Showing posts with label DVD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DVD. Show all posts

Sunday, August 16, 2015

An "Arresting" Find! :)


Hi Everyone!

Last weekend, I surfed onto a "classic TV" channel which was running a marathon of The Lucy Show, the series Lucille Ball starred in after I Love Lucy. In this show, the wacky redhead plays a cash-strapped widow who's constantly getting tangled up in money-making schemes and other comic predicaments.

I knew that Jack Kelly had appeared in an episode of The Lucy Show. I hit the "info" button on the remote to see if that episode was included in the marathon. Yesss! It was. I'd watched (actually squinted at) the episode on YouTube many moons ago, but this would be the first time I'd see it on a big TV screen.

At last the moment in the marathon arrived. I watched the 1964 episode, "Lucy Makes a Pinch", and it was even more hilarious than I remembered. And, JK was even handsomer. (And in color, too!)

However, the picture quality wasn't that great. Plus, I had to sit through interminable ads for reverse mortgages and adjustable mattresses. So, I went online and found the "The Official Third Season of The Lucy Show" on DVD! Almost faster than I could say "Desilu", the DVD set arrived in my mailbox.

Wow! Each episode is "beautifully restored" (as the box says) and the set includes all kinds of cool special features, like photo galleries and mini-bios of the guest stars--including JK.



And, I had a "ball" making these screen caps! :)

JK plays a police detective named "Bill Baker". He needs a female partner to help him stake-out "Lover's Lane" to catch a bandit named "Green Scarf Louie". Lucy is a meter maid at the station, so guess who's chosen for the stake-out? Lucy gets so flustered at the sight of Detective Baker, she forgets her own phone number!

 
Uh, now, um, what was I writing about? Oh, yes:
 
When Detective Baker arrives to take Lucy on the stake-out, he doesn't recognize her out of uniform. She's wearing a sexy black dress and he'd thought of her as "just one of the boys". (Eyebrow alert! ;>)

 

 Detective Baker (and JK) takes his work very seriously.

 

 Baker shows the meter maid what she'll be wearing during the stake-out: real diamonds (but Lucy isn't in the sky)....

 

 ...and a platinum mink. Baker reminds Lucy that these are only bait to lure Green Scarf Louie into their trap.


And so Baker and Lucy get down to business at Lover's Lane, in a Lincoln Continental convertible no less.
Baker thinks he hears the bandit. Lucy is worried that her partner will put himself in danger going after Green Scarf Louie (the detective has been awarded a medal for going above and beyond the call of duty before).

But, Bill has a different strategy in mind.


He orders Lucy to snuggle up to him, so Louie will think they're sweethearts.  

Lucy seems to get the hang of this "sweethearts" stuff pretty quickly.
 
 (One of the few times JK actually smiles in the episode.)


Suddenly, Baker realizes Louie is near, so he kisses Lucy!


She's so shocked, she accidentally hits the siren button and scares Green Scarf Louie away.

 
 Baker thinks all is lost...

 
 ...But, Lucy convinces him to give the stake-out another try.
 

Another night, another stake-out:

 
Detective Baker is obviously good at his job!
 


 
This stakeout also goes awry (it's The Lucy Show after all), but Bill finally gets the drop on Green Scarf Louie.
 

 
He tells Lucy he'll give her credit for collaring the robber. 


And, he's also taking her to the Policemen's Ball! (Since his usual Saturday night bowling was cancelled.)


As you can see from these pictures, JK looks fantastic. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of The Official Third Season of The Lucy Show so you can hear him as well. When this DVD set was originally released in 2010 it retailed for about $40.00. You can now find it online--brand new and still factory sealed--for a fraction of that price. You might even say it's a steal! ;->

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Easter Greetings and A Fifth Season DVD Announcement! :)


 Greetings Everyone!
 
I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday. I did. The spring sunshine couldn't have been more glorious, and after Easter service this morning I had a great lunch with my family.

More happy news: The Warner Archive Collection has scheduled the release of the fifth and final season of Maverick for April 29. It's available for pre-order in the US right now for $34.95 from WBShop.com

This set is much cheaper than the third and fourth season DVDs, probably because there were only 13 original episodes in the fifth season. When they first aired in 1962, the season was filled out with repeats of episodes co-starring James Garner, who had long since left Maverick.

Never fear, though: Warners has finally put Jack Kelly ALONE on the cover:
More information is available at TVShowsOnDVD.

Incidentally, Paul Mavis gave the Maverick fourth season DVD set an incredibly fair and insightful (and lavishly illustrated!) review on the DVDTalk website. The fifth season set probably won't fare so well--even I realize that the storylines and JK were getting stretched pretty thin by the time Bart Maverick walked into TV history at the end of "One of Our Trains is Missing". But there are still some little delights such as "Three Queens Full" (the Bonanza spoof) in this season. And, hey, it's got Jack Kelly, and JUST Jack Kelly, as Maverick, so I'm not complaining. :)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

BREAKING NEWS! :)

Howdy!

