Golson’s scores for "Mission: Impossible"
"Flip Side" and "A Ghost Story" (season 5)
"Blind" and "Blues" (season 6)

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Season 5’s previous articles:
Lalo SCHIFRIN on Mission: Impossible Season 5 (1970-1971)
http://schifrin-mission5.notlong.com
Composers on Mission: Impossible Season 5 (1970-1971), Part 1
http://composer1-mission5.notlong.com
Composers on Mission: Impossible Season 5 (1970-1971), Part 2
http://composer2-mission5.notlong.com


106-FLIP SIDE

Quote:
"Happiness—that's what everyone wants, isn't it? Happiness. And that's what we supply."
—Mel Bracken from the Prologue.

Prologue:
Mel Bracken’s penthouse, Los Angeles: trendy Bracken and a Seattle-based black pusher dressed in a classical suit discuss business (bennies and happiness). The excited and drugged young girlfriend of Bracken interrupts the meeting. Bracken orders his henchman Freddie to dump the girl out of the place. Freddie drives her near a night club where she enters and dances frantically with hippies when she suddenly  collapses and dies of an overdose.

Tape scene:
Insert of burning leafs from a metal barrel: in a park, Jim removes a sackcloth bag from a wheelbarrow filled with dead leafs. He removes the reel player from the bag and watches the three pictures of American drug dealers out of his yellow envelop.

Summary:
To break a major drug dealing business axis between a plant in Saint-Louis, Cortez-Mexico to Los Angeles’ marketplace (the stuff is hidden inside peanuts tin cans transported by trucks), the IMF and its new recruit Dana Lambert are willing to avenge the young victims by making a bogus deal ($500,000) with L.A.-based best narco-seller Mel Bracken that will send him and his partner Cameron in jail.

Cast and details:
• Puritan Mid-West medical pills retailer Mr. Charles W. Cameron aka Charlie (owner of Saint Louis-based CWC Pharmaceuticals) played by Dana Elcar (with a moustache)
• Mrs. Bunny Cameron played by Kasey Rogers
• Mexican drug dealer Diego Maximillian aka Uncle Max (owner of the ME Wholesale Distributors as a front) played by Robert Alda
• Pacific Coast "hip" drug lord Mel Bracken (owner of a record company as a front) played by Sal Mineo (with a moustache)
• Bracken’s right-hand man Freddie played by Jose DeVega
• Bracken’s drugged girlfriend played by Joy Bang
• Seattle-based pusher played by Ford Lile
• Restaurant owner Tito played by John Rivera

Guest IMFer
Featuring a driver who helps Barney to get into the CWC Pharmaceuticals Ford truck.

From the left to the right: L.A.-based drug baron Mel Bracken — Saint-Louis-based pills industrialist Charles W. Cameron.

The Drug Dealers Trio
Both L.A. drug lord and his henchman are dressed as outrageous rock musicians. There’s a generation gap and a blatant class struggle between hip Bracken and the old hats Maximilian and C.W.—Bracken tells Maximilian on the phone to “make the creep sweat” (i.e., C.W.) and gives a funny goodbye to Maximilian like this: “Buenas noches, sweetheart”. Maximilian pays $35,000 by check Cameron in order to legalize their transactions. Later, Freddie summons Cameron to Bracken’s flat where he is blackmailed (the compromising death of Dana) and must send a new load of pills on the spot. Brackens states that he and Cameron are full partners. After the shout-out and at the exit of the Wheeler’s warehouse, Cameron is picked up by the police and meets again Dana inside a black limousine.

From the left to the right: Bracken’s drugged victim: his girlfriend — Dana Lambert as Cindy Dawson singing at Tito’s.

