ladybug_archive: (kolchak cross)
Lucky_Ladybug ([personal profile] ladybug_archive) wrote2011-04-24 01:01 am

Good times.

A few days ago I switched my second claim at [livejournal.com profile] 30_losses from Tutu to Kolchak. I've been wanting a theme comm claim for Kolchak and the plunnies started biting when I looked at the themes again, so it was a no-brainer decision. I already have two fics done (although one is just a little drabble) and one posted.

The death fic, the posted one, came zooming out. I think it took longer to tweak some things with it than it did to write the initial first draft! I have another drabble-length idea and then I think it's on to the idea inspired by Kaze's prompt. I think I'm going to call it Mirror, Mirror.

One thing I really like about this fandom is that, considering the subject matter and the way it's presented, it should be fairly easy and IC to insert religious things here and there. The crossover fic had some, and the death fic has even more. Most fics won't have as much as the death fic, though. Considering the plot, it was a necessity there.

I've been watching some of Darren McGavin's guest-spots on other shows. I've seen all three of his Gunsmoke appearances now, as well as one on The Virginian. It's hard to narrow down favorites, but The Virginian episode The Deadly Past is definitely one of them! His character is a hired gun/mercenary who claims he doesn't ever make friends, but over the course of the events in the episode he becomes friends with the other characters and stays behind to help them in the climax even though he claims he's leaving. He ends up getting himself shot, but thankfully he survives! I just adored it.

I really like the Han Solo-type character he plays in his first Gunsmoke episode, Twenty Miles From Dodge. He's a poker-playing scoundrel who's a lot better than Kitty thinks he is. Even though he seems to be out for himself during the hostage situation, he's subtly gathering things to help all of the hostages. Plus, he struck up a rapport with a boy among the hostages. I loved watching their interaction! And I knew the boy's mother looked familiar, but I just couldn't place her. Then in the credits I saw she was Aneta Corsaut, the one who played Helen on The Andy Griffith Show!

His second Gunsmoke appearance, The Hostage (not to be confused with a later episode called Hostage!), had him playing an escaped convict, but he was innocent. He helped Marshal Dillon when the other escapees were beating up on him. That appearance also featured Simon Oakland, as the most rash and hot-headed escapee. It was a little strange to see him in that role, but I loved seeing him and Darren working together.

His third episode, which I saw first, is Gunfighter R.I.P. His character honestly enough is a bit of a jerk there, and somewhat turns me off because of that, but the episode itself is beautiful. Darren plays a gunman hired to kill Marshal Dillon, but he ends up injured when he gets involved in an unfair attack on a Chinese girl and her father and tries to protect them. He's nursed back to health by the girl and her sweetness slowly begins to change him. I would have liked to have seen more of the changes, but of course there's only so much you can do with a fifty-minute episode. The part where he becomes so protective of the girl is absolutely squeeable.

It's strange; I absolutely know without a shadow of a doubt that I was here once: http://www.darrenmcgavin.net on the subpage "Scripts" and that I read the ultimately deleted alternate ending for Gunfighter R.I.P. I don't know when I was there or why or how I ended up reading it, but when I stumbled on the site and saw it a few days ago, I knew for a fact it had happened. (My guess is that it was five years ago and I was seeking information on Jimmy's appearance on Kolchak.) I'm glad they didn't use that ending; it would have been absolutely heartbreaking and discouraging.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 08:34 am (UTC)(link)
It's definitely awesome to see the guest-stars who pass through those and other shows!

It really would have been! Gosh, it was haunting.

For someone who doesn't like things in the 2000s, it seems like you managed to find some movies you like that were made in that decade.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 08:47 am (UTC)(link)
Interesting! I've been skeptical of The Village too, mainly because I'm not sure of what I think about the twist and the open ending, but from your review I think I'd like to try it.

I don't think I've even heard of The Last Sin Eater.

I was thinking you also mentioned you'd seen The Lord of the Rings movies. Or am I having a pipedream....
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 09:00 am (UTC)(link)
Awesome! That does sound like a rare treat.

Oh wow. I am intrigued.

Well ... technically they were filmed in 1999, so I guess in that respect they're 90's. But they were all released in the 2000s. The Hobbits are such wonderful characters!

Did you see the extended versions? They have many more scenes and bring things closer to the books in many respects.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 09:08 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks! I'll have a look at that in a bit.

You should! I think you'd really like Faramir and Eowyn's scenes together in the extended version of the third film. And there's lots of friendship squee scenes among all three films' added stuff.

