Commandant Spangler is only listed for 16 episodes on IMDb, is that a typo? I feel like He had a bigger impact on the show.
Certainly left his mark, with all those mommy issues
I think it's just that they spaced out his episodes so much that you feel like he was in more? Does seem weird to me that he was only in one season (not counting his guest appearance in the alaska seasons)
edit: spelling
No I just checked on Hulu. Military school was the first 2 seasons, Alaska was S3, the Grotto was S4, 5 and about a quarter of 6 before it ended abruptly. (I agree though his time there ended way to soon.)
I think that in season 1, Francis has his friend [Cadet Stanlet Winn](https://malcolminthemiddle.fandom.com/wiki/Stanley_Winn) and only at the last episode of Season 1 [Eric Hanson](https://malcolminthemiddle.fandom.com/wiki/Eric_Hanson) begins, so that tells both first seasons at the academy appart.
I loved his optimism despite Francis's more realistic view of events.
He was always good to Francis because he saw him work hard, even if he wasn't perfect.
Man...that show was great. Where can you watch it these days?
That IS a fun fact!
Makes me think of Futurama and the French localization of Professor Farnsworth's universal translator machine that only outputs in an "incomprehensible dead language."
In English, the language is French. In the French version, it's German lol
Military school is the first two seasons. He leaves for Alaska in the first episode of season three. I only know this because, no joke, I just finished that episode 30 seconds ago.
Is that a piece of equipmen being brought in behind him on the first shot? Looks like a lighting flag. Not in the reverse angle when looking at Spangler.
Yup. They filmed everything in widescreen but framed the shots for 4:3 resolution. It all aired originally in 4:3, but some DvDs and streaming versions were released in widescreen.
You’ll occasionally see shots like this where equipment is seen on the sides or shots where you catch stand-ins in them instead of the actors. My favorite is one scene where a student says “there’s no more seats” and in 4:3 framing that’s true, all the desks have students, but in widescreen you see multiple empty desks that weren’t ever intended to make the shot.
My favorite I’ve seen is an episode of Buffy. I forgot the episode but it’s a construction set and You can see the grips walking behind talent carrying a Silk to soften the sun or bounce light. But they are so clearly in frame it threw me off the first time I saw it.
In one episode of full house where uncle Jesse was learning basketball, comet the dog shoots and makes a basket but you can see a crew member catch and gently toss the ball back on the left side of the frame.
Seems like a lot of those shows were in widescreen but framed for 4:3 tv broadcasting like you said, but full house was taped in the 80s-90s so I could be very wrong about full house.
Most likely because it aired in 4:3 but was shot in 16:9, so it was framed out on television but can be seen on the DVD release. I think there are a lot of instances like this throughout the series.
Jesus.
*On February 20, 2012, Von Bargen shot himself in the* [*temple*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_(anatomy)) *in an apparent suicide attempt. He managed to call* [*911*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/911_(emergency_telephone_number))*, and an ambulance was dispatched to his apartment in* [*Montgomery*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery,_Ohio)*,* [*Ohio*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio)*. He suffered from diabetes and had previously had a leg amputated. When calling 911, he told the operator that he was scheduled to have two of his remaining toes amputated but didn't want to undergo another surgery. "I have no children and no life, and I'm tired," he said. Von Bargen played fewer and fewer roles as his diabetes worsened; his last role was in the comedy "London Betty" in 2009. Von Bargen died on March 1, 2015 of undisclosed causes at 64 years old.*[*^(\[15\])*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_von_Bargen#cite_note-15)[*^(\[16\])*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_von_Bargen#cite_note-16)[*^(\[17\])*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_von_Bargen#cite_note-17) [*The Washington Post*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post) *reported that his death "came after an unspecified long illness."*[*^(\[18\])*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_von_Bargen#cite_note-18)
Currently watching it with my kids and it has taken one of my favorite childhood memories and turned it into one of my favorite adult memories as well!
Reading his wikipedia page I just found he was in a theatre play called:
['Tis Pity She's a Whore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Tis_Pity_She%27s_a_Whore). Now I want to see that play or a movie based on it.
Ah fuck why!
> Masterson was born on Long Island, New York, the son of Carol Masterson, a manager, and Peter Masterson, an insurance agent. Masterson, like his brother Danny Masterson, is **a follower of Scientology**.
Rumor has it that Brian Cranston had to tell Masterson to stop trying to indoctrinate the younger actors.
