The Untouchables - any word of a release? (1 Viewer)

[Doug^Ch]

I watched the pilot and the first episode last night, and I have to say I am very impressed. I had never seen even one minute of this series until last night, and I have to disagree with the DVD Talk Reviewer. I thought the acting and story telling were top notch. I am really looking forward to watching the rest of the episodes. If they are even half as good as the ones I've seen so far, The Untouchables will be one of the best series that I've bought in a while.

 

[michael_ks]

Doug, I don't know if Frank Nitty's boys were leaning on the reviewer or not, but he is certainly off base when it comes to "The Untouchables". The series was well noted for its excellent production values, filmic quality and guest star performances. The reviewer very seldom reviews TV on DVD--in fact I counted 2 total. Either Stuart Galbraith or Paul Mavis at DVDtalk should have written the review as they appear to have a much stronger appreciation for classic television.

 

[Henry Gale]

The name's Nitti...N-I-T-T-I...Nitti.
Don't make us come over there and teach you how to spell.

Actually its N-I-T-T-O....but don't get cute.

 

[Bob Hug]

*** Bargain price alert for "The Untouchables" ***

This looks to be nationwide, based on some internet forum posts and my own experience last evening . . . Walmart brick & mortars are selling season 1, volume 1 for $19.96. I think these will go pretty fast at that price. The slim packaging took me a bit by surprise.

I watched the pilot movie last night and all I can say is that Paramount has done another exceptional job on the transfers.

 

[michael_ks]

Confirmed here in Texas, I bought one of five copies at this price last evening. Thanks, Bob!

I cannot laud the transfer quality on this set enough. Skimming through "The Empty Chair" I found myself not even hearing what the characters were saying because I was entranced by how pristine the episode looked. And not just because it was clean and free of specks and dust, but due to the fine grain of the film stock and how beautifully balanced the greys are in both tone and contrast. Night shots in particular are a "noirish" sight to behold. How I pray that "The Fugitive" comes out looking something like this when released later in the year.

"Untouchables" S1, vol. 1 is very similar to "The Wild Wild West" S1 but is possibly a slight notch above that and definitely has deeper blacks, providing an almost 3-D like effect. One day soon I hope to see how this series looks on a high definition LCD set. Sound quality does not earn nearly as high a mark, but is very good just the same. Some "off speed warbling" does occur on some music tracks, but is relatively minor. Highly recommended, even if you are first a big fan of B&W tv/film and just a casual fan of the show or genre it's set in.

 

[docdoowop]

Yes! I picked it up "on sale" at Walmart for $17.85 yesterday. Surprisingly, I found the show better than I remembered...at least based on the two-part pilot. (Shot by an excellent 'B' picture director, Phil Karlson).

First "Naked City", now "The Untouchables". How about "East Side, West Side" for the gritty b&w trifecta?!

 

[Richard Gallagher]

It's an excellent set, that's for sure. I watched "The Scarface Mob" last night and am looking forward to getting through the other episodes.

It would be nice if at some point they put together a documentary to compare the real Eliot Ness with the way he was portrayed on the show (and the book upon which the show is based). The real Ness ironically developed a serious drinking problem and was essentially penniless when he died in 1957.

 

[Jeff#]

That they were in black & white is irrelevant. I've never seen "East Side West Side" with George C. Scott, but that wasn't a crime show so I don't see how it relates to The Untouchables or Naked City.

 

[docdoowop]

You've misunderstood. The operative phrase is "gritty b&w", not "crime".

 

[bobraleigh]

this was a blind buy for me, couldn't resist(the wal mart price) and i am surprised at how much i like it so far. i couldn't believe what i was seeing when "frenchy" was doing the hoochie kootchie, that made it on the air 50 years ago

plus i find it kind of weird/funny that they are so against beer!

 

[Jeff#]

Well...49 years ago but close enough.

As for the beer, well that was during a period in American history called Prohibition when there was actually a Constitutional amendment passed that made the manufacture and sale of beer as well as hard liquors illegal. The law was passed in 1919 and was such a disaster that after 15 years it was finally repealed, because "bootleggers" frequently got their booze on the market (where it was sold in establishments called "speakeasys").

Sometimes I wish cigarettes could be banned, because smoking is a disgusting habit. Unfortunately, it will never happen with the tobacco industry being a multi-billion dollar a year enterprise. Drinking, meanwhile, isn't that big a deal though.

 

[Henry Gale]

We're fortunate that nothing like that could ever happen again!

 

[Bob Hug]

I did a double take when I saw that scene (Are my eyes deceiving me? They weren't). Since "The Scarface Mob" was a theatrical release version of the two-part television pilot, I wonder if that scene ever appeared on TV and, perhaps, it may only have been included in the movie version. It was still shocking to see, considering it was produced in 1959.

 

[Jeff#]

It wasn't shocking to anyone in 1959, and the stripper didn't take much of anything off in the feature version so of course it played on TV.

 

[michael_ks]

Not wanting to get polemic here, but...


Interesting that you were able to interview everyone who saw the scene in '59 to verify this.

 

[Bert Greene]

I feel fairly certain the brief glimpse of Barbara Nichols wearing pasties was not aired on the "Desilu Playhouse." It was surely only in the theatrical release (or perhaps even more likely, for the foreign release). The studios had a history of sexing up overseas prints with a few little seconds of extra added raciness. And that particularly includes tv items, originally made for television here, yet released theatrically over there.

Anyway, this dvd-set is terrific. Stunning transfers. I know the reviewers might fault the cardboard nature of the villains and such, but that was a part of the series. It was never really a strongly dramatic, character-driven series, but more of a noirish, action-filled fever-dream. And a compulsively watchable one at that. The dvd-set proves this is still the case. Although, there is admittedly a bit of uneveness in some of these early episodes, as they were still trying to fit the real-life careers and history of various baddies (along with placing Ness in the middle) into a weekly drama show. By the middle of the 1st-season, the series really starts to hit its stride, as they get more elbow-room in the tales they present.

 

[Jeff#]

I saw The Scarface Mob as it was presented on Desilu Playhouse. Barbara Nichols hardly took anything off (perhaps much to the dismay of Jack Benny, whom on his show dated her in a few episodes).

 

[Jeff Willis]

Well, I watched "The Jake Lingle Killing" last weekend (guest Jack Lord)...and WOW! What a series! Thanks, gang, for the posts that led me to getting this one. S1 V2 coming 09/25, right?

 

[Bob Hug]

Jack Lord is so closely identified as "Steve McGarrett" from "Hawaii Five-0" by most people that his earlier television work is often overlooked. He was a guest star in numerous series and proved to be a versatile actor, playing both villians and good guys. I don't hold much hope that it'll ever happen, but I would love to see his 1962-63 series "Stoney Burke" get an official release on DVD. It was made by the same people who did the original "The Outer Limits" the following year; MGM has the rights.