Season and Episode Number: Season 5, Episode 9
Episode Title: Quint is Out
Original Airdate: December 5, 1985
Writer: Bill Dial
Director: Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.
Synopsis: Simon & Simon Meets Cape Fear. Jeremiah Quint, a violent convict whom Rick and AJ helped the police capture, is out of prison after six years.
Guest Cast: Bill Smith (Jeremiah Quint); Loyita Chapel (Joanna Crane); Bob McClurg (Snead); John X. Heart (Ben Crane).
Simon Back Story: Rick, dressed in British soldier hat, shorts, high socks, and crossed bandoliers of ammo across his chest, is stoked about the double feature of Zulu (1964) and Zulu Dawn (1979). AJ, on the other hand is thrilled about going out, alone, to see the desert bloom, "because some things a man does for the good of his soul." Rick dismisses this, saying that "the desert blooms every year."
The Quint case goes back six years, which would place Quint's capture took place in 1979, two years before the series proper began, but right around the time of the pilot, Pirate's Key. Going by continuity, this could have been one of the Simons' earliest cases since the return from Florida to San Diego.
Notable Use of Music: Joseph Conlan's score is reminiscent of everything from Miami Vice to Code of Silence to nearly every dark, intense 1980s crime drama. Fans of Jan Hammer and David Michael Frank will find much to appreciate in Joseph Conlan's score.
When AJ is driving through Ensenada Mexico on the fake case, a brief blast of "Ring of Fire"-style trumpets and funky electric bass are integrated into the propulsive synth-driven cue. Excellent horn section work when AJ is in the trailer where Rick was jumped and kidnapped by Quint.
Review/Observations:
The second great episode of season five. The Cape Fear-inspired story of a convict seemingly not out for revenge is a welcome "dark and edgy" tale from a series better known for its light touch.
Interestingly enough, this episode contains no scenes that take place at night, which would have made Quint is Out all the better. It would also have been to have included more of Quint goading the Simons but within the law, which would have been great had the episode been made as a two-hour special. These very minor quibbles aside, Quint is Out is among the best episodes of the season.
The San Quentin parole officer states that Quint, who has served six years of his ten-year sentence, obtained a graduate-level degree in social sciences during his time in prison, as well as having started a "prison library society."
The opening credits scenes of Quint at the bar right after his parole is well staged. He overhears an old man telling his buddies about a new car he just bought for a steal. Then, newly-freed Quint literally steals the man's car. I like that the "Quint is Out" episode title appears onscreen right after the back door of the bar Quint exits closes. Rick speaks the title of the episode after getting the news from Town over the phone.
When Quint is looking for the Simon & Simon detective agency in the Yellow Pages, an ad for Peerless Detectives is also seen. "One Hundred Trained Investigators." (Fictional) Phone number (619) 5*5-2784. Their (fictional) address is 21 Mission Laguna, San Diego. Myron J. Fowler's name is in the ad. What a great acknowledgement of earlier seasons, as well as Simon & Simon continuity.
AJ briefly mentions a peeping tom a case that the Simons are working on. Rick was to have called a lawyer in Del Mar, but has been reading up on the Quint file, since the Quint's release, which the brothers have learned about thanks to a phone call from Town.
Jeremiah Quint is one mean dude. Rick recalls that "The only reason we got him the first time is because he ran out of ammunition. He had his back against the docks, facing 110 guys from a SWAT team and a refrigerator fell on him!"
Though he despises both Simon brothers, Quint appears to hate Rick more than he does AJ, though the reasons why are not mentioned. Rick is noticeably nervous when Quint drops by the Simons' office, whereas AJ is extremely tense. However, after Quint's initial visit, both brothers nervously start loading for bear while AJ rationalizes away why Quint is in San Diego.
Quint joins Cecilia Simon's "monthly coffee klatch of the San Diego literary society." They discuss the works of CS Lewis. Quint says he prefers the trilogy and the science fiction novels more than the theological works.
Rick punches out Quint in Cecilia's living room, but it does not appear that Quint presses charges, despite the subsequent rant of his attorney, Mr. Snead, who calls Rick and AJ "quasi-simian thugs." Town later describes Snead as a "wolverine lawyer."
Snead is more upset about Town searching Quint's place under warrant more than he is about Rick's assault of Quint. The Simons obtain a restraining order against Quint.
