Brahm, John

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season Three, Volume Two

Join the crew of the Seaview aboard their super high−tech submarine where no mission is too dangerous and no threat is too deadly be it enemy agents mad scientists deadly sea creatures or impending nuclear disaster. System Requirements:Run time: 663 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543467342 Manufacturer No: 2246734

The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima

Screen chronicle based on actual 1917 events outside Fatima Portugal where three shepherd children report visions of the Virgin Mary and confront anticlerical government oppression in the process.Running Time: 102 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569756922 Manufacturer No: 75692

The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima tells the story--through an admittedly Hollywood prism--of one of the most beloved Catholic legends of the 20th century. Three young shepherd children in the remote Portuguese mountain town Fatima reported seeing a vision in 1917 of "a beautiful lady" who spoke to them of strife, war and peace and the love of Jesus. Soon the word spread, and throngs, teetering on mobs, gathered near the site for a glimpse of what they believed to be Mary, mother of Jesus. The children remained steadfast in their account, despite threats from the church and the government, and the final appearance of the lady, on Oct. 13, 1917, was accompanied by strange apparitions in the sky that have yet to be explained by science. The movie is well-made and -acted, especially by a radiant Susan Whitney, who plays the oldest child, Lúcia Abóbora dos Santos. The screenplay takes some liberties with the facts: the lovable jokester-sidekick character of Hugo is fictitious, and one wonders if perhaps a few of Our Lady's cautions about the multitude of evil things happening in 1917 Russia might have been heard through a Cold War filter. But the 1952 film is moving and is a reminder that big studios once routinely, and profitably, released religious-themed movies, to audiences who surely would appreciate some of the same today. --A.T. Hurley

Gunsmoke - The Second Season, Vol. 1

In its second season, Gunsmoke blazed its way into the top ten, where it would stay for the next six years (four of them ranked No. 1), and James Arness earned an Emmy nomination for his towering portrayal of U. S. Marshal Matt Dillon. Dillon broke the mold of the TV lawman. As he notes in one episode, "They tell me that back East, there are a lot of book writers and newspaper people who picture a frontier lawman as someone pretty near perfection, who always guns his man down, never makes a mistake, he's at the top of the heap on every play." The "mule-headed" Dillon is not that man. "My job is to keep the peace, and I'll do it my own way," he proclaims. In the episode "No Indians," he ambushes a band of white men who slaughter a family and frame the Pawnee Indians for the crime. "What kind of man would ambush a bunch of men like that?" a wounded survivor protests. "My kind, mister," Dillon replies. In the episode "Cow Doctor," he knocks out a man who knifes Doc. "Let me know when he comes to and I'll knock him out again," Dillon states. And in "The Mistake," he arrests the wrong man for murder.

These half-hour black and white episodes (the show expanded to an hour format in its seventh season) deliver traditional Western action, but at the heart of Gunsmoke are its character-based human dramas. An excellent example is "Gone Straight," featuring Carl Betz (The Donna Reed Show) as a man who answers the description of a wanted outlaw, but who is now an upstanding citizen trying to help another man (Tige Andrews of The Mod Squad) reform. Some episodes play out in unexpected ways that defy convention. We can pretty much guess the fate of an old friend who insists on helping Matt in "The Round-Up," but we can't predict at whose hand.

Gunsmoke was directed by sure Western hands, including Andrew McLaglan, Ted Post, and Christian Nyby. Several episodes were written by Sam Peckinpah, including "The Round-Up" and "Legal Revenge," featuring a young Cloris Leachman as a woman who appears to have it in for her wounded husband. Several episodes address social issues such as racism ("Sins of the Fathers" featuring Angie Dickinson as the daughter of a marauding Indian chief) and gun culture (the powerful "don't take your guns to town" episode, "Young Man with a Gun"). Along with Matt Dillon, the rest of Gunsmoke's characters became archetypes: "Mr. Dillon's" drawling, bum-legged deputy, Chester (Dennis Weaver), ornery Doc (Milburn Stone), and saloon gal, Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), who, by the way, looks quite fetching in a riding outfit. An interesting bonus are the show's sponsor shots for LM cigarettes. "See you next week," Arness puffs. "In the meantime, light up." --Donald Liebenson