A long-awaited Jack Kelly gem has just been released on newly remastered DVD by Warner Archive:

FBI Code 98



The synopsis from Warner Archive: "Robert Cannon (Jack Kelly), Fred Vitale (Ray Danton) and Alan Nichols (Andrew Duggan), three men vital to America’s missile program, are en route to Cape Canaveral when a bomb is discovered in a suitcase. Defused by Vitale, the device is turned over to the FBI, which takes charge of the investigation. Assigned to determine if it’s a case of sabotage or attempted murder, Inspector Leroy Gifford (Philip Carey) and his squad race to track down the bomber before he can strike again. Originally shot as a TV pilot, FBI Code 98 was based on a book by the film’s writer/producer, former police reporter Stanley Niss. Produced with the cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Code 98 was released in theaters instead, making its U.S. debut one year before Warner Bros. revisited the premise with the long-running TV series The F.B.I., which aired on ABC from 1965 to 1974."

The Warner Archive site also has a preview clip.

I've already ordered my copy and it's scheduled to arrive the same day as my copy of the second season of Maverick, which was released today (4/23) by Warner Home Video. ;->

Expect a full report after I've viewed JK in FBI Code 98. :)

Thursday, June 14, 2012

BREAKING NEWS: "Ghost Story/Circle of Fear" on DVD!

Hey!


I just discovered that all 23 episodes of Ghost Story (later Circle of Fear), the spine-chilling 1972-'73 TV series, have been remastered from 35mm prints and released on DVD. That includes the episode "The Dead We Leave Behind," which co-starred Jack Kelly.  The series can be ordered online from the Warner Bros ShopAmazon and other outlets. 

Monday, June 4, 2012

Maverick is Here! :)



Maverick - The Complete First Season, that is! :)

My 7-DVD set arrived today. I popped the second DVD into the player and was greeted with the menu, scored with the jaunty Maverick theme song.

Naturally, I selected the "Hostage!" episode (since it's the first one in which Jack Kelly appeared) and JK appeared on the screen. But, I couldn't hear him. 

Actually, I could sort of hear something, a bunch of faint "waa waa waa waa" noises that made everyone in the scene sound like Charlie Brown's unseen teacher on the Peanuts cartoons.

I wanted to see and hear JK. I couldn't figure out what was going on. The menu music played okay--why couldn't I hear the episode?

I tried the disc in my computer and the sound worked fine. So, I played with the DVD player set-up menu and discovered that the "waa waas" were coming from the sub-woofer (I've always wondered what that is). I simply had to change the sound from "stereo" to "mono". Voila! I could hear JK speak.

I'm not sure why the Maverick DVDs had this aural quirk. I have  several other classic TV shows on DVDs and none of them have acted like this. Well, I'm just glad I didn't have to return Maverick as defective. 


Aside from that little hiccup, I give this set a big thumb's up. The only real extra is a booklet--well, a pamphlet really--with some small pictures, episode details, and thumbnail plot descriptions. But, it's a thrill just to finally have the first season of Maverick on DVD. I may start spending the dinner hour with Bart and Bret again, just as I did when I began watching the show on the Encore Westerns channel back in 2009.  :)  

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Maverick Madness! :)

Howdy!

The complete first season of Maverick is now officially on DVD and the glowing reviews are rolling in. For example, the "DVD Talk" website gives the set a "Highly Recommended" rating, along with an outstanding review that not only features photos of Jack Kelly and James Garner, but also mentions JK very favorably. :)



And, a little bird told me that Linda J. Alexander, author of the wonderful A Maverick Life - The Jack Kelly Story, will discuss the book and its subject on "TV Confidential", an online radio program about television hosted by Ed Robertson. Should be fun, as Mr. Robertson also authored a book about the Maverick TV series. Click here for the show's blog, which includes schedule information and even some cool videos showcasing JK. Enjoy! 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

BREAKING NEWS - "Maverick" DVD Cover Art! :)



Howdy!


TVShowsOnDVD has posted the cover art for the upcoming Maverick first season DVD. It looks like the cover is short one Maverick, however. :(


NOTE: The TVShowsOnDVD site originally stated that the DVD set would contain extras such as audio commentary and a featurette, but later issued a correction, saying this was in error. The DVD set will contain: DVDs. But, with JK on those DVDs, who needs extras? ;-)


STAY TUNED! :)

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

BREAKING NEWS: "MAVERICK" ON DVD!!! :)

Couldn't ask for a better Valentine's Day present:

I just saw it announced on "TVShowsOnDVD" that the entire first season of Maverick will FINALLY be released on DVD "just in time for Father's Day" on May 29, at the "priced to own" cost of $39.98! The official press release from Warner Home Video is here.

Watch "TDS" for further updates!

As my old Pappy might have said, "This is great news--I just wonder what took them so darn long?" ;-)

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Jack Kelly: JK on Upcoming DVD! :)

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to give you a "heads up" about the upcoming DVD release of the complete 1975-'76 Ellery Queen TV series on September 28. Jack Kelly guest-starred in the episode "The Adventure of the Lover's Leap" along with his Forbidden Planet co-star Anne Francis.

Click here for more info and a couple of preview videos for the 6-disc set.