Hunter - The Complete First Season (1984) Review

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(More customer reviews)Nominated for three Emmys, Hunter stands out as one of the premiere action police dramas of the 1980s. Just as Tom Selleck's on-camera charisma carried Magnum, P.I. through nine highly-rated seasons, Fred Dryer's knack for drawing an audience to his unique persona carried an otherwise lackluster series through much of the decade. The brainchild of Frank Lupo, creator of The A-Team (1982) and writer for such hit series as Battlestar Galactica (1978), Magnum, P.I. (1980), and Walker, Texas Ranger (1993), Hunter is built on the clichéd concept of a rogue cop who breaks the rules and takes justice into his own hands. Dryer does well in his role as the Clint Eastwood of the small screen, yet the show's writers give him little to work with in terms of a highly developed character and, as the seasons pass, the plot becomes quite formulaic. Nevertheless, Hunter is pure mind-numbing police chase entertainment with the added element of nostalgia for those who long for the 1980s when Hunter ruled along with The A-Team, Magnum, Miami Vice, and Knight Rider, and I for one loved those shows...!
Hunter follows the life of Los Angeles Police Department detective Sgt. Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer), a renegade cop whose family has ties to organized crime. This family tree, coupled with a penchant for getting his partners injured and a propensity to bend the rules, make Hunter an unpopular guy within the department. Only two officers will even agree to partner with him - Bernie Terwilliger (James Whitmore Jr.), who's a total incompetent, and Dee Dee McCall (Stepfanie Kramer), a stunning brunette with a rebellious streak of her own (and also disliked by her colleagues). Together, Hunter and McCall are a perfect fit as partners, breaking up crime rings, solving murders, and dealing with internal problems such as irate captains. In seasons one and two, Hunter's bosses are a thorn in his side. But both are soon replaced by Capt. Charles Devane (Charles Hallahan) who plays the role of Hunter's by-the-book, yet generally amiable authority figure for the remainder of the series. Meanwhile, original Saturday Night Live cast member Garrett Morris plays a brilliant recurrent role as police informant Arnold "Sporty" James... Overall, Hunter is a solid and highly entertaining action/adventure police drama series, one indispensable to 1980s TV aficionados...The Hunter (Season 1) DVD features a number of action-packed episodes including the two-hour series premiere in which the audience first meets Sgt. Rick Hunter, a mobster's son turned cop who is generally disliked within the LAPD. In this first episode, Hunter tries to investigate a murder, but the case is given to Bernie Terwilliger (the first cop to arrive on the scene), and Hunter is told to back off. With a by-the-book Captain hot on his heels, Hunter partners with feisty Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, and the duo work together to set a trap for the perpetrator... Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Pen Pals" in which Hunter takes the rap for a murder he did not commit, and Dee Dee and her new partner must track down the true culprit, and "Guilty" in which Hunter and Dee Dee disobey a direct order and go it alone to investigate the connection between two murders...
Below is a list of episodes included on the Hunter (Season 1) DVD:
Episode 1 (Pilot: Part 1)
Episode 2 (Pilot: Part 2)
Episode 3 (Hard Contract)
Episode 4 (The Hot Grounder)
Episode 5 (A Long Way from L.A.)
Episode 6 (Legacy)
Episode 7 (Flight on a Dead Pigeon)
Episode 8 (Pen Pals)
Episode 9 (Dead or Alive)
Episode 10 (High Bleacher Man)
Episode 11 (The Shooter)
Episode 12 (The Garbage Man)
Episode 13 (The Avenging Angel)
Episode 14 (The Snow Queen: Part 1)
Episode 15 (The Snow Queen: Part 2)
Episode 16 (The Beach Boy)
Episode 17 (Guilty)
Episode 18 (The Last Kill)
Episode 19 (Fire Man)
Episode 20 (Sniper)
The DVD Report