Marshall Matt Dillon is responsible for keeping the law and respectability in Dodge City in this western action-drama. Gunsmoke captured the courage, character and spirit of the Western Frontier.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season Three, Volume One

In its second season, Irwin Allen's science-fiction-adventure series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea shifted its tone from a mostly serious program based around stories of Cold War intrigue to an out-and-out fantasy show, complete with monsters, ghosts, and time travel. By the launch of its third season (1966-67), that format was firmly in place (solidified, no doubt, by the success of Allen's similarly themed Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel, which were also running at the same time), and the crew of the Seaview battled all manner of bizarre creatures over the course of the 13 episodes compiled in this three-disc set, including werewolves, radioactive plant creatures, dinosaurs, scores of aliens, and even a spook or two. Critics and first-season Voyage fans have decried these episodes for decades, but there's no denying that their child-like charms remain intact, even as the special effects age most ungracefully; highlights, such as they were, for the first half of season 3 include "Werewolf" (Richard Basehart's Admiral Nelson contracts a virus that turns him into a wolfman; this storyline was picked up in the second half of season 3 in "Brand of the Beast"), "Deadly Waters" (Kowalski's brother is trapped in a sub, but the crewman cannot save him), "The Lost Bomb" (the Seaview must deactivate a bomb on the ocean floor before an enemy sub reaches it), and the truly ludicrous "The Plant Man" (evil scientist wants to create an army of leafy green soldiers) and "The Terrible Toys" (aliens use toys to destroy the Seaview). Season 3, Volume 1 is rich with campy fun, and should carry considerable appeal to viewers who remember Voyage fondly from afternoon reruns. The set includes several extras, including interviews with star David Hedison (including an audio-only chat from 1966), galleries of publicity and episode shots (and a glimpse at the Voyage comic book), fan letters, and more. --Paul Gaita

Join the crew of the Seaview aboard their super high-tech submarine, where no mission is too dangerous and no threat is too deadly, be it enemy agents, mad scientists, deadly sea creatures, or impending nuclear disaster.

Films of Faith Collection (The Nun's Story / The Shoes of the Fisherman / The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima)

MIRACLE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA: This story recreates the events that began in May 1917 when three shepherd children witness a vision of a beautiful lady in a grotto just outside the village of Fatima Portugal. At a time when World War I rages across Central Europe and Portugal is locked in the grip of a repressive anti-religious government their report ignites the religious fervor of the villagers--and foreshadows a dangerous confrontation with government officials.THE NUN'S STORY: A young nun dedicated to medical work in the African Congo and in World War II Belgium struggles to reconcile her independent spirit to the rigors and humility of a religious life.THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN: The world's first duly elected Russian Pope tries to prevent not only an atomic war but starvation in Red China as well. Based on Morris l. West's best-selling novel.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MISCELLANEOUS/SPECIAL INTEREST Rating: NR UPC: 012569756229 Manufacturer No: 75622

Fred Zinnemann's epic 1959 drama The Nun's Story is a splendid showcase for Audrey Hepburn, who stars as the young nun Sister Luke, who is deeply spiritual yet conflicted about whether or not she can conform to convent life. Though the film is a mesmerizing--and quite leisurely--two and a half hours, its plot is fairly simple--young Gabrielle (Hepburn) enters the convent pledging her life to God, learns the disciplines associated with the life, receives her dream assignment of going to the Congo as a missionary nurse, and once there, is forced to face whether she is meant for the rigorous life of poverty, chastity, and most difficult of all, obedience. The film does a marvelous job of portraying the challenges of cloistered life without being either off-putting or overly romantic. And Hepburn, sometimes with only her eyes, communicates all the drive, faith, and conflict of a young woman so torn.

If you find during the 160-minute running time of The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) that you don't like the plot, wait 10 minutes. It will surely change and there will be another story thread to entice you. The screenplay is literally all over the map: Siberia, where Archbishop Kiril Lakota, played splendidly by Anthony Quinn, has been exiled to a work camp in the oppressive Soviet regime; Moscow, where a genially scene-chewing Laurence Olivier plays a Soviet ruler with history with Lakota; China, where famine threatens to bring the world of the late '60s to the brink of World War III; and Rome, where Lakota travels after being freed (and where dissolute reporter David Janssen does his best to groove on the Swinging Sixties). Yet despite its flaws, the movie's central drama is riveting: the current Pope dies suddenly, and for a good bit of the film, viewers are treated to the Vatican's inner workings on the election of a new Pope. The events unfold at a leisurely pace, which allows you to drink in the spectacle and wonder of the ancient traditions. The Alex North Oscar-nominated score is lovely, and Quinn's performance is the somber-with-a-humble-twinkle glue that holds the film together. Anyone interested in the traditions and rituals of the Vatican will find plenty to savor.