In a scene by the beach, Town is undercover as a hot dog vendor. He wears a "Chez Dog" T-shirt with a hot dog shaped like a Dachshund.
Quint sends the Simons a registered letter. When the messenger asks for I.D., Rick just shows him the gun in his shoulder holster.
While working off steam and brainstorming, AJ works out--in suit and tie--in the office gym equipment. Rick plays pinball. A slightly paranoid AJ closes the Venetian blinds on the window washers.
Quint, via his girlfriend, convict groupie Joanna Crane, sends AJ on a circuitous route to Ensenada, Mexico to find her "missing" brother, Ben, who's described as an eccentric. AJ goes to the Mucky Duck bar, where Ben Crane was a regular. Ben now runs a bait shack in Ensenada and said he'll stay in Mexico "until the Republicans are out of office."
When AJ catches up with Ben Crane and is told that his sister is a convict groupie, AJ takes off after he realizes Joanna Crane sent him to Mexico as a ruse. I like how the camera slowly pulls in on AJ as Ben describes Joanna. When AJ is gone, Ben remarks: "You see? That's why I left the States! The place is jam-packed with empty suits in a hurry, just like that one!"
Loyita Chapel (Joanna Crane) is gorgeous! She wears a full face of makeup in a bedroom scene with Quint. Joanna cries when Quint tells her that he must kill the Simons. She clearly loves Quint. The character is sympathetic but still underwritten.
Quint talks about his prison psychiatrist, who diagnosed Quint as having transference issues, and that Quint's anger at the Simons was "justified." Not exactly a glowing endorsement of the mental health industry.
Town shows up at the Alpine shipyard with a van full of assault-rifle-carrying SWAT personnel.
Rick receives a brutal beating from Quint that is the most graphic up to this point in the series' history. The left side of his face is purple and swollen, his scalp is bloody. He complains to AJ that he can't feel anything in his face.
In the denouement at AJ 's house, which probably takes place a week or so after the incident, the recovering Rick is seen in recuperative "casual wear", as he wears the red Magnum-esque Aloha shirt, faded jeans, and his hat. Rick also has a heavily bandaged face and eye along with a patch over his left eye. He's walking around, though, and makes some sort of frothy white daiquiri or Pina colada, though a Tequila bottle is seen by the blender. AJ has a bottle of beer. Seeing Rick looking so beat up really makes you feel for him.
Tim Reid is saddled with a rather clunky and wordy monologue regarding the changing nature of criminals and the lack of a pattern in profiling them. It's good stuff, though, and Reid does well with it, but a wordy and message-heavy speech does few actors any favors. I much prefer the simple directness of AJ's single line about what Joanna Crane will do when she gets out of prison in fifteen years. The episode ends on that note.
Marlowe appears in the "Zulu" scene at the beginning of the episode as well as in the final scene, including the freeze frame of the episode along with AJ, Town, and Rick.
Rating (1-10 stars): 10/10
Memorable Dialogue:
Rick: "He said he learned a lot in prison."
Town: "They always do."
Quint: "You don't get to talk. All you get to do is die!
Undercover Shtick: None, though Rick does ask the apartment manager if he could see the newly-vacated room where Quint had been staying.
Flubs: In what is clearly a stuntman, "Gerald McRaney" suddenly grows a full head of puffy hair when Rick knocks Quint over the railing.
1980s-ness: Quint's suitcase-phone-with-a-cord would have seemed so futuristic to me had I seen this episode in 1985. There's a charming quality about what I refer to as "Clunky Technology", and the phone Quint uses is a fine example of that. Rick wears the safari jacket (with half the buttons undone). Town's sport coat is a common grey-and-black pattern.
There's a Miami Vice vibe when AJ slowly stalks through the Alpine shipyards, the bleak industrial area where Quint is holding Rick. The building resembles the unfinished skyscraper from Love and/or Marriage (S5 Ep1).
San Diego References: On the radio station in the car stolen by Quint, San Diego DJ Susan Knight announces that "Sunrise in My Heart" by "Ralph Taylor and His Thousand Strings" has just been heard on 99 KATL, the Easy Listening radio station. She then says, "It's 2:17 and another ridiculously perfect day in San Diego!"
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ringfire211
7 years ago
When AJ is driving through Ensenada Mexico on the fake case, a brief blast of "Ring of Fire"-style trumpets
And now you know where my username comes from. Both the Johnny Cash song and the 2nd season KNIGHT RIDER episode "Ring of Fire" (probably the first KR episode I ever saw).
