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Naked City

post #1 of 32
3/3/05 at 7:54am
Thread Starter 
Image is bringing a 3 disc collection of NAKED CITY: set 1 to dvd on 5/3. This is an all new collection of 12 episodes with guest stars like Mickey Rooney, Orson Bean, Maureen Stapleton, Nina Foch, Luther adler, Jack Klugman, Mildred Natwick and Nancy Carroll.
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post #2 of 32
3/3/05 at 10:51am
Some really good episodes in this batch. I'll be glad to finally see that odd, downbeat episode with Mickey Rooney ("Ooftus Goofus") again. Several others I've never seen. The one with Jack Warden ("Face of the Enemy") is one of the first times I recall a tv-show having a war-vet go psycho. Warden goes nuts, shooting and killing about a dozen people throughout the city. Quite violent. Would have been a great episode, but somewhat marred by a few uncharacteristically sympathetic lines from Lt. Parker at the end, towards the vet, that just seemed unwarranted after the carnage.

Well, I'm just rambling a bit. But, "Naked City" is a top-notch show, and well worth looking into for the uninitiated. Especially in that it dispells the strangely persistent ideas (among some I encounter) that 60s tv was just fluff. There were top-flight drama shows at the time. But, sadly they never circulated in syndication all that much, and have been relatively forgotten, compared to the sitcoms and whatnot.
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post #3 of 32
3/3/05 at 12:30pm
Too bad Image hasn't released any of the 1/2 hr. episodes co-starring James Franciscus and John McIntire from 1958-1959. John's Lt. Dan Muldoon character was actually killed off when his squad car ran into a gasoline truck in an April 1959 episode. It was then that Horace McMahon joined the series as Lt. Mike Parker. The show took a year off and came back as 1 hr with McMahon and Paul Burke as Det. Adam Flint. Then it went for 3 more seasons.

It's only the hour-long shows that Image already released on single disc sets of 4 episodes each. There are 20 episodes total on 5 of those discs, and I have 16 so far. Good to see that the first multi-disc pack has guest stars not in the episodes already released.

Naked City was one of the more gritty and realstic police series, filmed entirely on location in New York City....just like the 1940s film that inspired it.
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post #4 of 32
3/3/05 at 1:32pm
From the person I spoke to a couple of years ago at Image, Columbia only licensed them one hour shows and of those, only 52 or 56 (don't remember which). She didn't know why, but they did not get access to the whole run.
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post #5 of 32
3/3/05 at 5:04pm
Thread Starter 
Does anyone know which shows are not licensed to Image? There are some wonderful early appearances by Dustin Hoffman, George C. Scott, Robert Redford, and Robert Morse that I'd love to have on DVD. There was another show from Herbert B. Leonard and Sterling Silliphant called ROUTE 66 from the same era. The leads were corny (Martin Milner and George Maharis) but the guest stars were even more eclectic (Lee Marvin, Buster Keaton, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Joan Crawford, Rin Tin Tin, Robert Redford, Douglas Fairbanks, jr., Ethel Waters, James Caan, and Martin Sheen). Directors included Robert Altman and Sam Peckinpah. Columbia House released 10 volumes about a decade ago on VHS.
Both NAKED CITY and ROUTE 66 were shut down because of prohibitive production costs due to extensive location work--NAKED CITY (NYC) and ROUTE 66 (USA, from Oregon to Maine). Beyond the quality of the scripts, both shows are an invaluable historical record of America and Americana from more than 40 years ago.
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post #6 of 32
3/3/05 at 9:35pm
That's a good point to make about "Naked City" and "Route 66," that in addition to their excellence, their on-location work provides such a visually vivid cultural and historical record of their time.

I haven't been able to fathom any pattern in the "Naked City" episodes that Image has leased. The inclination is to think that episodes with the more well-known guest-stars have been given higher consideration, but that's not entirely how things have worked out, to date. As is often the case, episodes with lesser names are often the most memorable. I recall one entitled "The Rydecker Case," which was particularly one of the most hard-hitting, yet didn't really spotlight major names.

