georgechambless Reviews

American Lawmen: Petrosino vs. The Mafia (2016) Season 1, Episode 2

Good show

[9/10 · 12 May 2023]

Interesting story that goes back to the origins of the Italian Mafia in the United States. Joseph Petrosino was an Italian-American cop in NYC in the 1900's who didn't like the way gangs were victimizing the Italian community and came up with innovative new investigative techniques that are still used by police today.

The amount of low reviews for this episode is confusing because it's both interesting and informative.

It is an inspiring story of an immigrant police officer who saw his community being victimized their fellow countrymen and tried to do something about it. He is till admired today.

Rock Legends: Women Who Rock (2019) Season 11, Episode 9

Just a few 'Women Who Rock'

[6/10 · 30 July 2022]

The title is misleading because they only profile Heart, The Bangles, and Suzi Quattro. For only a half hour of time, they did a good job of covering them. It's a good show for what it is, but that title had me anticipating a lot more artists. Whoever approved this episode title should be working in the mail room.

The full story of Women Who Rock would last for hours and be worthy of a Ken Burns series.

The Color of Care (2022)

Oprah proves blacks can't succeed in America

[1/10 · 7 May 2022]

Multi-billionaire Oprah Winfrey provides 90 minutes of compelling evidence that the USA is a fundamentally racist country where a black person will never thrive. Multiple examples are detailed showing that non-whites can't even get lifesaving healthcare and are left to die.

History's Greatest Mysteries (2020– )

Disappointing

[2/10 · 3 May 2022]

"It's been suggested...some people believe...it could have been that..." Don't expect to learn much with this series. There's no new evidence provided. Mostly just a rehash of already known information and speculation by authors and 'experts'.

The topics can be interesting if you aren't familiar with them, but overall the show itself is a dud.

Charles Manson: The Funeral (2019 TV Movie)

Sad

[2/10 · 18 October 2021]

Manson's grandson seems to be a very naïve and immature person for allowing this show to be made. He lets a group of ghoulish hangers-on be involved in the cremation and scattering of ashes. They even wipe the ashes on their faces.

Was he trying to get some fame out of this? I can't tell. To me he just ends up looking kind of pathetic, which is a good description of this entire show.

Lots of '60s pictures of Manson's family and their 'adventures' are featured, which was kind of interesting. But certainly not worth two hours of time.

Tha God's Honest Truth with Charlamagne Tha God (2021)

Comedy Central in the 2020s

[1/10 · 18 September 2021]

Nurturing hatred between the races in the USA is the name of the game with this series. Disguised as comedy, but obviously motivated by anger. Promoting racial stereotypes appears to be the objective of McKelvey, executive producer Stephen Colbert and ViacomCBS. Not funny at all, and very sad to see.

Adam-12: Truant (1971) Season 4, Episode 7

Barbara Nichols!

[9/10 · 27 February 2021]

In one of her later roles, she plays a negligent mother in a scene with Martin Milner. He does an excellent Joe Friday. Other stories include Reed's plans to combat youth crime via truancy enforcement. Neat cars include a 1967 Lincoln Continental sedan with a hidden secret.

Bug (1975)

A Very Brady Bug Problem

[5/10 · 14 February 2021]

This kind of 'nature-strikes-back' movie of the 70s was done better than this, but it's still pretty fun. This time it's roaches. A neat part was the use of the Brady Bunch set. The kitchen scenes are most obvious. If Alice were around, she would have just grabbed a can of Raid and been done with it. Unfortunately, 'The Brady Bunch' had been cancelled recently.

Dragnet 1967: Homicide: DR-22 (1969) Season 3, Episode 14

Burt Mustin and Jill Banner!

[10/10 · 16 January 2021]

Quick moving, enjoyable episode with Burt giving Friday and Gannon a run for their money as far as crime-solving. Miss Banner does a fine job as always as a girl caught up in the plot.

Fixer to Fabulous (2019– )

Don't expect to learn much

[5/10 · 25 November 2020]

Home improvement show that that features an adorable couple renovating houses. If you're more into relationship stories than swinging a hammer, this is for you. Segments are include conversations with the audience. It's a good show for what it is, I just expected something different.

