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

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

October 8th 2018 - January 14th 2019:

Dark Shadows: Episodes # 710 - #715 (1969) DVD
Perry Mason: "The Case of the Fiery Fingers" (Season 1, Episode 31, 1958) DVD
Perry Mason: "The Case of the Substitute Face" (Season 1, Episode 32, 1958) DVD
Perry Mason: "The Case of the Long-Legged Models" (Season 1, Episode 33, 1958) DVD
Perry Mason: "The Case of the Gilded Lily" (Season 1, Episode 34, 1958) DVD
Perry Mason: "The Case of the Lazy Lover" (Season 1, Episode 35, 1958) DVD
Perry Mason: "The Case of the Prodigal Parent" (Season 1, Episode 36, 1958) DVD
Perry Mason: "The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde" (Season 1, Episode 37, 1958) DVD
Perry Mason: "The Case of the Terrified Typist" (Season 1, Episode 38, 1958) DVD
The Fugitive: "The Garden House" (Season 1, Episode 16, 1963) DVD
The Fugitive: "Come Watch Me Die" (Season 1, Episode 17, 1964) DVD
The Fugitive: "Where the Action Is" (Season 1, Episode 18, 1964) DVD
The Fugitive: "Search in a Windy City" (Season 1, Episode 19, 1964) DVD
The Fugitive: "Bloodline" (Season 1, Episode 20, 1964) DVD
The Fugitive: "Rat in a Corner" (Season 1, Episode 21, 1964) DVD
The Fugitive: "Angels Travel on Lonely Roads, Part 1" (Season 1, Episode 22, 1964) DVD
The Fugitive: "Angels Travel on Lonely Roads, Part 2" (Season 1, Episode 23, 1964) DVD
The Fugitive: "Flight From the Final Demon" (Season 1, Episode 24, 1964) DVD
The Fugitive: "Taps for a Dead War" (Season 1, Episode 25, 1964) DVD
The Outer Limits: "The Zanti Misfits" (Season 1, Episode 14, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "The Mice" (Season 1, Episode 15, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "Controlled Experiment" (Season 1, Episode 16, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "Don't Open 'Til Doomsday" (Season 1, Episode 17, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "ZZZZZ" (Season 1, Episode 18, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "The Invisibles" (Season 1, Episode 19, 1964) Blu-ray
Gumby: "Gumby Business" (Season 1, Episode 12, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "The Mocking Monkey" (Season 1, Episode 13, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "The Magic Wand" (Season 1, Episode 14, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "The Pokey Express" (Season 1, Episode 15, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "The Racing Game" (Season 1, Episode 16, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "Rain Spirits" (Season 1, Episode 17, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "Toying Around" (Season 1, Episode 18, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "In the Dough" (Season 1, Episode 19, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "Tree Trouble" (Season 1, Episode 20, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "Train Trouble" (Season 1, Episode 21, 1956) DVD
Gumby: "In a Fix" (Season 1, Episode 22, 1956) DVD
Coronet Blue: "The Rebels" (Episode 11 in production order, 1967) DVD
Coronet Blue: "Saturday" (Episode 12 in production order, 1967) DVD
Coronet Blue: "Presence of Evil" (Episode 13 in production order, 1967) DVD
The Immortal: "Man on a Punched Card" (Episode 6, 1970) DVD
The Immortal: "White Horse, Steel Horse" (Episode 7, 1970) DVD
The Immortal: "The Queen's Gambit" (Episode 8, 1970) DVD
The Immortal: "By Gift of Chance" (Episode 9, 1970) DVD
The Immortal: "Dead Man, Dead Man" (Episode 10, 1970) DVD
The Immortal: "Paradise Bay" (Episode 11, 1970) DVD
The Immortal: "The Return" (Episode 12, 1970) DVD
The Immortal: "To the Gods Alone" (Episode 13, 1970) DVD
The Immortal: "Sanctuary" (Episode 14, 1971) DVD
Twin Peaks (complete series, 1990-91) Streaming
Batman: "King Tut's Coup" (Season 2, Episode 53, 1967) DVD
Batman: "Batman's Waterloo" (Season 2, Episode 54, 1967) DVD
The Andy Griffith Show: "The Inspector" (Season 1, Episode 25, 1961) Streaming
The Andy Griffith Show: "Ellie Saves a Female" (Season 1, Episode 26, 1961) Streaming
The Andy Griffith Show: "Andy Forecloses" (Season 1, Episode 27, 1961) Streaming
The Andy Griffith Show: "Quiet Sam" (Season 1, Episode 28, 1961) Streaming
WKRP in Cincinnati: "Turkeys Away" (Season 1, Episode 7, 1978) DVD
Barney Miller: "Thanksgiving Story" (Season 4, Episode 9, 1977) DVD
The Twilight Zone: "Night of the Meek" (Season 2, Episode 11, 1960) DVD
Mystery Science Theater 3000: "Santa Claus" (Season 5, Episode 21, 1993) DVD
The Avengers: "Too Many Christmas Trees" (Season 4, Episode 13, 1965) DVD
Dragnet: "A .22 Rifle for Christmas" (Season 2, Episode 7, 1952) DVD
Mr. Novak: "First Year, First Day" (Season 1, Episode 1, 1963) MOD DVD-R
Mr. Novak: "To Lodge and Dislodge" (Season 1, Episode 2, 1963) MOD DVD-R
Mr. Novak: "I Don't Even Live Here" (Season 1, Episode 3, 1963) MOD DVD-R
Mr. Novak: "X Is the Unknown Factor" (Season 1, Episode 4, 1963) MOD DVD-R
Mr. Novak: "A Single Isolated Incident" (Season 1, Episode 5, 1963) MOD DVD-R
Leave It to Beaver: "Ward's Millions" (Season 4, Episode 16, 1961) DVD
Leave It to Beaver: "Beaver's Secret Life" (Season 4, Episode 17, 1961) DVD
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973, TV Special) DVD
Thanksgiving with The King Family (1967, TV Special) DVD
The Great Santa Claus Switch (1970, TV Special) Streaming
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964, TV Special) DVD
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (1970, TV Special) DVD
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965, TV Special) DVD
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966, TV Special) DVD

