Who Loves Ya, Baby?

KOJAK
"Kiss It All Goodbye"
Aired: February 22, 1977

God bless all those retro TV channels like Me-TV, Antenna TV, and This TV.
Thanks to Me-TV, I finally caught Carol's appearance on Kojak (airing weekdays at 4:00).
For those who don't know, Kojak was a 1970s cop show starring the very bald Telly Savalas.

Here's the plot:
Late one night, Detective Bobby Crocker, receives an anonymous tip that a robbery is about to occur at a fur warehouse. When Crocker arrives on the scene, the robbers try to flee, and a shootout ensues. One of the crooks is shot and killed. Unfortunately, Crocker accidentally shoots an innocent bystander, a fashion model named Polly Aames (Carol). The girl survives, but is paralyzed from the waist down. Crocker feels enormous guilt, and visits Polly in the hospital to apologize. At first, Polly is bitter at the man who changed her life, but Crocker is persistent and she eventually succumbs to his charms. The two begin to spend a lot of time together, and fall in love. Meanwhile, Kojak is investigating the heist, and uncovers information that links Polly to the robbers. Is Polly all that she appears to be?

I was just a kid in the seventies when this show was on TV. I never really got into it as a kid because it was more of an adult show. I was more into the kid-friendly Aaron Spelling detective shows like Charlie's Angels, T.J. Hooker, and Hart to Hart. Watching it now as an adult, I was struck by how dark and gritty the series is. It's very well written, the productions values are superb, and the acting is top notch. This particular episode was filmed on location in New York during the Winter, and one of the thieves is played by a young Christopher Walken!. The show probably employed a lot of New York-based actors for the minor roles. They don't look like the stereotypical glossy Hollywood-types, but rather ordinary real people of all shapes and sizes.
This particular role gave Carol a great opportunity to display a wide variety of emotions, and Carol does not disappoint. Looking more solemn, and less glamorous, Carol fully immerses herself in the role, and delivers an outstanding performance. I really believed her character's struggles with feelings of guilt, and remorse.

Angel in Blue

Thanks to Netflix, I finally got to see Carol's appearance on Hawaii Five-O. The series' tenth season(!) was recently released on DVD. I always seemed to miss it in syndication.
I'm happy to report that Carol has a substantial role and practically dominates the episode. She practically carries the whole episode by herself, while the show's star Jack Lord has a few brief scenes (he probably had it written in his contract that he needed a break).

The obligatory bathing suit scene. Hey, if I had Carol Lynley
on my show, I'd put her in a bathing suit, too!

In the episode entitled, "Angel in Blue," Carol plays an undercover cop who infiltrates a drug operation run by Vic "kiss my grits" Tayback. She faces a dilemma when she unexpectedly falls in love with one of the henchmen.
I'm wondering if this episode was meant to be a prospective pilot for a new spin-off series. Something like "Police Woman" in Hawaii. The title, "Angel in Blue," sure sounds like a nod to Charlie's Angels, too. Carol sure was "Angel" material. Unfortunately, this idea never came to fruition--but I can dream, can't I?

Carol emotes!

Stay off of MY Beach!

Once You Kiss a Stranger
(1969)

"Stay off of MY Beach!"

I finally have some really cool Carol Lynley news to report!!!

The Warner Archive's Made-On-Demand DVD-R program has released from their vaults, Carol's 1969 film, "Once You Kiss a Stranger."

"You really are insane!"

I just received my copy in the mail! The movie has vibrant colors and great clarity, and ... it's WIDESCREEN! I don't think it was restored because I did witness an occasional line and some dirt specks. Still, it is far better than the version I recorded off of TV. Also, the film runs 1 hour 45 minutes, so I saw a lot of new scenes I never saw before that were edited out for commercials.

For those of you who don't know, "Once You Kiss a Stranger" was a updated remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train"--but set in Malibu, CA with a female lead.

Carol is perfectly cast as a mentally unbalanced young woman who makes a strange bet with a professional golfer (played by Paul Burke): she will kill his golf rival if he will kill the psychiatrist who wants to have her committed. At first, Paul doesn't take her seriously--until his rival's body is found on the golf course with his head bashed in.

