The Twilight Zone - 40th Anniversary Gift Set (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)I agree that the selection of episodes in the gift pack (as is also true of the regular DVD releases of TZ episodes) represents more of a random sampling than an only-the-best selection. Nonetheless, I'm quite pleased with the overall quality of the included episodes. While segments like "Probe 7--Over and Out" are mediocre at best, the collection still includes classics like "Time Enough at Last", "A Game of Pool" (with terrific performances from Jack Klugman and Jonathan Winters), and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." Of the 19 episodes, I find 15 of them to be well worth owning--not a bad ratio. I'm also impressed with the Rod Serling documentary included in this set. Rather than an insipid fluff piece about how wonderful TZ is (which is unfortunately the more common type of "documentary feature" usually included in DVD products), this is a satisfyingly in-depth look at Rod Serling's entire career which aired on PBS as part of the "American Masters" series. A nice bonus.
I do agree that the packaging is sub-par. No liner notes, and all discs are crammed into 2-CD jewel boxes. This is unimpressive for an "anniversary tribute" set. These drawbacks are purely cosmetic, though, and do not detract from my enjoyment of the set.
The transfer is generally well executed, capturing the contrast and detail of the often striking black-and-white cinematography. At its best, TZ is like classic film noir distilled into 24-minute doses. The two episodes originally shot on videotape instead of film for budgetary reasons ("Night of the Meek" and "Long Distance Call") fare less well, but this is to be expected.
So: Overall, a good sampling of episodes with a satisfying bonus documentary. I thoroughly enjoy it.

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The Twilight Zone - Collection 4 (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)Like the first 3 collections, this one has a great variety of episodes, and its fair share of A+ ones which are as fine as anything that has ever been shown on TV. Unlike the first 3 collections, this one has several rarely seen and/or double length episodes, and is even more of an acquired taste. Die-hard fans and collectors will want to own this set. Those exploring TZ might try one of the other 3 collections first. If you like, read my reviews of those as well.

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Route 66 - Season 1, Vol. 1 (1960) Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow! Route 66 on DVD. Finally, we get to cruise America with Tod (Martin Milner) and Buzz (George Marahis).
What can I say to convince you it's a `60s B&W series worth watching? Well, the vette is one thing, but it never overshadows the stories. Despite all the adventure, travelogue, drama and poetry this duo gets into, the real subject of the series was the human condition. Tod and Buz acted as observers and mentors to broken-down prizefighters and rodeo clowns, sadists and iron-willed matrons, surfers and heiresses, runaway kids and people from all walks of life, forced by circumstances to confront their demons.
While we may only get Route 66 Season 1 in Volumes 1 and 2 as some reviewers have indicated, this is what we have to look forward to in the first year (October 1960 to June 1961):
Episode 1 -- "Black November" -- Car trouble strands Tod and Buz in a small town with a terrible secret.
Episode 2 -- "A Lance of Straw" -- Tod and Buz sign on to crew a shrimp boat, despite the objections of the female captain's boyfriend.
Episode 3 -- "The Swan Bed" -- Tod and Buz meet a girl in New Orleans during a parrot fever epidemic.
Episode 4 -- "The Man on the Monkey Board" -- Tod and Buz meet a Nazi-hunter and his quarry on an offshore oil rig.
Episode 5 -- "The Strengthening Angels" -- Tod and Buz try to help a migrant worker who is in trouble with the local sheriff.
Episode 6 -- "Ten Drops of Water" -- Devastated by drought, three orphaned ranchers need Tod, Buz and the Corvette.
Episode 7 -- "Three Sides" (aka Three Sides of a Coin) -- Tod and Buz get involved in family strife while working for an Oregon hop farmer.
Episode 8 -- "Legacy for Lucia" -- While working at a logging camp, Tod and Buz meet a girl from Italy, who insists she has inherited the state of Oregon from a local man.
Episode 9 -- "Layout at Glen Canyon" -- Tod and Buz act as bodyguards to fashion models at the Glen Canyon Dam construction site.
Episode 10 -- "The Beryllium Eater" -- Tod and Buz help an old prospector stake his claim after he finds beryllium ore.
Episode 11 -- "A Fury Slinging Flame" -- Tod and Buz meet a scientist (Leslie Nielsen) who intends to hide in Carlsbad Caverns with friends until an expected nuclear holocaust is over.
Episode 12 -- "Sheba" -- Tod and Buz work as cowboys for Woody Biggs (Lee Marvin), who isn't done with the woman he sent to prison.
Episode 13 -- "The Quick and the Dead" -- Tod becomes a race car driver as he and Buz get involved in a family controversy over whether an aging driver should retire.
Episode 14 -- "Play It Glissando" --Tod and Buz try to protect a woman from her jazz musician husband.
Episode 15 -- "The Clover Throne" -- Tod and Buz work for a date farmer (Jack Warden) who fights the highway department while he "waits out" his sexy ward, hoping she will marry him.
Episode 16 --"Fly Away Home (Part 1)" -- Tod becomes a crop duster for a struggling company.
Episode 17 -- "Fly Away Home (Part 2)" -- Tod and Buz get involved in a quandary over an extra-dangerous crop dusting contract.
Episode 18 -- "Sleep on Four Pillows" -- Tod and Buz meet a teenage girl who claims to be on the run from gangsters - but her family thinks she has been kidnapped.
Episode 19 -- "An Absence of Tears" -- Tod and Buz try to protect a blind widow from her husband's murderers.
Episode 20 -- "Like a Motherless Child" -- Buz and Tod split up over whether to return a runaway boy to an orphanage.
Episode 21 -- "Effigy in Snow" -- Tod and Buz try to stop a murderer who has left his latest victim in the snow at Squaw Valley.
Episode 22 -- "Eleven, the Hard Way" -- Tod and Buz meet a gambler (Walter Matthau), whom the people of Broken Knee have asked to save their town.
Episode 23 -- "Most Vanquished, Most Victorious" -- At the request of his aunt, Tod traces the life of his saintly cousin through the Los Angeles slums.
Episode 24 -- "Don't Count Stars" -- Tod and Buz get involved in a custody case over a 9-year-old heiress and her drunken, gambling "uncle."
Episode 25 -- "The Newborn" -- Tod and Buz protect a Native American girl and her newborn from their employer, who rules the land like a feudal baron.
Episode 26 -- "A Skill for Hunting" -- Tod and Buz are framed as poachers after Tod interferes with a real poacher's hunting.
Episode 27 -- "Trap at Cordova" -- Tod and Buz are coerced into teaching school children in rural New Mexico.
Episode 28 -- "The Opponent" -- Buz visits and inspires his boyhood hero, a former boxing great (Darren McGavin) who is now on the skids.
Episode 29 -- "Welcome to Amity" -- Tod and Buz meet a woman (Susan Oliver), who wants to bury her mother in a nearby cemetery. The people of Amity want to stop her.
Episode 30 - "Incident on a Bridge" --Tod and Buz board in a home with an abused, mute girl and her two jealous - and violent - suitors.
So, c'mon. Hitch a ride and relive these nostalgic vignettes of America and Americans. It's a great trip!
POST-SCRIPT (31 Oct. 2007):
I concur with subsequent reviewers, regarding the audio-video transfer quality to this DVD set. It could be better. Although the video is too dark, the brightness and contrast can be adjusted from your system. Audio varies from episode to episode, and I would have thought with today's technology this could have been improved. It is a pity because the packaging of this boxed set is well done. The menu of episodes, commercials and bio-film background are nice touches to a great, great series. Does this mean I regret buying this DVD set? Not one iota, considering its the best thing out there at the moment.

