Simon & Simon DVDs

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Little Garwood
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#111 Post by Little Garwood »

1. Nuevo Salvador- A Salvadoran death squad tries to get past the Simons in order to apprehend a relief worker helping refugees. Henry Darrow guest stars and is his usually excellent self. Nuevo Salvador is about as dark and gritty as Simon & Simon ever got. The ending is pretty damned intense. I would even say that this episode is Simon & Simon's "Did You See the Sunrise?" in terms of its emotional impact.

2. May the Road Rise Up- The Simons look for the real story behind their father's death, which forces them to face emotions long thought to be buried. Another highly emotional story but one with love at its core rather than brutality. We finally learn what happened to A.J. and Rick's father. The episode plays out like it could have been the series finale but thankfully we'd get another season, albeit a shortened 13-episode season. This is a story that I desperately wanted to see as a fan back when I watched the series regularly. I only saw the first four seasons back in the 1980s so everything from season five and on has been brand new to me.

3. Sudden Storm- Against Abby's direct orders, A.J. and Rick go after two likely suspects after Cecilia is raped. The guys' reaction to this horrific event and Mary Carver's excellent handling of it makes for another powerhouse episode. It easily could have gone over into embarrassing melodrama, but not here.

4. Tale of the Tiger- Rick is unwilling to accept that his old Army buddy is the head of a Vietnamese mob. Anytime Rick Simon's Vietnam days are featured is always worth watching. I love it when Gerald McRaney gets crazy!

5. Second Swell- A.J. reunites with his high-school sweetheart on a case when a killer from A.J.'s past comes back for revenge. As is the recurring theme for season seven, we get a "personal" case. This time it's A.J. whose high school flame is in trouble with the bad guys. A good story with a nice twist that gives us insight into A.J.'s character.

The sixteen episodes strengthens season seven and we get some classic episodes as a result of there not being so many average or lightweight stories. Season seven gets my highest recommendation.
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Styles Bitchley
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#112 Post by Styles Bitchley »

Thanks Garwood! Very happy things stay good in the later seasons. Interesting how you mention McRaney being awesome when he's fired up. He's an awesome actor with a great ability to play it serious with some comic deadpan. Funny how he seems to have just gone on to do that semi-successful sitcom and not more serious acting.
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Little Garwood
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#113 Post by Little Garwood »

Some more scattered S&S thoughts...

Lt. Abigail Marsh (Joan McMurtrey) fits in well alongside the Simon family. I was concerned that she would only succeed in making me remember how great Tim Reid-as-Downtown Brown was but McMurtrey is always excellent. She gets a spotlight episode in S7, "Little Boy Dead", and McMurtrey delivers a superb performance. She's also impressive in her debut; strong but never overbearing.

Season six has an episode where Rick experiences PTSD and it fits right in line with the kind of stuff MPI had done. Rick's Vietnam experiences are always highlights of the series. That episode as well as the return of Janet Fowler ("Lost Lady") just missed making my top five for the season.

The series is not without its lowdown stinkeroo episodes but I'll get to those after watching season eight and the 1995 reunion movie, which is included in the S5 DVD set.
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#114 Post by Little Garwood »

Jameson Parker wrote a glowing appreciation for his Simon & Simon co-star, Gerald McRaney:

http://www.readjamesonparker.com/archives/1922

It's awesome that the two are so close in real life, too.
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#115 Post by J.J. Walters »

Indeed. Great to see that those two are still good friends. It makes the show that much more enjoyable now.

Last week, on the same day, back-to-back, I saw the S&S chimp episode ("Burden of the Beast") on Cozi, which was great by the way, and the young Tom Selleck horror flick Daughters of Satan on Comet (written by a John Higgins!). I finished the S&S episode then landed on Comet which had just started DoS. Awful, awful movie, but it is sure is fun to watch. Great ending. :)
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#116 Post by Little Garwood »

J.J. Walters wrote:Indeed. Great to see that those two are still good friends. It makes the show that much more enjoyable now.
It sure does. I've been tempted to post a "You and Gerald McRaney were my childhood heroes/thanks for bringing me so much happiness" comment on JP's blog but he probably hears that kind of fluff all the time.
J.J. Walters wrote: Last week, on the same day, back-to-back, I saw the S&S chimp episode ("Burden of the Beast") on Cozi, which was great by the way, and the young Tom Selleck horror flick Daughters of Satan on Comet (written by a John Higgins!). I finished the S&S episode then landed on Comet which had just started DoS. Awful, awful movie, but it is sure is fun to watch. Great ending. :)
I noticed that McRaney handled the chimp in that episode and Jameson Parker did not. I wonder if there is an "ape protocol" in that an animal only "bonds" with one actor? Silly question, but I am curious to know.

