What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (4 Viewers)

[JohnHopper]

It's amusing to realize that I watch series from my childhood (late 1950's to late 70's) and new shows from the past that I haven't known before. They produced so many series, anthologies, telefilms back then. Thanks to DVD, I can discover forgotten gems.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Lots of good stuff being watched upthread!

Cracked open my new The Zoo Gang blu-ray set and watched the first 2 episodes, "Revenge: Post-Dated" and 'Mindless Murder." Both were highly enjoyable, especially the first, which sets up this short-lived 1974 ITC series' premise. Four middle-aged friends are former members of an allied resistance group that fought the Nazi's in France during WWII. They're called the Zoo Gang because each has an animal code name: John Mills is "The Elephant," Brian Keith is "The Fox," Barry Morse is "The Tiger," and Lilli Palmer is "The Leopard." The team is reunited when they discover the leader of a criminal gang is the man who betrayed them during the war and led to their imprisonment and torture, and to the murder of The Leopard's husband. The team put their current lives on hold and set out to get revenge on the traitor and bring him to justice. They enjoy getting back in action so much that they decide to keep the team together for the foreseeable future and take on other criminal cases that need their particular set of skills...

The veteran cast all click well together, the scripts are witty, there's some good caper action to enjoy and the show features extensive location filming around the French Riviera. Network's restoration efforts continue to impress, and the region free Blu-Ray transfers are impeccable, exceedingly sharp and colorful. It's a pity only 6 episodes were made.

I've also been working my way through more weird and atmospheric British children TV series from the 1970s. Catweazle is probably the most well known, at least to U.K. audiences, and stars Geoffrey Bayldon as an 11th Century wizard who accidentally transports himself to a farm in 1970. There he befriends the farmer's son, a young man nicknamed Carrot, and the two go on a series of comic adventures in the idyllic summer countryside. The series lasted for two years and is very funny and entertaining once you get attuned to its wavelength (Catweazle speaks in strong medieval dialect and is highly eccentric, to say the least). Bayldon really throws himself into the part and is a delight, and the young actor playing Carrot is also very good. There are a lot of great British character actors who guest star in the series as well, and there's a nice, playful, summer vacation vibe to the whole thing. It shares some DNA with those high-concept sitcoms of the 60s, like My Favorite Martian and Bewitched, but is very British and therefore far stranger.

I'm also about halfway through the 6 part The Clifton House Mystery, a story about an up and coming orchestra conductor who moves his wife and three children into an old house in Bristol. Ghostly shenanigans ensue. Made by HTV, the same regional television production company that made the aforementioned Children of the Stones. The Clifton House Mystery isn't in the same league or as complex as that landmark series, but is definitely worth watching and effectively creepy at times.

Lastly, I watched the first episode of Follow Me, another HTV serial released by Network, about a boy who goes to spend a few weeks with his charming deadbeat sailor dad (Ronald Fraser) and gets involved with a runaway girl (played by Katherine Levy from Children of the Stones) and a nefarious plot. Lots of ships and seabound skullduggery enliven this yarn, more conventional than some of the weird fantasy and sci-fi serials that HTV was famous for, but still diverting stuff.

 

[Ron1973]

Vega$, third-season episode "The Andreas Addiction," OAD Jan. 7, 1981 on ABC:

Someone has a vendetta against Dan Tanna, and spikes his health drink with angel dust and heroin, then takes him captive and chains him. Dan goes just plain bonkers under the effects-- IMO, that was something to see!

Excellent episode. I might still have it on VHS from when I taped it on FX 20+ years ago. Probably not, but I might have to do some looking!

 

[morasp]

King of Queens 1:6 Head First
Carrie is grateful to Doug after he takes her father Arthur with him to the bar. Hoping her gratitude will continue he keeps volunteering to take Arthur places. Arthur played by Jerry Stiller is especially funny in this episode with his total lack of social graces getting them into a bar fight when he messes up someone's pool game.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch 2:3 Dummy for Love
What a zany fun show, I never know what to expect and Salem is hilarious. Sabrina casts a Charlie McCarthy spell on Hilda so anything Sabrina says Hilda says. It's pretty funny when Sabrina is talking to someone else. The picture quality on this set is great.

Scarecrow and Mrs. King 1:6 Always look a gift horse in the mouth
Love Beverly Garland as Amanda's mom in this show. Amanda befriends a queen and helps protect her from being assassinated.


