I agree with this. What's even worse is having the same recurring actor play 2 different characters in the SAME season. Oakland played Vern St. Cloud in the 6th season (for the final time) and then in that same season he comes back as a totally different character. Bad casting if you ask me. Bo Hopkins played Coop 3 times. Imagine if they brought him back as a different character for the 4th time. Or James Whitmore, Jr./Freddie Beamer. Certain actors that have made their stamp as a certain character should not play other characters. I actually have the same problem with Luther Adler on FIVE-O being brought back as a different character after having made such a mark as Dominick Vashon in the earlier iconic 3-parter. He wasn't a recurring actor/character but the role he played was so iconic that he should not have been cast again as a different character. Harold Gould came back again, but as the same character he played earlier. Any other character he could have played just wouldn't measure up to his Honore Vashon role. Same with Luther Adler.Little Garwood wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:29 pm The only time I don’t like it when actors return as different characters is when they return after already having played a recurring character. Simon Oakland in The Rockford Files, for example. He’d already played fellow detective Vern St. Cloud, but then Oakland comes back in a throwaway role in Just a Coupla Guys. Granted, he’s in that episode ever so briefly, and that episode rates a 3 out of 10 from me if only for the bit riffing on the then-popular American Express ad campaign.
Simon & Simon DVDs
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
Season and Episode Number: Season 5, Episode 9
Episode Title: Quint is Out
Original Airdate: December 5, 1985
Writer: Bill Dial
Director: Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.
Synopsis: Simon & Simon Meets Cape Fear. Jeremiah Quint, a violent convict whom Rick and AJ helped the police capture, is out of prison after six years.
Guest Cast: William Smith (Jeremiah Quint); Loyita Chapel (Joanna Crane); Bob McClurg (Snead); John X. Heart (Ben Crane).
Rating (1-10 stars): 10/10
Review/Observations:
It’s a Cape Fear-inspired story of a convict seemingly not out for revenge. Quint is Out is a welcome "dark and edgy" tale from a series better known for its light touch.
Interestingly enough, this episode contains no night scenes, which would have made Quint is Out even better. It would also have been better had there been more of Quint goading the Simons within the law, had the episode been made as a two-hour special. These very minor quibbles aside, Quint is Out is the best episode of the season and of the series itself.
The San Quentin parole officer states that Quint, who has served six years of his ten-year sentence, obtained a graduate-level degree in social sciences during his time in prison, as well as having started a "prison library society."
The opening credits scenes of Quint at the bar right after his parole is well staged. He overhears an old man telling his buddies about a new car he just bought for a steal. Then, newly-freed Quint literally steals the man's car. It’s a cool touch that the "Quint is Out" episode title appears onscreen right after the back door of the bar Quint exits closes. Rick speaks the episode title after getting the news from Town over the phone.
When Quint is looking for the Simon & Simon detective agency in the Yellow Pages, an ad for Peerless Detectives is also seen. "One Hundred Trained Investigators." Phone number (619) 555-2784. Their address is 21 Mission Laguna San Diego. Myron J. Fowler's name is in the ad. What a great acknowledgement of earlier seasons, as well as of Simon & Simon continuity.
AJ briefly mentions a peeping tom case that the Simons are working on. Rick was to have called a lawyer in Del Mar, but has been reading up on the Quint file, since Quint's release, which the brothers learned about thanks to a phone call from Town.
Jeremiah Quint is one mean dude. Rick recalls that "The only reason we got him the first time is because he ran out of ammunition. He had his back against the docks, facing 110 guys from a SWAT team and a refrigerator fell on him!"
Though he despises both Simon brothers, Quint clearly hates Rick more than he does AJ, though the reasons why are not mentioned. Rick is noticeably nervous when Quint drops by the Simons' office, whereas AJ is extremely tense. However, after Quint's initial visit, both brothers nervously start loading for bear while AJ rationalizes away why Quint is in San Diego.
Quint joins Cecilia Simon's "monthly coffee klatch of the San Diego literary society." They discuss the works of CS Lewis. Quint says he prefers the trilogy and the science fiction novels more than the theological works.
Rick punches out Quint in Cecilia's living room, but it does not appear that Quint presses charges, despite the subsequent rant of his attorney, Mr. Snead, who calls Rick and AJ "quasi-simian thugs." Town later describes Snead as a "wolverine lawyer."
Snead is more upset about Town searching Quint's place under warrant more than he is about Rick's assault of Quint. The Simons obtain a restraining order against Quint.
In a scene by the beach, Town is undercover as a hot dog vendor. He wears a "Chez Dog" T-shirt with a hot dog shaped like a Dachshund.
Quint sends the Simons a registered letter. When the messenger asks for I.D., Rick just shows him the gun in his shoulder holster.
While working off steam and brainstorming, AJ works out--in suit and tie--in the office gym equipment. Rick plays pinball. A slightly paranoid AJ closes the Venetian blinds on the window washers.
Quint, via his girlfriend, convict groupie Joanna Crane, sends AJ on a circuitous route to Ensenada, Mexico to find her "missing" brother, Ben, who's described as an eccentric. AJ goes to the Mucky Duck bar, where Ben Crane was a regular. Ben now runs a bait shack in Ensenada and said he'll stay in Mexico "until the Republicans are out of office."
When AJ catches up with Ben Crane and is told that his sister is a convict groupie, AJ takes off after he realizes Joanna Crane sent him to Mexico as a ruse. I like how the camera slowly pulls in on AJ as Ben describes Joanna. When AJ is gone, Ben remarks: "You see? That's why I left the States! The place is jam-packed with empty suits in a hurry, just like that one!"
Loyita Chapel (Joanna Crane) is gorgeous! She wears a full face of makeup in a bedroom scene with Quint. Joanna cries when Quint tells her that he must kill the Simons. She clearly loves Quint. The character is sympathetic but still underwritten.
Quint talks about his prison psychiatrist, who diagnosed Quint as having transference issues, and that Quint's anger at the Simons was "justified." Not a glowing endorsement of the mental health industry.
Town shows up at the Alpine shipyard with a van full of assault-rifle-carrying SWAT personnel.
Rick receives a brutal beating from Quint that is the most graphic up to this point in the series' history. The left side of his face is purple and swollen, his scalp is bloody. He complains to AJ that he can't feel anything in his face.
In the denouement at AJ 's house, which probably takes place a week or so after the incident, the recovering Rick is seen in recuperative "casual wear", as he wears the red Magnum-esque Aloha shirt, faded jeans, and his hat. Rick also has a heavily bandaged face and eye along with a patch over his left eye. He's walking around, though, and makes some sort of frothy white daiquiri or Piña Colada, though a Tequila bottle is seen by the blender. AJ has a bottle of beer. Seeing Rick looking so beat up really makes you feel for the elder Simon brother.
Tim Reid is saddled with a rather clunky and wordy monologue regarding the changing nature of criminals and the lack of a pattern in profiling them. It's good stuff, though, and Reid does well with it, but a wordy and message-heavy speech does few actors any favors. I much prefer the simple directness of AJ's single line about what Joanna Crane will do when she gets out of prison in fifteen years. The episode ends on that note.
Marlowe appears in the "Zulu" scene at the beginning of the episode as well as in the final scene, including the freeze frame of the episode along with AJ, Town, and Rick.
Simon Back Story: Rick, dressed in British soldier hat, shorts, high socks, and crossed bandoliers of ammo across his chest, is stoked about the double feature of Zulu (1964) and Zulu Dawn (1979). AJ, on the other hand is thrilled about going out, alone, to see the desert bloom, "because some things a man does for the good of his soul." Rick dismisses this, saying that "the desert blooms every year."
The Quint case goes back six years, which would place Quint's capture took place in 1979, two years before the series proper began, but right around the time of the pilot, Pirate's Key. Going by continuity, this could have been one of the Simons' earliest cases since the return from Florida to San Diego.
Notable Use of Music: Joseph Conlan's score is reminiscent of everything from Miami Vice to Code of Silence to nearly every dark, intense 1980s crime drama. Fans of Jan Hammer and David Michael Frank will find much to appreciate in Joseph Conlan's score.
When AJ is driving through Ensenada Mexico on the fake case, a brief blast of "Ring of Fire"-style trumpets and funky electric bass are integrated into the propulsive synth-driven cue. Excellent horn section work when AJ is in the trailer where Rick was jumped and kidnapped by Quint.
Memorable Dialogue:
Rick: "He said he learned a lot in prison."
Town: "They always do."
——————-
Quint: "You don't get to talk. All you get to do is DIE!"
Undercover Shtick: None, though Rick does ask the apartment manager if he could see the newly-vacated room where Quint had been staying.
Flubs: In what is clearly a stuntman, "Gerald McRaney" suddenly grows a full head of puffy hair when Rick knocks Quint over the railing.