I'm always juggling between "Naked City" and "Route 66" as to which is my favorite. Overall, I think the former had an edge on quality, with a higher percentage of top-notch scripts. But, the sheer 'variety' of plots and locales, plus even the zest and vigor of two gents traveling the countryside, sways me to "Route 66." Those qualities offset some of the weight of the inherently downbeat tales, unlike the more suffocating urban backdrop of "Naked City." Both amazing shows, though.
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post #7 of 32
3/3/05 at 11:31pm
As with all series where distributors are cherry-picking the episodes, they will go with the name recognition first. I'm quite sure no one at Image has the slightest idea which episodes of the series are the best. It's that way with any series that gets released in this fashion. Best of doesn't mean best of anything. It just means guest stars that are most familiar to today's audience.
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post #8 of 32
3/4/05 at 5:18pm
Here is some more info that you might enjoy about this release.
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post #9 of 32
3/4/05 at 7:35pm
Over long extended periods, Image Entertainment originally released numerous single discs volumes with a few episodes on each of such series as The Twilight Zone and I SPY. Then a year or two later they finally put out all seasons in box sets. Granted that Twilight Zone from Image were out of order, but since it was an anthology series that wasn't crucial. In spite of that, I'm glad I waited for another company to release the Definitive Collection of TZ.

I have all 82 episodes of I SPY in the 3 boxed sets, and it's the third and last that has 2 & 1/2 hours of audio commentary by Robert Culp. Has anyone wondered why Naked City had no extras? Paul Burke and Nancy Malone are both still alive, as far as I know.
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post #10 of 32
5/13/05 at 10:18am
Wow, original commercials! Just picked up the 3-disc set the other day, and I'm quite excited to see that as 'extras,' the original 1960-63 commercials are included. They are set aside, apart from the actual episodes proper, so as to apparently not interfere with the flow of the stories. Similar to what was done with the "You Bet Your Life" set. Anyway, kudos to Image for this nice touch. A nifty surprise!
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post #11 of 32
5/13/05 at 5:20pm
This series makes me nostalgic for the New York of the early 60's. I have the previous Naked City releases and will order the box set today. Great job Image!
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post #12 of 32
5/13/05 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Wow, original commercials! Just picked up the 3-disc set the other day, and I'm quite excited to see that as 'extras,' the original 1960-63
Well, those original ads are from 1960-62 (2nd & 3rd seasons) because there aren't any 4th season episodes of Naked City on these discs. There were on previous volumes but the earlier DVDs didn't have any commercials. I didn't like most of these, except for the Spiedel watch ads featuring celebrities.
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post #13 of 32
5/14/05 at 6:01pm
Commercials or not, I want the entire box set.
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post #14 of 32
7/23/05 at 7:32am
I just started watching the box set with the commercials and they are really great to be included. Obviously, Image had access to the original network 35mm prints. They have the brought to you by, as well as the ABC tags in the middle break and at the end. My only regret is that they didn't include an option that allows you to play the episode as it was originally seen, with the commercials in their proper place in the show. This way you can get the actual viewing experience of seeing the show as it aired. As any film collector knows, there is nothing like viewing the show with complete, intact commercials.
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post #15 of 32
7/24/05 at 12:42am
This is a fabulous set, but I agree, it would have been BEYOND perfect if there was an option to watch the shows with the vintage commercials in their proper place. I absolutely LOVE vintage commercials, and just finished making a DVD of them, which I downloaded (legally) from the Prelinger Archive at www.archive.org.
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post #16 of 32
8/10/05 at 7:54am
Thread Starter 
The new issue of Douglas Pratt's DVD AND LD NEWSLETTER is listing under Image's forthcoming releases a "Naked City" Boxset #2. I would imagine it would be released by year's end. I'd still love to see Image release "Route 66."
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post #17 of 32
8/10/05 at 10:00am
The new issue of Douglas Pratt's DVD AND LD NEWSLETTER is listing under Image's forthcoming releases a "Naked City" Boxset #2. I would imagine it would be released by year's end. I'd still love to see Image release "Route 66."


That's great news. I haven't purchased any of the "Naked City" singles, but I do have the first boxset and was really pleased with it and will definitely get the second set once it's released. I, too, would like to see "Route 66" released and Image Entertainment would be the perfect company to do so . . . they're my favorite company for authorized releases of classic/vintage TV on DVD. You just know that Sony will never release "Route 66" on DVD so why not license it to Image as they've done with "Naked City." I'd love to hear some Martin Milner commentaries.
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post #18 of 32
8/10/05 at 3:24pm
I'd love to see Route 66 released on DVD too, and Image would be the logical choice. In addition to being an outstanding dramatic series featuring great writers, the series served as kind of a travelogue of the U.S. It had breathtaking photography, especially in opening long shots of the corvette approaching the location for each episode's story. I don't know of any other dramatic series that captured the actual feeling of the U.S. during the early sixties on film so effectively as Route 66. For this reason alone, it should be preserved on DVD for the benefit of both its fans and those who haven't seen it.