 

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

As of the beginning of this year, I watched...
The Bad News Bears: "The Food Caper" (season 1, episode 7, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Men Will Be Boys" (season 1, episode 8, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Three's a Crowd" (season 1, episode 9, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Save the Bears" (season 1, episode 10, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Dance Fever" (season 1, episode 11, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Fielder's Choice" (season 1, episode 12, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Matched Set" (season 2, episode 8, 1980) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Old Timers' Day" (season 2, episode 9, 1980) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Scrambled Eggs" (season 2, episode 10, 1980) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Double Play" (season 2, episode 11, 1980) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "The Good Life" (season 2, episode 12, never aired) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "The Pride of the Bears" (season 2, episode 13, never aired) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "The Headless Ghost of MacKintosh Manor" (season 2, episode 14, never aired) DVD
Longstreet: "The Old Team Spirit" (episode 13, 1971) DVD
Longstreet: "The Long Way Home" (episode 14, 1971) DVD
Longstreet: "Let the Memories Be Happy Ones" (episode 15, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Survival Times Two" (episode 16, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Eye of the Storm" (episode 17, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Please Leave the Wreck for Others to Enjoy" (episode 18, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Anatomy of a Mayday" (episode 19, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Sad Songs and Other Conversations" (episode 20, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Field of Honor" (episode 21, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Through Shattering Glass" (episode 22, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "The Sound of Money Talking" (episode 23, 1972) DVD

~Ben

 

[Doug Wallen]

Dan August - Complete Series
The Murder Of A Small Town (1.2) Ricardo Montalban, John Marley, Anna Novarro. A tragic bus accident occurs and inflames a town coping with enforced bussing as well as racial tensions among the Hispanic community. A young girl dies and it appears to be murder. Can Dan keep a lid on the political unrest long enough to discover the truth. Another strong performance from Ricardo Montalban as the labor leader.
Love Is A Nickel Bag (1.3) Don Dubbins, June Dayton, Annette O'Toole, Brad David. A party gone wrong, Drugs are involved causing an overdose due to extraordinarily pure heroin. In order to find the pusher, Dan takes a young addict to his home and monitors the teens progress during withdrawal. He eventually determines the ID of the pusher. the Dr. states that the teen can only stay straight if he decides to.
The King Is Dead (1.4) Dabney Coleman, Fred Beir, Janice Rule, Jane Elliott, Richard Van Fleet. A rich man is murdered and suspicion falls on the wife, or brother or the wifes's lover. Dan must puzzle out who killed his collegiate benefactor ( who is coming across more and more as a mean SOB).
In The Eyes Of God (1.5) Bradford Dillman, James Best, Donna Mills, Joshua Bryant, Thomas Gomez. A priest is killed in the confessional. A former priest has pertinent information. Can Dan pry the information from the fallen priest. Can a citizen actually be too much help???

The High Chaparral - Season 1
The Peacemaker (1.25) Victor Jory, Barbara Hershey, Paul Fix. Blue feels he is treated as a "kid" by the adults, especially his father. He is fed up and asks for his wages and leaves the Chaparral. he crosses paths with the Army on a peace mission and is hired by the Peacemaker as a guide/escort. As the story progresses; Blue falls in love, tries to understand what the peacemaker is really after and realizes that the demands of Cochise will not be accepted by Big John. Blue and his father do come to mutual terms after a suprise Indian raid. Only thing marring this episode is the standard 60's edict about love stories and tragic endings.