1980s-ness: Quint's suitcase-phone-with-a-cord would have seemed so futuristic to me had I seen this episode in 1985. There's a charming quality about what I refer to as "Clunky Technology", and the phone Quint uses is a fine example of that. Rick wears the safari jacket (with half the buttons undone). Town's sport coat is a common grey-and-black pattern.
There's a Miami Vice vibe when AJ slowly stalks through the Alpine shipyards, the bleak industrial area where Quint is holding Rick. The building resembles the unfinished skyscraper from Love and/or Marriage (S5 Ep1).
San Diego References: On the radio station in the car stolen by Quint, San Diego DJ Susan Knight announces that "Sunrise in My Heart" by "Ralph Taylor and His Thousand Strings" has just been heard on 99 KATL, the Easy Listening radio station. She then says, "It's 2:17 and another ridiculously perfect day in San Diego!"
Episode Title: Quint is Out
Original Airdate: December 5, 1985
Writer: Bill Dial
Director: Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.
Synopsis: Simon & Simon Meets Cape Fear. Jeremiah Quint, a violent convict whom Rick and AJ helped the police capture, is out of prison after six years.
Guest Cast: William Smith (Jeremiah Quint); Loyita Chapel (Joanna Crane); Bob McClurg (Snead); John X. Heart (Ben Crane).
Rating (1-10 stars): 10/10
Review/Observations:
It’s a Cape Fear-inspired story of a convict seemingly not out for revenge. Quint is Out is a welcome "dark and edgy" tale from a series better known for its light touch.
Interestingly enough, this episode contains no night scenes, which would have made Quint is Out even better. It would also have been better had there been more of Quint goading the Simons within the law, had the episode been made as a two-hour special. These very minor quibbles aside, Quint is Out is the best episode of the season and of the series itself.
The San Quentin parole officer states that Quint, who has served six years of his ten-year sentence, obtained a graduate-level degree in social sciences during his time in prison, as well as having started a "prison library society."
The opening credits scenes of Quint at the bar right after his parole is well staged. He overhears an old man telling his buddies about a new car he just bought for a steal. Then, newly-freed Quint literally steals the man's car. It’s a cool touch that the "Quint is Out" episode title appears onscreen right after the back door of the bar Quint exits closes. Rick speaks the episode title after getting the news from Town over the phone.
When Quint is looking for the Simon & Simon detective agency in the Yellow Pages, an ad for Peerless Detectives is also seen. "One Hundred Trained Investigators." Phone number (619) 555-2784. Their address is 21 Mission Laguna San Diego. Myron J. Fowler's name is in the ad. What a great acknowledgement of earlier seasons, as well as of Simon & Simon continuity.
AJ briefly mentions a peeping tom case that the Simons are working on. Rick was to have called a lawyer in Del Mar, but has been reading up on the Quint file, since Quint's release, which the brothers learned about thanks to a phone call from Town.
Jeremiah Quint is one mean dude. Rick recalls that "The only reason we got him the first time is because he ran out of ammunition. He had his back against the docks, facing 110 guys from a SWAT team and a refrigerator fell on him!"
Though he despises both Simon brothers, Quint clearly hates Rick more than he does AJ, though the reasons why are not mentioned. Rick is noticeably nervous when Quint drops by the Simons' office, whereas AJ is extremely tense. However, after Quint's initial visit, both brothers nervously start loading for bear while AJ rationalizes away why Quint is in San Diego.
Quint joins Cecilia Simon's "monthly coffee klatch of the San Diego literary society." They discuss the works of CS Lewis. Quint says he prefers the trilogy and the science fiction novels more than the theological works.
Rick punches out Quint in Cecilia's living room, but it does not appear that Quint presses charges, despite the subsequent rant of his attorney, Mr. Snead, who calls Rick and AJ "quasi-simian thugs." Town later describes Snead as a "wolverine lawyer."
Snead is more upset about Town searching Quint's place under warrant more than he is about Rick's assault of Quint. The Simons obtain a restraining order against Quint.
In a scene by the beach, Town is undercover as a hot dog vendor. He wears a "Chez Dog" T-shirt with a hot dog shaped like a Dachshund.
Quint sends the Simons a registered letter. When the messenger asks for I.D., Rick just shows him the gun in his shoulder holster.
While working off steam and brainstorming, AJ works out--in suit and tie--in the office gym equipment. Rick plays pinball. A slightly paranoid AJ closes the Venetian blinds on the window washers.
Quint, via his girlfriend, convict groupie Joanna Crane, sends AJ on a circuitous route to Ensenada, Mexico to find her "missing" brother, Ben, who's described as an eccentric. AJ goes to the Mucky Duck bar, where Ben Crane was a regular. Ben now runs a bait shack in Ensenada and said he'll stay in Mexico "until the Republicans are out of office."
When AJ catches up with Ben Crane and is told that his sister is a convict groupie, AJ takes off after he realizes Joanna Crane sent him to Mexico as a ruse. I like how the camera slowly pulls in on AJ as Ben describes Joanna. When AJ is gone, Ben remarks: "You see? That's why I left the States! The place is jam-packed with empty suits in a hurry, just like that one!"
Loyita Chapel (Joanna Crane) is gorgeous! She wears a full face of makeup in a bedroom scene with Quint. Joanna cries when Quint tells her that he must kill the Simons. She clearly loves Quint. The character is sympathetic but still underwritten.
Quint talks about his prison psychiatrist, who diagnosed Quint as having transference issues, and that Quint's anger at the Simons was "justified." Not a glowing endorsement of the mental health industry.
Town shows up at the Alpine shipyard with a van full of assault-rifle-carrying SWAT personnel.
Rick receives a brutal beating from Quint that is the most graphic up to this point in the series' history. The left side of his face is purple and swollen, his scalp is bloody. He complains to AJ that he can't feel anything in his face.
In the denouement at AJ 's house, which probably takes place a week or so after the incident, the recovering Rick is seen in recuperative "casual wear", as he wears the red Magnum-esque Aloha shirt, faded jeans, and his hat. Rick also has a heavily bandaged face and eye along with a patch over his left eye. He's walking around, though, and makes some sort of frothy white daiquiri or Piña Colada, though a Tequila bottle is seen by the blender. AJ has a bottle of beer. Seeing Rick looking so beat up really makes you feel for the elder Simon brother.
Tim Reid is saddled with a rather clunky and wordy monologue regarding the changing nature of criminals and the lack of a pattern in profiling them. It's good stuff, though, and Reid does well with it, but a wordy and message-heavy speech does few actors any favors. I much prefer the simple directness of AJ's single line about what Joanna Crane will do when she gets out of prison in fifteen years. The episode ends on that note.
Marlowe appears in the "Zulu" scene at the beginning of the episode as well as in the final scene, including the freeze frame of the episode along with AJ, Town, and Rick.
Simon Back Story: Rick, dressed in British soldier hat, shorts, high socks, and crossed bandoliers of ammo across his chest, is stoked about the double feature of Zulu (1964) and Zulu Dawn (1979). AJ, on the other hand is thrilled about going out, alone, to see the desert bloom, "because some things a man does for the good of his soul." Rick dismisses this, saying that "the desert blooms every year."
The Quint case goes back six years, which would place Quint's capture took place in 1979, two years before the series proper began, but right around the time of the pilot, Pirate's Key. Going by continuity, this could have been one of the Simons' earliest cases since the return from Florida to San Diego.
Notable Use of Music: Joseph Conlan's score is reminiscent of everything from Miami Vice to Code of Silence to nearly every dark, intense 1980s crime drama. Fans of Jan Hammer and David Michael Frank will find much to appreciate in Joseph Conlan's score.
When AJ is driving through Ensenada Mexico on the fake case, a brief blast of "Ring of Fire"-style trumpets and funky electric bass are integrated into the propulsive synth-driven cue. Excellent horn section work when AJ is in the trailer where Rick was jumped and kidnapped by Quint.
Memorable Dialogue:
Rick: "He said he learned a lot in prison."
Town: "They always do."
——————-
Quint: "You don't get to talk. All you get to do is DIE!"
Undercover Shtick: None, though Rick does ask the apartment manager if he could see the newly-vacated room where Quint had been staying.
Flubs: In what is clearly a stuntman, "Gerald McRaney" suddenly grows a full head of puffy hair when Rick knocks Quint over the railing.
1980s-ness: Quint's suitcase-phone-with-a-cord would have seemed so futuristic to me had I seen this episode in 1985. There's a charming quality about what I refer to as "Clunky Technology", and the phone Quint uses is a fine example of that. Rick wears the safari jacket (with half the buttons undone). Town's sport coat is a common grey-and-black pattern.