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Now available on DVD for the first time, Route 66 has been digitally transferred from the original masters. The television series, which aired 1960-64, is one of the most brilliant dramas to emerge from the '60s, famous for its catchy Nelson Riddle theme song, intriguing characters, top-drawer writing and stellar guest appearances. The original "road trip" drama, this classic television series was one of the most highly rated of the era, establishing the Corvette as an American icon.

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Hazel-A Double Holiday Dose of (1961) Review

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(More customer reviews)The classic 1960's TV comedy series "Hazel", starring veteran actress Shirley Booth was a popular favourite through most of the early part of that decade and gained immortality for Shirley Booth as the lovable and take charge maid of the Baxter household, Hazel Burke. Based on the very popular cartoon character that appeared regularly in the Saturday Evening Post, it was a perfect marriage of actress and character.
"A Double Holiday Dose of Hazel", includes the two much loved Christmas episodes from the series, the first "Just 86 Shopping Minutes left till Christmas", is in colour and the second from earlier in the series "Hazel's Christmas Shopping",is in black and white. Both are very endearing stories appropriate for the festive season and really display the great character that Shirley Booth became famous for in the later part of her accomplished career. The first episode has a strangely modern theme to it in that Hazel's employer George Baxter (Don DeFore), has grown tired of all the commercialism of Christmas and decides that this year he will not allow the family to give gifts they can't afford to each other. Hazel being who she is can't help but step in to try and rectify the situation and not let her beloved "Missy" ..Dorothy Baxter go without a Christmas present. Hazel saves the day for the family and George sees the error of not celebrating Christmas in the traditonal way and ends up with a last minute beautiful gift for Dorothy. The second episode finds Hazel in a different dilemma where she finds she is short of money to buy Dorothy a beautiful dressing table set for Christmas. Hazel takes a part time job at the department store to get the extra money she needs and in the process manages to take over the whole shop floor much to the frustration of the store floor walker. In between selling gloves and dispensing wisdom over the counter Hazel manages to catch a compulsive shoplifter who in the Christmas rush is stealing everything from skis to televisions from the store. All ends happily with Hazel getting the present for Dorothy she so badly wanted.
Both these episodes are totally charming and make heartwarming viewing during the festive season. They are really brought alive by the great acting of Shirley Booth in the central role of Hazel. She made this lively maid a unique television character and ended up winning two Emmy Awards for the role. A veteran dramatic actress on Broadway and in her Oscar winning film of "Come Back Little Sheba", with Burt Lancaster, Booth was warned not to take the role on a television sitcom by her New York acting friends who considered it a real come down for such an acclaimed actress. Happily Shirley Booth thought otherwise and saw the great potential of this colourful character. Ignoring that advise she went on to even greater stardom with a wider audience than she had ever had before.
I strongly recommend "A Double Dose of Hazel", to all lovers of 1960's sitcoms and for any people who like myself love Christmas themed episodes of popular programs from the Golden years of television in the 1950's and 60's. It's a pity more episodes of Hazel apart from these two Christmas episodes, aren't available on video. However these two are a wonderful way to spend 45 minutes and they allow you the unique opportunity of becoming acquainted with America's most famous maid the immortal Hazel Burke.

