Will look for these. It's kind of a cliche for a 90s kid but seeing 'Reservoir Dogs' on video at about 11 or 12 was a huge hit for me. My room was soon filled with Tarantino "merch" and I would listen to the Tarantino double soundtrack CD most mornings before junior high. I still have notebooks filled with terrible copycat short stories from that time. My guitar teacher during those years was pretty cool, and told me Tarantino was just riffing on Sam Peckinpah. Of course as an adult I realize the reservoir of information, movies, books and music those movies are drawing from is seemingly endless and am just getting around to understanding Peckinpah, though I agree with my guitar teacher, "Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia" was his best film, (also the Jerry Feilding score is great).
Edge of Darkness is quite possibly one of my favorite shows. Quite incredible you can't find it on Britbox! The mind reels at how many great shows could be rediscovered and enjoyed. One I'll never forget has to be The Persuaders. As a kid I was obsessed with the opening credits and John Barry's score - that might be the one reason I started taking piano lessons. Roger Moore is still dear to my heart but now I live in the US I love Tony Curtis's character even more!
One ought to write a monograph on TV series themes. So much variety and great music in a highly constrained format. Right now I can't get enough of the theme for Rumpole of the Bailey
I haven’t seen Edge of Darkness but will seek it out.
I once stumbled onto The Sandbaggers and found it mesmerizing. I mentioned it one morning the newsroom I was working in, and discovered virtually everyone else was watching it, mesmerized.
One of my favourite TV memories is of watching a BBC Scotland 1979 show called The Omega Factor. TVO (Ontario public TV) showed it I think in 1980. I was in my early 20s and found it riveting and occasionally very weird and scary.
I tried to revisit a few years back and found the poor production values made it hard to recreate the mood it originally created, although the writing really held up.
Joe Don Baker is best known to me as Chief Karlin in the original Fletch movie. “I don’t need some penny-ante Woodward and Bernstein getting in the way of my men!”
As a preteen I was all about the supernatural shows, Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, which were intensely discussed at school after broadcast. But as a teenager, music occupied almost all my passion, save for Patrick McGoohan in Secret Agent aka Danger Man, and the quintessential ‘60s paranoid surrealistic limited series, The Prisoner. And The Avengers with Patrick McNee and, goddess of goddesses, Diana Rigg.
Our family loved Edge of Darkness, but we lived in rural Eleva, Wi at the time and we had to have beneficial atmospheric conditions (clouds, no wind) to get adequate antenna tv reception for the 5-6 available stations!! So it was hit or miss on seeing an episode.
For those of us in our Social Security years, Baker lodged in our subconscious most effectively in Walking Tall, where his club wielding Buford Pusser was part of the dog whistle law and order kaleidescope that brought us Ronald Reagan several years later.
Growing up in the 80s I watched the A&E Network for British imports not carried on PBS. ‘The Chinese Detective’ was especially memorable - a bit gritty and dark, with a cool noir-ish theme song. Created by Ian Kennedy Martin, brother of Troy Kennedy Martin! https://youtu.be/qA-ysea-xLM?si=Is08aN_6Fac3lQsA
“Survivors “ a great post apocalyptic series from the BbC made in the ‘70’s and written by Terry Nation ( creator of the Darleks & Blake’s 7) the first series is excellent conveying a realistic scenario of people’s worlds destroyed by a plague however Nation clashed with the BBC assigned producer and left after the initial series the following two series are excepting a couple of episodes mediocre
Will look for these. It's kind of a cliche for a 90s kid but seeing 'Reservoir Dogs' on video at about 11 or 12 was a huge hit for me. My room was soon filled with Tarantino "merch" and I would listen to the Tarantino double soundtrack CD most mornings before junior high. I still have notebooks filled with terrible copycat short stories from that time. My guitar teacher during those years was pretty cool, and told me Tarantino was just riffing on Sam Peckinpah. Of course as an adult I realize the reservoir of information, movies, books and music those movies are drawing from is seemingly endless and am just getting around to understanding Peckinpah, though I agree with my guitar teacher, "Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia" was his best film, (also the Jerry Feilding score is great).
