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 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 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 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 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 14 - Steve and Dave are the Uni Biz Warriors

Long trip for this title.  I apologize in advance.

Wait, what did you pay for the podcast? Nothing.  I retract my apology.

JAMES DARREN!  I love Jimmy Darren.  I loved him in the Time Tunnel, I loved him in DS9, and he plays 'movie star' really well.  Of course Jimmy died on Sept 3.  If you get a chance, check out the interview with him on the Shuttlepod podcast.  It's excellent.

Hollywood stars did joined the armed forces, as did pro athletes etc.

Who?  Oh, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Glenn Miller, you know, no big stars...  This is the equivalent today of say Ryan Reynolds, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and oh I dunno, Taylor Swift joining the armed forces to fight the evil that is fascism.  This shows you how seriously people took this.

Rod getting names wrong, classic.

Everything is solved with toxic masculinity.

What's Nancy's problem?

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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 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 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 7 - Presumed Steve and Dave

Bad title.

Wait, Kent McCord and James Hong!

You don't send out active SONAR pings like that.

Also, why did Dobson speak Japanese when the Col speaks English?

There are some really great flight scenes in this one.

I wonder if any of the planes are still around.

Why would they be doing recon over an island they figure has nothing on it?

Some real Manchurian Candidate vibes in this one.

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Episode 6 - Prisoners of Dave and Steve

Nice title Dave, why thank you Dave.

This is one of the most highly rated by fans, according to IMDB anyway.

There is a strong 'war, what is it good for' vibe in this episode.

Gutterman is about to snap, even more than usual.

Ping pong/table tennis is not Japanese, though what would he be good at, baseabll?

Hutch shows us the NCO vs officer tension that exists in most militaries.

Wow, the Japanese are about to attack Mexico!

TASK FORCE!

We both like this one a lot, inaccuracies and all.

Pappy Boyington wouldn't commit war crimes.

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