I think I saw "Daughters of Satan" many years ago on encore or some channel. I know TS's character suffers an ignominious end; My wife was furious!
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#117 Post by Styles Bitchley »

Little Garwood wrote:I've been tempted to post a "You and Gerald McRaney were my childhood heroes/thanks for bringing me so much happiness" comment on JP's blog but he probably hears that kind of fluff all the time.
If you don't, I will! Great read, btw.

I just watched season three's Heels and Toes, The Wrong Stuff, and Double Play over the weekend. The first two were great, but while Double Play has serious promise, finding exact doubles of the Simons dooms the episode. Why not just find similar looking guys and put them in the same clothes? It would at least give it some believability.
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#118 Post by Little Garwood »

This morning I watched the last two episodes of S&S, which, depending on whch source one reads, either aired on back-to-back days in March 1989 or not until syndication. S&S was pretty much invisible and unloved by the viewing public during those last couple of years--changng tastes from the detective/adventure shows of my youth to the sitcom-dominated years of my high school days, I suppose. The last episode, Simon Says 'Goodbye' is a solid episode-directed by Gerald McRaney--which more than implies that this was in fact "goodbye" gives the viewer a sweet send off; just check out that last camera pan and especially the bit that plays over the end credits. Well done.

Whatever case, I have finished the two--or was it three--year project of going through the entire series.

For tonight, I will sit down to the 1995 S&S reunion movie, but sadly that must wait until I get through the Christmas festivities at the in laws, something that gives me that unpleasant feeling like when Magnum goes to Tidewater to visit his family.
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#119 Post by Styles Bitchley »

Thanks for the update and Merry Christmas, Gar!

Are the last two seasons worth it or are they a slog?
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#120 Post by Little Garwood »

Styles Bitchley wrote:Thanks for the update and Merry Christmas, Gar!

Are the last two seasons worth it or are they a slog?
Thanks, Styles. Hope your Christmas was a great one!

The last two seasons are absolutely worth it--miss them at your own Simon & Simon-loving peril! They're 16 and 13-episode seasons, so they're of solid quality. Of the entire series, season five has the most lightweight episodes and is my least-favorite season, but even that is worth watching.
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#121 Post by Little Garwood »

Here are some thoughts on the Simon & Simon reunion movie. (Minor spoilers)

Simon & Simon: In Trouble Again aka Precious Cargo, broadcast in February 1995, was trounced in the ratings, as it was apparently scheduled opposite sitcom juggernaut Seinfeld. The Simon brothers reunion movie vanished without a trace. However, it is an excellent reunion adventure which most likely benefited from having been executive produced by stars Jameson Parker and Gerald McRaney but it may also have been helped by it's being made a mere six years after the Simon & Simon series ended in 1989, so nobody has accumulated any "rust" as far as remembering how to be their characters again.

From the start, Precious Cargo gets the Simon "tone" right, despite not having its classic theme played over the credits--or at all! There is, however, several instances of the show's trademark slide guitar music often heard when the Simon brothers are in trouble or on the chase. The rest of the score is muddled synth music; indicative of mid-90s TV movie music.

A.J. and Rick look a bit older, with A.J.'s greying mustache and Rick being a little fuller in the face but the two are still in great shape, as witnessed in their fifty-yard dash down the docks of Seattle in pursuit of the obsessive-compulsive bad guy. The brothers haven't lost a bit of their onscreen chemistry, as they bicker and disagree over the usual things. But the love and respect the characters have for each other is present as well, shown to superb effect when the boys think their mother, Cecelia, is dead. Parker in particular is excellent in the scene

The supporting cast are also in fine form with everyone but Lt. Abigail Marsh and Myron Fowler from the series appearing. Tim Reid works wonders with his limited but greatly appreciated screen time and it's easy to see that his chemistry with the leads still remains.

The entire time I watched Precious Cargo I kept saying to myself "This is JUST like the show!" Often times reunion shows are awkward disasters but the Simon & Simon reunion is true to the series. The only thing I didn't like was that A.J. and Janet Fowler, married four years at movie's start but a week from finalizing their divorce with no explanation given, never reconcile as is common in these things. A.J. even tells Janet that he is NOT interested in getting back together! Gah!

The ending, with the Simons bickering while taking a speedboat back to San Diego, looked to leave the door open for a new series if the movie was popular enough, but alas, it was never to be.
"Popularity is the pocket change of history."

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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#122 Post by Little Garwood »

I completely forgot to post my top five episodes for the eighth and final season: :oops:

There were only thirteen episodes for this last year (1988-89). I've read that the final two episodes didn't even air until they were put into syndication so the touching end credits in the series finale, "Simon Says Goodbye" weren't seen. Typical underhanded business tactics from CBS, who kicked this series to the curb deapite the fact that it, like Magnum, P.I., was once a ratings giant.