Dana Lambert
Dana Lambert poses as the late singer Cindy Dawson of a folk band. She performs at Tito’s, Maximilian’s favourite restaurant. She meets Maximilian and later, she is introduced to the Camerons to manipulate the puritan husband. After her second performance, she talks with C.W. (we learn that his daughter belongs to a radical organization and critizes her father’s activites), pretends to be illiterate and dance with him to offer him her phone number (382-4699) at the Verona Inn. At his Los Angeles’ hotel room, Mr. Cameron calls Dana for a 8 o’clock diner and talk. C.W. offers her a last drink and she asks for a brandy and then she slides onto sticky ground and takes some pills (“now, I feel like getting high… Yeah, let’s get ripped!”). She kisses C.W. and dances hysterically to some outloud high-pitched psyche-rock and collapses on the floor: we notice her wedding ring! When Cameron is arrested by the police and talks to Dana in the limousine, she concludes in a stoic way: “There was a real Cindy Dawson, once, Mr. Cameron. But she died, just last year, in Haight-Ashbury of an overdose”. As in "The Killer", Dana wears a mini-skirt (here, yellow for the second song) plus a wide array of showy hippy clothings. During the apartment scene, Jim briefs Dana about her ambiguous assignment and the profile of Charles Cameron and she replies coldly: “I understand. Really moral. All he does is kill a couple of kids now and then”.

Paris
Paris poses as guitarist Frankie of a folk band (also composed of a pianist and a drummer) who is a careerist-opportunist and begs Maximilian to get an audition with Bracken and sells him Dana in exchange. Later, Paris-as-Frankie knocks on the door of C.W., steps in, grabs the body of Dana who dies of an overdose and finds a pill. Cameron offers $5,000 to Paris to get rid of the body of Dana (- Paris: “Or maybe just dump her in some hallway somewhere, huh?” - Cameron: “Yes! Any place!”): the Vaudeville trick is recycled from "Odds on Evil”. Freddie beats up and brings back Paris to Bracken’s flat for interrogation in which he confesses the death of Dana by Cameron. Paris’ fashion design is very folklo hippy.

Jim Phelps
Jim replaces Denver-based casino (pinballs and pools) Syndicate representative Mr. Simpson who meets Bracken to enter the pills business for $500,000 along with Willy. Jim gives Bracken $100,000 in advance but he is taped by Bracken because he sees a red light so he opens a panel, slugs Freddie, cuts the recording and takes the reel. Bracken apologizes and explains that many drugged customers (“spaced-out freaks”) don’t remember their deals. Later, Jim accompanied by Willy meets Bracken at the Wheeler’s warehouse and complains about the presence of Barney then checks a can to find just peanuts and no drugs. Freddie is about to gun down Barney but Jim insists to take care of him. He gives Bracken six hours to obtain the stuff. Much later, during the final sale, Freddie shoots at Barney and Jim fires at Bracken and hits him in the arm.

Willy Armitage
Willy poses as Jim’s bodyguard and gets rid of the real Simpson (off camera). Willy drives a van and helps Barney to substitute all cases of yellow pills. Later, Willy as a gangster leads Barney outside the warehouse. Later at Wheeler’s, Willy guns down Freddie and leaves him injured to protect Barney.

Barney Collier
In the Mid-West, Barney wears a complete blue jeans outfit and comes out of a car's front to jump and climb up to a moving CWC Pharmaceuticals truck to add one bug-laden pill in the drug load and gets out of the truck: we can see stuntman Lee Duncan in action. He finds a dusty green Dodge pick-up to track the truck down thanks to a detector-pen. At the Mexican border, he stops near ME (Maximilian Enterprises Wholesale Distributors) in which the drug load is camouflaged. A new driver takes the charge of driving another truck labeled “Santa Anita - Productos Agricolas” and, later, stops at a gas station to buy some food. Meanwhile, Barney picks the lock on the padlock, inspects the load and discover the sting: 10 cases of Pedro’s Cocktail Peanuts containing 13 cans of pills. The driver comes back, checks the tyres and witnesses the unlocked door. Barney is exposed and forced to knock down the black truck driver named Tomas who threatens him with a gun and smashes his talkie-walkie. He poses as driver Luis and calls Jim in a phone booth near the road and tells him he lets the body of the driver in the bushes. He arrives at Wheeler’s warehouse in L.A. where Bracken interrogates him about the un-expected replacement. After avoiding death, Barney hides on the top of the warehouse and takes pictures of the drug transaction between Bracken, Cameron and Jim. Bracken gives Cameron his $200,000 share  in cash (“Come on, take it, sweetheart”) but he is disgusted, refuses it and drops it. Freddie pockets the five wads of $40,000 when he sees Barney and shoots at him. During the apartment scene, Barney makes a short account of all types of pills: uppers, downers, bennies, rainbows.