I actually saw reservoir dogs in first run in the theater. A life-changing experience.
Edge of Darkness is quite possibly one of my favorite shows. Quite incredible you can't find it on Britbox! The mind reels at how many great shows could be rediscovered and enjoyed. One I'll never forget has to be The Persuaders. As a kid I was obsessed with the opening credits and John Barry's score - that might be the one reason I started taking piano lessons. Roger Moore is still dear to my heart but now I live in the US I love Tony Curtis's character even more!
Well, now I have to check out this John Barry score for the persuaders! never heard of it.
One ought to write a monograph on TV series themes. So much variety and great music in a highly constrained format. Right now I can't get enough of the theme for Rumpole of the Bailey
Edge of Darkness is available on DVD BTW. I just placed a copy on hold at my library.
Great post. Thanks.
I haven’t seen Edge of Darkness but will seek it out.
I once stumbled onto The Sandbaggers and found it mesmerizing. I mentioned it one morning the newsroom I was working in, and discovered virtually everyone else was watching it, mesmerized.
One of my favourite TV memories is of watching a BBC Scotland 1979 show called The Omega Factor. TVO (Ontario public TV) showed it I think in 1980. I was in my early 20s and found it riveting and occasionally very weird and scary.
I tried to revisit a few years back and found the poor production values made it hard to recreate the mood it originally created, although the writing really held up.
I’ve heard of the Omega factor but never checked it out
Edge of Darkness rules! As does that Macbeth.
Joe Don Baker is best known to me as Chief Karlin in the original Fletch movie. “I don’t need some penny-ante Woodward and Bernstein getting in the way of my men!”
this is a terrible omission -- I have never seen Fletch!!!
Just a couple of scenes for JDB in that one. That flick seemed unavoidable, it was on TBS all the time around 88-91!
As a preteen I was all about the supernatural shows, Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, which were intensely discussed at school after broadcast. But as a teenager, music occupied almost all my passion, save for Patrick McGoohan in Secret Agent aka Danger Man, and the quintessential ‘60s paranoid surrealistic limited series, The Prisoner. And The Avengers with Patrick McNee and, goddess of goddesses, Diana Rigg.
I was an adult when I finally caught up with the avengers, but loved it.
I assume then you are familiar with the Chris Elliott parody The Fugitive Guy. If not, enjoy: https://youtu.be/TmJ_-crVMuI?si=yxTXr_2WWLDd8GCq
Our family loved Edge of Darkness, but we lived in rural Eleva, Wi at the time and we had to have beneficial atmospheric conditions (clouds, no wind) to get adequate antenna tv reception for the 5-6 available stations!! So it was hit or miss on seeing an episode.
Whoa, I’m from Menomonie Wisconsin!
Great reading. Thanks. As for me, I loved The Prisoner with Patrick McGoohan. The show still has an avid following on social media.
The Prisoner I was too old for when I finally got to look at it it, even though I know it’s a masterpiece
Children of the Stones is a BBC series from that era that really stuck with me. It has one of the most bizarre, memorable musical scores.
I couldn't say if Edge of Darkness was a source, but you don't need to know the source to enjoy the parody Mindhorn. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4799064/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
For those of us in our Social Security years, Baker lodged in our subconscious most effectively in Walking Tall, where his club wielding Buford Pusser was part of the dog whistle law and order kaleidescope that brought us Ronald Reagan several years later.
Growing up in the 80s I watched the A&E Network for British imports not carried on PBS. ‘The Chinese Detective’ was especially memorable - a bit gritty and dark, with a cool noir-ish theme song. Created by Ian Kennedy Martin, brother of Troy Kennedy Martin! https://youtu.be/qA-ysea-xLM?si=Is08aN_6Fac3lQsA
thanks for this!
“Survivors “ a great post apocalyptic series from the BbC made in the ‘70’s and written by Terry Nation ( creator of the Darleks & Blake’s 7) the first series is excellent conveying a realistic scenario of people’s worlds destroyed by a plague however Nation clashed with the BBC assigned producer and left after the initial series the following two series are excepting a couple of episodes mediocre
I’m an old Doctor Who fan so I always have respect for Terry nation!