I agree with you on "Quint is Out". You call it one of the best of the season but I would say it's probably the single best episode of the entire series! As you may have guessed I prefer the darker-themed episodes. This was probably the only S&S episode that genuinely gave me the willies, which is so unlike the show. As was the case with MAGNUM PI you didn't really watch the show expecting real genuine suspense or gripping tension. These were feel-good shows and that's why we watched them. If we wanted something darker there was MIAMI VICE or THE EQUALIZER. But then suddenly you saw an episode like "Death and Taxes" or "Laura" (in the case of MAGNUM) and you were genuinely moved by what you just watched. Both gripping episodes which you weren't likely to forget. Everything else in comparison seemed like fluff. Same holds true for this S&S episode and why it's such a standout!
There's also the fact that I just love the old "ex-con out for revenge" plot used in so many crime shows. Heck, my 2 favorite FIVE-O episodes are "Rest in Peace, Somebody" and "Hookman", so that speaks for itself. On top of that, CAPE FEAR (the original 1962 B&W classic with Bob Mitchum) remains one of my favorite suspense thrillers of all time. No blood or gore, just good old fashioned sense of dread and terror that goes right down to your bones!
Connery, Moore, and Brosnan! Accept NO substitutes!
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pacwarbuff
7 years ago
Season and Episode Number: Season 5, Episode 10
Episode Title: Walk a Mile in My Hat
Original Airdate: December 12, 1985
Writer: Richard Chapman
Director: Vincent McEveety
Synopsis: The agency is offered $10,000 but it requires Rick to pretend he is AJ, who is on a trip. Complicating matters, AJ needs to assume Rick's identity on returning.
Guest Cast: Anne Schedeen (Claire Stafford); Michael C. Gwynne (Burton "Burt" Ferris); Kathryn Stanleigh (Leah Colvin); Logan Ramsey (Mr. Barton); Terry Kiser (Gerry Marsh); Special Guest Star Ray Walston (Al Ranfield).
Review/Observations:After the intensity of Quint is Out, it's a lighthearted return to the typical Simon & Simon episode. Jameson Parker is especially funny, getting all the best lines, and otherwise playing the outraged identity theft victim and then having a great time being Rick Simon. The episode also works well in combining the details of the case --the bidding on a for-sale duo of skyscrapers--with the comedy of the switched identities.
A gunman of Barton's is heard to say "Freeze!" when they get the drop on Rick in the episode teaser, but in the show itself, the scene is silent, and the "freeze" is spoken by another character in a different scene.
Artsy opening shot from beneath a punch bowl, made with Rick Simon's poison of choice, Don Diablo tequila. Rick is hosting "Rick Simon Getting to Know You Encounter", an office welcoming party to a group of attractive office women from the various other businesses in the Simons' building. It all falls flat, however, when Rick lets it slip that AJ will not be attending, and half the women immediately leave. Those who stay split in a hurry when they're made instantly ill by Rick's Don Diablo "Boomba" cocktails.
AJ is out camping in an area consisting of 500,000 acres. It is not named, but Cecilia says that AJ "must be freezing up there." Which national park is just north of San Diego?
The face of AJ's camping companion, Sheila, is not seen, and she is only filmed from the back and side, the latter being with a blanket wrapped around her, obscuring her face. She is heard saying "AJ!" when Rick's antiquated tent collapses.
It is shown to be raining in San Diego, with Gerry Marsh and Claire Stafford standing in a thunderstorm while using a pay phone to call Simon & Simon.
An establishing shot of AJ's house at twilight is quite pretty, and one not often used.
Cecilia comes by at an inopportune moment to pick up a casserole dish AJ borrowed.
Rick is wearing AJ's clothes, including the latter's "favorite blazer", a charcoal-colored coat. AJ wears Rick's green shooting jacket and hat. However, Gerald McRaney's 6'1" height and Jameson Parker's 5'10" should have made this difficult. Instead, both look like one another's clothes fit perfectly.
The Power Wagon's tailgate and roll bar break while AJ has it when camping.
Ray Walston, playing real estate bigshot Al Ranfield, only appears during the first twenty minutes of the episode.
While AJ's portrayal of Rick is comedically over the top, Rick-as-AJ is low key and straight, although with more than a touch of uncertainty, as Rick is presented with specific business terms which he knows absolutely nothing about.