Doug is absent.

Comments:
The prologue with the young woman on dope reminds the psychedelic nightclub, filled with tilted shots of hippies, from John Boorman’s 1967 "Point Blank" and the late 1960’s concerts of “The Pink Floyd”.

Still contains the original main theme music.

Review:
I used to “not” enjoy this episode (It could have been better if it was less preachy and cliché, especially from the character of Dana Lambert) but I changed my viewpoint and found the general acting (especially from Sal Mineo, Dana Elca, Lesley Ann Warren, Leonard Nimoy) very good despite the moralistic and theatrical script and the dated hipness (“Out of sight, “Cool”, “Man”). It's a drug pamphlet and a sordid and cynical painting of the underworld. This episode was originally planned to introduce Dana to the new audience and one scene was shot for that purpose but deleted in the final cut. Jazz musician Benny Golson's score is minimalistic and funk-oriented with hip psyche-rock shades.


125-A GHOST STORY

Prologue:
A storm, at night, in the highly-protected estate of Justin Bainbridge: a mysterious man watches through the window of child Paul Bainbridge who wakes up to take a look at. Justin Bainbridge is on his way to go to his room when he hears some noise. He unlocks the door of the attic, walks upstairs and the door shuts itself. He finds footprints on the dusty floor that leads to wet Howard Bainbridge who explains to his father his coming home: he was the victim of a contamination by his own experimental nerve gas named TRA in the Soviet lab of Volgrad and wants to take his son back to live his last six months. Justin refuses to let the child with his sick father, slugs him (we see the stuntman of Andrew Duggan in action), inserts the body in a plastic bag and burries it in the rainy garden.

Tape scene:
Recycled and shortened from the season 4 “The Martyr”.

Summary:
Jim Phelps infiltrates Bainbridge’s estate by posing as a tutor to educate young Paul while, in the sealed-off air raid shelter, the IMF manipulates the fascistic grandfather  Justin to get the formula back from Howard’s contaminated corpse.

Cast and details:
• Contaminated and defector scientist Howard Bainbridge played by Frank Farmer
• Bainbridge’s fascistic father Justin played by Andrew Duggan
• Howard Bainbridge’s son Paul played by Anthony Norwalk
• Undercover Soviet spy posing as mercenary/security head Major Vincent Sandler played by William Smith
• Sandler’s guard Morgan played by John Winfield
• Undercover Soviet spy posing as housekeeper Mrs. Foster played by Marion Ross

The Brainbridges and Co.
Black-leathered watchdog Sandler wears a military peaked cap with a horror comic book black vulture insignia (between the bat and the falcon) and he is obsessed by security controls and even shoots Jim who runs in the property. Oddly enough, as a militarist, Sandler has sloppy long hair and a moustache. The falcon symbolizes the militarist warmonger and black is the political color of the Italian fascist. Bainbridge refers to his private army of twenty men as the Bainbridge Rangers. In his study, we see not only the portraits of Spanish General Franco and Nazi militaries but a flag of his own army. Both Howard and his son Paul have livid faces like zombies.

The IMF Team
The IMFers act and are divided in two sections: insider Jim and the rest (Barney, Willy, Dana and Paris) work underground to create the entertainment show.
The team cuts the fence of the estate, carries cases and walks down to the greenhouse. Willy opens a trap door and they borrow a tunnel to go to a dusty air raid shelter. Barney turns off and opens the fuses box and adds a second fuse as well as Willy in the first level. The team comes out directly from the house’s first floor to sneak into.

