Reviews (1)

Cringe as Buck does "The Hustle".
Not exactly the high point of the series it does feature an unintentional parody of the disco years here on modern day Earth. And its always nice to see Col. Wilma Deering on the dance floor. However,its the break dancing Tweeky(the little robot guy) that steals the show. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

ANOTHER HEROIC ROLE FOR LYNDA!
Although the Hawkeye series only aired for one season in syndication, I felt that it brought to life a very interesting period in American history. In this episode, Elizabeth (Lynda) and Hawkeye (Lee Horsley) infiltrate a French camp in order to stop them from using a "secret weapon" against British troops. As Elizabeth, Lynda once again gets to play a heroic role (but must rely on her smarts rather than the powers of a superheroine).

I highly recommend this video, along with the other episodes of the Hawkeye series. This show was created by Stephen J. Cannell whose name is synonymous with top-notch programming. Buy it today!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This one shines!
A crumbling old theatre is the dramatic stage for this fabulous mystery. Ned Nickerson's small-town charitable stage production suddenly becomes a major event when five internationally famous actors volunteer to act in it. But when mysterious and deadly accidents begin to plague the rapidly growing production, Nancy begins to suspect that not everything is as it seems ... or should be ...

A wonderful, rapidly-paced episode. Leaving you with new questions at every turn, it scintillates with ingenious characterization, plot development, and phantoms that are more than what they seem. A killer! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Oldies but Gookies
Two Gun-runners named Corliss and Trent recover a freighter carrying 20th century nerve gas.The two have long seought revenge on Colonel Deerin.They plan to destroy earth with the bombs.Earht turns to Noah Cooper(played by Peter Graves!),leader of earth's last space marine bomber squadron,for help.Can Noah and hIis spuadron save earth?To find out buy the video!I like this video because it shown being old or handicapped can't stop you from doing great things!

Silly shenanigans in a 20th century wasteland
Like popular music, television just gets worse and worse as time goes on and viewers crave more and more immediate gratification, as political correctness becomes more entrenched, and as the medium strives to conform to the tastes of youthful viewers, in particular, who become cruder and cruder with each new generation.

The TV show, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", based on the old movie serial, has the saving grace of being over 20 years old, which means that, by definition, it can't be as bad as the pap that the networks circulate today. It's as dumb and as formulaic as any other show, but at least, it's clean and fairly harmless.

And it has one other redeeming feature, which is the only reason why I bought this video. And that, of course, would be Erin Grey (as Colonel Wilma Deering) exhibiting her cute blondness in tight space outfits. And even THAT redeeming feature was diminished during the second season when she unaccountably became a brunette.

"Return of the Fighting 69th" is a first season episode, however, and interestingly enough, the scene which requires Erin to disguise herself in a unisex patrol outfit, with helmet, doesn't defuse her sensuality nearly as much as dark hair would later. She provides considerably more thrills than the story does.

As for the "plot" and the actors/characters in this episode, they have been adequately described by others and there's no need for me to dwell on them. No 12 year old devotee of Saturday morning cartoons could fail to appreciate them, and Gil Gerard, in the title role, has all the dramatic presence of Venusian cloud cover, sort of a space-wrecked Robert Urich. Actually, that's unfair to Urich. Compared to Gerard, Urich appears to have as much flair and color as Cesar Romero playing the Joker.

The bad guys, played by Robert Quarry and Elizabeth Allen, are a lot more passionate, a lot more real, and a lot more genuinely motivated than the good guys, and if you're actually paying attention to the plot, you should be rooting for them - for all the good it will do.

Peter Graves plays the head of the "Fighting 69th" who comes out of retirement to do battle with the bad guys, and he, Gerard, Grey, and the other supporting cast members naturally assume that flat pompous virtue that the heroes in these productions always have - the self-conscious virtue that always finds a way to say, "Aren't we good?"

The most noxious example of this is the hero's welcome that Gerard receives from his conspirators in virtue after he returns from the arduous task of - locating the deaf girl's parents by searching some futuristic Hall of Records for them. Good old Buck Rogers - not only can he save the universe through expert navigation, crack-shooting, and rapid-fire fist-fighting, but he can brave carpal tunnel syndrome and download a file with the best of any $6.50/hour (or whatever the prevailing 25th century wage is) file clerk. Bleah!

After fast-forwarding to all of the enticing Erin Grey poses, put this cassette away and read a book.

