Author Topic: Davey and Goliath  (Read 131340 times)

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2021, 10:41:21 PM »
Is it wrong that I enjoy your commentary and review more than the shows themselves? I will watch this latest episode- but I feel like it is completely unnecessary.

Well I appreciate that WOTR, I do my best to summarize the action this one definitely worth a watch if for nothing else the background music.

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #16 on: April 20, 2021, 12:38:06 PM »
Fear not.  As I type this I am working on the next episode right now. Got a little distracted as I needed to get my shout out from Bill:


Which I got!

Ahoy, Matey.
A shout out from BILL is the BEST.
On to Davey Hansen and his talking dog.

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #17 on: April 20, 2021, 02:29:14 PM »
Ahoy, Matey.
A shout out from BILL is the BEST.
On to Davey Hansen and his talking dog.

Welcome Jennie!

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #18 on: April 21, 2021, 03:44:41 AM »
Episode 10

Davey is up in Sky Watch scoping out the world's shortest circus train rolling down the tracks.  It is the Stills and Burns Circus and the whole lot consists of three cars [one which may or may not be a coal car], plus an engine and a caboose. No matter as Davey dashes off a message and sends it down to the ever faithful Jimmy on some sort of weird pulley contraption.  The message says "Let's go watch them unload circus" and Jimmy's skull just about explodes from the huge smile he has. He is one beaming dude. I guess maybe because he is down in a tent and couldn't see how lame the circus train is.

Davey cruises into the house to ask for permission to go hang out down at the train yard to watch the circus unload. Will Elaine ever deny him anything?  Of course he can go - the only stipulation is that he has to take Sally along.  He makes a little stink eye over that but it is not a biggie. While he is waiting on Sally to get ready he starts grubbing in his toy box and we notice something, well.  Weird.  He has a picture of an ice dancing pairs couple on his wall! What is up with that?  He's in the golden age of hockey. One could see a  Gordie Howe, a Maurice Richard or even that fink Bobby Hull enshrined on the wall. If the kid was a little randy, perhaps even a Denise Bielmann skater photo [hubba-hubba  ;)]  but Torvill and Dean?  No way an eight year old is into that. Something is off there.

WTF?


There is a bird on a wire moment, where a bird lands on Davey's pulley contraption and starts hammering out some sort of code. Can't make it out real well but I suspect it is some sort of mocking message to all other birds "check out this dude.  He has a picture of Torvil and Dean on his wall".  The noise perplexes Davey for a bit but then he gets the all too obvious idea of a string telephone. While that might be important later, what is important now is that Davey...well. He changes.  Do you know how David Icke shows clips where the Queen's eyes change into lizard eyes for just a split second?  That Ickian proof that shows the world's elites are really not elite at all but rather some sort of Echo Gecko?  Well by jove, Davey does the lizard eyes shuffle.  It is just a split second but he lets his guard down and his inner reptiod shows.

Reptoid


The action cuts to the train yard where we see a cage with a mountain lion in it being unloaded. The cage has a sign that  says "Cougar. Felis Concolor". Pretty taxonomic of them guys down at Stills and Burns, eh?  The cougar seems to be  recycled from the previous episode where it was an Egyptian Lion but no matter.  Goliath sticks his grill up between the bars and gets his nose clawed for the trouble. The world's cleanest Carny ever warns them off. Immaculate white smock, white hat, pencil thin mustache, no Winston hanging out of his mouth and not kicking at the dirt and muttering "F*ckin' A" - what kind of Carny is this? The kids blow the joint but as they do we see a truck backing up and busting out one of the bars in the cage.

Davey has now transformed his any-to-any mesh pulley contraption network into a modernized string telephonic version with the nexus point of convergence being his tent in the backyard. He fires up the string blower and asks Elaine if he and Jimmy can eat dinner in the tent and then sleep out there overnight. Again, the ever pliant Elaine approves it - she is always just so much putty in Davey's reptoid claws.  The Carny then notices that the mountain lion has flown the coop and it's whereabouts  are unknown.

