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On the Jazz - Vol 01 Issue 12
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The totally unofficial A-Team electronic mail newsletter
Submission address: onthejazz
Administrivia: Nicole Pellegrini
pellegri, nicpell
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DATE: February 12, 1995
ISSUE: 12
VOLUME: 1
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Hi ho.
Well, no posts this week, but we do have the survey results!
Since this is a rather large document you'll all have to wait
till next issue to get the second part of the TV Guide article
(also didn't have time to finish transcribing it :-P ) But you
should all find the Survey results amusing. Any comments
people gave with their votes are listed in quotes after the ">"
marks. Note that if someone listed two responses equally in
a category, I gave each response a half a vote. (Ex: Favorite
Team Member: Hannibal AND Murdock -- each gets a half a vote.)
If someone listed several choices in order, only their first
choice got a vote. (Ex: Hannibal, THEN Murdock -- only Hannibal
gets a vote.)
And if you don't agree with the results but you didn't send in
you're own vote, well, that's democracy for ya, so don't
complain!
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ON THE JAZZ SUBSCRIBERS SURVEY
-------------------------------------------------------------
Number of responses received: 17 (that's 31% of our total
number of 55 subscribers currently...not a *great* response
rate but not bad...)
[1] Your age:
Average age of respondents: 22
Youngest: 18
Oldest: 34
[2] Sex:
Male - 11 (65%)
Female - 6 (35%)
[3] Country of residence:
USA - 15 (88%)
Canada - 1 (6%)
The Netherlands - 1 (6%)
[4] What other tv programs, besides the A-Team, are you a fan of
(old or new)?
5 votes each:
The Simpsons
>"D'oh!"
Star Trek:The Next Generation
4 votes each:
Battlestar Galactica
Cheers
3 votes each:
Star Trek:The Original Series
Knight Rider
MASH
2 votes each:
Babylon 5
>"The Babylon project was our last, best hope for
real science fiction on tv..."
ER
Highlander
Lois & Clark
Mad About You
Magnum PI
Married With Children
Night Court
Seinfeld
The Tick
>"Saturday Morning Cartoon --- the coolest!"
>"It does for Saturday morning cartoons what the A-Team
did for action/adventure shows--it takes the medium to
a wonderfully absurd level."
Wings
1 votes each:
The Andy Griffith Show
Beverly Hills 90210
Bevis And Butthead
Bosom Buddies
>"Tom Hanks was my hero!"
Chicago Hope
China Beach
The Commish
>"written also by Stephen J. Cannell"
Doctor Who
Due South
Fall Guy
Family Ties
Frasier
Galaxy Rangers
Garry Shandling Show
Gilligan's Island
>"Gilligan was an incarnation of the Dali-Lama"
The Greatest American Hero
Hardcastle & McCormick
Hunter
Law & Order
Lonesome Dove
Love Boat
Man From U.N.C.L.E.
McGyver
Mission Impossible
>"the better episodes"
Mr. Bean
>"I don't know if he's known in the US, but he's a comedian"
Mystery Science Theatre 3000
Party of Five
Pickett Fences
Renegade
Rockford Files
Rosanna
Rush Limbaugh
Simon & Simon
The Six Million Dollar Man
Sledge Hammer
Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Star Wars
Tomorrow People
X-Files
[5] How much tv do you watch?
Tons of tv: 5.5 votes (32%)
Some tv: 7.5 (44%)
Very little tv: 3 (18%)
[6] Are you a member of other fan-clubs or email-groups? How many?
No other groups - 7 votes
7 email groups - 1
5 email groups - 1
2 email groups - 3
1 email group - 3
2 fan clubs, 2 email groups - 1
1 fan club, 1 email group - 1
[7] How long have you been a fan of The A-Team?
Since it first aired - 11 votes (65%)
12 years - 1 (6%)
10 years - 2 (12%)
8 years - 1 (6%)
6 years - 1 (6%)
[8] Do you still watch the show:
On video tape - 9 votes (53%)
>"I'm currently trying to fill up as many tapes as I can with
episodes, so I can show my kids what good TV was like. None
of this Power Ranger trash."
