Hi Klondike! Good to see you posting here (or anywhere for that matter ). Good question. Great thread! I'm kinda partial to the Stu Bailey episodes myself.
It sounds kind of lame, but I like the episodes where both have equal screen time. One of my favorites is Once Upon A Caper. Everyone takes a turn telling Rex how the agency got started.
It sounds kind of lame, but I like the episodes where both have equal screen time. One of my favorites is Once Upon A Caper. Everyone takes a turn telling Rex how the agency got started.
Well, Rex only lasted one season. Richard Long must have been in demand as an actor at the time. He and Roger Smith appeared to have a good screen rapport when they appeared together. If we made this a threesome, who would you pick? And what did you think when they made Kookie junior partner after Rex left?
I wasn't a big fan of Rex Randolph being brought to the series in season 3. I always thought that Kookie "paid his dues" for two years, and was a better choice for a third partner. Although I think season 3 was the best. The series reached its zenith. By the next season, the series was fully into the sixties, and the cool hipster charm of the fifties was starting to fade. The scripts and stories from season 4 weren't that good.
There were a few gems from season 4. I enjoyed Kookie's explanation of "Scooby Doo" from The Chrome Coffin, and the appearance of Victoria Shaw in The Down Under Caper. She was Roger Smith's first wife. Yes, she really was Australian! The introduction of Robert Logan as J.R. Hale, Kookie's replacement at Dino's, wasn't half bad, either.
Don't keep us in suspence. What does "scooby-do" translate to, in Kookie-speak?!"
SPOILERS:
Stu asked Kookie to go undercover in a hotrod club, to find out who's sabotaging a client's car. Kookie said, since he sold his hotrod to JR, he's no longer a hotrodder, but a scooby-doo. That means he's obeys all traffic laws to the letter, in his current automobile.
In my opinion the Stu Bailey episodes have a higher consistent quality than the Jeff Spencer episodes. EZJr was simply the better actor. However, I like plenty of the Spencer episodes. The one he wrote that has no dialogue (The Silent Caper) was brilliant.
Rex Randolph was a "transfer" from Bourbon Street Beat. Possibly Richard Long was under contract even though they dropped the show, and they wanted to get something for their money? I always like Richard Long in anything he was in, but I do feel his Sunset Strip episodes are generally weaker than either the Bailey or Spencer episodes. I don't think Long brought his A game to that series. On subsequent viewings, I often skipped his episodes.
Which episodes do you like better? Those with Stuart Bailey or Jeff Spencer? I'm partial to Jeff Spencer's.
I am partial to Spencer, but Bailey was good as well. When I look at the old 1 year episodes of Bourbon Street Beat, I saw how good Richard Long, Andrew Duggan, and Van Williams were. This series should have lasted longer than 1 year, but it was against some established competition. Surfside 6 was a garbage series in my view and non or the leads there were convincing. I think that ABC should have moved Bourbon Street Beat to another time slot rather than move the Rex Randolph character (Long) to 77 Sunset Strip and Kenny Madison character (Williams) to create Surfside 6 which to me was garbage. 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, and Bourbon Street Beat were fine series and I really enjoy watching them.
It sounds kind of lame, but I like the episodes where both have equal screen time. One of my favorites is Once Upon A Caper. Everyone takes a turn telling Rex how the agency got started.
Well, Rex only lasted one season. Richard Long must have been in demand as an actor at the time. He and Roger Smith appeared to have a good screen rapport when they appeared together. If we made this a threesome, who would you pick? And what did you think when they made Kookie junior partner after Rex left?
Well, I think that Bourbon Street Beat was a good series and Richard Long, with Andrew Duggan and Van Williams were a great team. It was a shame that this show was put in a bad time slot. It should have lasted at least 3 seasons. As for 77 Sunset Strip, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr, Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes were the right combination. I just think that the Kookie role should have stayed the guy who parked cars and help and assisted Stu and Jeff on their cases. Byrnes just looked out of place as a private eye to me. 77 Sunset Strip only needed two PIs. Bailey and Spencer need no 3rd person. Long, Duggan, and Williams to me is a 3 man outfit. Hawaiian Eye was also a great series for most of the first 3 seasons. Anthony Eisley and Robert Conrad were the closest guys to Zimbalist and Smith as a 2 man team. That series just lost it when Eisley quit before the 4th season and Grant Williams was not a good fit with Eisley and Conrad. And Surfside 6, this series was the pits for me. This 3 man team was a real joke. Van Williams fit in great with Long and Duggan, but not with Troy Donahue and Lee Patterson. They looked like college fraternity guys playing pranks. Just my thoughts!
In my opinion the Stu Bailey episodes have a higher consistent quality than the Jeff Spencer episodes. EZJr was simply the better actor. However, I like plenty of the Spencer episodes. The one he wrote that has no dialogue (The Silent Caper) was brilliant.
Rex Randolph was a "transfer" from Bourbon Street Beat. Possibly Richard Long was under contract even though they dropped the show, and they wanted to get something for their money? I always like Richard Long in anything he was in, but I do feel his Sunset Strip episodes are generally weaker than either the Bailey or Spencer episodes. I don't think Long brought his A game to that series. On subsequent viewings, I often skipped his episodes.
