The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo S1 E7: Run for the Money Part III

Originally aired on November 13, 1979
Directed by Bruce Bilson
Story by Glen A. Larson and Sidney Ellis and Robert L. McCullough and Frank Lupo and John Peyser
Teleplay by Michael Sloan and Sidney Ellis and Frank Lupo and Robert L. McCullough

And the conclusion to this massive adventure arrives!

Hi, I'm the dad who gets kidnapped by the main jerk

That's me and the main jerk. I've been kidnapped!

The blonde croupier decides to go good. But, her dad is kidnapped by the main jerk. The main jerk is in a boat on a lake in the middle of the desert. He demands that Blondie and B.J., with Bear, bring him all the casino heist money. And, in true farce fashion, every single main cast member spends much of the episode speeding towards the boat. They all get involved in chicanery with broken down cars, nasty bikers led by Richard Moll and just plain racing against time. Will these huge assembly of cops and good guys be able to take down the bad guy and his handful of men on a yacht?

Probably. And it's a lot of fun.

 Don't trust this taxi guy

Hello! I'm on The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo

If episode one was about introducing everyone and setting up the Scheme (robbing the casino)...  and episode two is everyone acting in character trying to solve the Scheme...  episode three is a low budget, in the desert, variation of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. As mentioned, it's everyone involved in their Own Private Shenanigans. It's too bad that Lobo won't be heading over to the world of Mr. McKay again because they work well together.

Fun with Wiley and The Fox

I wonder now if lifting Lobo out of B.J. and the Bear hurt everyone involved. As I mentioned in previous reviews, much of the Lobo slapstick isn't terribly funny. It can be charming but it's never laugh out loud funny. And, when Lobo left, the producers on B.J. and the Bear immediately brought on two other groups of cops and a bunch of mean truckers to try and match the Power of Claude Akins. And, the ratings did drop. At this point, ratings are still going strong but they drop pretty quick after this. I need to find when exactly that happens.

Fun with Perkins and Lobo

There's not much to say about the actual episode. It semi-cleverly brings this story to a close. The odd thing is that it really is all about this one criminal jerk and this one Scheme. One gets the feeling that possibly the stakes should have been higher. Every once in a while it strikes me as a bit of a Much Ado About Nothing. One sees all these people running around, all this stuff happening...  and then when focus is placed on why it's happening, it seems a trifle small. In the first season of B.J.'s show, B.J. was freeing a group of women from white slavery. He was taking down a corporation that was producing biological weaponry. He was climbing up a Ferris wheel to save people! It's petty niggling for me to bring it up but I think the stakes could have been higher.

 I have to get in the water with Deborah Shelton?

You got it.

Avengers Assemble!

(Not a lot of Cain in this episode.)

Now, we return to regular B.J. and the Bear reviewing...  It was nice to visit Lobo and the gang one last time. I salute you, sir!

 The last shot with these two pop culture icons together

Tears? Shame? Or tears of shame?

Eventually Supetrain #5 is here!

And this episode has a dramatic reading from a Joanie Loves Chachi novel...

Woah Nellie!

Enjoy.

#5!

American Sitcom Discussion

American Sitcoms Discussion

The Great Mitch Hadley from It's About TV, Stephen Winzenburg (who teaches what sounds like the greatest college course ever) and myself discuss the history of American TV sitcoms. From the origins in radio to Lucy to Get Smart to Mary Tyler Moore to the future of the sitcom...

It's a great discussion. We cover a lot of ground in 2 1/2 hours. Please, listen and enjoy

Eventually Supertrain #4

Episode #4 has arrived! Please listen, enjoy...  and, most of all, have a Marvy time.

Episode #4

BJ and the Bear S2 E7: The Eyes of Texas

Originally aired on November 10, 1979
Directed by Bruce Bilson
Written by Glen A. Larson

Two things:
1) This is a gamy patch for episode quality. There are screenshots here but they're not always the best. They turned out kind of smudgy.
2) Follow this link to the episode on YouTube!

