October is Spookey Month: Cindy Lee's scary alien encounter!

What is Halloween without creepy aliens from space?  My close friend, the late Orson Welles, forever linked the holiday to space invasions with his infamous 1938 radio broadcast of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds.  Orson (or Mr. Welles, as we used to call him during our monthly poker games/discussions of magic and illusion) once confided in me-- while we were in Morocco shooting some footage for his proposed film version of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days-- the panicked public reaction gave him quite a thrill and his supposedly chagrined mea culpa the next day was largely tongue-in-cheek. 

Welles was always fond of hoaxes and trickery (witness his F For Fake), so it's quite fitting to present once again a little look at the very first episode of that ever-popular Saturday morning children's show Isis, "The Lights of Mystery Mountain.  This one features spooky UFOs, or as they're popularly known, "flying saucers."  Just in time for Halloween and a million re-broadcasts of War of the Worlds!

This particularly Isis installment, which aired on the comfortably non-Halloween date of September 6, 1975, probably comes closest to eliciting anything approaching genuine fright, or at least menace, than any of the others.  While a later Isis would feature an Old West ghost town-- but nary a ghost-- this program was not given to horror or even weird themes.  Plots usually involved more down-to-earth elements such as troubled students, automobile safety, horseback riding and SCUBA safety.

Unlike the writer of this blog, the Isis folk don't waste any time getting down to business.  In the opening scene, Larkspur High School's star student Cindy Lee displays rather alarming photographic evidence of eerie lights of unknown origin.  She took them herself on a hiking trip and breathlessly relates the story to school principal Dr. Barnes and her favorite teachers Andrea Thomas and Rick Mason.  After a discussion of the UFO phenomenon during which Mason scoffs at the idea of alien visitation and both Barnes and Thomas remind him they're not necessarily talking about interstellar spacecraft but simply the more general term "unidentified flying objects."  But it's Thomas who ties the lights to the strange disappearances of two campers and a tourist.

His curiosity piqued, Dr. Barnes asks the two teachers to accompany Cindy back to the rustic mountain town of Mountain Park adjacent to the aptly named Mystery Mountain and there undertake a thorough investigation.  As scientists and educators and proponents of rationalism, Thomas and Mason demand empirical evidence before accepting the rather outrageous hypothesis suggested by the wild stories and rumors surrounding the recent incidents.  Extraordinary claims, they declare, require extraordinary proof.  Well, they don't declare this so much as they kind of hint at it.  With Cindy Lee acting as their more open-minded foil, the group journeys up the mountain, quite like the trio led by the character Professor Armitage in H.P. Lovecraft's 1929 tale "The Dunwich Horror." 

Armitage and company soon reach the inescapable conclusion there are indeed supernatural forces at work and engage them in a life-or-death struggle to prevent their entering our world or dragging it into their own dimension to serve their unspeakable ends.  The events recounted in "Lights" are their Saturday morning analogue.  For once atop Mystery Mountain, Cindy Lee experiences a moment of terror so stark I feel compelled, as if by the memory of my late friend Mr. Welles, to present here.  Witness then, the most shocking events of "Lights" as they unfold in front of Cindy Lee's very eyes!

Cindy Lee remembers her camera is still in the car...

The mysterious lights over the mountain.

Gotta snap some photos!

Oh no!  I'm out of film!

The frightening alien tones continue.

Ms. Thomas!  Mr. Mason!  Where are you?

I need you!

A few moments later and Thomas and Mason sense something amiss.  They parked the cars only a few yards away.  Cindy should have returned by now.  The teachers clamber down the mountain trail after her only to find...

No one.  No Cindy Lee.  A moment later, Thomas comes across this...

It's just like the burned spots found at sites where the campers and tourist disappeared.  Have bizarre, inhuman beings from another world spirited Cindy Lee away?  Kind of...

It looks as if this is a job for...

Isis eventually presents a prosaic explanation for all these strange happenings, but not before our favorite goddess swoops to the rescue and uses her magic to give a mean old real estate baron a fright of his own.  Of course, one might expect a universe that allows for the existence of magic and ancient Egyptian goddesses living dual lives entwined with 20th century pedagogues to also allow for the existence of life on other planets, and to posit this life as a regular, if secretive, visitor to our own humble world.  Indeed, Isis does leave open this very possibility even while suggesting what we must chiefly concern ourselves with are terrestrial threats-- corrupt old men who would employ fun-loving pranksters to help them achieve nefarious goals.  And scare nice kids like Cindy Lee.

A typical afternoon at Larkspur High...

There it is-- my old alma mater, Larkspur High!  Just as I remembered it.  And what about Ms. Thomas and Mr. Mason, the hardest working science teachers in the district, if not the entire state?  Do they still work there?

Hey, they do.  Look at them.  Busy as can be.  They're the reason Larkspur High leads the state in science scores and achievement awards.  But what about their favorite student, Cindy Lee?  What's she doing while these two teachers knock themselves out preparing lesson plans?

Cindy Lee loves bike races!

Class! Class! Let's compare the live action Isis characters to their comic book counterparts...

Okay, class.  Good morning, glad to see you're all here.  We're going to do something a little different today.  That's right, Cindy, this will be on the test.  So pay attention all of you and take notes.  Let's take a look at the DC comics versions of our favorite characters from the Filmation live action TV series Isis-- also known as The Secrets of Isis-- and see how alike or different they are from the real thing.  Yes, Cindy, it will be fun.  Everyone look at the screen...

Here's Andrea Thomas in her everyday guise as a teacher:

(Mike Vosburg/Vince Colletta, Isis #3, Feb.-March 1976-77)

She is smart and pretty, Cindy, and a model teacher.  I completely agree.  And here she is in her Isis identity:

(Dick Giordano, Shazam #25, Sep.-Oct. 1976)

What's that?  How many times has she saved you, Cindy?  Amazing!  Yes, if you'd like, you can write an extra-credit essay about Isis and what she means to today's young women.  Here's Andrea Thomas's colleague Rick Mason:

(Mike Vosburg/Vince Colletta, Isis #2, Dec.-Jan. 1976-77)

Thank you, Cindy.  You're so right.  He is a dedicated teacher and his mustache is quite snappy.  Here's Dr. Barnes:

(Mike Nasser/Frank Giacoia, Isis #2 Dec.-Jan. 1976-77; Mike Vosburg/Vince Colletta, Isis #3, Feb.-March 1977)

Good question, Cindy.  We'll talk about that in just a moment.  Anyone besides Cindy have a question?  Anyone?  No?  No one has a question?  Okay, I hear some talking but no questions.  Let's hold it down and look at the screen.  I think we'll all recognize...

(Dick Giordano, Shazam #25, Sep.-Oct. 1976)

Yes, Cindy, that's you!  And no, Rennie Carol never appeared in The Mighty Isis comic.  The closest anyone came was the depiction of a character named Rennie Roberts (although I could have sworn her first name is lettered as Pennie) in the final issue.  That's also the one where the writer labels you "class president" of Larkspur High, Cindy.

Now, as to your question about why Dr. Barnes looks so different.  Compared to the main cast, the character wasn't on the show that often and some of the artists probably never saw even a single publicity photo of actor Albert Reed.

Actually, as you've noticed, none of the likenesses are exact.  They're more general than perfect caricatures.  I think Dick Giordano's take on the cast Shazam! #25 comes closest, but I have a suspicion this has something to do with licensing.  If you've read Marvel's Planet of the Apes adaptations, you'll notice at no time does George Tuska make Taylor look like Charlton Heston, nor does Alfredo Alcala give his Beneath the Planet of the Apes astronaut more than a passing resemblance to James Franciscus.  To do so would have involved other legal and financial arrangements and it just wasn't considered worth the time, effort or money.

Another good point, Cindy!  As you say, Marvel did occasionally use exact likenesses of the Star Wars actors in that title, and DC made a point of at least trying for perfect likenesses in their Star Trek titles.  Yes, even now at Dark Horse, artists draw Buffy as close to Sarah Michelle Gellar as they can.  These things depend on legal departments and the artist's hand, but sometimes licensing means "make 'em look consistent with all appearance in every medium."  Luke Skywalker looks just like Mark Hamill on every book cover, Captain Kirk is always either William Shatner or Chris Pine these days and so on and so forth.

Anyway, back to Isis.  My guess is we're looking at a similar deal here between DC and Filmation and as long as Isis had long dark hair, Rick Mason his mustache and Cindy Lee her pigtails, no one probably gave a rip.  As for Dr. Barnes, he could be anything or anyone depending on who drew him.

You're right again, Cindy.  I am just a speculating fool.  Still, that was a lot of fun, wasn't it, class?  Comparing these?  We enjoyed it, didn't we?

Class?

