This seems rather unfair.

I was checking out the new releases the other day and found the first season of REMINGTON STEELE. On the cover was a big picture of Pierce Brosnan...nobody else, just Pierce Brosnan. The banner on the box read, "Before he was James Bond, he was REMINGTON STEELE".

On a small sticker on the OUTSIDE of the SHRINKWRAP was printed the words "Also Starring Stephanie Zimbalist". When that show premiered, Stephanie Zimbalist was, at the very least a full co-star and it could be argued that she was THE star of the show. That little sticker with her name ends up in the trash as soon as the box is unwrapped.

BTW...ever wonder what happenned to her dad Efrem Zimbalist Jr.? Well, they were BOTH in town starring in a NIGHT OF THE IGUANA at the Manitoba Theatre Centre last October.

It's been a long time since she was an "uptown girl."


Oops: confused her with Christine Brinkley. Something about goofy names, serious looking dads.

Stephanie was certainly the main reason I watched the show. I was in junior high, and I thought she was a babe! :)

This seems rather unfair.

I was checking out the new releases the other day and found the first season of REMINGTON STEELE. On the cover was a big picture of Pierce Brosnan...nobody else, just Pierce Brosnan. The banner on the box read, "Before he was James Bond, he was REMINGTON STEELE".

On a small sticker on the OUTSIDE of the SHRINKWRAP was printed the words "Also Starring Stephanie Zimbalist". When that show premiered, Stephanie Zimbalist was, at the very least a full co-star and it could be argued that she was THE star of the show. That little sticker with her name ends up in the trash as soon as the box is unwrapped.

BTW...ever wonder what happenned to her dad Efrem Zimbalist Jr.? Well, they were BOTH in town starring in a NIGHT OF THE IGUANA at the Manitoba Theatre Centre last October.
If memory serves, NOBODY knew who Pierce Brosnan was at the time the show started, and Steph was actually the headliner. How people forget :(

^I concurr. "Oh, Efram's daughter? Cool! And - WHAT Brosnan? Percy?"

I'll gladly pick up S1, when the show was fresh. I recall much of S2 being decent too, but it really went downhill quickly. It seems strange to blame the brilliant Doris Roberts for a show's demise, but her character really was horrible.

Maybe the show needed the Quinn Martin touch:

"Remington Steele-IN COLOR. Tonight's episode:"Bond of Unholy Wedlock"
with special guest star Buddy Ebson."

I miss shows with four acts and an epilogue. :(

I miss shows with four acts and an epilogue. :(

... and less than 10 minutes of commercials.

Maybe the show needed the Quinn Martin touch:

"Remington Steele-IN COLOR. Tonight's episode:"Bond of Unholy Wedlock"
with special guest star Buddy Ebson."

I miss shows with four acts and an epilogue. :(

And a prologue.

It's been a long time since she was an "uptown girl."

Oops: confused her with Christine Brinkley. Something about goofy names, serious looking dads.
If you're referring to the Barbie-doll supermodel who used to be married to singer-songwriter Billy Whatsisname, it's Christie Brinkley. (Okay, maybe the extra "N" was a typo.)

Sorry, can't resist:
"I don't want clever conversation. . ."
Good, 'cause he wasn't going to get it with her.

Christie , Christine what's the diff ? her real name's probably Beulah Nertz .
hb

... and less than 10 minutes of commercials.

I'll second that!! I'm so damn sick of commercials...okay...some of them are kinda cute and/or funny, but most of them are just so annoying.

... and less than 10 minutes of commercials.

Second that! I'm still split which commercial is more obnoxious, the gal repairing her canoe with her tampon, or Erik Estrada pitching the wonders of Hot Springs Arkansas.

She SURE WAS CUTE in all those FRECKLES!!! Pierce WHO???

Her dad was in a couple of Babylon 5's. He was a class act.

The irony is that Ms. Zimbalist's character, Laura Holt, created the fictional Remington Steele because she couldn't succeed in the detective business as a woman going it alone. Her greatest fear was almost realized at the end of the first episode when a new client wants to see Mr Steele and no one else. Steele, Brosnan, refuses to see the client without his associate, Ms. Holt. Thats the true birth of the partnership and the series. Now its the ad dept selling the DVD wants you to see Mr. Steele and no one else....

^I concurr. "Oh, Efram's daughter? Cool! And - WHAT Brosnan? Percy?"

