DVD Review HTF DVD Review: Car 54 Where Are You? The Complete First Season (1 Viewer)

[The Obsolete Man]

Originally Posted by DeWilson




This is the first TV related release from this company so I am willing to cut them a little slack.

Well, the episodes are all there, and they're complete, so I'm not going to go ape$#!+ over it. That's the important part. They are learning, so I can chalk this up to growing pains.


But perhaps, since there's nearly a year before the second and final release, they will see some of these comments and address them for the release of the final season.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I have an overwhelming urge to state, for the record, that arranging the shows in order of "popularity" is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard of in my life.


Besides forgetting the age-old wisdom that different people like different things, and that I may think someone's all-time favorite stinks, did it occur to them that, on average, as people watched through the set, the episodes would supposedly get worse as they went along, leaving the viewer with a worse and worse impression of the show, and increasing the chance that they might not want to buy Season 2?!?!?!? (Or are they in order of increasing popularity?)

 

[FrancisP]

Who cares what order they come in? I'm glad to have it and at a very good price.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrancisP

Who cares what order they come in? I'm glad to have it and at a very good price.

While it's certainly not going to be a deal-breaker for most people, I have to agree with others here and like Joe state, for the record, that it's really stupid. I've got the set and glad I've got it, but that doesn't stop me from calling a spade a spade. And this is definitely a spade! Between the episode order and the unbelievably pathetic housing, this is not what I'd call a stellar release.



Gary "thought I had heard and seen it all after a decade of TV on DVD collecting..." O.

 

[ChrisALM]

When I heard that Car 54 was coming to DVD, I preordered it after hearing positive reports that Shanachie was working at doing this right. I never gave it a thought that the episodes would be presented out of order for a complete season set release. Once again, when it comes to TV on DVD, you cannot take anything for granted.


I am going to enjoy this set, but sheeehs! I guess Season 1 is what it is.

 

[BobO'Link]

I have to agree that putting these in "favorite episode" order is just about the most stupid scheme I've ever heard! Now I'll have to print a production/airing order sheet for the case to be able to watch this series. I do this for other series that were put in non-production sequences so this will be no different. But it's just plain stupid. I'll be sending a complaint once my set arrives. No, I'll not "cut them some slack" because they're "new". They've had ample time to read comments about episode ordering and packaging from threads on this and other titles. What they've done is just plain stupid.


I also hate hearing about the packaging! Why don't distributors realize that many/most/all collectors prefer standard type cases without "special" ways of getting disks in/out?


Is this a modified amaray type case or a piece of paperboard/digipak type crap?

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Originally Posted by BobO'Link



Is this a modified amaray type case or a piece of paperboard/digipak type crap?

Probably closer to digipak than anything. Two trays mounted onto cardboard. No slipcover.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Originally Posted by DeWilson




This is the first TV related release from this company so I am willing to cut them a little slack.

Actually, Shanachie was the first company to release The Abbott & Costello Show on DVD, back in 1999. They released all 52 episodes, but those weren't in broadcast order either. So it seems that they have learned nothing in 12 years.

 

[Albert71292]

Originally Posted by Richard Gallagher




Actually, Shanachie was the first company to release The Abbott & Costello Show on DVD, back in 1999. They released all 52 episodes, but those weren't in broadcast order either. So it seems that they have learned nothing in 12 years.

So, they need to stick with jazz CD releases, which is on their website, lame as it is. Just looked at their website after seeing it on the back of the Car 54 CD... wouldn't advertise a site that poorly designed...

 

[ChrisALM]

Originally Posted by Richard Gallagher




Actually, Shanachie was the first company to release The Abbott & Costello Show on DVD, back in 1999. They released all 52 episodes, but those weren't in broadcast order either. So it seems that they have learned nothing in 12 years.

So it sounds like we don't have much hope that Shanachie will release season 2 any differently.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Gallagher

Actually, Shanachie was the first company to release The Abbott & Costello Show on DVD, back in 1999. They released all 52 episodes, but those weren't in broadcast order either. So it seems that they have learned nothing in 12 years.

Good catch, Richard. I bought those sets as they were released way back when and as you said, they were not in broadcast order. I've since upgraded on that show. But the point being the company definitely hasn't learned anything in all that time. BTW, if they supposedly put this set together by "most popular" then they are telling me the Christmas episode was the least popular 1st Season episode since it's dead last on the set?!! Please, that episode was in no way the worst one of the season and I have a hard time believing anyone that knew the show would rank it that way.



