Burke's Law/Honey West - Page 4

Hollywoodaholic · 05-27-2008, 10:57 AM

For anyone still on the fence about this purchase, I just wanted to add my testimony that Burke's Law is a totally entertaining show that holds up marvelously. Sue me, but I've enjoyed watching these episodes much more than the recent Perry Mason anniversay set. Part of that enjoyment is the pacing - this show is much faster paced due to the abundance of guest stars it has to squeeze into 50 minutes. It's full of humor, starlets, and so-very-60s sexual innuendos. The writing is solid and, unlike an overly-convoluted Perry Mason plot, you actually have a shot at figuring at the killer because they do reveal a telling clue on the suspect early on.

The guest stars, as mentioned by other posters, are a calvacade of golden age Hollywood stars and 60s TV luminaries, and they obviously have a blast playing eccentric Hollywood types. When I first watched this show in reruns as a teenager, although I loved the show, I thought these self-absorbed eccentric characters the stars were playing were a little over the top - almost cartoonish. But having subsequently worked in the film business for 17 years (and moved on!), I now recognize how ridiculously accurate these stereotypes actually were ... and still are. There's nothing more bizarre than reality in La-La Land.

You've got Rita Moreno playing a former studio concubine chained to poolside lawn chair as part of her rehab for alcoholism overseen by a Nazi maid. Terry Thomas as a burned out bartender drinking one matching shot for every drink he delivers (and peeking out from his phony eyepatch). The very rugged Ed Begley Sr. playing totally against type as an effeminate publisher. Elizabeth Montgomery slinking it up as a provocatively-dressed seductress. And on and on and on. The joy they get from stepping outside their normal type-casting is obvious. Plus they relish in the opportunity to all play potential suspects.

A couple comments about the presentation. I looked at the before and after restoration demonstration on the main menu page and it appears they just ran the tapes through some kind of noise filter to reduce film grain or video noise. They smoothed out the image, yes, but took away some of the sharpness. The presentation is still good (not Fugitive good), but I just find it funny that the before/after presentation doesn't really make the case for the effort. I'd prefer a little grain and a sharper image, to be honest. And it doesn't 'sound' like they did anything with the sound. It's pretty tinny and thin. But the less-than-great presentation is not in any way enough to take away from the value of this set. It's simply a hoot.

When you watch Gene Barry trading suprisingly clever and direct inneundos with purring Hollywood suspect sex bombs, well, it gives the term 'guilty pleasures' a whole new meaning. And this show is definitely one of them.

Charles Ellis · 05-27-2008, 11:55 AM

The show is a veritable time capsule- it has people from the silent era (Gloria Swanson, ZaSu Pitts), the Golden Age (June Allyson, Broderick Crawford, Ruth Roman, Cesar Romero), and stars who would soon be household names (Elizabeth Montgomery). You even get to see future stars as extras (blink and you'll miss soap diva Susan Flannery as a secretary to Eva Gabor in a episode). Murder, She Wrote owes a lot to Burke's Law as it was the first show of its kind to use Hollywood legends as guest stars (and suspects!)- not even Perry Mason used that much star power. On the other hand, Four Star was founded by big names (Dick Powell, Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino and David Niven), so you know they had a lot of friends in the industry to hire. This was also Aaron Spelling's first success as a producer, and a lot of the names on the show wound up on later Spelling shows like The Love Boat and Fantasy Island- including both Gene Barry and Gary Conway!

I love that VCI included the original 'coming attractions' for the next episode which aired on ABC and the original commericials in a separate chapter on the DVDs. Obviously they went to the original negatives for this. I can't wait for the rest of the series!

Hollywoodaholic · 05-27-2008, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Ellis

I love that VCI included the original 'coming attractions' for the next episode which aired on ABC and the original commericials in a separate chapter on the DVDs. Obviously they went to the original negatives for this. I can't wait for the rest of the series!

Right, those 'coming attractions' narrated by Gene Barry and identifying each of the next episode's stars with clips are priceless. But they are missing from several episodes after the end credits and Four Star logo. I would've loved a menu feature where you could separately view all the trailers together. It would've played like a fast compilation edit visually identifying and name-checking every great star that appeared on the show.

Bob Hug · 05-27-2008, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hollywoodaholic

A couple comments about the presentation. I looked at the before and after restoration demonstration on the main menu page and it appears they just ran the tapes through some kind of noise filter to reduce film grain or video noise. They smoothed out the image, yes, but took away some of the sharpness. The presentation is still good (not Fugitive good), but I just find it funny that the before/after presentation doesn't really make the case for the effort. I'd prefer a little grain and a sharper image, to be honest. And it doesn't 'sound' like they did anything with the sound. It's pretty tinny and thin. But the less-than-great presentation is not in any way enough to take away from the value of this set. It's simply a hoot.