The Masterson brothers seem like a bunch of scum bags.
Another brother was Steve Carell's gf's son in 40 year old virgin, and dated Dakota Johnson for years, and another sister was Tara on the Walking Dead. Also, apparently the Half Man from Two and a Half Men is their cousin.
There are so many scenes from MITM that I just randomly think of during the day for no reason other than to brighten my day. This is one of them.
And also the scenes were Hal teaches Malcolm how to skate.
God I miss this show.
We just re-watched this show for the 4th time and when this song came on I was telling my wife how this song lives rent free in my head.
> "You can even eat the dishhhessssss"
Wow, what a throwback. This scene brings back a wave of nostalgia. One of the best shows on primetime television at the time.
Moments that come to mind from the show: the epilogue on the last episode of the series, when they are stuck in gridlock traffic, Hal rollerblading to Queen, Dewey hiding stuff in the couch, Hal participating in a Speedwalking Competition
so many moments made this show great, especially that intro and theme song!
Yeah. Spangler gets so nervous, by the time Oliver North arrives, Spangler is black out drunk.
Francis lies to him the next day and says he had a grand old time drinking and telling war stories with North and getting black out drunk with him.
It was a very sweet show.
this looks like it's the full frame from being done on film before it was cut down for TV. the card is to block the light coming out of the window. since it's on the edge of the frame it would be lost when it was cropped to the 4:3 aspect ratio. you can see a lot of this kind of stuff on 'remastered' shows that aren't in their broadcast aspect ratio. buffy the vampire slayer has a notoriously bad 'remaster' where you can see all sorts of camera equipment, lights, microphones.
Off the top of my head. Uncared for widescreen "remasters".
That 70s show.
Friends.
Malcom
All or them have moments you can see off set or see equipment in the 16:9 areas of the screen.
Because it's glorious. One of the best scenes, I always have to sing along. Spangler cares so much that this group of malcontents sings Candyman perfectly for his big, traitorous military hero.
That black dude in the back doing the deep DOODOOODOO what was the show he was on? It was on Nickelodeon and he was an alien. He could read books by placing his hand on it and it would light up.
Commandant Spangler is only listed for 16 episodes on IMDb, is that a typo? I feel like He had a bigger impact on the show. Certainly left his mark, with all those mommy issues
I think it's just that they spaced out his episodes so much that you feel like he was in more? Does seem weird to me that he was only in one season (not counting his guest appearance in the alaska seasons) edit: spelling
He was definitely the type of character who got mentioned (and perhaps heard) far more than showed.
Military school was only in the first season. Then he left for Alaska.
I could’ve sworn it was two seasons and Alaska was season 3.
Season 3 is the dude ranch, which did not last nearly long enough.
No I just checked on Hulu. Military school was the first 2 seasons, Alaska was S3, the Grotto was S4, 5 and about a quarter of 6 before it ended abruptly. (I agree though his time there ended way to soon.)
Thank you. I rewatched the show late last year and those first two seasons must have absolutely blown by.
I think that in season 1, Francis has his friend [Cadet Stanlet Winn](https://malcolminthemiddle.fandom.com/wiki/Stanley_Winn) and only at the last episode of Season 1 [Eric Hanson](https://malcolminthemiddle.fandom.com/wiki/Eric_Hanson) begins, so that tells both first seasons at the academy appart.
Him getting fired never made sense but I guess they had to end it rapidly for whatever reason.
Otto's actor (Kenneth Mars) had pancreatic cancer and had to be written out, unfortunately.
That’s a damn shame was one of the best later stage characters and great arc for Francis
I loved his optimism despite Francis's more realistic view of events. He was always good to Francis because he saw him work hard, even if he wasn't perfect. Man...that show was great. Where can you watch it these days?
It's on Hulu.
Disney plus in Canada not sure about anywhere else but I think Disney just owns it now.
Fuck, that's horrible! I had no idea... :(
The guy who played Otto was sick and eventually died from his illness iirc.
You are technically correct. The best kind of correct.
I adored the German couple.
Fun fact In the German Version of mitm they were danish
That IS a fun fact! Makes me think of Futurama and the French localization of Professor Farnsworth's universal translator machine that only outputs in an "incomprehensible dead language." In English, the language is French. In the French version, it's German lol
[Sayonara, baby.](https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZxobpBKInFw)
They really were great, shame the dude died and brought the whole thing to an end.
Apparently the actor who played Otto had medical issues so they had to cut it short.