Gunsmoke - Season 5
Hinka Do (5.21) Nina Varela, Walter Burke. A change is sweeping in at the Lady Gay saloon. This is an attempt at a comic episode that falls flat for me. A couple of interesting bits, especially of Matt handcuffing the saloon's current owner. Other than that not much to recommend about this one.
Doc Judge (5.22) Barry Atwater, Dabbs Greer, Dennis Cross. This is a Doc and Chester story. I really like when this show portrays characters with the proper emotional undertone. Doc and Chester generally seem out of sorts with each other. This episode shows them enjoying supper together. Doc is challenged by a just released prisoner and Chester goes into mother hen mode since Matt is out of town. the more Chester thinks about the meeting, the more he feels he needs to provide protection. Turns out Chester was right. There is a great scene in the closing minutes that neatly underscores the affection Doc has for Chester and vice versa. Well played by Dennis Weaver and Milburn Stone. Excellent episode.
Moo Moo Raid (5.23) Raymond Hatton, Lane Bradford, Robert Karnes. Onie has a swimming cow used by cattlemen to help herd's cross the river as they head to Dodge to be sold. Onie and the cow are missing and one group of cowboy's accuse the competition of foul play. Where is Onie? Will the drovers kill each other? Can Matt and Chester figure this all out?
Kitty's Killing (5.24) Abraham Soafer, John Pickard, Clem Fuller. An angry man shows up requesting to be jailed so he will not kill Ollie Radford (former son-in-law whom he blames for his daughter's death). Kitty is taken since she knows Radford's whereabouts. She leads Leech through the back streets of Dodge and then fights him.
Jailbait Janet (5.25) John Larch, Nan Peterson, Bartlett Robinson, John Lormer, Steven Terrell. A farming family lost their crops due to train sparks destroying their fields. In order to set things right, the family robs the train of its payroll. During the robbery, a train agent was killed. Matt and Chester find the family and arrest them. The children are young and Miss Kitty takes the daughter into her custody. The Railroad's representative is stirring up trouble by making suggestions about Matt and the underage daughter. Sympathy for the farmers is evident.
Unwanted Deputy (5.26) Charles Aidman. A revenge tale. Charles Aidman is playing against type as a gunslinger. He shows up in Dodge because Matt killed his brother. He makes himself available to help out while Matt is not around and makes himself useful. He is just trying to goad Matt into drawing into a fair fight. Not neccessarily bad, just not very good.
Where'd They Go? (5.27) Jack Elam, Dabbs Greer, Betty Harford. Comic episode from the start. Mr. Jonas is robbed. Matt and Chester take off after the named suspect. Arriving at his home on the coldest day of the year, they are coerced into helping with chores because the wife is expecting and her husband doesn't want to leave her with problems while he is in jail. He finally gets all of the chores done before matt finds out that he is not actually the thief. Veery good episode to end the disc with.

Perry Mason - Season 6
The Case Of The Surplus Suitor (6.19) Walter Pidgeon, Joyce Bulifant, Linden Chiles, James Best, Hayden Rorke. Hollis Wilburn's main problem is deciding between two beaus who are also after a franchise from her uncle. Her problems grow when her uncle is first blackmailed and then murdered. Being in line to inherit his estate, she is charged.
The Case Of The Golden Oranges (6.20) Arthur Hunnicut, Natalie Trundy, Arch Johnson, Lee Van Cleef. Sandra Keller has given permission to a development firm to take possession of her grandfather's orange orchard but her grandfather, Amos "Kenesaw Mountain" Keller, changes his mind at the last minute and refuses to give them possession. Several people have considerable sums invested in the project and they stand to lose everything if it doesn't go forward. Keller's land is required for sufficient parking. It all ends up in court with Perry Mason suggested by architect James Wheeler to represent her and her grandfather. Best episode on this disc due to Arthur Hunnicut's characterization of a storyteller.
The Case Of The Lawful Lazarus (6.21) David McClean, Maria Palmer, Max Showalter, Irene Hervey. Trevor Harris returns to Los Angeles after a lengthy absence and decides to visit his wife only to find that she is seriously ill in the hospital. He also finds that two years before, she had him declared legally dead. He had left 10 years ago and had never been in contact, not even to send birthday messages to his two young children. After his wife dies, he asks Perry Mason to intervene in the custody of his children. He doesn't want custody for himself but feels Jill Garson would be the best candidate. The children are set to inherit $150 million and Harris' interference doesn't sit well with Edgar Thorne who manages their huge business empire. During a family meeting, Harris explains his wishes but Thorne tells him that he has convincing proof that Harris embezzled $50,000 from the company in a white envelope in his safe. A case I wasn't very invested in. An absentee father showing up after 10 years. Ugh!!!
The Case Of The Velvet Claws (6.22) Patricia Barry, James Philbrook, Virginia Gregg, Wynn Pearce, Anna-Lisa. Eva Belter seeks Perry Mason's assistance when she learns that someone has photographed her leaving an illegal gambling club with well-known politician Harrison Burke. She's not using her real name and wants Perry to deal with Spicy Bits magazine who she fears will publish the photos. Perry sees through her ruse and agrees to represent her. He has his own reasons for disliking Spicy Bits - a client of his committed suicide a year ago after they ran a story on him - but even he is shocked when he learns that Eva is married to George Belter, who secretly owns the magazine. Eva is something of a flirt and certainly does her best to work her charms on Perry, much to Della Street's annoyance. Most duplicitous client ever. Had a hard time getting through this one. She treated Perry horribly.

 

[JohnHopper]

The Outer Limits: "The Zanti Misfits" (Season 1, Episode 14, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "The Mice" (Season 1, Episode 15, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "Controlled Experiment" (Season 1, Episode 16, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "Don't Open 'Til Doomsday" (Season 1, Episode 17, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "ZZZZZ" (Season 1, Episode 18, 1964) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: "The Invisibles" (Season 1, Episode 19, 1964) Blu-ray

The best of the bunch remains "The Invisibles" because of the plot and the cast of characters.

The Avengers: "Too Many Christmas Trees" (Season 4, Episode 13, 1965) DVD

Good episode dealing with dream and manipulation.

