Cinema Saturday: Dragnet (1966-9)

 We're launching a new feature today with Cinema Saturday. First up, we're bringing back the 1966 pilot for the 2nd Dragnet series, which didn't air until 3 years later. Unfortunately, the last copy we had was removed from YouTube.

This time, we'll start with the opening sequence, which has, for unknown reasons, been edited off subsequent prints.

Today, the bondage sequence at the start probably would've been moved to later in the movie.

Now, in the words of the late Paul Harvey, the rest of the story.

I honestly wish the movie was left intact as we had it before, but things are different today.

In 2 weeks, the return of Peter Gunn.

Carlos Mendoza fired by the Mets. Which direction does the team take, post-firing?

 You could see it coming a mile away. Six errors in the nightcap of a Wednesday doubleheader seemed to be the last straw, but the Mets allowed 3rd year manager Carlos Mendoza one more game, the front office equivalent of having a reliever in the bullpen after the starter gets a mound visit, and it's assumed he has one more batter to face.

The Mets were swept by the Chicago Cubs, extending their current losing streak to six games, or half the size of their longest dry spell of the season. Today, the cut the cord on Mendoza, a move many fans saw as long overdue.

Green, a former manager with San Diego, has been in the player development department with the Mets, so he knows some of the current players, and GM David Stearns, himself on the hot seat in the eyes of fans, and owner Steve Cohen, felt a change was needed. In all honesty, maybe that change should've been made after the Mets dropped two of three to the hated Phillies, who roll into Citi Field tonight off a rough series vs. Washington.

After falling out of playoff contention at the end of last season, the Mets were expected to turn things around, but slugger Pete Alonso (Baltimore), closer Edwin Diaz (Dodgers, currently on the IL), and utility ace Jeff McNeil (Sacramento) all chased the money, and Brandon Nimmo was shipped off to Texas for an underachieving Marcus Semien, who's started to turn it around on offense before going to the IL earlier this week with a hip injury. Fans on reddit rebelled, believing the team had reverted to the pre-Cohen era method of rebuilding on the cheap, choosing to stupidly convert Jorge Polanco to a first baseman (currently on the IL). Mark Vientos has been hot & cold, as has Jared Young. The experiment of making Brett Baty into another McNeil (that is, a utilityman who can play anywhere) has been met with indifference.

It's almost as if someone was really, really unhappy after the popular Alonso was allowed to walk, and hexed the team, but there's no proof that ever happened, of course. It isn't helping that the Mets' current malaise has dampened the momentum generated by the Knicks' NBA title victory earlier this month.

Fans on reddit already have given up on 2026, but is it premature? Philadelphia offers a case that it might be. They were the last team to change managers, swapping out Rob Thomson for Don Mattingly several weeks back, and they're back in the thick of the pennant race. Boston dumped Alex Cora, but Chad Tracy has not been the answer so far, leaving the Red Sox in the same position as the Mets, and it's not pretty. At the same time, the fans are not paying much attention to the usual spate of injuries, preventing the 2026 team from actually coming together as a unit, and looking for someone to blame. If you want to do that, whine on talk radio, kids.

Time will tell if Green, a veteran manager like Mattingly, can turn the ship around before it does hit a season ending iceberg. And the clock starts ticking tonight.

Family Fridays: The series premiere of The Smith Family (1971)

 The Smith Family was Don Fedderson's final sale to ABC, and by year's end, he would not have anything on the network, as the series was cancelled, while, The Lawrence Welk Show moved to syndication that fall.

Smith was a mid-season replacement, and the first series for film star Henry Fonda in about a decade (The Deputy). It also brought Ron(ny) Howard (ex-The Andy Griffith Show) back to television after he'd made a movie or two for Disney.

In the opener, Cindy (Darleen Carr, later of The Streets of San Francisco) is ostracized when a classmate (guest star Heather Menzies) is busted for marijuana possession.

The title song is performed by Mike Minor (ex-Petticoat Junction).

Fonda would not land another TV series, but spent the rest of the 70's shilling for View-Master in between movies.

Musical Interlude: Spinning Wheel (1969)

 I remember watching some figure skating as a youth, and the background music was "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears. It was so, so perfect.

So, let's go back to 1969, and a live performance of "Spinning Wheel":

In memory of singer David Clayton Thomas, who has passed away at 84. Rest in peace.

Judge to Trump: Leave our elections alone!

 I think you can stick a fork in Dumb Donald's "SAVE America Act", which is meant to be a voter suppression law. A judge just shut down Trump's efforts to interfere in future elections. Glenn Kirschner explains.

Just think, Dumb Donald blocked a bi-partisan housing bill because he wanted his precious project passed. You can just imagine the reaction in the White House....

Meanwhile, a fence has been erected around the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, and Trump still won't allow the tarp to be removed from the Kennedy Center. Everyone can see right through your act, now, bub. Grow up, and deal with it.

Notes from around town

 For months, it has sat dormant, even though the logo was already in place. Then, last week, Elev8 Entertainment finally had its grand opening.

Elev8 is located in the same building as La Victoria on Congress Street, in the former Troy Kitchen location. Elev8 handles bookings for parties and weddings.

Moving to the corner of Congress & 3rd, we find that someone apparently is interested in putting a new business in the retail space last occupied by Midtown Grocery a few years back. Unfortunately, that's all we know.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy wanted to put a bus terminal in the former McDonald's on South Pearl Street, a building that last housed an inner city grocery not too long ago. Residents said no way.

So McCoy, undaunted, has decided to try to put a bus terminal in the Empire State Plaza.

Now, if you live in the 518,  you know the Plaza is a common stop for CDTA buses arriving in Albany from Troy or Cohoes. What McCoy wants to do is set up space for Greyhound, which closed its terminal years ago, and Yankee Trails.

Stay tuned.

While the town of Brunswick isn't exactly in a hurry to fill the vacancy created by Family Footwear's closing, they are filling space across the road.

QuickChek, which is both a sub shop and a gas station, just opened next door to Mattress Firm, which has Chipotle on the other side.

In all honesty, I don't think they're done just yet developing properties on Hoosick Road, but they'd be well served to work out a deal with CDTA for bus service into and out of Hannaford, just up the street from QuickChek. Just sayin'.

Is "Patrick Star" this year's Grimace for the Mets?

Last month, prior to a home game vs. Cincinnati, the Mets thought they could replicate the magic of 2024, when McDonald's mascot Grimace threw out the first pitch. This time, actor Bill Fagerbakke (ex-Coach), now better known as the voice of Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick's self-titled spinoff series, joined Farmers Insurance pitchman JK Simmons, whom most of you know as J. Jonah Jameson from some of the Spider-Man movies, at Citi Field. The Mets gave the two actors microphones.

Yes, Simmons is also the voice of M & M's mascot Peanut, in case your kids don't know. Unfortunately, it hasn't been enough to turn the Mets' fortunes around. 

Paging Danhausen?