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Hart to Hart - The Complete Second Season (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)For five wonderful seasons, "Hart to Hart" was about the most fun you could have in an hour without getting into any trouble. Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers were simply perfect as the rich couple with nothing to do but solve murders. They were Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, living the fun life we all wished we had. The chemistry between Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner was natural and you could always tell, especially with Wagner, that they were having a ball.
Sidney Sheldon created the characters but it was really a stroke of genius to cast Wagner and Powers. Wagner took his cool Alexander Munday persona from "It Takes a Thief" and just made him richer and happier, with a lovely companion he got to keep. Stefanie Powers always had a certain something but had never really found the right part, until Hart to Hart. Jennifer Hart came so naturally that you couldn't help thinking she wasn't really acting at all. Come to think of it, the same could be said of Robert Wagner's seemingly effortless turn as Jonathan Hart.
This was heaven for light mystery fans. There was always plenty of fun banter between Jonathan and "Mrs. H" and enough humorous situations mixed in with the latest week's adventure to keep everyone tickled pink. Not to be undervalued as the reason the show was such a big hit, was Lionel Stander's role as their butler, Max. Max was much more like family than hired help, and in the show's opening every week, you knew right away Max was an important part of the proceedings. After introducing the self-made millionaire, Jonathan, and his other boss, Mrs. H, Max always stated that he had trouble taking care of them, because their hobby was murder!
Not to be forgotten, of course, was their lovable dog, Freeway, who sometimes forgot who was the owner and who was the pet. The stories were frivilous fun, as this wasn't real danger, just TV danger, and we always new our favorite husband and wife would solve the mystery and uncork some champagne at the end.
Fans of the show were delighted when the first season of this fun show finally got a DVD release and are once again made happy by the release of season two. A lot happened in the second season as the show just kept getting better. Jonathan had amnesia after an accident and forgot a murder in one episode. In another, Jennifer was kidnapped. Max's ex-wife showed up and caused tons of trouble. And Jennifer was stalked by a mummy when a not so ancient body was found in an Egyptian sarcophagus! "Hart to Hart" was delightful escapist fare. Mark Snow's "Hart to Hart" theme at the opening of the show was light and breezy, and fans looked forward to hearing it every week. Snow would finally become famous for his moody theme for "The X-Files."
The episodes for season two are as follows: Murder, Murder On The Wall, What Murder?, This Lady is Murder, Murder is Man's Best Friend, 'Tis the Season To Be Murdered, Murder Wrap, Murder In Paradise, Ex-Wives Can Be Murder, Murder is a Drag, Hart-Shaped Murder, Slow Boat to Murder, Murder in the Saddle, Homemade Murder, Solid Gold Murder, Getting Aweigh with Murder, The Murder of Jonathan Hart, The Latest In High Fashion Murder, Operation Murder, Murder Takes A Bow, Blue Chip Murder
The domestic and mystery adventures of the self-made man, Jonathan, and his ex-journalist wife, Jennifer, made for a charming and breezy hour of pleasure. The adventures of the spohisticated couple, who it turned out were just like us, only rich, was a great way to unwind at the end of a long day, and still is. Every TV mystery fan will want to pick this one up. So pop the cork from the champagne in the limo, call ahead to make sure the private jet is waiting, and jot off to TV land, where rich and attractive couples delight us by solving murders while living the life of leisure for a second season. Great fun!

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The Greatest American Hero - Season Three (1981) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although it's now fashionable to watch a superhero struggle with his or her abilities in movies and TV, it wasn't always the case. William Katt played Ralph Hinkley an ordinary guy who is left a gift from aliens from outer space-a suit that gives its wearer the ability to fly, super strength, invisibility and much more. Suddenly, he had all these super powers but lost the owner's manual to tell him how to use it correctly. Ralph ends up flying into walls and generally having as many mishaps as a superhero could possibly have. Befriended by FBI agent Bill Maxwell (Robert Culp) Hinkley partners with him and decides to fight for good. These first eight episodes (including the two hour pilot ) made up the first season of the series. The two hour pilot soars with nice comedic touches by Katt, Connie Selleca and the perfect straight man in Culp. In fact, Culp plays it so seriously that it comes off almost as a parody of a government agent.
With an exceptionally good transfer, "The Greatest American Hero" looks almost as if it was invulnerable to the ravages of time. The transfers look very nice with solid blacks and color reproduction. Considering the show is twenty five years old, there are few of the flaws that one might expect. The image is occasionally soft but and has some minor analog imperfections (such as dust, dirt particularly during the effects shots) on the whole, Anchor Bay has done a meticulous job in transferring this series to DVD. The sound while limited by the technology of the time (it was broadcast in mono) has good presence with the dialogue very clear. Some minor background hiss crops up from time to time. Although the box says this is in stereo it sounds like mono to me.
We get a pilot for a spin off entitled "The Greatest American Heroine". While only one episode was shot, what we have is quite good and promising. Sadly, no network picked up the spin-off so, until recently, it has sat on the shelf. In the spin off Hinkley hands off the suit to a young woman and she takes up where he left off. We also get interviews with stars William Katt, Robert Culp, Connie Selleca and writer/producer/creator Stephen J. Cannell. Culp provides some interesting tidbits in his interview. For example, the reason Bill Maxwell comes across so intense and humorless is because Culp decided to play the role that way. He figured that there with others playing for laughs, presenting his character as serious would provide an anchor to reality and prevent the show from becoming too tongue-in-cheek. With over an hour of interviews, this portion of the set is extremely generous. No commentary tracks from anyone but, really, the interviews do make up for that. Hopefully in future sets we can have commentary tracks on key episodes by the actors and Cannell.