The movie may have gained a camp reputation, but it was not intended to be a comedy. It is a 1960s psychological thriller. Carol has a lot of great campy scenes in this movie. First, she destroys a little girl's beach ball with a harpoon, then she tries to throw the cat in the refrigerator as punishment for drinking her milk.
Another bizarre scene shows her casually eating a hamburger while examining the bloody golf club used in the killing.

Parts of the film are very dated, but that only adds to its kitschy-like quality. Like most old movies of its day, "Once You Kiss a Stranger" was shot like a sitcom with brightly-lit sets, (Check out the Brady Bunch-like kitchen with orange Formica countertop). But actually, Carol was really way ahead of her time for 1969. She owned a videotape machine AND had a purse equipped with a video recorder--perfect for capturing her sexual encounters and blackmailing somebody!!! I didn't get my first VCR recorder until 1983!

Most importantly, this is a fun movie to watch--thanks to Carol's performance. I highly recommend this film. Here's the link to Warner Archive: http://www.wbshop.com/Once-You-Kiss-A-Stranger/1000180220,default,pd.html?cgid=
It's currently $19.95, but do a search for Warner Archive coupon codes and you might get it cheaper.

Carol's advice for the day:
"If you want to kiss someone...NEVER ask! Just do it!!!

Welcome to Fantasy Island!

Fantasy Island
"Carnival"
Original Air Date: December 2, 1978

I think Carol holds the record for most guests appearances on the classic TV show, "Fantasy Island" (1978-1984) produced by TV-mogul Aaron Spelling.
The imdb.com says she made 10 appearances (not including the TV pilot movie). Dennis Cole (who recently died) made 9 appearances, and Barbi Benton did 8 shows.
For those not familar with show, each week a different group of tourists would come to Fantasy Island and pay big bucks to have their dreams and wishes fulfilled by the mysterious host, Mr. Roake played by Ricardo Montablan.

Carol would appear often on this show at least once a year (sometimes two). The First season was released on DVD a few years ago, but poor sales put a halt to future seasons.
I recently obtained an episode that Carol made during the show's second season!
In the episode entitled, "Carnival," Carol plays Dorothy Weller, a secretary who wants to know if the three-day affair she had while on vacation was the real thing or just a dream.
She had met the man while vacationing in a small village called Guadalupe.
Unfortunately, Dorothy had an auto accident and fell in a coma. When she awakened, the man had disappeared!
Dorothy comes to Fantasy Island to find out if the mystery man she fell in love with really existed or did she just imagine it. Stuart Whitman plays the mystery man. As you can see from these shots, Carol is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! I really like this hairstyle on her.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!

Lynley on Quincy

Carol can be found on the Quincy, M.E. Seasons 1 & 2 DVD set. Her episode entitled, "Who's Who in Neverland," originally aired October 10, 1976. The plot concerns a social butterfly(played by Joanna Barnes) who has just written a tell-all manuscript about the rich and famous. In it, she exposes someone's deep dark secrets. Naturally, somebody doesn't want their secrets exposed, so they murder the lady, but the manuscript is missing, and the killer will do anything to find out where it is! Jack Klugman plays the title character, Quincy, a medical examiner, who tries to find out who the killer is from a list of suspects. Could it be Carol? Watch--and find out!
I'm not crazy about Carol's 'short bangs' look, but I can look past that because there is no denying that the rest of the woman is gorgeous!

Carol Comes Out!

This has been a GREAT summer for Lynley fans!

That's because two of her rare TV appearances have been released on DVD.

On July 21, Paramount Home Video released "Hotel: The First Season." This includes a 1983 episode in which our very own Carol appears entitled, "Faith, Hope, & Charity"(Original airdate: November 23, 1983).

Carol plays a playwright, who reunites with her old college chum (Peyton Place's bad girl Barbara Parkins!) at the St. Gregory Hotel. However, their friendship is put to the test when Carol "comes out" to Barbara, revealing that she is a lesbian!


If you never have seen it, you're in for a REEL treat! There are a lot of great scenes for us Lynley watchers, as Carol drops towel and shows off a lot of skin, and wears a sexy, spandex leotard!!!



I must have missed this one when it first aired, and I don't think the show was syndicated much, so this was a great find and not to be missed!

The second Carol appearance can be found on "The Love Boat: Season 2,Volume 2" (also from Paramount Home Video). I've already talked about this episode on a previous post (see below), but it is nice to finally get this episode on DVD quality with sharp picture and outstanding color.