Bole, Cliff

V - The Complete Series

Aliens have invaded Earth. Only a small group of freedom fighters battle to save the human species from the reptilian invaders disguised as humans.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: V
Title: COMPLETE TV SERIES
Street Release Date: 10/04/2005
Domestic
Genre: TELEVISION

MacGyver - The Complete Fifth Season

Desperate times call for desperate measures--and the desperate will stop at nothing to get MacGyver's attention. In the fifth season premiere ("Legend of the Holy Rose"), an old friend releases his houseboat from its moorings--while he's in it. Four episodes later ("Halloween Knights"), an old enemy relieves his boat of its belongings. It works, of course. Mac lives to help people in need, even if those people include obnoxious archeology professor Zoë (Lise Cutter), who enlists his aid in tracking down an ancient artifact, and the mysterious Murdoc (Michael Des Barres), who does the same to rescue his kidnapped sister. Joining forces with arch-enemy Murdoc marks a break with previous seasons. Otherwise, the fifth features the same resourceful secret agent as the first four (though he's relying on those inventive "MacGyverisms" less often as the series continues). MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) still travels the world on behalf of the Phoenix Foundation, while reporting to supportive superior Pete Thornton (Dana Elcar). As before, he goes it alone: no gun, no back-up, no wisecracking sidekick--not counting reckless rogue Jack Dalton (Bruce McGill), who drops by on occasion to shake up MacGyver's well-ordered world.

Aside from a greater interest in socially conscious causes, like the protection of endangered species, the 1989-1990 season also breaks with the past by an episode set in the Old West ("Serenity") and another set in the afterlife ("Passages"). In the former, Jack and Penny (Teri Hatcher in her final appearance) return as prototypes for their present day characters. Murdoc returns, as well--this time wearing a black hat. In the latter, Grandpa Harry (John Anderson) bids adieu. Other fifth year guests include Blossom's Mayim Bialik ("Cease Fire," "Hearts of Steel"), The Exorcist's Linda Blair ("Jenny's Chance"), and Jerry Maguire's Cuba Gooding Jr. ("Black Rhino," "Serenity"). --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Season five of MacGyver opens with an elaborate Indiana Jones takeoff the two-part "The Legend of the Holy Rose." Once this is settled the resourceful MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) resumes his normal duties as special op for the vast crime-fighting concern the Phoenix Organization where he still takes his marching orders from field-operations director Peter Thornton (Dana Elcar). Mayim Bialik makes her first series appearance as Lisa Woodman a teenage runaway whom MacGyver hopes to put on the right track in the episode "Cease Fire". Mac also meets his Chinese foster daughter Mei Jan (Michele Chan in "Children of Light". The wild and wooly western fantasy "Serenity" features virtually all of the series' familiar characters as 19th century frontier types with special emphasis on the troublesome Penny Parker (Teri Hatcher) not to mention guest star Cuba Gooding Jr.). In "Jenny's Chance" MacGyver uses the alternate identity of computer geek Dexter Filmore for the first time while in "Passages" he has a surrealistc "reunion" with his deceased parents. And speaking of deceased Mac's perennial antagonist Murdoc (Michael Des Barres) returns from the grave once more only to go right back after failing to bump off the protagonist for the umpteenth time. (All Movie Guide)System Requirements:Running Time: 1003 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 097360385045 Manufacturer No: 038504

MacGyver - The Complete Sixth Season

Richard Dean Anderson stars as MacGyver an agent for the Phoenix Foundation a progressive agency devoted to righting the wrongs of the world. Even more progressive is the near-genius MacGyver who never carries a gun and always thwarts the enemy with his vast scientific knowledge sometimes with little more than a paper clip and the duct tape in his pocket.System Requirements:Running Time 1050 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 097360708844 Manufacturer No: 070884

MacGyver - The Complete Final Season

MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) is a contemporary hero and role model who applies his scientific knowledge to ordinary items to create for himself and others a means of escape from impending doom.System Requirements:Running Time: 665 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 097360708745 Manufacturer No: 070874

