Primetime Television "CLASSIC SUSPENSE" Review

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(More customer reviews)DIGIVIEW's slimline cased DVDs feature unrestored public domain films and TV shows that have no subtitles or extras. Audio levels are some of the highest you'll find, which makes these ideal for laptop PC or portable disc player watching.
In their CLASSIC SUSPENSE volume, we get nine examples of 1950s TV series, from the famous ("Dragnet") to the obscure ("Lights Out"). Some don't have their original theme songs (several drops-ins for "Dragnet" are particularly egregious). Mixed here with crime dramas is a kid's show ("Captain Gallant"), a sitcom ("My Hero") and an occult program ("One Step Beyond"). Some episodes are incorrectly IDed by DIGIVIEW; this is corrected below.
PROGRAM--
Video quality is indicated by a 1 to 10 parenthetical number.
[8] THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: The Case of the Texas Cowgirl (11/8/54) - Ronald Howard/H. Marion Crawford/Archie Duncan/Lucille Vines (dubbed music)
[6] DRAGNET: The Big Crime (9/9/54) - Jack Webb/Ben Alexander/Virginia Christine/Paul Richards (dubbed music)
[3] GANG BUSTERS: The O'Dell-Griffin Case (1/1/52) - House Peters Jr./Jack Edwards/Hal Taggart/Phillips H. Lord (narrator) (blurry image; overmodulated sound)
[6] MY HERO: Beauty and the Beast (3/14/53) - Bob Cummings/Julie Bishop/John Litel
[5] LOCK UP: Music to Murder By (11/28/59) - Macdonald Carey/John Doucette/James Griffith/Harry Dean Stanton
[5] DECOY: Shadow of Van Gogh (12/12/58) - Beverly Garland/Raymond Reinhardt/Curt Conway/Eleanor Phelps
[4] LIGHTS OUT: Curtain Call (2/12/54) - Otto Kruger/Alan Bunce/Elinor Randel/Frank Gallop (narrator)
[4] CAPTAIN GALLANT OF THE FOREIGN LEGION: Stolen Treasure (5/29/55) - Buster Crabbe/Fuzzy Knight/Cullen Crabbe (audio distorts)
[6] ONE STEP BEYOND: The Vision (3/24/59) - Bruce Gordon/Pernell Roberts/John Newland (narrator)

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Tales of Tomorrow - 4 Episodes (B&W) Review

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(More customer reviews)This 3 episode DVD gives a good idea of what science-fiction and fantasy film-makers were doing for television in the early 1950's. The acting is somewhat stiff, and the sets/props must have been left from other shows, but you can see the style and ideas come through. Look for Leslie Nielson in a "serious" role as the commander of a commercial mission to Mars. For the serious fan/collector, this is a good addition, but not necessarily a good buy for an average viewer.

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Lone Ranger, Vol.1 - 3 Classic Episodes (Masked Rider / Old Joes Sister / Cannonball McKay) (1949) Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD was everything I hoped it to be. From the first episode you can still motion and step and see the Lone ranger without his mask while riding with everyone into the canyon. I purchased the DVD with the first 9 Epasodes. It is great. I was born in 1949. This was the first thing I saw as a child on a small round tube black and white TV. It brought back the memories. Anyone wishing to see Claytom More without a mask can Yahoo it and see. His Nephew has a web site.

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PRIMETIME TELEVISION: Classic Comedies (9 episodes) Review

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(More customer reviews)DIGIVIEW's slimline cased DVDs feature unrestored public domain films that have no subtitles or extras. Audio levels are some of the highest you'll find, which makes these ideal for laptop PC or portable disc player watching.
The nearly-five hours of programming on their CLASSIC COMEDY volume is a sampler of public domain TV sitcoms and variety shows, plus a COLUMBIA studio comic two-reeler.
Included below are my 1 to 10 ratings applicable solely to each selection's video condition.
PROGRAM--
[6] THE LUCY SHOW - "Lucy Gets Trapped" (a bit blurry, colors show age shift)
[5] THE RED SKELTON SHOW - United Nations special (b&w image shakes up and down)
[7] THE THREE STOOGES - "Malice in the Palace" (well-preserved Shemp film has good contrast)
[5] THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE & HARRIET - "Losing Miss Edwards" (blurry pic; audio overmodulation)
[6] THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES - "Granny's Spring Tonic" (overdubbed banjo intro has better sound than the show)
[6] THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW - "A Wife for Andy" (jazzy music replaces whistling theme at start)
[7] THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW - "Give Me Your Walls" (dark intro, but rest is fine; has great sound)
[5] The GEORGE BURNS & GRACIE ALLEN SHOW - "Gracie Gives George a Party" (sounds a bit murky; average picture quality)
[?] THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM - Jack dreams he's married to Mary (not sure)
I was unable to get the last show to play. In fact, all of this disc's second layer malfunctioned. Major points off for manufacturing flaw.
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 255 minutes (purportedly!)

