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What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (3 Viewers)

Blimpoy06

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Yes, not a fan of Laugh In either, although I admit it has earned its place in pop culture history.
I did like the episode where part of the cast appeared on I Dream Of Jeanie.

"The Biggest Star In Hollywood"
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Darby67

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After spending a lot of the year so far working almost exclusively through my collection of classic American TV shows, I've started to turn to my other favorite, British television series, starting with:

Doomwatch
2.2 Invasion

More than a third of the episodes are missing (the tapes wiped by the BBC) from this influential 1970 - 1972 series, from the minds of Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis (creators of the Cyberman on Doctor Who). Doomwatch centers on a team of scientists which investigates various environmental dangers or disasters that threaten the public. This episode is gripping stuff, as the team deals with the fallout in a small village when two missing teens sneak past military guards at a local manor house where germ warfare experiments once went awry. While the series can sometimes be a bit talky (though always interesting), this episode really moves, and builds some real suspense before the sobering finale. While some of the fashions - not to mention office politics - are dated, many of the plots and environmental concerns are still very much with us.

I have the Region 2 DVD from Simply Media, which collects all 24 extant episodes in mostly decent transfers. Not cheap, but highly recommended, particularly if you enjoyed the Jon Pertwee-era Doctor Who stories...this has a similar feel, though more adult and serious. And John Paul, who plays the lead, Dr. Quist, looks and acts like he could be Pertwee's brother.

Shadows
1.1 The Future Ghost"
1.2 "After School"
1.3 "The Witch's Bottle"
1.4 "The Waiting Room"

I've had the series 1 DVD set of this ITV children's horror/fantasy anthology show, which ran from 1975-1978, for a long time, and only just cracked it open last week. What passed for kid's TV in Britain during the 70s is decidedly adult by American standards, and wouldn't likely make it to the airwaves as kid's entertainment in Britain today, either.

Some of these supernatural tales are pretty dang creepy, and most are quite effective. "After School" concerns a couple of boys in a Welsh mining town who encounter spooky goings-on when they get trapped in their old school building. The eerie "The Witch's Bottle" finds a teenage girl and her skeptical older brother visiting their uncle, whose house once belonged to a witch burned to death by villagers centuries before. And the lovely Jenny Agutter (of Logan's Run and An American Werewolf in London fame) stars in "The Waiting Room," which involves another brother and sister pair who get stranded at an old, run-down train station and start to notice some very odd events occurring.

Good stuff, this; will be picking up the Shadows series 2 and 3 sets (each a steal at around $5 on Network's site) forthwith. The entire series is also available for viewing on You Tube, in very good quality.

A pic of Jenny Agutter, for those of you who may need reminding:

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Children of the Stones
1.1 "Into the Circle"

I also watched the first episode (out of 7) of this, perhaps the most highly regarded of all UK children's scary telly shows, which originally aired in 1977. Judging from the opener, it's a terrific series, really atmospheric and strange, with a bit of a sunny yet eerie Wicker Man vibe. Gareth Thomas (the lead in the famously bleak space opera, Blake's 7) stars as a astrophysicist who, with his teenage son, moves to a small village to do research on the 53 standing stones that encircle it. Unsettling stuff begins to happen as soon as they arrive. This is a class production all the way, filmed in the historic village of Avebury and expertly acted and shot, and accompanied by some truly freaky music (the credit sequence alone terrified a generation of U.K. kids, and remains effective still). Children of the Stones is also available on You Tube, in what look like quality DVD rips.

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All of the above series bear the hallmark of vintage U.K. drama of the era, with filmed exterior action combined with videotaped interior footage. If you're used to this sort of thing, like me, it just adds to the charm, but some U.S. viewers may be put off by the transition between film and video.

It wasn't all U.K. telly, all the time... I also squeezed in a few more episodes of The Green Hornet: 1.3 "Programmed for Death" and 1.4 "Crime Wave." Both were enjoyable, but the show has now seemed to have fallen into something of a routine and the strictures of the half-hour format are becoming more pronounced, affecting the plots more than I'd like. Hopefully things will sharpen up a bit more, storywise, in the next few episodes.

Jeff:

I had not heard of the Children of the Stones tv series until I read your post and now I am trying to find a reasonably priced copy of the complete series region 1 release from Acorn Media on Ebay. Thank you for posting the info about the series.