VCI Entertainment can be all over the map with the audio/visual quality of its releases. For example, their release of the made-for-TV movie "Guyana Tragedy" with Powers Boothe, while watchable, underwent no discernable restoration whatsoever. So, in some respects, I wasn't expecting too much from them on "Burke's Law." Yet, they have exceeded my expectations on this set. Despite the restoration, there are still some grainy scenes in the episodes to be sure, but there are also some scenes that are "near CBS/Paramount quality." I suspect that some of the variation found in the episodes is inherent in the source material that was made available to them. VCI is a comparatively small company (estimated 19 employees), so any effort made by them to improve a release like "Burke's Law" is greatly appreciated by me.

VCI profile: Blair & Associates, Ltd (Vci Entertainment) - Tulsa, Oklahoma (OK) | Company Profile

Charles H · 05-27-2008, 04:20 PM

IMDB lists Frank Sinatra as appearing in "Who Killed Wade Walker?" episode, which is not improbable since Nancy Sinatra is a guest star and the description on the case states "Look for a very special guest in a cameo appearance in this episode." I've been unable to spot him, although there is a scene in which Nurse Dana Wynter tends to a patient (it's definitely not Sinatra) that seems like an awkward buildup to a gag that never comes. BURKE'S LAW had some interesting cameos (David Niven and Bobby Darin) during its run, but has anyone been able to spot Sinatra in this episode?

Charles Ellis · 05-27-2008, 07:17 PM

Tsk, tsk, Charles....don't you know anything about NOT REVEALING SPOILERS TO THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO SEE THE EPISODE OR FILM????? Now go into that far corner to the left and stay there until you apologize to everyone on this forum!!!!!!

Steve...O · 05-27-2008, 08:14 PM

Anyone know if VCI has gotten rights to the entire series? They released half of season 1 of CRAIG KENNEDY almost a year and a half ago but have never followed up with another release. I'm a bit hesitant to bite on Burke's Law for this reason.

Also, they should really consider using slimline packaging for releases such as this.

Bob Hug · 05-28-2008, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve...O

Anyone know if VCI has gotten rights to the entire series? They released half of season 1 of CRAIG KENNEDY almost a year and a half ago but have never followed up with another release. I'm a bit hesitant to bite on Burke's Law for this reason.

Also, they should really consider using slimline packaging for releases such as this.

There's only reference to season 1 at VCI's web site (and on the back of the slipcase) . . . .

"VCI will be releasing season one in two separate collector’s sets of 16 episodes each."

I suppose that it will come down to how well season 1 sells (I'm certainly in for volume 2). And, yes, I have to agree with you about using slimline packaging. Both VCI and Timeless Media really need to start using the space saving packaging.

Mike*HTF · 05-28-2008, 04:18 PM

I'm definitely hoping they continue with this - especially season 3 Amos Burke, Secret Agent which I haven't seen since it's original run.

Any word on the release date for Honey West?

Bob Hug · 05-28-2008, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike*HTF

Any word on the release date for Honey West?

No, though VCI features it prominently on their home page here:

VCI Entertainment: Home

Steve...O · 05-28-2008, 10:17 PM

Bob, thank you so much for the response to my question and for keeping all of us updated on these releases. It is much appreciated. I've caught a few episodes on American Life and these look quite good so I'd expect the DVDs to be quite sharp as well.

The episodes I've seen are much "campier" than a straight ahead drama like Perry Mason. That is not a criticism; it's what enables BURKE to have its own identity.

Someday I'd like to see THE DEFENDERS come back into circulation. It's a show that I've heard many good things about but haven't had a chance to see.

Quote:

IMDB lists Frank Sinatra as appearing in "Who Killed Wade Walker?" episode, which is not improbable since Nancy Sinatra is a guest star and the description on the case states "Look for a very special guest in a cameo appearance in this episode." I've been unable to spot him, although there is a scene in which Nurse Dana Wynter tends to a patient (it's definitely not Sinatra) that seems like an awkward buildup to a gag that never comes. BURKE'S LAW had some interesting cameos (David Niven and Bobby Darin) during its run, but has anyone been able to spot Sinatra in this episode?

Charles, did you ever find Frankie in this episode? From your description it sounds like there's a scene that was chopped off. Was he perhaps in disguise?

Steve

DeWilson · 05-28-2008, 11:47 PM

BURKE'S LAW is BOTH FUN AND GREAT!