Murder She Wrote 3:13 Crossed Up
This was my favorite episode of the week. It's not easy for a female lead to be assertive without sounding like a witch but Angela Lansbury does an outstanding job. She's always in command of the situation no matter what the circumstances. She spends the entire episode orchestrating an investigation from bed after hearing a murder plot on crossed phone lines during a storm.

Coach 1:6 Gambling for Meat
I didn't watch this show too much on Netflix but I really enjoyed this episode. It's clean, funny, and I like that Shelley Fabares from The Donna Reed show is in it. Luther get's suspended for betting against the team and takes it really hard. Hayden pretends to quit to get him to accept the punishment.

Happy Days 2:5 R.O.T.C.
I like his shows so much I'm thinking about starting Garry Marshall Monday with Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, and Mork and Mindy. Richie get's appointed ROTC squad leader and puts his command on report. Before he turns it in he tears it up and they do well in the presentation march until he gets distracted and they march into the sprinklers.

Emergency Gossip 4:3
It's so nice to be captivated by a medical drama that doesn't have graphic bloody special effects. I didn't really watch this show as much when it was on Netflix and MeTV but I enjoy every episode now that I have the DVDs. One of the nurses is spreading misinformation about a doctor's financial situation and Dixie has to step in.

 

[JohnHopper]

I'm in the missile room of Seaview and currently watching "The Invaders", guest starring Robert Duvall who also play an alien on The Outer Limits episode "The Chameleon".

Funny how I appreciate those Sixties shows shot in black and white that tackle dramatical genres: espionage (The Man from UNCLE, The Wild Wild West), horror (Thriller, ’Way Out), noir (The Fugitive), science-fiction (The Outer Limits, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea), war (Combat!, 12 O’Clock High). Some start in the early Sixties, some in the mid-Sixties and some have only a monochrome first season.

 

[mark-edk]

The Odd Couple 1:4 The Jury Story
I really enjoy the short introductions that Garry Marshall does on these episodes. Garry Marshall comedies are so enjoyable to watch and such a contrast to the Norman Lear developed shows. Felix and Oscar tell their two dates about how they first met on jury duty.

This is the episode that made them re-do the opening credits. Originally the narration said that Felix showed up at the home of 'his childhood friend Oscar Madison'. [FONT=BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, open sans, sans-serif]After deciding that they met on jury duty the word 'childhood' was deleted.[/FONT]

 

[JohnHopper]

From the second set of season 1 of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Amongst my top ten from that set.

“Mutiny”
A good character study on Nelson’s behavior under stress and drug addiction (cortisone) who becomes paranoiac and accuses Crane and the crew of betrayal (mutiny)—Richard Basehart’s tormented performance is noteworthy, especially at the Honolulu military hospital, his obsessive drawnings of the coelenterates and the nervous breakdown caused by Crane who is relieved of his command and disobeys and points a gun at Nelson who loosely reminds the character of Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg (actor Humphrey Bogart) from The Caine Mutiny (1954). Another interesting aspect is the antagonism between two generations of officers: the new breed Crane against the gruff old school Admiral Jiggs Starke (actor Harold J. Stone) who complains to Nelson about Crane’s lax attitude—Crane calls Starke ‘Captain Bligh’ (sic!) which is a reference to the historical event of the Mutiny on the Bounty against Admiral Bligh.

In the end, Crane is attacked by two Admirals. Find another reference to Seaview as a civilian sub after “The Sky is Falling” featuring another problematic Admiral. This is the second giant-sized sea creature after “The Village of Guilt” dealing with abnormal growth due to radiation of the carnotites and the second time, they load the hull with energy of the reactor and emit four charges. The prologue starts inside the sub named Neptune which is absorbed by the Portuguese Man of War—the Neptune is re-decorated Seaview with angular beams in the control room. This is the second episode after “The Fear-Makers” (Cf. Polidor) with a guest sub. On the down side, the escape of Nelson and Fowler in the scuba gears raft uses an old-fashioned rear projection. First episode written by IMF William Read Woodfield.

 

[morasp]

This is the episode that made them re-do the opening credits. Originally the narration said that Felix showed up at the home of 'his childhood friend Oscar Madison'. [FONT=BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, open sans, sans-serif]After deciding that they met on jury duty the word 'childhood' was deleted.[/FONT]

Nice insight. I like all the little details that go along with a program.