The Secrets of Isis Episode 22: "...And Now You Don't"

The miscreants who stole the "trigger mechanism" of Rick Mason's fabulous weather-making contraption are still at large, but that doesn't stop his colleague Andrea Thomas and their four sleuthing student friends (that's Rennie Carol, C.J., Ranji and Feather to you and me, Russ) from celebrating Mason's release from jail.  While the villains fiddle-fart around meteorologically and create thunder and lightning from a clear blue sky, the good people of Larkspur High poke gentle fun at Mason's recent predicament by baking him a chocolate cake full of jail-break accessories like a metal file and a shiv made from a melted Styrofoam cup and a toothbrush handle.  After all, what are friends for if not to help you bust out of the calaboose when you've been falsely accused of theft and espionage?

Just kidding about the shiv, by the way.

And so we come to the grand finale of The Secrets of Isis, "...And Now You Don't" (aired October 23, 1976), part two of a thrilling story which has already seen Mason arrested for a crime he didn't commit, a music-and-magic performance, four students risk life, limb and their own freedom to help, a kick-ass custom van, Isis calling Captain Marvel for help and a trio of crooks make off with a most dangerous device.  You couldn't ask for a more exciting way to bring a series to a close, and yet it also makes you wish they'd gone for a third season.

Which, I suppose, was the whole idea behind this sudden change in direction.  From gentle personal dramas punctuated with jeopardy to gentle crime drama punctuated with jeopardy.

This is an action-packed thirty minutes.  When the kids foolishly try to scam the thieves and capture them, but thanks to some clumsiness clambering around inside a warehouse, Feather and Ranji end up trapped inside some kind of holding pen with everything electrified (some nice animated lightning bolts complete the effect). C.J. kung fu kicks his way into the warehouse, but it takes Isis to effect the rescue; someone at Filmation must have remembered it was her show after all.  All Isis has to do is pass through the warehouse roof's molecules then whip up a rhyming spell that affects electricity and all is well.  Kind of.

Now that the true mastermind has been revealed as Mason's scientific rival, the Professor, helpful federal agents decide the kids' harebrained decoy idea isn't so harebrained after all and adapt it for themselves, using Mason as the bait.  The bad guys quickly kidnap Ranji and Mason at gunpoint, forcing them to their doom in Ranji's sweet ride.  What a way to go!

But Isis and Captain Marvel are flying in hot pursuit.  When the Professor tries to make his escape in a convenient helicopter, Mason bravely leaps into the passenger's seat.  Captain Marvel uses his fabulous strength to ground the whirlybird as C.J. engages the villains in combat.  Finally, Isis duplicates herself multiple times to trap them and it's back to the amphitheater where Ranji and Rennie admonish us to believe in magic.  A stunned Mason can't get over Isis's last trick, but Thomas pretends he must have imagined the whole thing.  Finally, she turns to us, the viewers, winks and offers her last piece of teacherly advice, "You gotta believe."

And with that, The Secrets of Isis becomes part of television history.  You couldn't ask for a better way for Isis to end, unless said way featured Cindy Lee riding to the rescue on the back of a couple of crocodiles while blowing a trumpet.

NOTES:  Wow!  A helicopter!  The fine people at Filmation went all out for the last episode of Isis, didn't they?  It's not some futuristic prototype or anything sexy like that, but I doubt rental fees, insurance and fuel didn't come cheap for this baby even in relative Isis terms.  This is the Isis equivalent of hiring Marlon Brando to play Superman's dad or Jack Nicholson as the Joker.  Only the helicopter weighs approximately 600 pounds less than mid-70s Brando.

We've touched on Joanna Cameron's acting skills just a bit during this marathon blog event but we haven't really done her justice.  In each episode, Cameron provides poise, grace, a child-friendly gravitas and just a touch of self-awareness to keep from appearing silly.  The acting in Isis varies from summer stock quality at times up all the way up to confident, slick professionalism, and Cameron holds her own at the center of Isis and contributes the most to its believability, at least to its intended audience.  Plus, she looks fantastic in the Isis costume.

It's fun to deconstruct things in an absurdist way, but Cameron consistently pulls Isis out of the realm of slick camp like the Sid and Marty Krofft oeuvre.  Probably renders it slightly boring in a way to people who love to snark and snipe, but I can appreciate the show's sincerity, and Cameron's.  Instead of psemi-psychedelic weirdness, Isis gifts viewers with some mild excitement that calls to mind the best of ABC's Afternoon Specials rather than splashier fare like Electra Woman and Dyna Girl-- except for this episode, which plays out like an extremely low budget Bionic Woman series entry.  While she's overshadowed a little in this two-parter by the Rick Mason-centric plot, the introduction of the sleuthing teen team and a guest appearance by Captain Marvel, Cameron gets to sign off on Isis knowing she never phoned it in, put her tongue too far in her cheek or sacrificed her dignity while entertaining impressionable young kids (and possibly their older siblings).  A job well done!

That's not to belittle the supporting work by Brian Cutler and Ronalda Douglas.  Cutler grounds each episode with his low-key, minimalistic approach and geniality, while Douglas adds perkiness.  We learn quite a lot about Cutler's Mason, but we're only just getting to know Douglas's Rennie Carol so the abrupt series end registers as even more disappointing.  While I had a lot more fun with Cindy Lee, she became more a Greek chorus over the course of the first season and less a participant, her job to introduce Thomas to the student of the week then bow out until required for a reaction shot or some exposition.  Rennie seems to get her hands dirtier, and offers a lot more personal info along the way in her shorter stint.  Mason remains the ideal Steve Trevor-esque sidekick to Isis.

The show really missed an opportunity by not having Joanna Pang reprise her role as Cindy Lee sometime during this season.  It would have been a lot of fun to see both her and Rennie Carol on the case together, or eating sandwiches on the lawn at Larkspur High while talking about how great Ms. Thomas is and comparing notes on Isis sightings.

Evan C. Kim busts out his Bruce Lee impression here, using the Dragon's patented high-pitched growls and yowls as he super-kicks his way into the warehouse where Feather and Ranji are about to be fried by lightning bolts.  I'm not sure what good Shao-lin kung fu is against electricity, but when your friends are in trouble, you'll try anything.  Kim would later put his Lee sounds-n-moves to work in the longest, most elaborate segment of 1977's Kentucky Fried Movie.  I'm generally in favor of any call-back-- comedic or otherwise-- to Bruce Lee, one of my personal heroes.

Ranji pulls out the stops for the show's musical climax, a reprise of the "You Gotta Believe" song we saw him rehearsing with Rennie Carol in the previous episode.  Not a microphone in sight, but he and Rennie fill that amphitheater with sound.  It reminds me of some of one of those chorus performances you'd see at amusements parks like Six Flags Over Georgia when your poor, exhausted parents wanted to get out of the sun.  You know, at the Crystal Pistol Palace.  Yeah, I hated those, too.

Ranji and Rennie Carol team up for a cute scene where he uses her in a levitation trick.  You know Rennie isn't really afraid, but she whimpers to comic effect.

Two signs this show was shot in the mid-1970s-- Mason drives a VW Thing he's equipped with a CB radio.  Thomas marvels at his high-tech device, and it comes in handy, too, when the kids pull their first boneheaded stunt.

The Professor eats an apple while discussing schemes with his minions.  Well, minions is glamorizing them a bit.  They're more like hirelings.  Is the apple symbolic of the Professor's knowledge of evil?  I'm probably reading too much into it.  He's just a guy who digs apples.  Paul Hampton, the guy who plays him, wrote songs for the likes of Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Bette Midler.  Nobody major, but maybe you've heard of them.

And once again Captain Marvel puts his lonely life on display, this time just hanging out in the desert without even boulders or fallen trees as an excuse.  Maybe the guy just likes to get out there, breathe some fresh desert air and think.  Think about the poor life choices that turned him into the kind of guy who likes to wander the deserts alone while wearing a superhero costume.  The helicopter capture at the end is pretty spectacular a stunt not only by Isis standards but even by Steve "The Six Million Dollar Man" Austin standards.  Let's see Lee Majors fly and drag a helicopter out of the sky.  It's accomplished partially with a process shot with Marvel slightly out of scale and then with an altogether believable physical performance by John Davey as he mimes straining against the heavy aircraft while Brian Cutler watches from the passenger's seat.

For the second episode in a row, someone throws his or her voice.  This time it's Isis, calling to her superheroic colleague.

Isis's final trick is pretty neat, too.  Mason regales a doubting Thomas (I'm clever!) with a story of twelve Isises (Ises?), but count them for yourself.  He's off by seven, giving Mason a tendency towards exaggeration or at least over-excitement.  There's a sweet moment when Isis turns and smartly declares, "And that, Ranji, is how I do it."  Nice way of taking back some of the spotlight that's rightly hers.

You gotta believe!

The Secrets of Isis Episode 21: "Now You See It..."

Rick Mason moonlights as some kind of super high-tech inventor and he's darned good at it.  So good, in fact, he's created a device that can actually control the weather over an entire state-wide area.  Of course something as powerful as a weather manipulating gadget could attract interest from all the wrong people-- and that's just what happens when someone frames Mason himself for stealing it.  Yes, it's the opening gambit of the exciting two-part Secrets of Isis series conclusion.