In syndicated reruns - 7 (41%)
I haven't seen the show in ----- years
- 5 (29%)
Answers ranged from 6 months to 10 years.
>"It has been a couple of years. I watched the originals
faithfully, and saw reruns for a while...however, here at
school, we don't get any reruns. I am afraid I am suffering
from withdrawal!"
[9] On a scale of 1 to 10, how big of a fan of the A-Team would
you consider yourself (10 being totally-obsessively
fanatical)?
Average vote: 7.5
Highest vote: 9 (6 votes)
Lowest vote: 4 (1 vote)
>"It varies between 6 and 9"
>"9. I have been a big enough fan to collect all 98 hours of it"
>"8. I'm not obsessive about it. Least I hope not."
>"7 for the team, 9 for Murdock"
[10] Who was your favorite member of the team?
Murdock: 7 votes (41%)
>"Murdock, without a doubt, as I can relate..."
>"Cause he's so looney and adorable. As someone who has always
appreciated looking at life from slightly skewed point of view,
he's my hero. :-) "
>"But now I'm seeing the reruns I understand Hanibals humor a
bit more so he's gaining on Murdock."
>"I started watching because of Dirk Benedict but I became a
HUGE fan of Dwight Schultz's Murdock."
>"[followed in order by] Hannibal, Face, BA"
Hannibal: 6 votes (35%)
>"Hannibal, definitely. I was crushed when Peppard died."
>"My roomates as undergrads here in the High Rises all had
identities...my big roomie from Guam was BA, the nutty beer
drinking, RAPline guy from Buffalo was Murdock, my other
roomie who had more dates than the rest of us put together
was Face, and I got Hannibal."
>"-gotta love the man in charge. Also, I love it when a
plan comes together, so naturally, I would like Hannibal."
Face 2 votes (12%)
>"Murdock a close second"
BA 1 vote (6%)
Can't pick a favorite: 1 vote
>"i don't really have a favorite. i love them all. for different
reasons."
[11] Your favorite A-team accessory?
The Van 11.5 votes (67%)
>"The Van...at least it was *supposed* to be full of gas,
and when *it* ran out of gas, they didn't ditch it..."
>"The van was cool.
>"They say that they don't make those GMC vans any more,
having been replaced by the Safari line. One of these days,
when I get some money I'll buy one off Universal Studios."
>"Liked Amy & Frankie a lot too, but how could anyone compete
with the Van? It was like the Energizer Rabbit, it just kept
going and going and going..."
Amy 4.5 votes (26%)
>"I was sorry to see her go"
>"I really missed Amy when she left."
Stockwell 1 vote (6%)
No votes for Tawnia or Frankie
[12] Your least favorite accessory?
Tawnia 9.5 votes (56%)
>"SHE'S NO AMY. FRANKIE'S COOL, BUT HE'S NO VAN."
>"I totally forgot who Tawnia was, so she has my vote."
>"I remember her as a bit of a pain in the ass to the team"
>"I haven't seen her in the reruns, so I might change my opinion."
>"Ack! Phooey! She was so lame. Amy was ten times better (and cuter!)"
>"<whiiiiiiine!>"
Frankie 2.5 votes (15%)
>"Dunno why, but he just didn't seem to fit in. And where
did he get off naming it the "Frankie Flip???""
>"Both Tawnia and Frankie got on my nerves occasionally but I
kind of got used to them after a while."
Amy 1 vote (6%)
[13] Who was your favorite military bad-guy?
Decker 13.5 votes (79%)
>"He was sooo good at being sooo bad..."
>"He was real mean"
>"WHAT AN ACTOR!"
>"Though Fulbright's a very close second..."
>"He had a good sense of humor (and a sense of honor about
the Team) (and I have always loved Lance DeGault's voice.)"
Fulbright 1 vote (6%)
>"Best line: "You'll never get away with this, you Commie
flake!""
Lynch 0.5 votes
All of them: 1 vote
>"All of the above, although Lynch really made the chase interesting."
