WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:21.879 We're being way media think mister Walters is that guy with it. He's an 2 00:00:21.879 --> 00:00:32.640 actor Phone Rise by them can drive, I only can't drivers. Hello and 3 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:38.960 welcome back to night mister Walters. A taxi podcast with us as always is 4 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:42.479 father Malone, Father Malone, How are you? I'm great for a good 5 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:48.840 time called Melody on the Wall by the phone and it plays in go ahead, 6 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:51.520 it's great. No, no, well we'll get into that. I 7 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:57.119 of course I'm your co host hp uh. Looking forward to digging into some 8 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:02.159 taxi tonight. Tonight's episode that we are going and I want to remind everybody 9 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:04.719 that we are doing this in broadcast order and not in order of filming. 10 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:11.159 We are going over episode four, which is Bobby's acting career. It was 11 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:15.760 written by Ed Weinberger and Stan Daniels, and it was directed by James Burrows. 12 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:19.239 Let's get into a little bit of what you know. This is as 13 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:23.079 good a jumping off point as any. You were talking about the telephone in 14 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:26.000 the garage. What's going on with the telephone in this episode. It's very 15 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:30.799 it's kind of key to the a story in this episode, at least initially. 16 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:37.799 Once again, a plot revolves around the pay telephone. Yes, bygone 17 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:42.959 era of a bygone era. This is a relic of the past. Bobby's 18 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:48.519 waiting for the call. It's an aspirational episode, is what it is. 19 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:53.000 It's Bobby wanting to get out of the Cabby life and the only way that's 20 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:59.920 going to happen is if everyone stays off the goddamn pay phone call from superstardom 21 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:04.239 arrives and he gets to be in an off broadwaye play. This is another 22 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:08.159 of these episodes where he's reaching for the brass ring. In this case, 23 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:15.240 Bobby apparently has had a self imposed deadline on making it as an actor in 24 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:20.360 New York. He gave himself three years, and that three years is up. 25 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:23.560 The time is almost uff. I think he has like a day. 26 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:27.960 I think he's got like a day or two to meet his goal, or 27 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:31.039 that's it. He's got to quit acting forever, which, let's be honest, 28 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:37.520 would not be any great loss to acting. But that's cold. He's 29 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:42.039 a fine performer, Bobby Liar. He's hammy, There's no question. He's 30 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:46.319 hammy. And we'll get to that. Absolutely perfect for any soap opera or 31 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:51.639 orthopedic shoe ad that might be available or in this case the commercial that he 32 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:53.719 tries out for, which we'll talk about the A plot, like I said, 33 00:02:53.919 --> 00:03:00.159 like we've been saying, is he's he's desperately waiting by this relic of 34 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:02.599 a bygone era, the pay phone, for his agent to call him and 35 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:07.919 give him a job. He's desperate. He because he believes his dream is 36 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:09.080 going to be over. And that's you know, it is what it is 37 00:03:09.479 --> 00:03:13.919 of all people. Alex the pragmatist says to him, if you want a 38 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:15.879 job, you stand in line. This is a bit that he throws at 39 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:20.319 Bobby to give him this, you know, the gumption to go out instead 40 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:23.479 of sitting here like like an idiot waiting for a college, Get out there 41 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:28.800 and get a job, Bobby. That's what Alex does. So Bobby goes 42 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:32.159 out and starts, you know, beating the pavement trying to find a job. 43 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:37.520 He gets an this is another relative a bygone era. He gets a 44 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:47.159 commercial audition and it's Hutton. And when if Hutton talks pause, everyone listens. 45 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:52.400 This is I think ef Hutton is still around as a as a business. 