Naked City (1 Viewer)

[Wvtvguy]

I’m watching the season 1 episode “The Belvedere Tower” and I know I’ve heard some of the background music score before. I keep thinking it’s music that was from “On the Waterfront” but I doubt that’s it. There are a few times the music seemed familiar but the scene that stood out is when the criminal is running from the building after getting the Magnum pistol. I know that music has played in another show but I can’t think of which one. It’s not uncommon to hear familiar stock music in tv shows but this really stood out.

I really like season one a lot!!

edit: It is music from “On the Waterfront”! On the soundtrack, there’s a track titled “Riot in Church” and it’s the same, or extremely similar to music from this episode of Naked City. Much of this episode’s music comes from Waterfront.

After I finished the episode, I looked up the actor who played the bad guy in this episode, Paul Spencer. Can’t believe this was his only credit! He was really good.

 

[Lecagr]

All episodes of Naked City are currently on You Tube for free viewing. I've been watching some episodes and I like what I see, good show, and it motivated me to order the complete series DVD set, it should arrive in a week or so. Look forward to receive this.

Naked City is a Columbia/Screen Gems production, and while watching a few episodes on You Tube, I noticed that the font/lettering style used in the credits is the same style used in the credits of I Dream Of Jeannie, another Columbia/Screen Gems production. How about that!

 

[dstrong]

My only complaint about the DVDs is that we get a few episodes in a row that are great quality 35mm prints, followed by a few episodes that are obviously lesser quality 16mm prints, then a few more that are 35mm.

 

[Lecagr]

My only complaint about the DVDs is that we get a few episodes in a row that are great quality 35mm prints, followed by a few episodes that are obviously lesser quality 16mm prints, then a few more that are 35mm.

I'm assuming that the Naked City episodes uploaded on You Tube are the same versions from the complete series DVD set. The half hour shows clock in at about 26 minutes, and the hour shows clock in at about 51 minutes, so everything appears to be complete/uncut. I can live with some episodes having mediocre video quality as long as everything is complete/uncut which appears to be the case. I haven't seen negative comments posted on line about the set with regards to edited episodes, but I've seen a few negative comments regarding the video quality.

 

[bmasters9]

I can live with some episodes having mediocre video quality as long as everything is complete/uncut which appears to be the case.

So basically, you'd much rather be able to see the whole show, even if it doesn't look its best on DVD, I take it.

 

[Lecagr]

So basically, you'd much rather be able to see the whole show, even if it doesn't look its best on DVD, I take it.

Precisely. Of course it would be better if the shows were remastered for better video quality, but as long as they are complete is the main thing.

 

[bmasters9]

Precisely. Of course it would be better if the shows were remastered for better video quality, but as long as they are complete is the main thing.

I feel the same way on Emergency!-- from what I hear, the later seasons had wrong title sequences and poor video quality, but I'm sure I'll still enjoy them, having recently finished the second go in my copy of the all-in-one DVD.

 

[Lecagr]

I feel the same way on Emergency!-- from what I hear, the later seasons had wrong title sequences and poor video quality, but I'm sure I'll still enjoy them, having recently finished the second go in my copy of the all-in-one DVD.

The DVD's of Emergency! have complete episodes but the video quality is a mixed bag. Seasons 4 and 5 are the poorest in terms of video quality.

The Barnaby Jones DVD's are a big disappointment because the majority of episodes are the edited for syndication versions.

I should receive the Naked City complete series DVD set either tomorrow or Monday. Looking forward to it and check out some episodes.

 

[Lecagr]

I received yesterday the Naked City complete series DVD set and I'm pleased with it, another good show added to my classic TV library, glad I decided to purchase this.

 

[bmasters9]

I received yesterday the Naked City complete series DVD set and I'm pleased with it, another good show added to my classic TV library, glad I decided to purchase this.

What is the menu like on that Naked City all-in-one?

 

[Lecagr]

What is the menu like on that Naked City all-in-one?

The menu screens are simple but functional, and the theme music plays in the background.

I have just started getting into this set, but so far I have no complaints about the video quality, and the audio quality is crisp and at a good level. There are some episodes where the audio is actually a little too loud and I had to turn down the volume a few notches on the TV set.

I've seen a few complaints posted on Amazon with regards to the video quality, but honestly I don't know what they're complaining about because so far everything looks good to me. Perhaps I'm not as fussy about picture quality as some others are. As I go through the set, I suppose there could be a few episodes that lack a little in terms of visual quality, but so far I haven't run across any.

 

[BobO'Link]

I think there are people out there who think *every* series that sees release should get a complete remaster/overhaul - no matter how obscure/niche it might be. They don't get that what you get is usually tempered by how much of a return the rights holders/distributor thinks they'll receive on the release. They don't get that original camera negatives may not be available. These are usually the people who believe everything that's ever been created is sitting in a nice air conditioned vault somewhere just collecting dust and don't know how poorly some film libraries are treated or stored, especially TV properties, and that some producers just tossed the negatives once something had aired so all that's left, if anything, are multi-generational prints that have seen better days.

