Pop Culture Roundup for June 24-July 3: Lovejoy, an Empress, and Spies, Oh, My!

by Karen A. Romanko

This installment of PCR spans the decades again, from 60s spy-fi to 2020 rom-coms, with stops in between. Fasten your seatbelts, as we ride the pop culture currents of the last 60 years!

June 24: I became a fan of Lovejoy when it ran on A&E in the US during the 90s. At the time, they sold some “Best of“ VHS tapes of the series marketed as “Lovejoy Mysteries.” I thought the mystery label was merely a promotional gimmick, but when I thought about it again, there is a crime at the heart of almost every episode, and some attempt at solution or payback. What’s your view of the series?

June 27: I just finished writing up Empress Dowager Cixi of China for my book in progress, Historical Women on Scripted Television. Beulah Quo portrays her (left) on Steve Allen’s Meeting of Minds (1978). Historical Cixi is in the photo on the right, as painted by Hubert Vos. I’d love to hear about other historical Asian women you’ve seen depicted as characters on scripted television, i.e. regular series and TV movies, not documentaries or theatrical films. Thanks!

June 29: Here’s one I don’t see discussed much, Murder in Suburbia, a British series that ran for two seasons from 2004 to 2005. Detective Inspector Kate "Ash" Ashurst (Caroline Catz) and Detective Sergeant Emma "Scribbs" Scribbins (Lisa Faulker) are cops in the Cagney & Lacey mold, but they’re less serious and have a better looking boss (Jeremy Sheffield). I recommend this one to those who like their crime–solving on the lighthearted side. The right panel shows some of the services currently showing MIS. (I have the DVD. I almost always have the DVD.)

June 29: Who has seen The Broken Hearts Gallery, a romantic comedy film from 2020? It’s currently making the rounds on STARZ. I’m normally not a big rom-com fan, but this one is offbeat, and has the added attraction of New York City as a supporting character. Geraldine Viswanathan is winning in the lead role as Lucy, and has an appealing, kooky flair for comedy. Lucy collects mementos of all her failed relationships, and her hoarding eventually turns into something big and amazing. Although the second half is a bit messy, Bob and I both enjoyed it.

June 30: “Spy-fi” had a pervasive influence on popular culture during the 60s, with the James Bond films and TV shows like The Avengers leading the way. Others followed in their footsteps, and became influential in their own right, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, and Get Smart. The lure of secret agents, trench coats, and gadgets was irresistible, and soon genres such as the venerable sitcom couldn’t resist it. The always wonderful Dick Van Dyke Show did a hilarious sendup of spy shows in “The Man from My Uncle” (1966) in which Rob Petrie (Dick) assists a hapless G-man named Bond (Godfrey Cambridge) during a stakeout at Rob’s house. The Patty Duke Show had its own entry with “The Girl from N.E.P.H.E.W. (1965), wherein Patty misinterprets the visit of a family friend (Murray Rose) who works for Interpol. (Both of these episodes are available on YouTube.) Top photo: Rob Petrie with Mr. Bond. Bottom: Patty and brother Ross (Paul O’Keefe) doing surveillance.

July 2: Name the TV detectives or spies who uttered these quotes or catchphrases. Play fair. No googling! (Answers included in the July 3 entry below.)

1. “Just one more thing…“
2. “It’s a blessing and a curse.”
3. “You’re under arrest, Sugah!”
4. “He functions best in an advisory capacity.”
5. “Just the facts, ma’am.”
6. “Get your trousers on—you're nicked!"
7. “A damn fine cup of coffee”
8. “... if anybody tried to attack you, I could confuse them to death.”
9. “... and loving it.“
10. “I’m obliged.“

July 2: Currently transcribing my analog diaries for spring and summer 1978 and 1979. I love how they are little pop culture time capsules. In 1978, I saw Joan Rivers in person at UMass Boston, where she was promoting the movie Rabbit Test (which I never saw). Movies I did see with Bob, however, included Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Coma. We also went to The Marshall Tucker Band concert at Boston Garden. Movies we saw in 1979 included Halloween, The Last Waltz, Love at First Bite, Moonraker, and Alien. We played a lot of tennis and pinball that summer. We were addicted to the new Star Trek pinball machine at the URI student union. We couldn't have imagined what was coming along next... Pac-Man!

July 3: Here are the answers to yesterday‘s quiz. The most identified was number one, Columbo. No one got number 10, John Drake of Danger Man/Secret Agent.

1. “Just one more thing…“ COLUMBO
2. “It’s a blessing and a curse.” ADRIAN MONK
3. “You’re under arrest, Sugah!” CHRISTIE LOVE
4. “He functions best in an advisory capacity.” LAURA HOLT
5. “Just the facts, ma’am.” JOE FRIDAY
6. “Get your trousers on—you're nicked!" JACK REGAN
7. “A damn fine cup of coffee” DALE COOPER
8. “... if anybody tried to attack you, I could confuse them to death.” AMANDA KING
9. “... and loving it.“ MAXWELL SMART
10. “I’m obliged.“ JOHN DRAKE

Thanks for playing!

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Last, but not least, please check out my books about women and television from McFarland Publishers, available in trade paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon:

Television's Female Spies and Crimefighters and Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television
 On sale now!