There's a Miami Vice vibe when AJ slowly stalks through the Alpine shipyards, the bleak industrial area where Quint is holding Rick. The building resembles the unfinished skyscraper from Love and/or Marriage (S5 Ep1).
San Diego References: On the radio station in the car stolen by Quint, San Diego DJ Susan Knight announces that "Sunrise in My Heart" by "Ralph Taylor and His Thousand Strings" has just been heard on 99 KATL, the Easy Listening radio station. She then says, "It's 2:17 and another ridiculously perfect day in San Diego!"
"Popularity is the pocket change of history."
~Tom Selleck
~Tom Selleck
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ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
Wow, we agree on something!! About "Quint is Out" being not only the best episode from season 5, but of the entire series!! I did not expect that from you at all. Somehow I imagined that you would gravitate towards one of the more light-hearted episodes, since this one definitely does not represent the typical S&S flavor. Also I would have thought that you'd find this episode to be a bit too simplistic or derivative (i.e. just another revenge story, something that every show did back then.)
This is the only season 5 episode that I had seen within the last year (on Dailymotion) so it's more fresh in my mind than any other episode. Everything else from season 5 I haven't seen in almost 25 years.
About "Quint is Out" being not only the best episode from season 5, but of the entire series!! I did not expect that from you at all. Somehow I imagined that you would gravitate towards one of the more light-hearted episodes, since this one definitely does not represent the typical S&S flavor. Also I would have thought that you'd find this episode to be a bit too simplistic or derivative (i.e. just another revenge story, something that every show did back then.)This is the only season 5 episode that I had seen within the last year (on Dailymotion) so it's more fresh in my mind than any other episode. Everything else from season 5 I haven't seen in almost 25 years.
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Little Garwood
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
Who knows? We may have as many as three or (Gasp!) four things upon which we agree! After all, you did finally come to your senses about Five-0’s The Jinn Who Clears the Way!IvanTheTerrible wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 7:42 pm Wow, we agree on something!!
Keep it up, Ivan: You may be “edgy” in a 1990s Image Comics sort of way, but there’s still hope for you to evolve beyond that! 
Quint is Out is a great payoff not just as a stand-alone episode, but also to someone like me, who does prefer the lighthearted, character-emphasis episodes. However, because I am “committed” to the Simon brothers as characters, I appreciate whenever they have to deal with dilemmas such as Quint.
While Quint is Out is a truly great episode, it wouldn’t be one I would suggest a Simon & Simon newbie should watch first; those “lighter fare” episodes might not have the big dramatic impact as Quint is Out, but episodes such as Quint make an impact to the viewer for having cared about these characters leading up to this episode. Dig?
"Popularity is the pocket change of history."
~Tom Selleck
~Tom Selleck
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ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
Dig, baby, dig. As Jerry "Bay-bee" Parks used to say in "Tiger by the Tail". You flip me, man! Outta sight, bay-bee! Dig? Definitely not an episode to show to a S&S newbie.Little Garwood wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:00 pm
While Quint is Out is a truly great episode, it wouldn’t be one I would suggest a Simon & Simon newbie should watch first; those “lighter fare” episodes might not have the big dramatic impact as Quint is Out, but episodes such as Quint make an impact to the viewer for having cared about these characters leading up to this episode. Dig?
I'm trying to think of what the perfect S&S episode would be to show to a newbie. Big fan of season 2's "Guessing Game" but that too is a bit on the darker/more serious side. Same with season 3's "I Heard it Was Murder" (again with William Smith) or "John Doe". I guess I gravitate towards those.
How about the comic-book episode "Almost Completely Out of Circulation" from season 4? Vintage S&S perhaps?
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Little Garwood
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
Season and Episode Number: Season 5, Episode 10
Episode Title: Walk a Mile in My Hat
Original Airdate: December 12, 1985
Writer: Richard Chapman
Director: Vincent McEveety
Synopsis: The agency is offered $10,000 but it requires Rick to pretend he is AJ, who is on a trip. Complicating matters, AJ needs to assume Rick's identity on returning.
Guest Cast: Anne Schedeen (Claire Stafford); Michael C. Gwynne (Burton "Burt" Ferris); Kathryn Stanleigh (Leah Colvin); Logan Ramsey (Mr. Barton); Terry Kiser (Gerry Marsh); Special Guest Star Ray Walston (Al Ranfield).
Rating (1-10 stars): 10/10
Review/Observations: After the intensity of Quint is Out, it's a lighthearted return to the typical Simon & Simon episode. Jameson Parker is especially funny and gets all the best lines, and otherwise plays the outraged identity theft victim and then having a great time being Rick Simon. The episode also works well in combining the details of the case --the bidding on a for-sale duo of skyscrapers--with the comedy of the switched identities.
A gunman of Barton's is heard to say "Freeze!" when they get the drop on Rick in the episode teaser, but in the show itself, the scene is silent, and the "freeze" is spoken by another character in a different scene.
Artsy opening shot from beneath a punch bowl, made with Rick Simon's poison of choice, Don Diablo tequila. Rick is hosting "Rick Simon Getting to Know You Encounter", an office welcoming party to a group of attractive office women from the various other businesses in the Simons' building. It all falls flat, however, when Rick lets it slip that AJ will not be attending, and half the women immediately leave. Those who stay split in a hurry when they're made instantly ill by Rick's Don Diablo "Boomba" cocktails.
AJ is out camping in an area consisting of 500,000 acres. It is not named, but Cecilia says that AJ "must be freezing up there." Which national park is just north of San Diego?
The face of AJ's camping companion, Sheila, is not seen, and she is only filmed from the back and side, the latter being with a blanket wrapped around her, obscuring her face. She is heard saying "AJ!" when Rick's antiquated tent collapses.
It is shown to be raining in San Diego, with Gerry Marsh and Claire Stafford standing in a thunderstorm while using a pay phone to call Simon & Simon.
An establishing shot of AJ's house at twilight is quite pretty, and one not often used.
Cecilia comes by at an inopportune moment to pick up a casserole dish AJ borrowed.
Rick is wearing AJ's clothes, including the latter's "favorite blazer", a charcoal-colored coat. AJ wears Rick's green shooting jacket and hat. However, Gerald McRaney's 6'1" height and Jameson Parker's 5'10" should have made this difficult. Instead, both look like one another's clothes fit perfectly.
The Power Wagon's tailgate and roll bar breaks while AJ has it when camping.
Ray Walston, playing real estate bigshot Al Ranfield, only appears during the first twenty minutes of the episode.
While AJ's portrayal of Rick is comedically over the top, Rick-as-AJ is low key and straight, although with more than a touch of uncertainty, as Rick is presented with specific business terms which he knows absolutely nothing about.
Marlowe has a comic bit with the gourmet "Chez Voltaire" take out meal of chicken and mushroom sauce. He scrapes the food into a casserole dish and throws it in the oven. He claims to have paid $70.00 for the meal. Rick tells Marlowe to leave the food alone, and that chicken and mushrooms will "give you nightmares, like the last time." Rick subsequently bribes Marlowe to leave the kitchen with an entire box of dog biscuits.
Claire Stafford, aware of AJ's gourmet reputation, requests that Rick-as-AJ prepare Supreme du Poulet aux champignons. Rick asks Town, whom he happens to run into in the Ranfield Development Corporation lobby, what Supreme du Poulet aux champignons means in English; Town translates, "Chicken with mushroom sauce." Rick suggests she try his Tacos al Carbon.
The marina where Ranfield's yacht is docked looks like the one used by Quincy, M.E.
The Simon & Simon Prescient Casting Award for having guest star Terry Kiser lug around a dead body three years before his career-defining role in Weekend at Bernie's (1988).
Anne Schedeen (Claire Stafford) and Kathryn Stanleigh (Leah Colvin) are dead ringers for one another, even sharing identical hairstyles at one point in the episode.
When Rick and AJ plan their strategy, Rick speaks the title of the episode.
Rick listens to Mozart on the Power Wagon radio. "That's Mozart? Guy's good!"
AJ-as-Rick at the Ranfield offices is pretty funny. Jameson Parker purposely overplays it for laughs, yet manages to get McRaney's speech down while at the same time "playing AJ playing Rick", especially when he shouts "Security!!!"
The Styrofoam coffee cup AJ yanks off the tray is clearly empty.
The episode ends with a goofy "Who's on First?"-style comedy routine at the Monterey police station about which Simon brother is which.
Simon Back Story: Rick pays the Simons' bills when there is not an "r" in the month.
Memorable Dialogue: AJ:[from rural pay phone, Power Wagon and tow truck in background] "I just want to let you know I'm on my way home, and I want to share with you something I discovered out here...in the wilderness. It's all about the life-giving properties of water. Man needs it. Animals need it. The Earth needs it..and car batteries need it!!!"