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 8

Episode #6
“Hostage for Hanging”
written by Walter Black
directed by Herman Hoffman
music composed and conducted by John Green
guests: Mercedes McCambridge, Warren Oates, Robert Blake, Sharon Farrell, Hal Baylor (uncredited), Robert Beecher (uncredited)

Yates rides to the Gufler farm to get the fresh horses he used to partly pay for. When Yates realizes the horses are lousy, Jesse (actor Warren Oates), one of the sons of Mrs. Gufler (actress Mercedes McCambridge), hits him in the rear. She sends her son Max (actor Robert Blake) to the camp to claim a ransom of $3,000. The men from the outfit will do their best to free Yates and to save him from hanging.

It’s a semi funny degenerate peckerwood family ransom plot and a solo Yates adventure. Yates tries to escape twice from the evil family but he fails to be branded by Jesse (actor Warren Oates). The Yates versus the country family plot was already used during season 6: see “Incident of the Rawhiders”. Oddly enough, hanged Yates foreshadows his character from Ted Post’s feature film Hang’Em High. Jed Colby leads the outfit and Ian Cabot is absent. John Green’s score is strong.

Actress Mercedes McCambridge returns from the season 4 “The Greedy Town” and this marks her last of his four appearences. Actors Warren Oates (“The Race”), Robert Blake (“The Winter Soldier”) and Hal Baylor (“Prairie Fire”) return from season 7.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Petticoat Junction - 1.3 "The President Who Came to Dinner"
Another charming episode, as railroad president Norman Curtis (Roy Roberts) is mistaken by the residents as a hobo. Curtis has come to Hooterville to shut down the Cannonball for good, but instead is bewitched by the kindness of the locals, the slow pace of life - and in particular, Kate's cooking.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
2.13 "The Monster from Outer Space"
The boilerplate title says it all. The Seaview crew deal with some kind of weird hairy red balloon monster that hitched a ride on an unmanned spacecraft. The beastie can shrink or grow at will and can take over human minds in a sort of vampiric, hive mind manner.

It took me a while to become engaged in this episode, but eventually things started to click. There is still something...I don't know...a little dull about this show. I've been trying to put my finger on what it is, aside from the generally juvenile and simplistic nature of the plots and dialogue. I think it partly comes down to Richard Baseheart as Nelson. He's kind of a damp squib as a series lead. A good actor, no doubt, but he just doesn't strike me as right for the part, somehow. I think this show really needed someone more charismatic, bombastic, more commanding, to balance out the silliness. Baseheart is, IMO, too interior, too quiet, too contained. This worked fine for the more down-to-earth, serious first season, but these season two episodes need someone with a bit more "oomph." All I can say is this is one series I loved as a kid but struggle with as an adult. Will keep trying...

The Wild Wild West - 1.6 "The Night of a Thousand Eyes"
Now this is a show that I absolutely adored as a teen and still love to this day. I've seen the black-and-white episodes of this show far less often than the three color seasons. While I tend to prefer the color episodes, these first season ones are still very good. They also have a slightly sexier vibe to them...at least, this one surely does. Lots of feminine pulchritude on display here, nearly all femmes fatales:


Diane McBain


Janine Gray


Jeanne Vaughn


Linda Ho.

Jeff Corey turns in a lively performance as the blind big bad, whose get rich quick scheme is mad, ruthless and - for the time this story is set - almost plausible. Conrad gets his shirt off yet again, but this is one of the rare episodes where Ross Martin's Artie doesn't wear a disguise. He does get a nice smooch from statuesque bad girl, Diane McBain, though. Conrad gets to channel James Bond even more than usual, as he saunters into a casino, flirts with the doe-eyed croupier (Gray) and fights off a handful of assassins.

Tightrope, episode 4
Martin's father is detained by the police for a supposed sabotage attempt on the nearby air base. The mystery continues to deepen and I still have no clear idea what is going on or who exactly the bad guys are...but I'm still intrigued.

A Man Called Shenandoah - 1.1 "The Onslaught"
My DVD set of this late-period 30-minute western finally arrived and I was able to check out the pilot episode. The transfers look crisp and clean, and the black- and-white cinematography really pops. Good old Richard Devon guns down our hero, Robert Fuller, and leaves him for dead. He's nursed back to health by a kindly doctor and recuperates in sultry saloon girl Beverly Garland's room. When he awakes, he can't remember his name or background...but, fortunately, he does remember how to quick draw a pistol to blow the baddie away.

Good start to the series. Fuller, with his craggy face and sensitive voice and bearing, makes for an interesting, spiky lead (and he does a good job warbling out the theme tune). Beverly Garland is good as always, but isn't given much of a character to work with; it would have been nice to have squeezed in a few more minutes to develop her relationship with "Shenandoah" more fully.

Shenandoah arrived in a big care package with a bunch of other DVD sets, including The Immortal, Dan August, The High Chaparral and a few others. Will be checking those shows out real soon...