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It's the third and final season for reluctant superhero Ralph Hinkley (William Katt), his lawyer girlfriend Pam Davidson (Connie Sellecca) and by-the-book FBI agent Bill Maxwell (Robert Culp), but the high-flying fun is far from over! In this season, Ralph is reunited with the ‘green guys' from space, stumbles into danger at his high school reunion, fumbles his way to his and Pam's wedding, and tangles with doomed rockers, ruthless ranchers, strange gamers, killer magicians, the KGB, Central American revolutionaries, a genetic Nazi monster and more. Believe it or not, he's still walking on air as THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO! This collection includes all 13 third season episodes of the action-comedy hit created by Stephen J. Cannell (THE COMMISH, 21 JUMP STREET, HUNTER) and features such guests stars as David Paymer, Bob Saget, Rick Dees, Tawny Little, June Lockhart, André The Giant and more.

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Moonlighting - Season 3 (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is, by far, the best season of Moonlighting. From the day waiting at the post office to find a man who's been sending a woman love letters to the trip to New York to Shakespeare...it has it all. Below is a list of episode summaries:
26. The Son Also Rises
David's estranged father makes a surprise visit to announce his upcoming wedding and to introduce his bride-to-be, who comes as a shock to David.
27. The Man Who Cried Wife
A man hires Dave and Maddie to find his wife, who's been making mysterious late night phone calls to him, the same wife he's sure he killed and buried in the forest.
28. Symphony in Knocked Flat
Dave and Maddie agree to each arrange what they consider to be an ideal evening for the other, but the concert tickets Dave buys from a scalper get them into nothing but trouble.
29. Yours, Very Deadly
Dave and Maddie are hired by a married woman to find the man she has been sharing a torrid romantic correspondence with and make sure he understands the arrangement is over.
30. All Creatures Great and ... Not So Great
A priest asks Dave and Maddie to find a woman he's become infatuated with during confession and whose latest revelation was her intention to kill herself.
31. Big Man on Mulberry Street
Maddie becomes consumed with curiosity when David announces he must fly back to New York to attend the funeral of his former wife's brother.
32. Atomic Shakespeare
A boy hoping to watch Moonlighting but forced to study Shakespeare instead daydreams about the cast performing their own version of The Taming of the Shrew complete with Petruchio Dave and Kate Maddie.
33. It's a Wonderful Job
A depressed Maddie gets a chance to see what her life and the rest of Blue Moon staff would be like if she had sold the agency as she originally intended.
34. The Straight Poop
Rona Barrett investigates the rumors about discord among the principals at the Blue Moon Detective agency.
35. Poltergeist III--- Dipesto Nothing
Ms. Dipesto tries to solve a haunted house case refused by Dave and Maddie to show Bert Viola that she's just as good a detective as he is.
36. Blonde on Blonde
Maddie's strange mood has David worried so he spends the evening following her, but ends up involved in a murder.
37. Sam & Dave
Dave and Maddie quarrel over Sam as they keep watch on a man for his mistress, who's convinced he's two-timing her-with his wife.
38. Maddie's Turn to Cry
Maddie feels more and more confused about Sam and Dave after an all-night stakeout with Dave ends in an early morning proposal from Sam.
39. I Am Curious... Maddie
Sam confronts Dave about Maddie, and tells him he's not good enough for her.
40. To Heiress Human
Maddie tries to ignore the previous night as she and David tackle a new case: a woman wants evidence that her fiance loves her and not her father's money.