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The Twilight Zone - Season 4 (The Definitive Edition) (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)The 4th season consists of 1 hour episodes. They include:
#1 In His Image
A science enthusiast creates a perfect mechanical man, one who compensates for his own shortcomings. Starring George Grizzard, Gail Kobe, Katherine Squire, Wallace Rooney.
#2 The Thirty-Fathom Grave
A man is haunted by the sounds from a submarine that sank 20 years ago. Stars Mike Kellin, Simon Oakland, David Sheiner, John Considine, Bill Bixby.
#3 Valley of the Shadow
A reporter discovers the secret of a small village but can he escape it? Stars Ed Nelson, Natalie Trundy, David Opatoshu, James Doohan.
#4 He's Alive
A young hatemonger is inspired by the ghost of Adolf Hitler. Stars Dennis Hopper, Ludwig Donath, Curt Conway, Paul Mazursky.
#5 Mute
A young couple experiment with telepathy. Stars Ann Jillian, Frank Overton, Barbara Baxley.
#6 Death Ship
An astronaut refuses to admit that he and his crew may be dead. Stars Jack Klugman, Ross Martin, Frederick Beir, Mary Webster.
#7 Jess-Belle
A girl strikes a deadly bargain with a witch to ensure the attention of a young man. Stars Anne Francis, James Best, Laura Devon, Jeanette Nolan, Virginia Gregg.
#8 Miniature
An introverted young man falls in love with a doll in a museum. Stars Robert Duvall, Pert Kelton, Barbara Barrie, Len Weinrib, William Windom.
#9 Printer's Devil
A newspaper editor who is facing bankruptcy hires a man who claims to be the Devil. Stars Robert Sterling, Patricia Crowley, Burgess Meredith.
#10 No Time Like the Past
A time traveler attempts to change history by warning the victims of impending disasters. Stars Dana Andrews, Patricia Breslin, Malcolm Atterbury.
#11 The Parallel
An orbiting astronaut passes into a strange parallel world. Stars Steve Forrest, Jacqueline Scott, Frank Aletter, Philip Abbott.
#12 I Dream of Genie
A store keeper discovers Aladdin's lamp. Stars Howard Morris, Patricia Barry, Mark Miller, Jack Albertson.
#13 The New Exhibit
Famous murderers from history become the star attraction of a wax museum. Stars Martin Balsam, Will Kuluva, Maggie Mahoney.
$14 Of Late I Think of Cliffordville
A remorseless businessman makes a deal with the Devil in order to go back in time. Stars Albert Salmi, Julie Newmar, John Anderson.
#15 The Incredible World of Horace Ford
A toy manufacturer relives his boyhood. Stars Pat Hingle, Nan Martin, Ruth White.
#16 On Thursday We Leave for Home
The leader of an expedition to a remote asteroid cannot bring himself to face the dissipation of his authority that returning to Earth would bring. Stars James Whitmore, Tim O'Connor, James Broderick.
#17 Passage on the Lady Anne
An unhappily married couple take a cruise to save their marriage. Stars Lee Philips, Joyce Van Patten, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Cecil Kellaway, Gladys Cooper.
#18 The Bard
A hack TV writer conjures up William Shakespeare to act as his collaborator. Stars Jack Weston, John Williams, Burt Reynolds, John McGiver.

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TWILIGHT ZONE:DEFINITIVE EDITION SSN - DVD Movie

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The Twilight Zone: Season Three (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)#1 Two
Charles Bronson and Elizabeth Montgomery play the sole survivors of a nuclear holocaust.
#2 The Arrival
An airline official tests his theory that a newly arrived but totally empty plane is imaginary-with startling results.
#3 The Shelter
A neighborhood panics when they believe they are under a nuclear attack and attempt to invade the only bomb shelter on the block.
#4 The Passersby
A wounded Civil War soldier starts to believe that he and the people around him have already died.
#5 A Game of Pool
A pool master returns from the dead to play one last game with an eager young hustler.
#6 The Mirror
A dictator discovers a mirror that shows the faces of his assassins.
#7 The Grave
A hired gunman defies a Western outlaw's warning that if he ever came near his grave he'd reach up and snatch away his life. Stars Lee Marvin, Strother Martin, Lee Van Cleef.
#8 It's a Good Life
A six-year-old boy holds a town in terror with his powers to change or destroy anyone or anything at will.
#9 Deaths-Head Revisited
A former Nazi is tried by a jury of his own victims. .
#10 The Midnight Sun
The inhabitants of Earth prepare to meet their doom as their planet heads toward the Sun.
#11 Still Valley
A Confederate scout is given a magical book that could guarantee their victory.
#12 The Jungle
A former prospector is haunted in Manhattan by an African jungle beast.
#13 Once Upon a Time
A janitor puts on a helmet that takes him 72 years into the future. Stars Buster Keaton.
#14 Five Characters in Search of an Exit
Five people - a ballet dancer, a major, a clown, tramp and a bagpipe player - find themselves trapped in a featureless enclosure.
#15 A Quality of Mercy
A racist World War II soldier experiences the war in the body of a Japanese counterpart.
#16 Nothing in the Dark
Gladys Cooper plays an elderly woman locks herself in an abandoned building in order to avoid "Mr. Death." Robert Redford also stars.
#17 One More Pallbearer
A rich man devices a scheme to get revenge on those who humiliated him earlier in life.
#18 Dead Man's Shoes
A man steals who steals the shoes of a murdered gangster finds himself living in the dead man's footsteps.
#19 The Hunt
A hunter and his faithful dog arrive at the gates of Heaven.
#20 Showdown with Rance McGrew
A cowboy star is haunted by the ghost of Jesse James.