AJ:[pretending to be Rick] "So 'The Mustache' drowned another chicken and ten bucks of fancy vino, huh?
AJ: "You want to experience real meal? Go take a look at what I got strapped to the hood of the Power Wagon."
Gerry: [deadpan]: "Hey buddy, do you know where I can get some ice? Lots...of ice?"
Undercover Shtick: The entire episode is Undercover Shtick, with the brothers playing each other. They also pose as gardeners when they infiltrate Barton's estate. A stereotypical Japanese gardener blows their cover. No explanation is given as to how Rick and AJ obtain the truck, equipment, and clothing, however.
Notable Use of Music: Some weird guitar music from the radio is heard as Rick fusses with the gourmet take out and a very interested Marlowe in the kitchen. Crap-sounding Lite Jazz is also heard. Cool staccato electric guitar cue plays when Rick finds Ranfield's body on the real estate magnate's boat. A fun picked acoustic guitar piece plays as AJ struggles with the Power Wagon's tailgate and roll bar.
A funky "Bayou Blues"-sounding cue is heard during Rick's break in of Claire's motel.
Slide electric guitar cue and metallic synth when Power Wagon moves on Bruno's tip.
The horn section "Travel and Arrival Cue" is heard when the Simons arrive in Monterey.
1980s-ness: A precursor (of sorts) to the "body switch" theme, seen in films Like Father, Like Son (1987) and Vice Versa (1988).
San Diego References: The Chargers pennant is seen on the wall behind Rick's office desk. Rick, calling an associate named Bruno, refers to himself as Rick "Two Padres Box Seats to the Cubs Series" Simon. The tickets were AJ's, now they're Bruno's.
Episode Title: Walk a Mile in My Hat
Original Airdate: December 12, 1985
Writer: Richard Chapman
Director: Vincent McEveety
Synopsis: The agency is offered $10,000 but it requires Rick to pretend he is AJ, who is on a trip. Complicating matters, AJ needs to assume Rick's identity on returning.
Guest Cast: Anne Schedeen (Claire Stafford); Michael C. Gwynne (Burton "Burt" Ferris); Kathryn Stanleigh (Leah Colvin); Logan Ramsey (Mr. Barton); Terry Kiser (Gerry Marsh); Special Guest Star Ray Walston (Al Ranfield).
Rating (1-10 stars): 10/10
Review/Observations: After the intensity of Quint is Out, it's a lighthearted return to the typical Simon & Simon episode. Jameson Parker is especially funny and gets all the best lines, and otherwise plays the outraged identity theft victim and then having a great time being Rick Simon. The episode also works well in combining the details of the case --the bidding on a for-sale duo of skyscrapers--with the comedy of the switched identities.
A gunman of Barton's is heard to say "Freeze!" when they get the drop on Rick in the episode teaser, but in the show itself, the scene is silent, and the "freeze" is spoken by another character in a different scene.
Artsy opening shot from beneath a punch bowl, made with Rick Simon's poison of choice, Don Diablo tequila. Rick is hosting "Rick Simon Getting to Know You Encounter", an office welcoming party to a group of attractive office women from the various other businesses in the Simons' building. It all falls flat, however, when Rick lets it slip that AJ will not be attending, and half the women immediately leave. Those who stay split in a hurry when they're made instantly ill by Rick's Don Diablo "Boomba" cocktails.
AJ is out camping in an area consisting of 500,000 acres. It is not named, but Cecilia says that AJ "must be freezing up there." Which national park is just north of San Diego?
The face of AJ's camping companion, Sheila, is not seen, and she is only filmed from the back and side, the latter being with a blanket wrapped around her, obscuring her face. She is heard saying "AJ!" when Rick's antiquated tent collapses.
It is shown to be raining in San Diego, with Gerry Marsh and Claire Stafford standing in a thunderstorm while using a pay phone to call Simon & Simon.
An establishing shot of AJ's house at twilight is quite pretty, and one not often used.
Cecilia comes by at an inopportune moment to pick up a casserole dish AJ borrowed.
Rick is wearing AJ's clothes, including the latter's "favorite blazer", a charcoal-colored coat. AJ wears Rick's green shooting jacket and hat. However, Gerald McRaney's 6'1" height and Jameson Parker's 5'10" should have made this difficult. Instead, both look like one another's clothes fit perfectly.
The Power Wagon's tailgate and roll bar breaks while AJ has it when camping.
Ray Walston, playing real estate bigshot Al Ranfield, only appears during the first twenty minutes of the episode.
While AJ's portrayal of Rick is comedically over the top, Rick-as-AJ is low key and straight, although with more than a touch of uncertainty, as Rick is presented with specific business terms which he knows absolutely nothing about.
Marlowe has a comic bit with the gourmet "Chez Voltaire" take out meal of chicken and mushroom sauce. He scrapes the food into a casserole dish and throws it in the oven. He claims to have paid $70.00 for the meal. Rick tells Marlowe to leave the food alone, and that chicken and mushrooms will "give you nightmares, like the last time." Rick subsequently bribes Marlowe to leave the kitchen with an entire box of dog biscuits.
Claire Stafford, aware of AJ's gourmet reputation, requests that Rick-as-AJ prepare Supreme du Poulet aux champignons. Rick asks Town, whom he happens to run into in the Ranfield Development Corporation lobby, what Supreme du Poulet aux champignons means in English; Town translates, "Chicken with mushroom sauce." Rick suggests she try his Tacos al Carbon.
The marina where Ranfield's yacht is docked looks like the one used by Quincy, M.E.
The Simon & Simon Prescient Casting Award for having guest star Terry Kiser lug around a dead body three years before his career-defining role in Weekend at Bernie's (1988).
Anne Schedeen (Claire Stafford) and Kathryn Stanleigh (Leah Colvin) are dead ringers for one another, even sharing identical hairstyles at one point in the episode.
When Rick and AJ plan their strategy, Rick speaks the title of the episode.
Rick listens to Mozart on the Power Wagon radio. "That's Mozart? Guy's good!"
AJ-as-Rick at the Ranfield offices is pretty funny. Jameson Parker purposely overplays it for laughs, yet manages to get McRaney's speech down while at the same time "playing AJ playing Rick", especially when he shouts "Security!!!"
The Styrofoam coffee cup AJ yanks off the tray is clearly empty.
The episode ends with a goofy "Who's on First?"-style comedy routine at the Monterey police station about which Simon brother is which.
Simon Back Story: Rick pays the Simons' bills when there is not an "r" in the month.
Memorable Dialogue: AJ:[from rural pay phone, Power Wagon and tow truck in background] "I just want to let you know I'm on my way home, and I want to share with you something I discovered out here...in the wilderness. It's all about the life-giving properties of water. Man needs it. Animals need it. The Earth needs it..and car batteries need it!!!"
AJ:[pretending to be Rick] "So 'The Mustache' drowned another chicken and ten bucks of fancy vino, huh?
AJ: "You want to experience real meal? Go take a look at what I got strapped to the hood of the Power Wagon."
Gerry: [deadpan]: "Hey buddy, do you know where I can get some ice? Lots...of ice?"
Undercover Shtick: The entire episode is Undercover Shtick, with the brothers playing each other. They also pose as gardeners when they infiltrate Barton's estate. A stereotypical Japanese gardener blows their cover. No explanation is given as to how Rick and AJ obtain the truck, equipment, and clothing, however.
Notable Use of Music: Some weird guitar music from the radio is heard as Rick fusses with the gourmet take out and a very interested Marlowe in the kitchen. Crap-sounding Lite Jazz is also heard. Cool staccato electric guitar cue plays when Rick finds Ranfield's body on the real estate magnate's boat. A fun picked acoustic guitar piece plays as AJ struggles with the Power Wagon's tailgate and roll bar.
A funky "Bayou Blues"-sounding cue is heard during Rick's break in of Claire's motel.
Slide electric guitar cue and metallic synth when Power Wagon moves on Bruno's tip.
The horn section "Travel and Arrival Cue" is heard when the Simons arrive in Monterey.
1980s-ness: A precursor (of sorts) to the "body switch" theme, seen in films Like Father, Like Son (1987) and Vice Versa (1988).
San Diego References: The Chargers pennant is seen on the wall behind Rick's office desk. Rick, calling an associate named Bruno, refers to himself as Rick "Two Padres Box Seats to the Cubs Series" Simon. The tickets were AJ's, now they're Bruno's.
"Popularity is the pocket change of history."