[14] Your least favorite bad-guy?
Briggs 6 votes (35%)
>"I BARELY REMEMBER HIM"
>"No personality"
Stockwell 2 votes (12%)
Lynch 1 vote (6%)
>"Too one-dementional and just too dumb."
Decker 1 vote (6%)
>(a vote form someone who also picked him as favorite bad guy):
"kinda ironic, no? I guess I loved to hate him..."
All of the above: 1 vote
>"They were all pretty hatable."
[15] Who was your favorite guest star ever on the show?
Hulk Hogan: 4 votes (24%)
All of the rest mentioned got one vote each:
William "The refigerator" Perry
David White (as Face's mentor, Mr Lee)
The Cylon in "Steel"
The Golfball in "Recipe for Heavy Bread"
>"Hmmm...tough one...does the Cylon count? I got it ---
the Golfball. He should have come back more often.
Seriously, since they were *supposed* to be cheezy,
I didn't really like/hate any of them."
Della Reese
David McCallum
Billy the Dog
>"Without a doubt, Billy was the coolest, although Socki in
'The Taxicab Wars' is a close second..."
[16] What were your top 5 favorite episodes?
4 votes:
5th season 3-parter
>"For the great drama and the all the crazy plot twists, and
especially for the dream sequences."
3 votes:
"Bad Day at Black Rock"
"The Duke of Whispering Pines"
>"I would have never believed anyone could take apart and put
together a van so fast!"
>"Can't really put my finger on why, but I just really love
this one--the opening scene in the van with BA & Murdock,
the dog, Face & Murdock running the same scam, rebuilding the
van, etc, etc...Just a great script, and everyone was terrific
in it."
2 votes:
"Curtain Call"
"There Goes the Neighborhood"
"Wheel of Fortune"
>"It's so good because it's so cheesy..."
"When You Comin' Back Range Rider"
>"Murdock at his best"
"The Rabbit That Ate Las Vegas"
"The Sound of Thunder"
>"I saw this one for the first time in years just recently...
still as intense and great an episode as I remembered.
Especially great the flashbacks and the final short bit
between Hannibal and Murdock."
"Without Reservations"
1 vote:
"The Only Church in Town"
"Harder Than it Looks"
"Till Death Do Us Part"
"Body Slam"
>"The one where Hogan wrestles Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.
I used to love wrestling -- when I was 12 or so."
"Showdown"
"Steel"
"Mexican Slayride"
"The Beast From the Belly of the Boeing"
"Cup A' Joe"
"Lease With An Option to Die"
>"'Scooter?!!'"
"The Maltese Cow"
"Diamonds n Dust"
"Water Water Everywhere"
"Members Only"
"Incident at Crystal Lake"
"Pros and Cons"
"Bounty"
"Recipe for Heavy Bread"
>"It was SO inspired! And it gave me a whole new
respect for Murdock."
"The Spy Who Mugged Me"
>"I just saw "The Spy Who Mugged Me." I forgot about this
episode. As a James Bond and Dwight Schultz fan this was
the greatest. Schultz did a great job...When I was watching
I got the biggest kick out of the way Schultz imitated Connery
and the fact they used the actor that paid OddJob in
Goldfiger. Truly creative!"
"The Road to Hope"
>"Every scene is priceless. Hannibal's gorilla joke. Murdock as
the preacher and his 'some of us won't be coming back' speech.
Cannell's best script."
"Mind Games"
"Family Reunion"
"West Coast Turnaround"
>"I *loved* Amy's expression when she saw her car..."
>"GOD, ANY EPISODE WHERE MURDOCK GETS BROKEN OUT OF THE HOSPITAL"
[17] What were your least favorite episodes?
2 votes each:
"Without Reservations" II
>"Stealing the opening from Holiday in the Hills was just
too lame."
"Mind Games"
1 vote each:
"Members Only"
"There Goes the Neighborhood"
"Family Reunion"
"Where is the Monster When You Need Him?"
"Cowboy George"
>"A firefight scene played to Culture Club???"