#21 Kick the Can
A group of elderly people recapture their youth.
#22 A Piano in the House
A strange piano allows the listener's hidden character to be suddenly revealed.
#23 The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank
When a young man steps out of his coffin at his own funeral the townsfolk grow to suspect that the devil has assumed the man's body.
#24 To Serve Man
Apparently benign alien emissaries show mankind how to end the misery of war, plague and famine.
#25 The Fugitive
A magical old man delights the local children with his power to change his appearance.
#26 Little Girl Lost
A couple is awakened in the middle of the night by the cries of their six-year-old daughter who has fallen through a mysterious door into another dimension.
#27 Person or Persons Unknown
A man awakens one morning to find that no one recognizes him, not even his mother.
#28 The Little People
A space traveler terrorizes the tiny inhabitants of a space station into accepting him as their God, but when another space ship arrives the tyrannical man discovers everything is relative.
#29 Four O'Clock
To combat all that he considers evil, a cranky man decides to make every evil person two feet tall at exactly 4 p.m.
#30 Hocus Pocus and Frisby
No one believes a local story-teller who claims that he was kidnapped by aliens.
#31 The Trade-Ins
An elderly man has his mind transferred to a new body.
#32 The Gift
A small village becomes fearful of a crashed space traveler.
#33 The Dummy
A ventriloquist's dummy takes on a life of its own.
#34 Young Man's Fancy
A young bride is not happy when her husband attempts to win back the days of his childhood.
#35 I Sing the Body Electric
A widowed father buys his three young children an electronic grandmother.
#36 Cavender Is Coming
Carol Burnet plays Agnes Grep who gets a visit from an apprentice angel trying to win his wings.
#37 The Changing of the Guard
A teacher feels like his life is over when he is asked to retire.

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The Mod Squad - Season 1, Volume 1 (1968) Review

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(More customer reviews)Time to rejoice, the original counter-culture Classic TV Police Series phenomenon that remains an iconic favorite, replete with one of the best and most memorable TV musical themes ever composed, will at along last be released on DVD in season boxed sets. Can you dig it?
Season 1 Set 1 will include the first 13 episodes and is expected to include interviews with the cast.
Premiering Sept. 24, 1968, during the height of the Viet Nam War and Civil Rights Movement, Mod Squad lasted for five action packed seasons with episodes that dealt as much with social issues as it did crime in the streets.
Set in Los Angeles, the premiss was simple enough: Three young people in trouble with the law are given the opportunity of avoiding jail sentences by infiltrating the counter-culture as undercover cops and exposing criminal who prey on youth. The idea is for them to bridge the generation gap between the youth and the "fuzz."
The three "delinquents" were Pete Cochran, portrayed by Michael Cole, who was arrested for car theft; Julie Barnes, portrayed by Peggy Lipton, who ran away from her prostitute mother in San Francisco; and Lincoln Hayes, portrayed by Clarence Williams III, who was arrested during the Watts riots. Tough talking Capt. Adam Greer, portrayed by Tige Andrews, was in charge of the special squad and eventually became a father-figure to them. (Lipton, who later played Norma the waitress in another cult classic - Twin Peaks - was nominated for an Emmy for her role as Julie, and won a Golden Globe in 1970 for her portrayal of the character.)
In the series, Cochran drove an old green "woody" side-paneled stationwagon that became a lasting symbol of the show, along with cooooool bell-bottomed pants! Sadly, the wheels were destroyed in the second season when the car was set ablaze by an arsonist.
The stellar series spawned a block-buster movie in the 1990's that was horrible by comparison, failing in all respects to capture the chemistry and remarkably innocent sincerity of the original.
Included in this set are the first 13 of the 26 episodes that comprised the first season: Teeth of the Barracuda: Bad Man on Campus; What a Pretty Bus; When Smitty Comes Marching Home; You Can't Tell the Players Without a Programmer; A Time to Love, A Time to Cry; Find Tara Chapman; The Price of Terror; A Quiet Weekend in the Country; Love; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Starlet; and The Guru.
Episodes expected in the Season 1 Volume 2 DVD set are: The Sunday Drivers; Hello Mother, My Name is Julie; Flight Five Doesn't Answer; Shell Game; Fear is the Bucking Horse; A Hint of Darkness, A Hint of Light; The Uptight Town; A Reign of Guns; A Run for the Money; Child of Sorrow, Child of Light; Keep the Faith, Baby; Captain Greer, Call Surgery; Peace Now - Arly Blau; and A Seat by the Window.
Created by the legendary TV mogul Aaron Spelling, he produced it along with Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard. Harve Bennett replaced Spelling in later seasons.