~Tom Selleck
~Tom Selleck
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Pahonu
- Robin's Nest Expert Extraordinaire
- Posts: 2651
- Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 2:19 am
- Location: Long Beach CA
Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
Joshua Tree National Park is northeast of San Diego but it’s even larger than 500,000 acres. It’s also a low altitude desert that gets cold on winter nights but typically not below freezing, though close. The winter is a beautiful time to visit, actually. For Southern Californians using the description freezing pretty much means it’s cold. I have students describe 50 degrees as freezing!Little Garwood wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2021 1:40 pm Season and Episode Number: Season 5, Episode 10
Episode Title: Walk a Mile in My Hat
Original Airdate: December 12, 1985
Writer: Richard Chapman
Director: Vincent McEveety
Synopsis: The agency is offered $10,000 but it requires Rick to pretend he is AJ, who is on a trip. Complicating matters, AJ needs to assume Rick's identity on returning.
Guest Cast: Anne Schedeen (Claire Stafford); Michael C. Gwynne (Burton "Burt" Ferris); Kathryn Stanleigh (Leah Colvin); Logan Ramsey (Mr. Barton); Terry Kiser (Gerry Marsh); Special Guest Star Ray Walston (Al Ranfield).
Rating (1-10 stars): 10/10
Review/Observations: After the intensity of Quint is Out, it's a lighthearted return to the typical Simon & Simon episode. Jameson Parker is especially funny and gets all the best lines, and otherwise plays the outraged identity theft victim and then having a great time being Rick Simon. The episode also works well in combining the details of the case --the bidding on a for-sale duo of skyscrapers--with the comedy of the switched identities.
A gunman of Barton's is heard to say "Freeze!" when they get the drop on Rick in the episode teaser, but in the show itself, the scene is silent, and the "freeze" is spoken by another character in a different scene.
Artsy opening shot from beneath a punch bowl, made with Rick Simon's poison of choice, Don Diablo tequila. Rick is hosting "Rick Simon Getting to Know You Encounter", an office welcoming party to a group of attractive office women from the various other businesses in the Simons' building. It all falls flat, however, when Rick lets it slip that AJ will not be attending, and half the women immediately leave. Those who stay split in a hurry when they're made instantly ill by Rick's Don Diablo "Boomba" cocktails.
AJ is out camping in an area consisting of 500,000 acres. It is not named, but Cecilia says that AJ "must be freezing up there." Which national park is just north of San Diego?
The face of AJ's camping companion, Sheila, is not seen, and she is only filmed from the back and side, the latter being with a blanket wrapped around her, obscuring her face. She is heard saying "AJ!" when Rick's antiquated tent collapses.
It is shown to be raining in San Diego, with Gerry Marsh and Claire Stafford standing in a thunderstorm while using a pay phone to call Simon & Simon.
An establishing shot of AJ's house at twilight is quite pretty, and one not often used.
Cecilia comes by at an inopportune moment to pick up a casserole dish AJ borrowed.
Rick is wearing AJ's clothes, including the latter's "favorite blazer", a charcoal-colored coat. AJ wears Rick's green shooting jacket and hat. However, Gerald McRaney's 6'1" height and Jameson Parker's 5'10" should have made this difficult. Instead, both look like one another's clothes fit perfectly.
The Power Wagon's tailgate and roll bar breaks while AJ has it when camping.
Ray Walston, playing real estate bigshot Al Ranfield, only appears during the first twenty minutes of the episode.
While AJ's portrayal of Rick is comedically over the top, Rick-as-AJ is low key and straight, although with more than a touch of uncertainty, as Rick is presented with specific business terms which he knows absolutely nothing about.
Marlowe has a comic bit with the gourmet "Chez Voltaire" take out meal of chicken and mushroom sauce. He scrapes the food into a casserole dish and throws it in the oven. He claims to have paid $70.00 for the meal. Rick tells Marlowe to leave the food alone, and that chicken and mushrooms will "give you nightmares, like the last time." Rick subsequently bribes Marlowe to leave the kitchen with an entire box of dog biscuits.
Claire Stafford, aware of AJ's gourmet reputation, requests that Rick-as-AJ prepare Supreme du Poulet aux champignons. Rick asks Town, whom he happens to run into in the Ranfield Development Corporation lobby, what Supreme du Poulet aux champignons means in English; Town translates, "Chicken with mushroom sauce." Rick suggests she try his Tacos al Carbon.
The marina where Ranfield's yacht is docked looks like the one used by Quincy, M.E.
The Simon & Simon Prescient Casting Award for having guest star Terry Kiser lug around a dead body three years before his career-defining role in Weekend at Bernie's (1988).
Anne Schedeen (Claire Stafford) and Kathryn Stanleigh (Leah Colvin) are dead ringers for one another, even sharing identical hairstyles at one point in the episode.
When Rick and AJ plan their strategy, Rick speaks the title of the episode.
Rick listens to Mozart on the Power Wagon radio. "That's Mozart? Guy's good!"
AJ-as-Rick at the Ranfield offices is pretty funny. Jameson Parker purposely overplays it for laughs, yet manages to get McRaney's speech down while at the same time "playing AJ playing Rick", especially when he shouts "Security!!!"
The Styrofoam coffee cup AJ yanks off the tray is clearly empty.
The episode ends with a goofy "Who's on First?"-style comedy routine at the Monterey police station about which Simon brother is which.
Simon Back Story: Rick pays the Simons' bills when there is not an "r" in the month.
Memorable Dialogue: AJ:[from rural pay phone, Power Wagon and tow truck in background] "I just want to let you know I'm on my way home, and I want to share with you something I discovered out here...in the wilderness. It's all about the life-giving properties of water. Man needs it. Animals need it. The Earth needs it..and car batteries need it!!!"
AJ:[pretending to be Rick] "So 'The Mustache' drowned another chicken and ten bucks of fancy vino, huh?
AJ: "You want to experience real meal? Go take a look at what I got strapped to the hood of the Power Wagon."
Gerry: [deadpan]: "Hey buddy, do you know where I can get some ice? Lots...of ice?"
Undercover Shtick: The entire episode is Undercover Shtick, with the brothers playing each other. They also pose as gardeners when they infiltrate Barton's estate. A stereotypical Japanese gardener blows their cover. No explanation is given as to how Rick and AJ obtain the truck, equipment, and clothing, however.
Notable Use of Music: Some weird guitar music from the radio is heard as Rick fusses with the gourmet take out and a very interested Marlowe in the kitchen. Crap-sounding Lite Jazz is also heard. Cool staccato electric guitar cue plays when Rick finds Ranfield's body on the real estate magnate's boat. A fun picked acoustic guitar piece plays as AJ struggles with the Power Wagon's tailgate and roll bar.
A funky "Bayou Blues"-sounding cue is heard during Rick's break in of Claire's motel.
Slide electric guitar cue and metallic synth when Power Wagon moves on Bruno's tip.
The horn section "Travel and Arrival Cue" is heard when the Simons arrive in Monterey.
1980s-ness: A precursor (of sorts) to the "body switch" theme, seen in films Like Father, Like Son (1987) and Vice Versa (1988).
San Diego References: The Chargers pennant is seen on the wall behind Rick's office desk. Rick, calling an associate named Bruno, refers to himself as Rick "Two Padres Box Seats to the Cubs Series" Simon. The tickets were AJ's, now they're Bruno's.
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ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)
- Fleet Admiral
- Posts: 2020
- Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:11 pm
Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
I actually made a point of watching "Walk a Mile in My Hat" last night. I can't even remember if I saw it in its entirety back when I was watching the reruns in the late 90s. I seem to remember Terry Kiser and Ray Walston but none of the plot details. But reading here about the two brothers switching roles and playing each other piqued by interests so I decided to give it a whirl. It turned out to be quite good, as expected. Though I do wish they made a greater effort of playing each other, right down to trying to mimic each other's voices. For example, AJ sounded nothing like Rick and it didn't look like Jameson Parker was trying to do that. Neither was McRaney. They just basically wore each other's clothes. There was that one scene where AJ-as-Rick goes overboard with putting up his bare feet in front of Anne Schedeen's character and belching in front of her. That was exaggerated because Rick wouldn't do that in front of a girl. But I do wish they did a better job of trying to mimic each other. Still, it was good fun. I enjoyed Rick being nervous, not knowing how to do the things AJ typically was good at.
The plot was pretty confusing though. So there was some internal appraisal which was forged (by VP Burt Ferris I'm guessing) to make it look like the two towers were worth much less than they really were. Because I'm guessing he had some client who wanted to buy it for much cheaper. In return Ferris would get some kickback or something from this client of his. But then Ferris is already a VP and I would think he would be on the same page with Ray Walston's character who's the president and both would want the maximum they could get for the two towers. But no, instead Ferris kills Walston and then tries to kill anyone else connected with the other client who's offering the higher sum for the two towers. It doesn't make much sense. Plus there's something about financial troubles in the company and hence why they want to sell it (which isn't really explored), all the more reason to sell it and to sell it to the client who's offering the higher bid. Ferris says something about him needing the deal to go through (with his client who's offering the lower bid) or he'll be out of his position as VP. Again, this doesn't make sense.
