Operation: Maskerade

Daft series; silly premise; utterly charming. Rod Taylor was solid, as always. The supporting players were of variable quality but nevertheless it was great fun. The theme song, not a classic by any means, sticks in the mind even after all these years. And, besides, wouldn't we all like to be whisked away to be adventurers for a weekend?

I dunno.I kinda liked it. Tour Guides who conduct a little spook work on the side? Yeah, a lot of "Mission Impossible" type plots etc but still, for 1983, it was alright. Anyway I noticed Kirstie Alley straight off the bat with that sexy husky voice and she did at least have a waist in those days.

The guest stars which changed at each episode were usually well known TV personalities during the late 70's & early 80's, so it was nice to see them acting in different roles and settings without the sickly sweet sugar coating which glazed "The Love Boat" or "Hart to Hart"

Yeah and that song by Crystal Gayle....I can still recall the lyrics....

So yeah, lighten up everyone and give a little credit where it's due..."Masquerade" was alright!!!!!

. . .however, it did have a neat opening series. I remember one episode starred former L.A. Dodger Steve Garvey, who I believe played himself. He ends up helping to save the day (and a few lives) by catching a throwing star (martial-arts weapon) in his glove (right after taking the baseball out of it), and then throwing the ball at a bad guy and taking him out. Pretty cool. I don't recall any other guest stars, but I did watch all the episodes (few that there were). I recall Rod Taylor who I remembered from the old Hong Kong TV show many years earlier. I think Greg Evigan played a hot-shot, and Kirstie Alley was very hot-looking. That was a long time ago.

Being a big Rod Taylor fan, I got a kick out of this show just for his appearance alone. It was a fun, offbeat concept, and really should have been given a chance to survive. Its run was so brief, I don't think it was ever made available to DVD and as far as I know, has never been rebroadcast anywhere, which is a shame. Kirstie Alley was really gorgeous too, a long way away from the tabloid 'fat-joke' fodder she became. I thought the only weak link in the cast was Evigan, a standard issue pretty-boy whose acting left no particular impression. He wasn't awful, just kind of blah next to Rod and Kirstie. Most of the guest stars were quite good. This was made during the height of Reagan's attempts to reignite the Cold War. Spy shows were making a comeback, but the trend was fairly short lived. All the same, 'Masquerade' was one that ought to have lasted for a while.

What do you get when you combine "I Spy" with "The Love Boat"? You get this interesting show. Imagine a show in which ordinary citizens are recruited by the government to do extraordinary things. Also, you get to see Kirstie Alley in one of her early roles on television. But perhaps the biggest strength of the show was Rod Taylor as the master spy Lavender. Too bad this show never made it past the summer, it could have probably been a hit if it had lasted.