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Columbo - The Complete First Season (1972) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have never been a huge fan of murder mysteries, either in book, TV or movie form. I either figure them out too soon or in the cases where I don't, the resolution tends to be a severe let down. Its not that I'm some sort of amateur genius detective or anything, I just have a very good memory and tend to keep certain aspects of the mystery catalogued as I watch and figure them out based on that minor skill. Columbo, however, is a murder mystery show of a different animal. Quite frankly, no show of its type has been more original in presentation, format or style before or after its initial launch in the 60's.
The reason for this bold claim? Peter Falk and the innovative idea to reveal the murderer at the start of the tale. The enjoyment, and I'm sure many of you have heard this time and time again, in watching a Columbo episode is; a. the interaction between Columbo and the suspect; b. the personal mannerisms of the Columbo character; c. following Columbo as he uncovers every facet of the crime committed and pieces them together and; d. the satisfaction of being in on the moment when the killer is exposed. Instead of being surprised like the killer is, you get the satisfaction of being a silent partner with Columbo as he brings the culprit to justice.
Few shows are based in total reality, and indeed, this show harkens back to a time when people weren't as savvy about every detail of crime solving as they are now what with constant airings of documentaries on A&E such as Cold Case Files and drama based modern shows like CSI on CBS. But what helps Columbo stand the test of time ultimately is the performance of Peter Falk in the role of Columbo and a sense of relief in not having to constantly try and figure out who the killer is throughout the episode. Below is a short synopsis of the episodes and original movies that will be included on this 5 disc set:
Prescription: Murder (1968)
Gene Barry plays a cheating doctor out to get rid of the main obstacle standing in the way of him and his young, pretty actress girlfriend. This first movie introduces the audience to the typical type of villain Columbo will face in future episodes; rich, famous and well connected politically...and sometimes all three.
Note: This episode is especially interesting to watch due to the fact that the Columbo character had yet to be fully fleshed out by Peter Falk. He is seen being rather harsh in this episode and would only rarely show this type of rage again in any other episode. He toned down the character and made him much more laid back later on.
Ransom for a Dead Man (1971)
A lawyer (Lee Grant) kills her husband for the insurance money and makes the whole thing look like a kidnapping. It never hurt the Columbo series that most of the guest stars were actors or actresses every bit as talented as Peter Falk himself, something Murder She Wrote could rarely claim.
Murder by the Book (1971)
Jack Cassidy in one of a number of memorable turns on the show plays one half of a successful writing team...the untalented half. When his partner makes it known his intentions to break up the team, Jack Cassidy's character makes sure he regrets that decision.
Note: Jack Cassidy is the father of Shawn and David Cassidy. This episode is directed by a very young Steven Spielberg whose other early TV directing gig was an episode of Night Gallery.
Death Lends a Hand (1971)
Robert Culp guests as the owner of a powerful detective agency who murders a client's wife. One of my favorite episodes of them all, and includes some of the earliest tidbits of information regarding Columbos past.
Dead Weight (1971)
Eddie Albert plays a retired military officer bent on keeping his corruption a secret, even if it requires murdering a subordinate. The only problem? Helen Stewart (Suzanne Pleshette) sees the whole thing from a row boat on the water. The only obstacle she has is proving to the police and her own mother that she isn't batty and just seeing things. Of course, Columbo believes her, which is strangely fitting since the police on the scene feel he's just as batty as she is!
Suitable for Framing (1971)
Ross Martin kills his uncle for a valuable art collection and tries to pin the whole thing on said uncle's first wife. Overall, the only weak link in an otherwise stellar first season in my opinion but a good episode regardless. And be sure to look out for Don Ameche in a guest starring role.
Note: Ross Martin was the one time acting teacher to Peter Falk.
Lady in Waiting (1971)
Susan Clark plays a woman who kills her brother in order to take over the family company. She attempts to make it seem like a case of mistaken identity thinking he is an intruder. Leslie Nielsen guest stars as her non-bumbling boyfriend.
Note: This episode was written by Steven Bochco who later gave us stunning television such as Cop Rock. ;)
Short Fuse (1972)
Roddy McDowall guest stars as a brilliant scientist whose uncle wants to force out of the family chemical company. Something tells us that the uncle won't make it very far in the episode with that sort of attitude! Cigars play a crucial role in uncovering the nephew's guilt. Something I'm sure Columbo relishes in the end.
Blueprint For Murder (1972)
Forrest Tucker makes a brief but memorable turn as an obnoxious Texas developer who gets the short end of the jerky stick when his architect murders him to keep a proposed building project from being axed. Probably my second favorite episode from the first season and it ends up being the toughest case so far for Columbo to break.
So there you have it. An outstanding start to an outstanding series. I have heard grumblings from other reviewers regarding the lack of extras, but as for me, I'm just glad they are finally being released. This is the first and probably last review I will write for a television program, but Columbo deserves my attention and will hopefully earn yours as well. Forget the A-Team DVD set and plunk down your hard earned cash on this one instead, you won't regret it!


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