This episode got better and better. The interesting story here was, of course, Torch Singer, with Kathryn Holcomb, whom I had never heard of or seen before, as a woman who goes back to the Roaring '20s to become a piano lounge singer. (No idea what "torch" singer means so I looked it up: apparently it has nothing to do with pitchforks and torches, who knew!?)
Kathryn is just lovely but the real test is when she opens her mouth to sing. "She better be good", says the bad guy. I fully expected her to break my ears and holy red sequined dress! The lady could sing, and how! One of the most beautiful voices, a delight to hear. Why didn't she become famous? Why did she waste her career in acting and marrying that guy?! She could have had hit after hit. (Instead, they break our ears with mindless yelled pop from the likes of Celine Dion, who started singing in that era!)
Having watched through tons of mindless fantasies from late seasons thinking "THIS is what you wasted your $50K on?!" finally a good choice for a fantasy: going back 50 years in time. (That would be 100 years back, as I type this!) The costumes, the mood, the gangsters, the music, her angelic voice: this had it all. It was really hard peeling oneself from this fantasy to go to the other. The ending is shocking, heartbreaking and there is a lot of Mr. Roarke and Tattoo, which I appreciated. (If you're unlucky enough to watch these in syndication: that is what they cut the most!)
For we truly see Mr. Roarke's character, delighting in ruining his visitors fantasies, with his customary otherworldly arrogance. Or does he?! Ricardo Montalban really made the show, with the nuances to his acting which, no doubt, made the writers pen more for him than if he'd just gone through the motions. He is a delight to watch. And so is Tattoo. Together, they were quite the pair in duochrome black & white.
I didn't care for the other fantasy AT ALL, and I found the father getting nasty with his son uncalled for, and disturbing for a family show. (I"m glad I never watched this story as a kid!) The redeeming part was too little to late to make up for ruining his son's life with his cruel words and the writing left a lot to be desired, and the child actor didn't react much to the meanness. Director's fault for not coaxing it out of him. One caveat: I didn't much care for the actor they chose to play the beautiful heroine's love interest. For that and the boring "lucky" story, I remove 2 stars.
Highlights of the show: the beautiful singing voice by Kathryn Holcomb (or was she dubbed?) which stole the show; Mr. Roarke's haughty demeanor and the glint in his eyes that show there's more to his shenanigans... both with his guests as well as with Tattoo, plus a charming redeeming scene between Roarke and the kid. Finding out why a Martian is said to have "had an accent", LOL!
I hate musicals with a vengeance but this was very well done and the music kept to a minimum but so delightful, one actually wanted for more. THIS is what made Fantasy Island worth watching. If every episode would have been this good, I wouldn't have to be a closeted fan. (But does anyone ever remember the good episodes like this one?!)