 

[Doug Wallen]

The Naked City - Season 1
The Bumper (1.25) Death of Lt. Muldoon (John McEntire)
A Running of Bulls (1.26) Michael Ansara guests
Fallen Star (1.27) Robart Alda
Beyond Truth (1.28) Martin Balsam
Baker's Dozen (1.29) Joseph Ruskin, Richard Jaeckel, Vincent Gardenia - Mob story
The Rebirth (1.30)
Four Sweet Corners (1.31) George Maharis
The Sandman (1.32) Mike Kellin, Will Kuluva

Doctor Who - Tom Baker Bluray
Robot (12.1-4)
The Ark In Space (12.5-8)

 

[bmasters9]

Hardcastle and McCormick, third-season (and series) finale, "A Chip off the Ol' Milt," OAD May 5, 1986 on ABC

One of the best lines of this episode is in a car repo scene, when the judge (in the car being repossessed) backs into the left-hand side of the truck that Mark is driving, and there is quite a crunch...

Both come to blows...

Milt: "Learn how to drive, McCormick!!"

Mark: "I know how to drive-- you learn how to drive!"

Best overall scene, at least IMO, was at the end, when the judge offers to pay for Mark's law-school tuition if Mark can beat him at hoops. I won't spoil how it ends if you haven't seen it before, though.

(Screenshots from VEI third-and-final-season release of Hardcastle and McCormick)

 

[Ron1973]

Jerry Lawler from 1977 giving a speech about Dusty Rhodes. This was right after the jump from WHBQ to WMC. I'm going to upload the whole segment tomorrow to YouTube for any classic wrestling fans in here.

 

[JohnHopper]

“Mutiny”
A good character study on Nelson’s behavior under stress and drug addiction (cortisone) who becomes paranoiac and accuses Crane and the crew of betrayal (mutiny)—Richard Basehart’s tormented performance is noteworthy, especially at the Honolulu military hospital, his obsessive drawnings of the coelenterates and the nervous breakdown caused by Crane who is relieved of his command and disobeys and points a gun at Nelson

Addendum
Richard Basehart’s tormented performance is noteworthy, especially the nervous breakdown caused by Crane
who is relieved of his command and disobeys and points a gun at Nelson who exclaims:

“I… I t… I treated you like a brother. You drew a gun on me. Get out of here! Get out of my sight!”​

 

[morasp]

MASH 4:5 The Late Captain Pierce
This was a very engaging episode even though it didn't have multiple storylines like the show usually does. I really like how this show takes different war time situations and crafts them into a compelling story interlaced with humor. In this one Hawkeye is declared dead due to a clerical error.

JAG 2:5 Crossing the Line
My favorite episode of the week. This one had lots of Top Gun type carrier deck scenes and it's the episode where Bud first meets Harriet. A Female F-14 Tomcat pilot claims sexual Harassment after getting grounded by the CAG. A Woman senator steps in and gets her reinstated but the results confirm the CAG's decision when she crashes during a night carrier deck landing. The picture quality on this episode seemed very good.

Mike Hammer 1:2 Just Around the Coroner
This episode featured Whitney Blake (Hazel) as a guest star. I've only watched one episode of this since purchasing it quite a while ago but it was very good with a fast pace interesting dialog and a neat plot twist at the end. Hammer tries to protect a retired neighbor that just won $7500 from swindlers.

Garry Marshall Monday Laverne and Shirley 1:14 From Suds to Stardom
This episode featured three fun musical segments by Carmine, Lenny and Squiggy, and Laverne and Shirley. The girls can't get into the breweries talent show because Laverne glued the show organizers cheese to her bread. She finally lets them in the show but as a gag act.

Just Shoot Me 2:1 The Experiment
Season one was OK but I liked this episode from season 2 a lot better. It had multiple stories going on and was just funnier. Maya does a story for Blush magazine about good looking people getting jobs over more qualified candidates and ends up dating the good looking one herself. Jack decides to assemble a toy he bought for his kids himself and just as he gets it put together it gets recalled. Dennis and Elliot play a joke on Nina by getting her to be a jack in the box.

Secret Agent Thursday The Six Million Dollar Man 1:2 Survival of the Fittest
Oscar is at the center of peace talks which prompts an attempt on his life. When the plane he and Steve are flying home on crash lands the attackers make their move and Steve has to protect Oscar.

Star Trek Friday Star Trek Enterprise 1:13 Dear Doctor
This episode features doctor Phlox and shows why the prime directive was created as Captain Archer holds the fate of two civilizations in his hands.