Marlowe has a comic bit with the gourmet "Chez Voltaire" take out meal of chicken and mushroom sauce. He scrapes the food into a casserole dish and throws it in the oven. He claims to have paid $70.00 for the meal. Rick tells Marlowe to leave the food alone, and that chicken and mushrooms will "give you nightmares, like the last time." Rick subsequently bribes Marlowe to leave the kitchen with an entire box of dog biscuits.
Claire Stafford, aware of AJ's gourmet reputation, requests that Rick-as-AJ prepare Supreme du Poulet aux champignons. Rick asks Town, whom he happens to run into in the Ranfield Development Corporation lobby, what Supreme du Poulet aux champignons means in English; Town translates, "Chicken with mushroom sauce." Rick suggests she try his Tacos al Carbon.
The marina where Ranfield's yacht is docked looks like the one used in Quincy, M.E..
The Simon & Simon Prescient Casting Award for having guest star Terry Kiser lug around a dead body three years before his career-defining role in Weekend at Bernie's (1988).
Anne Schedeen (Claire Stafford) and Kathryn Stanleigh (Leah Colvin) are dead ringers for one another, even sharing identical hairstyles at one point in the episode.
When Rick and AJ plan their strategy, Rick speaks the title of the episode.
Rick listens to Mozart on the Power Wagon radio. "That's Mozart? Guy's good!"
AJ-as-Rick at the Ranfield offices is pretty funny. Jameson Parker purposely overplays it for laughs, yet manages to get McRaney's speech down while at the same time "playing AJ playing Rick", especially when he shouts "Security!!!"
The styrofoam coffee cup AJ yanks off the tray is clearly empty.
The episode ends with a goofy "Who's on First?"-style comedy routine at the Monterey police station about which Simon brother is which.
Rating (1-10 stars): 10/10
Simon Back Story: Rick pays the Simons' bills when there is not an "r" in the month.
Memorable Dialogue: AJ:[from rural pay phone, Power Wagon and tow truck in background] "I just want to let you know I'm on my way home, and I want to share with you something I discovered out here...in the wilderness. It's all about the life-giving properties of water. Man needs it. Animals need it. The Earth needs it..and car batteries need it!!!"
AJ:[pretending to be Rick] "So The Mustache drowned another chicken and ten bucks of fancy vino, huh?
AJ: "You want to experience real meal? Go take a look at what I got strapped to the hood of the Power Wagon."
Gerry: [deadpan]: "Hey buddy, do you know where I can get some ice? Lots...of ice?"
Undercover Shtick: The entire episode is Undercover Shtick, with the brothers playing each other. They also pose as gardeners when they infiltrate Barton's estate. A stereotypical Japanese gardener blows their cover. No explanation is given as to how Rick and AJ obtain the truck, equipment, and clothing, however.
Notable Use of Music: Some weird guitar music from the radio is heard as Rick fusses with the gourmet take out and a very interested Marlowe in the kitchen. Crap-sounding Lite Jazz is also heard. Cool staccato electric guitar cue plays when Rick finds Ranfield's body on the real estate magnate's boat. A fun picked acoustic guitar piece plays as AJ struggles with the Power Wagon's tailgate and roll bar.
A funky "Bayou Blues"-sounding cue is heard during Rick's break in of Claire's motel.
Slide electric guitar cue and metallic synth when Power Wagon moves on Bruno's tip.
The horn section "Travel and Arrival Cue" is heard when the Simons arrive in Monterey.
1980s-ness: A precursor (of sorts) to the "body switch" movie craze, seen in films Like Father, Like Son (1987) and Vice Versa (1988). The original Freaky Friday (1976) is mentioned in this entry simply because this author had a mad childhood crush on...wait for it...Barbara Harris.
San Diego References: The Chargers pennant is seen on the wall behind Rick's office desk. Rick, calling an associate named Bruno, refers to himself as Rick "Two Padres Box Seats to the Cubs Series" Simon. The tickets were AJ's, now they're Bruno's.
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jarrodmcdonald-1
7 years ago
'Walk a Mile in My Hat' is one I vaguely remember from the original broadcast. Surprised the writers didn't think to do this premise earlier, with them switching roles.
Walston guest-starred three times, playing a different character in each episode he did.
