[Bob Hug]

This one looks like a bit of fun despite the fact that a number of the shows represented on this have been issued by the likes of Alpha Video. Still, there's at least one rarity on it, "African Patrol," and they seem to have a nice variety of mostly syndicated espionage shows from the 1950s (the inclusion of "Mr. & Mrs. North" is a little puzzling, however, and a number of episodes from that series were released on Mill Creek's TV Detectives set). Glad to see someone besides Alpha releasing "Foreign Intrigue" . . . . . it's really a great show from the early 1950s, shot on location in Stockholm and Paris with English speaking casts.

Link: Mill Creek Details Page

Shows included:

1. African Patrol
2. Biff Baker U.S.A.
3. Dangerous Assignment
4. Foreign Intrigue
5. Mr. and Mrs. North
6. Passport to Danger
7. Secret File U.S.A.


The release date is July 22nd.

[Bob Hug]

Whoops, missed this other new release from Mill Creek, also coming July 22nd; it's titled "Essential Family Television." Here's the line-up:

1. Adventures of Hiram Holiday, The
2. Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, The
3. Bob Cummings Show, The
4. Buster Keaton Show, The
5. Dennis Day Show, The
6. Dennis O'Keefe Show, The
7. Dick Van Dyke Show, The
8. Ed Wynn Show, The
9. Edgar Bergen Show, The
10. George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The
11. Howdy Doody Show, The
12. I Married Joan
13. Jack Benny Program, The
14. Jim Backus Show, The
15. Lassie
16. Liberace Show, The
17. Life of Riley, The
18. Life With Elizabeth
19. Lucy Show, The
20. Make Room For Daddy
21. Mickey Rooney Show, The
22. Milton Berle Show, The
23. Mister Ed
24. Our Miss Brooks
25. Petticoat Junction
26. Private Secretary
27. Sea Hunt
28. Sky King
29. Slowest Gun in the West, The
30. Trouble With Father

Details here: Mill Creek Details Page

[Gary OS]

As usual, thanks Bob. Looks like two more sets I'll eventually purchase. While there are a lot of duplicate shows (and hence, more than likely a lot of duplicate episodes) on these sets, there are just enough new things to entice me.

Gary "never seen 'African Patrol' in my life - heck, I have never even heard of it before today" O.

[Bob Hug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary OS

Gary "never seen 'African Patrol' in my life - heck, I have never even heard of it before today" O.

That makes at least two of us, Gary. It was a single season British show (1957-58) filmed on location in Kenya.

Since I last posted, Mill Creek has added yet another TV-on-DVD set, this time a collection of 50 Christmas themed episodes (though they're showing cover artwork for a different holiday release with 15 holiday movies plus 29 Christmas cartoons). The downloadable "sell sheet" has the correct artwork. Strangely, this set is also being released on July 22nd.

Mill Creek Details Page

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hug

Since I last posted, Mill Creek has added yet another TV-on-DVD set, this time a collection of 50 Christmas themed episodes (though they're showing cover artwork for a different holiday release with 15 holiday movies plus 29 Christmas cartoons). The downloadable "sell sheet" has the correct artwork. Strangely, this set is also being released on July 22nd.

Mill Creek Details Page

Oh - My - Goodness!!! What a great set that will be if the page you linked is correct and all those episodes are on it. As most everyone here knows, I'm a TV Christmas-themed episode junkie, and consider that portion of my overall DVD collection my crowning jewel. I do have most of the episodes listed already, but there are a few that I don't yet own so this set is an absolute must buy.

Thanks again, Bob. The timing is very strange, but I certainly don't care. This one will be a day of release purchase for me. Yes, these are all PD releases, but that doesn't matter to me at all. I'm really looking forward to this set.

Gary "love those Christmas-themed TV episodes" O.

[Bob Hug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary OS

I do have most of the episodes listed already, but there are a few that I don't yet own so this set is an absolute must buy.


Gary "love those Christmas-themed TV episodes" O.

Gary, don't be surprised if this set and, possibly the "Spies & Lies" set find their way to Wal-Mart's $5.00 bin. That's where I found Mill Creek's "The Adventures of Robin Hood" season 1 set on the day it was released and there have been other Mill Creek sets with similar SRP of $14.98 found there as well, like Jack Benny, Lucy Show, Cisco Kid, among others. Incidentally, I knew "Ozzie & Harriet" had three Christmas themed episodes, but five? Curious as to what those other episodes are. I wonder if "The Christmas Carol" is the 1949 half-hour TV version with Vincent Price as the narrator. Jill St. John (under her birth name of Jill Oppenheim) made her TV acting debut as one of the Cratchit daughters in this independent production.