I'll gladly pick up S1, when the show was fresh. I recall much of S2 being decent too, but it really went downhill quickly. It seems strange to blame the brilliant Doris Roberts for a show's demise, but her character really was horrible.
Glad to hear SOMEbody else note how the show went downhill 2nd season. I think losing the original younger secretary and losing the other legit PI (he was in NORTH & SOUTH and did a VOYAGER ep but I don't remember his name) really hurt the show a lot, though the ratings improved. The best Steel ep I remember is from yr 1, something with JD Cannon I think. And there was some guy with three names who did new scores for almost every episode, and got credited during act one (pretty novel back then for a music guy) ...

Geez, better head to MovieMadness and rent the season box if they ever have it (or BSG yr1) in stock.

^I concurr. "Oh, Efram's daughter? Cool! And - WHAT Brosnan? Percy?"

I'll gladly pick up S1, when the show was fresh. I recall much of S2 being decent too, but it really went downhill quickly. It seems strange to blame the brilliant Doris Roberts for a show's demise, but her character really was horrible.




I think at this point they were really trying to push the James Bond aspect, and it was Moore toward the end (ie. the Octopussy time) who was Bond. So they were going for a humorous approach, hence Roberts's character. A shame really, and if there's any question, check out Man With The Golden Gun, and see Moore was a damned fine Bond, the scripts just started to bite.

I'll second that!! I'm so damn sick of commercials...okay...some of them are kinda cute and/or funny, but most of them are just so annoying.



Commercials are the reason I have not watched network television for more than year (Marg does, we have satellite, but I never watch it). Nowadays I only watch TV shows on DVD. Those guys think they're selling something? They sold me right off TV.

I think at this point they were really trying to push the James Bond aspect, and it was Moore toward the end (ie. the Octopussy time) who was Bond. So they were going for a humorous approach, hence Roberts's character. A shame really, and if there's any question, check out Man With The Golden Gun, and see Moore was a damned fine Bond, the scripts just started to bite.

I remember a Steele episode around the time Brosnan was lobbying to be Bond - actually, it may have aired after Timothy Dalton was selected - that was a full-blown Bondian adventure with lots of stunts. I'm fairly sure it was Pierce's personal attempt to show what he could do.

Frankly I'm glad they didn't choose him back then. I enjoyed Dalton's take on Bond, and it gave Brosnan some time to age out of his baby-faced slimness and into a more mature-looking Bond. I just wish they'd give him a good frigging Bond script now!

Moore was a damned fine Bond, the scripts just started to bite.
Y'really think so? They started TAILORING the scripts to Moore with his third, SPY, and that is when things went from bad to TOTALLY sucky. If you push Moore you can get more out of him (see THE WILD GEESE, where he has his only successful Bond like scene IMO, making the heroin dealer eat his product.) I think Moore' penchant for lowbrow comedy, coupled with the hope they could make these things accessible in a SMOKEY&BANDIT way, is what really trashed Bond (if you can't tell, I'm a huge Dalton fan, though Connery's stamp and style makes for a more charismatic presence.)

Weird how the Bonds I don't like (Brosnan and Moore) can deliver the goods in nonBond flicks ... TAILOR OF PANAMA is a dynamite Bond performance in a nonBond movie ... Brosnan needs a good director and one who has the character's interest in mind rather than the franchise's (something he tried for with Bond but they never got his director of choice, Ange Lee and Scorsese, cuz they'd never give a Bond director final cut or give a real artist any reason to want to make one.)

If you're referring to the Barbie-doll supermodel who used to be married to singer-songwriter Billy Whatsisname, it's Christie Brinkley. (Okay, maybe the extra "N" was a typo.)

Sorry, can't resist:
"I don't want clever conversation. . ."
Good, 'cause he wasn't going to get it with her.

Also she's no relation to the news anchor (David) with the same last name. Her dad, Don (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0109608/), was a writer for "Man from Uncle" as well as "The Invaders." Have I redeemed myself?

Try this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1980_SI_Swimsuit_Issue.jpg). A picture's worth a thousand words.

Y'really think so? They started TAILORING the scripts to Moore with his third, SPY, and that is when things went from bad to TOTALLY sucky.




They may well have tailored the scripts to Moore, but then he aint the writer. He's an actor. Moore in Golden Gun is great. Also Live and Let Die. The writers and directors should have done their jobs, and told Moore to do his, or hit the bricks. The part in Golden Gun where Bond's talking to Andrea in her hotel room, after the shower scene, is pure Bond. "Scaramanga might use one of those little golden bullets on you. And that would be a shame, because they're very expensive."

