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

Average Reviews:

(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.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Route 66 - Season 1, Vol. 1 (1960)

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.

Click here for more information about Route 66 - Season 1, Vol. 1 (1960)

Read More...

Route 66: Season 3 Volume 1 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After all the praise I gave Infinity Entertainment for listening to the desires of the consumer with the release of Route 66 - The Complete First Season and Route 66 - The Complete Second Season, they backslide with a half-season release of Season 3, Volume 1. This is early news and perhaps a full season issue would be not far behind. Either way Infinity Entertainment is light years ahead of the dullards at CBS/Paramount.
With further thought, Season 3 was a transitional season with the mid-season departure of primary performer George Maharis due to illness. With Maharis out and Glenn Corbett in AND being 31 episodes long, a 2-Vol. set is semi-acceptable; just barely:)!
Either way, we do praise Roxbury/Infinity Entertainment for continuing marketing of this fine classic anthology.
UPDATE: 07.21.09
Here's a scoop on what to expect.
This 16 episode set is housed in a plastic clam-shell; two discs staggered per side. The discs themselves are pictures of the cover art with a large 1, 2, 3 and 4. The audio quality is extra crisp while the picture quality is superb, retaining the original Aspect Ratio of 1.33:1. The DVD intro splash menu is really clever with a PLAY ALL or EPISODES options. And I stand corrected as Original Episode Commercials are listed under the EXTRAS option on Disc 4.
The only cons are that there are no listings of the episodes in the clam-shell or cover box; only on the EPISODES option. Also the cast and bios feature from S.1 & S.2 are missing.
For me, quality picture, audio and story content top everything! And as a neat surprise, the 1st episode is a superb story starring every one's favorite "Fugitive", David Janssen! Enjoy!
UPDATE: 07.22.09
Possibly some bad news here with QA/QC problems. I noticed that Discs 1 & 4 make a rumbling sound in my best DVD player; a Panasonic burner. But all seem to play okay in my computer drive and an old RCA player. I'd like to know if anyone else is experiencing this problem.
UPDATE: 07.23.09
And now we hear reports that all discs on the S.3-V.2 are bad! What in the world is going on here? I really thought when Infinity released both S.1 & S.2 as whole season releases we would be rid of defective discs, phony wide-screen video, etc. Some people should lose their jobs because of this!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Route 66: Season 3 Volume 1

Item Name: Route 66: Season 3, Vol. 1; Studio:Roxbury Ent

Click here for more information about Route 66: Season 3 Volume 1

Read More...

Route 66: Season 1, Vol. 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(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.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Route 66: Season 1, Vol. 2

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.

Get 19% OFF

Click here for more information about Route 66: Season 1, Vol. 2

Read More...

Route 66 - The Complete Second Season Review

Average Reviews:

(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.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Route 66 - The Complete Second Season

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.

Get 58% OFF

Click here for more information about Route 66 - The Complete Second Season

Read More...

Route 66: Classic Episodes Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I agree with the others here: This is a wasted effort on the part of Roxbury/Infinity to bundle a mere handful of episodes onto a disc in no particular order, when fans are waiting for the FULL series. If they are going to waste their production effort on duplicating episodes like this, then they should go back and REMASTER Season 1, Volume 2, and give us a FULL FRAME edition to rectify the butchered one they are selling now with a cropped (FAKE) "widescreen" look.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Route 66: Classic Episodes

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Route 66: Classic Episodes

Read More...