Best of Route 66 - Page 17

Re: Best of Route 66

10-4 on that, Gary. I'm early into S2 on R66 and so far I like S2 better than what I'd seen in S1 (V1) as far as stories. Also, it's great viewing decent-looking video Q with S2.

on that Fugitive fiasco for sure. I guess we covered that issue pretty much completely on this Bd

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My only gripe with the season 2 release of Route 66 is the audio is just terrible - at least on my system. The video is great; I just wish that I could hear what they are saying without having to get out my tin horn.

Doug

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Doug, I have the same difficulty hearing the audio but I also have that problem with the MPI Rifleman sets among a few others.

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Jeff, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who has noticed. I watch a lot of old stuff including PD releases, and this particular set has about as bad an audio track as I have encountered so far.

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I couldn't agree more. I use studio-quality headphones when I watch TV shows on DVD, and this set is just painful to listen to -- there's a loud, fuzzy, very distracting hiss whenever someone speaks. it may be the worst-sounding set I own; how can Infinity just keep getting it wrong?

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I guess its beating a dead horse, but from beginning to end it has been pretty much a disaster. The show deserved so much better.

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Terrific. I just ordered this set after I thought I was satisfied that there were no major problems with S2 (image not cropped, non-edited versions, good visual quality, etc). Amazon reviewers did not seem to alude to problems with audio when I read them earlier.

One wonders what else is in store down the road. We can already be prepared for a return to the split season format at the very least.

In the back of my mind I keep thinking about "Image Entertainment" and "Naked City" releases and say to myself "Oh, if only..."

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Mike,

It's just my imo, but you'll be satisfied overall with the S2 release. My only issue with it is the audio. It's somewhat like the Rifleman MPI audio's; it's more difficult for me to hear the dialog than other TV/DVD sets. I have to turn up my vol close to max on my home A/V Receiver. I haven't yet tried to use my TV speaker system on R66 S2. I'll try that and let you know about it. In some cases, I am able to get an audio boost when I use both the TV & Receiver outputs.

The video transfer Q is a solid B+ or maybe an A- imo. There's no comparison to the S2 xfrs vs those S1V1 prints.

I agree (Image / Naked City). Wouldn't it be great if we could get those kind of xfrs with most TV/DVD sets? Twilight Zone Def Version comes to mind. As we know here, there's a lot of considerations that go into transferring the older shows to DVD. Are there exising masters, have they been cared for properly, is it cost-prohibitive to remaster, etc.

What bugged me most about Infinity was their decision to not remaster the S1V1 sets. I have to assume that those masters are available to them since they did the right thing with S1V2 (after fixing the cropping issue) & S2.

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I agree with Jeff, Michael. While the audio isn't anything to write home about it's also not anything that is unbearable, IMHO. And Jeff's comparison to the Rifleman set is a good one. I believe you'll enjoy the set just fine.

Gary "just my two cents" O.

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Gary, Jeff, Bob--thanks for your input here. I'm well acquainted with the "Rifleman" audio issues (seems like sets 2-4 were the worst) and while not great, it was passable. Rather annoyingly flat and muffled, unfortunately which detracts from full enjoyment of the episodes.

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Maybe the key is to play it on primitive equipment. I tried to play around with my TV and I could find no way to get it to mono to see if it would help the sound. What I don't understand is why I have no trouble with the audio with older shows that I'm watching right now in my rotation - M-Squad, The Texan, Mr. Peepers all sound fine. I stand by my assertion that there is some quality problem with the audio on this Route 66 set. I find it hard to believe that some sets have the problem and some do not, but with all their other goofs it might be possible.

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Doug, imo, you're right about the R66 S2 audio issue. I also have many other TV/DVD sets of comparable vintage, some from major studios & some from the indy's. I've compared the audio transfer in these sets and the ones that I seem to have a problem heaing the dialogs are this set and the Rifleman MPI Box sets. I sought out others here for feedback to see if I was alone experiencing the lower-level audio on these sets. Since I have a hearing loss, I needed to get some feedback on these sets.