Now back to the main thread, Stephanie Zimbalist was definitely a fox.

I'm sure the only reason Stephanie Zimbalist's name even appeared on a sticker on the outside of the DVD was that somebody's lawyer made a fuss. Unfortunately, that's what happens when some unknowns become big stars and others are destined to bask in obscurity. For example, every time "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" is shown on TV, it's announced as "starring Adam West." As we all know, the star of the picture was Paul Mantee; Adam West's total screen time was about six minutes (his character dies early in the film when his escape capsule crash-lands on Mars; later, he reappears briefly in a dream sequence). Mona the monkey had a bigger part. (She probably had a better agent.)

Paul WHO? Well, that's showbiz.

My fave Moore Bons is "..Eyes Only." Granted the ridiculously young Bond Girl for the fairly decrepit Moore, but it was a good script, and he was very good in it. And hey, he nails Brosnan's wife in it! :)

I noticed and thought the very same thing when I saw the packaging on the Season One set at Costco. The beautiful and talented Stephanie reduced to an afterthought sticker on the outside of the shrinkwrap.

One of my favorite episodes (I don't recall which season) was when they investigated the mysterious death of a monk at the Costello monastery - and their dealings with the Abbott of Costello during the investigation. Funny stuff.

Hopefully this proper credit on the packaging oversight will be corrected in releases of later seasons and any rereleases of this season box set.

Speaking about non-bond flicks for a minute, has anyone ever seen ffolkes? Great Roger Moore flick, with Anthony Hopkins as the bad guy. So, have they finally started slapping Stephanie stickers to the boxsets?

Speaking about non-bond flicks for a minute, has anyone ever seen ffolkes? Great Roger Moore flick, with Anthony Hopkins as the bad guy. So, have they finally started slapping Stephanie stickers to the boxsets?

Anthony PERKINS actually, along with Michael Parks.

Yeah, FFOLKES is pretty good, and that's coming from a decided non-fan of Moore's. To me his best work is WILD GEESE, followed by FFOLKES (that's not counting his ticket to heaven, a cameo in a PINK PANTHER movie where he plays Clouseau after plastic surgery to turn him into Roger Moore. He does a PERFECT Sellers/Clouseau.)

The guy really should have been a comedian, he'd've been better in Cary Grant roles than in stuff like Bond where if you don't take yourself seriously in the role, I won't take you seriously either.

Which Pink Panther movie was that?

oops yah meant Anthony PERKINS, not hopkins:) sorry, was still waking up. Thanks for helping correct me:)

Which Pink Panther movie was that?
A really BAD one, with an American bumbler (played by SOAP's Ted Wass or Ted Bass) tracking Clouseau down. TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER or SEARCH FOR THE PINK PANTHER, something done in the mid80s I think. Joanna Lumley was in it too. But the few minutes Moore is in it (near the end) are really funny (the only funny moments in fact.)

Whatever else I think of the guy as an actor, I gotta admit few people can do what he does in that movie -- wear an ice bucket on his head and make it look like the uniform of the day (or like a GQ cover shot.)

Curse of the Pink Panther, I believe was the one with Ted Wass. I get it confused with Trail of the Pink Panther, which was a series of outtakes and unused scenes from previous Clouseau outings. I remember Joanna Lumley being in that one, playing a TV investigative reporter who interviews everyone who knew Clouseau. She was a real cutie then.

David Niven was in one or the other, or maybe both, with some of his dialogue voiced by Rich Little, as Niven was ill and could deliver little more than a hoarse whisper at the time.

Brosnan is more likely to sell the discs.

I remember that with the beginning of the fourth season, the opening credits for Alias were changed so they showcase Jennifer Garner. You see her in roughly 50-plus different disguises as the credits run (over about 30 seconds), to an average of more than one per second. On the Alias-related mailing list I receive, there was much grumbling that this was "not fair" to the other important characters on the show. They should, it was opined by many, change the credits periodically through the season and showcase other characters, because they were good and/or important (and in some cases, I'm convinced, simply because that character was someone's favorite).

