Matlock

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Corporal James Dunne (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His citation reads:

Carried with others by hand a cannon up to and fired it through an embrasure of the enemy's works.

Coal Heaver Richard D. Dunphy (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on August 5, 1864 on board the USS Hartford. His citation reads:

On board the flagship U.S.S. Hartford during successful attacks against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats and the rebel ram Tennessee, Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. With his ship under terrific enemy shellfire, Dunphy performed his duties with skill and courage throughout this fierce engagement which resulted in the capture of the rebel ram Tennessee.

Second Lieutenant Harold Bascom Durham, Jr. (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 17, 1967 in the Republic of Vietnam. His citation reads:

2d Lt. Durham, Artillery, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the cost of his life above and beyond the call of duty while assigned to Battery C. 2d Lt. Durham was serving as a forward observer with Company D, 2d Battalion, 28th Infantry during a battalion reconnaissance-in-force mission. At approximately 1015 hours contact was made with an enemy force concealed in well-camouflaged positions and fortified bunkers. 2d Lt. Durham immediately moved into an exposed position to adjust the supporting artillery fire onto the insurgents. During a brief lull in the battle he administered emergency first aid to the wounded in spite of heavy enemy sniper fire directed toward him. Moments later, as enemy units assaulted friendly positions, he learned that Company A, bearing the brunt of the attack, had lost its forward observer. While he was moving to replace the wounded observer, the enemy detonated a Claymore mine, severely wounding him in the head and impairing his vision. In spite of the intense pain, he continued to direct the supporting artillery fire and to employ his individual weapon in support of the hard pressed infantrymen. As the enemy pressed their attack, 2d Lt. Durham called for supporting fire to be placed almost directly on his position. Twice the insurgents were driven back, leaving many dead and wounded behind. 2d Lt. Durham was then taken to a secondary defensive position. Even in his extremely weakened condition, he continued to call artillery fire onto the enemy. He refused to seek cover and instead positioned himself in a small clearing which offered a better vantage point from which to adjust the fire. Suddenly, he was severely wounded a second time by enemy machine gun fire. As he lay on the ground near death, he saw two Viet Cong approaching, shooting the defenseless wounded men. With his last effort, 2d Lt. Durham shouted a warning to a nearby soldier who immediately killed the insurgents. 2d Lt. Durham died moments later, still grasping the radio handset. 2d Lt. Durham's gallant actions in close combat with an enemy force are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.


The I’m just sayin… Kid Show of the Week

The Kid Show of the Week this week is Matlock. Matlock is a legal drama, starring the great Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC. The show's format is similar to that of CBS's Perry Mason (with both Matlock and the later Perry Mason TV movies in the 1980s created by Dean Hargrove), with Matlock identifying the perpetrators and then confronting them in dramatic courtroom scenes. One difference, however, was that whereas Mason usually exculpated his clients at a pretrial hearing, Matlock usually secured an acquittal at trial, from the jury.

Matlock centers on widower Benjamin Leighton "Ben" Matlock, a renowned, folksy and popular though cantankerous defense attorney. He has solved and subsequently won at trial almost every case he has taken, especially murder cases in which everyone else was sure his client was guilty. Usually, at the end of the case, the person who is on the stand being questioned by Matlock is the actual perpetrator.
Matlock studied law at Harvard, established his law practice in Atlanta, Georgia, and lives in a modest farmhouse in a neighboring suburb. He is known to visit crime scenes to discover clues otherwise overlooked and come up with viable, alternative theories of the crime in question (usually murder). Matlock also has conspicuously finicky fashion sense; he generally appears in court wearing a trademark light gray suit and, over the series' entire run, owned three generations of the Ford Crown Victoria – always an all-gray model (Griffith's character had always driven Ford products in his 1960s series, The Andy Griffith Show). Some Mayberry alumni – Don Knotts, Aneta Corsaut, Betty Lynn and Arlene Golonka – made guest appearances on Matlock. Matlock is noted for his thrift and a fondness for hot dogs. After the series ended, his penchant for hot dogs was explained in the 1997 episode "Murder Two" of Joyce Burditt's Diagnosis: Murder. Matlock blames Dr. Mark Sloan (Dick Van Dyke) for recommending a disastrous investment in 8-track cartridges, in which he lost his savings of $5,000, while he survived by wearing cheap suits and living on hot dogs. These traits, and the demands he placed upon his investigators, were often points of comic relief in the series. Andy Griffith's prior career as a comic often showed through in things Matlock did or said.