The houseboat is history. In the final season, MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) moves to a loft in an eccentric inner-city neighborhood. The point seems to be to paint the secret agent as less of a loner, but living away from the rest of the world seemed to suit MacGyver better. Fortunately for fans, Mac's ever-enthusiastic buddy, Jack (Bruce McGill), and surprisingly lively nemesis, Murdoc (Michael Des Barres), who faked his death in year six, come back to add a little zest to proceedings that were starting to grow stale (see "Obsessed" and "The Mountain of Youth"). Aside from Pete Thornton (Dana Elcar, now wearing dark glasses due to glaucoma), MacGyver's boss, other recurring characters include Mama Lorraine (Kimberly Scott), a voodoo priestess, and the Colton brothers (Cleavon Little, Richard Lawson, and Cuba Gooding Jr.), who return in "The Coltons," pilot for a series that never materialized (Della Reese, who plays their mother, would have better luck with Touched by and Angel). In addition, Mac's son, Sam (Dalton James), is introduced in "The Stringer," the series' fitting finale. Sadly, Elcar, who also starred in Barretta and Black Sheep Squadron, would pass away in 2005.

Instead of a full season, only 14 episodes were produced for the seventh, including the silly two-parter "Good Knight MacGyver," in which a bump on the noggin transports Mac to Camelot. As he spends more time with the Challengers Club than the Phoenix Foundation, other stories revolve around domestic matters rather than the international crises of yore. Guest stars include Shelley Berman ("Honest Abe"), Wendy Malick ("Obsessed"), Henry Gibson ("Deadly Silents"), and Dick Butkus ("Split Decision"). The final season was followed by two tele-films, an appearance on The Simpsons, and a Super Bowl 2006 MasterCard commercial in which Anderson revived his most famous character. Priceless, indeed. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

MacGyver - The Complete First Season

Like James Bond--but without the high-tech gadgets--Angus MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) is one of those rare beings who can avert any crisis without mussing a hair. (The rest of us should be so lucky.) In the pilot alone, the secret agent dismantles a missile using a paper clip and fashions a rocket thruster out of a pistol. Is there anything MacGyver can't do? As the first season of ABC's long-running adventure series proves, the answer is a resounding no. MacGyver's secret: the everyday items he "finds along the way," like matches or gum wrappers, and the ingenuity to put them to a myriad of uses (a background in physics and chemistry doesn't hurt). Unlike Alias' Sidney Bristow, he isn't a multi-linguist, a martial artist, or a master of disguises. Wits are MacGyver's weapon of choice.

Produced by Henry Winkler (Arrested Development), The Complete First Season includes all 22 episodes from 1985-1986 (alas, there are no extras). MacGyver is joined by Phoenix Foundation director of operations Pete Thornton (Dana Elcar), who is introduced in "Nightmares." Also, his grandfather, Harry Jackson (John Anderson), makes his first appearance in "Target MacGyver," while friend Penny Parker (Teri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives) makes hers in "Every Time She Smiles" (they will appear more frequently in future seasons). Other notable guest stars include Joan Chen (The Last Emperor) in "The Golden Triangle," Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) in "Hellfire," and John De Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation) in "The Escape."

MacGyver ran for seven seasons and was followed by two made-for-TV movies in 1994, Lost Treasure of Atlantis and Trail to Doomsday. In 1997, after a short-lived series for UPN (1995's Legend), Anderson landed the lead in an even longer-running series, Stargate SG-1, based on the sci-fi extravaganza with Kurt Russell. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Angus MacGyver is a secret agent who refuses to carry a gun with him, but fortunately never needs one. Drawing on a vast practical knowledge of science, MacGyver is able to make use of anything around him to create solutions to any problem he faces. Underestimating MacGyver is a major mistake made by his enemies and always results in the destruction of their plans