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Meet Pete, Linc and Julie: The Mod Squad. This trio consisted of rich, long-haired Pete Cochran, Lincoln "Linc" Hayes from the tough streets of inner city Los Angeles, and beautiful flower child Julie Barnes, a runaway from San Francisco. They're recruited by police captain Adam Greer (Tiger Andrews) for a covert unit that will help bridge the generation gap. Each week these three cops with love beads wrestled with criminals – and their own consciences. They may have been the "fuzz," but they were determined to never compromise their values. They were The Mod Squad!

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The Twilight Zone - Vol. 27 (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)`HE'S ALIVE' is a good study of Fascism and Nazism and how it can affect an essential weak individual who carries strong inner hatreds which are probably aimed at himself but manifests that hatred towards others aided by the vision of Adolph Hitler. Denis Hopper is excellent as the figure with a spine of clay that elicits advice from his vision of Hitler played by Curt Conway. The choice of Conway was criticized for his lack of resemblance to Hitler. However, Conway's performance was right on target full of energy and conviction. He had Hitler's gestures down to a science. This is a very interesting episode written by Rod Serling and often overlooked. Vividly photographed. It fit the hour-long format perfectly. `SPUR OF THE MOMENT' contains some very frightening images filmed in broad daylight. The sight of a pursuing Diana Hyland on horseback dressed in flowing black are Freudian in nature and remain indelible to the viewer. Freely written by Richard Matheson but one of the most visually effective episodes. `FROM AGNES - WITH LOVE' is a lightweight episode but very appropriate for Wally Cox. You either like this one or you don't. Written by Barney Scofield and directed by Dick Donner! It was enjoyable to see so many actors from 1960's television on this DVD such as Wally Cox, Ralph Taeger, Dennis Hopper, Diana Hyland and Roger Davis.

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This volume includes: "He's Alive" (Episode 106, January 24, 1963, 51 min.) - Peter Vollmer (Dennis Hopper), a small-time neo-Nazi leader, yearns for more power. Advised by a shadowy benefactor, Vollmer's followers grow, as does his ego. "From Agnes With Love" (Episode 140, February 14, 1964) - Wally Cox as computer technician James Elwood must deal with the queen of all femme fatales: a computer named Agnes who wreaks havoc on his love life. "Spur of the Moment" (Episode 141, February 21, 1964) - After being chased by a terrifying, unidentified figure in black, Anne Henderson (Diana Hyland) rushes home, where she soon must face the biggest decision of her life.

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Mr & Mrs North - 4 Episodes (B&W) Review

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(More customer reviews)Specifically regarding volume 1 (of 8) from Alpha Video. This single disc contains four episodes but they are not the first four episodes from the 1952-54 television series and Steve Kaplan, Alpha's owner, does not provide original episode titles except for the third episode which has an on-screen title card. The first episode (Nosed Out, season 1, episode 6) has the best picture quality and the other three are soft, slightly overexposed/thin contrast, and missing frames.
Episode 2 is "The Frightened Bride" (season 1, eps. 22); episode 3 is "Target" (season 2, eps. 2); and episode 4 is "The Third Eye" (season 1, eps. 18). The Frightened Bride has a poorly written script from M. Coates Webster with major flaws.
This is the first of eight volumes (discs) released by Alpha which are also available as an eight volume collection. It is the best price deal.

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Mr & Mrs North - 3 Episodes (1953) Review

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(More customer reviews)Specifically regarding volume 1 (of 8) from Alpha Video. This single disc contains four episodes but they are not the first four episodes from the 1952-54 television series and Steve Kaplan, Alpha's owner, does not provide original episode titles except for the third episode which has an on-screen title card. The first episode (Nosed Out, season 1, episode 6) has the best picture quality and the other three are soft, slightly overexposed/thin contrast, and missing frames.
Episode 2 is "The Frightened Bride" (season 1, eps. 22); episode 3 is "Target" (season 2, eps. 2); and episode 4 is "The Third Eye" (season 1, eps. 18). The Frightened Bride has a poorly written script from M. Coates Webster with major flaws.
This is the first of eight volumes (discs) released by Alpha which are also available as an eight volume collection. It is the best price deal.

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Riverboat Review

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(More customer reviews)This series which we have all longed for to be put on to DVD has a major fault with Discs 2 & 3. The episode BLOWUP is faulty and will not play. Not enough care and attention has been paid to copying these episodes to DVD. Its not only my copy that is faulty, but people I know in the USA and in Australia are finding this DVD susbstandard with faults on this episode. They all need to be recalled and we should be supplied with episodes that play properly in our DVD players. So I advise everyone to steer clear of these DVDs until this fault has been corrected.
Peter