It's supper time back at the tent and hoo boy, Davey is saying grace. The show was produced by the Lutheran Church in America, it opens with Luther's own A Mighty Fortress is our God being played in front of Luther's Rose.  I fully expect Luther's prayer for grace. It is magnificent in its directness and simplicity. All is covered and no words are wasted: Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen. Luther gets in. Luther gets out with nary a wasted syllable. This is what the audience wants here. This is what the audience needs here  This is what the audience demands here. Heck, it would be a great way to educate the non-Lutheran schlubs out there in Germanic, Lutheran efficiency. Just get on down to brass tacks and then start grubbing - there is no need to write a book. There is no satisfacion. What we get is some sort of rambling, Southern Baptist of a screed from Davey. It goes on and on. Everything under the Sun seems to be blessed - from the Aardvarks to the Zerbras.  Everything but  Goliath [Sally has to intercede and rectify  this omission]. Jimmy is like "what was that?" Davey always assumes that Jimmy is some sort of heathen and explains what grace is but I give  Jimmy more credit and think he was coming from the "That blessing was one hot mess - what was that?" mantra.  Elaine then nags Davey about coming in and  getting the salad [which Sally somehow, mysteriously forgot with the meal  ;)] and as Davey heads into to get them, we see the mountain  lion nosing through the Food Maxx Crone's rubbish cans.

The scene then cuts to some oily, Clark Gable, pencil thin mustache, swinging dick of a radio guy down at the WAZZ studios announcing that a "Koo-Gar" has escaped from the circus and that parents need to keep their kids inside lest they be eaten up.

Kaptian KooGar


The Hansen's just miss the message because Sally flips her radio on as it was ending but the radio then starts kicking out the jams.  Well...jams is a bit of a stretch. It is lounge lizard music. The kind that brings up thoughts of Julie London, cigarettes, martini's and adulatory. I wouldn't expect the show to have Elvis on the radio but the kids listening to chamber pop is ridiculous. It is what it is I guess.  Jimmy guns down his milk, just like Sinatra down at The Dunes, polishing off a scotch on the rocks before he goes chasing broads. Sally and Goliath call it a night and head on inside with Sally taking her boombox with her. It seems that Davey busted his all up so being tuneless only serves him right. Before the lads turn in, Davey heads up to Sky Watch to check things out one last time. He sees what he thinks is a dog over in the Food Maxx Crone's rubbish cans and then the boys hit the hay. The background music starts building tension as Jimmy goes out to kick some doggie ass for waking them up.  He sees that it is no dog and ducks back inside the tent.  Inside the house, Goliath is barking it up and the Old Man comes in to see what the deal is. Most men when woken up in the middle of the night by barking dogs are rather irritated but John Hansen is one smooth Mo Fo. He looks  outside, sees the danger, calmly tells Elaine to tell the boys not to come out of the tent and then cool as a cuke rationally picks  up the blower and tells the police that there is a lion in his backyard. Whereas the Old Man is wearing a robe and slippers as he well should in the middle of the night, Elaine is wearing flats and some sort of ugly rain coat - I mean one of those "As Time Goes By", London Fog, Lauren Bacall, kind of a deals. Very strange but she is cool, calm and collected on the string blower as she gives  the boys orders to stay put.  Davey tells her that the beast has seen them in the tent and is headed their way.  Jimmy proves there are no atheists in foxholes as he pleads with God for help.

Once again, we get a sense that John Hansen has seen the elephant. Based on the timing of the series maybe it was in Korea. Perhaps he hung on grimly in the Pusan perimeter as the Norks squeezed ever tighter or maybe he made that long, cold walk back from Chosin. He knows what he is about as he takes a bead on the critter with his rifle from a position in enfilade and covers the boys as the make their way into the house.  The lion then bounds up to Sky Watch and claims it  as his own. The cavalry shows up in the form of the police, a white fire chief rig and a ladder truck. The top cop starts barking out orders in an Irish brogue [That's not racist, that is just what he is] and the brave men of Engine Company No. 5 lasso the lion and drag him to justice.