Sean
 

Jeff Flugel

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Jeff:

I had not heard of the Children of the Stones tv series until I read your post and now I am trying to find a reasonably priced copy of the complete series region 1 release from Acorn Media on Ebay. Thank you for posting the info about the series.

Sean

You're very welcome, Sean! I think you'll enjoy it if you like that sort of British sci-fi/fantasy television. Let us know what you think of the show when you get around to watching it.

I just finished the series last night. It was very good, strange, creepy, mind-bending and thought-provoking. I'll be thinking about various aspects of the story for days, I'm sure. The unique father - son relationship between Adam (Gareth Thomas) and Matthew (Peter Demin) is nicely realized, the father trusting the son to think and act in an intelligent manner and reason his way through problems. And Ian Cuthbertson makes for a fine, chilling villain with an interesting motivation, his smiling, avuncular manner just adding to the unsettling feel of the show. I think this one deserves its lauded reputation.

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BobO'Link

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Jeff:

I had not heard of the Children of the Stones tv series until I read your post and now I am trying to find a reasonably priced copy of the complete series region 1 release from Acorn Media on Ebay. Thank you for posting the info about the series.

Sean
Same here - other than looking for a R1 release. While I'd prefer R1, I have a region free BR player so am looking at the very reasonably priced R2 release (~$14 from several Amazon MP vendors, including Amazon UK). It really sounds interesting.
 

BobO'Link

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More on Laugh-in... I'd say it was better in S1 although there're signs, mid-seaon, of things picking up.

I'm half-way through S2 and, so far, the show seems to derive much of its "humor" from non-sequitur "jokes" and lots and lots of sexism with a small dose of racism thrown in for good measure. I know things weren't all rosy in those years (I was 14 in 69) but the jokes seem to be constantly sexist, even the ones the women are making.

There are jokes I feel are borderline, if not outright, racist. There's a guy who does a "Southern Gentleman soldier" during the "party" segments who tells what I'd call an outright racist joke every time he opens his mouth in that get up (I've not seen that character in the last few episodes so maybe they figured that out and dumped it). There's a "token black" girl who often makes self deprecating jokes, either about women or blacks or both, and appears in skits that are, IMHO, demeaning.

I truly don't remember things back then being that sexist/racist - on TV or among my friends and adults I came into contact with. I've been trying to decide if those were done that way to point out how stupid such things are and satirize them but keep going back to "It can't be or the years have turned that supposed satire into something else." I also get the feeling that those type of jokes are fewer by mid season - at least the last couple of episodes don't have any truly cringe inducing ones. There also aren't as many political jokes as I recall from watching those original airings. Right now I'd say The Smothers Brothers are/were far more political on their show (and it needs full season releases!!!).

The only other "regular" black actor up to mid-season is nightclub comedian Pigmeat Markham, who does "The Judge" (I found that he originated that bit and they'd just used it on the show - When he found that his trademark had been appropriated, he asked producer George Schlatter to let him play the Judge himself, and he did for one season - S2). His bits are pure vaudeville and entertaining - if you like that style of comedy.

Flip Wilson started appearing on the show the last couple of episodes. He's partially doing "Geraldine" although it's just in short intro type things. That character will be developed further and he'll get a spin-off program due to the popularity of that, and other, characters he develops for Laugh-in. I remember not liking his show as much as the bits he did on Laugh-in.

One show had Johnny Carson appear as Dick Martin, doing Dick's schtick fully in character during one of the one-on-one host segments with Dan. Dan never blinked an eye. It continued through the walk through the doors to "The Party" where a quick edit was done and suddenly Dick is back to himself. Carson as Dick was quite entertaining. I've also now seen some early sitcom stuff with Carson and have discovered he was quite good at that. But since he retired from The Tonight Show I've found we just took him too much for granted.

I find "The Party" to be a mix of meh and partially funny jokes. Supposedly this sequence was done "live on camera" but I've spotted edits in several of them so...

So far there've been no Farkel Family skits. I always liked those.

