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Julia (1968)
horrid mix-up in episodes cast list
I enjoyed the series and was sorry to see it canceled... apparently Diahann Carroll was finding it too stressful.
The episodes list is extremely fouled up. I checked another series (Hogan's Heroes) for a hint of the episode numbering format, so here goes.
First, delete all cast occurrences of Diahann Carroll (Julia Baker), Marc Copage (Corey Baker), Michael Link (Earl J. Waggedorn), Betty Beaird (Marie Waggedorn) and Lloyd Nolan (Dr. Chegley) as they appear in most or all episodes. Correct spelling of Hannah Yarby in some episodes.
Second, re-sequence episodes so they're in date order, probably by renumbering some episodes (none should be higher than Episode 30!).
Season 1, Episode 8 has a non-conforming date.
Season 2: Episode 10 and Episode 40 should be merged as Episode 10. Episode 33 should be Episode 3. Ep 34 should be Ep 4. Episode 36 should be Episode 6. Episode 38 should be Episode 8. Episode 42 should be Episode 12. Episode 12 ("Hilda's No Help") should be Episode 13. Episode 46 should be Episode 16. Episode 48 should be Episode 18. Episode 52 should be Episode 22. Episode 53 should be Episode 23. Episode 54 should be Episode 24. Episode 57 should be Episode 27. Episode 59 should be Episode 29.
Season 3: Episodes 61/62/63 should be Episodes 1/2/3 respectively. Episode 6's air date should probably be 20 October. I don't know where Episode "66" belongs. Episodes 67/68/69 should be Episodes 7/8/9 respectively. Episode 74 should be Episode 14. Episode 80 should be Episode 20.
Missing episodes total 36, which would include the three at the bottom marked "Unknown Season", would be: Season 1, Ep 3 (1 October 1968), Ep 4 (8 October), Ep 5 (15 October), Ep 8 (5 or 12 November), Eps 9 to 13 (5 of the 6 dates from 12 Nov to 17 Dec), Ep 15 (31 Dec 1968), Ep 16 (7 Jan 1969), Ep 17 (14 January); Ep 19 (28 January), Ep 22 (18 Feb), Ep 23 (25 Feb), Ep 25 (11 March), Ep 26 (18 March), Ep 27 (25 March). (18 missing) Season 2, Ep 1 (16 Sept 1969), Ep 7 (4 November), Ep 14 (23 or 30 December), Ep 15 (30 Dec 1969 or 6 January 1970), Ep 17 (20 January), Ep 19 (3 February), Ep 20 (10 February), Ep 25 (17 March), Ep 28 (14 April). (9 missing) Season 3, Ep 10 (24 November 1970), Ep 11 (1 December 1970), Ep 13 (15 or 22 December 1970), Ep 15 (5 January 1971), Ep 18 (26 January), Ep 21 (16 February), Ep 22 (23 February), Ep 24 (9 March), Ep 26 (23 March). (9 missing) One of the missing episodes is titled "Father of Bribery", and might be Richard's first appearance. Another missing episode featured Corey's television hero, Captain Blastoff. That would leave 31 still missing.
I hope the episode numbers can be corrected, while leaving gaps, of course, for the missing episodes.
A Friendship in Vienna (1988)
Engrossing, believable
A movie that would be welcome on DVD if it isn't out already.
The movie captures the harsh, anti-humanity of the Nazi movement, the illogic of their hatred, and the beastliness of their thug-like behaviour to intimidate opposition.
You get to know these two girls and then ache when adult jealousies and adult attitudes try to separate them. Lise's father and brother are motivated by hatred, Inge's mother and father are motivated by fear and concern for their daughter. All the while, the two girls bear up under the illogical division that's trying to spoil their special friendship.
In the end, did Lise's father succeed in spoiling it? It could have been anything else.
Masada (1981)
History comes alive
**Spoiler Warning** This series was very informative and spellbinding. It gave me insight to the Romans' technological abilities, for example, the assault tower which could be adjusted to tilt straight up while being drawn up the ramp.
The engineer who designed it would have been quite at home in the US Army Corps of Engineers, in terms of using science and engineering know-how to accomplish military objectives. His dying words included vital information about the moon, reminiscent of D-Day being planned for the right tides and moonlighting for the Normandy assault.
One person commented about the zealots blowing a good deal. This is the nature of zealots: to want it all, or at least to have more than they now have. The zealots didn't want Rome in their land at all, not now, not when Christ came (Judas Iscariot was a zealot). Eleazar was willing to cooperate with Rome, asking for home-rule during his hillside late-night meeting with Silva. Silva could not get the Caesar to agree.
It must have been galling, when Silva was sitting in with the Senate, to have critical questions asked about him but he could not speak to them because he was a guest, not a member of that legislature.
I eagerly await this series' uncut release onto DVD for Region 1. I don't have the VHS, simply because I expect a DVD release. If the miniseries "The Martian Chronicles", "V" and such merit a DVD release, then the true history of "Masada" is at least ten times worthier.
War of the Worlds (1988)
Had potential
I do think it would have been a bit more interesting if the aliens had to pay a price for taking over human bodies... losing a bit of their original genetic sequences each time and becoming slightly less than their original race.
I really didn't care for the second season at all. The technology was never consistent, one week they use video phones, the next week they use audio phones. Also, why the change from Mor-tax to Morthrai? And how did Blackwood's people learn the name "Mor-tax"? The original movie clearly linked the aliens with Mars. Now, they could have used that by indicating that Mars was used as an advance staging point. Perhaps the aliens hoped to use Mars and "Morta-form" it, but it was a losing battle, and the aliens who were settling Mars diverged from the original race, developing unique physical traits and a different political objective. They decided, in desperation, to use the resources allotted to them and invaded Earth, gutting the Mars colony to the point it was no longer viable in an all-or-nothing, win or die gambit to take Earth. They fall silent for 35 years, then are resurrected, see the possibility of finally succeeding, and signal the original home world. A year or so later, the Morthrai arrive, dismiss the incompetent Mor-tax for their bungling of the Mars project, and proceed with conquest of Earth, which does, they come to realize, seem like the only viable option.
Now, that's just my way of rationalizing what we saw in 1953 and in 1988 and 1989.
There was a Star Trek link in the series: in one episode, a boy is playing with STTNG action figures while his now-alien parents drive the car, and he makes a sign to appeal to a pair of nuns speeding by ("Nearer My God to Thee!").