Richard Long was a good TV actor. Perhaps his best TV series was the Big Valley. Too bad that he passed away at the young age of 47 in 1974. This was a big loss to television. I am certain that he would have been starring in more TV shows had he lived longer.
Reply by lima-2
on July 22, 2018 at 8:50 AM
Hi Klondike! Good to see you posting here (or anywhere for that matter
). Good question. Great thread! I'm kinda partial to the Stu Bailey episodes myself.
Reply by cinna_mini_me
on July 24, 2018 at 8:41 AM
It sounds kind of lame, but I like the episodes where both have equal screen time. One of my favorites is Once Upon A Caper. Everyone takes a turn telling Rex how the agency got started.
Reply by klondike6
on July 25, 2018 at 2:09 PM
Well, Rex only lasted one season. Richard Long must have been in demand as an actor at the time. He and Roger Smith appeared to have a good screen rapport when they appeared together. If we made this a threesome, who would you pick? And what did you think when they made Kookie junior partner after Rex left?
Reply by cinna_mini_me
on July 27, 2018 at 9:19 AM
I wasn't a big fan of Rex Randolph being brought to the series in season 3. I always thought that Kookie "paid his dues" for two years, and was a better choice for a third partner. Although I think season 3 was the best. The series reached its zenith. By the next season, the series was fully into the sixties, and the cool hipster charm of the fifties was starting to fade. The scripts and stories from season 4 weren't that good.
Reply by lima-2
on August 5, 2018 at 1:02 PM
There were a few gems from season 4. I enjoyed Kookie's explanation of "Scooby Doo" from The Chrome Coffin, and the appearance of Victoria Shaw in The Down Under Caper. She was Roger Smith's first wife. Yes, she really was Australian! The introduction of Robert Logan as J.R. Hale, Kookie's replacement at Dino's, wasn't half bad, either.
Reply by cinna_mini_me
on January 12, 2019 at 7:34 AM
The Chrome Coffin was just shown on MeTV this morning. "Scooby Doo!" Hilarious. If he only knew. lol
Reply by klondike6
on January 13, 2019 at 5:54 PM
Don't keep us in suspence. What does "scooby-do" translate to, in Kookie-speak?!"
Reply by cinna_mini_me
on January 15, 2019 at 7:55 PM
SPOILERS: Stu asked Kookie to go undercover in a hotrod club, to find out who's sabotaging a client's car. Kookie said, since he sold his hotrod to JR, he's no longer a hotrodder, but a scooby-doo. That means he's obeys all traffic laws to the letter, in his current automobile.
Reply by vranger
on April 23, 2020 at 12:32 PM
In my opinion the Stu Bailey episodes have a higher consistent quality than the Jeff Spencer episodes. EZJr was simply the better actor. However, I like plenty of the Spencer episodes. The one he wrote that has no dialogue (The Silent Caper) was brilliant.
Rex Randolph was a "transfer" from Bourbon Street Beat. Possibly Richard Long was under contract even though they dropped the show, and they wanted to get something for their money? I always like Richard Long in anything he was in, but I do feel his Sunset Strip episodes are generally weaker than either the Bailey or Spencer episodes. I don't think Long brought his A game to that series. On subsequent viewings, I often skipped his episodes.
Reply by Veteran20
on June 19, 2021 at 12:46 PM
I am partial to Spencer, but Bailey was good as well. When I look at the old 1 year episodes of Bourbon Street Beat, I saw how good Richard Long, Andrew Duggan, and Van Williams were. This series should have lasted longer than 1 year, but it was against some established competition. Surfside 6 was a garbage series in my view and non or the leads there were convincing. I think that ABC should have moved Bourbon Street Beat to another time slot rather than move the Rex Randolph character (Long) to 77 Sunset Strip and Kenny Madison character (Williams) to create Surfside 6 which to me was garbage. 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, and Bourbon Street Beat were fine series and I really enjoy watching them.
Reply by Veteran20
on June 24, 2021 at 12:06 AM
Well, I think that Bourbon Street Beat was a good series and Richard Long, with Andrew Duggan and Van Williams were a great team. It was a shame that this show was put in a bad time slot. It should have lasted at least 3 seasons. As for 77 Sunset Strip, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr, Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes were the right combination. I just think that the Kookie role should have stayed the guy who parked cars and help and assisted Stu and Jeff on their cases. Byrnes just looked out of place as a private eye to me. 77 Sunset Strip only needed two PIs. Bailey and Spencer need no 3rd person. Long, Duggan, and Williams to me is a 3 man outfit. Hawaiian Eye was also a great series for most of the first 3 seasons. Anthony Eisley and Robert Conrad were the closest guys to Zimbalist and Smith as a 2 man team. That series just lost it when Eisley quit before the 4th season and Grant Williams was not a good fit with Eisley and Conrad. And Surfside 6, this series was the pits for me. This 3 man team was a real joke. Van Williams fit in great with Long and Duggan, but not with Troy Donahue and Lee Patterson. They looked like college fraternity guys playing pranks. Just my thoughts!
Reply by Veteran20
on June 24, 2021 at 12:20 AM
Richard Long was a good TV actor. Perhaps his best TV series was the Big Valley. Too bad that he passed away at the young age of 47 in 1974. This was a big loss to television. I am certain that he would have been starring in more TV shows had he lived longer.