Caroline in the City 1:3 Caroline and the Gay Art Show
After watching Jane Doe with Lea Thompson on Hallmark I wanted to watch an episode of this show. Richard is going to display his art at a local gallery but finds out it is only for Gay artists. He plays along until the end when he fesses up losing a $20,000 sale.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Perry Mason - Season 4
The Case of the Treacherous Toupee (4.1) Robert Redford in an early role
The Case of the Credulous Quarry (4.2)
The Case of the Ill-Fated Faker (4.3) Ken Tobey
The Case of the Singular Double (4.4) Harry Townes, Connie Hines - not yet living with Wilbur and Mr. Ed

The Streets of San Francisco - Season 3
I Ain't Marchin' Anymore (3.5) Steve goes undercover to find the killer of a deserter. Don Stroud, Richard Bull, Joshua Bryant
One Chance to Live (3.6) Joanne Linville, Edward Mulhare

 

[morasp]

Perry Mason - Season 4
The Case of the Treacherous Toupee (4.1) Robert Redford in an early role
The Case of the Credulous Quarry (4.2)
The Case of the Ill-Fated Faker (4.3) Ken Tobey
The Case of the Singular Double (4.4) Harry Townes, Connie Hines - not yet living with Wilbur and Mr. Ed

The Streets of San Francisco - Season 3
I Ain't Marchin' Anymore (3.5) Steve goes undercover to find the killer of a deserter. Don Stroud, Richard Bull, Joshua Bryant
One Chance to Live (3.6) Joanne Linville, Edward Mulhare

Can't go wrong with either of those shows.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

I know a lot of the vintage UK TV shows I've been watching and talking about recently are off the beaten track and probably seem fairly esoteric to most members here. But I hope some are inspired to check a few of them out. Most everybody knows about the big guns, like Sherlock Holmes, Upstairs Downstairs, Miss Marple, Blackadder, Doctor Who, et al. Those are amazing shows and I love 'em to death. But there are a ton of little-known gems out there that are also well worth watching, too, that never showed up on PBS. For example:

Hannay, 1.2 "A Point of Honor"

Back in 1978, a new version of John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps was released, starring Robert Powell as Hannay. Ten years later, Powell (who came to fame in the U.K. on Doomwatch, but is more famous to international audiences for playing the lead in Jesus of Nazareth and Roger Daltrey's doomed father in the rock opera, Tommy) returned in this 13-episode series for Thames Television. Hannay is an adventurer who spent years in Africa trying to make his fortune and has now returned to England to look for a bride and settle down - but can't help getting involved in danger and excitement wherever he goes. This episode starts with a very clever conceit: Hannay and a comely female passenger (Geraldine Alexander, from the Joan Hickson Miss Marple story, "Sleeping Murder") meet cute on a train and get mistaken for a newly-married noble couple. They enjoy going along with the masquerade until they discover that the household's servants are actually a gang of vicious jewel thieves, out to steal a diamond necklace from the real lord and lady of the manor. It's up to the redoubtable Hannay to stop them.

I can highly recommend this affordable set, a very entertaining, old-fashioned series, with Powell bringing a nice balance of charm and steel to the part. Also with Kevin Stoney and Terrence Hardiman.

Also finished off Follow Me, episodes 2 through 7.

The baddies' nefarious plan was revealed slowly over the course of several episodes, keeping some good suspense brewing. The final episode features some nice sea-going action as well, and ends on a ironically humorous note. Lots of location filming around Bristol in this one, including plenty of rough weather, heavy rain and even snow. The script and acting were quite good, and, as was the case with most of these so-called "children's dramas," a lot of the scenes focused on the adult actors. Ronald Fraser comes off especially well here, as the well-meaning and capable (if egregiously behind in his child support payments) father of our young hero.

I like how these 70s serial dramas end each episode on a cliffhanger, and most wrap up a complete story in 6, 7 or 13 episodes. You can get a nice sense of closure that way, like finishing a good pulp novel. A most enjoyable little series, and a steal at around $5 from Network's site.

Catweazle - 1.2 "Castle Saburac"

Carrot manages to get the filthy medieval wizard to take a bath, on the promise of teaching him more of his "new magic"...only to be interrupted by the farm's buxom young housekeeper (Marjie Lawrence), who shrieks in horror until Catweazle hypnotizes her to forever "unsee" him. This causes complications for kindly farmhand, Sam (Neil McCarthy), who keeps spotting the wizard but finds no one believes him (or admits to it, in Carrot's case) - shades of Samantha's nosy neighbor, Mrs. Kravitz on Bewitched. The episode ends with Catweazle finally finding a place to call home in this strange new world of modern technology - in this case, an abandoned water tower deep in the neighboring woods, which he dubs Castle Saburac. Unlike a lot of 70s Brit TV shows, which are usually a mix of VT interiors and 16mm filmed exteriors, Catweazle was recorded completely on film, and its subdued, earth-toned color palette adds to its odd, gentle fantasy feel.