46 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:55.759 But I didn't advertise at all anymore. You know. The thing is, 47 00:03:57.520 --> 00:03:59.800 maybe we'll get to it well, we'll get to it. I suppose 48 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:02.960 this commercial, but it's supposed to be like humiliating, Like it's not humiliating 49 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:08.159 enough that he's having to audition for commercial, but he's just one face and 50 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:15.279 a crowd of people. But I would say that's actually a benefit, because 51 00:04:15.839 --> 00:04:19.439 you don't want to be seen in a commercial as your first commercial or sort 52 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:25.240 of your first acting outing. Oddly enough that this was my favorite. This 53 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:28.120 is I'm damning it with faint praise, but this was my favorite part of 54 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.439 the show is when he goes in for this audition, because it's just like 55 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:35.079 sort of build up and you see all of the actors waiting for the for 56 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:41.920 the audition like kind of like turning their heads in this very sort of unique 57 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:45.279 fashion, and you don't know why they're what they're auditioning for. And then 58 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:48.120 it turns out it was sort of a funny reveal and the fact that Iff 59 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:53.079 Hutton doesn't they're not an advertising presence anymore. I thought it was kind of 60 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:56.319 funny. While this is all happening, we'll talk about the B plot, 61 00:04:56.360 --> 00:05:01.000 which is equally as inconsequential, but it involves Alec and he's clearly he's a 62 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:03.519 he's a good guy. He's a dog lover. As we'll see, he 63 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:10.480 rescues a great Dane in his cab from an abusive owner who won him in 64 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:14.920 a poker game. This guy gets in the cab and he asked he's trying 65 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:18.000 to show off his dog Hamlet because he's a great Dane. There's a joke 66 00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:21.720 about that in the show. No wait, a joke before it where he 67 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:24.360 says, do you know why I named him? That? He says, 68 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:28.680 because he lives in a small German town. That was a really good it 69 00:05:28.839 --> 00:05:33.000 was, But I any plot that involves a reager, no matter how inconsequential, 70 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:38.199 is at least worth the price of admission. So yeah, any chance 71 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:42.720 Judhurst gets just spout off a few lines from Shakespeare, which he does immediately. 72 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:46.399 Yet, yeah, everyone, remember I'm a trained actor. Never let 73 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:48.439 it be said that I'm not the number one draw for this show. In 74 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:53.000 this episode about an actor who can't make it just reminders that the man in 75 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:58.839 the cab that the episode is quite an actor. Proceed The guy who owns 76 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:00.360 the dog tries to get the dog to do a trick and the dog doesn't 77 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:06.079 respond, and off screen you see him whipping the dog with his leash and 78 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:11.040 he's he's being very cruel to the dog. So Rieger, being the good 79 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:14.160 guy that he is, he kicks the guy out of the cab and holds 80 00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:18.439 onto the dog and throughout the rest of the episode that this this abuser, 81 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.399 this this you know, this animal abuser tries to get the dog back. 82 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:26.360 First, he goes back there and demands that they give him back the dog, 83 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:30.839 and somewhere or somehow they they get locked up to talk to the guy 84 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:35.560 in his uh, you know, his foreign language, and they walk off 85 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:42.000 and it's haha, he's being confused by the language or whatever, which is 86 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:45.560 fine. And then just to wrap it all up, if we're going to 87 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:49.319 wrap up each plot separately, then the guy comes back again. This time 88 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:57.040 he's brought a cop played by I believe his name is Tarian Black from Black 89 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:00.439 from Hill Street Blues who later went on to be in Hill Street Lose as 90 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:04.480 another cop. So that was kind of cool. So he comes back asks 91 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:10.480 that they return the dog. They argue, Bobby has this brilliant like Solomon 92 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:14.759 like idea, too, Well, why don't you stand on opposite sides, 93 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:17.600 put the dog in the middle. You both call the dog and whoever the 94 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:24.480 dog goes to is the rightful owner. Somehow, the cop, ignoring all 95 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:27.639 all you know, possession is nine tenths of the log and what have you, 96 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:30.240 says, well, that's a good idea. So