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Max Fleischer's Superman/ Superman: The Lost Episodes (1939) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've bought complete collections of these Superman cartoons 5 times now. Twice on VHS and now 3 times on DVD. The cartoons themselves are great, but look out for which DVD edition to buy. Since these reviews seem to come up no matter what DVD edition is selected on Amazon, this should be helpful.
The set from Win Star Home Entertainment (1998/99)features all 17 original cartoons in very good picture quality. The drawback is that the audio has been remastered to surround sound (!) with added sound effects. While to some this may enhance the enjoyment of these cartoons, frankly I find it annoying. The enhanced sound is quite obviously fake and not original, and it was certainly not how these cartoons were meant to be viewed/heard.
A similar set was put out by GoodTimes Home Video in 2002. It also features audio restoration with added sound effects. Video quality is generally very good. However, some openings and closings are missing.
The third DVD set is from Bosko Video and I believe it is the best one. It (thankfully) does not feature any unneeded jazzing up of the soundtrack, and the picture quality is superb. IT IS THE DEFINITIVE SET TO GET!!!!!
To sum up, most DVD versions offer good picture, but if you want the cartoons the way they were truly meant to be seen, get the Bosko Video version.

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Toon Factory"ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE:Mr.Know-It-All Review

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(More customer reviews)DIGIVIEW's slimline cased DVDs are dubbed from unrestored "best available source" films. Condition varies from very good to only fair. Audio levels are however some of the highest you'll find, which makes these ideal for laptop PC or portable disc player watching.The eight PD cartoons listed on the back of DIGIVIEW'S ROCKY & BULLWINKLE VOL. 1 are not part of this collection's content.
What you DO get is three intact half-hour Bullwinkle shows, consisting of the first six episodes of the "Buried Treasure" serial, plus all other cartoons and bumpers that were sandwiched in-between these bookending chapters.PROGRAM--
Show #1 -
Buried Treasure, Pt. 1 (#125)
Fractured Fairy Tales - The Magic Fish
Mr Know It All - How to Own a Hi-Fi
Peabody's Improbable History - The First Caveman
Buried Treasure, Pt. 2 (#126)
Show #2 -
Buried Treasure, Pt. 3 (#127)
Aesop & Son - The Centipede and the Snail
Mr. Know It All - How to Be a Human Fly
Peabody's Improbable History - Jules Verne
Buried Treasure, Pt. 4 (#128)
Show #3-
Buried Treasure, Pt. 5 (#129)
Fractured Fairy Tales - Prince Darling
Mr Know It All - Hitchhiking
Peabody's Improbable History - Johannes Gutenberg
Buried Treasure, Pt. 6 (#130)

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Trouble With Father Collection - 24 Episodes Review

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(More customer reviews)I was thrilled to see that Nostalgia Merchant has come out with a 32-episode set of Trouble with Father. This new set replaces the excellent 24-episode set they already had.
I would have rather they come out with complete seasons, but I understand some of these old films are either missing, damaged, etc., so I am glad to be able to get these 32 episodes.
The quality of this set is excellent for these great old episodes.
I highly recommend this set to anyone who loves tv the way it used to be.

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Gilligan's Island: The Complete Series Collection (1964) Review

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(More customer reviews)All 3 seasons in one package! it doesn't get any better than this. These are complete and unedited unlike some sets that are being released with different music, or edited episodes. season 1 is in black and white as originally aired, seasons 2 and 3 are in color as aired. I have watched reruns for years and when i saw that the complete series was available as one set, i couldn't pass it. Bonus footage includes interviews with Russell Johnson and Sherwood Schwartz, also included is the pilot episode with a different 'professor' 'Ginger' and 'Mary Ann' and different opening and closing music. A great treat for fans and someone that wants it all! Quality is excellent! I don't purchase many tv shows on dvd, but this was a must for me! 5 stars without a doubt!!!