 

[morasp]

As of the beginning of this year, I watched...
The Bad News Bears: "The Food Caper" (season 1, episode 7, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Men Will Be Boys" (season 1, episode 8, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Three's a Crowd" (season 1, episode 9, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Save the Bears" (season 1, episode 10, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Dance Fever" (season 1, episode 11, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Fielder's Choice" (season 1, episode 12, 1979) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Matched Set" (season 2, episode 8, 1980) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Old Timers' Day" (season 2, episode 9, 1980) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Scrambled Eggs" (season 2, episode 10, 1980) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "Double Play" (season 2, episode 11, 1980) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "The Good Life" (season 2, episode 12, never aired) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "The Pride of the Bears" (season 2, episode 13, never aired) DVD
The Bad News Bears: "The Headless Ghost of MacKintosh Manor" (season 2, episode 14, never aired) DVD
Longstreet: "The Old Team Spirit" (episode 13, 1971) DVD
Longstreet: "The Long Way Home" (episode 14, 1971) DVD
Longstreet: "Let the Memories Be Happy Ones" (episode 15, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Survival Times Two" (episode 16, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Eye of the Storm" (episode 17, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Please Leave the Wreck for Others to Enjoy" (episode 18, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Anatomy of a Mayday" (episode 19, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Sad Songs and Other Conversations" (episode 20, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Field of Honor" (episode 21, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "Through Shattering Glass" (episode 22, 1972) DVD
Longstreet: "The Sound of Money Talking" (episode 23, 1972) DVD

~Ben

I was curious what your thoughts on the Longstreet set was? I watched it growing up and have fond memories of it but haven't purchased it yet.

 

[JohnHopper]

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
2.13 "The Monster from Outer Space"
The boilerplate title says it all. The Seaview crew deal with some kind of weird hairy red balloon monster that hitched a ride on an unmanned spacecraft. The beastie can shrink or grow at will and can take over human minds in a sort of vampiric, hive mind manner.

It took me a while to become engaged in this episode, but eventually things started to click. There is still something...I don't know...a little dull about this show. I've been trying to put my finger on what it is, aside from the generally juvenile and simplistic nature of the plots and dialogue. I think it partly comes down to Richard Baseheart as Nelson. He's kind of a damp squib as a series lead. A good actor, no doubt, but he just doesn't strike me as right for the part, somehow. I think this show really needed someone more charismatic, bombastic, more commanding, to balance out the silliness. Baseheart is, IMO, too interior, too quiet, too contained. This worked fine for the more down-to-earth, serious first season, but these season two episodes need someone with a bit more "oomph." All I can say is this is one I loved as a kid but struggle with as an adult. Will keep trying...

The Wild Wild West - 1.6 "The Night of a Thousand Eyes"
Now this is a show that I absolutely adored as a teen and still love to this day. I've seen the black-and-white episodes of this show far less often than the three color seasons. While I tend to prefer the color episodes, these first season ones are still very good. They also have a slightly sexier vibe to them...at least, this one surely does. Lots of feminine pulchritude on display here, nearly all femmes fatales: Diane McBain, Janine Gray, Jeanne Vaughn, and the stunning Linda Ho.

The Voyage episode exploits the old Invasion of the Body Snatchers gimmick: contaminated and soul-less people working like plants to invade society, fear of replacement, the loss of identity. The scene with Crane is exemplary when the monster tries to absorb him and he resists at all cost. The monster is a rework from the season 1 “The Price of Doom”. That invading monster plot will become the basis for the season 3 and 4 to come … Prepare to dive, Mr. Morton!

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Preview - S02E13 Monster from Outer Space
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhrtW12-WmI

The West episode is minor but salvaged by the ladies and Jeff Corey's bigger-than-life performance.
It's strange that this episode look cheap because it was directed by the pilot's director.

 

[bmasters9]

Shenandoah arrived in a big care package with a bunch of other DVD sets, including The Immortal, Dan August, The High Chaparral and a few others. Will be checking those shows out real soon...

Looks like you'll have a good-and-plenty to see and enjoy!

 

[JohnHopper]

I was curious what your thoughts on the Longstreet set was? I watched it growing up and have fond memories of it but haven't purchased it yet.

The episodes are not restored so the image is soft and have no English subtitles.

 

[bmasters9]

The episodes are not restored so the image is soft and have no English subtitles.

Why do VEI's releases not have subtitles (of any language, even English)?

 

[Bryan^H]

Why do VEI's releases not have subtitles (of any language, even English)?

The same reason Shout Factory skips them on most of their releases (like The High Chapparal) to save money. Unfortunately it is a feature I love and use often....when available.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

I was curious what your thoughts on the Longstreet set was? I watched it growing up and have fond memories of it but haven't purchased it yet.

The same reason Shout Factory skips them on most of their releases (like The High Chapparal) to save money. Unfortunately it is a feature I love and use often....when available.

Funnily enough, I just checked out both of these releases. The High Chaparral season 1 set, though unfortunately without subtitles, boasts mostly great-looking transfers, which really enhance the terrific Arizona locations. The sound is also crisp and clear. Am very happy with this set overall.

I agree with John H.'s assessment of Longstreet: soft, with slightly dulled colors, but perfectly watchable. Same with The Immortal. Dan August (other than the pilot movie with Christopher George) looks worse than either of those - very soft, especially in long shots. Still very happy to add all of these shows to my collection, and am grateful to VEI for releasing them.

 

[Scott511]

Just went into season 2 of The Six Million Dollar Man German blu ray set. The wife gave me many new series for Christmas, it's going to take awhile to get through the stack.

 

[morasp]

My favorite episode from this round was Promised Land: Christmas.