Rope-that-Cat


The episode ends with a dejected looking Koo-Gar back in lock up.  It was a loner. It was a rebel. Those free and freaky times are over forever for it and it knows the deal. The kids equate the string blower to a prayer to God and the episode ends.



This episode is perfectly serviceable. The background music does a nice job of building tension. Decent enough message. It does have its funky aspects though.  The kids happily listening to lounge music, Ice Dancers on Davey's wall, Elaine protecting her night time virtue with a full length rain coat and whatever the hell that reptoid Davey eye deal was. There is a deduction for not using the proper proper Lutheran prayer for grace.

Two and a half roses.




Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #19 on: April 21, 2021, 03:45:04 AM »
I had the time and and was in the mood.  8)

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #20 on: April 21, 2021, 03:59:45 AM »
Thank you!  I will watch it for bedtime.

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #21 on: April 21, 2021, 04:58:47 AM »
...The scene then cuts to some oily, Clark Gable, pencil thin mustache, swinging dick of a radio guy down at the WAZZ studios announcing that a "Koo-Gar" has escaped from the circus and that parents need to keep their kids inside lest they be eaten up...

It was at this point I began to contemplate the Ultimate Battle of The End Thymes:  Warren vs. Jimmy.



Somehow I ended up at a "Never-Ending Feeding Trough" wearing some sort of Wolves' skin and inexplicably a member of a Roman Legion.

Weird.

Good stuff, WAN.  Thankee!



 

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #22 on: April 24, 2021, 07:43:14 PM »
Episode 11

John Hansen is trying to read but he can't concentrate due to a large amount of racket. Elaine tells him that it must be the children that are doing it so he heads out to investigate. He cruises out back and finds the kids erecting some sort of structure and it is quite the erection. It is a good size shed with a sign that says "Friendship Club" hanging on it.  Davey and Sally are working on it of course but instead of the ever faithful Jimmy, there is some new swinging dick up on a ladder banging away on the roof with a hammer. Goliath  looks really grumpy and bitches that the kids are noisy. The Old Man interrogates them as to what they are doing and when he learns that it is a Friendship Club [which Goliath snottily disparages] and hassles them about inviting the new boy into the club.  We learn that the swinging dick up on the ladder is named Sam. He doesn't want the new kid in the club because he wears a polka dot tie and that he doesn't like polka dot tie wearers on account of his Father, who once knew an untrustworthy man who rocked a polka dot tie. Sure the logic is flawed but after the syrupy sweetness of Jimmy, this Sam guy has potential! Sally preaches at him about God's love but he gives zero f*cks and wants to boot Sally out of the club for either being 1. A girl or 2. A pain in the ass or perhaps possibly both.

Goliath starts barking it up. He's yipping and a yapping. Snarlin' and a growlin' We soon see why...Polka Dot himself comes out of the woods with a feisty, little gray, spotted mutt in tow. Polka Dot asks to join the club in a weird, 30's gangster tough guy way of speaking.  Sam tells him to stick it, while Sally wants to vote on admission and spineless Davey waffles like an All-Star special down at the Waffle House. His eyes filled with hate, Goliath gets in a staring match with the little gray dog, whose name turns out to be Spot [I mean what else could it be?]

Let the hate flow through you Goliath


Polka Dot starts talking major trash on how he doesn't like to fight and what a good ball player he is. Sam states he can hit the ball further than Polka Dot which evokes an Edward G.Robinson like "That's what you think" out of the Polka Dot. Davey states that he'll strike the Polka Dot out which based on past episodes ain't the brightest of things to say. That elicits another "That's what you think" from the Polka Dot. At this point there really is nothing for it but to settle the issue on the field of battle so they head over to the diamond to finish this. The Polka Dot orders Spot to jump over the outfield fence which he does in majestic fashion. 

See Jenny? I can Fly


Feeling the heat now, Goliath says that his Grandfather was a bird dog and that we should watch him fly. With his bulk there is just no way. He plows into the fence and laments that he never trusted his Grandfather and that at least he doesn't have spots on him. There is then a cut away scene back to the house where Elaine tells Sally to pick some Tiger Lilies and as they are a spotted flower she makes the jump that God is okay with polka dots. Sally was also holding some cloth and asks Elaine about making a pleat. It is a small detail but the reason for it comes back later for the viewer whom watches closely. 

