Coming from Mill Creek mid-June "Best of TV Detectives" 150 episode box (1 Viewer)

[Gary OS]

Yet Amazon is showing it in stock. Wonder if anyone got theirs from Amazon?

Gary "the price was so incredible that I don't mind waiting - but I am getting anxious" O.

 

[docdoowop]

Yeah, well I've got a lot of yet-to-be-watched stuff. Still haven't finished MC's "Ultimate TV Westerns" box.

 

[docdoowop]

Shipped!

1 DTO007030 DVD : BEST OF TV DETECTIVES-150 EPISODES $ 13.17


Merchandise Total: $ 13.17
Tax: $ .00
Shipping & Processing: $ .00
Total for Shipped Items: $ 13.17

 

[Gary OS]

I just got the same notice! Yippee! What a bargain!

Gary "can't wait to sink my teeth into this one" O.

 

[Regulus]

Got my Notice, it's on the way! I expect it by the end of next week based on past shipments from them.

 

[Bob Hug]

Joining in the chorus for receipt of my shipping notice and hope to have it by next weekend. Now the question is "where do I start?" I'm leaning towards the 1960s stuff like "Mannix" and "Checkmate" first and working my way back. That's the nice thing about these compilations . . . . . you can really start anywhere.

 

[Regulus]

Just got it in the mail today!

 

[Gary OS]

Me too! I popped in "Checkmate" immediately. Great, great set. Everyone should be thrilled with this.

Gary "chalk up another victory for Mill Creek" O.

 

[docdoowop]

Grrrr....not today. Probably tomorrow. Post your reviews, guys!

 

[Bob Hug]

Ah, "Checkmate" . . . . . great choice to lead off this set. Incidentally, if you want to see another, unduplicated episode of "Checkmate" (The Heart is a Handout), you can find it on this set, along with a couple of "Mannix" episodes that are not duplicated on the Mill Creek set (The Name is Mannix, Skid Marks on a Dry Run) . . . . .

http://www.oldies.com/product-view/4469GD.html

This set also contains the two "Peter Gunn" public domain episodes that, IMHO, should have been included on the Mill Creek set.

Still waiting for my set, though.

 

[docdoowop]

Great price, too. Five discs, 18 hours, $6.95.

 

[docdoowop]

Awright! Got my set. I'm going to watch them in order, beginning with disc one's "The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu."

 

[Jeff Willis]

Gary, Bob...help! Which set do you guys have? I've been looking at DDD and Amazon and there's 2 sets. One is the 12-disc set released 06/12/07 but DDD lists another 4-disc set to be released 07/24/07. I guess you all have the 12-disc set since it's already released. Is DDD offering a scaled-down version of this?

 

[Gary OS]

Definitely the 12 disc set, Jeff. That's the one we all have (at least it's the one I have) and it's the one you want to buy!

Gary "it's a great set at a great price, so don't wait too long to pick it up" O.

 

[Bob Hug]

Gotta go with the 12 disc set . . . no "Checkmate" or "Mannix" on the four DVD set. To see what shows are on each set, use this link and then scroll down and click on the cover of each of the sets:

http://www.millcreekent.com/search.a...c&prodcatid=32

Mill Creek has also done a stripped down (4 disc version) of its 12 disc "Ultimate TV Westerns" release and has a 4 disc version of "Ozzie & Harriet" that has been released in a larger 12 disc set. I suspect that the different versions are being offered for different retailing operations, with the 4-disc sets offered more in the way for "impulse" purchasers.

 

[docdoowop]

Absolutely the 12 disc!

 

[Jeff Willis]

Gary, Bob, Curt, thanks for the info. Since I'm a Mannix fan, the choice is easy. It's in the "cart".