they separate. They 97 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:34.079 both call the dog. The dog goes to the bad owner, and you 98 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:36.360 initially think, oh, why why did you go with that owner? And 99 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:42.920 then all of a sudden you hear a very bad dubbed in and the dog 100 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:46.279 is now biting the owner, and the owner again a bad dub is saying, 101 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:49.560 take the dog back. I don't know what the dog and it's ha 102 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:54.120 ha, very funny. The dog gives the guys come up and are we 103 00:07:54.199 --> 00:07:57.040 talking about that moment right now? Because I'll talk about that moment because it's 104 00:07:57.079 --> 00:08:01.439 absolutely awful. Where it's basically the dog. It's like a guy sort of 105 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:05.279 twisting a little with a dog, and they've dubbed in this sound and it's 106 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:11.519 and after what we've seen this guy due to the dog and the way he's 107 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:15.360 been pursuing the dog for no other reason than to continue to brutalize it. 108 00:08:15.720 --> 00:08:18.240 I wanted them to cut to this man's head flying through the air in a 109 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:24.120 big jet of blood. The overdubbing was bad. They like they clearly they 110 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:28.040 had to get They probably put like some a treat in the guy's pockets so 111 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:31.199 the dog would sit there and nuzzle him as if he was biting him. 112 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:35.240 But whatever, it wasn't it wasn't that effective. I think we're supposed to 113 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:37.080 get the idea that the dog was biting him in the ass ha ha. 114 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:45.639 It played a little too slapsticky. And the scene before the cop frisks each 115 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:48.360 of them, it's a meat frisk. He's got to make sure has any 116 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:52.120 meat on them. In the sway of the Don's opinion, why didn't they 117 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:56.480 take their own advice to put meat on this guy and have him run out 118 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:58.879 in this great day and chase him out immediate comic gold, I would, 119 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:03.639 I would think so to be fair, I found the whole thing rather embarrassing. 120 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:07.759 This part of that B plot, it just was it was unbelievable, 121 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:13.879 unrealistic, and it was just embarrassing to watch. So that's the B plot 122 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:18.320 from beginning to end. Talking about Bobby's bit again, he's given himself, 123 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:22.559 he's given himself a self imposed deadline to try and get a job. The 124 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:28.879 time comes he has a party in his apartment. This is the first time 125 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:30.639 you get to see his apartment, by the way, you see it a 126 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:33.440 few more times in the show. And another one of the good parts about 127 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:39.720 this episode that I will say is I love the set decoration for his apartment. 128 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:43.720 I think we've talked about the sets and how wonderful they are, but 129 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:46.480 I think they did an especially good job with his because it looks very lived 130 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:52.000 in. I have an entire page of notes on Bobby's thing because I have 131 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:54.159 not seen this episode since I was a child, and as soon as I 132 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:58.679 saw again, I thought I had an immediate memory of thinking, as a 133 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:05.759 child, I want to live there when I grow up. Obviously Fawnsi's apartment 134 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:07.080 would have been good, but then you got to live above the Cunningham's fuck 135 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:11.240 that I want to live in Bobby Wheeler's apartment, And so I wrote down 136 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:15.360 pretty much to everything I could see on the walls. You know, there's 137 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:18.120 a lot of texture to it. There's there's a few clearly either these are 138 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:22.320 shows that he has acted in or as a fan of the playbills. I 139 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:26.799 think there's a pair of ice skates on the wall, kind of hanging there. 