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Western TV - 28 Episodes Review

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(More customer reviews)Here's yet another inexpensive collection of Western television series episodes that have fallen into the public domain. The number of shows represented, six, is a bit smaller than some of the other collections available, but there is a greater number of episodes offered for each of the series, with "Wagon Train" represented by three hour-long episodes and "Buffalo Bill Jr." represented by seven episodes, and the other series having four or five episodes each. The episodes from "Wagon Train" and "The Lone Ranger" have been released many times over on other Western collections and individual DVDs, but shows like "Buffalo Bill Jr.," "Judge Roy Bean" (in color), and "The Range Rider" are not often seen on DVD. The sixth show included in this collection, "Shotgun Slade," seems almost out of place as it really is a hybrid Detective/Western series. However, there are five episodes of "Shotgun Slade" included here and only Platinum Disc Corporation's 15-episode, 2-DVD collection (which Amazon also carries) represents a larger collection of commercially available "Slade" episodes on DVD.
As is typical with public domain material, the audio/visual quality of the episodes is not up to the standards of modern day releases, so my advice to the "high definition" crowd is to avoid this set. However, for collectors/fans of vintage television shows and Westerns, all of the episodes are watchable . . . just be aware that you may already own some of these episodes if you have previously purchased Western television DVD compilations from Brentwood, Diamond Entertainment, Goodtimes, Madacy, and Platinum Disc Corporation; the audio/visual quality of this release from St. Clair Vision is comparable to those other sets. St. Clair Vision "ups the ante" a bit for budget DVD releasing companies by including some bonus material, chief among them being the inclusion of an audio "Lone Ranger" radio episode from 1955. Fans of television Westerns may also be intertested to know that St. Clair Vision has released 36 (of 39) episodes of the mid-1950s Western series "Stories of the Century" on a separate collection that Amazon also carries.


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Life of Riley (1949-53) / Our Miss Brooks (1953) (Double Feature / Four Episode Edition) (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)The sound on the second part of this DVD (Our Miss Brooks) is hardly audible and should never have been released in that condition. Turning the volume up as loud as possible the audio on the DVD can still hardly be heard. There are only 4 episodes on this DVD not really making it worth the price of the item. Very disappointing. I am disappointed also in that this item would be sold by anyone being so poorly reproduced.

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Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Collection Four (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Season Four of No Reservations is where I think the show really started to pick up steam on the entertainment side of the house. Whereas the show used to revolve simply around Tony going to various locations and eating food, this is where the Travel Channel really started figuring out that Anthony Bourdain is probably their biggest star asset.
If you're a food show purist, you will probably be a little annoyed with the increased frequency of the "Tony, go hurt yourself," skits in the various locations. Season Four includes the zip lining and cave diving bits as well as the Greek shipwreck party and the night out at Kilauea. The entire episode focusing on Anthony going back into the kitchen at Les Halles will probably irk you too as there is little to no actual food tasting being done.
If you're a Bourdain fan, this will most likely be one of your favorite seasons; probably because of the Les Halles episode (and lets be honest, Eric Ripert makes everything better). This season is a very introspective one and it seems like Tony's really taking the time to figure himself out during the course of the season. You see a lot less of the old "A Cook's Tour" and "No Reservations: seasons 1 and 2" Bourdain - the smoking, drinking, swearing version of Tony. Yes, he still swears a lot, but as he made his transition into fatherhood, the mantle of responsibility was almost palatable (no pun intended). This led to some great personal moments in the Uruguay episode with his brother Chris, trying to reconnect with their family's history. Serious items aside, there's the great Southwest road trip episode with Alice Cooper and the always entertaining Ted Nugent.
If you're a foodie, there is so much to drool over in this season. There is a cavalcade of culinary giants showing up in these episodes: the before mentioned Eric Ripert, Masaharu Morimoto (Your Iron Chef!), Marco Pierre White, and he finally buries the hatchet with Emeril Lagasse. The entire episode on Spain is nothing but pure, unadulterated food porn. As always, Tony's love of Japan really shows through every time he visits the country, and this time is no different.
One of the things that makes No Reservations such a great show to watch is the fact that you're not just sitting there watching Tony eat multi-hundred dollar meals, but instead he's getting down at street level, attempting to eat what the locals eat. If you're lucky enough to have Tony visit an area or country where you grew up in an episode, you come away thinking that he has somehow managed to truly capture a little bit of your hometown. Now imagine that he's doing that for each and every location that he visits and you get an inkling of why this show is so great.


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TV Classic Westerns: Roy Rogers : Ten Classic TV Episodes (over 10 hours) on 2 DVD Review

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This boxed set of 'TV Classic Westerns' from 2003 in my collection holds 10 feature films on two DVD discs. Ten episodes in all on digitally enhanced audio 5.1 discs, digially mastered full screen, with interactive menus, scene access, all in glorious black and white. But as kid watching ole Roy, he almost always showed up in black and white.
The features on these 2 discs are as follows:
Hands Across The border
Billy The Kid Returns
Eyes Of Texas
Bells Of Rosarita
Grand Canyon Trail
Heldorado
Roll On Texas Moon
Under Nevada Skies
West Of The Badlands
Young Bill Hickok
Many of these films have shown recently on Encore Westerns and may be familiar to many western fans. But this set, as well as others, from Platinum Disc Corporation puts them in a fan's home library. And best of all, these films are all 'rated for all-suitable for all audiences.
If you are a fan of Roy Rogers this is a great set to spend time with. Saddle up and ride, podners!
Semper Fi.