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pacwarbuff
7 years ago
Season and Episode Number: Season 5, Episode 11
Episode Title: Facets
Original Airdate: December 19, 1985
Writer: Diane Saunders
Director: Burt Kennedy
Synopsis: AJ and Rick are called in when a valuable gem is stolen from Nyquist jewelers who suspect their rivals, the Cartons. The brothers find themselves in the midst of feud and AJ experiences anguish when forced to use his gun.
Guest Cast: Tony O'Dell (Jerry Carton); Jean Sagal (Andrea Nyquist); Harry Townes (Harry Carton); Alex Henteloff (Ditto); Dennis Pratt (Felix); Danny Dayton (Jeweler Joe Wilson); Kay Freeman (Mrs. Carton); Leonard Stone (Uncle Jack); Special Guest Star Norman Fell (Leo Nyquist).
Review/Observations: A transition episode which serves as a portent of darker-themed episodes to come. An episode more about how a shooting effects the shooter rather than the one who is shot. Speaking of effects, one can’t help but remember Jameson Parker’s 1992 non-fatal shooting and its subsequent effects on the actor, chronicled in his book, An Accidental Cowboy.
Facets is the lone writing credit for Diane Saunders. Her sole acting credit was as "Bag Lady" in the film Trespasses (1991).
The story is of the Romeo and Juliet/Hatfields and McCoys style, with two jeweler families in competition with one another for seventy years.
The episode opens with stock or second-unit footage of London landmarks, which were perhaps filmed en route to Paris for season four’s C'est Simon The interior used for the “London Diamond Exchange” is quite ornate. Where was this filmed?
Norman Fell sports a goatee beard. His is a straight-laced role, though a trace of the impish Stanley Roper humor comes through in the Diamond Exchange, when he asks the stuffy English diamond clerk, “Is it permitted to smile, even a little?” The clerk replies, “It is not advisable, sir. The diamond you purchased is valued at $100,000 as agreed. Modest, but quite acceptable for a first-time buyer here, sir.” It would have been nice to have seen more of Norman Fell in this or a second appearance in another role.
The first Simons scene is one of their regular “Opening Comedy Scenes”, as a way to showcase the Parker-McRaney chemistry. Here, AJ comes home from a trip to a completely empty house. The camera pulls back to show this. Rick is sitting alone on the floor. Rick apparently has a “surprise” for AJ, as he and Jenny, who is “from the 24-hour martinizing place” (a dry cleaner). Rick had all of AJ’s furniture shipped to Mexico to have it cleaned by Jenny’s ex-jailbird husband, busted by the Simons and having been recently released after serving five years.
AJ wears a nice black suit with grey and black tie in the brief office scene with Leo Nyquist.
The Nyquist jewelry store looks to be nearby the same street (12164 Ventura Blvd) where The Rockford Files episode, The Fourth Man (Season 3, Episode 1) was filmed, an episode partially dealing with rare coins. However, the Carton jewelry shop has a “5117” address number.
Interesting use of shadow in the point-of-view shot seen from behind Rick and AJ from the rear window of the Power Wagon when they tail the courier van.
Right after the shooting, AJ goes to the hospital. He apologizes to Jerry Carton's parents. Mrs. Carton calls AJ a "bastard" and hits him.
Tony O’Dell (Jerry) and Jean Sagal (Andrea) do not give very good performances. O’Dell would go on to join the series Head of the Class (1986-91). Jean Sagal was one half of the twin stars of Double Trouble (1984-85) and later go on to become producer of the sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Kathleen Freeman, best known for her appearances in several Jerry Lewis films, has a throwaway cameo in this episode.
Even though Rick is in peril, AJ still freezes in the second firefight.
Marlowe appears throughout the episode. He sits in AJ's easy chair. He also trots down to greet Cecilia from the back deck to the walkway.
Two weeks pass after AJ’s shooting of Jerry Carton, and AJ is still agonizing over it. The missing diamond case continues.
Stone cutter Joe Wilson and Nyquist’s jeweler George Seifer (Jimmy Lydon) use the Yiddish expression “mazel und broche” when concluding a business deal. There is said to be a “jeweler's code.”
The gold gun cabinet in AJ’s bookcase/entertainment center has a combination lock on it.
Rick and Cecilia share a sweet mother-son conversation and embrace after their discussion about AJ, who has been punching away on a boxing bag in the cleared-out garage.