140 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:31.519 There's a Mets banner, a poster that says feed lot, feed Lot. 141 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:35.039 There's another poster I couldn't make much of, but something's going on at 142 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:41.480 eleven pm. There's this paper mache mask. If you notice on his shelves 143 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:45.360 a lot of Chef Boy Our Day, the oversized can of lasagna, but 144 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:50.720 the spaghetti and meatballs as well some spinach. This is perfect. This is 145 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:56.720 exactly what you would expect to see in the Starving Actors apartment. Right, 146 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:01.799 It's all this like crap, instant food, canned food or whatever. It 147 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:05.440 feels lived in. It feels authentic. There's a lot to see. There's 148 00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:07.039 a lot of little bibbs and bobs to look at it. And this isn't 149 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:09.960 the last time we'll see the apartment. But I love it's like this sort 150 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:13.559 of down. It's like it's a walkdown. So through his windows you can 151 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:18.679 see just the lower halves of people going back, and it's not as extreme 152 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:22.840 where it's like Laverne and surely like you're just seeing feet walking through the that's 153 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:26.480 actually spooky and a little weird. This is kind of cool. It's you 154 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:31.480 know, what it reminds me of actually was the apartment that Michael Caine has 155 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:37.519 in dressed to kill as the psychiatrist. That little you walk down and you 156 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:39.360 know, I didn't note this down as much as you did, but I 157 00:11:39.399 --> 00:11:43.240 really should have because that it goes without saying that. That's one of my 158 00:11:43.240 --> 00:11:50.360 favorite parts of this particular episode, which isn't saying much but credit where credit 159 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:54.480 is due. The set decorators are on point as always, so his apartment 160 00:11:54.480 --> 00:12:00.000 looks great. He has everybody over because he still believes as midnight as approach, 161 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.639 it's like something out of like New Year's Eve or something, something is 162 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:05.159 going to happen. He's gonna get a call from an agent, his agent, 163 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:09.120 and he's going to get a job no matter what. And if the 164 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:16.559 time comes passes and he gets no call, Rieger, who's the eternal pragmatist, 165 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:20.600 realist, if you will, he says, basically says to Bobby, 166 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:22.720 well, you know, Bobby, you gave it a shot, but maybe 167 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:26.519 you're just not that good. I think I'm not sure if those are exact 168 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:31.559 his exact words. That's in essence, he's just saying, look, you 169 00:12:31.559 --> 00:12:33.879 know, maybe it's just not your thing, man, Maybe it's just not 170 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:35.480 going to happen. You gave it three years. You gave it your best 171 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:39.120 shot. It's time to move on and maybe pick yourself up and do something 172 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:46.000 else. And Bobby goes ape. Shit. It becomes a monologue where he 173 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:50.639 kind of throws it back into Riager's face. I think he says, like, 174 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:54.320 you're not my friend anymore. I don't want to see you anymore, 175 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:58.039 man, I don't even want to know you anymore, and is kicking him 176 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:03.600 out, and Hirsch plays this perfectly. He just he has this look like, 177 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:07.600 oh, I guess I've done it. I have no choice but to 178 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.080 leave. And as he's leaving, Bobby kind of puts his arm around him 179 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:16.519 and says, you still think I'm a bad actor, And baha, it 180 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:18.639 was just improving that. Yes, I do have what it takes, which 181 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:22.159 is just stupid. Let's just be honest. It's it's a good scene and 182 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:26.399 it works. I don't think so. I think I think reader is part 183 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:31.279 of it works. I don't. I think Bobby is Hamhock big time. 184 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:37.559 I half agree with you. I think what's wrong is it's so overwritten. 185 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:43.000 It's obvious it's a monologue. You know as soon as he opens his mouth 186 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:46.000 that this is an act that he's pulling on Reager and if you cut, 187 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:50.600 if you whatever they filmed there, if you cut that down to like three 188 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:54.679 sentences, then his performance would be as good as Judd Hersh's. They gave 189 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:58.639 him too much rope to hang himself, and that's exactly what Jeff Conaway will 190 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:01.759 do. I could not agree more. And that's a that's a very good 191 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:05.960 point about and that's something I maybe should have kept in mind, which is 192 