The Zoo Gang - 1.3 "African Misfire" (on Blu-Ray)

Another rollicking episode, with a few nice twists along the way. Some ITC fans complain about Michael Petrovich's performances as Manouche's son, George, but I've enjoyed his put-upon demeanor while dealing with the Gang's shenanigans. He has a nice, droll exchange with Lilli Palmer during the auction scene, and his expression at the end of this episode, as he looks at the tape recorder and realizes who is behind his impending arrest of a gang of mercenaries, is priceless. There are some plot holes and inconsistencies here and there, but fans of classic (and indeed modern) TV are used to these kinds of things, and can usually overlook a few logic bumps as long as the story and performances are good...which they are, here.

The main highlight of the episode is the stalwart presence of Kieron Moore (from Darby O'Gill and the Little People, The Day of the Triffids, and Crack in the World), whose last performance this seems to have been; he apparently retired from acting shortly afterwards and got involved with documentary film work for the Catholic church. He fits in easily with the main cast and matches them in charisma and charm. The clarity of the transfers continue to delight, and I find myself distracted from time to time looking at the scenic French Riviera backgrounds, set decorations, and store fronts, between bouts of being blinded by Brian Keith's garish suits. Other than the first episode, which was on one of the Retro Action Blu-Ray volumes, this is my first time watching the series, and this lovingly-restored set is likely the best way to be experiencing it.

 

[Flashgear]

Jeff, thank you for your impressions and reviews of your Brit TV viewing. You are doing a service for the likes of myself for whom these series are obscure, if not completely unknown. You have definitely stirred my interest in several of them, Children of the Stones, Follow Me and The Zoo Gang among them. Especially interested in the latter series for it's HD presentation and location shooting on the Riviera, among other places. It seems rather strange now in retrospect, but many WW2 veterans were only in their 50s in the 1970s, so this scenario was entirely plausible. And how can I resist that cast? The great John Mills, Barry Morse, Brian Keith and Lilli Palmer...I hope good 'ol Brian Keith's '70s wardrobe grotesque doesn't exceed what I already see (and suffer) with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis on my Blu ray set of The Persuaders. I can never revisit Jason King for instance, as Peter Wyngarde's wardrobe atrocities exceed my tolerance for retro absurdity. I find so much of the '70s Mod fashions quite painful to behold. The men are dressed like clowns, though strangely, the ladies still seem to look great, ha, ha.

So, I'm very intrigued and will check out all your recommendations on Amazon UK and Network's own site. My Canadian dollar is not as strong against the Pound Sterling as your U.S. Greenback (or Japanese Yen?), but these all seem very affordable, partly because of their being short run series with low disc counts.

 

[Mysto]

Jeff, thank you for your impressions and reviews of your Brit TV viewing. You are doing a service for the likes of myself for whom these series are obscure, if not completely unknown. You have definitely stirred my interest in several of them, Children of the Stones, Follow Me and The Zoo Gang among them. Especially interested in the latter series for it's HD presentation and location shooting on the Riviera, among other places. It seems rather strange now in retrospect, but many WW2 veterans were only in their 50s in the 1970s, so this scenario was entirely plausible. And how can I resist that cast? The great John Mills, Barry Morse, Brian Keith and Lilli Palmer...I hope good 'ol Brian Keith's '70s wardrobe grotesque doesn't exceed what I already see (and suffer) with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis on my Blu ray set of The Persuaders. I can never revisit Jason King for instance, as Peter Wyngarde's wardrobe atrocities exceed my tolerance for retro absurdity. I find so much of the '70s Mod fashions quite painful to behold. The men are dressed like clowns, though strangely, the ladies still seem to look great, ha, ha.

So, I'm very intrigued and will check out all your recommendations on Amazon UK and Network's own site. My Canadian dollar is not as strong against the Pound Sterling as your U.S. Greenback (or Japanese Yen?), but these all seem very affordable, partly because of their being short run series with low disc counts.

Don't go dissin' the threads man! Yes - I wore some of this stuff.