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Route 66: Season 1, Vol. 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Hands down, "Route 66" was one of the greatest dramas produced in television's golden age. The acting, writing, and production values for this "show-on-the-go" were trend setting for its time and still resonate strongly with this viewer . . . . . surely a five star series if ever there was one. And that's why it pains me to give this second release from Roxbury Entertainment and the Infinity Entertainment Group only three stars.
The good news is that the visual quality for the episodes contained in this second volume represents an improvement over those in volume 1, at least based upon my viewing of the first two episodes (a good two-parter titled "Fly Away Home" with the great Michael Rennie) and spot checking other episodes. The visuals aren't in the same eye-popping category as some other shows from the era that have been released on DVD like the "The Untouchables" or "The Fugitive," but they still look pretty good to my eyes and represent an improvement over the vast majority of the episodes contained in volume 1. The extra features contained in volume 2 follow the same format as the first volume, cast credits and episode clips (to help you identify the actors) and early 1960s era commercials on disc 4.
Now for the bad news, Roxbury and/or Infinity have matted the top and bottom of the episodes to give it a FAKE WIDESCREEN look. So in certain scenes, the tops of the actors' heads are missing. This might not be so readily apparent to viewers who have never seen the show, but after releasing the first 15 episodes in volume 1 in the correct, full-screen aspect ratio, it becomes glaringly apparent. Even the bonus commercials on disc 4 are matted! I don't have the slightest idea as to why Roxbury/Infinity decided to go with this format, but if anyone from either of these companies happen to read these reviews, please do not matte any further volumes . . . . . serious viewers of "Route 66" want to be able to watch this series in its original, full-screen aspect ratio as originally broadcast. Had this second volume been released in its correct aspect ratio, without the matted effect, I would most certainly have given this release a full five stars.


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Now the second half of Route 66's first season is available for the first time and has been digitally transferred from the original masters. The television series, which aired 1960-64, is one of the most brilliant dramas to emerge from the '60s, famous for its catchy Nelson Riddle theme song, intriguing characters, top-drawer writing and stellar guest appearances. The original "road trip" drama, this classic television series was one of the most highly rated of the era, establishing the Corvette as an American icon.Infinity Entertainment Group has been very excited to bring the iconic television program Route 66 to DVD for the first time. We have taken great care in restoring and packaging this beloved classic for collectors. However, it recently came to our attention that there is some confusion in the marketplace about some of the technical aspects of this restoration process.A key decision in the digital restoration of the series was whether to retain the original full screen 4 x 3 aspect ratio (old tube televisions) or to update to a widescreen format with a 16 x 9 aspect ratio (new digital TVs). Since the restoration process utilized the original 35mm film assets, the goal was to do a high definition transfer, updating the aspect ratio for broadcast on new HD TVs. High Definition transfer which requires an update to the 16x9 aspect ratio for new HD TV Broadcast and future Digital Media delivery, i.e. Blu Ray DVD and HD Internet.In this new widescreen format, without vertical cropping the program would appear distorted. During the film transfer, the post production house used a process called tilt and scan which allows a Telecine technician to examine each scene individually and center the frame on the action. Unfortunately, in extreme close-ups, the cropping may occasionally intrude on the original framing, sometimes cutting off a portion of the top of the head. While we tried to remain as true as possible to the original programming, our overall goal is to not only make the program available once again on television, but to optimize it for the next generation of broadcast and television standards.Infinity Entertainment Group is committed to bringing quality programming and relies on the support of our valued customers to do so.

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The Untouchables - Season Two, Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)Once they hooked the customer and reviewers by the quality of the 1st season set of The Untouchables, they then release pure butchered trash on the Season 2 Vol 1 set. Is this a practice we can expect more and more from CBS-Paramount DVD's?
The trademark of the show was the way each act would end with the background music crescendoing and segue into the signature tune of the closing bumper. Unlike the Season 1 DVD set you will not find that here. They hacked off the first three act's closing bumpers. By lopping off the bumpers they had to fade out the scenes and background music before they actually ended, making for a sloppy edit that makes the end of each act seem very awkward and loosing the original emotional effect that was originally conceived. This was a complete hack job.
Who knows, these could be the butchered up versions made for the VHS market about twenty years ago, not the direct transfers to DVD from original 35mm film that were on the 1st season set.
And don't let anyone tell you there were no bumpers in Season 2. All four seasons of the Untouchables had them (opening and closing for each act).
The 1st season DVD set was as excellent as anyone could wish for. I cannot comprehend how they could release Season 2 Vol 1 in such a debased way. Too bad I can't return it to Amazon because of defective content. It is apparent that CBS-Paramount do not respect their customers.
There will be no Untouchables Season 2 Vol 2 on my wish list and I would suggest to all true fans of The Untouchables to avoid Season 2 Vol 1.

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The Untouchables chronicles the campaign of Eliot Ness (Robert Stack), the young U.S. Prohibition Bureau agent, to smash the beer and booze empire of Al Capone in 1920s Chicago.

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Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete First Season (1964) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although I was more of a fan of Seasons 2 and 3, I am so happy to see that Gomer Pyle USMC is FINALLY being released on DVD!! My VHS tapes are so worn from the constant playing! The first Season is not to be missed though. Gomer coming right out of Mayberry RFD/Andy Griffith and straight into the Marines to face the sweet tender hearted quiet Sgt. Carter (not!). On a side note, Frank Sutton was truly an incredible powerful actor, and his early death in 1971 from a heart attack was unfortunate. He was in many movies prior to Gomer...too many to mention. One of my all time favorite actors. I can't wait until this December!!! I will be rush ordering this one for sure!! Highly recommended!

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Gomer Pyle, a naive country boy, leaves his home in Mayberry, NC to join the U.S. Marine corps. His perpetual wide-eyed innocence frequently gets on the nerves of his tough, loudmouthed sergeant. A successful spin-off from THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.