First, the credits weren't designed that way to be "fair" to Jennifer Garner. The show is Alias -- the credits illustrate that aspect of the show -- and showcase the series that is promoted with lines such as "Jennifer Garner stars in a brand new Alias starting right now!" Using the other characters in her place would involve far fewer disguises, because no other has been featured in that way nearly as often as she. And the show itself honors those other characters -- watch it if you want to see them given moments to shine. And finally, Garner is the biggest "name" in the cast -- many people might tune in to see her and then discover the other actors and their characters offer reasons to watch as well. Those who watch regularly don't need to be sold on the rest of the cast -- but how many viewers would come in "cold" because they were lured in by the promise of seeing Ron Rifkin as Arvin Sloane or Victor Garber as Jack Bristow? If you don't watch, you likely have no idea who they are -- nor how good they are and why you should watch them as well as Jennifer Garner.

In other words, if Brosnan sells the discs, the viewers who don't know Stephanie Zimbalist will see her in the show itself.

Qapla'

SSB

Must chime in on "For Your Eyes Only" as best Moore Bond.

Must chime in on "For Your Eyes Only" as best Moore Bond.Agreed. Some moments of silliness, but easily his best overall. The only other flaw is that Moore just looked too old for the part by then, at least to me.

Qapla'

SSB

He certainly looked too old for that delicious young beauty he costarred with!

^ Agreed. I like that particular Bond for several reasons, not the least of which is the aforementioned beauty.
(I consider Connery to be the real bond, but I also liked Dalton and Brosnan fine. Not a big fan of Moore's bond. It's been so long since I've seen On Her Majesty's Secret Service, that I don't really have an opinion on George Lazenby.)

^I consider Connery to be the real bond, but I also liked Dalton and Brosnan fine. Not a big fan of Moore's bond. It's been so long since I've seen On Her Majesty's Secret Service, that I don't really have an opinion on George Lazenby.)
With his tepid performance in one Bond film, does George Lazenby really count? He was the Gerald Ford of movie James Bonds. (Or was Gerald Ford the George Lazenby of American Presidents?)
As for Roger Moore, he had no "best" Bond picture. IMHO, as Double-O-Seven, he royally SUCKED!

Lazenby was merely okay, but OHMSS was one of the best Bond scripts. Shame it was kinda wasted. But hey, any film with Diana Rigg ain't ALL bad.

Lazenby was merely okay, but OHMSS was one of the best Bond scripts. Shame it was kinda wasted. But hey, any film with Diana Rigg ain't ALL bad.
Although not considered the best, OHMSS is the all time favorite among the die hard Bond fans. The script is the most faithful to the original novel. Has the best Bond girl and the John Barry score is a knockout. Had Connery done it I have no doubt it would have been the most successful and remarkable in the series. The film suffers from some atricious sound editing and dubbing though. Lazenby is my second favorite Bond and would have done alright once he grew into the role and became more expierenced(IMHO). a lot better than Moore did anyway. Peter Hunt's original cut was 3 hours but Broccoli and Saltzman forced him to cut it. Still the longest running film of the series, Broccoli always blamed it's long running time for less than expected box office(still it was one of the largest grossing films of the year) rather than the choice of Lazenby as Bond. Hunt had been second director on most of the previous Bonds but disagreement over the final cut and a blame game over the film's performance killed the relationship.

I enjoyed OHMSS once I got past being distracted by Lazenby's ears. :p

I like Lazenby in the role quite a lot actually and agree that he would have grown into it more comfortably in subsequent installments. I can't abide Moore in the role. He's the Little Richard of James Bonds.

Good golly!! :eek:

I enjoyed OHMSS once I got past being distracted by Lazenby's ears. :pAnd that trace of an Aussie accent he couldn't quite lose, though he tried to sound like a Brit.

Come to think of it, it's somewhat ironic that Roger Moore, arguably the worst Bond, is the only actual Englishman to play the role (aside from Bond spoofs and imitations). Connery's a Scotsman (no s**t!), Lazenby is from Down Under, Dalton is Welsh and Brosnan is Irish. There must be some deeper meaning here, if I could just figure out what it is. . .

Now, if I could also figure out what all this has to do with Stephanie Zimbalist.

Lazenby punches like a girl with those wild swings, and when he is forced into that boat early, on, he gets in by twisting his leg sideways. These mannerisms are just not Bond in ANY universe. And that's not even getting into the acting.

I find Moore more objectionable than Lazenby because George at least has some of the bastard quality of Connery, whereas Moore is Bond Boy Scout -- even when he kills somebody, it is like a joke, without any emphasis or bite (exception being the four shots to Stromberg in SPY, which is tasteless, inappropriate, badly cut and just plain out of any and all character. Might be the worst 007 character moment ever, along with the 'when there's a man trying to put a bullet in your back' speech to Anya in the same film, which has all the credibility of 'why are there people in the world like frank?' line in BLUE VELVET, which always sets me off in gales of laughter.