I don't recall ever seeing The Naked City in syndication. That alone could mean the negatives or prints could be in poor condition requiring far more restoration than was financially feasible. I own a copy of this one but haven't watched it yet so don't know how it looks. I fully expect it to look just fine.

I'm frequently surprised by what *does* see the light of day after years/decades of neglect - sometimes even looking pristine. I'm also frequently surprised at frequently syndicated series that have *not* been released due to neglect of materials or rights holders (both video and audio) not being able to come to terms with a distributor.

 

[Neil Brock]

The 2 big Herbert Leonard series have a complicated history and the rights have been bounced around over the last couple of decades. Sony did beautiful and complete remasters on both series in the mid-80s. Route 66 was one of the first series, maybe even the first (Cable didn't come to my town until late 1990 so I don't know for sure), which Nick at Nite ran. Complete, even including all of the bumpers, and 35mm transfers to one-inch tape. Around the same time, Naked City was running in NY on WNEW and initially they ran it in a time slot over an hour, maybe an hour and 7 minutes, so that it was uncut and they could get all of their commercials in. Also, great looking transfers to tape. Only the hour episodes though. I'm sure those transfers are all sitting in the Sony vaults. However, once the show began getting shuffled around and by the time it was released on DVD, different and not always great elements were being used. There's a couple of the half hours that I have better 16mm transfers in my collection than what was on the box set. For anyone interested in the complicated history of the 2 properties, Stephen Bowie had an excellent and detailed write-up on his classic tv history website.

 

[BobO'Link]

And that brings up the other monster-in-the-room - old tape transfers. Lots of series got, for the time, excellent transfers to 1" video tape, a source that has only 300 horizontal lines of resolution vs. 720 for DVD. If those tape transfers are used instead of a new transfer, the *best* you're going to get is mid-range DVD quality. It's *still* going to look better than what you'd have seen at home on broadcast TV but not as good as even DVD is capable of delivering. That means it'll be a kind of "sub-par" type product in the scheme of things.

 

[Lecagr]

So I just finished watching the half hours and it looks like The Sandman and Turn of Events seem to be the only episodes that look really bad, like 4th generation VHS dubs. Which sucks but I'll just keep my 16mm film chain masters on those two shows. My question for those deep into the hours, are there any hours that are dodgy looking as well?

Since I now have the complete series DVD box set, I've noticed this as well, the season 1 episodes "Sandman" and "Turn Of Events" have a sort of substandard video quality, still watchable but the image is soft and lacking in detail. On the positive side, the episodes are complete and the audio is at a good level.

I've just began diving into the set, but the hour long episodes I've watched so far look pretty good, no real issues to report so far with those.

 

[bmasters9]

I've just began diving into the set, but the hour long episodes I've watched so far look pretty good, no real issues to report so far with those.

That's how it was when I started on the second go (1972-73) on my copy of Emergency!-- it didn't look all that bad. In the third go where I am now (1973-74), some episodes look pretty good (and have the proper opening), and some look terrible (and have the syndie opening).

 

[Lecagr]

That's how it was when I started on the second go (1972-73) on my copy of Emergency!-- it didn't look all that bad. In the third go where I am now (1973-74), some episodes look pretty good (and have the proper opening), and some look terrible (and have the syndie opening).

If I recall correctly, the season 3 DVD of Emergency! has seven episodes taken from syndication prints that have the incorrect (6th season) opening pasted on to them. The other season 3 episodes are fine. But the main thing is that all the episodes are complete/uncut, only issue being that the video quality is a touch on the shabby side with those syndication prints.

Seasons 4 and 5 have almost every episode with the syndication prints and 6th season opening. Season 6 is remastered and those episodes look great.

 

[bmasters9]

If I recall correctly, the season 3 DVD of Emergency! has seven episodes taken from syndication prints that have the incorrect (6th season) opening pasted on to them. The other season 3 episodes are fine. But the main thing is that all the episodes are complete/uncut, only issue being that the video quality is a touch on the shabby side with those syndication prints.

That's true-- that's one thing we cannot fault Universal for here (far too many fault them for poor picture quality, when, IMO, they should be thanking them that they at the very least get to see full episodes).

 

[Lecagr]

That's true-- that's one thing we cannot fault Universal for here (far too many fault them for poor picture quality, when, IMO, they should be thanking them that they at the very least get to see full episodes).

Agreed. Of course, a DVD re-issue of the series with a remaster of those seven season 3 episodes, and a remaster of seasons 4 and 5, would be awesome but probably not likely to happen.

 

[The 1960's]

As Neil said both series have much in common. Both first seasons are the most problematic. Every Season One episode of Naked City is dark but certainly watchable. There are some Season One Route 66 episodes that are even worse but for different reasons. Subsequent seasons have many very good looking episodes and out of the blue a few really awful looking ones. Again both first seasons are the worst.

In regards to Route 66 the Roxbury editions are superior because Shout!Factory crammed more episodes on a disc. For anyone who is interested, in this post I placed all the other locations where Randall aka Flashgear posted side by side examples of Route 66 episodes. I believe one of his posts shows examples of the earlier and superior Naked City releases vs. the Image Entertainment (RLJ Entertainment) Complete Series release.