Thomas_J_McKeon

Fair film, apparently shot in So. Africa dessert. I watched several times, mainly to see the beautiful Donna Denton. She was also "The Face" in the Stacy Keach 'Mike Hammer' TV series. 'Outlaw of Gor' demonstrates that she is more than just a face. She steals the show from female star Rebecca Ferratti. Deonna Denton is the main (maybe the only) reason to watch this so-so film. They don't come any prettier than Ms. Denton.

This is a good final (or maybe)next to final episode. Patrick Jane is pondering his past as well as his present relation with Teresa Lisbon. It is a moody show. The choice of the equally moody "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" by Gene Pitney from 1967 AND NOT the more recent and much less emotional Marc Almond version from 1988(which also featured Gene Pitney) was a perfect choice to end this show. The Pitney version utilizes Pitney's powerful voice which in this case does deliberately and to good effect contain "angst" (contrary to what is written in the IMBb Mini Biography). The angst in his voice on this the original version of the Greenaway Cook composition is used to good effect: it hits the listener in the gut (and this does not happen on the Almond version).

"Angst" is defined in The Free Dictionary as "A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression." Nothing fits this song better nor could have been a better match for what is going through Jane's mind in this episode-or maybe all of the episodes of the series. Just as in the song, there is a certain disquietude that pervades "The Mentalist."

Perhaps this song should be the Soundtrack song for each episode of the series. It is not merely a "teen angst" song from the 60s, nor was Pitney just a "teen angst" singer from the 60s. Pitney was not just a 60s teen idol. He was "COOL." Patrick Jane is "COOL!" The song fits Jane,this episode and the whole show all too well.

It will be interesting to see if this song did a "Gotcha" to those viewers who have not heard it before. It was not a chart-maker in the US (130 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart in 1967). It was a big chart hit in the UK of Writer/Creator Bruno Heller, making number five. While not a chart topper in Simon Baker's Australia it did hit no. 69. (And Pitney, though deceased, is as popular in those two countries as he ever was.) While doing my best at re-engineering the Pitney "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" from master quality sources, an endeavor of several weeks, this episode was on my television. To my amazement near the end I recognized the first two notes of "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" as it started. I knew it was "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" (but not which version) after just the first two instrumental notes! Probably the Marc Almond version, but by the fourth note I knew it wasn't, hearing the great instrumentation from the Musicor (Pitney)version. Perhaps I had heard it enough in my re-engineering endeavor. To my pleasure it was the definitive Pitney version. On master quality material it has great instrumentation such as low strings like violas, etc. This helped underscore the song's anxious and depressing but somehow hopeful theme. Having spent so much time with the song trying to make it sound as good as it should, it would interest me to know if what was used on the "Mentalist" soundtrack showcased this instrumentation. The audio on the program is Dolby Digital engineered in high fidelity. The song is solely in monaural. No stereo mixes of it were released, nor as far as I could determine, do any exist. I could find no stereo source material at all for my re-engineering endeavor. According to Gene Pitney the song was recorded in London and he carried the track back to the States to put the on the vocals in the New York studio. Likely this was mixed down onto the mono master and that's what there is.

Since I had first written this review on 7 June 2013 I have come upon another Gene Pitney version of this song! No it is not in stereo, but it is nearly half a minute longer at about four minutes and does not have the strings in the versions heretofore released. They kick in at about thirty seconds in the familiar versions, but do not in this one. There is more extensive use of organ and drums on this one, but the strings (most notably missing are the low strings) which are pretty much just not there. Mr. Pitney said that when he got back to the states after recording this in England he realized that the strings were missing: "I don't know why, but we originally recorded the track without violins." When listening to it upon return he "realized that we couldn't have the song without violins. ...They booked time at Bell Sound (Studio) (to add the strings)." Apparently the four minute version I came across was an artifact that remained of the song before the strings were added and was then further edited. The vocals are different in several sections. This version is certainly different enough from the familiar British hit version yet good in its own right that it warrants consideration for use on "The Mentalist", such as an opening and ending song, or whatever theme-songs are called.

Thomas J McKeon Indianapolis

Elisha Cook Jr. does a masterful character actor job once again, this time not as the neurotic Wilmer the gunsel in the Maltese Falcon but as Ice Pick the retired organized Crime boss, "Ice Pick." Mr Cook was a wonderful character actor and portrayed each of his roles masterfully and believably, whether as Wilmer, as the character in Shane, and as Ice Pick. And he was 79 years old when he portrayed the latter in the Magnum PI series. He is the one great actor who makes this episode worth watching. He does not play Elisha Cook, Jr., but whatever person he is portraying. And his portrayal is quite believable. Here he is Ice Pick, and does not over-play the role. One sees 'Ice Pick" not Elisha Cook, Jr. playing Ice Pick. That is the hallmark of a great character actor. Too bad he did not live longer. When one reads about the Maltese Falcon one always sees the reference to the other two great character actors, Sydney Greenstreet (his debut in his 70s) and Peter Lorre. But Elisha Cook is also masterful in his portrayal of Wilmer and deserves mention for the great character actor he is. the same is true for his portrayal of Ice Pick in this series. Thomas J McKeon Indianapolis.