Operation: Maskerade

. . .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.

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!!!!!

..and that's about it. I haven't thought about this show for quite some time, only to be reminded of it while looking over the credits for Rod Taylor (someone whom I have always felt resembles Robin Williams...or does Robin resemble Rod?).

At any rate, it's interesting to see that of the few credits posted, the writers for the theme song are listed. I believe (if memory serves) that Crystal Gayle sang it.

I remember now that Kirstie Alley and Greg Evigan were the stars along with Rod Taylor. Post Star Trek 2, Pre- "Cheers," and very very Pre- Pier One commercials, Kirstie Alley proves here that she is definitely a star in the making

This was a good show wished it had lasted longer. I guess it could be considered the forunner of the "real life" shows of today. They didn't have the time to build a solid foundation of story plots (the actual organization, the overall enemy) or even set it up as a "Twilight Zone" for the James Bond types :) I hope they will release it as a "Series that didnt run long" event some time.