October 17, 2004 - 771017 - Return Engagement

[Fizzlestix]

This week's Show of the Week is presented as an Anniversary Episode:

[color=orange:d1f7013fb7]771017 - Return Engagement[/color:d1f7013fb7]
[color=gray:d1f7013fb7]written by James Agate, Jr; starring Fred Gwynne[/color:d1f7013fb7]

Enjoy the show! ~ Fizz

[Texas]

WOW!

I'm going to compare this to the most disturbing show I ever heard on the RMT (that I've mentioned [i:c4be5929a4]ad infinitum[/i:c4be5929a4] here) "Star Sapphire".

Fred Gwynne, in "Return engagement" as in "Star sapphire", completely transforms himself. In "sapphire" he goes from a gentle, would-be adoptive father to cold-hearted abuser.

In "engagement" he goes from befuddled-sounding, washed-up thespian to insane would-be killer.

It takes a great actor (such as the Yale-trained (?) ) Gwynne to pull this off.

Originally I started to get sleepy listening to this, but Gwynne pulled me into it ever so gradually, then suddenly with all the subtlety of a, well, a blow to the head with a pair of fire tongs.

Nice choice. I gave it a "5" on Gwynne's performance alone, though the supporting cast was good also.

[brian1984_2001]

I thought this one was good, but not great. It didn't move very fast and kind of stumbled toward the end until it gave us a nice twist. I gave it a 4.

SOTW participation has fallen off a bit. . .

[Fizzlestix]

Good point, Brian! Once the Sox get through this World Series (one way or the other) I'll be able to again devote time to listening to the RMT shows. It's 1 am here in Boston and the 2nd game wrap-ups are finally done... now to bed! ;)

[Fizzlestix]

I finally caught up to this show. It always puzzles me to think that Fred Gwynne, a man with such versatile and intense talent will likely be remembered by pop culture fans as Herman Munster. Blows me away.

As I've said many times, my favorite RMT shows deal with characters who are plagued with psychological curses. I guess because they are so horrifying in a fictional sense, but so very real and believable to everyone.

Gwynne delivers this performance like a great chef, cooking up a personality that is not only believable, but chilling. This was a character I would not wished to have stumbled upon, or on me.

The scene where he is picked up in his pajamas was particularly stunning, as I could only imagine myself offering the same service to a poor sod wandering the streets. But hearing this tale certainly would make me more cautious on that position, knowing what I know.

While not a terrifying horror character in a villainous role, Gwynne's man has our sympathy and our pity. He holds a flame of greatness from a career that elevated him to star. But, as we've seen in our pop culture far too many times, even the brightest and highest of stars can be subject to fall at the hands of fate.

I gave the show a carb-free, 100% natural 4.7.