Cecilia also has a good mother-son conversation with the distraught AJ. Cecilia urges him to visit Jerry Carton in the hospital.
There's fog or smoke in the background of one scene around the canal near AJ's house.
There are several night-time scenes around the jewelry store. This includes all three shootouts.
After everyone is toasting one another, and ending the Carton-Nyquist feud as well as Rick and AJ. for having solved the case of the diamond theft. Rick gets the final line: "Can we drink now?" I took this as Rick's way of saying "we have gotten past this" and getting everyone to move on from the recent events since all has ended well.
Rating (1-10 stars): 9/10
Simon Back Story: Five years ago (making the year of the case 1980) Rick and AJ busted Jenny’s, the dry cleaner business owner, husband for smuggling. He served five years in El Centro prison.
AJ says that he has killed two people in his life. Which two would that be?
When Rick was a child, he would never go to Cecilia with a problem. Instead, he would go off to be alone until he found the answer. In contrast, AJ would go to Cecilia to talk.
Memorable Dialogue:
Leo Nyquist: “Ditto? What kind of name is that for a grown man? What are you an expert on, Mr. Ditto?”
Ditto: “Documents. Anything written or printed, along with the paper it is written or printed on. Inks and dyes, envelopes, the glues and pastes used to seal envelopes, along with postmarks, watermarks, stamps, type fonts, and the general archana of bookbinding...but mostly forgery.”
Leo Nyquist: Is this guy wanted by the police?
Ditto: “No, the glory days are gone. Arthritis. The curse of the craftsman. These days, all I can do is be an expert.”
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Rick: “You feel like Hell. You keep asking yourself: is there anything I could have done differently. And you’re mad because the answer keeps comin’ up the same: No.
AJ: “That kid is 17 years old. He has his entire life ahead of him and I may have taken it away from him!”
Rick: “AJ, there is nothing else you could have done!”
AJ: “I could have done what you did, held fire.”
Rick: “This is precisely why they tell you never second-guess yourself in a shooting. Yeah, we could have both held fire. We could both be dead.”
AJ: “I’ve killed two other people in my life. I still have nightmares about it, I see their faces.”
Rick: “I know.”
AJ: “I threw up after the first one. [long pause] I had no choice then. They were trying to kill me. This...kid. This kid didn’t even have a gun. I am supposed to be a trained professional. I should...I should have contained the situation somehow. Instead, I…”
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Rick: “Mom, AJ’s only problem is he cares. He feels other people’s hurt. Makes our kind of work tough on him, but it’s also what makes him so good at it. AJ will come to us when he’s ready. Come on, don’t worry. I know him. He’ll get past this.”
Cecilia: “I hope you’re right.”
Rick: “Of course I’m right. Went off by myself and found the answer...so will he.”
Undercover Shtick: None.
Notable Use of Music: Stately English cue plays over the opening credits of London stock footage.
Funky synth and acoustic guitar cue is heard when the Simons tail the courier van in the Power Wagon.
Interesting musical cue heard in the lead up to AJ’s shooting of Jerry Carton. The “signature” Simon brothers motif of electric slide guitar is briefly heard as AJ comforts the wounded Jerry Carton.
Synth, percussion, and electric guitar piece as the Simons arrive at the warehouse at night to purchase the stolen Nyquist diamond (where AJ freezes in the subsequent gunfight). Joseph Conlan continues to delight with his inventive musical underscore.
A plucked instrument cue which sounds like it was played through some electronic filter of sorts. It's heard as the Simons go to the final shootout.
1980s-ness: Jerry Carton's Mullet-in-Training hairstyle; Town's short-sleeve yellow-and-grey shirt, last seen in Enchilada Express, the same shirt he tore off and tossed aside during the escape from the Costa Verde jail cell. He must have really liked it to have gone back and retrieved it. AJ wears the grey, white, and black short-sleeve shirt in the opening scene. Andrea wears an ugly belted tunic. The hospital has a garish grey and black terrazza or carpeted floor. AJ wears a burgundy Members Only-styled windbreaker.
San Diego References: Rick dropped AJ off at the airport the previous night and then mentions a “little drive thru milk and cheese place out by the wharf.” Rick’s "McDonald's" edition San Diego Padres cap is seen on a chair.
