Sam Leaps Into:
Margaret Sanders, a housewife who is involved in the feminist movement.
Objective:
Make sure there is no loss of life at a movement sit-in. Save her marriage by helping her husband become more tolerant of her views.
Date:
10-16-68
Location:
Connecticut
Memorable Quote:
Women's lib, I don't know, I could never decide whether it's a hindrance or a help. ~Al
Your opinion on this matter is one that I'm not even remotely curious about. ~Sam
Highlight:
Women's lib, I don't know, I could never decide whether it's a hindrance or a help. ~Al
Your opinion on this matter is one that I'm not even remotely curious about. ~Sam
Highlight:
I like the dialogue at the end where Sam convinces George not to bail on the marriage, and of course it's amusing to see Sam squirm as George is about to put the moves on him.
Lowlight:
Lowlight:
The plot line involving the man and woman vying for the promotion (culminating in the scene where the woman states her case at the dinner table) seemed like overkill and unnecessary to the story.
Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:
- Diana is played by Deborah Van Valkenburgh who appeared in MacGyver's Rush to Judgment as Sandra the scorned lover -- and both roles involve her pointing a gun at someone.
- Just like in Star Light Star Bright we have the "teenager" who looks like she's old enough to have graduated college.
- 21:42 mark -- the sign in the building says it's the "The Connecticut Women's Collective" (meaning they're in Connecticut), but later at the 36:01 mark we see the famous Boston Citgo sign and a sign with the word Boston.
Final Analysis:
Not a big fan of this one. It wasn't all that enjoyable or rewatchable, and the dialogue was often stilted and clichéd (similar to The Color of Truth). Ranking it 72 out of 83.
I liked this one better than you. It was obviously pretty preachy but quite entertaining....and I thought most of the dialogue was quite good and rather enjoyed the scene where the dinner guests vying for promotion with the female guest making a pitch that impressed George. The sheriff's son was an ogre to the point of cartoonishness but I still liked how George seemed impressed by the female candidate's points despite his general chauvinism and all but promising the promotion to the sheriff's son.
ReplyDeleteThey laid it on pretty thick throughout the hour but I thought it enhanced the conflict, with George struggling for control as his wife and daughter drifted to "radical" feminist ideology. I can imagine a similar environment in plenty of households at that point in time. I wonder if there was there historical precedent for Diana's character.....a hard-line feminist leader who resorted to violence in her impatience for equal rights. Whatever the case, I liked the character and also like actress Deborah Van Valkenburgh, who has a unique look and was a fixture in 80s and 90s TV, with a recurring role in the early-to-mid 80s sitcom "Too Close for Comfort" which later became "The Ted Knight Show". I remember her most from the 1979 dystopian gangbanger flick "The Warriors"....one of my all-time favorite movies as I just love the concept and have long been fascinated with the entire culture of 1970s New York City and the pessimistic atmosphere of a city coming unglued that permeated throughout the films of the time...and later in the 1980s crime drama "The Equalizer".
Anyway, I expected this season to be terrible but so far only "Lee Harvey Oswald" has been a disaster for me, with several episodes like this one being above-average for me. I'll rank this one between "Killin' Time" and "A Leap for Lisa".