I haven't tried using Mono (usually called "Analog Direct" on most A/V Receivers outputting to the Center Channel) with the R66 S2 set as far as I remember, so I'll try that as well as using my TV speakers.

Bob's correct imo, in that it's a natural to view (I'm mainly thinking about the audio issue here) the classics on CRT's since that's their "native habitat" but all I can say is, I love watching these shows on the 50" Plasma. There's nothing like watching those Fugitive S1 sets on a larger screen to see detailed features and a bigger picture. I've found, for me, that watching the older shows & other 4:3 AR sources, that the WS HD TV does not take away anything from these classic shows. However. I always watch in OAR on the TV, setting it to 4:3 for TV shows originally shot in that ratio.

Having said all that, (don't know if it made sense ), I recommend a strong "buy" for the R66 S2 set. Man, what a great way to watch this show on DVD.

Bob's the guy that got me interested in getting my "kicks" on Route 66 Thanks, Bob, again, for all of your valued inputs on great classic shows during my time at HTF ("Man in a Suitcase", "Man With a Camera", "Naked City", etc). Kudos also to Mike_KS for giving me the info on that Compelete Saint B/W set (R2). Gary's the guy that set me 'ing with the "Fugitive".

Jeff "Get your kicks on Route 66" everyone" W.

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My continuing two cents on Season 2 episodes (plus it serves to keep this thread in the active file) ...

"how much a pound of albatross?" Is there a more entertaining episode of classic television than this? Not in my book. It's sexy (Julie Newmar in her prime), funny (check Buz's face every time Vicki is near, or Tod wearing a motorcycle side bag as a sun visor), and it's even got Zen philosophy (pretty hip stuff for 1962). Just try to watch this episode without the same goofy smile Buz has on his face throughout. I couldn't. And I wonder how much of Vicki's dialogue was Silliphant's, or may have slipped in from space case Newmar herself. Either that or this is where she got the character she later adopted for every appearance I saw her on. Woman as an indecipherable force of nature.

"aren't you surprised to see me?" And then Silliphant follows that comic cosmic brilliance with about as dark an episode as possible about a religiously deranged serial killer (played to unsettling perfection by David Wayne) targeting Buz for death for the sins of Dallas. And this was one year before the REAL sin of Dallas ... JFK blown away.

"you never had it so good" Patricia Barry as a woman predator in the man's business world. I can't help but think "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner saw this episode. It fits perfectly into that world. And it's a great twist to see Buz groomed for success in the very business world that preppy Tod rejected. And then get blind-sided by blonde ambition. Rod Serling would have appreciated this cynical but realistic look at the sacrifical toll ambition in business collects.

"shoulder the sky, my lad" This is a very tough episode to watch if you have a son (I've got one about the same age as the boy here). What would he do without you? Talk about the ultimate bar mitzvah. This is a cruel way for a boy to become a man. But it was very refreshing to see Ed Asner play such a lovable character for a change during a time in his career where he was usually gloom personified. Here, he's the perfect dad.

P.S. - You're all right about the audio; it's not that good (even pumped through my 7.1 amplifier system), but we're all so happy to get such better images after Season 1, Volume 1, we overlook it.

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Thanks guys for the info on your viewing the DVD's. I'll look forward to that episode.


Isn't that the truth. It was a different era back then on network TV.

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Absolutely, Bob. This show does a masterful job at not stereo-typing people of faith all into one nice little Hollywood box. Not every religious person in this series is a nut job or a fanatic. That's what makes the show real, IMHO.



Without a doubt, Jeff. Without a doubt.

Gary "you can see the stark difference in TV when you watch the older Christmas-themed episodes from the 50's and 60's versus the newer ones - the older ones had no problem addressing religion and faith, while the newer ones generally shy away from it altogether at the holidays" O.

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My God I'm so far behind. I'm still waiting on S2 which hopefully will arrive in the mail today. Judging by the insightful comments in the past few posts, it appears I have much to look forward to, in any case.

