Episode 35 - Steve and Dave are Often Called Fighting Angels

Look, now they're even putting "Angels" in the title.

What's next, Pappy to be replaced by John Forsyth?

The real story of US Navy nurses during WW2 is one of bravery, selflessness, heroism, professionalism and over all bad assery.  Unlike say Pappy's freaking Lambs.

Micklin and Lard are real marines.

We like both Micklin and Lard in this episode.  They have something to do and are competent, unlike everyone else.

Steve and I kinda have soured on the series if you've noticed....

OK, why are the National Liberation Front of Vietnam there?  Oh, you may know them by their informal name, the VC.  WHAT THE HELL ARE THE VC DOING ON THE ISLAND?

Of course they kill off the one interesting nurse, the one competent one, the one whose actor was decent...

I think I remember the cross thing from the book.

I wish I could say they get better.  OK, there is one coming that's better.

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Episode 34 - Steve and Dave Forbid You From Watching This One

OK, not really, but, kinda?

Anderson, gone.

TJ gone.

"Pappy's Lambs" in (blech)

Jeb the eith year old pilot with feathered hair, in (blech)

This was obviously done to go after younger people and the jiggle tv market.

It didn't work.

Many of these people cannot act.

Micklin is at least a bit funny.

I just hate that this was done to my show.... (that's how I felt then, I mean now, I'm an adult, I will live, I've managed to move on).

Oh yeah, night fighters etc, sure.

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Episode 33 - Dave'll Get You Steve

Not my best title, not my worst.

Conrad directed this one.

This one is about supply.  

This one is about profiteering.

This one is about capitalism in general.

Some nice Catch 22 references noticed by Steve.

Amateurs study tactics, professionals study supply.

This one is about scamming.

This one has a classic Black Sheep heist, which we all enjoy.

There's some really nice aerial footage this week.

As usual we have interlopers on 'Pappy's' island.

In some ways I consider this a series, or at least a season finale.  The show's tone takes a hell of a turn shortly.

This episode is the final appearance of Anderson and TJ. We'll miss you guys.

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Episode 32 - Steve and Dave Stand Down

It's just a title, we aren't going anywhere....

Another decent season 2 episode.  

That changes shortly, as season 2 gets weird in two episodes.

Wait, was that Battle of the Network Stars?

Either way Conrad got to take his shirt off...

Some nice misdirection to the audience.

'It tastes like wax'.

There's a reason for that Pappy.

Micklin and Dutch are pretty funny.  Andy Micklin is always funny actually.

Once more we have decent Col Lard this season.

Tommy is Pappy in Wolves in the Sheeps' Pen

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Episode 31 - Daves in the Steve Pen

Just substituting names is the lowest level of clever title.

TIM MATHESON!

Boy the wolf thing got really old, really fast.

Interservice rivalry was a thing, still is.

Remember these guys are mostly just draftees.

Steve found a nice recording for this week.

Jon will not be Fonzieing™ this podcast.

I wonder why they are invading the Thousand Islands.  Maybe they needed salad dressing.

Micklin is great in this one.  Lots of fun lines.

In keeping with early season 2, Lard is not that bad here.

Oh I forgot to mention during the recording that the stuff at the end is a report from the Battle of Iwo Jima.  

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Episode 30 - Steve and Dave Podcast on Friday

This title works on many levels.

P51!

This one is pretty much the poster child for 'don't lean your history from a tv show'.  

As much as Steve and I love the P51 Mustang, Yamamoto was shot down by P38s.

I can see some real MASH connections this week, like two different episodes too!

I don't think Yamamoto was called the Hawk.  

Andre Dawson was, however, the hawk.

Hal Holbrook, in a robe, in Midway.

TJ is a creep.

The Pacific War isn't thought of as one that displaced civilians, but it did.

Conrad directed this one!

A Corsair could never beat a Mustang.

Lard is pretty reasonable here, and General Moore has no idea what's going on.

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Episode 29 - Steve & Dave vs a 200 lb Gorilla

Jon isn't officially on this one, so the 200 lb gorilla does not refer to him, but to Red West.

Ahh yes, the old 'enlisted man who does not want to be an officer' trope.  It's hard not to love though, the idea of Andy as an officer is great.

Directed by Dana Elcar.

