1- VIEWERS CHECK THIS OUT......................
*LOOK! IT'S KARL MALDEN!!!..................
At 3:48 a sniper on top of a roof at a local college (University of San Francisco) has taken several shots into students walking on the campus below. One of the shots grazes a young lady and Stone goes to her aid. Keller, using a long rifle, runs into the building where the sniper is located. When Stone leaves the girl with other officers he runs toward the building Keller has entered. As he does several students (4-5 deep) presumably there to watch the filming, watch Karl Malden run by. As the actor runs by the group several students can be seen with ear-to-ear smiles.
*At 4:42, Stone exits the building and begins to run where he hears other shots fired. There are several students running in front of him (extras for the production) but as he clears the building and begins to run across the yard another group of students can be seen on the right side of the screen standing and watching the action/filming.
*THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD IN THE 1970'S FELT COMPELLED TO DEAL WITH THE WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA...........
The Vietnam War and the effect it had on those who were a part of it had a huge impact on the TV stories in the 1970's. Nick Nolte has a small part as a Marine captain coming home injured from the war. In real life Nolte had a criminal record and was prohibited from serving in the war when a lot of his friends were drafted. He has stated in interviews he felt incomplete as a young man in the 1960's because he didn't serve in Vietnam.
2- A One Sentence Plot Synopsis:
*A college professors wife is tired of being powerless in her husband's never-ending pursuit of young women.
3- Final Reflective Analysis and Final Grade:
*This episode of TSOSF makes use of a clever enough script to delve into some of the issues affecting people impacted by the war in Vietnam. There are times, however, when Malden and Douglas seem uninterested in the plot and appears as if they are going through the motions of completing scene after scene just to get it over with. Their performances are uninspired and seem to just trickle out with the dialogue they are required to deliver. Celeste Holm, in contrast, does a pretty good job of bringing gravitas to the cast and she plays the scorned woman very well. With a crazy man on roof tops sniping at students and faculty you would think the script wouldn't call for Stone and Keller to banter about pizza toppings and (right after leaving the scene of the college professor being killed) joking about who should go first out of their respective parking spots using two separate vehicles. "You go"....."No you go...." -smiling and gesturing playfully.... The music in the background brought a playful tone to the whole interchange. I was watching and thinking, "with? What am I seeing?"
Final Grade: C.