Jim Phelps
Jim poses as the kind tutor Mr. David Kincaid (carrying a brown-leathered trench coat and spectacles with a large black frame) and drives a car to the estate and he is controlled twice, the security man at the gate and Sandler who asks him his driving licence when a guard, dressed in black uniform, arrests the little Paul for sneaking in the woods. Sandler forces him to confess his fault but the boy runs and Sandler tracks him down. Jim kicks the door of the car to stop cold Sandler who falls back and reacts by drawing his pistol. Jim justifies himself then enters the house and meets the housekeeper who leads him to the study where he adds a filter on the telephone line. He later meets Bainbridge who briefs him about Paul’s education: discipline, corporal punishment, no mention of the parents. Jim hears a boy’s laughters from the attic and bumps into the housekeeper who shows his room. Bainbridge discusses with Jim around a drink and speaks highly of the fascist ideology: “And the word ‘fascist’ does not disturb me, because one day I think they’ll be recognized for what they are—the true defenders of this nation”. The telephone rings and Jim quickly pours some drugged powder in Justin’s glass of Brandy. After the phone call of Sandler, Bainbridge sees the image of his son Howard in the bottom of the glass. At night, in the first floor, Justin sleeps and Jim pulls a Middle Age tapestry when a trapped door opens itself thanks to Willy who pushes a button and let penetrate Barney and Paris in. They follow Jim to Justin’s bedroom door in which Barney inserts and releases the contents of a red cannister into the keyhole. The three men carry gas masks and enter the bedroom to make some changes: Jim pours a drop of a serum into the ear of Justin then Paris inserts a microscopic radio receiver into a thin black seringe that Jim uses to plant the device into the eardrum. Barney substitutes the bedposts by camouflaged electronic projector of the wooden bed along with Jim. Paul wakes up and takes a walk to the attic. Paris switches the ring with a built-in transmitter one. Barney and Paris exit safe and sound when Jim returns to his bedroom and hears again a boy’s laughters. Paul comes out of the attic. Jim checks the hall and opens the door of the attic and walks up when, out of the blue, a mysterious person slaps him which make him roll down the stairs, kicks the door open and the housekeeper finds him lying on the floor semi unconscious. Jim returns to the attic against Bainbridge’s orders and sees an empty room. The morning after, Jim teaches Paul in the study of Justin and refers to last night’s attic room. Mrs. Foster interrupts their supernatural conversation and to announce Paul’s lunch time. The old Bainbridge feels dizzy in the stairs (due to Barney’s heartbeat recording) and Paul escapes from Mrs. Foster to run into the woods. Jim watches through the window and follows the kid when Sandler shoots him down. Jim hides in the bush and he is bawled out by Justin because of security’s rules. Barney turns on the heartbeat recording again, Jim pours Justin a glass of Sherry and he is sent away. Barney activates the voice of Howard who begs to be purified and burnt. Justin throws out his glass in the fire place, calls the doctor and when Dana answers he faints. Jim plays chess with Justin; Barney activates the recording of a oboe, Justin interrupts his game, goes up in the attic, grasp the oboe and throw it out by the window. He crumbles the printing of Dana-as-Jeanette in the palm of his hand. The morning after, Justin calls the office of Dr. Gerade and Dana answers and sends him instead his replacement: Dr. Conrad in one hour. He fires the doctor after his diagnosis. Later in the night, inside his bedroom, while reading, he hears footsteps and comes closer to the attic when the housekeeper questions him about his health. He returns to his bedroom and, out of the blue, sees the 3-D hologram of the ghost of his son’s French wife Jeanette who asks for Howard and begs to burn his bones.  Justin sees huge flames, created by Willy in the shelter’s camera. He runs outside the house, digs the ground and finds an empty plastic bag. Jim popsup as well as Sandler, threatening with a gun, who asks the body to both men and knocks down Justin. After his rescue by Willy, Jim witnesses Mrs. Foster walking down the stairs with Howard who disarms her in a clumsy way and rolls to the bottom. She escapes but Barney catches her fast. Jim offers Howard to be cured by the US government. Crying Paul runs in the arms of his father.