I'm kind of warming to Lard on this rewatch.

We get a Red Buel reference.  No autocomplete, not the freaking drink, stop it...

We talk a bit about Tokyo Rose.

The running joke that TJ runs his mixture so rich because he sucks is funny.

As with much of the first half of season 2, this one is pretty good!

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Episode 28 - A Daveine Steve

This is literally the worst title I have ever come up with over all of the podcasts I have ever done.  I am ever so proud.

SEASON 2!.

John Laroquette is really good in this one.

A bit heavy on the Orientalism this week.

Oh now it is officially called the Black Sheep Squadron.

Yup, we're back with more European theatre bombing runs passed off as Pacific, more useless brawls and more, let's face it, awesomeness from the Black Sheep.

"If Soon Teck Oh looked at me like that I'd volunteer too".

This is not the birth of the Kamikazes, but it's a good story.

I like the sort of mirroring they've done this time.  We see that life on a Japanese base isn't that different than life on Lacava.

Wait, so in this universe there IS a a Vella Lavella.

Chaos theory butterfly stuff.

What's with Father John's accent?  Why is Father John's accent?  How is Father John's accent?

Gutterman is gone :-(.

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Episode 27 - Special Episode - Christmas in Retro TV Land

It's between seasons.

It's the Christmas season.

We're doing a Christmas show, if you don't like it, well, first off, bah humbug, secondly, what did you pay for the podcast?

Steve, Jon and I welcome some guests this episode:

Those guests are, in no particular order: 

Anthony Marco from Best Episode Ever.

Jeff Andrews from the 70s TV Detectives.

Chris Cooling from the Forgotten TV podcast.

All three now join my brother Dan from the We Have the Technology Podcast as official friends of the show.

We heated up a Swanson TV dinner, gathered around the 7 foot long cabinet tv, that Pete Campbell will tell you, is a beautiful piece of furniture that Wilt Chamberlain could lie down in (As Kenny Cosgrove reminds us, why would he?) and talked about a time before Jon was born.

Thanks to Anth, Jeff and Chris!

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Episode 26 - Special Episode, 1978 in Television

It's between seasons 4 and 5 of Rockford.

It's between seasons 1 and 2 of Baa Baa Black Sheep.

That means it's 1978!

We decided to invite a couple of our friends on to tap about 1978 in tv, including Best Episode Ever's Anthony Marco and the 70s Detectives' Jeff Andrews.

Boy NBC sucked then.

Lots of stuff sucked then.

Jon reminds us that WKRP did start then!

Habs won the cup, so there's that.

Mostly we just hope you liked our little trip down memory lane.  Might be another soon, before moving on to Season 5 of Rockford and Season 2 of Black Sheep.

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Episode 25 - Season 1 Wrap Up

Hey, we finished season 1!  So here are our thoughts.

Here are the best episodes.

Here are the worst episodes.

Here are the best guest stars.

We might even get Jon's thoughts!  (Those thoughts essentially tuned out as 'I dunno, planes are cool').

Look, I write these things before we start, and usually I have notes, but we're just going to talk about season 1 ok.

I'll miss Hutch.

The show transitioned about half way through and got a tad serious, which we both like.  

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Episode 24 - Neither Dave Nor Steve are the Fastest Gun

Mundane title, but I'll take it.

Season finale!

The director, Phillip DeGuerre, took some neat chances this week.

Micklin is taking over from Hutch.

Steve and I talk a bit about the idea of 'knights of the air'.

What's with captain sgt. Bilko?

Efficiency experts are now called industrial organizational psychologists.

I love Hirachi throwing 'rice ball' back at Pappy.

TJ reads Japanese as well as he flies.

'You got American chocolate?'

'You got Japanese rice wine?'

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Episode 23 - Last One For Dave and Steve

It's a play on the title of the episode as usual, not some retirement announcement...

This might be, at least to me, the best episode of the series.  It is certainly the best episode of season 1.

To quote Steve 'once you get Red West, the character of Hutch is unnecessary,  Joey Aresco is gone.'

Muted Micklin is a bit different, I liked it.

Indeed, Red West showed a side of his acting I didn't know existed.

Col. Lard does what he can here, as does Gen. Moore.

Doug the DJ who did coke on WKRP was one of the pilots this week!