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hug

Incidentally, I knew "Ozzie & Harriet" had three Christmas themed episodes, but five? Curious as to what those other episodes are.

Actually, there are no less than 9 "Ozzie & Harriet" Christmas-themed episodes, Bob. Sounds crazy I know, but trust me it's true. And then if you count episodes that reference Christmas, you could add four others. But I don't personally count those because they take place a good bit before or after Christmas time.

Gary "if you want episode titles, let me know" O.

[silverking]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary OS

As usual, thanks Bob. Looks like two more sets I'll eventually purchase. While there are a lot of duplicate shows (and hence, more than likely a lot of duplicate episodes) on these sets, there are just enough new things to entice me.

Gary "never seen 'African Patrol' in my life - heck, I have never even heard of it before today" O.

I remember 'African Patrol' as a kid. It was somewhat stagey & to be honest even then I thought it was quite dull. It starred B movie actor John Bentley as a police chief in Kenya. Bentley later went on to greater fame in the long running British soap 'Crossroads'. There was a similair series around the same time called 'White Hunter' which starred Rhodes Reason & was much better.

Still curious to see 'African Patrol' again though.

[Bob Hug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverking

Still curious to see 'African Patrol' again though.

Chris, I don't know how many episodes from the series will be on the Mill Creek set, but I'm really curious to see "African Patrol" as it was actually filmed in Africa. Don't know whether or not you've seen "Foreign Intrigue," but for me, that's the best series on this new release . . . . really well done, post-World War II/Cold War stories that were filmed in Europe by producer Sheldon Reynolds who went on to produce the entertaining Ronald Howard/H. Marion Crawford "Sherlock Holmes" series. I was first introduced to the series by the releases from Alpha Video (under the title "Dateline Europe") and it remains, for me, one of the very best early 1950s series that I've seen to date. Outside of Alpha and Mill Creek, I don't think anyone else has released this underrated series on commercially available DVDs. "Secret File U.S.A." was another espionage series filmed in Europe that's pretty good that will have some episodes on this new Mill Creek release. "Biff Baker U.S.A." plays like an espionage version of "Mr. & Mrs. North."

[Bob Hug]

Mill Creek has updated the information on the upcoming "Spies & Lies" release to include a few more shows. Here's the updated list:

1. African Patrol
2. Biff Baker U.S.A.
3. Dangerous Assignment
4. Foreign Intrigue
5. Mr. and Mrs. North
6. Passport to Danger
7. Secret File U.S.A.
8. TV Reader's Digest
9. Vise, The
10. Wire Service

I've never seen an episode of "Wire Service" so, like "African Patrol," that's another comparatively rare series that will be included. "The Vise" finally received a four-episode release from Alpha last year. The "TV Reader's Digest" will be a single episode titled "The Brainwashing of John Hayes" with Vincent Price (season 2, episode 4 of the series).

As long as Mill Creek doesn't overdo the "Mr. & Mrs. North" episodes (to the detriment of including episodes from the other series), this looks like one of the better budget releases of the year.

[Bob Hug]

Artwork for the TV Christmas shows release has been updated; here's the breakdown of the shows included . . . .

The Adventures of Long John Silver - (1) episode
The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet - (5) episodes
The Adventures of Robin Hood - (1) episode
Annie Oakley - (1) episode
The Beverly Hillbillies - (3) episodes
The Bob Cummings Show (Love That Bob) - (1) episode
Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion - (1) episode
The Christmas Carol - (1) episode
Crossroads - (2) episodes
Date with the Angels - (2) episodes
Dear Phoebe - (1) episode
The Doctor - (1) episode
Dragnet - (3) episodes
Dupont Theatre - (2) episodes
Four Star Playhouse - (2) episodes
The George Burns & Gracie Allen Show - (1) episode
Gruen Guild Playhouse - Joe Santa Claus
Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans - (1) episode
The Jack Benny Program - (3) episodes
The Liberace Show - (2) episodes
Lux Video Theatre - Holiday Affair
Man Against Crime - (1) episode
Meet Corliss Archer - (1) episode
Racket Squad - (2) episodes
The Ray Bolger Show (Where's Raymond?) - (1) episode
The Red Skelton Show - (3) episodes
Rheingold Theatre - Silent Night: The Story of the Original Christmas Carol
The Ruggles - (1) episode
The Scarlet Pimpernel - (1) episode
Screen Writers Playhouse - A String of Blue Beads
Sherlock Holmes - (1) episode
A Star Shall Rise - (1) episode
Telephone Time - (1) episode

Revised cover art can be seen here: Mill Creek Details Page