TONIGHT'S DVD REVIEW: Big John Little John: The Complete Series (Fabulous Films/VCI, 10/2/12)

(All images courtesy Fabulous Films/VCI)

SYNOPSIS: When John Martin (Herb Edelman) takes his wife, Marjorie (Joyce Bulifant), and son, Ricky (Mike Darnell), on a summer vacation to Ponce de Leon Park in Florida, the science teacher accidentally drinks water from the legendary Fountain of Youth. Sometime after returning to his job at Madison Junior High School, the water works its magic, transforming the forty-something-year-old man* into a younger version of himself at age twelve (Robbie Rist), but only in how he looks and talks (usually). As he labors to find a cure for his affliction, John must cover up his unpredictable changes from big to small (and vice versa) by passing off his youthful form as his visiting nephew, a.k.a. "Little John". Marjorie and Ricky help to keep his secret under wraps from people like John's students Homer (Kristoff St. John), Valerie (Cari Anne Warder), and Stanley (Stephen Cassidy), as well as the school principal, Miss Bertha Bottomly (Olive Dunbar). From there, chaos and shenanigans ensue.

BACKGROUND: BJLJ was produced during the 1970s, when a revived interest in live action shows for Saturday morning was rampant on the three major TV networks (ABC, CBS and NBC), primarily due to a backlash begun in the late '60s by parents, educators and psychologists (like Dr. Fredric Wertham) against the dominance of cartoons (violent or otherwise) on their schedules. With few exceptions, most live-action shows didn't last beyond one season, but that didn't deter producers from making more, as long as there was a demand for them. So it went that Sherwood Schwartz, creator of the popular, kid-friendly The Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island, took a shot at a Saturday morning series.

Herb Edelman

One interesting anecdote I remember reading a while back about the short-lived Saturday morning program Big John Little John (NBC 1976-1977) stated co-creator/executive producer Sherwood Schwartz had developed the series for child star Robbie Rist as an "apology" of sorts for the unexpected cancellation of his hit sitcom The Brady Bunch in 1974. Back then, Robbie had been added on as Cousin Oliver in a desperate measure to inject some fresh youth into the show since the six Brady kids were no longer young or cute, but his inclusion (recognized by the burned-out writers as a mistake after the first "Oliver" story was in the can) didn't save it from getting the ax. Two years later, Sherwood and his son, Lloyd, created BJLJ, giving Robbie a crack at a potential TV smash.

Some apology.

Okay, it's too easy to criticize a '70s low-budget kids' show, but while other ones of the era manage to transcend their frugality (such as Isis and The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show), BJLJ is bogged down by it. Despite having a premise tailor-made for kids and an agreeable ensemble of actors, BJLJ is a cheap, superficial series with a few laughs and not much else. If Sherwood had done the show in the 1960s, it might have had a better chance at longevity. He certainly would've had enough money behind it to pull off the concept better than how it turned out in '76.)

Homer's backyard, complete with shadows cast on the blue sky.

How cheap is it? Visually, the show looks rough because episodes were videotaped and then transferred to film, but that's the least of its woes. There's some tacky set construction, lumbering staging, crude editing, and even poor lighting — POOR LIGHTING! (I can't hardly recall ever seeing any TV show that wasn't, at least, well-lit until I reacquainted myself with BJLJ.) If the comedy were more frequent, these technicalities could be overlooked, but as the gags often come at a slow pace, they distract the viewer unnecessarily. After working on sitcoms with substantial budgets, BJLJ felt like a step backward for Sherwood and company, particularly with the need to adapt to new technology (video cameras) and the restriction to what appears to be minimal studio space.

Whereas GI and TBB had a finely-crafted balance of comedy, characterization, and good storytelling that made them readily accessible to children (then and now), BJLJ makes the mistake of oversimplifying the scripts for the Saturday morning target audience, undermining many good story ideas with thin dialogue, clunky humor, and the stretching of comic logic beyond its limits. Sherwood and Lloyd may have done this to appease NBC's Standards and Practices division; in the process, they pulled back too much, and such restraint really neuters the comedy somewhat.