Great news about Naked City. Hopefully with similar features.
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post #19 of 32
8/11/05 at 4:13am
I enjoyed Route 66 in 1980s cable reruns too, but I want to see Image release the 39 half-hour Naked City episodes from the first season as well (if they have them) with James Franciscus and John McIntire.
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post #20 of 32
8/11/05 at 11:22am
Another vote for 'Route 66' season 1 release! The writing talents of Stirling Silliphant for the Naked City segments I've seen convinces me that he was the equal of Serling, Rose, Roddenberry, as possibly even H. Ellison. I believe he wrote more episodes of R-66 than NC. Rarely have I ever witnessed as high a quality of written dialogue as I have in a Silliphant script.
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post #21 of 32
8/12/05 at 1:08am
Both shows are absolute classics. Its a shame the Buffy/Alias crowd would never even look at shows like this. I don't believe Image has the rights to the half hours, just the hours but even still they have a long ways to go. And Route 66 has an even bigger run.
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post #22 of 32
8/12/05 at 6:56am
Thread Starter 
The genius of Sixties shows (NAKED CITY, ROUTE 66, TRIALS OF O'BRIEN, THE DEFENDERS) were that they had an anthology mindset--not an ensemble "format." Put on any episode of NAKED CITY and you have no idea where it's going and where it's going to end. I love CSI but 99% of their shows are driven by their structure and their casts. I'd love to see more of these early sixties hour shows and anthologies--like the DICK POWELL THEATRE--come out on dvd. Great writing, great acting, and frequently fascinating location work. The likes of which we will never see again.
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post #23 of 32
8/12/05 at 10:00am
The 1960-65 era was the greatest period in television history for great drama. Unfortunately, 98% is unknown or forgotten by most people today. The list of great shows produced during that time has never been nor ever will be duplicated:
Naked City, Route 66, The Defenders, The Nurses, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Eleventh Hour, Breaking Point, Sam Benedict, Trials of O'Brien, Mr. Broadway, For The People, Espionage, Dick Powell Show, Alcoa Premiere, Combat, The Fugitive, Outer Limits, Cain's Hundred, The Lieutenant, East Side, West Side, Bus Stop, etc. I'm sure I'm probably forgetting a few as well. Unlike today's shows which are formulamatic and predictable, these shows took on disparate topics every week, you never knew from week to week to what degree (if any) the stars would be involved. And the best part of all -no continuing stories. Every show, except for a rare two-parter, was self-contained. If I could only watch shows from that era, I would not be unhappy. Too bad that great writing, characterizations and stories are viewed today as slow moving and ponderous by the short-attention span crowd.
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post #24 of 32
1/6/12 at 6:11am
Any plans on re releasing Naked City...I hope so.
Anybody know?
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post #25 of 32
2/13/12 at 9:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by coco View Post

Any plans on re releasing Naked City...I hope so.
Anybody know?

Maybe the best bet for re-releasing Naked City is for Shout! to do it, all the 138 episodes (39 half hours, 99 hours). They bought all rights to Route 66 from Sony, they can do the same for Naked City, too.
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post #26 of 32
2/14/12 at 5:01am
I'd pay through the nose for the remaining 39 hour shows and all the half hour season....I surely would.

I can't understand why Sony didn't offer more shows from the first season as with many older shows...the best effort was always put into that first year.
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post #27 of 32
2/14/12 at 8:47am
I also hope that Shout, now that they're doing Route 66, eventually look at doing The Naked City.
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post #28 of 32
2/14/12 at 9:26am

     Quote:

Originally Posted by jdee28 View Post

I also hope that Shout, now that they're doing Route 66, eventually look at doing The Naked City.


thumbsup.gif

 

 

Gary "that would be a nice surprise if it happened" O.

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post #29 of 32
2/14/12 at 10:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtvshowbuff View Post

Maybe the best bet for re-releasing Naked City is for Shout! to do it, all the 138 episodes (39 half hours, 99 hours). They bought all rights to Route 66 from Sony, they can do the same for Naked City, too.

Other than Syndication rights, did Sony still hold the rights to ROUTE 66? Didn't the rights revert to the producer who then sold them to that company who was making a piss-poor attempt at doing a new movie.
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post #30 of 32
2/14/12 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdee28 View Post

I also hope that Shout, now that they're doing Route 66, eventually look at doing The Naked City.

Me too! And "Burke's Law"!
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