Xenos (who hopes to be a little more timely with this post)

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!
 

The star-struck Mr. Steele's long-winded presentation to Virginia Mayo and his subsequent need for a bandage on his finger.

Lloyd Nolan's wit, particularly when exchanging film titles with Mr. Steele. ("Stay down silly, The Postman Always Rings Twice!")

Laura trying to convince Mr. Steele to stop scaring the celebrities by comparing the situation to films with psychopathic lunatics.

Mr. Steele turning on the charm to get Dorothy Lamour to let him in her house.

The introduction of the ever-lovable George Edward Mulch.

Mr. Steele caring more about Laura being okay than catching Mulch after he sees her slip and fall on Hollywood Boulevard.

The best line of the episode - "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to Remington Steele. Yours, mine or ours."
 

Then there's the not-so-good stuff or just a few icebox questions, as the case may be...

Since when are patients allowed to drink champagne while in the hospital and definitely on painkillers?

Which idiot put the neck brace on Laura backwards? She's supposed to have whiplash and be unable to move her head from side to side. She's also getting around mighty well for someone with ligament damage in an ankle, one of her arms in a cast and using a crutch to stand.

Are they sharing a room or did Laura just crawl out of her bed, toddle down the hallway and make herself comfy? If they're not in the same room, shouldn't Mildred have had more than one floral arrangment with her?

There's more, but this is all I can think of without having to watch the episode again. 

Now for sure I have to watch the ep and look for the stuff you mentioned.

Isabel

In fact now that I have started reminiscing about this episode, quite a few more scenes are surfacing in my mind such as when Laura and Mr. Steele come out of the Limo at the beginning and everyone scatters to the four winds. The Romeo-and-Juliet bit between Mr. Steele and Dorothy Lamour is another great scene and I remember I thought something was really funny when Laura interrupts them. It could have been that Ms. Lamour had just decided to come down and then Laura comes in with the vital bit of information which renders the interview with Ms. Lamour and Mr. Steele’s efforts thus far in charming Ms. Lamour redundant. At that moment the shooter starts peppering. The whole sequence is everything I love about the show. Then there’s Mr. Steele at Lloyd Nolan’s taking a tumble down the rising in avoiding the shooter and we have to hold our breath for real as we speculate that something serious might have happened to Mr. Steele and the scene ends with him sitting in a pool of water completely safe. What relief! So taking everything into consideration, Cast in Steele, as an episode, is anything but in a cast.

Okay, I have to correct a previous error when I thought 'Steele your Heart Away' set a record for movie refernces with 7. I couldn't keep up with them all, but fortunately I had my copy of "Steele Loved After All These Years", (Judith Moose, 2007), to reference. This episode has 15 references! As Laura told Murphy in 'Hearts of Steele',"Let's save a few for when we don't have any."

Champagne in pyrex lab beekers! I actually have a set of 4 that I purloined from a lab I worked in years ago. But truth be told I always thought they were better suited for a gin and tonic!!! Trust me I tried alot of things in them!

What's with Steele checking with Laura to see if he has a regular doctor? He's had his fair share of hospital visits since he became Laura's shadow man. Of course, maybe Laura didn't think it appropriate to divulge that she was his regular doctor. Paging Dr. Holt from 'A Good Nights Steele'!

I love that Morris Getz, the typewriter expert, has an owl lamp on his credenza. Where does the prop person shop for this show? Or was this a reuse from that eagle episode 'Steele Flying High'?

The abuse that Steele takes at the hands of Nolan, Lamour and Mayo is hysterical. Nolan is constantly telling him how to do his job better, much to the amused grins of Laura. Lamour telling him telling him "I expected someone more like Tom Selleck". Funny stuff, actors telling him how to be a real detective. But when placed with real detectives from "In The Steele of the Night" he is flawless, well, enough at any rate, to fool them. I loved that Nolan points out to our ever intrepid detectives that the common element is Steele! Thank goodness they didn't have to pay for figuring out their own case.LOL!