Robbie Rist

The cast members try their best to make the slight material work with mixed results. At times, there are even brief moments when reliable actors like Herb Edelman, Joyce Bulifant, Olive Dunbar, and Robbie Rist display (I swear) actual exasperation on their faces as they say something or do a bit of shtick they know isn't funny. Importantly, because they aren't totally committed to their roles, it's hard to warm up to any of the characters, which is a death sentence to a sitcom. Again, this inconsistency in the acting may be related to the budget  (a tight shooting schedule where retakes were rare), but this can't be confirmed. I'll also guess the veteran actors signed on to the series as a favor for Sherwood because of a connection they had with him (e.g., Joyce was once a contender for Carol Brady), as I can't envision anyone but a starving actor auditioning for the show after reading one script.

left to right: Kristoff St. John and Cari Anne Warder

BJLJ isn't a total loss, even if most of the stories don't have good payoffs. Highlights include "Peter Panic", with Big John cast in the school play as Captain Hook...and Little John as Peter Pan; "Very Little John", where Marjorie and Rick believe a baby left in John's care is John in an even younger state; and "Big Scare, Little Scare", where John's students think the Crabtree mansion is haunted, but John and Miss Bottomly are skeptical. However, the best episode is "Abracadabra" (written by David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams), in which aspiring magician Homer is convinced he changed Little John into Big John. Here, like in the other shows, future soap star Kristoff St. John is a scene-stealer as Homer. (It's evident the writers like him, so he's given some choice quips to say, and his buoyant personality enables him to roll with the punches when he has less dynamic lines to recite.)

The 2-DVD set from Fabulous Films (a UK company) was initially available only as an import in 2009; the US release was left in a legal limbo until VCI picked up the distribution rights just this year. The video, advertised as "fully restored", isn't quite that, but it looks sort of clean, the picture quality ranging from very good to fair, sometimes from one scene to the next. The audio is in its original mono, which occasionally gets noisy during loud passages, but it's never diabolical. Among the "special features", a show synopsis and an episode guide are also found in the packaging of the DVD case, which leaves a stills gallery as the only actual bonus item, and it's a skimpy one. There are no subtitles or closed captioning for the hard of hearing.

Herb Edelman and Joyce Bulifant

BJLJ has the unique distinction of being the first Sherwood Schwartz "flop" series to make it to DVD, but it also may be the one that could've been left in the vault and not missed at all. Whatever warmth I once had for the program dimmed as I watched it again through older eyes. To me, the unintentional laughs now outnumber the intentional ones; others are bound to get more of a nostalgic buzz from it. If you have children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews five years of age or younger, it's okay to watch with them, but they'll likely outgrow it quickly. It's safe for a rental, but you buy it at your own risk.

POST SCRIPT:  Despite the failure of BJLJ, Sherwood Schwartz's subsequent projects for NBC did bear fruit. In 1978, the first of three Gilligan's Island reunion movies aired (one of those a failed pilot for a new show), followed by The Brady Girls Get Married film and its spin-off series, The Brady Brides.

AND NOW, A WORD FROM R.A.M. '67:

Cobweb TV! Ranking for Big John, Little John: The Complete Series--

NEXT TIME ON... COBWEB TV!

(DC Comics/Warner Home Video)

Keeping it trivial....

R.A.M.'67

* - The catchy theme song has John's age at forty. One episode says he's forty-five. Herb Edelman was forty-two when BJLJ was produced.

TONIGHT'S PILOT: [The] Police Story - "Stakeout," starring Vic Morrow, Edward Asner, Diane Baker and Chuck Connors. Directed by William Graham.

(All images courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment unless noted otherwise.) 

Of all the genres that creators of new TV shows have pitched to cable or broadcast networks, the anthology series is arguably the hardest sell, which explains why there were so few in the era of Cobweb TV. These shows typically have no (or few) regular cast members. The type of stories the creator(s) wish to show from week to week had better be attention-grabbing to programming executives, or it won't get green-lighted to the pilot stage.