Lots of recognizable guest stars - Anne Schedeen (she of ALF fame, and numerous THREE'S COMPANY appearances), Michael C. Gwynne, Terry Kiser, and Ray Walston ("Uncle Martin" in MY FAVORITE MARTIAN). My favorite Walston S&S episode is season 2's "Murder Between the Lines", where he's the main guest star!
The plot was pretty confusing though. So there was some internal appraisal which was forged (by VP Burt Ferris I'm guessing) to make it look like the two towers were worth much less than they really were. Because I'm guessing he had some client who wanted to buy it for much cheaper. In return Ferris would get some kickback or something from this client of his. But then Ferris is already a VP and I would think he would be on the same page with Ray Walston's character who's the president and both would want the maximum they could get for the two towers. But no, instead Ferris kills Walston and then tries to kill anyone else connected with the other client who's offering the higher sum for the two towers. It doesn't make much sense. Plus there's something about financial troubles in the company and hence why they want to sell it (which isn't really explored), all the more reason to sell it and to sell it to the client who's offering the higher bid. Ferris says something about him needing the deal to go through (with his client who's offering the lower bid) or he'll be out of his position as VP. Again, this doesn't make sense.
Lots of recognizable guest stars - Anne Schedeen (she of ALF fame, and numerous THREE'S COMPANY appearances), Michael C. Gwynne, Terry Kiser, and Ray Walston ("Uncle Martin" in MY FAVORITE MARTIAN). My favorite Walston S&S episode is season 2's "Murder Between the Lines", where he's the main guest star!
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Little Garwood
- Fleet Admiral
- Posts: 1261
- Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:53 pm
- Location: The Magnumverse
Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
I see it as AJ behaving how he sees Rick, rather than impersonating him precisely; it's for (our) comedic purposes. Plus AJ spends much of the episode irritated by Rick in general, and adds some of these exaggerations as little jabs against his big brother.IvanTheTerrible wrote: ↑Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:04 pm I actually made a point of watching "Walk a Mile in My Hat" last night. I can't even remember if I saw it in its entirety back when I was watching the reruns in the late 90s. I seem to remember Terry Kiser and Ray Walston but none of the plot details. But reading here about the two brothers switching roles and playing each other piqued by interests so I decided to give it a whirl. It turned out to be quite good, as expected. Though I do wish they made a greater effort of playing each other, right down to trying to mimic each other's voices. For example, AJ sounded nothing like Rick and it didn't look like Jameson Parker was trying to do that. Neither was McRaney. They just basically wore each other's clothes. There was that one scene where AJ-as-Rick goes overboard with putting up his bare feet in front of Anne Schedeen's character and belching in front of her. That was exaggerated because Rick wouldn't do that in front of a girl. But I do wish they did a better job of trying to mimic each other. Still, it was good fun. I enjoyed Rick being nervous, not knowing how to do the things AJ typically was good at.
Always liked Anne Schedeen!
Last edited by Little Garwood on Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Popularity is the pocket change of history."
~Tom Selleck
~Tom Selleck
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Little Garwood
- Fleet Admiral
- Posts: 1261
- Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:53 pm
- Location: The Magnumverse
Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
Episode Title: Facets
Original Airdate: December 19, 1985
Writer: Diane Saunders
Director: Burt Kennedy
Synopsis: AJ and Rick are called in when a valuable gem is stolen from Nyquist jewelers who suspect their rivals, the Cartons. The brothers find themselves in the midst of feud and AJ experiences anguish when forced to use his gun.
Guest Cast: Tony O'Dell (Jerry Carton); Jean Sagal (Andrea Nyquist); Harry Townes (Harry Carton); Alex Henteloff (Ditto); Dennis Pratt (Felix); Danny Dayton (Jeweler Joe Wilson); Kay Freeman (Mrs. Carton); Leonard Stone (Uncle Jack); Special Guest Star Norman Fell (Leo Nyquist).
Rating (1-10 stars): 9/10
Review/Observations: A transition episode which serves as a portent of darker-themed episodes to come. An episode more about how a shooting effects the shooter rather than the one who is shot. Speaking of effects, one can’t help but remember Jameson Parker’s 1992 non-fatal shooting and its subsequent effects on the actor, chronicled in his book, An Accidental Cowboy.
Facets is the lone writing credit for Diane Saunders. Her sole acting credit was as "Bag Lady" in the film Trespasses (1991).
The story is of the Romeo and Juliet/Hatfields and McCoys style, with two jeweler families in competition with one another for seventy years.
The episode opens with stock or second-unit footage of London landmarks, which were perhaps filmed en route to Paris for season four’s C’est Simon. The interior used for the “London Diamond Exchange” is quite ornate. Where was this filmed?
Norman Fell sports a goatee beard. His is a straight-laced role, though a trace of the impish Stanley Roper humor comes through in the Diamond Exchange, when he asks the stuffy English diamond clerk, “Is it permitted to smile, even a little?” The clerk replies, “It is not advisable, sir. The diamond you purchased is valued at $100,000 as agreed. Modest, but quite acceptable for a first-time buyer here, sir.” It would have been nice to have seen more of Norman Fell in this or a second appearance in another role.
The first Simons scene is one of their regular “Opening Comedy Scenes”, as a way to showcase the Parker-McRaney chemistry. Here, AJ comes home from a trip to a completely empty house. The camera pulls back to show this. Rick is sitting alone on the floor. Rick apparently has a “surprise” for AJ, as he and Jenny, who is “from the 24-hour Martinizing place” (a dry cleaner). Rick had all of AJ’s furniture shipped to Mexico to have it cleaned by Jenny’s ex-jailbird husband, busted by the Simons and having been recently released after serving five years.
AJ wears a nice black suit with grey and black tie in the brief office scene with Leo Nyquist.
The Nyquist jewelry store looks to be nearby the same street (12164 Ventura Blvd) where The Rockford Files episode, The Fourth Man (Season 3, Episode 1) was filmed, an episode partially dealing with rare coins. However, the Carton jewelry shop has a “5117” address number.
Interesting use of shadow in the Point-of-view shot seen from behind Rick and AJ from the rear window of the Power Wagon when they tail the courier van.
Right after the shooting, AJ goes to the hospital. He apologizes to Jerry Carton's parents. Mrs. Carton calls AJ a "bastard" and hits him.
Tony O’Dell (Jerry) and Jean Sagal (Andrea) do not give very good performances. O’Dell would go on to join the series Head of the Class (1986-91). Jean Sagal was one half of the twin stars of Double Trouble (1984-85) and later go on to become producer of the sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Kathleen Freeman, best known for her appearances in several Jerry Lewis films, has a throwaway cameo in this episode.
Even though Rick is in peril, AJ still freezes in the second firefight.
Marlowe appears throughout the episode. He sits in AJ's easy chair. He also trots down to greet Cecilia from the back deck to the walkway.
Two weeks pass after AJ’s shooting of Jerry Carton, and AJ is still agonizing over it. The missing diamond case continues.
Stone cutter Joe Wilson and Nyquist’s jeweler George Seifer (Jimmy Lydon) use the Yiddish expression “mazel und broche” when concluding a business deal. There is said to be a “jeweler's code.”
The gold gun cabinet in AJ’s bookcase/entertainment center has a combination lock on it.
Rick and Cecilia share a sweet mother-son conversation and embrace after their discussion about AJ, who has been punching away on a boxing bag in the cleared-out garage.
Cecilia also has a good mother-son conversation with the distraught AJ. Cecilia urges him to visit Jerry Carton in the hospital.
There's fog or smoke in the background of one scene around the canal near AJ's house.
There are several night-time scenes around the jewelry store. This includes all three shootouts.
After everyone is toasting one another, and ending the Carton-Nyquist feud as well as Rick and AJ. for having solved the case of the diamond theft. Rick gets the final line: "Can we drink now?" I took this as Rick's way of getting everyone to move on from the recent events since all has ended well.
Simon Back Story: Five years ago (making the year of the case 1980) Rick and AJ busted Jenny’s, the dry cleaner business owner, husband for smuggling. He served five years in El Centro prison.
AJ says that he has killed two people in his life. Which two would that be?
When Rick was a child, he would never go to Cecilia with a problem. Instead, he would go off to be alone until he found the answer. In contrast, AJ would go to Cecilia to talk.
Memorable Dialogue:
Leo Nyquist: “Ditto? What kind of name is that for a grown man? What are you an expert on, Mr. Ditto?”
Ditto: “Documents. Anything written or printed, along with the paper it is written or printed on. Inks and dyes, envelopes, the glues and pastes used to seal envelopes, along with postmarks, watermarks, stamps, type fonts, and the general archana of bookbinding...but mostly forgery.”
Leo Nyquist: Is this guy wanted by the police?