Buck Involved In More Than One Crossfire
Return Of The Fighting 69th is one of the best episodes of the Buck Rogers series, combining some impressive SFX action sequences with some of the strongest character interplay of the series, giving a greater emotional punch than normal.

A Directorate container ship has been hijacked and is flying toward Necrosis, an asteroid belt of unusual (and admittedly unrealistic) density. Wilma and Buck, on a training run with two cadets, are hastily sent to stop the container ship, but when four oblong-shaped Scorpian fighters (this is the only episode which identifies these bizarre-shaped fightercraft) attack, two are shot down, but the two Directorate cadets plunge into the Necrosis belt and are pulverized.

Buck furiously demands to know why the stolen ship was worth the lives of the two cadets, and Dr. Huer provides video inventory as explanation - a stash of nerve gas bombs dug out of a bunker near the old Washington DC. And since the ship was flown to the Necrosis belt, the thieves are clearly Corliss and Roxanne Trent, two gunrunners who have vowed revenge on Wilma because of severe injuries (Corliss' face is seriously scarred, Roxanne Trent sports metallic hands after hers were burned to a shrivel) incurred in a space pursuit years earlier.

The only pilots who can possibly navigate the treacherous belt are the surviving members of the Space Marine 69th Squadron - led by Noah Cooper (Peter Graves), who has known Wilma since she was knee-high and earned the nickname Dizzy Deering aka Dizzy D. But all five members of the Fighting 69th were forced into retirement a year earlier, despite still-sharp combat skills. Wilma wants no part of having them return to duty, espeically when they propose using decades-old cargo-sled bombers to launch even older surface-penetrating incendiary explosives into Corliss and Roxanne's asteroid base. When Wilma angrilly protests after an unimpressive live-fire exercise, Buck caustically calls her on the fact she is simply worried sick for Noah, rather than using rational analysis.

When the three sled bombers penetrate the belt, they are jumped by a squadron of Scorpians - three are shot down but Buck and Wilma are captured, and meet Corliss and Roxanne up close. Buck also meets Roxanne's youthful slave servant, Alicia, who is deaf and can only speak via sign language - a fact Buck can use to get himself, Wilma, and Alicia to freedom when Noah leads the attack on the asteroid.

Elizabeth Allen plays Roxanne Trent and imbues the character with such effective monstrosity that the audience can feel genuine hatred welling up as she smashes a memory globe belonging to Alicia.

This episode grows on you; it's still worth watching.
Previously I wrote a 2(or less) star review for this episode. When I first saw it--after sooo many years I was in a time-flux shock! I couldn't believe the difference in producing a sci-fi adventure 20 years ago and 20 years later.--The fight scenes, etc.. Since then I have seen this show repeatedly and it's grown on me. My shock has worn off. I enjoy watching this episode. I still especially enjoy watching the scenes with "Alicia", who is deaf and kidnapped 5 years previously. Her only mode of communication is manually through American Sign Language. I was taken by surprise to hear "Wilma" refer to it as HAND TALK. But today when I see that scene in reference I see the past,present and future rolled into one because she mentions a corrective operation children can have to regain their hearing. Today we would especially know one corrective procedure: COCHLEAR IMPLANT. SCIENCE FICTION becomes Science Fact. WHAT A DIFFENCE 20 YEARS MAKES!!!

EEHH BEETY-BEETY-BEET. COULD BE BETTER
AS A CHILD WHEN i SAW THIS EPISODE I LOVED IT BECAUSE OF THE ACTRESS WHO WAS DEAF PORTRAYING A DEAF CHILD KIDNAPPED AND ENSLAVED. I remember thinking that the futuristic sci-fi shows always showed the futuristic people as having more control of their emotion (Star Trek, Buck Rogers, etc..) Proof was in seing how Buck and his 25th Cent. buds behaved towards each other. What I didn't like this time around was seeing Erin Grey (Gray?) unemotional/underemotional--or underacting? in response to emotional situations. I wasn't taken by how she asked their captors to let Buck and the girl go and they can do anything to her. There were other scenes in which I did like her. Also, the fighting scenes are a little dated. You can tell the actors have little experience with judo or kung fu. Definitely pre-Xena for Wilma Deering! I still enjoy Buck Rogers. I'm waiting to see when Amazon.com gets episodes including the Hawk clan!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This is for Jill Teed fans
This is the first episode of this series that I had ever seen. The opening scene is a contest of skill in horsemanship, marksmanship and something else that leads to the underlying theme of this episode. I kept wondering as I watched the openning action montage, who played the lead, Hawkeye, AKA Nathaniel Bumpo of the "Leatherstockings" series of books dating back to the days of Melville and Moby Dick (or some time after). I suddenly realized that it was Lee Horsley, who I enjoyed watching in his role as Ethan Allen Cord in the western series, "Paradise." I was hooked. This episode has some of the most dynamic action scenes that this series produced and some of the most memorable. I had not seen Lee Horsley in a role like this since "The Sword and the Sorcerer."

