New Mill Creek set - "Spies & Lies" (1 Viewer)

[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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[Gary OS]

Again Bob, just like you I've never seen an episode of "Wire Service." I'll definitely pick this set up just to get a feel for those couple of series that I've never seen.

With the Christmas-themed set, I'm mostly missing episodes from some of the anthology shows listed. But two of the listings have me puzzled. The first is "Racket Squad." I have what I thought was the one and only Christmas episode the series produced, called "The Christmas Caper." Yet this listing says that there will be 2 episodes from that show. I can't figure out what that second episode will be.

The second listing that has me puzzled is "Date with the Angels", which again is showing 2 episodes while I only know of one Christmas episode for the show.

Anyone know about either of these? I'm guessing it's possible that since this is a "holiday" release, and some of the other shows will contain New Year's Eve themed episodes, these two might as well. For instance, "Dragnet" is showing 3 episodes yet I'm only aware of 2 Christmas-themed episodes from the 50's version of the series. But I also know there were at least 2 New Year's Eve episodes, so I'm guessing that might be what shows up.

Gary "other than those few, I believe I have the rest figured out" O.

 

[Bob Hug]

Gary, can't help you with either "Racket Squad" or "Date with the Angels." I have the "Date" Christmas-themed episode (on, of all places, a dollar DVD) but have yet to see the "Racket Squad" episode (or episodes as the case might be). As far as "Dragnet" is concerned, yes, there will probably be one of the "New Year" episodes included. I wonder if Mill Creek might be extending the theme of this collection to even include other holidays besides Christmas and New Year, particularly Thanksgiving.

I'm sort of surpised that there was a "Captain Gallant" Christmas episode. I have about 10-11 unduplicated episodes from this series (both volumes from Alpha and a release from the defunct Cascadia Entertainment) and can't recall if there was a Christmas-themed episode among those episodes. As usual, Mill Creek mixes in a few rarities among the usual PD suspects. For several of those anthology shows, I've never even seen a single episode, let alone a holiday themed one (Gruen Guild Playhouse, Rheingold Theatre, Screen Writers Playhouse). In fact, I'm a little surprised that Mill Creek hasn't released a set of these dramatic anthology series; there certainly appears to be enough of them with public domain episodes to put together such a set. Alpha has been releasing some Studio One and GE Theater episodes, among a few others, so it seems like there is a good variety of these shows available.

 

[Gary OS]

I have "The Christmas Caper" on dvd from Racket Squad, and have the "Date with the Angels" dvd too. And yes it is strange but Captain Gallant had a Christmas episode, which I also already have. I've never seen any episodes from the 3 anthology shows you mentioned either, but look forward to these.

I'm sure a couple of these episodes are going to be New Year's Eve ones, but it would be neat if there was a Thanksgiving episode in the batch. While not nearly as popular as Christmas-themed ones, many of these older 50's shows did have a Thanksgiving Day-themed episode.

Gary "thanks again for this catch - looking forward to it" O.

 

[Mike*HTF]

I only vaguely remember watching it, but I had no idea that Robert Alda starred in Secret File U.S.A.!

 

[Ron Lee Green]

Gary, I'd love to know the episode titles if you have them. I have the essential Ozzie and Harriet 100 episode dvd set that Mill Creek put out and I'm curious to know if all the Christmas-themed episodes are on there. One episode is entitled, "The Christmas Tree Lot," so I'm sure that's one.

 

[Elena S]

That second set looks like a real gem, although it appears that "Lassie," "Mr. Ed," "Petticoat Junction" and a few others have disappeared. Or is that a different set than the Christmas one?

 

[Gary OS]

“Late Christmas Gift”
“Boys Christmas Money”
“Christmas Miracle”
“Lost Christmas Gift”
“Busy Christmas”
“Day After Christmas”
“Christmas Tree Lot”
"Girl at the Emporium"
“Piano for the Fraternity”

All those are true Ozzie & Harriet Christmas episodes, Ron. There were a couple of others that dealt with Christmas issues, such as an early season episode where the family was thinking about their Christmas card photo or a later episode that took place in January but involved a Christmas fruitcake. But all the ones I listed actually take place right at Christmas time.

Gary "love the Ozzie and Harriet Christmas episodes" O.

 

[Ron Lee Green]

Thanks for the titles, Gary. Looks like my 100 episode set only has one Christmas episode, so may have to buy this new set.

 

[Gary OS]

My bet is that the following 4 will be on the upcoming Christmas set:

"Late Christmas Gift"
"Busy Christmas"
"Christmas Tree Lot"
"Piano for the Fraternity"

Those are all pretty common with most PD releases of the show. The last one is a little tougher to figure.

It might be an episode I should have included in my original list, because it is on the "Ozzie & Harriet" 100 episode set Mill Creek put out last year.

"Girl at the Emporium"

This one should be added to my original list because it does take place a week or so before Christmas and does deal with the holiday. That makes 9 "Christmas-themed" O&H episodes in all. I'll go back and edit my previous posts to reflect that oversight on my part.

Gary "that's probably the 5th one that will be on the dvd" O.