We go back to the field of battle with Sam up at the dish. The Polka Dot dares Sammy to hit his "wobble ball". It's a knuckle ball of course and Oh My. It's a good one. Hell it's a great one!  It is a knuckle ball that would make Wilbur Wood himself break down in tears of joy.  The Polka Dot kicks and deals and the ball floats up to the plate in big, swishing arcs.

Float like a butterfly


Sam can't hit it of course and as the ball caroms off the back stop, Spot deftly snags it out of the air and returns it to the Polka Dot.  The whole cycle is repeated for strike two and Goliath has had a belly full of the flashy Spot antics at this point. Goliath then drops what very might be the greatest zinger ever on film.  Oh yes...he went there! Goliath goes with a line for the ages. "Low down, spotted cur" uttered with pure venom and hate for his nemesis. I've not checked the Academy Awards for 1960 but I'm confident that Goliath was not even nominated.

Of course there is no way Sam is hitting Polka Dot's junk ball and he's soon dispatched on strike three. Goliath dives in front of Spot and intercepts the ball on the fly.  Fueled with rage, he runs off with the ball and has some sort of scary ass, transient ischemic attack:

Rage induced T.I.A.


Now it is Davey's turn to pitch [Oh God help us] with the Polka Dot batting. Davey yells "Here comes my fastball" eliciting a gangstery "Let it come" from the Polka Dot. Davey throws it  right down the pike and gets lucky as the Polka Dot's timing is off just a hair and he's late. The resulting foul ball is snagged on the fly by Spot. Goliath states that his Great Grandfather was a retriever and that he can catch the ball like that. Davey announces that he is going with the curve next. Really? You suck dude. You don't need to be tipping your pitches.  Just stop. It's a big sloppy curve that some how Polka Dot is late on again and the resulting foul ball busts Goliath right in the snoot. Wincing with pain, he states that he never did believe that Great Grandfather of his either. Ok. So Davey has the batter in a hole. No balls and two strikes. He should either apply a little "chin music" and back the hitter off the plate or go with a change up down in the dirt and try and get the guy fishing for it. He does neither of course. Again states he is going with a fast ball that somehow is not so fast and throws it belt high in the middle of the plate.  The Polka Dot turns on it and belts it out of the ball park and up onto the roof of the clubhouse. Spot glides over the fence while the heavier Goliath has to grub underneath it. Upon arrival at the erection, both look for frantically the ball. A careful viewer will notice that the clubhouse is now sporting pleated curtains in the window as Sally learned her lesson well.  Goliath eyeballs the Spaulding first, goes around back, climbs a hill and belly flops onto the roof and literally brings the house down before the lads can get there.

We gotta get Goliath to Spring Break in Lauderdale


The mighty erection is now just so much kindling. The boys arrive and Goliath makes some rather scary sounds as the Polka Dot is framed for the destruction due to his mighty homer.  Sam runs the Polka Dot off for his crime while Sally goes into Holier-than-thou mode and admonishes both boys. With the erection in ruins she haughtily states that she no longer wants to be a member of the club. Is it a moral stance or does she just want to avoid the demo and clean up of the mess? Makes one wonder - there is definitely more going on behind those baby blues than one might first guess.

It's all down hill from here. Out inna woods, Spot asks the Polka Dot if anyone loves the both of them. All Polka Dot can say is that God loves them as the tears flow and flow. Elaine gets a call on the blower from the Polka Dot's Mother whom sounds like she is about 95. The Polka Dot is missing and there is an inane conversation between Sam and Davey about fault, polka dot ties and God. Eventually they form a posse and are determined to find the MIA Spot and Polka Dot. They do of course - they are hanging out down by a rather beautiful lake ruminating on the ills of the world. Sam and the Polka Dot bury the hatchet. The episode ends with the doorbell ringing and when Sally goes to the door, all three lads are there wearing polka dot ties.   ::)

 


It's a silly contrived message. Sam is definitely no Jimmy. He's got some balls no doubt, still he caved in the end. The Polka Dot's character is one dimensional and is never fleshed out. The viewer feels nothing but glee over his persecution. However, the baseball scenes are very well done and the anatomical movements are quite good. There is also the star of the episode-Goliath. He takes no quarter and asks for none in his battle  with Spot. The "low down spotted cur" line should be immortalized up there with Reagan's "Where? Where's the rest of me?" and Bogart's "Here's looking at you, kid." Goliath pulls out another one.