The Flash Classic 1:2 Out of Control
This is the 1990 version that only ran for one season. John Wesley Shipp does a good job as the Flash. I like how they featured him in the 2014 version of the show. The story was engaging and the special effects were pretty good for 90s TV. One thing I noticed was he doesn't seem to get from point A to point B as quickly as the current version, there were a couple times that he got there just a little late.
Plot from Wikipedia IMDB rating 7.2/10
While Barry and his colleague Julio Mendez investigate the murders of several homeless people whose bodies are being stolen from the crime scenes, Tina reconnects with an old friend, Dr. Carl Tanner, who has recently returned to Central City to retrieve Tina's late husband's research on genetic engineering. Barry and Tina learn that Tanner is using the vagrants in his illegal experiments to create mutations, and upon being confronted, Tanner injects himself with the unfinished serum, turning into a man monster that only the Flash manages to defeat.

Dallas 1:1 Digger's Daughter
This show was a staple for us in the 80s but I hadn't watched the early episodes. After doing a little research on the show I learned that it started as a five season mini series and was popular enough that the network ordered a complete season. This episode introduces the characters and their backgrounds. JR is as conniving as ever from the get go and really makes the episode interesting. Without giving away any spoilers, at the end of the episode he finds out that Pam is no pushover.
Plot from Wikipedia IMDB rating 8.1/10
Bobby Ewing and Pamela Barnes shock their respective families when they reveal they have married. This revelation renews an age-old feud between the two families, and J.R. Ewing, Bobby's older brother, schemes to break them up using ranch hand Ray Krebbs, who once dated Pamela.

Decoy 1.1 Stranglehold
Great 50s crime drama. Purchasing season one of Naked City made me want more 30 minute 50's crime Dramas so I picked up Man with a camera and this 1957 show. Beverly Garland (My Three Sons and Scarecrow and Mrs. King) does an excellent job as Casey Jones a New York City police woman. This was the pilot episode and it had plenty of intrigue and suspense with a pretty clever plot twist at the end.
Plpt from IMDB 7.5/10
Casey moves into a seedy rooming house to try to befriend a woman whose boyfriend is a suspect in a robbery and murder, but she senses that something is not quite right.

Wild Wild West 1.12 The Night of the Human Trigger
Wish Burgess Meredith would have had more appearances he did a great job in this one. They really did some creative writing on this show in this one a mad scientist is able to cause earthquakes. The action is excellent also, the scene in the mine with the rail car was a hoot to watch and as usual the fight scenes are choreographed extremely well for any era but especially the 60's.
Quotes
Orkney Cadwallader: I hate clever men!
Faith Cadwallader: I hate you, father!
Orkney Cadwallader: That's a very healthy symptom, my daughter! When you can transfer those violent emotions from me to a suitable young man, your future happiness will be assured.
Faith Cadwallader: [Exasperated] Father!
Orkney Cadwallader: You know, earlier you were Antigone, and now you've become Electra. You've run the whole gamut of Greek drama!
Plot from IMDB rating 7.2/10
Jim and Arte investigate a rash of earthquakes. They discover a mad scientist named Professor Orkney Cadwallader is using nitroglycerin to set off the disasters.

Touched by and Angel 1:2 Show Me the way Home
I started watching this show after enjoying the Christmas episode of Promised Land and have to say I really like it. My wife quit watching it beacuse all of the episodes try to get you to cry at the end and there is a strong emphasis on people dying so I hadn't watched it much. The thing I like is that each episode makes you think about life issues that you wouldn't normally think about and even when I don't necessarily agree that the conclusion it gets me to think about what my thoughts are on the subject.
Plot from IMDB rating 8.4/10
Monica substitutes at a school for the history teacher, and also becomes the assistant coach for the baseball team. A student on the baseball team needs help with his game. Monica tries to help him as well as the stubborn coach.

Airwolf 1.9 Mad Over Miami
This is from the Mill Creek Blu-ray set and the picture and sound are outstanding. This show started out very strong but fell apart in the later seasons. USA commissioned season four to be made by a Canadian company and the picture isn't as good as the other three and features Barry Van Dyke in the lead role. I like Barry from Diagnosis Murder and he does a credible job. The episodes are good but not as good as the earlier seasons. This episode from season one was very engaging made even more enjoyable by the excellent clarity.
Plot from Wikipedia IMDB rating 7.0/10
Santini goes on a mission to deliver $2 million dollars raised by Cuban exiles as payment to free comrades who are being held by a Cuban colonel. He is later forced down and kidnapped by a group of mercenaries who also nab the money. A F.I.R.M. listening post confirms Santini's disappearance and Archangel secretly informs Hawke about the incident. Hawke quickly sets out to find his friend while the exiles accuse Santini of stealing the money for himself. Hawke later uncovers The F.I.R.M.'s involvement in hiring the mercenaries for the benefit of the colonel who they are actually in league with.

According to Jim 1.17 Date Night
Picked up the first five seasons of this show when Amazon was selling them for around $5 per set which is pretty cheap for ABC shows. I've read that season one was a little up and down and this episode made me laugh but not the laugh a minute I'm used to. Jim always does something that reminds me of myself and in this episode he's unable to let go of someone stealing the parking spot he wanted at a restaurant.
Plot from IMDB rating 5.4/10
Andy helps Dana with taxes. Dana watches Jim & Cheryl's children while they go on a date. Jim finds a parking place, but before he can park, someone else takes it. Jim is angry and keeps talking about the spot while they eat dinner.