MotorWeek (1981– )

The Original

[9/10 · 9 November 2020]

I was 15 when this first showed up on PBS. It was a must-see show. They have remained true to the original format: road tests, automotive news, maintenance advice from Pat Goss, and an occasional special feature that may be called 'The High Road' or something else. It's amazing to see how they haven't had to change much over all these years. With so many media outlets for automotive shows available now, MotorWeek is still a good show worth watching today. And that's why I do.

The Andy Griffith Show: Prisoner of Love (1964) Season 4, Episode 18

Where's Helen?

[10/10 · 28 October 2020]

Andy and Barney were understandably smitten by the lovely Susan Oliver, who wouldn't be? The only thing that bothered me was how they could forget about Helen and Thelma Lou. Come on, fellas! Still, it's another great episode when TAGS was it it's prime. Mighty good!

Father Knows Best: A Friend in Need (1958) Season 4, Episode 27

Duchess, wherefore art thou?

[8/10 · 8 October 2020]

A highly trained dog escapes from a traveling medicine man show's trailer when he get's arrested. The dog shows up at the Anderson home and becomes an instant favorite of the family, much to the regret of Jim. He knows that 'Duchess' is obviously owned by someone who cares very much for her, and tries to find the owner. The dog is so well trained and behaved that Jim begins to fall under her spell. Meanwhile, the owner gets out of jail and has no idea where she is and is desperate to find her..

Father Knows Best: Tell it to Mom (1958) Season 4, Episode 26

Can you keep a secret for me?

[9/10 · 8 October 2020]

Very interesting show about Margaret agreeing to keep a different secret with each of the children. Each secret involves another and it turns out to be a mess with no apparent solution. It's safe to guess that everything works out okay, but it makes for a good show.

Frontline: Plastic Wars (2020) Season 38, Episode 16

More interesting than helpful

[5/10 · 2 April 2020]

The basic problem as explained is that many types of plastic in use today are not easily recyclable and that subsequently end up in countries like Indonesia where it is just dumped. It seems that the problem is not with plastic itself, but the types of 'un-recyclable' plastics that are in use. The different numbers in the triangle are supposed to let us know. One problem with the show is that they start by showing these bad types of plastic, but don't let the viewer know how to identify them in the store. The history of the recycle triangle is explained but they do not give the specific numbers we should avoid. At one point they are in an Oregon grocery store with a container of 'bad' plastic. The triangle number is not mentioned or visible in the video. If it can't be recycled in Oregon, it probably can't be recycled where you are. This failure to inform the viewer about which plastics to avoid in the grocery store was disappointing. If the purpose of the show was to just make the plastic industry look bad, they did it. If they wanted to provide me with more information as a consumer to know which plastic triangle numbers to avoid in the first place, they failed. Informative but disappointing. That extra info would have made it a much better episode. I was hoping to be a more informed recycler after watching this, but it didn't work out.

Dragnet: The Big Lamp (1952) Season 1, Episode 14

Interesting start to a good episode.

[9/10 · 6 September 2019]

It begins with Friday and partner Ed Jacobs in court where Conrad Buckley is on trial for a case they worked on. The prosecution witness gives testimony that would be absurd today but is presented here as reasonable. Buckley is acquitted and disappears for a few months. Upon returning, he has a wife and an expensive lifestyle. It looks like he's still a criminal, but can it be proven? Interesting to see two character actors early in their careers: Eddie Firestone as Buckley and Tol Avery as police Captain Wisdom.

JFK Jr. and Carolyn's Wedding: The Lost Tapes (2019 TV Movie)

Mostly for Kennedy fans

[4/10 · 17 July 2019]

This is an affectionate look at the life of JFK Jr's life thru his marriage to Carolyn Bessette. Lots of interesting video interspersed with commentary from writers and pundits in the 'fame business' along with people who knew them personally.

If you're not a big fan of the Kennedy story, the admiration will seem a bit too much. But for those who closely followed their story at the time, this is definitely worth watching.

The Partridge Family: Hate Thy Neighbor (1973) Season 4, Episode 1

Sharks...

[4/10 · 29 June 2019]

One of the classic signs of a television series 'Jumping The Shark' is illustrated in this first episode of season four: the introduction of an adorable child as a new series regular. In this case it's little Ricky Stevens, Rick Segall (I), a sharp kid who's family just moved in next door. His parents are offensively 'square', so he naturally gravitates to the Partridges. Ricky is talented enough to carry this episode, but his songs in the later episodes quickly lost their charm.