"Now You See It..." (October 23, 1976) takes The Secrets of Isis into overtly superheroic action, with an outlandish macguffin more appropriate for Wonder Woman or The Six Million Dollar Man.  A weather control device is completely ridiculous, but you know what?  This episode is a whole lot of truly silly Saturday morning fun, full of action featuring some engaging guest stars.

It starts like a low budget spy flick with the theft-- featuring an evil Rick Mason-- and then cuts to Ranji, a multi-talented young entertainer, practicing his music and magic act with Rennie Carol at an empty ampitheater.  The Feds come in, arrest Mr. Mason, which leads Rennie and Ranji to round up a little gang and do some sleuthing of their own.  That means we get to meet C.J., a cool young dude with martial arts skills and Feather, who appears to be some kind of reformed juvenile delinquent in a knit cap.  The four of them make quite a quartet, trouble-prone and energetic, almost as if Filmation decided to introduce some Hanna-Barbara into the show, a little Scooby Doo, complete with a happening Ford E150 customized van belonging to Ranji and featuring some appropriately mid-70s side-panel deco.

You have to like the conceit Mason is such a well-loved teacher even Sweat Hogs refugees like Feather are willing to put down their basketballs to help him, but Ms. Thomas has a point.  It's never a good idea to go outside the law.  It's a lesson she has to transform into Isis to teach the gang, and they're so determined (and hard-headed) it even requires the assistance of none other than Captain Marvel himself to get it across.  But not before the two villains get away with part of the weather control machine, nearly kill Ranji, C.J. and Feather with an out-of-control car (which is on fire to boot).  Isis calls in reinforcements in the form of her good friend Captain Marvel (who apparently spends part of each day hefting random boulders out in the desert).  Marvel swoops in and realizes, "I've got to lift that van!" and proceeds to do just that, saving the boys.  The final scene sounds an ominous note as the completely exonerated Mason warns of the damage even part of the device can do-- and not just locally, but statewide.  It's definitely an alarming situation and calls into question the wisdom of using scientific knowledge to tamper with and try to control the natural world rather than adapt to it.  Dark clouds and thunder add a Shakespearian atmosphere to the finale.

The legendary Evan C. Kim plays C.J.  You may remember Kim as Loo in the "Fistful of Yen" Bruce Lee parody from the 1977 classic Kentucky Fried Movie.  And if you don't, you're either very young or you've come to the wrong blog.  Kim was a staple of my childhood.  My brothers exposed me to Kentucky Fried Movie early on, forever warping my mind into something sick and wrong, but I also encountered Kim in a dramatic role in 1978's Vietnam War flick Go Tell the Spartans (starring Burt Lancaster); as the only caveperson able to speak modern English in Ringo Starr's under-valued (but still pretty lousy) Caveman; and then as a fiesty yet doomed cameraman in NBC's sci-fi allegory V.  His largest role to date was as Clint Eastwood's partner in the last of the Dirty Harry movies, The Dead Pool, which, oddly enough, is the only Kim theatrical release I haven't watched.

Feather, Kim's partner in crime-busting here, is played by Craig Wasson, who also appeared in Spartans.  They probably smoked a doob or two and laughed about Isis, but you get the feeling their association might have gone on for a bit longer if Filmation had its way.  This episode of Isis has spin-off written all over it, sort of how C.J. cracks the case of the Mason doppelganger by drawing all over a surveillance photo of random men taken by Rennie.  Wasson worked with Brian DePalma and fought Freddy Kreuger in the third Nightmare on Elm Street flick and does prolific audio book narration to this day.

Ranji, who shows a lot of charisma during his musical numbers and wears the flashiest costume-- and has magical powers to rival Isis's-- apparently dropped out of show biz following his appearance here.  I have no idea what happened to him.

I feel certain this episode was either Filmation's last-ditch effort to generate interest in the show and keep it on the air by establishing a dynamic new direction or else their attempt to set up a spin-off with Ranji, C.J., Feather and possibly (one would hope) Rennie Carol.  The emphasis on the rather large cast has the unintended effect of rendering poor Mason something of an after-thought, even with all the energy expended on his behalf.  And while we do get as much Isis as usual, Ms. Thomas ends up largely sidelined, which is always a mistake.  Joanna Cameron provides regally self-aware advice as Isis, but Thomas is the show's heart.

NOTES:  Who the heck is this Ranji guy anyway?  I mean, he gets a huge showcase here.  Was Filmation grooming him for Saturday morning super-stardom?  He's a multi-talented threat. Pleasant singing voice, winning smile, awesome turban, because an Indian American guy named Ranji is required to run around in one and a matching tunic as well.  Uncomfortable ethnic stereotyping aside-- remember Jonny Quest's equally magical be-turbaned pal Hadji-- Ranji has a lot of charisma and would have made a great team leader if Filmation had taken this concept to production.

Ronalda Douglas is no slouch herself.  She has a strong singing voice, even if it is a little quavery.  Each member of the team appears to have some sort of expertise.  Feather is a schemer with a questionable background (always helpful when battling crime), Ranji drives, does magic and sings, C.J. is the group's muscle and hippest dresser.  What does Rennie bring to the table?  She's an ace photographer, which makes her the group's surveillance expert.  They simply could not have cracked the case without her skills.

Gosh, how I wish Cindy Lee were part of this crime-busting team.  What might she have contributed?  Well, every team needs a factotum, right?  And who can argue with perpetual positivity and cheerfulness?  She would have given the gang a sunny outlook even when things turned grim, such as on this case when an entire state faces environmental disaster.

Amazingly, the actor who plays the fake Mason actually looks a lot like Brian Cutler after C.J. scribbles all over Rennie's photo of him.  But not as much as he does when Cutler is playing the same character in disguise.  I've always enjoyed scenes where an actor pulls off prosthetics to reveal a completely different actor.  Of course make up technology was nowhere near advanced enough in 1976 (or even today) to produce a Rick Mason clone that would stand up to even the slightest scrutiny.  Suspension of disbelief.  You will believe a woman can fly, after all, and a convincing Rick Mason disguise isn't as outrageous a concept as a weather control machine you can drive around in the trunk of your car.

First Ms. Thomas and her "circle guard" and now Mr. Mason and his weather control device.  Jesus, Larkspur High has a brilliant science faculty.  Albert Einstein himself would probably feel overwhelmed by the level of genius these two teachers display!  They seem to do little teaching.  We have seen Thomas in the classroom but either Larkspur is a city of perpetual sunlight or else the high school administration has completely lost control.  Call Dr. Barnes!

The guards at Operation Weathermaker (that's the name of Mason's project... or the facility where he works on it...) are a pretty slack bunch.  First they let a fake Mason slip by them, then fall for Ranji's voice throwing trick.  Yeah, that's another of Ranji's powers.  He's able to not only speak with a convincingly female voice, but also project it so that it sounds as though someone is calling for assistance from a distant parking lot.  Guard Gunderson (probably from Minnesota) falls for it.  What a dope!

Being Captain Marvel must be a lonely occupation.  Every time we see him on this show he's by himself in some wilderness area, either lifting trees or rocks.  Doesn't this guy ever relax and play skee-ball with his friends?  Does he have any friends besides Isis?  Second Captain Marvel John Davey reprises his guest spot here.  He sort of botches his "lift the van" line, but the director (Arthur H. Nadel) leaves it in.  Makes you wonder how bad the other takes were, or if there were any other takes.  Isis wasn't exactly a high-budgeted affair and in this episode finances were already strained with all the guest stars and process work.  Nadel probably figured Davey at least said all the words in the correct order so to hell with it.

The Secrets of Isis Episode 20: "Year of the Dragon"

Julie Chen wins a science award but when it threatens to expose her father's old school Chinese ways to the students and faculty of Larkspur High she begins acting out, leading to a couple of very nearly fatal accidents.  The first one happens because she's decided to flee a fellow student and unwisely chooses to hide from him in a wrecked car awaiting compaction in a junkyard.  The second comes when she retreats to a meadow for some quiet contemplation over her personal dilemma.  This time she falls into an abandoned well.

Being Julie Chen must be difficult!

On one hand, Julie's sick of everyone patronizing her over Chinese culture and callously assuming she's an expert on all things Asian, but on the other, she feels a deep conflict about her cultural identity.  As a result, she magnifies well-meaning but clueless comments into insults and tries to plot with Rennie Carol to trick her father into skipping the school assembly where she's due to receive her award.  And she constantly has to cheat death.

"Year of the Dragon" (aired October 16, 1976) explores Joy Luck Club territory about as well as you'd expect from a 1970s kids show about a magical super-heroic goddess.  I have to give Isis credit for trying to broach these issues, even if it's in a broad, obvious way.  And once again, all problems are resolved by one person trying to save another person's life.  While I'm sure most parents actually would sacrifice themselves for their children-- as in this case, nearly literally-- the idea that you have to go to such extremes to earn some simple respect probably isn't very realistic or even fair.