The "Laugh-in Looks at the News" segments are just getting annoying. The intro song and dance with the girls just seems to go on and on and on and on before Dan finally comes out and introduces Dick who comes on a "Tonight Show" style set with a musical riff on that show's theme. The actual "news" bits are just too short considering how long it takes to get into the segment. Dan's "News of the Future" is usually entertaining, and occasionally somewhat prophetic. One of those song/dance opens I saw last night was a bit entertaining as Don Rickels joined the girls, in costume (just like theirs), and sang/danced with them. Otherwise, that part's gotten old, fast.

I'd have to say that the high points are Goldie Hawn, The Judge bits, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson (especially his poems), and all the star walk-ons. There are still little moments of humor and inspired lunacy in each episode but it's not as much or funny as I'd recalled (and I still don't "get" why "sock it to me" is supposed to be funny). Of course I'm no longer 14 and that makes a huge difference. All-in-all, it's enjoyable and I wonder how I got away with watching it back then as, like The Smothers Brother's Show, it's not something my dad would have ever watched as he's more conservative and those shows are decidedly liberal. He could just as easily have said "That show's inappropriate! You can't watch it."

~half of S2 left and it's on to S3.
 

bmasters9

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All-in-all, it's enjoyable and I wonder how I got away with watching it back then as, like The Smothers Brother's Show, it's not something my dad would have ever watched as he's more conservative and those shows are decidedly liberal. He could just as easily have said "That show's inappropriate! You can't watch it."

Why did your father try to steer you away from it? That's not the way I am lately with stuff that's not my cup of tea-- if I don't like something that you do, have up just the same.
 

BobO'Link

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Why did your father try to steer you away from it? That's not the way I am lately with stuff that's not my cup of tea-- if I don't like something that you do, have up just the same.
He didn't - that's what surprises me. If it was on TV there was never an argument on it being appropriate or not as long as I was old enough to stay up late enough for a program. He also never censored my music - no matter what it was. I sang in a band and would leave lyrics laying around. He'd read them and simply comment that I should change certain words he felt were inappropriate. When I purchased some headphones he came in just in time to try them out while I was listening to "Ziggy Stardust" (the title song on the album) and didn't blink an eye when the phrase "with God-given ass" hit his ears. I just knew I'd lost the album but all he said was the cans "sound pretty good." He did veto some stuff. Absolutely no movies with a M rating, or stronger, until I'd graduated HS - and "M" back then is like PG today - and no Bond movies, especially "Goldfinger," due to names given some of the women. Although I did see several "R" rated movies, most notably "Easy Rider," simply because I didn't ask first and the local theater wasn't very strict on admission based on ratings. Generally speaking, in spite of him being very conservative, I was allowed to be my more liberal self. The only argument we every had on the subject was my hair length. That one took some doing but I finally won and was allowed to grow it to whatever length I desired (which was almost to my waist before I cut it for a job after college). I truly believe he was of the "It's on TV so it's OK" mentality and never stopped to consider just how subversive some of the more liberal material could be, but much of it was well disguised so there's that...
 

bmasters9

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He didn't - that's what surprises me. If it was on TV there was never an argument on it being appropriate or not as long as I was old enough to stay up late enough for a program. He also never censored my music - no matter what it was. I sang in a band and would leave lyrics laying around. He'd read them and simply comment that I should change certain words he felt were inappropriate. When I purchased some headphones he came in just in time to try them out while I was listening to "Ziggy Stardust" (the title song on the album) and didn't blink an eye when the phrase "with God-given ass" hit his ears. I just knew I'd lost the album but all he said was the cans "sound pretty good." He did veto some stuff. Absolutely no movies with a M rating, or stronger, until I'd graduated HS - and "M" back then is like PG today - and no Bond movies, especially "Goldfinger," due to names given some of the women. Although I did see several "R" rated movies, most notably "Easy Rider," simply because I didn't ask first and the local theater wasn't very strict on admission based on ratings. Generally speaking, in spite of him being very conservative, I was allowed to be my more liberal self. The only argument we every had on the subject was my hair length. That one took some doing but I finally won and was allowed to grow it to whatever length I desired (which was almost to my waist before I cut it for a job after college). I truly believe he was of the "It's on TV so it's OK" mentality and never stopped to consider just how subversive some of the more liberal material could be, but much of it was well disguised so there's that...

Got ya! Just thought I'd ask. I thought that based on what you said, he did. Just needed some clarification.
 

