How many MPI fans...

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N1095A · #1 Post by **N1095A** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 12:05 am

are also fond of Simon & Simon?
Sorry if this has been addressed before. I was just wacthing S&S, and I remembered how much a part of my life these two shows were in the 80s. MPI at 8:00 and S&S at 9:00. Now that's a Thursday night!

#2 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 4:04 am

Heck yeah! Best one-two punch ever! Unfortunately, like so many other great shows of the past, I never get to see it anymore. I curse thee Basic cable! I miss Downtown Brown and the gang!

IslandHopper · #3 Post by **IslandHopper** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:05 pm

Sleuth has been showing Simon & Simon. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I found an S&S episode that involved the theft of a dolphin similar to MPI's "Old Acquaintance." However, it turned out that the S&S dolphin episode was aired a few years before the MPI episode.

Today Sleuth is showing an an S&S episode called "Guessing Game" starring Kathleen Lloyd as a psychic who hires Rick and AJ to protect her. Specifically, the episode is described as A psychic asks the Simons to protect her after she has a vision of her own murder. Does this sound familiar? Sounds like the MPI "Fragments" (season 5) episode to me. However, the S&S "Guessing Game" episode aired on 10/21/1982 and "Fragments" didn't air until 11/1/1984. So, it appears that the MPI writers got yet another episode idea from S&S. Both shows were owned by Universal, so I'm sure there were no problems with using similar plots and ideas between the two shows.

Kathleen Lloyd first appeared on MPI on 12/9/82 (Almost Home-season 3), less than two months after the S&S episode was aired. However, she seems to look years younger in the S&S episode which aired less than two months before.

#4 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:40 pm

Sleuth isn't part of my Basic cable package. To get Sleuth, you have to get the "Expanded" package, which just isn't in the cards for us right now.

Pretty much the only channel on my Basic cable package that shows older TV shows is TV Land, but that has absolutely ZERO detective/PI shows! It does have some of my favorite older shows like The Brady Bunch, Leave It to Beaver, MASH, I Love Lucy and Star Trek, however.

I may cave in and get the first season of S&S on DVD.

N1095A · #5 Post by **N1095A** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:53 pm

I haven't yet gotten the S&S season 1 on DVD, but I do catch them on Sleuth whenever I can. The problem, which is my main complaint with Slueth is they seem to pick 10 or so episodes and rerun them over and over until you're sick of them. They did the same thing with MPI. I'm quite a bit more partial to MPI, but I loved both shows growing up, and revisiting them today is a great pleasure. I also loved Rick's Power Wagon, and one day I will recreate that 1:1. In the meantime, here's a 1/25th scal model I built over the summer.

along with a 1/25th scale GMC from "The Fall Guy" that I'm working on.

foggydayz · #6 Post by **foggydayz** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:49 am

yep my two favourite shows. i watched both shows while they were back to back in the late late night reruns.

other shows that were also lumped into that late night group were, matt houston,8 is enough,the fall guy. late night tv was great in the mid eighties, then it went to crap with all the infomercials.

golfmobile · #7 Post by **golfmobile** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 2:56 am

I didn't watch S&S as faithfully as I watched MPI, but I always had a weak spot for Gerald McRaney, and I actually enjoyed him a little more in "Major Dad," but maybe that was because my second husband looked slightly like him.

golf

#8 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:54 pm

Wow! The Power Wagon and GMC models are out-of-this-world fantastic N1095A! Great job!

You created those from scratch?

N1095A · #9 Post by **N1095A** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:52 pm

Thanks James! The Power Wagon is mostly scratchbuilt. I used a couple of different Dodge pickup models to get the right body. Everything else is scratch. The Fall Guy truck is from the MPC kit. However, I lengthened the bed to the correct 8 (scale)foot instead of the short bed that was depicted in the stock kit.

If you're interested, here's a link to my photobucket photos of other projects. There are also more photos of the S&S Power Wagon.
http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa221/TX23_MCB/

Danno · #10 Post by **Danno** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 2:37 am

Yeah, seriously, N1095A, I'm in awe...

I was too young when Simon & Simon were on.