The pilot? You have got to be kidding me? This was the selling spot for this show?
1979 and this was the introduction to the disco audience?
Someone is trying to kill Steve Lawrence? Really? Who was Steve Lawrence in 1979? Mr. Las Vegas? What appeal or likability did Steve Lawrence have to the rest of America? Why didn't they cast Anson Williams for this part? But that's just the start. Steve Lawrence and Don Meredith. There's a duo. Not two guys known for scene-stealing acting, and they are paired up here. And then we got Don Stroud, who we are never really sure what he is about until the silly thing is almost over. He just broods and grimaces for the entire thing, yelling at Char Fontanne. And who could love her? And once again, it is a train, so what do we have? Stroud and Fontanne in the luxury suite from the looks of things; big sprawling room with entry hallway. Nothing compact here. One whole hour into this thing before we see Vicki Lawrence, Stella Stevens, Ron Masak and George Hamilton. We see Masak so he can die, for crying out loud! Fred Williamson shows up, then he's gone, and same for John Karlen. You'd think it was a murder mystery the way these people are there, then they are gone. But now we come to two characters (okay, I won't directly spoil who) riding on top of the train. You'd expect hair to be flattened out, but no, it holds its body. But the solution to 'rescue' the guys on the train, or what is even the order given to the conductor? Speed up! To do what? Kill them? Save their lives? How does that save them? And amazingly, one of the people here actually manages to hang on. When the other one sails through a window, which at least was called out for supposed to have been shatter-proof, someone says, oh, he's been shot. Who shot him? The other person didn't have a gun. The train goes through a tunnel and is plunged into darkness. You want to be standing around drinking at the bar and suddenly can't see? And finally, it is 1979, this is the pilot, and what are the choices of music Robert Alda plays at the piano? California, Here I Come and Me & My Gal. Wow, who sang those songs in '79? Compare this to the first episode of Love Boat, since that is what we are doing, and who was present there? An unknown Suzanne Somers, Meredith Baxter and Jimmie Walker, who at that time was such a scene-stealer, they left him off the ship. And it worked. And here we get Steve Lawrence and singing Me & My Girl? You want gunfire in your pilot episode? On a train? It's no wonder this show bombed so badly. I can't imagine someone watching this and going, hey, can't wait for next week!
Someone is trying to kill Steve Lawrence? Really? Who was Steve Lawrence in 1979? Mr. Las Vegas? What appeal or likability did Steve Lawrence have to the rest of America? Why didn't they cast Anson Williams for this part? But that's just the start. Steve Lawrence and Don Meredith. There's a duo. Not two guys known for scene-stealing acting, and they are paired up here. And then we got Don Stroud, who we are never really sure what he is about until the silly thing is almost over. He just broods and grimaces for the entire thing, yelling at Char Fontanne. And who could love her? And once again, it is a train, so what do we have? Stroud and Fontanne in the luxury suite from the looks of things; big sprawling room with entry hallway. Nothing compact here. One whole hour into this thing before we see Vicki Lawrence, Stella Stevens, Ron Masak and George Hamilton. We see Masak so he can die, for crying out loud! Fred Williamson shows up, then he's gone, and same for John Karlen. You'd think it was a murder mystery the way these people are there, then they are gone. But now we come to two characters (okay, I won't directly spoil who) riding on top of the train. You'd expect hair to be flattened out, but no, it holds its body. But the solution to 'rescue' the guys on the train, or what is even the order given to the conductor? Speed up! To do what? Kill them? Save their lives? How does that save them? And amazingly, one of the people here actually manages to hang on. When the other one sails through a window, which at least was called out for supposed to have been shatter-proof, someone says, oh, he's been shot. Who shot him? The other person didn't have a gun. The train goes through a tunnel and is plunged into darkness. You want to be standing around drinking at the bar and suddenly can't see? And finally, it is 1979, this is the pilot, and what are the choices of music Robert Alda plays at the piano? California, Here I Come and Me & My Gal. Wow, who sang those songs in '79? Compare this to the first episode of Love Boat, since that is what we are doing, and who was present there? An unknown Suzanne Somers, Meredith Baxter and Jimmie Walker, who at that time was such a scene-stealer, they left him off the ship. And it worked. And here we get Steve Lawrence and singing Me & My Girl? You want gunfire in your pilot episode? On a train? It's no wonder this show bombed so badly. I can't imagine someone watching this and going, hey, can't wait for next week!