Three Roses.

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #23 on: April 24, 2021, 08:26:39 PM »
Yes there really was a prominent knuckleballer named Wilbur Wood


The "See Jenny I can fly" line comes from the ending of Smile Jenny, You're Dead where the nutbag kidnapper jumps off the building while trying to impress his victim with his flying abilities.

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #24 on: April 24, 2021, 10:05:09 PM »
THANK YOU WAN!!!


Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #25 on: April 24, 2021, 10:12:36 PM »
Yes there really was a prominent knuckleballer named Wilbur Wood


The "See Jenny I can fly" line comes from the ending of Smile Jenny, You're Dead where the nutbag kidnapper jumps off the building while trying to impress his victim with his flying abilities.


Quite the wind-up he had.

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #26 on: April 28, 2021, 02:43:53 AM »
Episode 12

Things kick off with Elaine Hansen driving the whole family in the Zeppelin Gondola through the deep woods. They pull up at the destination, pile out and gaze upon the majesty of Tippy Toppy Peak.  Well it would be majestic if it wasn't mauled by a hideous scar of a rail track branded into its hide. Old man Hansen haggles like an Arab trader with some barbershop quartet tenor looking dude. Nordic thriftiness carries the day as it is determined that Goliath can get in free. Goliath pays a steep price though as he gets all busted up trying to hammer his way through the turnstile on the way into the park.

Goliath is none too sure about the inclined railway up to the summit of Tippy Toppy Peak but not having any viable alternative he climbs aboard with the Hansen clan. Elaine also has some misgivings but John allays her fears and in a very rare and touching moment she snuggles up to him [Awww]. Soon they are on their way with some old geezer at the helm of the rig. He's got a set of  auricles on him now. Looks like a cab driving down the street with both doors open.

Pappy Dumbo


As they snort on up the hill, the panoramic view is impressive. They see the river, complete with the city on one side and a factory belching noxious clouds of American mid-century industrial dominance into the air. They scope out the airport in the distance and Sally tries to count the steeples where all the beautiful peoples worship. Davey, who is a bit of a dick throughout this episode, keeps tripping her up by counting over her. She then asks the Old Man if God is in all those churches at the same time. It is a priceless opportunity for Hansen to drop the Catholic red pill on her and say "Yes - well except for the big one there where the mackerel snapping, papists plot world domination" but alas he doesn't. He plays it safe and just tells there that God is *everywhere*.

With the summit of Tippy Toppy Peak reached everyone piles out. John and Elaine head off to a quiet out of the way bench. Elaine definitely gives John the "With those rugrats finally gone, I'm ready to notch that bad boy" look.   

Take me down slow 'n easy


The kids head over to the swing and then the slide.  Each time Goliath tries to partake, he ends up in a heap like Beetle Bailey after a session with the Sarge.  As he is lying in agony, Davey gets a good belly laugh at his expense. Because hey - a lacerated spleen on Goliath bothers him not at all. The whirlagig is up next and they sucker the punching bag that is Goliath into climbing aboard. Of course, they then treacherously hop off and spin it until Goliath turns all gray and has a cochlear Chernobyl when he finally gets flung off the thing.

The kids then crest a ridge and look at a train yard. Davey notices a box car is open so he makes a bee line for it as he smells bananas. Sally engages Miss Boss mode and drops a "Davey Hansen" on him with her hands on her hips but  to no avail. Driven mad with banana lust, Davey climbs up into the refrigerator car in a quest for the ultimate Chiquita high.

"Davey Hansen!"