When you think about it, Julie's problems could probably have been better handled by that compassionate and clever-unto-herself teacher Andrea Thomas with a few frank discussions and genuine dialogue rather than through physical jeopardy.  But that's not why kids tuned into this show.  Isis has to do her thing twice in every show.  By California statute.  I've read the state codes.  It's in there.  Kind of in the middle, just after the stuff about building standards in an earthquake zone.

Still, let's not be too harsh with Isis.  The 1970s were a time when television-- especially children's television-- had just begun to explore sensitive issues.  With a new story possibilities and responsibility came a lot of inadvertent mixed messages along with the shoehorned-in heroics, the heavy-handed moralizing and forced happy endings.  At least in this case the Chens are genuinely likable-- especially Julie's long-suffering dad-- so I'm not going to begrudge them a jeopardy plot resolution to their issues, especially when it leads to the wonderful spectacle of Mr. Chen clinging to a levitating ladder while his daughter and Isis look on.

Victor Sen Yung, who plays Mr. Chen, had a career spanning decades, from the 1930s into the late 1970s before he tragically died of accidental asphyxiation.  As a young post-grad student at UCLA and USC, he started acting and played "Number Two Son" in several of the Charlie Chan films but was probably best known for his portrayal of Hop Sing on Bonanza.  If his IMDB bio is to be believed, around the time he took the role on Isis, he was actively seeking work outside the acting business.  His portrayal Mr. Chen is sincere and yearning, with a real touch of sadness, which makes me wonder if he was finally sick of typecasting and playing comedic relief and guest spots.

In a rather bizarre incident that took place in 1972, he was a passenger on a hijacked airliner and was wounded when the FBI stormed the plane.  That, along with his WWII service and long acting career mark him as an interesting guy in his own right.

Jeanne "Julie Chen" Joe has had a spottier acting career, with sporadic roles on TV and in films between Isis and just recently.  That's because she's been doing other things like teaching.  Plus, she has a number credits as a production coordinator and assistant to executive producers, working on films as diverse as Angel Heart, First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II.  Okay, okay, those last two aren't so diverse, but she did write a book called Ying-Ying: Pieces of a Childhood (San Francisco East/West Publishing Company, 1982) and its sequel, Ying-Ying 2:  Jasmine By the Bay (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012).  Her portrayal of Julie Chen is spirited and intense, angry yet sympathetic.

There are a few cringe-inducing moments that find some of our regulars inadvertantly expressing white privilege, but overall this particular Isis attempts to instill some racial and cultural sensitivity as part of its more overt theme of being proud of who you are and where you're from, so that's something in its favor.  Don't make assumptions about another person's life based on their appearance or family name.  You don't know what journey they're on, but it's probably different from yours.  Accept what they have to teach you about themselves without imposing your viewpoint on the lesson.

Notes:  There's a short stop-motion action sequence when Isis uses her powers to repair a wooden ladder that"s conveniently lying near the well where Julie's father is trapped.  Doubly convenient is how the rungs just happen to still be lying next to the ladder in the grass, and none have rotted over the years.

Finally, we get to see Rick Mason doing what he does best-- eating.  After hinting at some gourmand leanings in previous episodes, "Year of the Dragon" lets Mason loose on a sumptuous Chinese meal.  You know the Chens had to close early that night after Mason cleaned them out.  I can just picture him after the meal, kicking back on his boat, toothpick between his teeth, opening his fortune cookie and reading the note inside, "There are but two Isis episodes more, and they will consist of a two-parter centered around you, my friend!"

The Secrets of Isis Episode 19: "The Cheerleader"

Laurette Spang, who would go on to place "socialator" (original series Battlestar Galactica-speak for "sex worker") Cassiopeia, stars as the titular cheerleader in "The Cheerleader" (October 2, 1976) and she's up to no good.

What is it that makes Spang's character, the blandly-named Ann, so awful?  How about cheating on a test, for starters?  You know neither Cindy Lee nor Rennie Carol would dream of doing such a thing.  And not only does she cheat, she nearly murders Tut in order to do so.  Ann brings hell to Larkspur High when she finds out good grades aren't enough to win the coveted "first girl" spot on the cheerleading squad, a position currently held by her friend Gwen.  Furthering her villainy, Ann then frames Gwen as the cheater and spreads rumors about her academic dishonesty.  Ann does all this because, as Gwen wisely explains, she wants everything but isn't willing to work for it.  But work she does, and hard!  It takes effort to come up with these nefarious schemes and carry them out.

For thousands of years, throughout recorded history, society has viewed cheerleaders as emissaries of dark forces, of evil.  Ann epitomizes this outlook and if one hopes Isis might avoid trading in such benighted stereotypes-- well, the problem there is Spang is just too good at playing bad.  She's my favorite of the Larkspur High jerk students and whether she's luring Tut to his doom in order to trick Rennie Carol or buttering up cheer captain Tom (Danil Torppe, whose television career seems to have ended abruptly in 1998 after a role on Saved by the Bell: The New Class) for Gwen's position, Spang is a joy to watch as Ann.  Perhaps I've been programmed by the patriarchy, but there's just something deliciously alluring about a wicked cheerleader, especially one played to the hilt by Spang.  It's as if she materialized out of an early script draft of Brian DePalma's Stephen King adaptation Carrie.  Spang plays her turnaround sincerely and convincingly, too.  A darker Isis might have ended with a hint Ann is only faking.  After all, you could build a pretty good case for this kid being completely sociopathic.  But since we're allowed to dwell at length on how Ann faces up to the consequences, it comes across as an unambiguously happy ending.

Yeah, Spang is a delight, but "The Cheerleader" also gifts us with none other than Colleen Camp as Gwen.  While Camp didn't appear in Battlestar Galactica as a sex worker like Spang, she did play a Playboy playmate in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979), with extended scenes in the "Redux" version.  They probably should have been left out a second time because they're ham-handed in their comedic intent, involving her character and Frederick Forrest's high-strung Chief having bird-inspired sex inside a helicopter while none other than Lawrence Fishburne pounds on the window and demands his turn.

Camp's career continues to this day, with parts in the ever-popular Wayne's World, plus dreck like a couple of the Police Academy sequels (where she at least got to play Tackleberry's wife, which is something) and Alexander Payne's instant classic Election (as Tracy Flick's mom, a role that must have given her flashbacks to this episode of Isis).  Camp also made her movie debut in an uncredited role as "Julie, Lisa's Servant" in Battle for the Planet of the Apes.  Quite a spread there, huh?  No one can ever accuse The Secrets of Isis of depriving you of young actors with diverse resumes.

Enough movie trivia digressions.  Isis makes her requisite two appearances in this episode, including the standard student rescue at the end.  But it's the first that features one of the most effective visual effects so far on the show.  Ann uses a snack to draw Tut out of the science lab so she can send Rennie Carol on a wild crow chase.  Tut injures his wing and ends up in a field where what appears to be a German Shepherd dyed gray to resemble a wolf tries to eat him.  Isis shows up just in time to magically make the wolf or dog disappear, then scoops up Tut and makes the wolf-dog re-appear.  It's done with one of the oldest special effects there is-- stopping the camera, removing the dog, starting the camera again.  Only the Isis team mattes the goddess into the foreground almost seamlessly, allowing her to move and interact with Tut and masking the simple camera trick.  There's a little bit of fuzz on the Isis element because she's probably a video element and the background is chromakeyed, but not enough to detract from the magic.

The second Isis appearance involves Ann being chased by her own car.  The how and why is pretty stupid.  When Ann doesn't get her cherished first girl position despite all her efforts, she speeds off in her convertible.   Concerned she's going to injure herself, everyone gives chase.  For reasons known but to Ann she decides to jump out of her still-running car and run into a field.  The car follows and it's up to Isis to levitate Ann out of its path.  Director Hollingswood Morse (he helmed all the best episodes, by the way) frames this as a panoramic wide shot, giving the climax an epic look.  We just never learn what Ann's trying to accomplish with this stunt.

Notes:  Andrea Thomas is certainly no fool.  She's onto Ann almost from the beginning.  Unlike, say, this particular viewer, Ms. Thomas doesn't see Ann as bad, just misguided.  Even Gwen and Tom, the subjects of Ann's malice, are sympathetic.  No one thinks to consult Tut for his feelings.

This episode features a jaunty little synth score, perhaps influenced by the video games like Space Invaders and Pong that were becoming popular at the time.  It sounds kind of like someone playing a Casio keyboard with one finger, but it's super catchy and even now it's still stuck in my head.  Quite the ear worm.

Larkspur High's cheerleading team is more of a tumbling team than anything else.  There are only five members and their routine seems to consist solely of somersaulting off a springboard onto a mat while Tom shouts encouragement.  How is this supposed to spur the team onto victory?  I'm not going to take up the "cheerleading is a sport/not a sport" debate here, but it seems Larkspur High could benefit from hiring a dedicated cheer coach.  Or at least someone who can teach the kids some chants.  They can work their way up to pyramids and hand stands later.