 

[Jeff-Wooten]

Well my order finally shipped and arrived just in time for my Internet connection to completely bite the big one (and have to wait nine days for it to be repaired). Torture, not being able to read your reviews or knowing the disc shipped earlier than was expected. I started with "The Shadow" episode. I'm a big fan of the radio show, the reissued novels, and the comic books. Really weird one there. Interesting decision not to show Lamont Cranston in his Shadow outfit. Was this normal for the series? I've finished watching the "Man With a Camera" eps, and I really enjoyed those. Am looking forward to Checkmate tonight. No rhyme nor reason. Well I guess more or less from the comments above. I think I have my whole weekend planned out right now. Really great set so far. Go with the 12-disc one!

 

[Bob Hug]

I watched a mini-marathon of some of the shows over the weekend and,for the most part, I've been delighted by what I've seen thus far.

Probably the only disappointment are the two "Mannix" episodes. Considering that "Mannix" is the most recent show included on the set, the colors are pretty bad . . . . . oversaturated on the first episode, washed out on the second, but watchable. Hopefully, Paramount will give this series an official release in the not too distant feature as it holds up well.

The fun "surprise" on the set so far is "Miami Undercover" starring Lee Bowman as undercover investigator Jeff Thompson. This Ziv produced show is probably the worst looking of the episodes that I've watched to date, but has high camp value. The first few minutes get off to a great start with Larry King (yes, the same Larry King of suspenders and talk show fame) playing a disc jockey named "Sleepy Sam" who, along with his engineer, is murdered on-air . . . . . all before the opening credits roll. Thompson's pal is a former boxing champ named Rocky who is played by former boxing champ Rocky Graziano. Rocky seems to exist for two reasons . . . provide a little comic relief and to punch guys out, both of which he does several times during the course of the show. In the final climatic battle, one thug is shown clearly surrendering with his hands held high over his head . . . Rocky slugs him anyhow . . . Attaboy, Rocky. Then there's the acting of the lead mobster; I literally laughed out loud at a few of his readings. Lead actor Bowman is pretty solid and the show was filmed on location in and around Miami Beach, but after seeing this single episode, I want to see more of this "lost" series . . . . hopefully a few more shows are public domain and will surface at some point in the future . . . . no way this ever gets an official release.

Other one-episode shows include the entertaining "Colonel March of Scotland Yard" with a delightful Boris Karloff in the title roll and "The Cases of Eddie Drake," which plays like a 1940s "B" movie; Drake drives around town in an odd three-wheeled convertible. Douglas Fairbanks produced and introduces the "Bulldog Drummond" episode. Euro film star Peter Van Eyck pops up in an episode of "Code 3." Just lots and lots of fun.

I did watch both "Checkmate" episodes and its a terrific series with a great Johnny Williams theme; guest stars included Peter Lorre and James Whitmore. This is another one of those series that probably will never see the light of day via an official release (it's a Universal property), so I'm happy that at least a couple of episodes are available on this release.

Though there is some material on this collection that I've seen before, there is so much that I haven't that it's like finding the prize in a Cracker Jack box. Part of the fun is "discovering" all of these old shows for the first time. Mill Creek has really delivered on this one.

 

[docdoowop]

I'm watching them in order and slowly. About to view the third of the four "Code 3" episodes.

A couple of interesting (to me) auto-related notes:

The "Ellery Queen" episode is a kinescope of the 1950 version of the series. Sponsorship was by Kaiser-Frazer automobiles, and in the prologue Ellery sets it up by saying "I was driving back to the city (pause, throat clear) in my Kaiser....". Which makes me wonder if the show was specifically 'scoped for the sponsor...which is why it has endured. Is this the only Richard Hart episode extant?

Flipping the disc over, the "Cases of Eddie Drake" episode from the late 1940s has our intrepid detective driving a 1947 Davis three wheeler! This unusual car was a rarity even then. Just watch when Eddie drives up at the beach and the looks he gets from passers-by.

I love these old shows for the history they inadvertently capture. And since they're syndicated (as opposed to network-run), many are unfamiliar. Great set!