The engine backs up, hooks on and the door closes trapping Davey boy inside. The train pulls out and Sally goes "Eeek!" and runs off to tell Mom and Dad. It looks like Hansen was getting himself a nice old fashion when Sally interrupts with tales of Davey being carted off on the rails. We cut back to Davey in the box car where he climbs up and pops the  hatch up top and looks out at the world whizzing by at a blistering 4.5 miles an hour. The wheels of the train start singing an ominous, glutaral,  "All alone...All alone...All alone" as they pass a church. No one at the church helps him, papists most likely  ::)  and the train changes its tune to "God is everywhere...everywhere...everywhere...."  as Davey barely avoids decapitation when the train nips into a tunnel. 

Back in the train yard, the blue balled Hansen is getting rather annoyed with the clerk visor wearing, train bureaucrat. There is some talk about reefer [wink wink say no more say no more] as the paper pusher calls down the line to Centerport to alert Big Ed about the dire situation. The talk turns to soon turns to  Big Ed's wife Edna and Hansen gives the dude some serious white eyeball action. The train pulls into Centerport and Big Ed hollers at Sam Elliot the engineer that he has a boy aboard. Sam is rather incredulous but finally agrees to search each and every of the 30 reefers [wink wink say no more say no more]. The highlight of the episode occurs as the train dudes crack open the reefer that Davey is trapped in. We notice some graffiti on the side of the car. No - not some garish, spray painted "Balls and the Gang" tag but a subtle "Kilroy".  That's pretty cool! It is also a reminder that in 1960 they were closer to the end of the war in 1945 then we are now to 9/11.

Kilroy was here


They pry Davey out of the reefer and don't even rough him up even just a little bit. Sam Elliott wants to know if Davey was scared being all alone but Davey says that he was not alone. The brakeman on the train is a little perplexed by this but Big Ed just shoves his big, vertical, striped pant, accentuated gunt out, puts his thumbs behind his suspenders and says "Exactly!" as the episode closes.



It's not a bad little episode. One aches for the blue balled John Hansen. Goliath takes a beating but never gets revenge. Yet on the other hand the views from Tippy Toppy Peak were very well done. The message of "God is everywhere" being delivered in a guttural voice from beyond was a unique touch.   Three roses.






 
 

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #27 on: April 28, 2021, 06:03:07 AM »
Thank you, Walks!  Seems they are always getting locked in places. 

Sent me searching for a possible candidate in the Mountain West: maybe  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitou_Incline ?  There aren't that many to choose from.  Most of the ones in CO date to the teens and twenties and didn't last very long, but the dates on this one work out, about when they modernized it.  The views look familiar.





Also, always looking for documentary evidence of the transition between from Gros Michel to Cavendish bananas, my keen eye spotted the unmistakable slender shape of the current banana king whose oft-maligned aroma was nevertheless enough to lure Davey into temptation, and incidentally matches the fuzzy dates cited for the transition ("in the 1950s", "by the '60s")


Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #28 on: April 28, 2021, 06:11:36 AM »
Thank you, Walks!  Seems they are always getting locked in places. 

Sent me searching for a possible candidate in the Mountain West: maybe  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitou_Incline ?  There aren't that many to choose from.  Most of the ones in CO date to the teens and twenties and didn't last very long, but the dates on this one work out, about when they modernized it.  The views look familiar.



Also, always looking for documentary evidence of the transition between from Gros Michel to Cavendish bananas, my keen eye spotted the unmistakable slender shape of the current banana king whose oft-maligned aroma was nevertheless enough to lure Davey into temptation, and incidentally matches the fuzzy dates cited for the transition ("in the 1950s", "by the '60s")



Adopt Davey’s uniform I am: Long-sleeve button up Italian tablecloth shirt and dungarees (not Levis!) 

Re: Davey and Goliath
« Reply #29 on: April 28, 2021, 06:21:18 AM »
Adopt Davey’s uniform I am: Long-sleeve button up Italian tablecloth shirt and dungarees (not Levis!)

Your jeans would be the very height of fashion right now, they are seen on all the right people.