Over the series' long run there were many changes. When the show began, Ben had a law firm called Matlock & Matlock. Ben shared his caseload with his partners – who included a relative, his younger daughter Charlene Matlock (Lori Lethin in the pilot, later Linda Purl), and private investigator Tyler Hudson (Kene Holliday), a black market whiz whom Matlock lured away from his work. The following season, Charlene was depicted as having left Atlanta to start her own practice in Philadelphia (Linda Purl left the show because she was unhappy with her character, and for not getting along with her castmates); the elder Matlock filled the void with Michelle Thomas (Nancy Stafford), a young partner who first had tried her hand at playing baseball after she majored in physical education. She met him on a trip to England and was hired on the spot after a cocky law student graduate, Cassie Phillips (Kari Lizer in season 2 only), had also applied for a job with Matlock. Since Charlene was already working with him and there were no other openings for associates, Cassie was hired as a file clerk. She left the next year. After the series' fourth year, Stafford was one of the regulars whose appearances were limited.

Nancy Stafford had guest-starred in the season 1 episode "Seduction" and Kari Lizer had guest-starred in the season 1 episode "Angel." These were the first times actors played different characters in the series. Daniel Roebuck portrayed three different characters in five guest appearances prior to being a series regular from season 7. Usually no prosecutor would compete with Ben except feisty district attorney Julie March (Julie Sommars), a good friend of Ben's, who had left Nebraska to work for the D.A.'s office in Georgia. Throughout the series' run, Sommars was the second regular with the fewest appearances. After Tyler quit, Matlock was approached by a young North Carolina sheriff's deputy, Conrad McMasters (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), to become his new private investigator. Matlock and McMasters had a lot in common, from playing music to a fondness for camping. While proven to be a serious detective and one of Matlock's loyal partners, Conrad also falls in love with various girlfriends. He acquired his horseriding skills in past work as a cowboy (notably Gilyard himself is a cowboy), and demonstrated this when attending rodeo shows.

At the end of the sixth season, Matlock's older divorced daughter, Leanne MacIntyre (Brynn Thayer), moved from Philadelphia back to Atlanta, giving her the chance to become an equal partner of her father. However, this caused some confusion to viewers who remembered that Matlock mentioned he had only one daughter in the Linda Purl episodes. Michelle Thomas gave the job to Leanne and left. The next and last season, law school graduate Cliff Lewis (Daniel Roebuck) came to Matlock in hopes of working for him, compliments of his father Billy Lewis, an old friend of Ben's whose sister Matlock was supposed to marry but did not. After Conrad's departure (Clarence Gilyard had already left the show to co-star in Walker, Texas Ranger for CBS), Lewis became a partner and a private investigator to Matlock, while he hired a final private investigator, Jerri Stone (Carol Huston), to assist in each of the cases. Like Conrad McMasters, Matlock and Stone had at least something in common, from her driving a blue Ford SUV to singing classic songs.

Midway through the series, the show on NBC focused mostly on Matlock and Michelle, then Matlock and Conrad on NBC. When the show moved to ABC for its last three seasons, it focused first on Matlock and Leanne, and finally on Matlock, Cliff and Jerri.

After the show changed networks, Griffith began cutting down his appearances on it as he approached his 70th birthday. NBC had filmed Matlock in Los Angeles, but when the show began its run on ABC in 1992, it was filmed in Griffith's home state at EUE Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington so he wouldn't have to make lengthy cross-country trips. The Perry Mason-style whodunit format was also adjusted to a more Columbo-style howcatchem format. The show also had a number of guest stars, the biggest of which were probably Dick Van Dike, Alf, Randy Travis and Mike Farrell. Seasons 1 through 7 are out on DVD… and honestly they are the best seasons. I’m not sure when season 8 and season 9 are coming out.

Overall this is a great show to watch alone or with kids. One of the best parts of the show is when Matlock would get mad in court and yell “Jackass!” Probably the first time I remember hearing a cuss word on network TV. It had probably been done before, but it’s the first time I remember it.