So just how fast is Michael Constantine? He shouldn't have gotten past the first sidewalk, let alone three blocks before they manage to catch him. And Hey, what's with Laura nearly getting run over by Donald and Francis' station wagon from 'Suburban Steele'?

Burt Reynold's look alike at Mann's Chinese Theater, Bawah! Wonder how close that is to where Pierce ended up on the Walk of Fame?

The limo overpacked with people..."Julian, could you move your bicep?" What a riot! Like clowns out of a volkswagen! This episode is just sooo funny!

Mildred's Chandler-esque description at the end to the stars was sooo Mildred! Shades of her 'Altered Steele' performance protecting Frank Dannon, "I wasn't always a hard bitten dick ready to lay my life on the life for a hundred a day plus expenses". Doris you're so darn good...

I also have to say the wardrode selections were top notch for this episode. Not a bad apple in the bunch. Steele in a tux(delicious!)and Laura's little black dress are great together. This might have been Laura's best dressed episode. She looked absolutely gorgeous in everything.

On the romance side we even get a very protective, albeit accusatory, Laura reassuring her Mr.Steele with a nice kiss only to have him break it off! Damn clues interupting romance again! It's 'Elementary Steele' all over again, "It's up to you, Laura" as they spy Mr.Moto make his exit.

The only thing I didn't like in this episode was an apalling lack of potted plants and hats!

Well, I loved this one and tried to fit in 15 Steele references, but I'm just not that bright and could only get to eight! Anyone else want to try?
 

Loved your post!

Would totally agree with you about Michael constantine. I always loved the character of GEM!

Jill

What an ingenious way to join the love of old films in with the show! Kudos to Jeff Melvoin for coming up with the idea. I wonder if they always had these stars in mind when the scripts were written or if the earliest versions had other actors in mind. As far as I can remember, it's also the only episode told in flashback.
 

Memorable Stuff

- Mr. Steele's intro speech for Virginia Mayo dragging on and on and on. :) You just know he really would do just that.
- Love how Mr. Steele gently twists Lloyd Nolan's comments about his speech and tells Mildred that Nolan greatly admired his speech.
- Mr. Steele's glee and asking Virginia Mayo about Boris Karloff and asking Lloyd Nolan about the last reel of his film. He's just such the eager puppy when he sees them!
- Steph looks like she's having a real fun time in her scene with Gerald Hiken (Morris Getz)
- George Edward Mulch. Michael Constantine is so wonderful, so much fun.
- Love the looks on L & R's faces as Mulch explains his great ideas to them. Bored, but trying not to look bored to tears.
- Lloyd Nolan bringing in Julian for "muscle".
- Love how Nolan asks Laura if Mr. Steele is always that chatty. Yakety, yakety, yak!
- Nolan directing Steele in questioning Virginia Mayo and making snide comments about his lock-picking abilities. Great fun.
 

Character Development

- Cheers to Laura for securing a place for Mr. Steele at the Archives opening. Good publicity for the agency and something close to Mr. Steele's heart.
- Love how Dorothy Lamour puts Mr. Steele in his place, wanting to keep him at arm's length. Love how he turns on the charm and finds a way to get to her. Truly adaptable, our Mr. Steele!
- This episode couldn't have originally been post-thaw as it's our introduction to Mulch. So it's nice to see them about to snuggle up - before they're interrupted again (of course!).
 

Favorite lines

L: Mr. Steele. As a rule we try to avoid scaring our clients to death. Now I know your cinematic references are just meant for inspiration, but Miss Mayo doesn't. Now she thinks she's being stalked by a creepy little man with buggy eyes and a nervous giggle.
R: Hmm. I see your point. Perhaps I should have mentioned Sydney Greenstreet instead, eh?
--------------
R: Ah, Miss Lamour, it's Remington Steele.
D: Congratulations.
R: I'm the private detective Lloyd Nolan called you about.
D: Oh. I expected somebody more like Tom Selleck.
 