[identity profile] rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, yes, I have switched claims before. XD; I know the feeling. And those are awesome prompts to work with.

Yay, I'll need to read that (and catch up with the Yami Marik fic) when I have the time. ^^

And watching favorite actors in guest spots is awesome. X3 I am very fond of Richard Dawson's guest spot on Fantasy Island.

And yay for Helen being there! X3

[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
And the nice thing about it happening in a comm where I'm the boss is that it's not so embarrassing. I've switched claims two or three times at [livejournal.com profile] platonicism and feel terrible every time I have to ask the mod about it. I don't know why, but those prompts just don't seem to do anything for me. And yet I want so badly to support the comm because of it being one of the few gen comms around.

Awesome! Richard Dawson is in an episode of The Outer Limits, one of the few I've never managed to catch. I might have to watch it on Hulu sometime. I think he plays the villain, though....

Speaking of guest-spots, Simon Oakland was in an episode of Get Smart. In fact, judging from the name of it, it's probably the one with the chicken suit. Do you recognize him? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Night_Stalker02.jpg

[identity profile] rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
**nod** I've changed my claim there in [livejournal.com profile] platonicism, too--I realized I did like writing the subtle Seto/Téa undertones a lot, so... yeah.

Yeah, Kim mentioned about that ep. Is it on Hulu? I'll have to look into that if it is...

Ah, yes, he was in the chicken suit ep. He was the not-so-dead dead cowboy--"they killed him *twice*," as Max pointed out later. What's also awesome is that Howard Caine, who played Hochstetter in HH, was also in that ep. XD

[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 05:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah yeah. Those undertones are lovely.

The whole series is on Hulu, so yes. Just remember that if you search The Outer Limits, the one that will show up front is the new one. You'll need to click the tab that says "The Original Series."

LOL. I'll need to watch that episode.

[identity profile] rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww, glad you like them!

Awesome; thanks for letting me know. I'll look into that as soon as finals are over.

It is an amusing one, though you did say you weren't too fond of the "make him think he's hallucinating and going crazy to discredit him" plots...

[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 05:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not, but I like Simon Oakland. His Tony Vincenzo character is so gruff and often grouchy, but he's just a big softie. He's adorable.

[identity profile] rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah. Well, you probably will enjoy his performance as a pseudo-Dying Informant, then. XD

[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-24 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Most likely! I'm trying to catch both his and Darren McGavin's guest spots in things. I watched Simon's Outer Limits episode on Saturday, and we have at least two movies around here that he's in.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-25 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm waiting for the Route 66 disc on the Netflix queue. I'll have to see about the others, too!

What is his character like in the other Virginian episode? I was under the impression, for some reason, that he played a villain.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
I'm sure I will!

Darren could probably play any part he set out to do. I'm definitely curious to see it! What about his roles in Mission: Impossible and Rawhide? I need to determine which to see next.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
Ooooh. Awesome! I must see that. Is he a bad guy with some redeeming qualities?

I love Martin Landau. I enjoyed his roles on The Outer Limits and I remember him fondly from The X-Files movie.

Okay! I might get to it first, but we'll see!
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
Intriguing! I'll see what I can find out about his role on Rawhide. If Mission: Impossible is only available through Netflix, I'll probably order the disc and then watch Rawhide and The Virginian in the meantime.

He's awesome. I look forward to seeing him on Mission: Impossible!
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
The Mission: Impossible one too? I wasn't sure if that show would be on YouTube.

I shall certainly give them!
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 04:59 am (UTC)(link)
Sweet! Thank you! I'll get on these hopefully sometime tonight or next morning.

[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)
I watched the Rawhide one! Eeee, I loved it! And Darren played a good guy in it. It will be interesting to see him play villains, but I love most of all to see him play good guys!
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Clint Eastwood is definitely a good-looking man. I like him in his guest-spot on Mr. Ed, too. Although Mr. Ed himself is at his most frustrating/annoying in that episode.

Ugh, it's frustrating when things are released much too slow!

Me too! He was a good guy with a guilt-ridden past. It was really interesting to see him play that kind of character.

I also just saw Simon Oakland as an enemy agent on Get Smart. That show is so nuts, LOL. And Simon's character ended up dying, and even though he was a nasty villain ... I want to write something where he didn't die after all. I'm hopeless.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Clint definitely has some great moments in it!

LOL. Which episodes are those?
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
A whole plane in a haystack? That's either a small plane or a huge haystack. LOL.