The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima tells the story--through an admittedly Hollywood prism--of one of the most beloved Catholic legends of the 20th century. Three young shepherd children in the remote Portuguese mountain town Fatima reported seeing a vision in 1917 of "a beautiful lady" who spoke to them of strife, war and peace and the love of Jesus. Soon the word spread, and throngs, teetering on mobs, gathered near the site for a glimpse of what they believed to be Mary, mother of Jesus. The children remained steadfast in their account, despite threats from the church and the government, and the final appearance of the lady, on Oct. 13, 1917, was accompanied by strange apparitions in the sky that have yet to be explained by science. The movie is well-made and -acted, especially by a radiant Susan Whitney, who plays the oldest child, Lúcia Abóbora dos Santos. The screenplay takes some liberties with the facts: the lovable jokester-sidekick character of Hugo is fictitious, and one wonders if perhaps a few of Our Lady's cautions about the multitude of evil things happening in 1917 Russia might have been heard through a Cold War filter. But the 1952 film is moving and is a reminder that big studios once routinely, and profitably, released religious-themed movies, to audiences who surely would appreciate some of the same today. --A.T. Hurley

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season One, Vol. One

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was the brainchild of Writer/Producer/Director Irwin Allen... the "Master of Disaster."It ran on ABC 1964-1968 and was for its four years of some of the best and most exciting science fiction on TV at the time. The classic adventures aboard the "SSRN Seaview" will captivate you today, as much as they did in the 60s.

Voyage to the Bottom of Sea - Season 2, Volume 2

As Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea moved into the latter half of its second season, the series continued its migration from Cold War plotting to an increased emphasis on sci-fi and fantasy adventure. For better or worse, this approach was a clear indication that VTTBOTS was reaching a creative impasse, and these 13 episodes collectively represent the series at its peak. Particularly noteworthy is the increased presence of the show's excellent supporting cast: Bob Dowdell ("Lt. Cmdr. Chip Morton"), Del Monroe ("Kowalski"), Terry Becker ("Sharkey"), Arch Whiting ("Sparks") and other series regulars are given more screen time in these episodes, which range from utterly ludicrous experiments in genetic engineering ("The Menfish") to sea-faring ghost stories like "The Phantom Strikes" (guest-starring the great Alfred Ryder as the undead spirit of a Nazi U-Boat captain) and its season-ending sequel, "The Return of the Phantom." These episodes demonstrate producer Irwin Allen's occasionally misguided willingness to stretch credibility to its breaking point, but that didn't stop some episodes ("Terror on Dinosaur Island," "Deadly Creature Below!" and "The Monster's Web," for example) from satisfying loyal viewers with the series' now-established blend of impressive miniatures (especially the large-scale Seaview submarine models) and cheesy monsters, the latter due to the series' limited budget. And while episodes like "The Sky's on Fire" (an uninspired variation of the VTTBOTS feature film) indicated the series' penchant for recycling plots, others like "The Mechanical Man" (guest-starring James Darren as a power-hungry android) are enjoyable '60s sci-fi that bear striking resemblance to the original Star Trek.

While co-stars Richard Basehart ("Adm. Nelson") and David Hedison ("Capt. Crane") continued to command the series with solid performances, the real fun of VTTBOTS came from its guest-stars, and these episodes are no exception. The adventures of the Seaview included a wide variety of familiar actors including Michael Ansara ("Killers of the Deep"), the ubiquitous Nehemiah Persoff ("Deadly Creature Below!"), Robert Loggia ("Graveyard of Fear"), Albert Salmi ("Dead Men's Doubloons"), and assorted day-players like John Dehner, Seymour Cassell, and Arthur O'Connell. So, while the series reached its entertaining high-point with these episodes, it was also walking a knife-edge between occasional innovation and repetitive, overly familiar plots which kept sparks flying (and fires igniting) on the Seaview's bridge while Hedison and his fellow cast members struggled to find new ways to toss themselves around while sub (i.e. the camera) was buffeted by its latest underwater threat. Silly? Perhaps, but one thing is undeniable for every nostalgic fan who invests in these DVDs: Voyage never looked or sounded better. The DVD transfers are consistently pristine, and in the bonus interview clips with Hedison (looking remarkably healthy at age 80), the series co-star readily admits that while he was growing bored with his role, these episodes are a lot more fun that he thought when they were during production, a full 41 years before these DVDs were released. --Jeff Shannon

