It Takes A Thief: The Complete Series DVD Review (1 Viewer)

[ScottRE]

I know some fans hate the less than stellar quality of this set and to be sure some episodes look like S-VHS transfers or worse. The 3rd season looks abysmal but at least we got some "In Color" bumpers. Still the episodes from 16mm prints (it's assumed) left behind some fun stuff.

Here is the end credits from the first part of "A Matter of Grey Matter" with an audio message to come back for part 2 because "it's a gas."

Not only is "next week" blotted out for daily strip syndication because people are stupid apparently (they did this for every single episode of Gillian's Island in the syndication days), but an official, restored Universal set would probably have simply replaced the whole thing with the standard end credits music.

In the interests of preserving little bits of broadcast history and those little touches, I really appreciate the smaller labels sometimes having just crummy syndication prints. I'd love a pristine release of this series, it's quintessential late 60's programming (and what a theme!).

This show deserves to be back in print.

 

[ScottRE]

I tried reconstructing the pilot based on the "long" version and the "short" version on the DVD set. There is definitely speed-up in the short version, when one extracts the short version from the full-length, it clocks in at 1:08, which is still a little bit short for a 90-minute timeslot.

I've gotten a little involved here, but if anyone's interested read on...

The full-length and the short version match up until the 50:21 point in the long version. The segment between 50:21 and 1:15:28 is removed in the short version, so that's 25 minutes cut. The short version picks up 26 seconds between 1:15:23 and 1:15:54 and then cuts the part between 1:15:54 and 1:22:34.

Now, to further complicate matters, in reading reviews of the pilot episode in 1968 newspapers, two cut scenes from the 64-min pilot are mentioned...one being the exotic dance scene of Senta Berger and another scene where RW rescues Senta from getting acid thrown at her. These scenes occur consecutively between 50:21 and 1:06:26 in the full-length version. To add them into the truncated pilot, it then expands to ~84 minutes...which seems would be too long.

So, I'm not sure if it's possible to figure out at this point.

This is interesting reading, thanks for doing the dirty work.

I wonder if somewhere in the vaults, the original 35mm print of the episode exists intact. Entertainment One got the syndication prints, it seems, so if Universal decided to do a Blu Ray upgrade/restoration, it's possibly they'd have the complete, properly mastered episode on hand.

 

[Neil Brock]

So many of these pilot episodes were screwed around with. I have a friend who knew someone with the original Invaders pilot which was shot for a 90 minute timeslot (which would have run around 75 minutes. CBS was never able to locate this.

I have 4 different versions of The Man from UNCLE pilot. The black and white aired version. A 54-minute version with Solo opening credits (the original title). The feature film version. Finally a color version which used 2nd season opening credits and put the episode closing credits in sepia tone.
Just a few days ago I was digitizing my 55 minute Mannix pilot. There are countless others.

 

[Lecagr]

I agree that episodes from the 3rd season tend to look rather shabby, but I'm just happy that the complete series DVD set has complete/unedited episodes. I was a little late getting around to this series, bought the DVD set after it had gone out of print so the cost was a tad pricey but I'm glad that I made the investment. A favorite episode of mine is A Very Warm Reception from season 1.

 

[Jack P]

So many of these pilot episodes were screwed around with. I have a friend who knew someone with the original Invaders pilot which was shot for a 90 minute timeslot (which would have run around 75 minutes. CBS was never able to locate this.

There are also Three versions of the "My Favorite Martian" pilot. One of them was only available on the region free Australia version.

 

[Lecagr]

I like the opening credit sequence from season 1 and would prefer if the same sequence had been used for season 2. Season 3's opening credit sequence required a change because Malachi Throne was no longer in the show.

Another good season 1 episode is Locked In The Cradle Of The Keep, it's my second favorite episode of the season right behind A Very Warm Reception.

 

[Bob Gu]

The German "It Takes a Thief" Season 1 set had the same 64-minute pilot version as the E1 set but added music to the end credits, which were silent on the E1.

The German set also had a German only edit, of the pilot, which was about 62 minutes and 50 seconds. This version included all the Senta Berger footage that was missing from the 64-minute version. They cut the whole elevator murder sequence at the beginning of the pilot and different parts of the Expo'67 stuff. They used the end credits from the Bill Bixby episode at the end. They used the regular episode opening graphics in German and the pilot was titled "A Chance for a Playboy".

Another oddity I noticed was that there seems to be a 16mm sequence patched into a 35mm print or tape of the episode with Julie Newmar. It actually has a frame around it and the picture looks smaller. You can spot it if your DVD player has a shrink mode. It may show up in some of the other zoom or minimize settings.

 

[ScottRE]

Another oddity I noticed was that there seems to be a 16mm sequence patched into a 35mm print or tape of the episode with Julie Newmar. It actually has a frame around it and the picture looks smaller. You can spot it if your DVD player has a shrink mode. It may show up in some of the other zoom or minimize settings.

Do you know when in the episode this happens?

 

[Bob Gu]

So, this is S2E20.

At the 10 min to 10-minute 25 seconds mark there are brief smaller sized film patches edited into the scene. Robert Wagner is fishing through his tool bag and working on the British HQ's phone system.

I see the smaller framing edges of the edits with the Q-1 setting on my Philips DVD player. I also can see it with my Samsung in the Vertical Fit mode.

My memory was that there was a longer patch edited in the the long hotel room and fight scene with Julie Newmar. That scene starts at 30 min. and ends at around 39 minutes. But, today, I am not seeing the smaller picture patch on the players I have now.

I miss that shrink mode my old player had. Many PD discs had some sort over overscan when played at Normal or 16:9. The credits would run off the edges of the screen. Using shrink mode would center the credits and give more picture area.

 

[ScottRE]

Great thanks! I found the 10 minute mark. Did a quick fix on my file version.

 

[Bob Gu]

Wow! Do you mean you took the smaller framed clips out, enlarged them and put them back in?

 

[Lecagr]

Looking at the episode The Funeral Is On Mundy on the DVD and yes about 10 minutes into the episode the picture shrinks down twice briefly for a few seconds and then goes back to full frame. Strange.

Another good episode from season 1, probably my 3rd favorite, is When Boy Meets Girl. There's a character in the episode named Captain Kovich, played by actor David Hurst, he basically steals the show with his humorous mannerisms, top notch acting performance from Mr. Hurst.

 

[ScottRE]

Wow! Do you mean you took the smaller framed clips out, enlarged them and put them back in?

I took the digital file, isolated the framed portions and blew them up a bit. Then replaced the original file with the repaired episode.