Ironside (TV Series) All About Andrea (1973) User Reviews

Myrna Loy shines in offbeat episode.

[lor_ · 29 July 2017]

Not unlike his "Perry Mason" shows, Raymond Burr as "Ironside" has a trick up his sleeve in this segment, which fooled me and made for a surprise ending. Along the way guest star Myrna Loy brought her sharp tongue to the role of an influential feminist writer (think: Betty Freidan) who led a colorful private life including interactions with Hemingway and the like.

The theme throughout is the battle of the sexes, with quite a lot of incipient political correctness in the script. But that's the point: the push-back by many males against the liberated woman of the '60s and '70s was real, and makes for interesting subject matter.

Besides Loy, perfect in her role, other guest players are a treat, notably Bill McKinney as a domineering husband, easy to hate after his iconic villain participation in "Deliverance" the year previous, but ultimately proving to be a sympathetic character. And as a relative also unsavory the classic horror film Robert Quarry is quite effective, demonstrating like his role model Vincent Price greater versatility than the public (and casting directors) were to give him credit for.

Women's liberation movement featured, but tough to watch at times

[TopekaBob · 9/10 · 9 March 2022]

Among the many great features of Ironside - besides the interesting plots and Raymond Burr and the San Francisco setting - are the focus on the social and political issues of the time and the fabulous guest actors that appear.

This episode is a great example. Myrna Loy (Myrna Loy!) is featured, but also appearing are Robert Quarry (horror icon), Jacqueline Scott, and Alan Napier (Alfred from Batman series, but also wonderful actor from shows such as Thriller and Alfred Hitchcock).

However. This is a very tough show to watch. The plot involves Andrea Wollcott, played by Woll, as a feminist author inspiring women to think about the meaning of their lives and do something about it. This prompts April Morris (Scott's character) to do just that. But her husband, played by Bill McKinney subjects her to tremendous physical and mental abuse, and she basically just takes it, until the very end, when because he starts crying, she goes to his side and pats his shoulder, all forgiven.

I don't dispute the reality of this story - all too true then and all too true in many cases now - so it's tough to watch. April even says she still has time to reclaim her life and find someone who respects her, so to see her stay with this clod is heartbreaking.

The writers give Loy an interesting monologue in which she seems to lament not making the most of her life, of partying to much. Fascinating, as Loy had an incredible career that spanned from the 1920's and reached such heights as to be the top female star of Hollywood in 1936. But she also would take acting pauses to work for war-related causes and other very cool things.

The incompetence of office Fran Belding is on display yet again. She's supposed to be protecting Andrea, yet after TWO assassination attempts, someone knocks at the door and Fran just opens it up! Whoopsie! When Andrea yells at Ironside, Mark, and Ed for giving Fran too much secretarial work, I was thinking, "Have you seen her police work?" An excellent episode, but watching Bill McKinney abuse Jacqueline Scott is not fun.

Gem of TV Writing Hacksmanship.

[WesternOne1 · 2/10 · 28 February 2023]

The story is about an apparently super successful authoress, inexplicably being victimised by assassination attempts on her book tour promoting her latest opus, a self-help work for women's libbers.

From the start, one can guess where this will go, it's going to go the safest route possible; we're going to see the new age political point of view as a decent, righteous one, despite any degree of controversy in the real, non-tv scripted world.

It's a choice bit of unsubtle, unreal propaganda. The Authoress, played by onetime top MGM star Myrna Loy, who. Ex post facto, in an effort to stay relevant, famously became a supporter of all sorts of liberal causes. They make her character a cartoonish concept of what a rich, famous feminist ideal should be like. She's somehow been in the Spanish Civil War, in China, hung out with Ernest Hemingway, and done free spirited stunts like nude horseback riding. But she's not a madcap devil-may-care Auntie Mame, but a hard, frosty know-all that speaks in commands and disparages just about anything a male says. Perhaps this is supposed to match Ironside's gruff persona, some sort of unlikely equality. She's a literary genius, and writes things like a proverb: "A Man's Word is Like A Woman's Honour; Once Given It's Seldom Missed." Are you impressed?

The parallel sub-story is an object lesson in the qualification for Women's lib-a husband who is a laughably over-the-top ogre, the facial contortions of this guy alone is worth watching for. Emil Jannings would be proud. Though he yells a lot, and says down-pat, mean male chauvinist pig clichés, there's only so deep such a character can be. In 1973, you couldn't get too violent, so after getting into a rage about his wife taking up macramé (!), he only THREATENS to tear up a book. He thinks his feeble spouse has been brainwashed by the book, works up into another rage, and shoots THE DRIVEWAY in front of the authoress.(Myrna).

There's another, very thin plot element, about the real assassin, and how he's caught. This episode is an example lazy writers who found an easy way to look avant-garde and virtuous.