just merely flawless (score, casting, directing, screenplay, scenery) the sum of the parts exceeds their individual components.
Now, what to watch for - Scout's (daughter's) growth through her father's teaching - "don't fight," "don't prejudge."
Robert Duval as boo - his first role - and he doesn't say a word.
The easy way the white children interact with their black maid.
The last scene in the courtroom - black courtroom observers upstairs, whites downstairs.
The irony of the whole thing - whites and blacks basically identical, poor and principled, and just not the same when they are.
Less is more in this film. Leave it alone, don't redo it, don't colorize.
By the way, Mary Bedham, who played Scout, never did another film.
America's best example of dramatic, minimalist cinema.
No Highway in the Sky (1951)
David Diamond is right.
Everything David Diamond said is correct. What appealed to me about this film was that the aircraft was all pre-jet. Commercial, long distance aviation was in its infancy. Expect to see airplanes furnished like ships of the era, with good service, plenty of room, people really traveling (dressing up, sharing stories with each other, having a sense of wonder about being somewhere else).
Also note the curious American/English contrast between Stewart and his household servant. I also like the traditional "he's a man and needs someone to help support him and raise his motherless daughter." Male engineers would like this film. A fine, guy's film (there are so few these days) with a moral message.