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Season 2 episode mini-reviews continued, but now my opinion is only worth 1 1/2 cents due to the economy.

Oh my, three relative snoozers in a row, after a pretty amazing run of great episodes.

"blues for a left foot" Okay, here is the requisite episode where a series producer edges in his writer credit. And since TV series producers have a very limited world view (read: show biz only), it's a story about a washed up chorus girl who gets a second chance on a popular TV series variety show due to a producer she "knew" back when. Obviously, there is the ring of truth in this story. And I even wonder if the actress playing the role (who I've never heard of before or since) got the part in this episode for the very same reason - because she "knew" the producer back when. Funny how art imitates life, right? But it makes for a pretty dull, superficial episode.


"go read the river" Ouch. And here's even a dull Silliphant script about a hard ass race boat engine developer (John Larch), who won't give his daughter (nice to see Lois Smith again) the time of day because his work is too important and she reminds him of his ex. Will he find redemption? Will the director get over his love affair of just showing boats race around an Arizona lake for endless periods at a time? Yawn. Wait, there's the Mucullough boat credit at the very end. That explains everything. Silliphant and the producers all scored free boats (or fast engines for the boats they alread owned).


"even stones have eyes"* Ah, yes, and here's the requisite episode where one of the series stars (George Maharis) goes blind for the entire episode in bid of an Emmy. Where have we seen this before? Oh, that's right ... in EVERY SINGLE SERIES that ever ran on television. I can name a few right off the bat - Leonard Nimoy as Spock in Star Trek. Michael Landon as Little Joe (and probably every one of the other brothers) in Bonanza, James Drury in The Virginian, probably David Jansen in The Fugitive (I don't remember), and James Franciscus in Longstreet (oh, wait a minute, no, he was blind for the ENTIRE series in that one). We could probably start a new thread on this topic alone, naming all the series leads who went blind for an episode. Ready? Go.

P.S. - Barbara Barrie does give a very tender and excellent performance in this episode. But I don't think George Maharis got his Emmy that year.

*Apparently this is the episode where Maharis got Heptatis from his experience jumping into freezing water sans wet suit to rescue Barbara Barrie's character. He made it through a few more episodes, missed the last four of the season, was hospitalized for 3 1/2 weeks, and then had a relapse during the 70-80 hour weeks of the third season and had to drop out entirely.

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Yep, those three eps represented a bit of a slow patch in the series. A friend of mine, by the way, happened to be an extra in a crowd scene in the "Stones" episode. He got a kick out of spotting himself, after I lent him a copy of the show to watch, about ten years ago.

An odd thing in my evaluation of the episodes over time is that I actually came to really appreciate a lot of the 'lighter' ones. For years I somewhat dismissed them, in favor of the often-rivetting dramatic entries. The 3rd and 4th seasons have a number of these little 'lightweight,' breezy confections, which probably seemed a welcome respite from some amazingly downbeat dramatic efforts surrounding them (some of which seem almost startlingly non-commercial for mainstream network tv fare, especially by the time of the solo-Milner and later Corbett ones). The 'light' episodes are misfires when they go so far to attempt actual 'comedy,' but they do exude a certain non-linear joy-of-life quality that isn't often encountered in tv.

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I wouldn't be too quick to pounce on Leonard Freeman (who wrote "Blues for the Left Foot"). He was a writer originally and did some fine scripts for Four Star Playhouse and the Alcoa/Goodyear Theatre.

Often when a producer of that era wrote for his own show he was doing it to fill a gap in the schedule, not out of inspiration. That's why, for instance, Leslie Stevens' scripts for The Outer Limits and Gene Roddenberry's scripts for Star Trek generally don't represent their best efforts.

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Sorry for the perceived slight on Leonard Freeman. I didn't know about his previous writer credits. But, as a writer, it's natural to cringe when you see a producer get a writer credit on a show. That's a slot that could have gone to another writer who could use the gig. But, you're right, that sometimes production schedules dictate a quick slot needs to be filled, and the fact that this episode was filmed right in CBS' back yard probably confirms that this was one of those scripts.