Ditto: “No, the glory days are gone. Arthritis. The curse of the craftsman. These days, all I can do is be an expert.”
-------------------
Rick: “You feel like Hell. You keep asking yourself: is there anything I could have done differently. And you’re mad because the answer keeps comin’ up the same: No.
AJ: “That kid is 17 years old. He has his entire life ahead of him and I may have taken it away from him!”
Rick: “AJ, there is nothing else you could have done!”
AJ: “I could have done what you did, held fire.”
Rick: “This is precisely why they tell you never second-guess yourself in a shooting. Yeah, we could have both held fire. We could both be dead.”
AJ: “I’ve killed two other people in my life. I still have nightmares about it, I see their faces.”
Rick: “I know.”
AJ: “I threw up after the first one. I had no choice then. They were trying to kill me. This...kid. This kid didn’t even have a gun. I am supposed to be a trained professional. I should...I should have contained the situation somehow. Instead, I…”
----------------
Rick: “Mom, AJ’s only problem is he cares. He feels other people’s hurt. Makes our kind of work tough on him, but it’s also what makes him so good at it. AJ will come to us when he’s ready. Come on, don’t worry. I know him. He’ll get past this.”
Cecilia: “I hope you’re right.”
Rick: “Of course I’m right. Went off by myself and found the answer...so will he.”
Undercover Shtick: None.
Notable Use of Music: Stately English cue plays over the opening credits of London stock footage.
Funky synth and acoustic guitar cue is heard when the Simons tail the courier van in the Power Wagon.
Interesting musical cue heard in the lead up to AJ’s shooting of Jerry Carton. The “signature” Simon brothers motif of electric slide guitar is briefly heard as AJ comforts the wounded Jerry Carton.
Synth, percussion, and electric guitar piece as the Simons arrive at the warehouse at night to purchase the stolen Nyquist diamond (where AJ freezes in the subsequent gunfight). Joseph Conlan continues to delight with his inventive musical underscore.
A plucked instrument cue which sounds like it was played through some electronic filter of sorts. It's heard as the Simons go to the final shootout.
1980s-ness: Jerry Carton's Mullet-in-Training hairstyle; Town's short-sleeve yellow-and-grey shirt, last seen in Enchilada Express, the same shirt he tore off and tossed aside during the escape from the Costa Verde jail cell. He must have really liked it to have gone back and retrieved it. AJ wears the grey, white, and black short-sleeve shirt in the opening scene. Andrea wears an ugly belted tunic. The hospital has a garish grey and black terrazza or carpeted floor. AJ wears a burgundy Members Only-styled windbreaker.
San Diego References: Rick dropped AJ off at the airport the previous night and then mentions a “little drive thru milk and cheese place out by the wharf.” Rick’s "McDonald's" edition San Diego Padres cap is seen on a chair.
Original Airdate: December 19, 1985
Writer: Diane Saunders
Director: Burt Kennedy
Synopsis: AJ and Rick are called in when a valuable gem is stolen from Nyquist jewelers who suspect their rivals, the Cartons. The brothers find themselves in the midst of feud and AJ experiences anguish when forced to use his gun.
Guest Cast: Tony O'Dell (Jerry Carton); Jean Sagal (Andrea Nyquist); Harry Townes (Harry Carton); Alex Henteloff (Ditto); Dennis Pratt (Felix); Danny Dayton (Jeweler Joe Wilson); Kay Freeman (Mrs. Carton); Leonard Stone (Uncle Jack); Special Guest Star Norman Fell (Leo Nyquist).
Rating (1-10 stars): 9/10
Review/Observations: A transition episode which serves as a portent of darker-themed episodes to come. An episode more about how a shooting effects the shooter rather than the one who is shot. Speaking of effects, one can’t help but remember Jameson Parker’s 1992 non-fatal shooting and its subsequent effects on the actor, chronicled in his book, An Accidental Cowboy.
Facets is the lone writing credit for Diane Saunders. Her sole acting credit was as "Bag Lady" in the film Trespasses (1991).
The story is of the Romeo and Juliet/Hatfields and McCoys style, with two jeweler families in competition with one another for seventy years.
The episode opens with stock or second-unit footage of London landmarks, which were perhaps filmed en route to Paris for season four’s C’est Simon. The interior used for the “London Diamond Exchange” is quite ornate. Where was this filmed?
Norman Fell sports a goatee beard. His is a straight-laced role, though a trace of the impish Stanley Roper humor comes through in the Diamond Exchange, when he asks the stuffy English diamond clerk, “Is it permitted to smile, even a little?” The clerk replies, “It is not advisable, sir. The diamond you purchased is valued at $100,000 as agreed. Modest, but quite acceptable for a first-time buyer here, sir.” It would have been nice to have seen more of Norman Fell in this or a second appearance in another role.
The first Simons scene is one of their regular “Opening Comedy Scenes”, as a way to showcase the Parker-McRaney chemistry. Here, AJ comes home from a trip to a completely empty house. The camera pulls back to show this. Rick is sitting alone on the floor. Rick apparently has a “surprise” for AJ, as he and Jenny, who is “from the 24-hour Martinizing place” (a dry cleaner). Rick had all of AJ’s furniture shipped to Mexico to have it cleaned by Jenny’s ex-jailbird husband, busted by the Simons and having been recently released after serving five years.
AJ wears a nice black suit with grey and black tie in the brief office scene with Leo Nyquist.
The Nyquist jewelry store looks to be nearby the same street (12164 Ventura Blvd) where The Rockford Files episode, The Fourth Man (Season 3, Episode 1) was filmed, an episode partially dealing with rare coins. However, the Carton jewelry shop has a “5117” address number.
Interesting use of shadow in the Point-of-view shot seen from behind Rick and AJ from the rear window of the Power Wagon when they tail the courier van.
Right after the shooting, AJ goes to the hospital. He apologizes to Jerry Carton's parents. Mrs. Carton calls AJ a "bastard" and hits him.
Tony O’Dell (Jerry) and Jean Sagal (Andrea) do not give very good performances. O’Dell would go on to join the series Head of the Class (1986-91). Jean Sagal was one half of the twin stars of Double Trouble (1984-85) and later go on to become producer of the sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Kathleen Freeman, best known for her appearances in several Jerry Lewis films, has a throwaway cameo in this episode.
Even though Rick is in peril, AJ still freezes in the second firefight.
Marlowe appears throughout the episode. He sits in AJ's easy chair. He also trots down to greet Cecilia from the back deck to the walkway.
Two weeks pass after AJ’s shooting of Jerry Carton, and AJ is still agonizing over it. The missing diamond case continues.
Stone cutter Joe Wilson and Nyquist’s jeweler George Seifer (Jimmy Lydon) use the Yiddish expression “mazel und broche” when concluding a business deal. There is said to be a “jeweler's code.”
The gold gun cabinet in AJ’s bookcase/entertainment center has a combination lock on it.
Rick and Cecilia share a sweet mother-son conversation and embrace after their discussion about AJ, who has been punching away on a boxing bag in the cleared-out garage.
Cecilia also has a good mother-son conversation with the distraught AJ. Cecilia urges him to visit Jerry Carton in the hospital.
There's fog or smoke in the background of one scene around the canal near AJ's house.
There are several night-time scenes around the jewelry store. This includes all three shootouts.
After everyone is toasting one another, and ending the Carton-Nyquist feud as well as Rick and AJ. for having solved the case of the diamond theft. Rick gets the final line: "Can we drink now?" I took this as Rick's way of getting everyone to move on from the recent events since all has ended well.
Simon Back Story: Five years ago (making the year of the case 1980) Rick and AJ busted Jenny’s, the dry cleaner business owner, husband for smuggling. He served five years in El Centro prison.
AJ says that he has killed two people in his life. Which two would that be?
When Rick was a child, he would never go to Cecilia with a problem. Instead, he would go off to be alone until he found the answer. In contrast, AJ would go to Cecilia to talk.
Memorable Dialogue:
Leo Nyquist: “Ditto? What kind of name is that for a grown man? What are you an expert on, Mr. Ditto?”
Ditto: “Documents. Anything written or printed, along with the paper it is written or printed on. Inks and dyes, envelopes, the glues and pastes used to seal envelopes, along with postmarks, watermarks, stamps, type fonts, and the general archana of bookbinding...but mostly forgery.”
Leo Nyquist: Is this guy wanted by the police?
Ditto: “No, the glory days are gone. Arthritis. The curse of the craftsman. These days, all I can do is be an expert.”
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Rick: “You feel like Hell. You keep asking yourself: is there anything I could have done differently. And you’re mad because the answer keeps comin’ up the same: No.
AJ: “That kid is 17 years old. He has his entire life ahead of him and I may have taken it away from him!”