Jeff Flugel

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Same here - other than looking for a R1 release. While I'd prefer R1, I have a region free BR player so am looking at the very reasonably priced R2 release (~$14 from several Amazon MP vendors, including Amazon UK). It really sounds interesting.

Howie, if you order from Network's website directly, the series can be had for 4.56 pounds (about $6), not including shipping.
 

BobO'Link

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Howie, if you order from Network's website directly, the series can be had for 4.56 pounds (about $6), not including shipping.
Thanks! It wasn't easy finding their site (just try to google "network british tv" or similar!). Looks like it'll be ~$11 after my cc forex fee. They have lots of stuff I want at prices less than Amazon UK. I may have to get an order of several things together. :)
 

Jeff Flugel

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Thanks! It wasn't easy finding their site (just try to google "network british tv" or similar!). Looks like it'll be ~$11 after my cc forex fee. They have lots of stuff I want at prices less than Amazon UK. I may have to get an order of several things together. :)

Sorry, I was in a rush this morning and neglected to give you their website - it is hard to find otherwise. Too late to help you, Howie, but maybe for others so inclined:

www.networkonair.com

You're right, they have MANY MANY goodies on there. Prices are reasonable now, and really drop during their annual summer sale. Their shipping rates aren't the cheapest, but not bad (I regularly get shipments here in Japan from them, and find their rates generally commensurate with Amazon UK) and I've never received any damaged discs from them (or Amazon UK for that matter.)
 

BobO'Link

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^I, too, should have posted the link but failed to do so!!!

I found their shipping for one or two items to be less than Amazon UK. After that it goes up a bit... but not really too much and then there's that fateful *single* title you add that pushes it from ~£8 to ~£40! I verified that by removing a *single disc title* from my order the the price dropped. Put it back and it shot up! I had 7 or 8 (don't recall for sure and am not at home to check my cart there) titles with a price of ~£40 and shipping was a few pence more than the items until I removed that single title. Very odd. I could actually place two separate orders and come out far better with shipping.

So... "Annual Summer Sale" eh? Hmmm.... maybe I need to wait a bit. :)
 

Jeff Flugel

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So... "Annual Summer Sale" eh? Hmmm.... maybe I need to wait a bit. :)

Heh. Well, many titles, like Children of the Stones, won't drop much more (they can't really, they're already pretty dang low)...but for some of their more expensive titles, like some of the big season sets on Blu-Ray, etc., the discount can be large. I bought The Persuaders! Blu-Ray complete series set for half off a few years ago during a sale (22 pounds instead of 45 or thereabouts), ditto the first 2 seasons of The Professionals on Blu, etc. So I'd say if you have some cheaper titles in your order, and want them ASAP, then you can go ahead and order them without too much concern...but save the biggies for a while longer.

Not sure when the next sale is, but if memory serves, it's usually in June or July. Will let you know when I find out!
 

Jasper70

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Thanks for the link, I hadn’t heard of this site. I’m thinking of buying their Blu-ray of Raise the Titanic, it has English subtitles whereas the Shout release does not. I’ll need to buy the region free hack for my Oppo but I’ve been wanting to do that anyway.
As far as the PAL speed up goes...can someone educate me? I was thinking of buying the Magnum, PI Blu-ray Set from the U.K. and I was told no speed up issues because it’s 24fps, IIRC. How can I tell if a Blu-ray from a different region will have a speed up issue?
 

Jeff Flugel

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Thanks for the link, I hadn’t heard of this site. I’m thinking of buying their Blu-ray of Raise the Titanic, it has English subtitles whereas the Shout release does not. I’ll need to buy the region free hack for my Oppo but I’ve been wanting to do that anyway.
As far as the PAL speed up goes...can someone educate me? I was thinking of buying the Magnum, PI Blu-ray Set from the U.K. and I was told no speed up issues because it’s 24fps, IIRC. How can I tell if a Blu-ray from a different region will have a speed up issue?

I have numerous PAL DVDs and Blu-Rays from the U.K., Harold, and I've never noticed much of an issue - certainly not on Blu-Ray. But then, perhaps I'm not highly susceptible to such issues. I know some board members here are very sensitive to this and are perhaps better equipped to respond. But for my 2 cents, I think you will not regret jumping in to the Region Free pool.
 