But, for the record, I also cringed at the Leslie Stevens scripts for The Outer Limits. Surely Joseph Stefano could have had a few more coffees and pulled a few more 24/7s and filled those slots.

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S2 2 cents continued ...

"love is a skinny kid" Okay, we're back on track with a very good episode. Tuesday Weld wearing a Kabuki mask (thankfully not for the entire episode). Burt Reynolds as a greaser (in a toupee-off with George Maharis). And Cloris Leachman playing ... a grown woman's mother (in 1962). Which begs the question ... was Cloris Leachman EVER young. She's like the Benjamin Button of guest stars - she first showed up playing old.

Another great Silliphant soliloquy for Buz about how hate can be a powerful, sustaining force and "love is a skinny kid" (fragile and fleeting) that needs all the nuturing it can get. Oh, and did I mention Tuesday Weld?

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Presumably... but I remember watching her in a 1959 episode of One Step Beyond ("The Dark Room") and thinking how middle-aged her character looked, even though she was only 33 at the time.

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I didn't think she looked so old in Kiss Me Deadly.

Recently I rewatched The Rack and was surprised to find her in it - she didn't look at all as I remembered and I had to check the credits to be sure.

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Anyone remember Cloris Leachman from that Big Valley episode? That one also guested Frank McGrath (Wagon Train).

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S2cents

"kiss the maiden all forlorn" Here's another episode dealing with faith and spiritual committment in a way Hollywood wouldn't touch today (or probably on most series in the last 30 years): A young woman (Zina Bethune) chooses to be a Bride of Christ instead of a Daughter of Rich Daddy. That the father is "richly" and warmly played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. makes it especially poignant. And then there's Beatrice Straight playing a nun again (named Mother Teresa!). Am I confused in thinking she's made a near career playing nuns? Oh, and the stars of the show, Buz and Tod? They have about three lines each. Perhaps they got paid as under-five-line extras for this episode, saving budget room for Fairbanks.

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S2cents con'd

"two on the house" Another father-son tale. This one about a 11 year-old boy who fakes his own kidnapping to get attention from his rich workaholic father (Ralph Meeker). Perhaps this type of story should be listed as another cliche staple in many classic TV series, particularly of that era. I get the feeling that these stories also appeal to the producers who hire the writers (Gilbert Ralston, here) because of their own guilt ignoring their families and children. They feel good about the ending where the dad finally changes his ways, and then they don't have to. A good portion of Jimmy Stewart's career was making pictures that made Hollywood moguls feel good about themselves, even though they continued to be schmucks.

"there i am, there i always am" Wow. This episode is all you need to explain how George Maharis got sick and left the series (I think he misses the last four episodes of Season 2 after this). It's just the story of Buz trying to rescue Joanna Moore from a deserted beach on Catalina where she got her foot stuck in the rocks and the tide is rising. And, boy, the producers must have hated Maharis by this point because they torture him throughout this episode. He's running here, running there, climbing telephone polls (that's no stunt double for that shot), running down hills, banging trash cans, climbing rocks, jumping into the surf, getting wet, running around wet, jumping into the surf again, getting wet some more and basically spending the entire episode wet (which means they had to throw buckets of water on him to maintain continuity for every shot). And keep in mind, that Pacific Ocean water is about 57 degrees. And they must not have liked Joanna Moore either, keeping her wedged under a rock with the waves splashing around her the entire time. I read that Maharis claims he first got sick after jumping in icy cold water to rescue Barbara Barrie two episodes earlier. But this is clearly the episode that put him in the hospital directly after.* I don't think I've ever seen a series actor put through so much in a single episode. Could you really blame him for never fully playing ball with the producers again after this ordeal?

*Another contributing factor could have been the episode in between these two where, once again, Maharis has to dive into the drink, this time to save the boy in "two on the house." This was the Cuyahoga river in Cleveland which was so polluted that, notoriously, it actually caught fire in 1969.