Emergency - Season One

Created and produced by TV legend Jack Webb, Emergency! delivered a double dose of medical drama and real-life action into its stories, which made it a major favorite among viewers during its '72-77 network run. The season 1 set compiles the first 11 episodes of the program, in which paramedics Gage (Randolph Mantooth) and DeSoto (Kevin Tighe) tackle crises both big and small, from plane accidents ("Crash," "Dealer's Wild") and baby deliveries ("Brushfire") to the rescue of a horse in a ditch ("Publicity Hound"). Ably assisting the men in the field are the emergency room hospital staff, led by Dr. Joe Early (Bobby Troup, the composer of "Route 66"), Dr. Kelly Brackett (Robert Fuller of Laramie), and Nurse Dixie McCall (singer Julie London); Deirdre Hall of Days of Our Lives fame also appeared (in this season only) as Nurse Sally Lewis. An energetic and entertaining series, the success of Emergency not only spawned a host of promotional tie-ins (and a Saturday morning cartoon), but also helped spark attention for and interest in paramedic work during its network run, which is a considerable legacy for any television program.

Though no extras are included in the season 1 double-disc set, the 1972 two-part pilot, "The Wedsworth-Townsend Affair," is included; directed by Jack Webb, the pilot also features guest appearances by Martin Milner and Kent McCord in their roles from another of his then-current series, Adam-12. --Paul Gaita

MacGyver - The Complete Third Season

In "Ghost Ship," MacGyver's boss, Pete (Dana Elcar), is asked to define what makes Mac (Richard Dean Anderson) so special. He replies, "You know, I've known him for eight years now, and I've never quite been able to put my finger on it. He just always comes through, no matter what." And that he does. MacGyver's third season begins with a blast from the past when Mac runs into Lisa (Elyssa Davalos), a woman he thought he had killed (unintentionally, of course). Turns out Lisa's just fine, but she did do a little time in a Russian gulag, proceeding to marry the ex-KGB operative who set her free. The two-part season opener ("Lost Love") allows Mac to make it up to his former flame with a little help from pal Jack (Bruce "D-Day" McGill), AKA "The Great Sheldrake," whose latest career move is magician.

The producers must have felt that Anderson and Davalos had chemistry as she returns a few episodes later ("Fire and Ice")--sans Russian accent--as Nikki, a different, recurring character (oddly enough, Mac fails to note the resemblance). Like Teri Hatcher's Penny, who doesn't appear in the third season, Nikki isn't a love interest, but a friend (and Phoenix Foundation colleague). While Penny will return the following year, Nikki will not. Fortunately, Michael Des Barres' maniacal Murdoc does reappear ("The Widowmaker"), but only once before Mac neatly dispatches him yet again--or does he? Other guest stars include three Kung Fu vets: The Sopranos Joe Santos ("Back From the Dead"), Blade Runner's James Hong ("Lost Love"), and Keye "Master Po" Luke ("Murderer's Sky," the season finale). The latter two appeared in previous years, but--like Davalos--as different characters (whereas Santos's Jimmy "The Eraser" Kendall was first introduced in the second season). --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Angus MacGyver is a secret agent who refuses to carry a gun with him, but fortunately never needs one. Drawing on a vast practical knowledge of science, MacGyver is able to make use of anything around him to create solutions to any problem he faces. Underestimating MacGyver is a major mistake made by his enemies and always results in the destruction of their plans.