Promised Land 1.11 Christmas
I like anything Gerald McRaney (Major Dad, Simon and Simon) does and he does a great job in this short lived series. Things didn't go the way the Greenes wanted them to this Christmas but they ended up learning some things about themselves and helped some people along the way. It was a nice ending the way they tied two separate plot threads together. This episode included Robert Guillaume (Benson) and Mary McDonough (The Waltons) as Claire's mother.
Plot from IMDB
Claire goes home for Christmas after receiving a letter from her favorite grade-school teacher who is dying. She discovers that her mother once had a romantic tryst with the teacher.

Laverne and Shirley 2:1 Drive She Said
Since I didn't watch this show when it originally aired I didn't have any nostalgic connection to it so when MeTV added it to the schedule it had to stand on it's own merits. For the first few episodes I thought it was dumb but kept watching because I like Garry Marshall shows and after a while it really grew on me. This is a really fun light hearted show with a lot of laughs from both physical comedy and subtle nuances in the dialog that come at you really fast so you have to pay attention. Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall have great chemistry on camera, in many scenes it looks like they take a basic premise that the writers came up with and turn it into some great. I really love the energy that they put into this show.
Quotes
Laverne DeFazio: It's like some people have a fear of heights, or water, or the dark.
Andrew 'Squiggy' Squiggman: Well I know about that, Lenny's scared of all those things.
Laverne DeFazio: Then you understand how I feel, right?
Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski: No because even I know how to drive!
Plot from IMDB rating 7.4/10
Shirley wants to buy a car but needs half of Laverne's money to afford it. Laverne refuses to help buy the car and Shirley reveals Laverne's secret fear: she's scared to drive.

The Dick Van Dyke Show 1.4 Washington vs. the Bunny
Don't know why it took me so long to purchase this iconic show from the 60's but I'm glad I finally did. The picture and sound are both excellent. This episode features a dream sequence that shows how talented Dick is when he plays a puppet he really looks like a puppet.
Plot from IMDB rating 7.4/10
Rob is torn between going to Washington, DC on business and attending Ritchie's school play.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

The High Chaparral - 1.1 "Destination Tucson"
Just received the season one set in the mail a few days ago. This is a strong series opener, as John Cannon (Leif Ericson) brings his family to a remote ranch in the Arizona Territory with a dream of building a big cattle empire. His timing is not ideal, as they arrive right in the midst of an Apache uprising, and it soon leads to tragic results. It must have been quite a shock to audiences at the time to see a (seemingly) main character killed off in the pilot. That whole scene was pretty eerie, with the sounds of the crying baby on the wind.

Henry Darrow has just one brief scene, but makes a strong impression as Manolito. Leif Ericson as Big John Cannon is very gruff and not entirely sympathetic, but he's nicely balanced by Cameron Mitchell as the affable, devil-may-care Buck. Fun to see veteran western faces like Don Collier, Roberto Contreras and Rodolfo Acosta in supporting roles (although it seems a bit rich to call Acosta's character simply "Vaquero," i.e. "Cowboy." Doesn't he deserve a name of his own? And for fans of beautiful actresses from the days of classic television, there's the presence of Jacklyn O'Donnell, as a VERY pretty saloon girl named Jo, who's quite good in her one brief scene.

The episode ends a bit abruptly, but I like the mildly serialized nature of these opening episodes. Looking forward to digging further into the set.

Dan August - 1.0 - "House on Green Apple Road"
As has been discussed in the Dan August thread, this pilot TV movie with Christopher George in the lead (Burt Reynolds took over when it went to series) looks quite good, much better than the old soft transfers used for the remaining episodes. This is a compelling procedural with a dynamite cast, as Lt. August and his partner (Keenan Wynn, underused) investigate the mysterious disappearance of a nymphomaniac housewife (Janet Leigh).

I've always liked Christopher George and he's good here, more cool and sensitive compared to Burt's more swaggering, smartass take. The case ends up being a sordid little business when all is said and done; Leigh's character is a real piece of work. Also with William Windom, Julie Harris, Tim O'Connor, Barry Sullivan, Walter Pidgeon, Peter Mark Richman, Ed Asner, Paul Fix, Joanne Linville and Lynda Day George (looking gorgeous, as usual.)

McMillan and Wife - 3.1 "Death of a Monster...Birth of a Legend"
Also received the complete series set of this NBC Mystery Movie mainstay. In this season three opener, Mac and co. head to a Scottish castle to visit his uncle the laird, but upon arrival find him dead from apparent suicide, locked in the watchtower. A typically enjoyable romp, with all the usual "old dark house" trimmings: a locked-room murder, dark and stormy nights, legends of ghosts and a monster in the nearby loch, hidden passageways and buried treasure...plus some Highland games! It's all grand, leisurely-paced fun. Susan St. James is just ridiculously cute and perky, and has fantastic chemistry with Rock Hudson. Nancy Walker's character vanishes for large chunks of the running time - not that I'm complaining, as a little of her grating personality goes a long way. With Roddy McDowall (butchering a Scots accent), Roger C. Cartmel and John McLiam.