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:11.600 it is very the dialogue is very overcooked and overwritten. Had he done that 193 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:16.200 in three sentences, like oh my god, I thought everyone but you would 194 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:18.559 be behind me and this hurts the most and do the sad thing and then 195 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:22.360 launch into the anger and throw open the door, it'd be like whoa. 196 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:26.799 But it's this, Like oh, it's like this, and it's not you 197 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:30.360 know, it's the time and it's the medium and whatever. But it is 198 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:35.279 so telegraphed that it we're just kind of wasting time watching. Unless it is 199 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:37.360 more would have been the perfect Ye're absolutely right, following the unless it is 200 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:41.879 more would have been appropriate. But subtlety is never going was never going to 201 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:46.519 be Bobby Wheeler's wheelhouse, so to speak, nor is it ever possibly going 202 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:50.360 to be Jeff Conaway's wheelhouse. I found it, like I said, very 203 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:56.120 handy, very overdone, and to your point, very over overwritten. So 204 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:01.480 they kind of share a look and it's like whatever, and Paul never comes. 205 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:05.720 So then what does he do after the time passes and everybody's looking at 206 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:13.279 him with concern and worried about what he's gonna do. He he just shrugs 207 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:16.399 and says, hey, I'll give it another three years. Hey, what 208 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:20.600 he's what he's essentially done is take And this is again a cardinal sin of 209 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.919 storytelling. Is he's taken what is transpired in the past, the previous twenty 210 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:31.039 two minutes, and made it irrelevant, just crumpled it up into a big 211 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:35.320 ball and threw it at you as an audience member, and said, you 212 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:39.320 know what, you shouldn't care. Because Bobby didn't care. Bobby just kind 213 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:41.360 of shrugged and said, so what, I'll give myself another three years? 214 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:45.399 Well, why should I care? Could everyone come over to my place tonight 215 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:48.840 so I can just have a big dramatic meltdown and you can all witness it 216 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:50.879 and it'll be meaningless in the end. Yeah, we'll be there, Bobby. 217 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:56.039 They're gonna be I'd like to make a segue if I might a and 218 00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:00.799 I'm gonna use the thing clumsy voice so over technique they used in this episode 219 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:06.240 to get us to the third act, where instead of just filming a scene 220 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:10.919 where characters sort of ladle out what what the next bit of information we need, 221 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:15.799 they just have Bobby read this endless bit of exposition over b roll. 222 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:21.679 Yeah, but downtown New York. I've never which I'm never sad to see 223 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:25.480 the b roll. The b roll in this episode is particularly good in that 224 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:29.720 opening scene with Rieger in the in the dog. Now we get some outside 225 00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:32.480 shots in that cab, like pushing in us it's driving down the street. 226 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:36.679 Fantastic, I want to make I just want to mention a couple of little 227 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:40.720 things that occurred to me while watching the episode. Do you know how much 228 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:45.720 it is per mile there for for a cab ran? How much per mile? 229 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:49.759 Uh? Interesting, I don't know. Fifteen cents a mile, that's 230 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:56.000 my guess. Seventy five cents for the first seventh of a mile, and 231 00:16:56.159 --> 00:17:02.879 then ten cents for each seventh of a mile. Is that printed on the 232 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:06.559 machine on the wall. It's on the wall. Oh, in the cab. 233 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:11.400 I've never that's so interesting. I've never actually i've tents a mile is 234 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:17.119 effectively with seventy five cents for the first one seventh of a mile. It's 235 00:17:17.160 --> 00:17:21.920 interesting. I've seen that a million times, but I don't think I've ever 236 00:17:21.960 --> 00:17:26.119 actually like thought it through. Now in the B plot in this episode HB 237 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:33.000 the Dog Party, Hamlet, Hamlet, when we get back to the garage 238 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:37.160 for the first time and we're easing our way into the A plot