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Route 66 - The Complete Second Season Review

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(More customer reviews)The five-star rating is for the series itself, thanks in large part to the exceptionally realistic storylines from Stirling Silliphant and guest scriptwriters. The on-screen chemistry between Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and George Maharis as Buz Murdock is superb as they criss-cross America working odd jobs in search of themselves and helping others find their purpose in life. Great show from television's golden age. Highly recommended.
The episodes featured in the second season (1961-1962) include:
"A Month of Sundays" -- Buz falls for starlet Arlene Sims (Anne Francis), unaware that she has a terminal illness.
"Blue Murder" -- Tod and Buz attempt to recapture a wild horse which has apparently killed its new owner.
"Good Night, Sweet Blues" -- A dying jazz singer (Ethel Waters) enlists Tod and Buz to search out and reunite her old combo.
"Birdcage on My Foot" -- Tod and Buz try to help a heroin junkie (Robert Duvall) kick the habit.
"First Class Mouliak" -- When a young woman is found dead, the chief suspect (Robert Redford) is the son of Tod and Buz's employer.
"Once to Every Man" -- Tod seems ready to finally settle down and tie the knot with the daughter of a shipyard owner (Janice Rule).
"The Mud Nest" -- After discovering a family that resembles him in a small Maryland town, Buz goes to Baltimore to search for the woman who may be his mother.
"A Bridge Across Five Days" -- The boys try to help a woman recently released from a mental hospital adjust to life in the outside world.
"Mon Petit Chou" -- Tod becomes enamored of a lounge singer, but finds an obstacle in her intensely jealous manager (Lee Marvin).
"Some of the People, Some of the Time" -- Tod and Buz work for a fraudulent beauty contest promoter and become hucksters in the process.
"The Thin White Line" -- Tod goes on a one-man rampage through Philadelphia after inadvertently drinking a beer spiked with a powerful hallucinogenic drug.
"And the Cat Jumped Over the Moon" -- A social worker (Milt Kamen) who is a former mentor of Buz is killed playing a dare game with a gang leader (Martin Sheen).
"Burning for Burning" -- Tod and Buz work for a wealthy family with a dead son. When their daughter-in-law pays a visit with their grandchild, the family treats her with open hostility.
"To Walk with the Serpent" -- The F.B.I. wants Tod and Buz to infiltrate a neo-Nazi group.
"A Long Piece of Mischief" -- A rodeo clown nurses a love for a trick rider while fending off sadistic cowboys.
"1800 Days to Justice" -- An ex-con (John Ericson) who was framed takes over a small Texas town and holds a kangaroo court to pass judgment on the real culprit (DeForest Kelly).
"A City of Wheels" -- Working in a veterans hospital brings Tod and Buz into the life of an embittered invalid.
"How Much a Pound Is Albatross?" -- Free-spirited motorcycle rider Vicki Russell (Julie Newmar) arrives in Tucson and turns it - and the lives of Tod and Buz - upside down.
"Aren't You Surprised to See Me?" -- A religious fanatic with a biological weapon kidnaps Buz and threatens to kill him, unless the entire city of Dallas abstains from sin for 24 hours.
"You Never Had It So Good" -- As part of a power play, a female executive promotes day-laborer Buz to a high administrative position.
"Shoulder the Sky, My Lad" --Tod and Buz come to the aid of a young Jewish boy, who has a crisis of faith after his father is killed in a mugging.
"Blues for the Left Foot" -- Tod helps a dancer - his first love - get a tryout with a major television network.
"Go Read the River" -- Tod finds that his new employer, a designer of speedboat engines, is an exceptionally driven and desolate man.
"Even Stones Have Eyes" -- Buz contemplates taking his own life after a construction accident leaves him without his sight.
"Love is a Skinny Kid" --A young woman (Tuesday Weld) stirs up a small Texas community by arriving in town wearing a frightful mask, which she refuses to remove.
"Kiss the Maiden, All Forlorn" -- An international fugitive (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) risks recapture by returning to the U.S. to visit his daughter.
"Two on the House" -- A young boy pretends to be the target of kidnappers in order to get attention from his business-obsessed father.
"There I Am - There I Always Am" -- Buz attempts to rescue a young woman who gets her foot stuck in the rocks of a Southern California beach, with the high tide coming in.
"Between Hello and Goodbye" -- Tod becomes involved with a reckless blonde and her reserved brunette sister.
"A Feat of Strength" -- Tod helps introduce a legitimate Hungarian wrestler (Jack Warden) to the American version of the sport.
"Hell is Empty, All the Devils Are Here" -- Tod's employer (Peter Graves) is an animal trainer plotting revenge against the man he believes responsible for his wife's death.
"From an Enchantress Fleeing" -- Tod goes in search of a henpecked runaway husband.
Roxbury Entertainment's mastering of the series to DVD remains to be seen. Whether the series will be digitised to wide screen format -- as was the case in Season 1/Volume 2 - remains merely a guess.