 

[JohnHopper]

RAWHIDE SEASON 8

Episode #7
“The Vasquez Woman”
written by Boris Ingster and Louis Vittes
directed by Bernard McEveety
music by Richard Shores
guests: Cesare Romero, Carol Lawrence, Malachi Throne, Robert Phillips, Allen Jeffe, Victor French, William Bryant

Jed Colby, Jim Quince and Simon Blake are having lunch when the Mexican army shows up and their leader named Colonel Emilio Vasquez (actor Cesare Romero) offers to buy their 200 heads. Colby is compelled to accept the deal and pockets 40,000 new pesos which is monkey money—Quince calls those bills “those flour sack coupons”. Colby wants to know the value of this currency and rides to the nearest Mexican town of Guadeloupe where he meets a former mercenary named Matthew Baker (actor Malachi Throne) that is now the leader of the Revolutionary ‘Rurales’ who holds the wife (actress Carol Lawrence) of Vasquez prisoner. The Colonel and his men infiltrate the town in disguise to get his wife back.

It’s an interesting Mexican civil war-oriented episode served by Bernie McEveety’s film-making that plays like a Wild Wild West one from season 3 a la “The Night of Jack O’Diamonds/The Night of the Assassin”. Rowdy Yates and Ian Cabot are absent and therefore John Ireland is the center of this adventure that ends up as a tragic love story. Shores’ Latin score is in the vein of The Wild Wild West with various percussions, bass and a brass section. As in “Escort to Doom” (also scored by Richard Shores), the oufit of Yates fight with winchesters an army of warriors. This episode features a number of uncredited actors: Robert Phillips (as Luis) and Allen Jeffe as soldiers of Vasquez, Victor French as a Guadeloupe bartender, William Bryant as a drover.

Actor Cesare Romero returns from the season 6 “Incident at Rio Doloroso” and actor Malachi Throne from the season 7 “El Hombre Bravo”.

 

[Rustifer]

Episode Commentary
The Rifleman
"The Visitor" (S2E18)

Okay, simple question--how many rounds does Chuck Connors super-rapidly fire off from his .44 Winchester in the opening credits? Hint: slow the sequence down--much easier to count. Hint #2--he doesn't empty the full magazine. At the end of it, Chuck sorta breaks the fourth wall by looking directly at the camera as if saying, "Not bad, eh?"

Old ranch owner John Dodd (Ralph Moody, who was the town's Doc in previous episodes) is knocked off by his bad seed son Pete ( Aussie actor Michael Pate) and daughter-in-law as a play to inherit the estate. On her way to settle the ranch business, Dodd's niece--Ann (Christine White)--stops in North Fork to visit Luke as she used to be BFF with Luke's late wife. There ensues a growing attraction between the two that has a level of sweetness that borders on the edge of gag-inducing. Lots of penetrating stares between the two that finally culminates in a lip-smashing kiss. It was inevitable. The usually mononomadic Luke having relations with a female! Alert the media.

Christine White, Michael Pate, Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford

Nonetheless, all this sweetness is eventually offset by Pete and wifey coming to town to discourage Ann's attempt to take over the ranch. Luke catches Pete in the throes of smothering Ann (his apparent method of inducing death), and in the process of beating the crap out of him, witnesses Pete's wife accidentally aerating her husband with a bullet to the back--immediately sending him over the rainbow.

Ann leaves North Fork for the ranch after turning down Luke's efforts to get her to stay--Obviously setting up for a possible future reunion in a later episode. This script was written by Chuck himself.

Randoms:
As a Boston Celtic, Chuck Connors was reported as being the first pro basketball player to shatter the glass of a backboard.

While on vacation in Mexico many many years ago, my mom and dad ran into Chuck in the hotel in which they were all staying. Chuck convinced mom to a dance in the ballroom. At 5'2", she was diminutive to his 6'6'' frame. Dad was not amused.

Johnny Crawford joined the growing list of early 60's series' kids who all wanted to be the next Ricky Nelson. There were scenes of each incongruously appearing with a guitar and warbling a tune. Included: Don Grady of My Three Sons, Paul Peterson of The Donna Reed Show (who actual had a hit, My Dad), along with series sis Shelley Fabares (Johnny Angel). Both Crawford and Grady (each a former Disney Mouseketeer) were actually successful in music careers later in their lives.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Good stuff, Russ! Interesting "randoms" about Chuck Connors, et al.

While The Rifleman is not at the tippy top of my favorite TV westerns list (mainly due to how drippy and whiny lil' Johnny Crawford can get at times...seriously, is this kid really Lucas McCain's son?), Connors is always great in it. The Rifleman opening, however, IS one of my all-time faves...just love Connors' cocky side-eye to the camera...such a badass.

 

[Rustifer]

Good stuff, Russ! Interesting "randoms" about Chuck Connors, et al.

While The Rifleman is not at the tippy top of my favorite TV westerns list (mainly due to how drippy and whiny lil' Johnny Crawford can get at times...seriously, is this kid really Lucas McCain's son?), Connors is always great in it. The Rifleman opening, however, IS one of my all-time faves...just love Connors' cocky side-eye to the camera...such a badass.

"Drippy and whiny" Johnny Crawford--love your descriptors, Jeff! The kid was a bit of a nerfball.