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jarrodmcdonald-1
7 years ago
I liked the comment about detecting traces of Norman Fell's earlier character from Three's Company and The Ropers. It kind of gives the story an extra-narrative quality. Sometimes that's why comic actors are hired to do straight roles, because the audience will be thinking it's Stanley Roper and then get fooled if he ends up playing a killer, or someone who's rather dangerous. A form of casting against type.
I bet there was a lot of leftover "stock footage" from the Paris location shoot they tried to squeeze into later episodes.
A transition episode which serves as a portent of darker-themed episodes to come. An episode more about how a shooting effects the shooter rather than the one who is shot.
I tend to like these kinds of explorations with the characters. We get a more internalized man vs. himself sort of conflict which I think with a good actor is always interesting to watch on screen.
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pacwarbuff
7 years ago
That moment of Norman Fell's, albeit a brief one, captures his charisma in a bottle. It's like one of those moments when a supporting actor steals--or in some cases, rips--a scene from the lead actor, although the lead actor aspect is not the case with Fell's scene here. Still, it's the caliber of quality performers such as Norman Fell that bring much-appreciated "gravitas" to a scene, even when one least expects it.
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h-corbett
7 years ago
AJ says that he has killed two people in his life. Which two would that be?
Officer Reimers from 'Guessing Game'. I'm drawing a blank on the other one.
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pacwarbuff
7 years ago
Season and Episode Number: Season 5, Episode 12
Episode Title: Sunrise at Camp Apollo
Original Airdate: January 2, 1986
Writer: Steve Stoliar
Director: Kim Manners
Synopsis: Rick and AJ become involved in a camp for troubled youth suspected of robberies in an upscale neighborhood. The teens refuse help but Julio is arrested for murder and the PI's have ideas about kindly Ross Garrett plus the wealthy kids who hang out at his pharmacy.
Guest Cast:John Dennis Johnston (Lenny, Camp Operator); Troy Slaten (Cricket); Eric Schiff (Randy Chandler); Roberto Román (Julio Sanchez); Jay W. MacIntosh (Estelle Chandler); Sandy Ward (Frank Chandler); Gail Barle (Rita). Special Guest Star Gordon Jump (Ross Garrett).
Review/Observations: The episode features an excellent Gerald McRaney performance, most notably in the police station scene with Julio. One can easily believe that Rick was once like these troubled kids.
The young actors playing the campers are typically ‘80s TV “tough kids” and their performances vary in quality. The ending is a little pat and wrapped up all too quickly. Still, the episode has its heart in the right place, and is enjoyable for that reason, as well as the superb performance by McRaney.
The title is a play on the film Sunrise at Campobello (1960), which starred Ralph Bellamy and Greer Garson as Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Sunrise at Camp Apollo is the first Simon & Simon episode broadcast in 1986 (January 2).
It’s another WKRP in Cincinnati reunion, as guest star Gordon Jump, in another villainous post-WKRP role. Jump played the despicable Mr. Horton in the 1983 Diff'rent Strokesepisode The Bicycle Man. Here, Jump’s WKRP co-star Tim Reid shares a scene when Downtown Brown arrests Jump’s character, Ross Garrett.
The Opening Comedy Scene is the Simons occupying their bowtie-wearing neighbor, the nebbishy neighbor, Warren Taubam, plying him with snacks and beverages while Town conducts a raid on Taubam’s house, which has an explosive device planted in it.. Taubam recalls was pistol-whipped by a clown who was waiting for the Simons.
Marlowe is seen sitting on the footrest of the living room easy chair in the opening scene.
Rick wears a Woodland camouflage United States Marine Corps cap and grey USMC sweatshirt--rehearsals for Major Dad.
AJ, searching the various bunks, pretends to have done 88 pull ups from the rafters for the benefit of the returning campers.
Rick and AJ pull pranks on one another in camp. Rick’s bunk all dump buckets of water on AJ. Rick, soapy and wet while showering, has his water shut off and his clothes taken away from him along with the lights turned off.
When their initial searches fail to uncover any stolen precious metal items, Rick suggests to AJ that Cecilia should come to the camp “and bring up a couple of metal detectors. NPR 2240’S ought to do the trick.”
The Camp Apollo “lake” looks to be the same body of water that Rick plows through with the Power Wagon (not seen in this episode) in the opening credits. The lake is waist deep. Both AJ and Rick are seen swimming in it.