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Now you can own all 32 episodes of season two of this treasured television classic, digitally remastered for the highest quality picture and audio possible in the original, full frame 4.3 aspect ratio. Famous for its catchy Nelson Riddle theme song, intriguing characters, top-drawer writing and stellar guest star appearances, Route 66 was one of the most highly rated shows of the era, establishing the Corvette as an American icon. Filmed in locations from coast to coast, the adventures continue for Tod Stiles (Martin Milner), an intellectual who has led a privileged and sheltered life, and Buz Murdock (George Maharis), a tough young man, raised in Hell's Kitchen, struggling his entire life just to survive.The duo encounter folks good and bad even chance encounters with love in shipyards, chicken farms, cattle ranches, rodeos, hospitals, courtrooms, hotels, amusement parks, wrestling rings, religious retreats and wild animal parks.Guest starring in the sophomore season is a renowned list of stars, including Robert Redford, Douglas Fairbanks, Robert Duvall, Suzanne Pleshette, Lon Chaney Jr., John Astin, James Caan, Lee Marvin, Martin Sheen, Ed Asner, DeForest Kelley, Marion Ross, Peter Graves, Jack Warden, Tuesday Weld and Julie Newmar, among others. One special episode features several of Maharis relatives.

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Fugitive: Never Wave Goodbye (1963) Review

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(More customer reviews)Never Wave Goodbye is the fourth story of The Fugitive TV series, and is one of the best, combining gut-wrenching emotion with some exciting action.
Kimble now works as a sailmaker in San Diego. Susan Oliver plays Kimble's girlfriend Karen, and Will Kuluva is her uncle, who knows Karen is in love with Kimble and wants him to marry her - much to the consternation of a rival sailmaker (Robert Duvall).
LT Gerard learns of the arrest of a one-armed perp in LA and wants to interrogate the man, believing it will help bring out Kimble. His superior, Captain Ed Carpenter, is reluctant to let Gerard go off like this, disturbed as he is by the lieutenant's obsession.
But Gerard gets his wish and flies out to LA, just as Kimble learns of the man's arrest. He travels to the LA jail and finds he is not the one-armed man who killed his wife. But as he leaves, Kimble stumbles into Gerard, and a chase ensues. Karen helps Kimble escape, but he has to leave.
Or does he? Unable to abandon the woman who so loves him, Kimble decides he and she should fake their own deaths in a sailing accident. Perhaps then they can share the life together they both so desperately want.
It is often painful to see the effort Kimble and Karen undertake to fake their own deaths. It truly draws the audience into loving these characters and hating Gerard - all the right requisites for superb storytelling.

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Rawhide - The Complete First Season (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)First telecasted on January 9, 1959 until its last telecast on January 4, 1966, for a total of 8 seasons and 217 episodes.
The Show was about a group of Cattleman from Texas traveling North and taking their 3000 head herd to market. The show tell the stories of people met along the way and those who joined the regulars in transit.
The cast for this show is as described below:
*Rowdy Yates .....Clint Eastwood (Gil Favor's right hand man and second in command)
*Gil Favor (1959-1965).....Eric Fleming (The trail boss, the supervisor of the entire cattle drive operation)
*Pete Nolan (1959-1963).....Sheb Wooley
*Wishbone.....Paul Brinegar
*Jim Quince.....Steve Raines
*Joe Scarlett (1959-1964).....Rocky Shahan
*Harkness "Mushy" Mushgrove (1959-1965).....James Murdock
*Hey Soos Patines (1961-1964).....Robert Cabal
*Clay Forrester (1962-1963).....Charles Gray
*Ian Cabot (1965-1966).....David Watson
*Jed Colby (1965-1966).....John Ireland
*Solomon King (1965-1966).....Raymond St. Jacques
The First season of Rawhide was rated 28 out of the best 30 TV shows according to the Nielsen Rating (The Nielsen Rating is the percent of all TV-equipped homes tuned to the program on an average night, as measured by Nielsen Media Research). The show continued to climb even higher and reached its peak on the 1960-1961 season ranking 6th among the best 30 TV shows getting 27.5% of viewers.
The First season consisted of 23 episodes and they are as follows:
01- Incident of the Tumbleweed Wagon - Aired 1/9/1959
02- Incident at Alabaster Plain - Aired 1/16/1959
03- Incident with an Excutioner - Aired 1/23/1959
04- Incident of the Widowed Dove - Aired 1/30/1959
05- Incident on the Edge of Madness - Aired 2/6/1959
06- Incident of the Power and the Plow - Aired 2/13/1959
07- Incident at Barker Springs - Aired 2/20/1959
08- Incident West of Lano - Aired 2/27/1959
09- Incident of the Town in Terror - Aired 3/4/1959
10- Incident of the Golden Calf - Aired 3/13/1959
11- Incident of the Coyote Weed - Aired 3/20/1959
12- Incident of the Cubasco - Aired 4/3/1959
13- Incident of the Curious Street - Aired 4/10/1959
14- Incident of the Dog Days - Aired 4/17/1959
15- Incident of the Calico Gun - Aired 4/24/1959
16- Incident of the Misplaced Indians - Aired 5/1/1959
17- Incident of Fear in the Streets - Aired 5/8/1959
18- Incident Below the Brazos - Aired 5/15/1959
19- Incident of the Dry Drive - Aired 5/22/1959
20- Incident of the Judas Trap - Aired 6/5/1959
21- Incident in No Man's Land - Aired 6/12/1959
22- Incident of a Burst of Evil - Aired 6/26/1959
23- Incident of the Roman Candles - Aired 7/10/1959
I hope all 8 seasons will be released shortly after this season.
Thank you for reading my review and have a nice day :)

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