via the 239 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:41.519 B plot, uh, for for no good reason, we get to see 240 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:45.960 Tony dance and lift his shirt to show his six pack, his pre Brad 241 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:48.519 Pitt Hollywood six pack, right, yeah, yeah, it's a big joke 242 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:52.480 because Bobby has to punch something and punch me, and then he punches a 243 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:57.359 man. He crumples over like a like a sack of wet towels, like 244 00:17:57.400 --> 00:18:02.559 a sack of potatoes. But the observation I want to say, we get 245 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:07.000 to see how effectively fierce he is, even if he was unprepared to take 246 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:11.319 that punch from Bobby Wheler. We know Tony Denza or Tony Banta is a 247 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:17.640 formidable character, right when this guy who we know to have beaten the dog 248 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:19.960 comes back looking for his dog for the first time, we have this big 249 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:23.680 wall of solidarity where like we don't see this dog. This I am Spartaca's 250 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:30.279 scene instead of should have actually happened on this nineteen seventy set television series where 251 00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:34.000 sometimes morality is a bit questionable. On the show, Tony Banta walk up 252 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:37.400 and punch that guy square in the face and say it's our dog. Now. 253 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:42.240 If you come back, I'll kill you. That's kind of should have 254 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:48.200 happened during that moment. Anyone in that fucking garage should have walked up with 255 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:49.839 a ranch and said, did you hit this dog? You know what I 256 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:53.599 do to people who hit dogs, and then like grab his wallet and go, 257 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:57.240 I know where you live now, man. Part of it might be, 258 00:18:57.279 --> 00:19:03.000 and I hate to say this, but maybe people weren't as plugged into 259 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:07.200 animal rights as they are now. They weren't because it's a goofy b plot. 260 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:11.160 And even when the police show up and Rieger's like, this is my 261 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:15.680 dog. This is a crazy man that police. That police officer should have 262 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:19.480 said, well it is with them. I mean, isn't possession nine tenths 263 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:22.720 of the law or so the myth goes like, so you can't just walk 264 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:27.079 into somebody's places business ago that thing's mine. I'm here with a police officer 265 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:30.880 and I'm going to take that you. Now, everyone here in this garage 266 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:33.960 knows this is Reager's dog. Where's the where's your papers on the dog? 267 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:37.319 Sir? And then the guy leaves. That would be the episode which we 268 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:41.880 can't help but thinking about it, because the episode of this lighthearted romp of 269 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:47.599 frivolity, because ultimately there are no consequences in the episode at all, begins 270 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:51.000 with a man whipping a dog in the backseat of a cat. It's awful 271 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:56.119 because it ratchets up in intensity because he starts to do it, and riger 272 00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:00.119 says, you know, he's he's because the dog won't perform, and Rieger's 273 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:03.599 just like, you know, it's okay, I don't want to see. 274 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:06.799 And then he keeps hitting the dog and Rieger's like, hey, hey, 275 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:08.559 hey, stop hitting the dog, and the guy doesn't stop, and he 276 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:12.880 just keeps hitting and hitting and hitting hiuntil finally he's like, get out of 277 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:17.880 my cat, get on my like it. It just feels like it went 278 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:21.400 from being kind of a joke to like, wow, this guy is not 279 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:23.519 nice. Like this is bad for the dog. Here's where the ba plants 280 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:26.680 should have begun an end in the opening scene, gets out and punches the 281 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:30.279 guy full in the face and then drives away with the dog. I think 282 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:33.640 Rieger could have physically beaten the guy up, but I don't think I think 283 00:20:33.720 --> 00:20:41.480 Rieger's moral compass would prevent him from wanting to be physical with somebody like that. 284 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:44.240 He just wouldn't do it. He just doesn't believe in the violence. 