Here's a better cover:

http://www.klast.net/steele/pb_sz3.jpg

Looks like "Remington Steele" was definitely the zenith of Ms. Zimbalist's career.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000258/

I always liked OHMSS, as someone else pointed out it's by far the most faithful to the Ian Fleming book. I liked Lazenby, like Connery he had a relaxed charm, as opposed to Moore who always seemed stuffy and forced to me. The skiing escape is pretty amazing for a pre-CGI stunt scene.

Lazenby punches like a girl with those wild swings, and when he is forced into that boat early, on, he gets in by twisting his leg sideways. These mannerisms are just not Bond in ANY universe. And that's not even getting into the acting.

I don't think that's Lazenby's fault, that opening fight scene is one of the worst edited, dubbed, and thought out scenes in film history. I first saw OHMSS as part of a "Bondathon" when Diamonds are Forever was released, even as a kid I noticed it looked horrible, and that Diana Rigg's tire squeeled on the sand!. They should have cut it or reshot it.

I like Lazenby in the role quite a lot actually and agree that he would have grown into it more comfortably in subsequent installments. I can't abide Moore in the role. He's the Little Richard of James Bonds.

HEY! The white man stole rock n' roll... and Bond too! :tongue:

José

HEY! The white man stole rock n' roll... and Bond too! :tongue:

José

Doesn't Connery make some derogatory comment about The Beatles in Goldfinger? Little Richard is the architect of Rock & Roll and Paul did steal his
whooos!!!

Doesn't Connery make some derogatory comment about The Beatles in Goldfinger? Little Richard is the architect of Rock & Roll and Paul did steal his
whooos!!!
Paraphrasing
"My dear, some things simply aren't done. Such as drinking Dom Perigione(sp?) '55 above 45 degrees farenheit. That's like listening to the Beatles without earmuffs." Bond kneels in front of open fridge, rummaging for another bottle of champagne."Now where is that passion juice?" WHACK. Karate chop to the neck and Bond collapses, dropping the bottle to the floor. Oddjob must have been a Beatles fan.

I always liked OHMSS, as someone else pointed out it's by far the most faithful to the Ian Fleming book.
I don't think that's Lazenby's fault, that opening fight scene is one of the worst edited, dubbed, and thought out scenes in film history. I first saw OHMSS as part of a "Bondathon" when Diamonds are Forever was released, even as a kid I noticed it looked horrible, and that Diana Rigg's tire squeeled on the sand!. They should have cut it or reshot it.

I agree about OHMSS, along with FRWL it seems the most faithful to Fleming (even though the film version of FRWL is actually more complex than the novel.) But the FEEL of Fleming to me comes through best in the first two-thirds of LICENCE TO KILL - it feels like a rough dangerous universe that Bond inhabits while on missions.

I also agree that the direction is off on OHMSS ... Peter Hunt was a first time director after cutting the previous Bonds, and he made a pretty bold (and wrong) statement that you can get a performance out of anyone through good cutting, camera angles and direction. But he also indulged in, as you pointed out, the most hysterical cutting this side of MTV. I mean, there's some OTT cutting in TOUCH OF EVIL and OTHELLO, but that's Orson Welles, and Welles laboring under less than ideal conditions. Hunt wasn't ever going to be Welles.

I always thought Lazenby looked too young, but actually, in rewatching it recently, he only seemed too young in a few scenes. I think it was that smiling made him seem younger, and he smiled too damned much, or too broadly, for my taste. The guy was 29, so if you take into account the age and experience, AND the director, maybe the deck was stacked against him. He DID sell the final scene, and that is something (though I'd've killed to see Connery play it properly.)

To bring this slightly back toward TV, did you guys know that in the earliest incarnation of NEVER SAY NEVER (when it was called WARHEAD or JAMES BOND OF THE SECRET SERVICE), Connery was only planning to direct the film, and they had contacted Richard Crenna -- then doing a sitcom with Bernadette Peters -- about playing Bond? This was right before Connery FIRST agreed to come back, when the press was saying Orson Welles would be Blofeld and Trevor Howard would be M (both of these statements were BS, but it did get the project press in 76, before Broccolli's lawyers crapped all over the production. I saw Crenna in a tvmovie called THIEF and he moved REALLY good for a guy his age. It might have worked.