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Rockford Files R1 12/6 ....!!!!! (1 Viewer)

Marco*

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Hi, I am Marco from Germany.
I have my UK-Set for 6 weeks now. It contains also the Pilot "Backlash of the Hunter".

(Isnt it strange? Both sets have something which the other one havent`t. So you may have to buy both sets. The UK-Set doesn`t have the interview.The US-Set dont have the Pilot - which is a shame and even more worse than a missing interview)..
The picture quality is overall great.
The only thing i regret is that its not having the bonus-feature (=on-camera-interview with James Garner).

Because only of that i have to buy the american version too. A big pice for an interview. :-(((
For the users who already bought the US-Version: how long is the interview?
Is it an actual interview or an older one?

greetings;)
 

Dave Scarpa

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I'd rather have the pilot that the 8 min interview. My sets going back to Best buy for another, disk 2 had a pretty hefty scuff mark and disk 3 I've discovered has something adhereed to the disk like a pieve of dirt that won't come off. God I hate buying universal stuff. Even my Copy of Cinderella Man had some stutters when I watched it tonight.
 

Richard Gallagher

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I didn't time it, but eight minutes sounds about right. It looks like it was done specifically for the DVD -- Jim Garner is looking his age.
 

Marco*

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Thanks for the infos. I heard from the problems with playing of the US-DVD`s on amazon.com.
Meaning all the errors or that the DVD stops while playing.

Well, then i can highly recommend the UK-Set.
(If you can play them on an US-DVD-Player...but i think a lot of u can.)
It contains the pilot and i never had problems with playing of all episodes. No errors, no stopping etc.

But how do i get on my James-Garner-interview then?:-(((
:frowning:
 

Jeff Willis

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Marco, thanks for the information about the Rockford Files R2 set. I already ordered my R1 set this week. I wish I had bought the R2 set :frowning: I think the Garner interview's a great "Extra", but if it's a choice between the interview vs a pilot ep, it's an easy choice for me. I'd vote for an entire series release, including pilots, ahead of any extras. I wonder if that would be the majority vote here at HTF TV Section?

It makes me wonder about a broader question: Does it seem to anyone else other than me that R2 releases are of a better quality (one-sided vs two-sided, etc)? Also, I wonder what the percentage of TV/DVD releases arrive in R2 release before R1?
 

Marco*

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Its quite unusual , i think.

But sadly enough - i have to buy the US-Set for an 8 minutes interview:frowning:
(How can i get it otherwise?)
And if "Rockford" comes out in Germany with the german dubbed voices (as i know them since my childhood) i will buy them for a third time :frowning:

The thing with the pilot is not understandable - cause its normal that they release the pilot within a so called "complete" package.
In this case it seems they just do it to humilate the US-buyer - or support the UK-DVD-Set.
Meaning that a lot of US-Fans will buy the UK-Set because of the pilot too.

I dont think that the pilot was excluded for legal reasons or something like that.
 

Dale MA

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The pilot episode will probably be included further down the line as a special bonus extra or something.

Is the pilot episode feature length? If it is then it's entirely possible that Universal will release a set containing all the "feature length" Rockford shows once they've complete the full season run on DVD.
 

ElijahS

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The pilot is feature-length, and since it wasn't included with the Season 1 set, that's the next place I'd see it going: a Rockford Files movie box set.
 

Marco*

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Do you mean also the other "new"Rockford-files movies from the 90´s - like they woud release a box-set extra just with the pilot and the 90`s-Rockford-movies (from "I LOve L.A." to "If It Leeds It Bleads" )?
 

ElijahS

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Aside from the pilot, there are eight Rockford Files movies, listed below:

The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A. (1994) (TV)
The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise (1995) (TV)
The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best (1996) (TV)
The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play (1996) (TV)
The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits... (1996) (TV)
The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime (1996) (TV)
The Rockford Files: Murder and Misdemeanors (1997) (TV)
The Rockford Files: If It Bleeds... It Leads (1999) (TV)

I can see them packaging the eight movies, plus the pilot (which was a TV movie to some extent) and packaging them as a set. I know I'd get it. The only one I remember seeing in its entirety is If It Bleeds... It Leads, and I loved it.
 