Carolyn and Heather, Private Detectives!

Two detectives are looking to get their Big Case, their big break. The agency they work for has assigned them to find a philanderer who may be smuggling jewels (if I'm remembering correctly -- I'll explain later). The two ladies hook up with B.J. McKay, who doesn't know what they're up to...  and chicanery ensues. Including one of the women falling off a balcony into a pool, a fight by another pool, a scene with a whole lot of bikers and a speedboat chase. Oh, and B.J. really isn't in it all that much. It's mainly about Carolyn (Lorrie Mahaffey) and Heather (Rebecca Reynolds). Carolyn is the Hot one. Heather is the one with the odd haircut who acts frumpy. (And, yes, Carolyn did go out with Potsie Weber in another life.)

Getting their next case

I know what you're thinking. "Dan, you SOB, where's my review of Run For The Money Part 3? You're a liar and a blackguard." To that, I respond, "Please stay calm and allow me to explain." Then, it gets nasty...  We're going in chronological order. Parts 2 and 3 of Run For The Money aired as Lobo episodes. So, that means there is an episode of BJ and the Bear in-between...  and it's this one.

 Hey. B.J.!

This guy...  Let's say he's a smuggler.

That works for me.

Brion! Always good to see you

Written by Glen A. Larson, oddly enough. Larson was known for shepherding his shows along and then going on to new ones after a time. So, if he's here, than this episode is important to him in some way. And, yes, it is a charmer. (Although lighter than a feather...  notes must be taken during this episode to remember any of it but an appearance by Brion James and Carolyn dancing on a diving board.) But, it also feels like a "soft backdoor pilot" for a series about Carolyn and Heather. Now, I just made up that term so I may have to explain...(I know you're still mad at me.)  A "soft backdoor pilot" is when supporting characters almost overwhelm the main character but don't quite. The episode "Lobo" from Season 1 is a "hard backdoor pilot." We will encounter another "hard one" when the character Heather returns later in the season with Heather Thomas (instead of Mahaffey) to solve another crime. Glen was up to something that involved a show about two female detectives. Sadly, he has passed so we can't ask him what his plans were.

Hangin' With Heather!

The episode is screaming out for a laugh track. There's a constant series of wacky adventures going on with our gals. From the opening in a diner where bikers harass everyone to the final fight around the pool, this is Larson ratcheting up the Wacky. There's even a scene where soaking wet Carolyn takes off her clothes at the laundromat to dry them. And...  there's a guy nearby who assists her...  right as his estranged wife walks in to make up with him. (His wife does the best of all possible faces when she sees what is going on.)

Greatest Face Ever?

As always, the Wacky is never terribly funny...  the best episodes of Our Favorite Show are mostly drama with moments of comedy. Season 2 has been liberally applying the comedy, possibly to match it up closer with Lobo. But, it's not what B.J. and Bear do best. They do light drama/ action with a bit of comedy. The season will calm down and return to its roots as it goes along. As we get away from Country Comfort, basically. But, the ratings will have begun to dip heavily by that point so few would care.

 Eating dinner with B.J...

not thinking about Potsie

In the T.V. biz, this is called the "Hot Lean"

Is this a good episode? Sure. Why not? It's a charming 48-50 minutes worth of television. It does have a few laughs. It has a semi-exciting powerboat chase with way too much rear-screen projection. The ladies are lovely. The guys (well, B.J.) look good. Bear gets involved in the minimal amount of chimp-related chicanery allowed by law. This could almost be an episode of anything. But, it has just enough of the Larson/ Bilson know-how to keep you hooked...  for the time it's playing. And, as I mentioned, two female detectives will be appearing later in the season.

Top photo: Carolyn is mixed into all that water

Bottom photo: Awesome Rear Screen Projection makes chases more exciting!

But, first...  some unfinished business...

I actually meant episode 3 of Run For The Money, rather than Carolyn dancing by the pool...  The screenshot gods make me their pawn.

Freeze Frame!

...and one more for good luck...