MacGyver - The Complete Second Season

MacGyver's second season begins by following the same blueprint as the first (although the opening gambit is gone). Richard Dean Anderson is back as the eponymous secret agent. So is Pete Thornton (Dana Elcar), operations director of the Phoenix Foundation. In addition, Mac's ditzy pal, Penny (Teri Hatcher), and beloved grandfather, Harry (John Anderson), return for a few episodes. In the season premiere ("The Human Factor"), a skeptical military man says to Thornton, "So this is your main guy. He doesn't even have any gear." Responds Thornton, "That's what makes him so special." As before, Mac doesn't drink, smoke, or carry a firearm. He puts it plainly in the fourth episode ("The Wish Child"): "I hate guns." Mac would rather use non-violent means, i.e. "MacGyverisms," to fight crime. Midway through the 22-episode year, however, creator Lee David Zlotoff (Remington Steele) decided to shake up the formula by introducing two new characters. First there's Mac's college buddy, Jack Dalton (busy character actor Bruce McGill from Animal House, The Cinderella Man, etc.), who makes his first appearance in the sixth episode ("Jack of Lies"). Then there's Mac's arch-nemesis Murdoc (actor/musician Michael Des Barres from Melrose Place), who makes his in the eighteenth ("Partners").

Other notable second season guest stars include Fast Times At Ridgemont High's Vincent Schiavelli ("Soft Touch"), Murphy Brown's Robert Pastorelli ("Out in the Cold"), and Star Trek's George Takei and Wayne's World's Tia Carrere ("The Wish Child"). MacGyver also had a tendency to bring back actors from previous seasons for different roles. Second year returnees include Mean Streets' Richard Romanus ("Twice Stung"), Barney Miller's Gregory Sierra ("Jack of Lies"), and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Nana Visitor ("D.O.A. MacGyver"). As with the first season, there are no extras. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Angus MacGyver is a secret agent who refuses to carry a gun with him, but fortunately never needs one. Drawing on a vast practical knowledge of science, MacGyver is able to make use of anything around him to create solutions to any problem he faces. Underestimating MacGyver is a major mistake made by his enemies and always results in the destruction of their plans.

Macgyver - The Complete Fourth Season

The Fall Guy: The Complete Season 1

Lee Majors stars as the Fall Guy Colt Seavers a stunt man moonlighting as a bounty hunter who uses Hollywood stunt tactics to capture criminals.System Requirements:Running Time: 1068 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543426431 Manufacturer No: 2242644

The hero of The Fall Guy, Colt Seavers--played by Lee Majors, the former Six Million Dollar Man--is a Hollywood stunt man, which lets the show do all kinds of spectacular car crashes with no justification whatsoever, and he's a bounty hunter, which lets him get into all kinds of fist fights and ridiculous plots with no justification whatsoever. It's the perfect 1980s TV show, and it's no surprise it was created by Glen Larson, the mastermind behind such hits as Knight Rider, Battlestar Galactica, and Magnum, P.I. Assisted by his handsome but not-too-bright cousin Howie Munson (Douglas Barr) and sexy stuntwoman Jody Banks (blonde bombshell Heather Thomas), Colt grapples with a corrupt sheriff, a mob hit man, a government secret agent, a neo-Nazi biker gang (which, naturally, Colt had to infiltrate through cunning disguise), women wrestlers, and more, more, more. Preposterous? Absolutely! It's all an excuse to set things on fire and parade scantily clad young women around (Thomas had a popular bikini scene that led to a top-selling poster), while the Hollywood setting allowed for cameo appearances by stars ranging from James Coburn (In Like Flint) to Lou Ferrigno (appearing as himself playing the Incredible Hulk--it's downright postmodern) to Farrah Fawcett (Charlie's Angels), Majors' just-divorced ex-wife.

But what kept The Fall Guy running for five seasons wasn't silly plots or leaping cars. Lee Majors is one of those relaxed, genial actors who were made for television. Manly but gentle, handsome but down-to-earth, Majors appealed to men and women equally, could toss off a snappy one-liner without effort, and gave the impression that, no matter what happened, it would come out all right in the end. He even sang his own theme song. The Fall Guy: The Complete First Season is pure comfort television. (Season 1 is the only season with Jo Ann Pflug as Colt's boss, "Big Jack"; her adult sexiness and worldly wit were much-missed on later seasons.) The only extras are a couple of brief but entertaining featurettes, featuring interviews with Majors, Thomas, and Larson. --Bret Fetzer