Marco*

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Well, i dont think they will put all the movies together as an extra set.
But - if they release all 6 seasons - there is plenty of room on the 6th box-set - cause James Garner never finished the complete 6th season in 1979.
I would think they would put some of the TV-movies from the 90`s on it - although not all would make it on that set - because of space.
Although i would love to have them on DVD.

I have all 8 movies from the 90`s on tape (in german)...including two of them on DVD (self made -but very good quality).
Let`s see what they will release.

(By the way: "If it bleeds.." was in my opinion not even the best movie of the 90`s"Rockford" - some others are even better..):)
 

ElijahS

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Assuming Universal is still doing double-sided discs by that point, they could put on two movies per side of disc, plus a disc for the pilot, bringing it to...three discs, like the other sets most likely will be.
 

MattHR

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I just finished watching a couple episodes and the short interview with Garner. I'd rate the transfer quality about 6-7/10. Too much dirt and grain compared with other Universal releases from the same era.

To add insult to injury (the missing pilot), there is plenty of footage from the pilot used during the 8-minute Garner interview! The segment cuts in footage from the show occasionally while Garner is talking. There is plenty of pilot footage featuring Lindsay Wagner. Garner even singles out two guest stars to speak about: Wagner and James Woods. He has high regard for Wagner, and says "I wish we could have used her more". His comments, combined with the extensive pilot footage of Wagner nowhere to be found in the actual set, should make unknowing viewers wonder if something is missing.

The fact that Universal used footage from the pilot for this segment, then didn't include it in the set, is completely inexcusable! As mentioned earlier in this thread, the original 74-minute pilot was already released on VHS years ago, and included (albeit the syndicated version) on the recently released R2 set.

I really wish someone *cough* Gord and Dave *cough* could get an answer from Universal. I'm really getting tired of the sloppy product coming from Universal, and their continued refusal to acknowledge and explain these issues that we consumers deserve an honest answer to. :angry:
 
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I'm watching the episode "This case is closed pt1." .I noticed something odd.Early in the episode,Rockford is being chased by a guy in a gray Chevy Nova.For a split second,Rockford's '74 Firebird morphed into the '77 model.Did anyone else notice it?
 

MattHR

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That's because this episode was originally broadcast in a 90-minute format (about 75 minutes net). The episode was later "expanded" using "filler" footage to form two 48- minute episodes for syndication in a two-part format. The footage you cite is part of the "filler" that was added.

Too bad Universal chose not to use the original episode as broadcast, along with the often-mentioned omission of the pilot.
 

Jon_Gu

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The matter of a last release in the series being just the movies is something the studios are going to have to consider somewhere down the line for other series too.

Kojak - 5 full length seasons - Pilot NOT included with S1, + 7 movies 1985-1990.

Hart to Hart - 5 full length seasons + 8 movies (not including the pilot that was included with S1)

Murder, She Wrote - 12 full seasons + 4 movies (not including the pilot that was included with S1)

Spenser: For Hire - 3 full seasons + 4 movies (released backwards with the 4 movies in a set, but no indication of season releases). The pilot was aired as the first two episodes of season 1. Was this one 'testing' the waters for sets of just the movies filmed after the show was cancelled?

I'm sure there are several more that my sleep fogged brain can't think of at the moment...
 

Jeff#

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The Rockford Files pilot filled a 90 minute slot, so without the commericials it would still be about 75 minutes.

I haven't seen it since it was shown with the rest of the episodes in syndication, and that was years ago.

Does anyone even remember why Jim did jail time??

Mike Post's expanded version of the theme did start with the second season premiere. It was an electric guitar / rock interlude that was a major addition to and less repetitive than the original theme song.

As far as the image quality goes, I've watched both sides of Disc 1 and most of the front of the 2nd disc of this set, and they look great! No flaws whatsoever. Universal has yet to let me down with any of their TV series sets.
 

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