Rennie Carol's position at the school comes into doubt again.  Student or teaching assistant?  Here she spends the first part of the episode carefully typing up test answers for Ms. Thomas.  We see her in another episode studying with a classmate, so she must be one trustworthy person.  I'm guessing she's in a higher level science class than the one Ann and Gwen take, especially when the answers to the test seem to be so basic.

And also scattershot.  What kind of test features Marie Curie as one answer, then CO2 as another?  If they're studying carbon dioxide, it stands to reason the rest of the test would be about drawing molecules or the periodic table.  But if they're studying Marie Curie, they should have a concentration on radiation.  Right?  I'm no science teacher (I'm barely an English teacher), but Ms. Thomas's test just seems random to me.

The Secrets of Isis Episode 18: "The Class Clown"

We never learn why his former high school gave Rudy the boot, but somehow he's landed at Larkspur High where he immediately begins a reign of terror.  In the course of a single day, he shakes up another student's soda, embarrasses the class brain with chewing gum and a roll of paper, nearly kills Rennie Carol by rigging up an inflatable life raft to expand in the chemistry lab (spilling volatile chemicals and unleashing a toxic cloud) and then almost costs himself his own life after sabotaging a school bus on field trip from which he's been punitively prohibited.  Doesn't stop him from chasing the outing halfway around the state.  Is he a would-be comedian, or is he an incipient psychopath stalking his classmates for revenge?  Whatever he is, Rudy is a flake!

They call him "The Class Clown" (aired September 25, 1976), but as played by Alvin Kupperman, despite a slight resemblance to comedian supreme Albert Brooks, Rudy comes across as a destructive, impulsive weirdo and the least pleasant troubled guest student showcased thus far on Isis.  It also doesn't help matters Kupperman was 30 or 31 when this episode aired and looks every bit his age.  His isn't a bad performance by any means; it's just tonally at odds with what we're supposed to be feeling here.  In my experience, class clowns are disruptive but amusing; Rudy is certainly the former but he's only the latter if you think random destructive acts are hilarious.  Well, they can be.  Just not in this episode.  Even Rudy doesn't do a lot of laughing afterwards.  He just kind of blames others for shunning him or whatever the hell his motivation is supposed to be.  Frankly, I stopped caring about the time he started setting up his potentially deadly raft trick.  Andrea Thomas does her best to convince Rudy he doesn't have to pull outrageously dangerous stunts to make friends, but it takes a near-death experience for the guy to find his redemption.

Which takes place off-screen, with Thomas merely telling Rennie and Rick Mason about it, as if the episode itself had grown so sick of Rudy's frantic antics it no longer wants any part of him.  Shot with some menacing low angles and with some more ominous music cues this episode could have been chilling.  Instead, it's just kind of bizarre and haphazard, like Rudy himself.

Joanna Cameron continues to play Andrea Thomas as the most understanding, compassionate teacher since Pete Dixon held forth on Room 222.  She's not as hilarious as her contemporary Gabe Kotter, but Thomas doles out life lessons and gentle yet tough guidance as appropriate.  I haven't spent a whole lot of time praising Cameron's performance as the titular "dual person," but in either incarnation the woman simply rocks.  When dope Rudy sneers, "No one will miss me" when told he can't go on the field trip, Thomas quickly adds, "I'll miss you."  If the guy had an conscience at all that would have been the moment he gave up his murderous ways (I seriously believe the Larkspur authorities need to check his house's crawlspace for bodies).  This episode also sees the welcome return of Albert Reed as Dr. Barnes.  He gives Rudy a quick campus tour and promises him a clean slate.  Dr. Barnes is always a welcome presence.

But the true class clown of Larkspur High is none other than Rick Mason, who cheerfully dons a chaffeur's cap for his role as busdriver.  Brian Cutler has a gift for putting across Mason's corny sense of humor as well as his man-of-action turn when he commandeer's poor Rennie Carol's car for the high speed climax.

"Class Clown" even features some ambitious process shots-- ambitious in Isis terms-- as they show Isis actually flying into the smoking chem lab from outside the school and Mason and Rudy walking up an incline magically conjured from smoke by Isis.  Both effect scenes show their seams, but it's impressive enough the producers decided to spend a little more money this season and not rely on the over-used stock footage from the first year.  The smoke stairway is pretty bizarre, a blurry diagonally-split screen effect that goes on a bit too long for its own good but provides the episode's best visual.  Other than Mason in his cap.

Sorry I didn't get to those Isis posts!

The week before winter vacation proved busier than I anticipated, with longer days.  Circumstances didn't leave much time for watching The Secrets of Isis, much less blogging about it.  I'm on vacation now so once again let me offer you a hollow promise of fun and frivolity to come.  But it will have to wait.  I'm about to spend a few days in Tokyo.  I'll do some comic book buying while I'm there, but most of what I find will be posted on my new blog about being an American comic book fan in Japan.  That's where I plan to talk about the latest books and news, leaving this blog for the good old stuff we all love so much.  Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Dani Moonstar, classic Marvel, Dell and EC and that sort of thing.

Happy Holidays, True Believers!

The Secrets of Isis Episode 17: "The Hitchhiker"

Curse your demonic charisma, Charlie!  Danger loving girls Hope and Joann cannot resist it, nor can they the illicit thrill of hitching rides.  Charlie and his buddy give the two friends the ride of a lifetime involving a high-speed police chase and a disaster narrowly avoided thanks to Isis's magical powers of molecular whammy-ma-doodling and time reversal.  This also leads to a sore time for Rick Mason as the horse he was riding bolts and injures his posterior region, but just when you think everyone's learned a lesson in responsible travel, Hope goes for another spin with Charlie instead of sensibly taking the city bus to the class picnic with Joann.  This time there's a speeding train involved.

The first few minutes of "The Hitchhiker" (September 18, 1976) are the most exciting of any Isis episode yet.  It starts like an Afterschool Special about rebellious teens, shows Charlie already in trouble with the law (he brazenly rips up a traffic ticket just moments after getting it) then goes into the chase sequence and still manages to put both Andrea Thomas and Rick Mason on horseback.  It features the most amazing special effect yet attempted by the Isis crew-- the goddess uses her magic to make Charlie's speeding car pass completely through a huge earth-moving machine (I initially identified it as a road grader, but I'm not so sure what it is other than it's huge and yellow like the best Tonka toy ever created) blocking the highway-- and their momentum sends the kids hurtling off a cliff.  Also their car.

A simple film-reversal brings them back but it's so intense and action-packed you're left wondering if you're watching The Secrets of Isis or The Streets of San Francisco.  Cereal bowls probably spilled across the US the morning this originally aired.

It's hard not to see the whole hitchhiking plot as a metaphor for sexual awakening or experimentation. Charlie, despite his unfortunate hair, is a happening young guy known as a "good driver," and cars have always been linked with sexuality (at least in urban legends and Beach Boys songs).  The initial encounter is like a make-out session at a party gone a bit too far, with Isis as the adult authority figure who steps in-- much like a timely chaperone-- to prevent complete disaster.  Joann gets the message, but Hope has tasted the wild life and wants more.  Later, she takes another ride with the dangerous Charlie but when he goes a bit too fast, Hope wants to back down.  Charlie tells her he thought she was going to be "fun," but things almost turn tragic when his junky car-- condom with a hole in it?-- stalls on the railroad tracks in front of the speeding train of impending teen pregnancy.  Driving home the point is the rift between the two girlfriends.  When one of a matched pair begins dating, the other person is often marginalized.  Even Rick Mason notices and comments on it, and he's dealing with a sore bum at the time.

This is yet another Isis with a high-powered guest star.  Barry Miller plays Charlie with gusto and provides such energy the episode tends to flatten when he's not around.  He later went on to co-star as the doomed Bobby C. in the John Travolta disco epic Saturday Night Fever, where his character dealt with teen pregnancy in a literal rather than metaphorical way.  And badly, at that.  He would also win a Tony for his portrayal of Arnold Epstein in the Broadway version of the Neil Simon play Biloxi Blues.  But I'm certain he has his Isis role in bold on his actor's resume and probably spotlights a few clips on his personal career highlight reel.

Here's where things get crazy, though-- and you might want to sit down for this next bit.  Miller also appeared twice on Isis's sibling show Shazam.  Incredibly, after that, Miller also managed a guest spot on The New Adventures of Wonder Woman.  All he needed was an Electra Woman and Dyna Girl role and he would have made history.  But I suppose winning a Tony is still pretty good.