"The Trouble with Harry"
"Judgement Day"
"Chopping Spree"
"Battle of Bel-Air"
"The Bend in the River"
>"Several of the 5th season shows"
>"NEAR THE END OF THE SHOW'S RUN, THEY WERE PRETTY BAD"
>"most third season episodes"
>"well, i don't like the more violent ones, but even they
have wonderful lines in them. so I can't say i don't like
them."
>"All the ones with a message to the audience. Most of these
messages are focused on the American public not to the
others."
>"Episodes with Stockwell"
>"Didn't watch enough to really not like any episode..."
[18] Which season of shows, as a whole, did you think was the best?
1st season: 4.5 votes (26%)
2nd season: 2.5 votes (15%)
4th season: 2.5 votes (15%)
>"4th season, definitely. Great writing, some almost surreal
episodes & lots of wacky guest stars."
3rd season: 2 votes (12%)
5th season: 0.5 votes (6%)
And of course there's always a wise guy...
>"Seasons?! There were seasons?! <sigh> I shoulda paid more
attention..."
[19] The worst season?
5th season: 6.5 votes (38%)
>"Although Murdock was featured more often during the Fifth
Season I would have to pick that as the worst season. I
really didn't like the story arc and they lost the relationship
between the characters. I think its because they tried to focus
too much on one character and Murdock's character changed so much."
>"Like Robert Vaughan, but not his character. Guess that's good
acting."
>"The intro music was okay (I didn't like the synth stuff all that
much) but it just got really dumb with Stockwell being around."
3rd season: 3 votes (18%)
>"Mark Jones and Stephen Katz's scripts in general just
weren't that original."
1st season: 0.5 votes (3%)
[20] If you had to pick one reason why you liked the show, what would
it be?
>"The Jazz. The *real* Jazz; the chemistry that produced such an other-
wise impossible team, everything from Murdock and BA at each other's
throats, to Face's escapades, Hannibal's "plans", and the cheezy
guest stars; most of all, the stars and their ability to so masterfully
portray these parts. All in all, each show was the same thing, yet
always different, but never boring."
>"the unique characters, good guest stars, and the unique storylines."
>"Because, as stated earlier, I love it when a plan comes together."
>"The humour"
>"Very amusing and nonsensical"
>"They introduced a whole new sort of series in the Netherlands, with
humor and a lot of action."
>"The team's pursuit of truth, justice, and the American way using
the most satisfying methods (i. e., peace through superior firepower)"
>"THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT ACTION!"
>"as Hannibal so aptly puts it several times, they are a team. it's neat
watching them in their respective roles."
>"Watching the show always puts me in a good mood and brings back such great
memories of watching it as a little kid. I love all four team members and
the way they interact, sorta like a big, crazy dysfunctional-but very
close-family. But if I had to pick just one reason why I loved it so much,
I guess it would come down to one word: MURDOCK!"
>"I liked the show because of the relationship between the characters
especially BA and Murdock. I watch the programs today and it still makes
me laugh even at the end of a bad day."
>"If I had to pick one reason why I like the A-Team it would
be because I like the relationship between the four team mumbers
espically the one between Face and Murdock."
>"You ALWAYS knew that they would be okay. They would start with a
situation, and get close to fixing the situation, get caught by the bad
guys, and at 50 minutes after the hour, they would break out and make
something really cool. You always knew that at 50 minutes after the hour,
they would be okay."
>"It personified "cool"
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Well, hope you found that interesting, maybe it'll stir up a
bit of a discussion here...like I found it rather amusing that
the 5th season got voted the worst but the 5th season opener
got voted the best episode. Well, that's statistics for ya.
Until next time everybody, stay cool, and stay on the jazz.
Hasta la pizza...
nicole
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Quote of the week:
"I did what I did because if I didn't do it, it wouldn't have
gotten done. And I might add that not doing it would have been
a lot worse than doing it badly, which I was NOT about to do!"
--Murdock in "The Road to Hope"
---------------------- * end *-------------------------------