EXPLORE THE MARVELS OF THE UNKNOWN AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP.

Welcome a spectacular underwater world populated by sinister foreign agents, deadly sea creatures, and evil scientists bent on world domination. This is the world of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Irwin Allen's sci-fi TV classic, a world of beauty, wonder, intrigue, and danger.

Season Two, Volume Two contains some of the most innovative and beloved episodes of the entire series. There's an island inhabited by ferocious dinosaurs, a ghostly U-Boat captain with a deadly agenda, a fire in the sky that threatens to melt the polar ice cap, and more! Prepare yourself for a world unlike any you've ever experienced...Prepare to dive!

Voyage to the Bottom of Sea: Season 2, Vol. 1

Bolstered by its first-season success, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea returned on September 19, 1965, with a second season full of surprises. Now in full color, the continuing adventures of Adm. Nelson (Richard Basehart), Capt. Crane (David Hedison) and the intrepid crew of the nuclear sub Seaview were no longer limited to the ocean depths; the advent of the "Flying Sub" (officially dubbed "FS-1"), enabled Nelson and crew to expand the horizons of their top-secret service, flying at super-sonic speed or plunging into the ocean with the push of a joystick. The manta-shaped FS-1 quickly became a staple of nearly every episode, routinely deployed from its launch-bay on the newly upgraded Seaview, still the most elegant submarine of fact or fiction. Cold-war conspiracies and power-hungry villains remain common in these 13 episodes, all set in the "near future" of the 1970s, and spiced up with science-fiction scenarios familiar to any fan of producer Irwin Allen's other '60s SF shows like Land of the Giants and The Time Tunnel. And while the show's occasional monsters (in episodes like "Jonah and the Whale," "Leviathan" and "The Monster from Outer Space") are laughably cheesy by modern standards, they're balanced out by intelligent plots (many written by William Welch) involving espionage, sabotage, nuclear threats, and high-tech weaponry.

These are the plot elements that dominate most of these well-written episodes, capably handled by directors like Sobey Martin, Leo Penn (father of Sean), Nathan Juran (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) and others. And while Basehart and Hedison were never the most dynamic performers, they set a solid foundation for the series, holding their own with such prominent guest stars as Gia Scala ("Jonah and the Whale"), Victor Buono ("The Cyborg"), future indie-film pioneer John Cassavetes ("The Peacemaker"), soon-to-be-"Sulu" George Takei ("The Silent Saboteurs"), and many other '60s TV stalwarts. Voyage never wavered from its stodgy pacing, flat humor, and occasional lapses in logic (like having divers talk while their mouths are stuffed with oxygen regulators, etc.), but despite occasional gaps in credibility, it remained a slick, smart adventure series rooted in the political reality of the cold war. As with previous Voyage DVD sets, these episodes are so crisp and clean that you can easily see the guide-wires used to "fly" the Flying Sub (on a "Lydecker" rig, named after special effects pioneer Howard Lydecker), and loyal fans will enjoy the mid-season shift to "sonar-screen" opening credits, economical recycling of sets and stock footage, and the lively contributions of supporting cast members Bob Dowdell (as "Chip" Morton), Terry Becker (Chief Sharkey), Allen Hunt ("Stu" Riley), and Del Monroe (Kowalski). Bonus features are minimal but worthwhile, especially for fans: There's over 20 minutes of raw special effects footage (mostly redundant, but of interest to TV and FX historians), and photo galleries consisting of concept art, episode photos, behind-the-scenes photos and publicity stills. Best of all--and not mentioned on the DVD packaging--is the inclusion of "Voyage to See What's on the Bottom," a MAD magazine TV parody from 1966, viewable on-screen in its hilarious entirety. Nostalgic fun for seasoned fans, and likely to gain a new following on DVD, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is still entertaining after all these years. --Jeff Shannon

JOURNEY TO A BREATHTAKING WORLD OF DANGER AND SUSPENSE.