Gary "I too have thrown away the digipak and put the dvds in a special dvd book where they are safe from being broken"

 

[Guy Foulard]

After dealing with Roxbury's mishandling of Route 66, Season 1, where they managed to give us substandard prints for part 1 and artificial widescreen for part 2, and the horror of The Fugitive, S2V1 (first version), I'm willing to cut Shanachie some slack for this one, especially since I got the whole thing for 20 bucks. It seems more like a weird choice, rather than a critical error, especially since (as far as I know), this sitcom isn't especially dependent on sequencing. I think this might be more of a problem on The Beverly Hillbillies, which would introduce situations and characters in one episode and refer to them in the next.


I do think their 'popularity' excuse for the jumbled running order was bogus, and ill-advised, since all it garnered was scorn from this forum. After this, I wouldn't be surprised if they got it right for season two.

 

[DeWilson]

Originally Posted by Richard Gallagher




Actually, Shanachie was the first company to release The Abbott & Costello Show on DVD, back in 1999. They released all 52 episodes, but those weren't in broadcast order either. So it seems that they have learned nothing in 12 years.

I forgot that!

 

Can someone post the episode order of the discs? Thanks.

 

[BobO'Link]

^Here ya go - with runtimes. Shamlessly stolen from this review:


Disc 1:
What Happened to Thursday (25:36)
No More Pickpockets (25:35)
Quiet! We’re Thinking (25:51)
The Gypsy Curse (25:32)
Love Finds Muldoon (25:30)
Who’s for Swordfish? (25:26)
Toody’s Paradise (25:30)
The Beast Who Walked the Bronx (25:30)

Disc 2:
Put it In the Bank (25:25)
The Courtship of Sylvia Schnauser (25:26)
The Taming of Lucille (25:36)
Toody and the Art World (25:37)
Boom, Boom, Boom (25:28)
Toody and Muldoon Crack Down (25:55)
Home Sweet Sing Sing (25:11)
Catch Me on the Paar Show (25:24)

Disc 3:
How Smart Can You Get? (25:23)
I Love Lucille (25:31)
Something Nice for Sol (25:36)
The Auction (25:19)
Today I Am a Man (25:31)
How High is Up? (25:31)
Change Your Partner (25:17)
Muldoon’s Star(25:24)

Disc 4:
The Paint Job (25:21)
I Won’t Go (25:24)
Get Well, Officer Schnauzer (25:34)
Thirty Days Notice (25:37)
The Sacrifice (25:29)
Christmas at the 53rd (25:34)

 

Bob, thanks for doing this.

 

[BobO'Link]

^No problem. I stumbled across that review earlier today while getting a feel on how others beside those on this board feel about the running order and packaging. Overall it's a general "Shanachie dropped the ball/royally screwed up on the episode order and packaging". It's a shame as other than that the reviews are very good giving very good marks on the quality of the audio and video. I've read *lots* of "I'll *not* pick up S2 if they do not do a recall to fix this" type posts on many sites. I'll not go that far but I truly hope they recall these to correct the issues. Hopefully they'll at least take comments to heart and not do such a harebrained blunder with S2.

 

[Jack P]

If this is their first TV release since 1999, then evidently their minds in regard to packaging and presentation of material is still trapped in 1999!


It is indeed a shame that they could do the episodes right and then senselessly present them in such a stupid fashion. Because if you put the "best" episode first and say this is in order according to fan preference you are automatically telling your customers that what's on Discs 3 and 4 are allegedly bad stuff. That's stupid even from a marketing standpoint.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Originally Posted by BobO'Link I've read *lots* of "I'll *not* pick up S2 if they do not do a recall to fix this" type posts on many sites. I'll not go that far but I truly hope they recall these to correct the issues. Hopefully they'll at least take comments to heart and not do such a harebrained blunder with S2.

See, that's stupid fanboy entitlement. The episodes are there, uncut and looking pretty good. Sure, the packaging is kind of crappy, and the episode order is dumb. But a recall when there's nothing wrong, and people threatening to buycott the next season because of it?


That's dumb.


However, who cares if people don't buy season 2 for some stupid reason? There are only two seasons, and with as high up as this season made it on Amazon's top 100, it's a sure bet season it's sold well enough to guarantee season 2. And season 2 is the final season, anyway. So anyone who doesn't buy S2 for one reason or another won't hurt the chances of getting the series finished.

 

[LeoA]

I agree, it's idiotic to skip buying season 2 just because of this. As far as problems with classic television DVD releases go, this is about as minor as they get.


But I do wonder who these fans are that wanted this, if their claims are to be believed? Never seen such a request at any forum over the years for any tv series. Everyone either wants production order or seeing them in the order they aired, depending on what is most appropriate for a specific series. This was certainly a odd decision, but I find it laughable that anyone consiers it such a major issue that they're going to skip season 2.