Ronalda Douglas explores Cindy Lee territory in this episode.  With her Dorothy Hamill bob and chirpy voice, she's a similarly positive presence.  Strangely, though, while we learned nothing at all of Cindy Lee's home life, the producers give Douglas a lengthy and surprisingly funny exchange with Brian Cutler where it's revealed Rennie Carol has two car-crazy brothers and knows quite a bit about autos herself.  She provides the Cindy Lee voice of caution to Hope at one point, but the character comes across as every bit as cheerful as but a little less naive than Cindy.  I really liked that aspect of Joanna Pang's performance-- and with her eagerness to participate in academics, I imagine Cindy Lee as either an only child or else the oldest in a competitive yet sheltered middle class household.  Douglas's Rennie Carol more than likely shares a similar background, albeit as the youngest in her family.  I can't help wondering if we'll meet those brothers in a later episode.

Notes-- This is the second episode in a row we find Joanna Cameron and Brian Cutler on horseback, and the second in which we get a shot of Cutler riding hell-bent for leather.  Could the producers afford a stunt person, or did Cutler handle it all himself?  It's hard to tell in the long shot of Mason on his runaway ride.

The photography seems a bit murky at times, too.  Looks like they shot some of the scenes on a rare overcast day in sunny California.  This gives the early going a kind of low-rent moodiness and there's so much going on I couldn't help but think of some old MST3K flicks like Teenagers from Outer Space or the immortal Teenage Strangler.  The sound quality is also suspect, with the mix erring on the upper range, so the dialogue comes across as overly shrill at times.  Of course a lot of this is due to this material being nearly forty years old.  Who's going to spend the money to re-master old episodes of Isis and bring them up to current audio-visual standards?

That's not a rhetorical question.  I want to know who will volunteer to do humanity this service.

More Isis reviews and commentaries are on their way!

Sorry for the lack of Isis fun.  I'm not pulling a Cindy Lee and vanishing on you.  I'm just very busy with preparing tests for my own students.  So I suppose you could say I'm as fun as Rick Mason, as wise as Dr. Barnes and as good looking as Andrea Thomas.  Things ease off next week so there should be more time for watching the show and writing about it.  I'm also preparing a big post comparing the show's characters to their DC comic book counterparts.  It involves a lot of screen grabs and Photoshop magic so it's become quite a project unto itself.  Look for it in the near future.

I'll post when I can, Isis fans!

The Secrets of Isis Episode 16: "Seeing Eye Horse"

The title, "Seeing Eye Horse," (September 11, 1976) is no metaphor.  This episode delivers exactly what it promises.  Award-winning equestrian Noah Schuster has lost his sight, and when surgery does nothing to improve his situation, Andrea Thomas and Rick Mason arrange for the lad to receive a seeing eye horse.  It's a lovely gesture from some caring people, but it also leads to a lot of complications.  Noah's a bit horse-shy after having a riding accident (Isis saves him) and feeling a bit angry as well.  When he blunders into a water cooler and the broken glass reflects enough sun to start a smoldering fire, it's going to take both the horse and the Egyptian goddess to save the day-- unless Noah figures out a way to do that for himself first.

Confined to a single location and apparently taking place over the course of two eventful days (or else one really long one), this is one frantic Isis episode.  And you probably want to stay as far away from Noah as possible in the event his lousy luck is contagious.  Poor guy endures bad news from his doctor (veteran character actor James Griffith, who was once a musician with Spike Jones and His City Slickers, with an acting career spanning decades), a runaway horse incident, the kindness of Ms. Thomas, starting a fire, falling in a lake, being rescued by a horse, then tumbling into a small hollow and briefly losing the ability to walk.  That is one unfortunate kid.  Or, if you prefer optimism, a very fortunate kid when you consider he has friends like Thomas and Mr. Mason.  And let's not forget Rennie Carol, as Ronalda Douglas makes her Isis debut in this episode, replacing fan favorite (this fan anyway) Joanna Pang as Cindy Lee.

Pang's bubbly presence is certainly missed.  I couldn't help but feel a little sad not seeing her in the credits.  Her absence is even more apparent because Douglas only has a few brief scenes and maybe three or four lines total, which means there's a lack of student sidekick action.  Douglas does, however, boldly wear denim overalls in what seems to be a visual challenge to Pang's baby blues.  Shocking stuff for Isis!  My first impressions of Douglas involve her soft voice and gracefully soothing presence.  Pang might have played the same scenes in a more chipper, upbeat way, but Douglas is just so very gentle.  Remember-- Cindy Lee had her own storyline in the show's second episode before settling into the sidekick role.  Let's see if Rennie gets a similar spotlight, and if they develop her personality as distinct from Cindy's.

I only wish the show told us where Cindy went to establish a little more continuity.  Speaking of-- Thomas is still driving that yellow Firebird.  But this year is all about change, and not just switching out student assistants.  Isis gets a new wavy/curly goddess wig, one that isn't as successfully integrated into the character's look as the long, straight one she wore in the first season.  This one appears to be a sort of fall, with Joanna Cameron's real hair parted in the middle and combed back on the sides in an effort to disguise it.  Unfortunately, the wig matches neither the shade nor the texture of Cameron's natural hair.  Her Isis transformation gets a glamour shot cutaway and her flying take-off features a close-up this time, rather than re-using that overly familiar stock footage we're probably all tired of already.  There's a new flying shot as well, but it's a bit clumsy, with Isis viewed in profile.  The head-on view is much more effective.  Still, it's nice to see the producers spending a little more money on the effects, if only for variety's sake.

Brian Cutler must have enjoyed shooting this episode.  He gets to be a little heroic himself.  When Noah's horse-- spooked by a sonic boom from a passing jet-- bolts wildly down the lane, it's Mr. Mason who cowboys up and gallops in pursuit, doing that cool "rein whip" move you do when you're trying to head 'em off at the pass (I hate that cliche!).  Cameron also demonstrates her horseback skills as Thomas shows Noah how to operate Sunny, the seeing eye horse.

Overall, this is a solid sophomore season debut, with the leads providing their usual grounded performances and the guest stars doing their best despite a busy script.  Gregory Elliot as Noah has to flail around helplessly and interact with a horse but he acquits himself well enough.  Kathleen O'Malley as Mrs. Schuster, his mom, has an incredible filmography stretching all the way back to the 1920s, when she was a baby.  She played a nurse in the 1955 Henry Fonda/Jack Lemon/James Cagney classic Mister Roberts, acted in two episodes of Leave it to Beaver, appeared on The Munsters, Twilight Zone, Bonanaza, Emergency!, Mary Tyler Moore, Columbo and Baretta just to name a few.  She managed a western star bi-fecta by showing up in two Clint Eastwood flicks-- okay, Dirty Harry isn't a western-- and John Wayne's The Shootist.

What I don't understand is how they could let Noah just wander around when he storms off after rejecting Sunny.  No one bothers to look for him.  In fact, thanks to some wonky editing, it's almost as if everyone simply disappears from the farm at one point.

Notes-- Thomas drives around with Tut in the backseat of her car, on a bird perch.  She leaves him in there for hours, perhaps even overnight.  Even with the windows down, that's not the proper way to treat your
animal companion.

The scene where she demonstrates Sunny to Noah is pretty neat.  Cameron handles herself in the saddle like a regular Annie Oakley.  I'm guessing Annie Oakley rode horses as well as doing all those trick shots with Buffalo Bill's show, but I'm not old enough to have witnessed any of that first hand so I could be wrong.  Whatever the case may be, Cameron looks comfy and that's saying a lot for someone acting atop an animal, even a highly trained one.  At one point she has to let go of the reins and just sit there while Sunny does his (or her) stuff.  And I'm thinking she and Cutler relished the chance to do that kind of physical stuff.  Looks like fun.

The Secrets of Isis Episode 15: "Dreams of Flight"

Chela Montoya dreams of flight.  She's made a neat little red glider that soars freely above Larkspur High the same way she dreams of doing.  Well, not so much above Larkspur High as above the earth itself as an astronaut.  She's quite the young aerodynamic engineer, but feels hindered by her brother Raoul, who thinks she's wasting her time.  Meanwhile, cocky Mark Dawson in his surplus army shirt with PFC chevrons on the sleeves wants everyone to know he's Larkspur's top gun, cockily declaring to a disapproving trio of Andrea Thomas, Rick Mason and Cindy Lee he plans to win the school's Aerodynamics Day.  "No lack of confidence in that boy," Thomas observes.  Then she's off to convince Raoul to let Chela enter the contest.

Raoul's struggling with a problem of his own.  He's supposed to paint a huge mural for the barrio, but he's got artist's block.  A quick talk with Thomas and then another more heartfelt one with Chela solves both her problems and his.  But that dastardly Mark just won't leave well enough alone.  Several foot chases ensue, a thrilling runaway truck misadventure with Raoul trapped in a trailer and then a tense moment where Mark, having stolen Chela's remote control airplane, finds himself hanging on for dear life above certain death with only Raoul to... WAIT!  HERE COMES ISIS!