Gail Barle has a brief walk-on bit as counselor Rita, who gets Rick and AJ’s attention and an invite to the girls’ camp going away party. Later, in the night time camp party scene, Rita and AJ sit together, with AJ making sure Rick doesn’t sit between him and Rita.
There’s a spectacular night time car crash into a telephone pole when Frank Chandler pursues the burglars after they hit his house a second time.
Officer Nixon gets one line, telling Julio “good luck” when the latter is released from police custody.
Town is the victim of the bucket-of-water gag, which is how the episode ends.
Rating (1-10 stars): 8/10
Simon Back Story: AJ has an old brown duffel bag with the words AJ SIMON ESQ. and BEAVERS FOREVER written on it. Cecilia says she wishes there had been youth camps when Rick was young, as he cost the family $5,000 “for that one week in the military academy.” Rick replies, “How could I know the cannon still worked?” The last time the Simons went to a camp, AJ was eight years old.
When a bunkhouse search yields a copy of “Bill’s Tractor Trailer Equipment Rentals” calendar with its “Girl of the Month” feature, Rick says, ”I thought they stopped coming out with that twenty years ago...still get excited every time I see a tractor rig.”
Rick tells AJ that when he was in camp, he used to hide his beer at the bottom of the lake.
When Julio is fighting with another camper, Rick tells AJ not to break up the fight, because “Dad never broke us up, did he?”
When one of the kids asks the Simons which camp they were at last summer, Rick stammers and then answers, “Guadabompo.” When Rita asks, “Guadabompo? In Mexico? But I thought that was a prison camp!” Rick replies, “It is. It was just a little misunderstanding. We were only there a couple of days. Oh, hey Town…” Going by the January airdate, this would have been in the summer of 1984, since it is assumed that this episode takes place in the summer of 1985.
Cecilia recalls “the first time Rick was arrested. They said he stole old McDougall’s car and took it for a joyride, just because he had the reputation for getting into trouble. And after an entire day at the police station, his father and I finally convinced them that Rick couldn’t have possibly done it.” Rick cringes throughout and then says, “I did it.” Cecilia says that’s not the point. The point is we stuck together and had faith in each other no matter how bad things looked. When a kid asks if AJ was ever arrested, Cecilia says, “Uh, well…” and the scene cuts away.
Just before the final fight, one of the camp kids says: “It’s like AJ says: Sometimes ya gotta retaliate!”
Memorable Dialogue:
Rick: “I confiscated some a little potato alcohol from cabin number 8. Can’t believe these guys.” [Goes to drink it]
Lenny: [shakes head] “Uh, we gotta set an example here.”
Rick: “How...good an example?”
*Lenny goes to take away the jar, Rick pulls it back*
Undercover Shtick: The entirety of this episode is the Simons undercover as camp counselors, but no shtick.
Notable Use of Music: Percussion-and-synth-flute-heavy cue is heard as the Camp Apollo bus pulls into camp.
Electric drum cue during the home burglary of Estelle Chandler’s house.
Synth wooden percussion and electric guitar cue is heard as Rick follows Julio on foot through the woods, ending when the two happen upon some deer, which they both admire.
Blues Bayou acoustic guitar-electronic flute-soprano saxophone cue as Rick breaks into Julio’s camp foot locker.
The Thoughtful Simons Chime is heard, followed by by a mournful, sympathetic soprano sax piece when Rick goes to talk to Julio at the police station.
A lame generic ‘80s rock music song is heard at the rich kids’ dance. “My daddy always said to me/there’s nothin’ in this life you get for free/whatever you get, there’s always a girl that’s due, yeah/on the day that I said goodbye, you shook my hand, the tears were in your eyes/son ya gotta do what ya gotta do…”
1980s-ness: The February 20, 1984 issue of Time magazine, featuring the then recently-deceased Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov on the cover, is seen on Cecilia’s coffee table. That issue of Time was well over a year old when this episode was filmed. Andropov’s successor, Konstantin Chernenko, had died in March 1985, nearly a year before this episode was first broadcast.
The Julio’s Mullet hairdo and cut-off sleeve sweatshirt.
San Diego References:
Town wears a tan SDPD cap in the opening scene.
Flubs: When Town dives over a glass counter to tackle one of the thieves, it’s clearly Tim Reid’s stuntman.
Head camp counselor Lenny says, “Vigilantes don’t need any proof! They’re calling in all the political favors they can mustard!”[sic]
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