Vic Morrow

In the case of Police Story (NBC, 1973-1978), it was the brainchild of best-selling author Joseph Wambaugh (The New Centurions, The Blue Knight), who also happened to be a member of the LAPD at the time. He conceived PS as a crime drama that was a character study and a police procedural, depicting various flawed individuals working in law enforcement. To make the stories "gritty" and "authentic" (two words often used to describe the show) like his novels, the series' writers would have input from actual cops for script ideas and in the writing of the same. A "who's who" of veteran actors (along with rising stars and promising newcomers) would be utilized as guest stars in each episode to further draw viewers in.

So it went, NBC was sold on PS... nearly. Despite the risk of a venture as it was (even if the grittiness was watered down for '70s television), they decided to air the pilot as a TV movie, more or less leaving it up to Nielsen families to determine if it should be a regular series. On 3/20/1973, "Stakeout" was broadcast, and TV critics and viewers paid attention, much to NBC's delight.

Chuck Connors

The primary action in "Stakeout" revolves around a particular police unit that goes after problematic felons, their latest quarry being the tall, imposing Slow Boy (Chuck Connors). In between moments of investigation, surveillance, and pursuit, we get a glimpse of how working on the squad is taking a toll on the life of Sgt. Joe LaFreida (Vic Morrow). He's been divorced for a few years, and his superior, Lt. Dave Blodgett (Ed Asner), thinks lack of companionship may be affecting his work. He soon meets Jenny Dale (Diane Baker), though it's under the most awkward circumstances.

Chuck Connors and Diane Baker

Thanks to a lead from their regular tipster, Gonzales (Sandy Baron), the squad stops Slow Boy and his accomplices from robbing a grocery store, but it doesn't go smoothly as he briefly takes Jenny hostage. LaFreida, armed with a shotgun, makes him surrender by bluffing to shoot him. Of course, she had no idea LaFreida was bluffing, so she later expresses anger at his perfunctory apology, even calling him a "pig." A day later, a remorseful LaFreida tracks her down and gives a more thoughtful apology. Though their exchange gets heated again, Jenny comes around to understand why he handled the situation the way he did. Eventually, they have dinner together and become a couple.

Vic Morrow and Ed Asner

Meanwhile, Slow Boy's out of jail on bail with his trial pending. Based on his history, the felony detail figures it's only a matter of time before he tries to commit another crime. LaFreida's next move is to make Sgt. Solly Piccolini (Harry Guardino) disguises himself as a wealthy man in hopes that Slow Boy may be attracted to the notion of robbing him or burglarizing his mansion (a "loaner" the unit has access to). Blodgett gets wind of this, and knowing the ruse would be seen as entrapment by any court, brings the sting to a halt and chews out LaFreida.

Sandy Baron

The monitoring of Slow Boy's movements continues on, and one night, after several days of behaving, he calls in a false alarm that gets the cops watching him out of his hair long enough so he can slip out of his residence unseen. In short order, he kills Gonzales for being a snitch and schemes to attempt the robbery of another grocery store. Coincidentally, a prostitute LaFreida has befriended winds up spending the night with Slow Boy, and when she hears about the upcoming heist, she tips him off. The night the caper's scheduled to go down, the squad quietly waits in the store for Slow Boy's arrival. He doesn't fail to disappoint them...

Vic Morrow and Ina Balin

Generally speaking, as realism hit motion pictures in the 1960s, it eventually did on TV, but it took longer to find a foothold. Attempts to portray edginess and the human side of the police on cop shows were made before PS (ABC's NYPD is one example that comes to mind). Still, it was the success of The French Connection (1971) that sparked network interest in exploring a newer breed of crime drama. With PS, the depictions of cops making mistakes and living lives beyond the police station every week were gradually incorporated into other crime series in the years ahead.