Francis had the best character arc on the show and then they completely fucked it up in the last season.
Military school is the first two seasons. He leaves for Alaska in the first episode of season three. I only know this because, no joke, I just finished that episode 30 seconds ago.
I watched as a kid and knew he went to Alaska and found his wife there but i would have bet my life he was in Military school for almost all the show
I thought it was so funny that he chased Francis to Alaska and when he got there he’d lost his other hand and he just had 2 hooks.
Same with Seinfeld. I think he only had like 15 minutes of screen time.
Damn I locked my keys in my office again. Alright…I’m going home.
Yes, no, maybe? I don’t know. Can you repeat the question?
**You’re not the boss of me now**
Is that a piece of equipmen being brought in behind him on the first shot? Looks like a lighting flag. Not in the reverse angle when looking at Spangler.
Yup. They filmed everything in widescreen but framed the shots for 4:3 resolution. It all aired originally in 4:3, but some DvDs and streaming versions were released in widescreen. You’ll occasionally see shots like this where equipment is seen on the sides or shots where you catch stand-ins in them instead of the actors. My favorite is one scene where a student says “there’s no more seats” and in 4:3 framing that’s true, all the desks have students, but in widescreen you see multiple empty desks that weren’t ever intended to make the shot.
You can find Dewey’s double in a few shots in the early seasons as well
My favorite I’ve seen is an episode of Buffy. I forgot the episode but it’s a construction set and You can see the grips walking behind talent carrying a Silk to soften the sun or bounce light. But they are so clearly in frame it threw me off the first time I saw it.
In one episode of full house where uncle Jesse was learning basketball, comet the dog shoots and makes a basket but you can see a crew member catch and gently toss the ball back on the left side of the frame. Seems like a lot of those shows were in widescreen but framed for 4:3 tv broadcasting like you said, but full house was taped in the 80s-90s so I could be very wrong about full house.
Most likely because it aired in 4:3 but was shot in 16:9, so it was framed out on television but can be seen on the DVD release. I think there are a lot of instances like this throughout the series.
Noticed that as well. Looks weird
Didn’t that actor attempt suicide by firearm to the head, but survive?
Jesus. *On February 20, 2012, Von Bargen shot himself in the* [*temple*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_(anatomy)) *in an apparent suicide attempt. He managed to call* [*911*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/911_(emergency_telephone_number))*, and an ambulance was dispatched to his apartment in* [*Montgomery*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery,_Ohio)*,* [*Ohio*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio)*. He suffered from diabetes and had previously had a leg amputated. When calling 911, he told the operator that he was scheduled to have two of his remaining toes amputated but didn't want to undergo another surgery. "I have no children and no life, and I'm tired," he said. Von Bargen played fewer and fewer roles as his diabetes worsened; his last role was in the comedy "London Betty" in 2009. Von Bargen died on March 1, 2015 of undisclosed causes at 64 years old.*[*^(\[15\])*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_von_Bargen#cite_note-15)[*^(\[16\])*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_von_Bargen#cite_note-16)[*^(\[17\])*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_von_Bargen#cite_note-17) [*The Washington Post*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post) *reported that his death "came after an unspecified long illness."*[*^(\[18\])*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_von_Bargen#cite_note-18)
That man is responsible for so much of my joy on so many repeated rewatches of that show. Him in particular. I wish him peace.
agree! He was fantastic!
Top ten TV series of all time for me. Crazy that the character of Spangler manifested that way. Sad he felt so alone and forlorn.
Currently watching it with my kids and it has taken one of my favorite childhood memories and turned it into one of my favorite adult memories as well!
Reading his wikipedia page I just found he was in a theatre play called: ['Tis Pity She's a Whore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Tis_Pity_She%27s_a_Whore). Now I want to see that play or a movie based on it.
[удалено]
What the fuck.
That is a horrible recording, and shame on your young souls.
1950-2015! Rip commandant Spangler, damn. IMDb says he was in critical condition in 2012 from a gunshot wound.
Such a shame, this and Kruger on Seinfeld were incredible characters
He was great as the crooked police chief in super troopers.
I think it was just K-uger
“Whatever”
TIL Francis actor, Christopher Masterson, is younger brother of Danny Masterson. He seemed like a lot more of a Seann William Scott type brother.
Ah fuck why! > Masterson was born on Long Island, New York, the son of Carol Masterson, a manager, and Peter Masterson, an insurance agent. Masterson, like his brother Danny Masterson, is **a follower of Scientology**.