Okay, enough outrage. :wink: Here's the top five for season eight:

1. Ain't Gonna Get it from Me, Jack- After ripping apart the Simons on his program, a talk-show host hires them to find out who's sending him death threats. Worth it just for the fine performance by the great Jerry Orbach, who plays a Morton Downey, Jr-type talk show host.

2. Play it Again, Simon- A.J. takes on the personality of a hard-nosed detective in the search for a mystery writer's missing manuscript. A story right out of the Book of Bellisario! AJ is seemingly back in the 1940s as a hardboiled P.I though he doesn't fare as well as Tom Selleck does in this kind of role. Still, Jameson gives a game performance. Everyone gets to play dress up as different characters.

3. Simon & Simon and Associates- The Simons get more than they bargained for when they decide to add "& Associates" to their business. Another take on the Simons breaking a big case and gaining short-lived success. This time, they take on hired hands to do their grunt work.

4. Simon Says Goodbye- The Simons are hired to find Abby's friend's old flame so the woman can see him again before her wedding. The final episode of the series' 1981-89 run. Worth watching for the last scene between the brothers in the office and in the end credits, where it's clear that it's McRaney and Parker both in and out of character at once saying goodbye to each other and to us, their loyal audience. The episode is directed by McRaney.

5. First, Let's Kill All the Lawyers- Rick tries to settle out of court after Cecilia's lawyer friend grills him on the stand in the case of a murdered law student. The great Kevin McCarthy gives a balanced performance here. All I'll say is that it would be easy to despise his character for what he does but at the same time you understand and sympathize with him
"Popularity is the pocket change of history."

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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#123 Post by Orrymain »

It's been too long since I've seen most of the episodes to comment on them. I watched the series regularly when first run, saw it in reruns, and occasionally one pops up on a DVD or on TV to watch. It got a bit much at some points, but I liked the show. Jameson Parker was the hook for me because I remembered him from One Life to Live. I was really saddened by what happened to him some time back and how it essentially drove him out of Hollywood and acting. It would be intriguing to see if the Simon brothers were still bickering and solving cases all these years later, but I doubt JP would consider it. It was a good show, though. Maybe one of these days I'll get the DVD set when it's on sale.

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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#124 Post by Little Garwood »

Orrymain wrote:It's been too long since I've seen most of the episodes to comment on them. I watched the series regularly when first run, saw it in reruns, and occasionally one pops up on a DVD or on TV to watch. It got a bit much at some points, but I liked the show. Jameson Parker was the hook for me because I remembered him from One Life to Live. I was really saddened by what happened to him some time back and how it essentially drove him out of Hollywood and acting. It would be intriguing to see if the Simon brothers were still bickering and solving cases all these years later, but I doubt JP would consider it. It was a good show, though. Maybe one of these days I'll get the DVD set when it's on sale.
While I am quite a fan of Simon & Simon, like with Magnum I much prefer the first four seasons over the second four. Maybe it's just my general dislike for the second half of the '80s but the series' tone changes a bit although Rick and A.J. are such likable characters (as are their supporting cast) that I sometimes just bear that mid-to-late '80s...stuff...that I've never cared for. The show's budget also looked to have taken a hit in the second half as well. Despite these criticisms, I still enjoy the show a lot and it has some great moments, no matter which season one watches.

The short version of ths post: the first four seasons are great. :lol:
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs

#125 Post by Little Garwood »

Styles Bitchley wrote:Its interesting how weak Simon and Simon started in the first season, compared to the following seasons. The writing and structure of the show just got so much better in the second season and the trend continues in the third. Even that theme song from the first season - man it's a stinker! The lyrics (played during the end credits) are so cheesy!

A big contrast to Magnum, which really hits the ground running in the first season. Things evolve over the show's run, but S&S really went through some structural changes. I wonder if it was budget related? Did they decide that there really was something there and they needed to hire some better writers? I wonder who was responsible for leading the changes?
I've restarted my Simon & Simon viewing and this time around I'll have to do a top five episodes list for each of the first four seasons since I've already done seasons 5-8.

As for it starting out weak, the season one episode I just watched this week, The Dead Letter File has the Simons commit a felony in order to procure damning evidence--unless California law permits this-- against Kenneth Mars' (excellent as always) character sabotaged an otherwise good episode.

There's a nod to series creator Philip DeGuere with the cheekily-named restaurant, "Villa DeGuere" in this episode.

Oh, and Janet (Jeannie Wilson) looked sensational. :twisted: However, it will forever amaze me that the sweet, Tennessee-accented Janet had a father, Myron, with the most blatant Brooklyn(?) accent ever! Myron must've (literally) charmed the pants off some Southern belle!
"Popularity is the pocket change of history."

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