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 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 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 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 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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Episode 12 - Steve and Dave are the Cat's Whiskers

Better title this month I think.

Hey this one has not one, but two made up islands!

The 'well if we could just get a mission we won't get court martialled' trope continues.  (Also, is it martialled or martialed?). OK, turns out it must be the double l one right?

This one was broadcast on December 7, 1976.  You may not know this, but, a pretty big thing happened on  December 7, 1941, just saying.

I don't put my feet up on my desk much, but if Admiral Nimitz says it's a good idea I will start.

I really liked how Lard knew something was up because there was too much Scotch on Espartos Marcos.

Pappy's plane changes a few times scene to scene which is pretty funny.

'It's called stock footage David, be quiet'.

That said, much of the dogfighting stuff is great.

You sir, are no admiral Nimitz.

There are, today, listening posts like the show talked about.  This one though seems to detect things using active sonar pings and Morse code...

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Episode 11 - Dave and Steve on My Mind

This one has some great 70s guest stars.

The New Georgia campaign actually happened!

Pappy and the Black Sheep don't seem to get that in wartime the whole thing doesn't revolve around you.

The lack of military discipline in the show can usually be overlooked, but Steve and I are pretty sure enlisted men don't talk to officers like they do in this episode.

Coastwatchers were a real thing, JFK knew that. Oh so does Peter Frampton.

Generally this one was supposed to make me hate the marine raiders, but, umm, the 214 are just as bad as far as Steve and I are concerned.

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Episode 8 - A Steve and Dave Circus

Not a bad title this month.

Repeat this with me, there was no Christmas Island campaign.

I wonder if what Pappy proposes is technically a war crime.

Some great stuff about carrier operations this week.  That guy is in a dumb looking shirt and hat for a reason.

US Navy vs USMC rivalry is a real thing.  Inter service rivalries are in general in every country with armed forces.

We get some proper toxic masculinity this week.

We both love Gutterman.

We also get the 'flying misfits vs the US armed forces' this week.  I'm not complaining BTW.

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Episode 5 - Dave and Steve are Jinxes Who May Be High

Obligatory bad title comment.

This one is pretty dark.  We think of Baa Baa Black Sheep as a sort of swashbuckling 'isn't war fun' kind of show.  And yes dear listener, it often is.  But hidden in that brew of bullshit is often some great commentary on war.  This episode is like that.  Poor Doug has no life outside of being an Admiral's son, or being a jinx.

This one also talks about privilege and superstition, two things Pappy would have none of.  He didn't care who you were, as long as you could fly, but of course, he'll take advantage of your position in life.

There are some wild historical inaccuracies in this one that we discuss.

James Whitmore Jr. kills in this episode.

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Episode 4 - Dave and Steve Have a Small War

Jesus that's another awful title.

This is all about redemption.  Both Gutterman's and Hooper's.

This one is the classic 'guy gets shot down over enemy territory and has to figure a way out'.  This has been seen in so many shows and movies.  Be it, Star, both Wars and Trek, be it 12 O'Clock High, be it Combat! be it Piece of Cake, Wings (the 1977 one look it up) hell, I think there's a Hogan's Heroes like this!  Still, a good one.

Rene Auberjonois is in this one and he's very good.  There are a  couple of scenes where he really shows his chops.  Spoiler, he's a better actor than Robert Conrad.  Another spoiler, Conrad keeps up.

Why are they on an island off the coast of Labrador?

Pappy was actually shot down of course and ended up in transit on Truk, where they attack on the show, and where at the end of the episode you will hear a real newsreel from the time that pappy is ctually in (you can't really easily make him out from the air, but he talks about it in Baa Baa Black Sheep).

This is, as usual, a fun one.

Whitmore steals every scene he is in, killer performance this week.

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Episode 3 - Best Steve Out of Dave

I'm sticking to the episode naming convention I have developed and there is nothing you can do to stop me.

Charles Napier is always fun.  He just chews scenes, and I love it.

I always wonder about two guys just playing straight poker with each other.  Why not just flip a coin?

I would never get Jim Gutterman mad, I'd be afraid he'd snap.  Whitmore did an excellent job with this character.

Bar fights that men bond over.  It's a war movie trope.

Greg and Red both sucker punch each other in this episode.

In a lot of ways, this is the quintessential Baa Baa Black Sheep episode.  It's got Col Lard, Gen Moore, Red fighting Pappy, some great dogfighting, some ground combat.  Oh and lots of drinking and historically questionable bits...

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Episode 2 - Dave and Steve Fit and Miss

My clever title game is weak this week.

Hey, it's part 2 of the pilot!

One thing about the show, while Pappy is the hero, he's not sugarcoated, he's a drunk and, as he would say 'a bum'.

Guy could fly though.  He actually did down five Japanese planes in one engagement, which is nuts.

I wish they'd use real place names, but as Steve reminds me often, Cannel was in the entertainment business. 

There is some really good use of stock footage from the war in this episode.

I love the Corsair.  That is just true, so I thought I'd say that.

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Episode 1 - Steve and Dave are Misfits Who Have Flown

VMAF 214 Patch today

Yes yes, you knew it was coming.

We've dropped enough hints.

Hell, on the retro TV podcast I am a part of I covered this show on my third episode.

Anyway yes, it's the Black Sheep Squadron/Baa Baa Black Sheep, the story of famed US Marine fighter squadron, the Black Sheep, and their first commander, Major Greg, 'Pappy' Boyington.  Originally they were to be called 'Boyington's Bastards', which obviously is where we got the name for our little show.

Oh and by the way, if this is in your Rockford or Mad Men feed yeah, it will happen once.  Look, what did you pay for the podcast?  Nothing, that's right.  We'd like a case of Scotch and two crates of .50 cal ammo.

You can see the squadron's unit patch today honours the originals.

There is some truth in this episode.  You know, WW2 happened for example...

We still deal with some serious WW2 stuff this week, as of course Steve and I would.

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