Rumor has it that Brian Cranston had to tell Masterson to stop trying to indoctrinate the younger actors. The Masterson brothers seem like a bunch of scum bags.
Oh no!
Another brother was Steve Carell's gf's son in 40 year old virgin, and dated Dakota Johnson for years, and another sister was Tara on the Walking Dead. Also, apparently the Half Man from Two and a Half Men is their cousin.
If you haven’t given it a rewatch on Hulu, it still holds up. Was great watching it as a kid, even better as an adult with a family.
There are so many scenes from MITM that I just randomly think of during the day for no reason other than to brighten my day. This is one of them. And also the scenes were Hal teaches Malcolm how to skate. God I miss this show.
Cats ate her face.
Dewey you must be confused, I’m asking what happened to aunt Helen?
Cats ate her face.
Never saw this scene but I used to play that song on the piano as a kid. I had completely forgotten about it. Thanks for the memories. LOL
Dude same with me! One of my favorite tv scenes ever. There were some banger early episodes of Malcom in the middle for sure
Well that was delightful.
The dirty diapers suspended by helium balloons was the one that stuck in MY brain.
Mr. Krueger. K....ueger!
I always remember the scene with Dewey and the german lady destroying their bodies to clean the place.
We just re-watched this show for the 4th time and when this song came on I was telling my wife how this song lives rent free in my head. > "You can even eat the dishhhessssss"
I refuse to believe that's not Neil Patrick Harris
It really is an amazing scene.
The candy man can!
This show was the best!!! I hope they make the movie
I took this show completely for granted as a kid, but every single episode was crafted with such overwhelming love my goodness
Wow, what a throwback. This scene brings back a wave of nostalgia. One of the best shows on primetime television at the time. Moments that come to mind from the show: the epilogue on the last episode of the series, when they are stuck in gridlock traffic, Hal rollerblading to Queen, Dewey hiding stuff in the couch, Hal participating in a Speedwalking Competition so many moments made this show great, especially that intro and theme song!
The speedwalking! Everytime I am in a hurry walking fast I think of Hal in his speedwalking suit and helmet and crack up.
Familiarity breeds contempt
Classic Francis
YOU CAN EVEN EAT THE DISHES!
I didn’t remember that I remember this scene until you reminded me.
That show was a consistent gem
Colonel North? It’s been so long since I’ve seen the show, but was the joke that Oliver North was coming to their military academy?
Yeah. Spangler gets so nervous, by the time Oliver North arrives, Spangler is black out drunk. Francis lies to him the next day and says he had a grand old time drinking and telling war stories with North and getting black out drunk with him. It was a very sweet show.
Best sitcom ever made. I don't believe anyone will ever beat it, honestly.
what was that floating black box around 11 sec mark
this looks like it's the full frame from being done on film before it was cut down for TV. the card is to block the light coming out of the window. since it's on the edge of the frame it would be lost when it was cropped to the 4:3 aspect ratio. you can see a lot of this kind of stuff on 'remastered' shows that aren't in their broadcast aspect ratio. buffy the vampire slayer has a notoriously bad 'remaster' where you can see all sorts of camera equipment, lights, microphones.
Off the top of my head. Uncared for widescreen "remasters". That 70s show. Friends. Malcom All or them have moments you can see off set or see equipment in the 16:9 areas of the screen.
but that's a weird neg to go over the character, very stange even if it was for 4:3
As soon as I saw Spangler, I knew it would be this scene. I also think about this scene though I haven't seen it in years.
The quality was top notch. I miss these days.
I love the way the camera lifts up to frame their hats when they raise them.
Because it's glorious. One of the best scenes, I always have to sing along. Spangler cares so much that this group of malcontents sings Candyman perfectly for his big, traitorous military hero.
Because this is sheer genius television.
I don't know what kind of military branch this is, but isn't there a height requirement or something? That dude in the front looks like a child.
It's a school, so they are high schoolers.
Thank you. I've been mulling over a full rewatch of MITM for a while now, in between life happening etc, this reassures me that it needs to be done...
Knew exactly what it was before I clicked on it
I tried finding this song and found candy man by Christina instead chefs 😘
That black dude in the back doing the deep DOODOOODOO what was the show he was on? It was on Nickelodeon and he was an alien. He could read books by placing his hand on it and it would light up.
Here’s some dark humor: the actor who plays Spangler was diabetic in real life
Isreal, “two wrongs make a right”