Hair & Clothing

- (Does it need repeating?) Mr. Steele in a tux. Yeow!
- Laura's black dress looks gorgeous on her and her hair is just beautiful.
- The suit Mr. Steele wears when he visits Dorothy Lamour does wonderful things for his eyes.
- The burgandy shirt looks good on Mr. Steele.
- Laura's jumpsuit is not too bad (a good color for her) but I don't like it tucked into the cowboy boots.
 

Goofs, Headscratchers & Misc

- In his opening lines, Mr. Steele tells Laura if he'd heard her, he never would have entered the building. But we don't hear a reference to her warning him at the end of the episode when they enter Templeton Enterprises.
- The infamous neck brace that Laura wears backwards.
- How did L & R get their pajamas at the hospital if Mildred didn't bring them from their homes?
- Is it just me or is Mr. Steele a wee bit crazy to go chasing after an assassin with a machine gun?

And SueJue's lovely tag to the tag: http://krebsfiles.com/castinsteelescrap.html

Well, this was a pleasant surprise! I hadn’t seen this episode in quite a while and wasn’t particularly looking forward to it…But it was really quite enjoyable this time around! Don’t know why I don’t watch this one more often.

I love the way it starts out…A concerned Mildred wandering the halls of a hospital looking for someone…Our duo, turns out. Good grief! By the way, have you ever seen two more gorgeous looking patients in all your life?! Usually people in their condition look like they’ve been through the wringer. But not Remington and Laura! Heck, no! Laura looked like she just got back from the salon. Cute pjs, too. Beats the heck out of those gawdawful frocks she usually wears! And Remington…OMG!!! OMG!!! How delicious he looked laying there in that hospital bed! Mmmmmmm…lustrous hair…incredible blue eyes…roguish smile…yummy chest hair…Mmmmmmm. And the fact that they were drinking champagne just totally delighted me. LOL!!! How freakin’ funny was that?!?! "Yes, could you get me another beaker for our friend here, please? Thank you." Hee-heeeeeeee!!! And what are the odds that Mr. Steele sweet-talked one of the hospital employees into buying the champagne for them?!?! [[winkgrin]]

Random Thought: I bet Nike paid big bucks for such premo advertisement!

Back to the episode…As I said, I was pleasantly surprised. Wonderful guest stars, I must say. Lloyd Nolan was a HOOT!!! Loved how he called Mr. Steele on not just spitting it out or cutting to the chase, so to speak. LOL! You must admit that Mr. Steele’s vernacular certainly has style and flare…a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will. (I blame that on Daniel, God bless him. They’re both WONDERFUL to listen to!) Anyway, the stark contrast in Mr. Nolan’s and Mr. Steele’s verbal communication is great. Virginia Mayo and Dorothy Lamour were a joy to watch, too. (Dorothy Lamour reminded me of Bette Midler for some reason. I kept picturing Bette doing the scene from the upstairs window.) And, of course, I can’t go on without mentioning my favorite -- Michael Constantine as the amusing George Edward Mulch. LOVE that guy! The lovable loser you keep rooting for.

Loved all the movie references. My favorite was when Mr. Steele starts spouting scenarios from The Fan and The Maltese Falcon and ends up scaring poor Ms. Mayo. For some reason, that made me giggle. (I’m so bad!) A close second is when Mr. Nolan says, "Stay down, Steele! The postman always rings twice!"

I also liked how the episode was done in flashbacks with Laura and Remington narrating…And Mildred trying to figure out just when and how they got injured. Hearing their version of what happened and seeing what actually happened made for some great comedic moments. It was also fun to find out that the killer wasn’t after any of the stars but rather Mr. Steele…Well, not fun fun. I don’t like to think of anyone wanting to hurt my Remington!!! [[no]]

Another Random Thought: I liked this Morris character. Obviously he’s someone Laura knows and works with on a semi-regular basis. "Hey listen, just put this on our tab, okay?” and “Tell me something, Laura. Does your boss EVER do any legwork?" Hmmmmmm. Well, guess I’ll just have to add him to my list of characters I wish they would’ve brought back in another episode.