The SSRN Seaview, the world's most technologically advanced submarine, is back and more powerful than ever! Come aboard with Admiral Nelson, Captain Crane, and their crew as they brave hostile waters and explore uncharted depths, keeping the world safe from the enemies of mankind.

Season Two is full of innovative series firsts: it's the first season to be shot in color, and the Seaview has been masterfully redesigned to house the spectacular Flying Sub! Filled with espionage, action, sci-fi and suspense, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a true TV classic!

Hot Rods to Hell

The Phillips Family is chased by rowdy teenagers on their way through California.Runtime: 92 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/CLASSIC UPC: 012569797284 Manufacturer No: 79728

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Season 1 Vol. 2

The first (and some say best) season of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea went into its second half with strong ratings, a loyal audience, and 16 episodes that have stood the test of time. This compact 3-disc set presents all 16 of these 50-minute, black-and-white episodes with sound and picture quality so crisp and clean that it's hard to believe 41 years had passed between their original broadcasts (Monday nights at 7:30 on ABC) and this 2006 DVD release. Like all Irwin Allen productions, the show is characterized by simple, easy-to-follow plots, impressive production values on a limited budget, and special effects (mostly by pioneering effects master L.B. Abbott) that were state-of-the-art by mid-'60s standards. As Admiral Nelson (Richard Basehart), Commander Crane (David Hedison) and the crew of the double-hulled, nuclear-powered submarine Seaview continue their first-season adventures, most of these episodes deliver plots that will be comfortably familiar to any fan of sci-fi adventure shows of the '60s: obsessive scientists conducting radical experiments, power-hungry villains from behind the Iron Curtain (typically from the unspecified "People's Republic"), and international criminals engaged in nefarious schemes of global domination. Before the series shifted to color film (in the second season) and greater emphasis on techno-gadgets and science fiction, some of these first-season episodes involve extraterrestrial beings or monsters that would become more common in subsequent seasons.

The best of these sci-fi episodes is "The Invaders" (original airdate January 25, 1965), guest-starring Robert Duvall (misspelled "Duval" in the credits) as a powerful alien awakened from suspended animation by an undersea earthquake. Other episodes feature such now-familiar guest stars as Edward Asner ("The Exile"), George Sanders ("The Traitor"), Leslie Nielsen ("The Creature"), a very young-looking Tom Skerritt (appearing briefly in the prologue of "The Enemies"), and such '60s TV stalwarts as Torin Thatcher, Skip Homeier, Alvy (Green Acres) Moore, J.D. Cannon, and Henry Silva. The most enjoyable episodes feature a deep-space robot that's been dangerously reprogrammed ("The Indestructible Man"); a giant sub-crushing jellyfish ("Mutiny"); modern-day Nazis ("The Last Battle"); humans surgically transformed into "The Amphibians"; an encounter with the Loch Ness Monster ("The Secret of the Loch"); and a cautionary tale ("The Human Computer") that may have inspired the later Star Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer." And while only a few of these episodes achieve genuine excellence, they're consistently well-written, and the father-and-son-like dynamic between Basehart and Hedison anchors the series with authentic naval authority. DVD extras include an amusing 5-minute blooper reel; a photo gallery of cover art from the highly collectible Voyage comic books published by Gold Key in the mid-'60s; and brief interview clips with David Hedison (looking great at nearly 80 years old) discussing the show's first season, his admiration for Richard Basehart, and the blooper reels that Irwin Allen compiled despite having "no sense of humor." For Voyage fans and anyone who's catching up on the best shows of the '60s, these DVDs offer loads of nostalgic entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

Admiral Nelson and Commander Crane are back in Volume Two of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Irwin Allen's thrilling, ground-breaking science-fiction adventure series!

Join the crew of the Seaview aboard their super high-tech submarine, where no mission is too dangerous and no threat is too deadly, be it enemy agents, mad scientists, deadly sea creatures, or impending nuclear disaster. Welcome aboard the Seaview. Destination: uncharted depths and unparalleled excitement. Permission to board granted!