**snerk.** It sounds about as crazy as The Monkees. Although I think the zipper in the door pushes it even beyond them!

Awesome!

Yeah, I was watching Simon's episode through that location. Those are edited, though, so I'm not sure how many I'd want to watch that way.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Neat!

LOL. Wow.

Yeah. I think about three minutes may be missing.... Stupid commercials!
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-27 02:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I started out trying to watch an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour today, but I quickly realized Darren's character in that had apparently murdered his wife. I'm not in the mood for that, so I watched the Mission: Impossible episode instead. Ha, that was awesome! I'll never get tired of that theme music. And the cat and fishies were so cute! I wouldn't really call Darren's character in that episode a villain, either; just a somewhat selfish businessman. I loved it.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-28 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
It is indeed! I was admittedly a bit worried wondering if Darren's character actually would end up dying during the theft, but I decided after a while that he probably wouldn't since it didn't seem like that kind of show.

And I didn't realize Martin Landau has such striking blue eyes! Gorgeous!
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-28 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
Ahhh. Oh wow, that episode where Rollin kills someone sounds very intense.

Awesome! The X-Files movie was the first thing I saw him in, I think.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-28 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
I shall definitely have to watch that! I remember reading about Dan only being in the first season.
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[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
I was going to ask "Now, how in the world did you recognize Simon Oakland with that beard?" when he took it off. Ha! And he looked virtually the same ten years before playing Tony.

I think Get Smart is crackier than The Monkees. Max had a zipper in his door.

And Iris Adrian for a neighbor! LOL, I love her in Disney films. It was a surprise treat to see her!

Question: Are the episodes edited? Judging from the running time, it looked like as much as three minutes could have been cut.

[identity profile] rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 03:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww, that is an adorable icon. X3 Tony's actually smiling! And yes, he does look exactly the same. XD

Ha, I guess between the gadgets and phones hidden in all sorts of objects (and articles of clothing), there is a significant amount of crackiness. XD Behold: http://www.wouldyoubelieve.com/gadgets.html

The levitating shoes are under "miscellaneous" (and for the record, the "Crystal" credited for the Dry-up formula is not me--and I'm curious as to who it is... XD).

Oh, yes, I recognized Iris Adrian in That Darn Cat. XD

Hmm, where are you seeing them? The yt versions are, annoyingly, the edited ones. It's times like this I wish we lived closer--I'd gladly lend you the DVD version, which is pristine and uncut.

The old shows, particularly the half-hour shows, are the ones worst mutilated by syndication edits. I first saw the syndication version of that crossdressing Hogan's Heroes ep, and it was so badly cut up, with a good chunk of priceless scenes removed. And the syndication version of LeBeau's goodbye ep cut out the scene where Newkirk tries to convince him to stay (among others)--which, to me, is intolerable!

[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, it is! One of the few times you'll ever see that.

LOL. Yeah, I think I remember that list. Max's initial reaction of taking the dying cowboy in stride made me think it was pretty cracky/irreverent too.

"I Shot 86 Today." Have you told me what that episode is about? I can't remember.

Yes, I am seeing edited versions then. I suspected as much, since they're recorded off of TV. I think I can get the discs from Netflix, though.

The Monkees episodes are notoriously edited too, also many times with scenes that never should have been touched. It's terrible!

[identity profile] rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww...

Yeah. One of the aspects about this series that bugs me (and Mom agrees with me) is that death is often treated very lightly (unless one of the main characters is in a near-death scenario--then h/c is invoked). Hogan's Heroes, in spite of being a war story parody of sorts, doesn't take it so lightly--Hogan always tries not to resort to killing (even if Newkirk and especially LeBeau are a bit more hot-blooded and willing to cross that line before he does) and most deaths are treated as somberly as they can.

"I Shot 86 Today." Have you told me what that episode is about? I can't remember.

That's a misleading title indeed. It's about golf, of all things. XD The faked death/funeral ep is a different one ("The Only Way to Die"), if that was what you were wondering.

*nods* That ep is season 1, disc 1. ^^ The other eps in that disc are good (albeit some are a little.... un-PC, shall we say...?) except for "KAOS in CONROL"--I highly doubt that the mental-regression-to-an-adult-child plot will sit well with you, even if it is temporary.

Bleh at the Monkees edits, too.

[identity profile] insaneladybug.livejournal.com 2011-04-26 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah yeah, I remember us talking about that. It's the same on Carmen Sandiego, I guess.

I didn't think it was the faked death one, but I wondered if it was another interesting one like that.

No, I don't think I'd care for that a bit.