285 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:48.160 I think again, this, this tale of animal abuse is played mostly for 286 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:52.279 laughs. Yeah. Wait, but okay, so Bobby when he starts his 287 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:56.359 speech, right, I'm kind of defending Jeff Conaway because, as I said, 288 00:20:56.559 --> 00:21:00.400 you can fix anything in editing. Buttt, this is a right television 289 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:02.799 to writers medium. They wrote the words, they're on the set, they're 290 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:04.720 effectively producing it, so he's going to say everything they said. Right. 291 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:11.599 But unfortunately, watching this some forty years after it's original airing, my mind 292 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:17.319 went to that Tenacious D sketch they did. They did one of their hurts, 293 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:21.519 the Death of a Dream, where they're they're listening like the different stages 294 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:23.720 of the Death of your Dream because they can no longer be musicians and I 295 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:27.960 like, that's what I'm thinking of. Well, Bob is just you know, 296 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:33.759 about anger and denial and then of course door to door rocking. Let's 297 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:38.559 break it down here, So let's talk about the good and the bad here, 298 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:42.440 not that we haven't already kind of gotten into it. I would say 299 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:48.160 for me, there's only really two, maybe three good things about this episode. 300 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:52.400 I thought the EF Hutton commercial bit it was kind of funny. Hamlet 301 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:56.920 the dog is adorable. He's a giant, lovable great Dane, clearly well 302 00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:03.720 trained, and jud Harsh is just great to watch perform as reader as always. 303 00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:06.079 Other than that, I get nothing else. Oh, in set, 304 00:22:06.119 --> 00:22:10.240 decoration for Wheeler's apartment is spot on, But that's all I got. What 305 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:11.559 do you what do you have bought them? Alone? To that, I 306 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:15.599 would add previously mentioned the meat frisk that was I think that was a good 307 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:21.920 thing in the episode. I think at Dan's as ams as also previously mentioned 308 00:22:21.960 --> 00:22:26.279 our thing of beauty. He's like a rock Jesus Christ. He's very fit. 309 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:30.079 You know what time day shift starts at the cab company or is this 310 00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:33.319 another sign on the wall that I mess? I didn't know what when does 311 00:22:33.319 --> 00:22:37.200 the day shifts start? Like five in the morning or something. Hey, 312 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:40.960 am, sir eight am. Oh, I guess that makes sense. You 313 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:45.079 know a night shift began midnight. No, it's absolute insanity. What I'm 314 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:49.279 about to say? Okay, three pm? Three pm? Where's the where's 315 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:55.000 graveyard? Graveyard doesn't get a graveyard doesn't get a sign because we've seen who 316 00:22:55.000 --> 00:23:03.920 works graveyard, Travis. Is there a possible world where Travis Bickle existed and 317 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:07.240 at some point work for Sunshine Cap Company. I mean he would predate Reverend 318 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:12.000 Jim obviously, but rigould probably be there right trying get Travis advice like Wizard 319 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:15.319 did, and Travis just like I don't, I don't want to talk to 320 00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:18.440 you. Where it gets interesting is Louie would have been a cabby at that. 321 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:21.599 Oh my god, it would have been. It would have been kind 322 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:26.279 of buddies right. Well, that's thank you. That's the other thing I 323 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:30.279 did want to mention that was good in this episode, which is, uh, 324 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:34.400 they ain't call Louie down from the cage to help in their solidarity wall 325 00:23:34.839 --> 00:23:41.119 that they're not giving this dog back, and Louie answers a question. Effect. 326 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:42.960 It's the It's the equivalent of saying, well does a bear shit in 327 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:48.720 the woods, and he says, do old ladies get mugged? Like like 328 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:52.640 they The answer is obvious, do old ladies get mugged? Of course they 329 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:57.839 do. How can we not mention that as probably the best thing in this 330 00:23:57.880 --> 00:24:04.839 particular episode? I agree, but that see that brings up that brings me 331 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:08.960 to my bad list? Actually hows this for a segue? One of my 332 00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:15.039 bad things is that Louis hardly features into this episode at all. The story 333 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:21.440 amounts to absolutely nothing. Any tension that's built up with