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Crusade in the PACIFIC"VOL 1-2-3-4" Review

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(More customer reviews)I had great expectations, but found the quality to be a little sad. At least disk 4 did post war history

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Gigantor - Boxed Set 1 (Episodes 1-26) Review

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(More customer reviews)After the success of Astro Boy in both Japan and the United States, a new anime series was born. It's name was Tetsujin 28 or Iron Man 28. In 1965, it came to the states under the name Gigantor. Now, for the first time in 37 years, you can re-live the experience that drew a crowd of many children.
Despite the age of the material, Gigantor is quite amazing. At first, it sounds pretty simple. A 12-year-old boy named Jimmy Sparks pilot pilots a giant robot to help catch the bad guys. However, each episode has enough plot twists and action to keep any viewer glued to the screen. Following Jimmy Sparks on his adventures are other characters with odd names including Bob Brilliant, Inspector Blooper and Dick Strong. Even the villains have odd names like Cats Meow and Swami Tommy.
Keep in mind that this show was distributed before TV stations started having censorship laws so don't be surprised when you see someone smoking a cigarette. Also, there is one episode where Jimmy Sparks helps a bunch of cowboys by shooting at some indians so you might be offended by some of the racism in these episodes. My only problem with this show is the music. It sounds good, but do they always have to put the same melody into each song?
The extras (yes, there are extras) are on discs 1 and 4. The first disc features commentary by the original English director, Fred Lad, on episodes 3-5 which feature the villain The Spider. Lad mostly talks about how four voice actors did all these voices, but he does make some comments on how he Americanized it and why some changes were made. The extras on disc four include a lengthy interview with Fred Lad, an interview with an old anime historian (I don't know why they included this) and a biography on the original Japanese creator. I enjoyed the interview with Fred Lad since he has done lots of research on Tetsujin 28 including the sequels to it, but the anime historian interview feels like stating the obvious to all anime fans.
Overall, I enjoyed Gigantor and I think anyone can appreciate it, regardless of the fact that it is in black and white. Highly recommended.

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Dick Tracy - 15-Episode Serial (1937) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great treat for Dick Tracy fans. Before television we had to go to the Saturday morning movie matinees to see our action heros.
Cartoonist Chester Gould created this action hero in the early 1930's and by the middle 30's the FBI and gangsters were in all the newspaper & radio headlines. So Gould countered with Dick Tracy G-man (in the movie serials) & Dick Tracy cop hero in the comic strip.
The "Dick Tracy" (1937) Republic Pictures 15 episode action serial launched Ralph Byrds career as the super crime solving G-man/Sherlock Holmes sleuth. The movie version was always the international view while the comic strip was the local city crime storyline.
Thanks to VCI Entertainment for a great restoration job & super loaded 2 DVD package.
This 15 episode action packed serial is over 290 mins long and is presented with great picture & sound.
Extra features include: a background Commentary by famous Dick Tracy writer Max Allan Collins who penned the comic strip for 15 years after Goulds retirement. Special photo montage & Photo Gallery. Bonus 1945 Radio Show: Dick Tracy in B-Flat - a musical rendition of Dick Tracy with the voice of Bing Crosby as Tracy, Dinah Shore as Tesh Trueheart, Bob Hope as Flathead and many more big radio stars of the 40's. This is fun stuff.
Summary: Action serials are always more about the action packed journey & how our hero escapes the bad guys at the cliff hanging ending chapters than the actual story. We need to have a thrill filled 20 minutes each week and then painfully wait until next week for the continuing saga to take us to more excitement until the finale on chapter/week 15.
Dick Tracy delivers all we expect in an action hero and this being one of the first serials gives us a taste of the world of 1937. Enjoy.

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The Jack Benny Collection - 32 Classic TV Episodes Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a "must-have" video for all of those who enjoyed classic television. Imagine a time when you could actually leave a child of any age in front of the TV while you went about your household chores or took a phone call. No need to worry about wardrobe malfunctions or swearing. This video is classic Jack Benny -- a video filled with laughs for the entire family to enjoy together.

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TV Classics Volume 10 - Detective Compilation - 6 Great Episodes (Richard Diamond Private Detective - Highway Patrol - Boston Blackie - The Lawless Years - The Man Behind The Badge - Peter Gunn) Review

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(More customer reviews)Fairly decent selection of tv shows in rather decent condition. The Highway Patrol episode is the only problem with some splices in the first couple minutes. No watermarks.

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