Interestingly, this is the only episode of the series without Lynda Carter in her staring role as the heroine, Elizabeth Shields. What keeps bringing me back to viewing this episode is Jill Teeds, who plays a character so much like the Shields character, yet is different in manner and delivery. This woman plays the strong lead effectively and is quite fascinating. In one sequence she is disgusted with men and in need of help -- she rolls her eyes, tosses her head, snaps her neck to back and to the side -- leading her to see Rodney A. Grant as Hawkeye's friend and native brother, Chingachgook in a classice and memorable "noble savage" stance. Another example of the dramatic direction in this episode.

Jill Teed plays a lot of supporting roles and I hope that she will continue to act and appear in TV and movie productions (most recent is "Mission to Mar"). She is one of the many reasons to see this episode. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not the best, but still good
This episode is not as good as others, simply because it doesn't really have an adventurous plot, as we've come to expect in Buck Rogers shows. This episode basically was created using flashbacks to scenes from other episodes. The problem arises in that most of the episodes from which these short cuts were taken are not available for purchase. So, unless the viewer has a great memory and was a fan of Buck Rogers as a kid, he/she will really have no context for these stories.

The plot generally surrounds a mysterious group of items which are beamed through the Earth's defense shield. Each item is accompanied by a lymeric (riddle). To solve the mystery, Buck, Wilma (Erin Gray) and even Tweekie are hooked to a machine to retrieve memories of people who might have a grudge against Earth and wish to destroy the Earth. (These memories are the past episodes mentioned above). Of course, they do not solve the mystery until the hour has struck and the "Blast" is set off.

Good show, as are all the Buck Rogers shows. But this episode is definitely for those die-hard fans who remember the show from when we were kids.

Erin Gray - the Diana Rigg of my generation is sublime
Let's be honest - Erin Gray is the reason why Buck Rogers achieved the measure of success it did (both on the big screen and on TV). This movie was originally a TV pilot that was rushed into theaters to see how much money it could make, and it shows. Even the incidental music betrays its TV origins. But despite that (or because of), this gem is almost a 5-star rater. Reason one is the wonderful opening credits where Buck Rogers awakes on a neon-lit walkway surrounded by beautiful futuristic (1979 futuristic, that is) women who pout and kiss him while the goofy song "Suspension" blares away. A classic opening. Reason Two - Erin Gray. Like Diana Rigg in the 60s, Gray was the unattainable class-act who seemed to transcend the screen. There is a Reason Three, but that's just minor stuff like the fact that Buck in the 25th is, simply, one of the funnest things a person can experience. It's B-stuff, no doubt. But man, is it good B-stuff. And also, there's Erin Gray.

Erin Gray is a goddess!
More Erin Gray! More spandex! What more do you need? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good View
Along with the two part classic, "Hills Are For Heroes", this
episode depicts a humanistic, sensitve side of Saunders which is rarely showcased on this series. A cowardly, non-
confrontational soldier (James Best) is left to cover the back of Saunders during battle. This occurs after Saunders receives news about a brother who's missing in action.

A poignant, thought provoking episode which is easily one
of Combat's best. And certainly one of Vic Morrow's best
performances.

MAIL CALL - great Vic Morrow episode!
This is one of the best "Saunders" episodes from the 1960s WWII television series "Combat!" In this episode, Sergeant Saunders, while dealing with a malingerer, receives a personal letter with bad news. One of the few episodes where fans learn something of Saunders' home life. Guest star James Best. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

COMBAT! Episode "The Flying Machine"
This episode features Rick Jason (Lt. Hanley) on a solo mission away from the squad as he goes on a surveillance flight with a cantankerous pilot (Keenan Wynn). Their single-engine monoplane, of course, crashes, and the two are in for an adventure behind enemy lines. From the 1960s WWII series, "Combat!" [Note: no other cast members from the show appear in this episode] ... Read more