Bobby's big decision is 334 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:25.799 wasted when he just kind of ignores the stakes and shrugs at the end and 335 00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:29.599 says, well, whatever, I'll give myself three more years. When you 336 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:34.039 do that, like you're you're basically saying to the audience, we don't care 337 00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:38.359 about the stakes, We don't care about what's happening with these characters. So 338 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:45.519 why should you why should you invest your time and attention for the previous thirty 339 00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:51.519 minutes if it all comes to not if it's this decision that Bobby has to 340 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:56.759 make, And he just shrugs and smiles rakishly and says, oh whatever, 341 00:24:56.319 --> 00:25:00.960 Oh that's not cool. Yeah, we did not mention Randall Carver in this 342 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.519 episode because he's a sinkhole of charisma. There's not much going on with this 343 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:08.839 really not much to recommend this particular episode. This is the point of the 344 00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:14.440 program when we talk about how many yellow lights this episode gets. What does 345 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:18.240 a yellow light me? Thank you, Reverend Jim. I'm gonna go ahead 346 00:25:18.279 --> 00:25:21.920 and just tick this off. There should be a surprise to nobody based on 347 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:26.279 the tone of this review. This was one yellow light for me. It 348 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:30.400 was minor and inconsequential. How about yourself, Father Malone, what do you 349 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:34.720 give this episode? I'll give it a two. That's generous. I think 350 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:40.720 the line to old ladies get mugged, it's worth two yellow lights. I 351 00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:45.240 think the delivery is I think that the I think there's a there's enough to 352 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:49.200 recommend this episode. Two. I don't know negated. I went back and 353 00:25:49.240 --> 00:25:52.960 forth. Is this a two yellow light? Is this a one? But 354 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:56.519 the but so? I originally, frankly, I had two yellow lights written 355 00:25:56.599 --> 00:25:59.759 here in my notes. But the more we talked about it, and the 356 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:03.000 more or we just got into, like what what I hated about this episode? 357 00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:08.519 I couldn't pretend that this to me was worth an extra yellow light. 358 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:15.119 Okay, let me let me tryan sway you. The set decoration, as 359 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:21.759 previously mentioned, it was thorough and fantastic. The performances across the board were 360 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:25.200 consistent. It is overwritten. I think that's the problem with it, and 361 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:30.839 it is two rooted in sixties sitcom tradition as far as what the plots were. 362 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:37.799 But surely, my friend, the set decoration alone should merit its own 363 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:42.160 yellow light. It's close, But I'm going to remind you that this episode 364 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:47.799 was written by Ed Weinberger and Stan Daniels. If this was written by some 365 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:52.759 writer that maybe was didn't do many episodes, or maybe this was a spec 366 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:56.640 script that they made into an episode. Fine, but these these are industry 367 00:26:56.720 --> 00:27:02.319 veterans who have won Emmy's and all sorts of accolades. This is this is 368 00:27:02.359 --> 00:27:06.559 not worthy of their their abilities. I'm gonna stick with one yellow light. 369 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:11.000 They can't all be gems. Some episodes are better than others. This was 370 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:15.519 not one of them. Thank you very much everybody for joining us on this 371 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:19.400 episode of Night Mister Walters a Taxi podcast, Father Belone, Where can people 372 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:27.160 find your other proclivity activity things? Father Malone dot com? For all of 373 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:33.640 my nonsense. All for all of my audio nonsense, go to Weirdingwaymedia dot 374 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:38.039 com. That's all of my shows and an entire galaxy of podcast stars. 375 00:27:38.359 --> 00:27:44.160 As for myself, HP weirding Way Media. You can hear this podcast as 376 00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:48.880 well as the Bandacheck podcast, Wolf Wolf and Raisin Get a Little Noise Junkies 377 00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:55.200 happening Somewhere. That's that's also in weirding Way Media. And you might hear 378 00:27:55.240 --> 00:28:00.839 my music and my not so excellent acting abilities on some episodes of Dark Destinations, 379 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:04.759 So listen for that. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll 380 00:28:04.759 --> 00:28:14.440 see you guys next time. Thank you very much. Thank mister Brothers.