"Dreams of Flight," which aired December 13, 1975, has a lot on its mind.  Too much.  It completely lacks focus, almost as if at some story conference the production team decided to combine two unrelated scripts about a bright young woman into airplanes and a talented artist intimidated by too large a canvas.  Maybe the first felt too slight and the second didn't present enough Isis action, so instead we get this mishmash.  It's heavy on the action, but that action is somewhat repetitive, with Raoul chasing Mark on foot not once but twice.  The first chase leads to one of the more exciting Isis rescues-- the goddess has to stop a runaway semi-truck because Raoul's gotten himself locked in the back-- but it feels kind of random.  Getting stuck in the trailer is bad enough, but then the sequence extends as the driverless truck careens down a mountain road (conveniently hugging the curves) until we've almost forgotten all about poor Chela.

I have to admit when the show established the Chela-Raoul conflict, I expected Raoul to be a macho ethnic stereotype.  Instead, he's a gentle artist who quickly sees reason and comes to understand he has to back his sister's dreams.  Even when Mark shows up and taunts him with a lot of racist insults and ignorance, Raoul takes it in stride.  He's too good natured to let this goon upset him with pure foolishness, but when Mark starts dicking around with Chela's plane, Raoul chases the coward away.  As played by Fabian Gregory, Raoul's one of the more pleasant characters on a show chock full of them.  Cynthia Avila as Chela ends up shortchanged as the show shifts its focus to the conflict between Raoul and Mark.  If only they'd allowed the story to climax at the Aeronautics Festival!

That's the episode's major flaw.  We expect Chela to prove her mettle by beating Mark fair and square in front of the entire student body, but instead we get trucks and rescues with Chala shunted aside.  She wins her victory without even being present and we never get to see her in direct competition with Mark or anyone else for that matter.  I feel like Milhouse whining, "When are they going to get to the fireworks factory?"  You just don't introduce a story element that huge and then refuse to deliver.  It's the story's natural climax and logical end game for Chela's character arc, not this footchase nonsense and Mark's accident and patently phony turnaround with its dubious message-- if only people of color could save each and every bigot from almost certain death, we'd live in a more progressive world.  I do like the denouement with Raoul's mural displaying elements of Chela's dreams, from a boy playing with a model, to Chela herself swinging in a tire, a winged Aztec warrior, a paper airplane, to a bold astronaut figure.  It's actually quite a lovely creation.

And there's ol' Mark, sitting in the bushes, all covered in multicolored splotches of paint.

After all these years having her character denied a real triumph is probably no big deal to Avila.  Her career continues to this day, and she's peachy in her few scenes, ably conveying the sweetness and smarts of a young woman with big dreams.  Gregory and Hinckley didn't fare as well professionally.  This was Gregory's last credit as far as I can determine, and Hickley disappeared after a one-episode appearance on The Krofft Supershow, which gave us Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, certainly more colorful but in all other aspects inferior to Isis as far as I'm concerned.  No, I don't really care about people entering puberty with the help of Deidre Hall, thank you very much.  Krofft nostalgia is very 1990s and way too easy, like hacky jokes about Shaggy and Scooby Doo smoking pot or Smurfs having sex with Smurfette.  Cindy Lee wouldn't listen to that kind of crap and I suggest you practice mental hygiene and do the same.

Where was I?  Oh yeah.  The guest actors on Isis.  Tom Williams, who has a quick scene as a helpful hobby shop owner, still does a lot of voice over work, most notably as a baby in approximately ten thousand TV shows and movies.  I guess that's his specialty.  He's also played cops and the like, which is probably to be expected of a tall middle-aged guy.  At least I hope he's still able to work.  He's in his eighties now, and his most recent credit was in 2006 as "Baby Ella" on the UPN sitcom Eve.  Guy's been in everything from Punk Brewster to The Torkelsons to Night Court to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Notes--  Larkspur High sure has a lot of science events.  They all seem to be fun as well as educational.  That's Andrea Thomas and Rick Mason for you-- the school was lucky when those two joined the faculty.  They're involved in the students' lives, knocking themselves out to make learning science enjoyable for everyone.  Any school would be thrilled to have two teachers like that!

Speaking of our teacher characters, I can't praise Joanna Cameron's performance as Thomas highly enough.  Whether she's encouraging Chela, verbally jousting with Mark, or giving Raoul a lesson in sibling support she's pitch-perfect in this episode.  Cameron easily could have headlined a prime-time TV show about a concerned and dedicated young teacher changing lives and boosting test scores even without the goddessy-superheroic trappings, and she still would have made it watchable.  There's never a sense of "Lord, I wish my career would take off and zephyr wind me out of here," just tons of charisma and complete commitment to making Thomas as believable as possible and Isis a dazzling role model.

Brian Cutler gives able support in his few scant scenes as well.

Sadly, we've come to the end of the Cindy Lee era.  She's not in this episode much, just at the beginning where she helps out with a little exposition and at the end declaring Raoul's painting to be "terrific!"  And wouldn't you know it-- she goes out the way she came in, wearing those baby blue overalls!  Sure, she starts the episode in a swinging blue miniskirt that Marcia Brady would kill to wear, but I can't think of a more fitting send-off for Cindy Lee than a last scene in those overalls.  Joanna Pang should have had them bronzed as a keepsake.  She might have if only she'd know this would be her final bow as Larkspur's perpetually cheerful factotum.

But don't worry, Isis fans.  We're going to keep on watching and commenting right through the Rennie Carol episodes.  I'm looking forward to them.  As I've noted before, I tuned into the second season of Isis only to feel let down by Cindy Lee's unexplained disappearance (that's still my only specific memory about watching this show).  I guess I just didn't like change.  Now I'm excited to figure out what Rennie Carol is all about.  Will she be as earnest and enthusiastic as Cindy Lee, or will she present a more low-key personality?  Whichever it is, she's definitely change the lead trio's chemistry.  And dietary habits.  No more deviled egg sandwiches for Rick Mason.

The Secrets of Isis Episode 14: "Scuba Duba"

Rick Mason is thoroughly disgusted with student Steve and his blatant disregard for scuba diving safety.  Steve lacks the patience and self-control necessary for scuba diving's many pre-dive checks and holds the buddy system in disdain.  This leads to a potentially tragic situation and only Larkspur High's resident goddess-- Cindy Lee-- can save the day.

No, just kidding again.  Of course it's Isis who help Steve learn a valuable lesson.

This is an episode heavy on the Rick Mason, which isn't a bad thing.  He's not like mayonaise, delicious in the proper proportions on a sandwich but ultimately overwhelming and muting even the sharp tang of mustard.  You can dollop Rick Mason on freely and he only brings out the best in your crisp, leafy greens such as lettuce and your thinly sliced deli meats.  I'm thinking turkey, but some of you may prefer ham or even roast beef.  Whatever you like, Rick Mason has you covered.  Brian Cutler gets to stretch a little and show greater range, within the still limited parameters of Isis.  It's not as if we're going to see an episode where Cutler gets to cut loose when Mason loses his fiance to heroin addiction or suffers a crisis of religious faith after witnessing a plane crash.  And that's okay.  We're not here for that.  We've seen flashes of the generally genial Mason's temper but "Scuba Duba" (airing December 6, 1975) shows him consistently frustrated with Steve, a nice enough but somewhat hard-headed guy who just seems determined to alienate the science teacher/scuba club sponsor.

When we first see Steve, he's excited about the possibility of photographing a rare eagle's nest.  His enthusiasm seems genuine and even endearing, and soon he's clambering down the side of a hill to get that snap.  Despite his apparent mountaineering experience and a stern warning from his more sensible friend Nancy (although practically everyone is more sensible than Steve; he makes show off Steve Elwood look like model citizen Cindy Lee), the danger-prone dude relies on a ratty old rope as his "safety" line.  It doesn't take long for him to come to grief, but luckily Andrea Thomas is on the scene with her own camera.  A quick change to Isis and Steve is free to bedevil poor Mr. Mason once more.  Twice more, in fact.

Born in 1953, Eileen "Nancy" Chesis had already been a series regular on The Tom Ewell Show (your guess is as good as mine) and clocked time on Bonanza (twice), but she seems to have made her debut on none other than Lassie.  After a guest appearance on Matt Helm, she apparently left the business, at least in front of the cameras.  Brian "Steve" Byers was a newcomer, having recently made his own debut on The Bob Newhart Show and he stuck it out long enough to play "Male Reporter #1" and "Medic" on two different episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 (although just thinking of a plot where he could have played "Male Reporter-Medic #1" on a single episode might provide fun for those of you stuck on the toilet for long periods... just waiting for something to happen).  Other credits include M*A*S*H, Three's Company, Joanie Loves Chachi and Full House.  Both give the solid, professional performances we've come to expect from Isis guest stars.  They aren't there to blow us away with flash and prove themselves the next Meryl Streep or Al Pacino.  They just have to be believable and sympathetic, and that's just what they do.