Wait, so was Mr. Carlson!

This is the only episode that has ever brought a tear to my eye.

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Episode 22 - S*T*E*V*E and D*A*V*E welcome D*A*N to the podcast

Is this a good title?  Look, I've had worse.

Oh yeah, welcome Dan, of Six Million Dollar Man fame.  

(Also, don't tell anyone, but Dan is kinda sorta famous).

The WASPS were real, they were amazing, and they were brave.  They were finally recognized as veterans in 1977.  Thirty seven WASPS died in the line of duty.

They were not military pilots, so their commander in the episode could not be a major.

The second half of the season has dealt with things more seriously.  

Still, everything is solved by men, but that's with 2025 eyes.  This is pretty progressive for a show from 1977, especially a military one.

I love Andy Micklin.

TJ Sniffinstuff.

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Episode 21 - Poor Little Dave and Steve

I like this title.

Nice performances by guest stars this week, especially Soon-Tek Oh.  We're both big fans.

OH look, an episode with a crash an a nun, I think Dan and I have covered an episode like this.

'I am not French, I'm Swiss'.  So was my grandfather, he fought Nazis and Japanese fascists, just saying...

Sorrel Booke is another great guest star this week.

Nice use of footage from 'Operation Petticoat' in this one, but you do see some pink sub at the end, which kind of both gives it away and takes you (if you're me) out of the scene.

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Episode 20 - Steve and Dave Have Trouble at Fort Apache

It's that time of the month again.  Wait, that sounds bad...

Lots of use of stock footage this week, much of it over Europe.

The B17 was not that big a deal in the Pacific theatre.

Inter service rivalry is a thing.

So general Moore just leaves....

Col Lard working together with Pappy, as much as he can, is a nice twist.

There's still this sense that everything can be cured with a fistfight, though, I suppose that sort of dispute resolution kind of comes to mind when your job is trying to make sure some other guy dies for his country.

I liked this one, though Masters of the Air it ain't.....

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Episode 19 - Dave and Steve Fly One Last Mission Over Sengai

Easy title this time.  

Oh, it's a reference to the title of the episode, don't worry, we aren't going anywhere.

It's directed by Jackie Cooper, and Mills Watson is guest starring, it's going to be good.

Many 70s character actors in this one.

This one says some stuff about PTSD and propaganda which I think is pretty great.  Indeed, the back half of season 1 had quite a few serious plots.

All military or military adjacent shows need a court martial episode.

BTW, a court martial means you are charged and tried, it's not a punishment...

The 5th marines have done some stuff and seen some things, let's say that.

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Episode 18 - Steve the Dave Way

New contender for worst title ever!

This one is fun because the actors are given the opportunity to, you know, act.

Jeff MacKay was really good in this episode.  Indeed, as noted this one was full of very strong performances.

It's a Jackie Cooper directed outing, so it will be good.

The importance of war propaganda cannot be overstated.

The hair still bugs me.

This is one of the best episodes of the season.

Communalism vs individualism.

Kenneth Mars was a lot of fun in this one.

Whenever we mention 'Mr. French' I think of the butler on a Family Affair.

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Episode 17 - Dave and Steve in the Slot

That may sound, umm, odd, but it only refers to the title of the episode!

RED WEST!

We also get Tommy Hirachi, Pappy's nemesis in the show (not so much in real life).

Some real exploration of Gutterman's PTSD.

Ginty's best work of the series so far.

Wait, you can't solve everything with a punch?

OK, well you can solve some things.

I am warming up to Col. Lard.

This is a crossover episode with WKRP

Andy Micklin is basically a walking trope and Steve and I don't care.

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Episode 16 - Steve is Dave's Deadliest Enemy of All

Once I committed to this naming convention for part 1, part 2's title was a gimme.

I think that Robert Conrad really showed some range here.

I don't want to, however, hear his kissing noises.

Rabaul was certainly an important base for the Japanese.

It was eventually just bypassed.

The use of Tora Tora Tora footage was really good in this one.

What's the deal with Bobby Boyle's hair?

I love Gutterman, but sometimes I want to yell at him.

Nurses still in their civvy uniforms..

Part 2 was better than Part 1, just like it was with Rockford!

The actual Pappy is in this one!

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