Flashgear

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I know for some people that 4% increase in pitch for voice and music can be a real distraction and irritation, as some members here on HTF have attested. And I believe it. But for me and many others the PAL speed-up is noticeable but not irritating. For me, it is mostly unnoticeable, only becoming so with well known celebrity voices that have been ingrained as a reference file into the base code of my brain from a lifetime of watching classic tv and movies...like Alfred Hitchcock's voice on my R2 Hitchcock Presents/Hitchcock Hour sets. And sometimes I notice it in the music, but not to any critical degree where it bothers me. Maybe I benefit from having a tin ear that's not as sensitive, ha, ha...Lord knows there's so much I'd like to selectively tune out in the course of any given day...
 

Doug Wallen

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Longstreet Season 1 - wrapped it up. Hey, VEI, we need more of these hidden gems released.
1.18 - Please Leave The Wreck For The Others To Enjoy
1.19 -Anatomy of A Mayday
1.20 - Sad Songs And Other Conversations
1.21 - Field Of Honor
1.22 - Through Shattering Glass
1.23 - The Sound Of Money Talking

Mannix - Season 4 - finished this set up. C,mon WalMart, release seasons 5-8 in a combo pack.
4.21 - Voice In The Dark
4.22 - The Color Of Murder
4.23 - Shadow Play - Diane Keaton!!!
4.24 - Overkill

Naked City - Season 1
1.17 - Burst of Passion - Woodrow Parfrey
1.18 - Goodbye, My Lady Love
1.19 - The Shield - Jack Klugman
1.20 - One To Get Lost - Kent Smith, Jeanette Nolan
1.21 - Hey, Teach
1.22 - Ticker Tape
1.23 - Fire Island - George Maharis, Michael Conrad
1.24 - Ten Cent Dreams - Ross Martin, Al Lewis, Richard X. Slattery
 

bmasters9

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Wanted: Dead or Alive, second-season episode "The Empty Cell," OAD Oct. 17, 1959 on CBS

Two third-season episodes of Vega$ (out of order), "Heist" and "Murder by Mirrors," OADs Feb. 25, 1981 and Jan. 21, 1981, respectively, on ABC
 

morasp

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A short list of episodes from last week but all of them were extremely enjoyable:

The Lucy Show 1:11 Lucy Builds a Rumpus Room

Lucy and Viv both want to cook home meals for their dates so they both agree to eat out since they can't decide who gets the kitchen. After Viv leaves with her date it's pretty amazing how fast Lucy sets out a dinner for two that was cleverly hidden. When Viv sneaks back to do the same thing they finally decide to build a rumpus room and get stuck to the wall and buried in coal. Just good clean humor.

Bewitched 1:10 Just One Happy Family

Darrin finally gets to meet Samantha's father Maurice and it doesn't go well. I love the bar scenes in this show and when Samantha locks Darrin in a phone booth at the bar to keep him from coming home Larry and the other patrons tip it over to get him out.

Diagnosis Murder 1:15 Nirvana
Dick Van Dyke is amazing. His physical comedy especially at his age during this show is outstanding. When he goes undercover at a health spa to investigate a murder they have him exercising with bands and he looses his grip and launches it at another patron.

Mission Impossible 2:3 The Survivors

Love this show and could probably watch it a lot more frequently than I do but spreading it out to once a month makes that much more fun. The Impossible Missions Force simulates an earthquake to free two kidnapped scientists. They always give you some hints at the beginning of the episode but you don't really know what the plan is until the very end. At the Beginning Barney demonstrates a tuning fork breaking a glass and later he inserts sonic probes to the wall of the building to simulate an earthquake.

Star Trek Voyager 2:3 Projections

I really enjoyed all of the episodes last week but this one was my favorite. Very creative writing using the holodeck to blur the lines between reality and imagination right up to the very end.

Hart to Hart 3:7 Rhinestone Harts
This show is fun to watch and I like that you don't have to worry about cringing while watching it. Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers do a great job of adding elegance and sophistication to what would otherwise be just another 80s crime drama. Jonathan's record company signs a country and western singer and they have a country themed party at the mansion to kickoff her tour complete with Max's chili so hot it can melt a spoon. Jennifer wears one of the singers rhinestone outfits to the party that happens to have real diamond rhinestones that are stolen. Shout has done a really good job with this set and the picture and audio are great.
 
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