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 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 15 - Dave is Steve's Deadliest Enemy of All

It's a two parter, so next time it will be how Steve is my deadliest enemy.

The New Britain campaign and strikes on Bougainville were a thing.

Oh yeah, here is a link to the documentary about the 214 Steve talked about.

Fighter sweeps were too.

So we have some actual historical accuracy here!

Nurses are great, if you are an officer.

Also, why are the nurses in civilian nursing uniforms?

James Whitmore Jr. kills it in this one, but Robert Conrad shows some chops too.

Patterson the red shirt...

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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 10 - Anyone For Steve and Dave?

I wonder if this episode title would be used today.

We get Pappy drinking aftershave in this one!

Come to think of it, I shouldn't have used an exclamation point there, like, am I excited about alcohol use disorder?

Classic military movie trope of volunteers only in this one.

Classic military movie trop of drawing lots.

Whitmore Jr is really good in this one as usual.

The USS Princeton was a real carrier.

Those extra guys are a bunch of Dales.

Pappy is horrible. in the one.

The Fraser strait on the other hand....

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Episode 9 - Dave and Steve are Up For Grabs

Obligatory title comment, this one is not one of my better ones.

Hey this one has a date!

Douglas MacArthur was really good at being MacArthur.

George Takei!

This one is stupid fun.

Nobody would have been that calm, on either side.

There's a magic B25 in this episode that changes livery.

There's stock footage from Tora Tora Tora in this one, and there's of course a Tor Tora Tora connection in this one.

Hey, also, directed by Ivan Dixon!

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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 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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