Harry Guardino and Kim Hamilton

Smartly directed by William Graham (who helmed the 1980 Emmy-nominated TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones), "Stakeout" is only dated by the era it was filmed. Today, a lot of E. Jack Newman's script comes across as formulaic after the fact, compared to those of more recent crime dramas (in fact, some of it seems clichéd by '70s standards). However, it still works because the screenplay has a reasonable structure, good characterizations, and a suitable (if predictable) ending. The one part I find fault with is the subplot with Piccolini, a man who claims he still hates black people after six months of lectures in community relations. He quickly changes his tune after talking with a black policewoman (Kim Hamilton) who's selected to pose as his date when he goes undercover as the rich man. The conclusion is implied, but the outcome still doesn't ring true. Aside from this misstep, the story held my attention, from the quiet moments to the action-packed ones.

After the script, "Stakeout" stays compelling through excellent acting, which you don't always get in a pilot. Still, considering the involvement of Wambaugh, the actors evidently brought their A-game to the production.

Vic Morrow and Diane Baker

I'm sure any actor could've played LaFreida, but if somebody else did, the pilot would never have sold. That's how important Vic Morrow is to the success of "Stakeout." His energy propels the narrative along, and in turn, the enthusiasm he has for the material has rubbed off on his fellow thespians, with positive results. At times, you swear he's acting without acting, and you believe him, even if his dialogue is lacking in four-letter words. As one of the best character actors of his day who should've been a more significant star than he was, Morrow never fails to disappoint me, so my discovery of his work in "Stakeout" was a time (and money) well spent.

left to right: Vic Morrow, John Bennett
Perry, Chuck Connors, and Diane Baker

Unlike the cops on the felony squad, there are no nuances to the character of Slow Boy, so Chuck Connors doesn't have to do much except being a bad-ass, but he does it well without overplaying the part. He even gets to do some stunt work, showing he was in pretty good shape for a guy (then) in his early fifties. Best of all, having the six-foot-five Connors get taken down a peg by the five-foot-nine Morrow makes for a fun variation of David versus Goliath.

To be fair, Ed Asner's performance as Blodgett doesn't seem much different than his portrayal of Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (and Lou Grant), but by being off the screen for all the time he is, he's believable enough as a lawman when he is on. Then again, playing a boss and yelling at his subordinates is something Asner can do in his sleep.

Barbara Rhoades

Other standouts in the cast include Diane Baker, David Doyle, Ina Balin, Sandy Baron, Ralph Meeker, Harry Guardino, Mel Scott, and John Bennett Perry. The biggest surprise in casting is Barbara Rhoades (best known for playing Sheldon Leonard's girlfriend in the three-part Sanford & Son story "The Hawaiian Connection") as Gonzales' girlfriend. She displays a range in her acting that I never knew she possessed.

(Shout! Factory)

"Stakeout" is included as a bonus feature on Shout! Factory's  Police Story Season One DVD set. (For whatever reason, the movie is called "Slow Boy" in Shout's packaging but not on the actual film.) Audio quality is fine, while the video is erratic from show to show, but as a whole, they look and sound better than the reruns shown on A&E in the '90s. For the inaugural season, the majority of episodes are winners, including Morrow's second (and last) appearance in the two-part "Countdown" (where the Mob tries to kill LaFreida) and "The Gamble," starring Angie Dickinson in what became the spin-off pilot to Police Woman. The other notable bonus feature is a new interview with Joseph Wambaugh.

Kevin Dobson

One more point of trivia about "Stakeout": there's a cameo by Kevin Dobson as a patrolman. Twelve days before the airing of "Stakeout," the TV movie The Marcus-Nelson Murders premiered. Subsequently, it became the pilot for Kojak, which Dobson joined as a cast member months later.

AND NOW, A WORD FROM R.A.M.'67:

Cobweb TV! Rating for "Stakeout": three and a half stars (out of four).
Cobweb TV! Rating for Police Story Season One: three stars.

NEXT TIME ON... COBWEB TV!

(DC Comics)

Keeping it trivial...

R.A.M.'67