Paris
Paris disguises as the ghost of Howard. After Barney sets the twin laser to the mirrors, gets the two focuses of the camera and orders Paris to take his position to do his act: at 12:15, Justin is in bed and hears the heartbeat again, the bedposts are on, and he sees the 3-D hologram of the spirit of his son begging again to be burnt! He poses as the associate of Dr. Gerade and physician-replacement Dr. Conrad, sent to examine Justin. He looks at his eyes, interviews him about his symptoms and makes a diagnosis: mental collapse.

Dana Lambert
Dana poses as Doctor Gerade’s secretary over the phone and the ghost of Jeanette (Howard’s late French wife) wearing a large white dress; but inside the shelter, she wears her blue jeans outfit. After her act, she goes checking the boy and finds an empty room. She hears a boy’s laughters, goes up the unlit attic and faces both Howard and Paul! Dana is told by Howard that he wishes to live with his son alone but Mrs. Foster nab them with a gun. She orders Howard to follow her back to the People’s Republic otherwise Paul will be killed.

Barney Collier
Barney operates a sound effects remote control to confuse Justin’s mind—find the list of Justin’s supernatural experiences: first, he sees the ghost of Howard in a Brandy glass, he hears an obsessive loud heartbeat twice - the complaining voice of his son Howard and a faded oboe, sees the ghost of Howard begging to be burnt from his bed and later witnesses the ghost of Jeanette surrounded by flames.

Willy Armitage
Willy picks the lock on and adds a portrait of Dana (posing as Jeanette) in the attic near a oboe then dirty it with a dust spray. After Bainbridge lies unconscious near the grave of his son, Willy slaps Sandler in the rear to save Jim at the last minute. He wears his light brown casual jacket.

Doug is absent.

Comments:
As in “Butterfly”, the foe lives in a protected estate and he is surrended by his private army. Two details don’t make any sense: concerning the protected estate of Justin Bainbridge, I wonder how can Howard and, later, four IMFers break in without being arrested? and concerning Bainbridge’s selection of his personnel, I wonder how he lets two Soviet agents infiltrating his home? As in “Kitara”, one IMFer (Jim) drops a drug in the glass of the foe to alter him and, here, the effects of the drug are very fast and plays on the foe’s “supposed” guilt (the murder of his son). The episode is filled with too many shots of the house at night.

Review:
An inferior and sentimental remake of the season 4 "Phantoms" (a paranoid man living in a fortress seeing the ghost of a woman he used to love; a boy he cares for), plagued by a heavy-handed family bent and much too cartoonish a la "The Killing" and that relies on special effects to be a good episode. It's another disguised variation of "The Bargain" (season 3) in which an authorian figure is tortured and the IMF pretend not to notice anything. This is the second supernatural episode, after "Cat’s Paw". The ESP folklore is in the line of the 1972 series "The Sixth Sense". Only the macabre mood, housekeeper Mrs. Foster’s unexpected dramatic turn of events and Benny Golson's organ-laden eerie and subdued paramilitary score are worthwhile—one scene from Act 2 is unusually bizarre and well-composed: Jim goes up to the attic (seen tilted in low angle shot), is punched from nowhere and rolls down the stairs. Above all, it’s a simple minded ideological script that plays awkward.

Stock music:
• “Flip Side” (Act 1: the breaking-in of the property by the IMFers)
• “The Killer” (Act 1: The four IMFers enters the closed air raid shelter)
• “Takeover” (Act 1: Barney fixes the light of the air raid shelter; Act 3: Willy picks the lock on the attic room; Act 4: the outcome in the stair case)
• “Kitara” (Act 3: up in he attic room, Willy adds a picture of Dana and sprays it with dust)