Rick: “AJ, there is nothing else you could have done!”
AJ: “I could have done what you did, held fire.”
Rick: “This is precisely why they tell you never second-guess yourself in a shooting. Yeah, we could have both held fire. We could both be dead.”
AJ: “I’ve killed two other people in my life. I still have nightmares about it, I see their faces.”
Rick: “I know.”
AJ: “I threw up after the first one. I had no choice then. They were trying to kill me. This...kid. This kid didn’t even have a gun. I am supposed to be a trained professional. I should...I should have contained the situation somehow. Instead, I…”
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Rick: “Mom, AJ’s only problem is he cares. He feels other people’s hurt. Makes our kind of work tough on him, but it’s also what makes him so good at it. AJ will come to us when he’s ready. Come on, don’t worry. I know him. He’ll get past this.”
Cecilia: “I hope you’re right.”
Rick: “Of course I’m right. Went off by myself and found the answer...so will he.”
Undercover Shtick: None.
Notable Use of Music: Stately English cue plays over the opening credits of London stock footage.
Funky synth and acoustic guitar cue is heard when the Simons tail the courier van in the Power Wagon.
Interesting musical cue heard in the lead up to AJ’s shooting of Jerry Carton. The “signature” Simon brothers motif of electric slide guitar is briefly heard as AJ comforts the wounded Jerry Carton.
Synth, percussion, and electric guitar piece as the Simons arrive at the warehouse at night to purchase the stolen Nyquist diamond (where AJ freezes in the subsequent gunfight). Joseph Conlan continues to delight with his inventive musical underscore.
A plucked instrument cue which sounds like it was played through some electronic filter of sorts. It's heard as the Simons go to the final shootout.
1980s-ness: Jerry Carton's Mullet-in-Training hairstyle; Town's short-sleeve yellow-and-grey shirt, last seen in Enchilada Express, the same shirt he tore off and tossed aside during the escape from the Costa Verde jail cell. He must have really liked it to have gone back and retrieved it. AJ wears the grey, white, and black short-sleeve shirt in the opening scene. Andrea wears an ugly belted tunic. The hospital has a garish grey and black terrazza or carpeted floor. AJ wears a burgundy Members Only-styled windbreaker.
San Diego References: Rick dropped AJ off at the airport the previous night and then mentions a “little drive thru milk and cheese place out by the wharf.” Rick’s "McDonald's" edition San Diego Padres cap is seen on a chair.
"Popularity is the pocket change of history."
~Tom Selleck
~Tom Selleck
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ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
I believe that pic is from "Ten Thousand Dollar Deductible", again with Schedeen. Always liked that episode. One of the better episodes of the second season. Always called it the "hot air balloon" episode. The sequence even made it into the opening intro for the next few seasons.Little Garwood wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:19 pmI see it as AJ behaving how he sees Rick, rather than impersonating him precisely; it's for (our) comedic purposes. Plus AJ spends much of the episode irritated by Rick in general, and adds some of these exaggerations as little jabs against his big brother.IvanTheTerrible wrote: ↑Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:04 pm I actually made a point of watching "Walk a Mile in My Hat" last night. I can't even remember if I saw it in its entirety back when I was watching the reruns in the late 90s. I seem to remember Terry Kiser and Ray Walston but none of the plot details. But reading here about the two brothers switching roles and playing each other piqued by interests so I decided to give it a whirl. It turned out to be quite good, as expected. Though I do wish they made a greater effort of playing each other, right down to trying to mimic each other's voices. For example, AJ sounded nothing like Rick and it didn't look like Jameson Parker was trying to do that. Neither was McRaney. They just basically wore each other's clothes. There was that one scene where AJ-as-Rick goes overboard with putting up his bare feet in front of Anne Schedeen's character and belching in front of her. That was exaggerated because Rick wouldn't do that in front of a girl. But I do wish they did a better job of trying to mimic each other. Still, it was good fun. I enjoyed Rick being nervous, not knowing how to do the things AJ typically was good at.
Always liked Anne Schedeen!
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Little Garwood
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
There are very few TV series that I can reel off episode titles, and that includes Simon & Simon!IvanTheTerrible wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:50 pmI believe that pic is from "Ten Thousand Dollar Deductible", again with Schedeen. Always liked that episode. One of the better episodes of the second season. Always called it the "hot air balloon" episode. The sequence even made it into the opening intro for the next few seasons.
I can (probably) recall episode titles for Star Trek (TOS), Hawaii Five-0, and Kolchak: The Night Stalker, but not too many others...same goes for cue titles for film music..."Popularity is the pocket change of history."
~Tom Selleck
~Tom Selleck
-
ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)
- Fleet Admiral
- Posts: 2020
- Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:11 pm
Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
For me episode titles come really easy. From the 70s I can easily rattle away the episode titles from FIVE-O (obviously), STREETS OF SAN FRAN, and most of COLUMBO and ROCKFORD. From the 80s - KNIGHT RIDER, THE A-TEAM, AIRWOLF, SCARECROW & MRS. KING, etc. From the 90s - WALKER TEXAS RANGER. Shows that I grew up with.Little Garwood wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 3:30 pmThere are very few TV series that I can reel off episode titles, and that includes Simon & Simon!IvanTheTerrible wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:50 pmI believe that pic is from "Ten Thousand Dollar Deductible", again with Schedeen. Always liked that episode. One of the better episodes of the second season. Always called it the "hot air balloon" episode. The sequence even made it into the opening intro for the next few seasons.
FIVE-O of course had far away the most creative titles. "Will the Real Mr. Winkler Please Die?", "Bomb, Bomb, Who's Got the Bomb?", "30,000 Rooms and I Have the Key", "Didn't We Meet at a Murder?", "A Thousand Pardons... You're Dead", "And I Want Some Candy and a Gun that Shoots", etc. The list is endless. On the other hand, a show like MATLOCK (which I also like) had very static episode titles like "The Cop", "The Author", "The Judge", "The Narc", "The Captain", "The Gigolo", "The Umpire", "The Santa Claus", etc. Basically the episode title either described the culprit or the defendant or the victim.
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Pahonu
- Robin's Nest Expert Extraordinaire
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Re: Simon & Simon DVDs
I would argue that The Rockford Files has very clever titles, perhaps more so than Hawaii Five-O…IvanTheTerrible wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:21 pmFor me episode titles come really easy. From the 70s I can easily rattle away the episode titles from FIVE-O (obviously), STREETS OF SAN FRAN, and most of COLUMBO and ROCKFORD. From the 80s - KNIGHT RIDER, THE A-TEAM, AIRWOLF, SCARECROW & MRS. KING, etc. From the 90s - WALKER TEXAS RANGER. Shows that I grew up with.Little Garwood wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 3:30 pmThere are very few TV series that I can reel off episode titles, and that includes Simon & Simon!IvanTheTerrible wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 2:50 pmI believe that pic is from "Ten Thousand Dollar Deductible", again with Schedeen. Always liked that episode. One of the better episodes of the second season. Always called it the "hot air balloon" episode. The sequence even made it into the opening intro for the next few seasons.
FIVE-O of course had far away the most creative titles. "Will the Real Mr. Winkler Please Die?", "Bomb, Bomb, Who's Got the Bomb?", "30,000 Rooms and I Have the Key", "Didn't We Meet at a Murder?", "A Thousand Pardons... You're Dead", "And I Want Some Candy and a Gun that Shoots", etc. The list is endless. On the other hand, a show like MATLOCK (which I also like) had very static episode titles like "The Cop", "The Author", "The Judge", "The Narc", "The Captain", "The Gigolo", "The Umpire", "The Santa Claus", etc. Basically the episode title either described the culprit or the defendant or the victim.
Chicken Little Is a Little Chicken
The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit
The Trees, the Bees and T.T. Flowers
Dwarf in a Helium Hat
Rosendahl and Gilda Stern Are Dead
White on White and Nearly Perfect
A Good Clean Bust with Sequel Rights
Three Day Affair with a Thirty Day Escrow
With the French Heel Back, Can the Nehru Jacket Be Far Behind?
Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job
Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs
Nice Guys Finish Dead
The other Cannell series that had really clever titles, maybe the best I can recall, is Tenspeed and Brownshoe. Even the series title is clever! This is the whole series after the pilot:
The Robin Tucker's Roseland and Ballroom Murder
Savage Says: There's No Free Lunch
Savage Says: What Are Friends For?
The Sixteen Byte Data Chip and the Brown-Eyed Fox
The Millionaire's Life
Savage Says: The Most Dangerous Bird Is the Jailbird
It's Easier to Pass an Elephant Through the Eye of a Needle Than a Bad Check in Bel Air
Loose Larry's List of Losers
This One's Gonna Kill Ya
Treasure of Sierra Madre Street
Diamonds Aren't Forever