The show's underwater climax is quite exciting and the setting is a pleasant change of pace from the mountains and hills used in most episodes.  It has a novelty and a level of difficulty that appeals.  The scuba club appears to be diving in a very large lake or perhaps a cove or inlet, and once under, they encounter all kinds of underwater life, tall fronds of aquatic plants and whatnot that look more native to the ocean.  But what do I know about scuba diving?  My only experience with the sport is having some acquaintances who are PADI-certified.  I've always wanted to get certified myself, but despite my lifelong love for and interest in sharks (I've spent personal time studying them on my own, and fishing for them-- strictly catch-and-release-- off the Florida coast), I also have a strong phobia of them.  Specifically, being devoured by one while scuba diving.  I know fatal shark attacks while diving are at least as rare as fatal lightning strikes, but they're rarer still on land.

Notes--  Mason ultimately proves too nice for his own good.  Or maybe that's for the best for Steve.  It's not as if Steve's endangering anyone but himself, and this is one scare that directly impacts that aspect of the guy's personality; in this case, I truly believe he's learned a life lesson that will stick.  Although one thing that bugged me throughout the episode was the danger to the school's funding.  Kind of cold-blooded, you think?  Well, hear me out.

Mason and Ms. Thomas obviously have made Larkspur High one of the top academically performing schools in the state, which is why they get to have things like a scuba club in the first place.  That equipment is relatively expensive.  So Steve clowns around, gets himself seriously injured, or worse, killed-- then what happens to Rick Mason and Larkspur High?  Lawsuits, recriminations, possible firing, that's what.  Even though Mason has done everything humanly possible to prevent the tragedy, he's the one who will bear the brunt of the blame, and I seriously doubt the school board is willing to go down with him.  End result:  loss of a fine teacher, the collapse of the state's top academic program, the breaking of Dr. Barnes's mighty heart and declining resources left for Ms. Thomas.  Mason's career is on the line here, but so are the futures of many students like Cindy Lee and Nancy.

Sure, we worry (as does Mason) about Steve's young life, but it's also important to think of all the other consequences beyond just the grief counseling needed for his friends and classmates-- not to mention the devastation wrought on the guy's family-- if he'd managed to drown himself under Mason's supervision.  those are other reasons Mason is so angry at Steve, and why you should take some rules very seriously.  There's an Isis episode for you.

I think this way now that I'm an old person, but I probably would've been a complete Steve when I was 16 or 17.  Worse, even.

We also learn at the start of of this episode Andrea Thomas is a much better tennis player than Rick Mason.  I have to say Joanna Cameron looks like someone who knows how to handle a racket and I wish they'd thrown in a scene where she and Brian Cutler actually play a game.  Larkspur High's best science teachers are pretty well-rounded people when you think about it (and you should, rather than try to do something productive with your time).  Not only are they highly intelligent and motivated professional educators, but they're athletic and have their own outside interests--  Mason with his boating, scuba diving and pizza-eating and Thomas with her tennis prowess, trekking, bird-watching and nature photography.

The Secrets of Isis Episode 13: "Girl Driver"

The Larkspur High Car Club is holding its election for club president, and this time out it's highly controversial.  Why?  Because a girl is in the running!  Even though Frederica "Freddie" Charleton works at her dad's auto repair shop and really seems to know her stuff she can't get any respect from her male rival Mac Lennard.  After an accident that almost destroys the shop (both Freddie and Mac are to blame, at least according to Isis), the two become intractable enemies. Ms. Thomas, Mr. Mason and Cindy Lee talk them into competing in a rally to determine the better auto expert.  Mac is so determined not to lose to a girl he's willing to cheat to win, but when his little stunt puts his life in danger, a woman has to save him.  And that woman is none other than First Lady Betty Ford.

Just kidding.  It's actually Billy Jean King.  Cher.  Okay, okay, it's Tatum O'Neal.  Kristy MacNichol.  Evonne Goolagong.  Or Isis.  They're all great, so take your pick. As we've just seen in the 2012 presidential election, few things cause arguments as much as politics, even politics within a high school club.  And gender politics are still very much in play-- witness the gender divide in single women voting for Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney.  So while the whole "women's lib" movement and the Equal Rights Amendment were hot button topics back in the mid-1970s (seems like every sitcom did some variation on the "let's bet to see whose life is more challenging/women on strike" plots), the underlying concerns still bear addressing.  We've made progress, but in today's highly polarized United States, retrogressive types press their attack and hope to reverse all those hard-won gains.

"Girl Driver," its title a deliberate reference to any number of jokes and stupid cartoons about women and their supposed lack of driving skill aired on November 29, 1975, and uses its mild pro-feminist message as something of a red herring.  The lesson it really teaches is that cheating is wrong, and if you cheat, you'll probably get a nail in your tire and end up plunging off a ten-thousand foot cliff in your car, with only an Egyptian goddess to perch proudly on the hood and save you with gusts of wind.  Secondary to that is that men and women need to cooperate, especially in moving fallen telephone poles out of the road to a brighter future for us all.

Played with polish by Steve Doubet, Mac starts off seemingly a fairly good-natured guy, despite his frequent disparaging comments about Freddie's mechanical skills.  When the justifiably offended Freddie angrily declares him a "chauvinist pig," he laughs it off with an easy-going, "That's me!  Oink oink."  He's even quick to shout a warning when a gas spill outside the garage catches fire.  Not that yelling, "Watch out!  If those drums ignite, this whole place will blow up!" particularly helps anyone.  But he quickly turns creepy and alarmingly rage-fueled, first challenging Freddie to a dangerous drag race, then pulling his little trick during the rally.  Luckily he's already softening his stance even before his brush with death.

This leads to an amazing scene where Mac's car swerves off the road and over the cliff, with a close-up of his horrified face as he falls down... down... down... I mean really, they must have held this rally in the Himalayas.  Then Isis swoops in and poses goddess-like on the car's hood while saving Mac.  It involves another chromakey shot but at least they're trying something new.  I can't help but remember the scene in The Blues Brothers when the stationwagon of Illinois Nazis flies off the overpass construction which apparently wasmeant to allow drive-through access to the top floor of the Sears Tower.

Speaking of girl drivers, is that Cindy Lee behind the wheel at the episode's start, chauffeuring Andrea Thomas around and talking a mad streak about the car club election?  Why, it is!  According to Joanna Pang in her Isis DVD interview, she couldn't really drive a stick shift at the time, so it wasn't the easiest scene to shoot.  My dad was a stickler for teaching my brothers and me how to drive standard transmission.  "Learn to drive standard and you can drive almost anything.  Learn just automatic, and you're limited in emergencies." I'm sure Freddie would agree.

Susan Lawrence takes this role, and she's more than a match for Doubet.  They have a nice bickering chemistry that makes their scenes together work better than a Saturday morning children's show really deserves, but then Isis always seems to do right with its guest stars.  The performances are sometimes a bit broad, but these shows shot fast and there probably wasn't time for a lot of character building.  Casting well solves most problems, and Filmation must have hired a crackerjack casting director for their shows.

Both Lawrence and Doubet are typical of the Isis guests, capable pros with extensive 1970s resumes featuring guest appearances on various sitcoms and hour-long dramas, their careers petering out in the 1980s.  Not everyone can be a Debralee Scott.  Lawrence played a Horshack relative on Welcome Back, Kotter and became a regular on the Dr. Shrinker live-action show, one of those Sid  and Marty Krofft joints you half-believe you dreamed while running a high fever.  She also appeared on two episodes of Mork and Mindy.  Doubet knocked around a little longer, doing time on soap operas like Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, turning up twice on The Love Boat, once on Dynasty and even landing a one-time spot on Trapper John, M.D. as "Reporter #2."  I wonder if he and Christopher Norris bonded over their Isis appearances.

Notes-- Once again, Cindy Lee acts as the faculty's girl-on-the-inside, just full of juicy and helpful tidbits of info on her classmates.  Some might call her a gossip, but I believe it's just because she's so involved in student life. Larkspur High is everything to that crazy kid.  She's also safety conscious.  When Mac's insulting challenge to a drag race proves more than Freddie can stand, it's a quick-thinking Cindy Lee who cools her jets and prevents her from making a serious mistake.

Dr. Barnes makes damn sure the two contestants know a rally is not the same as a race, but a test of accuracy.  Isis's concern-- beyond Mac's safety-- is getting the two enemies to learn to cooperate. I think that's a noble thing, and we could all learn a thing or two from the wise goddess.  Mac's conversion at the end is earned more than Carrie Anson's from the previous episode-- after all, we watched that guy plummet almost to his death.  It's amazing he can even function after such a thing, but there he is, offering not only his hand in congratulations, but his vote for Freddie as club president.  Another heartwarming turnabout for The Secrets of Isis.

It wouldn't be a 70s TV show without some awesome outfits.  Cindy breaks out her adorable "having fun in the sun" patchwork outfit for the rally, but early in the episode she rocks some mighty jeans.  Dr. Barnes sports a sweet denim jacket ensemble, but Rick Mason wins the couture award for this episode with his sweet blue print shirt.  Of course it's hard to argue with Andrea Thomas's short shorts.  Oink oink.

 Finally, this must be southern California, because all these kids drive convertibles.