 

[Flashgear]

So did I, Marv...my most serious transgression was going about in broad daylight wearing a purple suede jacket and with platform shoes that Huggie Bear would have died for. Chicks seemed to dig this though, thus reinforcing all my bad habits, ha, ha...I was a white boy Motown wannabe and loved the hell out of Soul Train, .... R.I.P. the high priest of soul brothers, the great Don Cornelius.

But I do seriously suffer some trauma now in surveying the grotesque wasteland of male fashions in my '70s TV viewing. Real, physical, pain, ha, ha...

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Jeff, thank you for your impressions and reviews of your Brit TV viewing. You are doing a service for the likes of myself for whom these series are obscure, if not completely unknown. You have definitely stirred my interest in several of them, Children of the Stones, Follow Me and The Zoo Gang among them. Especially interested in the latter series for it's HD presentation and location shooting on the Riviera, among other places. It seems rather strange now in retrospect, but many WW2 veterans were only in their 50s in the 1970s, so this scenario was entirely plausible. And how can I resist that cast? The great John Mills, Barry Morse, Brian Keith and Lilli Palmer...I hope good 'ol Brian Keith's '70s wardrobe grotesque doesn't exceed what I already see (and suffer) with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis on my Blu ray set of The Persuaders. I can never revisit Jason King for instance, as Peter Wyngarde's wardrobe atrocities exceed my tolerance for retro absurdity. I find so much of the '70s Mod fashions quite painful to behold. The men are dressed like clowns, though strangely, the ladies still seem to look great, ha, ha.

So, I'm very intrigued and will check out all your recommendations on Amazon UK and Network's own site. My Canadian dollar is not as strong against the Pound Sterling as your U.S. Greenback (or Japanese Yen?), but these all seem very affordable, partly because of their being short run series with low disc counts.

Thank you, Randall! I'm glad if I can turn a few people on to some of these nifty, little-known shows.
I know it sometimes seems like I'm a shill for Network, but they release so much good stuff of this type, and their prices (for DVDs, anyway) are so reasonable, I just can't help but sing their praises.

Please be advised that their recent ITC blu-ray sets, while excellent quality, are not the cheapest...essentially, Network are releasing them in volumes of 4-5 hour long episodes at around 8 pounds a pop (roughly $14 Canadian) - an expensive proposition when they amount to 6 volumes for a series like Department S, Randall and Hopkirk - Deceased or Man in a Suitcase. Basically, Network is using this release strategy to fund their restoration efforts...for myself, a diehard fan of most of the ITC catalog of shows, it's worth the money, but then, the exchange rate is less severe for the yen. They are currently midway through releasing Man in a Suitcase, have just completed Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons in 4 volumes (of 8 episodes each), with Joe 90 and (only strongly rumored so far) Danger Man coming soon. All of the above, it should be noted, are region free.

Other non-ITC blu-ray season sets, such as those for The Professionals, are reasonably priced. I also must reiterate that their DVD sets, while Region 2 PAL, are of generally fine video quality and are often VERY cheap now (and the prices really drop during their biannual sales...in fact, their summer sale should be coming soon.)

Re: The Zoo Gang...since this was a short, 6 episode and done series, Network released it as a 2-disc complete series set for around 16 pounds excluding VAT. Money well spent, judging from my viewing so far. I'd say, if you can handle the suits Moore + Curtis wear in The Persuaders (love that show, btw), then you shouldn't have a problem with Brian Keith's wardrobe in The Zoo Gang. It is a very enjoyable show, and the main cast's ages all jibe pretty well with the WWII era premise. John Mills was around 66 at the time of filming, Lilli Palmer 60, Barry Morse 56 and Brian Keith a hale and hearty 53...all of them old enough to be believable as former soldiers and French Resistance fighters, 30 years on. There are some excellent guest stars in the series as well, aside from the aforementioned Kieron Moore and Walter Gotell...including Ingrid Pitt, Roger Delgado, Peter Cushing, Phillip Madoc, Ferdy Mayne, Jacqueline Pearce, Olaf Pooley and Bernard Kay. It's not hard-hitting drama by any stretch, but it's a breezy, stylish and well-made action-caper type of show with a lot of star power. Not to mention an extremely catchy theme tune, courtesy of Paul and Lynda McCartney. Here's a nice little trailer that captures the flavor and lush restoration of the series:



I know what you mean re: the often outrageous fashion styles of these 70s shows, but personally, it just adds to the period charm for me. I grew up rather detesting the 70s and its entertainment, fashion and music but now pretty much love all of it (save for many of the U.S. sitcoms of the era, which I heartily dislike to this day).