Puzzling Thought: Why did Laura kiss Mr. Steele at his apartment?!?! What happened to the Cannes agreement?!?! (Not that I’m complaining, mind you! Au contraire! I LOVED it! Especially since it was Laura who initiated the kiss!!! ) Which brings me to the next thing I really liked about this episode…

I SO enjoy it when writers bring up past cases and characters and work it into the storyline. (Shows that they’re not just “one shot” writers who come in, write an episode and move on to the next best thing. Plus, it’s fun for us “hardcore” fans to be reminded of other great episodes…Makes us want to take out our DVDs and re-watch certain shows for the millionth time.) In this case, they brought up Daniel, the Palermo Brothers and Major Descoine…Not to mention Acapulco, Cannes, South America and Ireland. *tipping my hat to Jeff Melvoin*

Déjà Vu (or pre-déjà vu) #1: The scene with Ms. Mayo, Mr. Nolan and Ms. Lamour sitting in Mr. Steele’s office while Laura and Remington grilled them and tried to figure out a connection between the three reminded me of the scene in Premium Steele where they tried to figure out how all the “dead” people were connected.

Déjà Vu (or pre-déjà vu) #2: Mildred’s “something doesn’t add up”. She does the same thing in Grappling Steele…Though I’m much more upset with her at that point because she interrupts a promising evening between Laura and Mr. Steele.

OK, just one more thing before I wrap this up. Remington and Laura looked FABULOUS in the clothes they wore to the ceremony. Stephanie looks incredible in black (as demonstrated many times before…especially in her break-in clothes). And Pierce in a tux just supports the fact that he is God’s Most Beautiful Creature…Especially when his tie is undone and his shirt collar is open. (Ace’s favorite!!!) [[iloveu]] Oh-ho-ho, yeh-heh-hes!!! *Steelegasm*

As always, thanks for reading!
Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan…Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!

P.S. Does anybody know how this episode came about? Did Jeff Melvoin write the story specifically with Dorothy Lamour, Virginia Mayo and Lloyd Nolan in mind (like they did in Steele Blue Yonder with Jimmy Stewart) or did he have a synopsis in mind and then went “star shopping” and then simply wrote it in accordance to whom they got? Hmmmmmmm…

The Virginia Mayo Mayonnaise just makes me LMAO! And the look Steele and Laura give each other, that not all of Mulches' marbles are accounted for is priceless.

Nolan while vastly entertaining is really an insulting obnoxious ass to Steele. Lucky for him and Steele that Steele is so starry-eyed he doesn't seem to notice or just accepts it as part of being next to some of his cinematic heros. And bringing along Julian isn't helpful  at all and allows the guy to escape the first time. I do crack up though  Steele asks Julian to move his bicep. :D

Nope. Because Mulch returns in the thaw episode Have I Got A Steele For You. This like Blue Blooded is one of their lapses (as they refer to in The Thaw) -- I guess someone has to try and kill Steele a couple of times for that to happen on Laura's part. :D

This is the only flashback episode and it really works well. 

I bet Steele has the staff (particularly the females) running in and out of his room ready to serve his every need. That's probably why Laura camps out there -- better service. ;D

They really shouldn't be allowed to have a gun. I'm surprised they never did any episode where it was used in killing someone and they were on the hook for the murder since they never seem to know where they put it. Someone could use it and bring it back and deposit it anywhere and they'd never know.

Morris is a great bit character. Though his wondering has me wondering. Why would he think Steele should be doing the legwork if he had someone else to do it? Isn't that why you have employees and er associates? You send them out to gather info and they bring back the info and the boss works on it. (or has someone else work on it and takes the credit) I can't see the late great Alan Grievey hopping on down to Morris' office to pick up the info first hand either. Of course he had far more people to do his hopping for him. ;)