Dixon, Ivan

Quantum Leap - The Complete First Season

They'll be dancing (well, leaping maybe) in the streets now that the first season of Quantum Leap, voted one of the 25 best cult series ever by TV Guide, has come to home video, a decade after its final year (1994) on the air (the pilot episode was released on DVD in '98). And why shouldn't they? This is a show, called "an imaginative diversion" by one critic, with a good premise that's cleverly and skillfully conceived, written, acted, and produced--ample evidence of which is spread out over three discs, each containing three episodes (plus some fairly meager extras) from the first season.

Scott Bakula, in the role that made him a star, plays Sam Beckett, a scientist who's part of a time-travel experiment that "went a little... ka-ka." Unable to return to his own time, and aided only by Al (Dean Stockwell, whose rapport with Bakula is one of the series' most appealing elements), his cigar-smoking, peculiar-dressing, sex-obsessed, holographic "enabler," Sam "leaps" unpredictably from one time period and person to another, usually completely out of his element (as a pilot, a boxer, a cowboy, an English lit professor, even an elderly black man in segregated '50s Alabama) and always in a situation that needs to be "made right" before he can leap onward. Generous helpings of humor, drama, physical action, and sentimentality (this is TV, after all) keep things moving, as do references to many other classic films and genres (Driving Miss Daisy in "The Color of Truth," Casablanca in "Play it Again, Seymour," boxing in general in "The Right Hand of God") and what creator Donald Bellisario calls the occasional "kiss with history" (Sam crosses paths with the young Buddy Holly and Michael Jackson, among others). It doesn't all work, as Quantum Leap occasionally becomes too cute and facile for its own good. But that and the set's paucity of bonus material (limited to one passable featurette and brief episode intros by Bakula) are the only real shortcomings of a boxed set that will likely earn multiple spins in the DVD player. --Sam Graham

Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and Vanished...He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

Quincy, M.E. - Seasons 1 & 2

When Jack Klugman played Oscar Madison in television's "The Odd Couple," it seemed no role could better suit him—until he stepped into the shoes of Dr. Quincy, the stubborn, crusading medical examiner in the trailblazing series (1976-1983) that spawned the medical investigation genre and earned Klugman four Emmy nominations. Immortalized for posterity is this collector's set of the show's first two seasons on three two-sided discs containing 16 episodes (four from Season One; 12 from Season Two). Beginning with the first installment, "Go Fight City Hall--To the Death," the series' socially conscious, quick-paced, and mostly believable storylines are an engaging blend of mystery, sleuthing, sarcasm, and romance stirred together into an action-packed drama. Each episode, such as the award-winning show, "The Thigh Bone's Connected to the Knee Bone," probes contemporary issues and promotes justice while maintaining a healthy dose of humor. A strong supporting cast includes Robert Ito (as Quincy's loyal lab assistant, Sam) and John S. Ragin (as skeptical boss, Dr. Asten). Jamie Lee Curtis makes a cameo appearance in "Visitors in Paradise," while additional celebrity guests include Buddy Hackett, Donna Mills, Kim Cattrall, and June Lockhart. The picture and sound quality are solid and each story begins with a short onscreen synopsis and original airdate. The only deficit in an otherwise stellar effort is the noticeable lack of bonus material such as vintage interviews, a making-of featurette, or a well-deserved tribute to Klugman. (Ages 12 and older) --Lynn Gibson

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries - Season One

The Hardy Boys Mysteries and The Nancy Drew Mysteries began in 1977 as separate series alternating in the same time slot on ABC. Early the following year, the casts combined, and in the fall of 1978 the Nancy Drew thread was dropped and The Hardy Boys Mysteries continued on alone. This Season One boxed set captures the twin-series idea at its most ambitious, with adolescent brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, created by author Franklin W. Dixon, sleuthing for clues one week and Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew investigating crimes the next.

Actually, as fans of the books know, Dixon and Keene were both pen names used by Edward Stratemeyer when he created those characters in 1927. Just as the young detectives have been updated in print every so often to accommodate successive generations of readers, so too did the TV show present Joe (Shaun Cassidy, brother of David Cassidy of The Partridge Family), Frank (Parker Stevenson), and Nancy (Pamela Sue Martin) as thoroughly 1970s kids. The boys are outfitted with motorcycles, Joe enjoys a retro-pop singing career, and Nancy has a certain freedom of movement only the hippest of dads in a permissive age would allow. Hardy Boys finds the always-amicable siblings following in the footsteps of their father, Fenton (Edmund Gilbert), a private detective, as they untangle capers that take them from haunted houses to Hawaii. The Hardy episodes make for brisk, family viewing, much better than the bubblegum reputation that built up, undeservedly, around the series. Slightly less interesting are the Nancy Drew programs (despite a more entertaining supporting cast), but only because the heroine is less focused and distractingly man-crazy, and the storylines are less exotic. An emphasis on the supernatural and science-fiction themes lends a Scooby-Doo vibe to several programs in both series, though the best stories are the ones with straightforward, meat-and-potatoes detective work. Among the directors on either series are Jack Arnold (The Creature from the Black Lagoon), Winrich Kolbe (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and actors Vince Edwards and Stuart Margolin. --Tom Keogh

The Hardy Boys Mysteries and The Nancy Drew Mysteries Trivia
• Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert Englund, who played the biker couple Mary and Gar in an episode of this series, started acting in horror films during this era.

Follow the clues to mystery, adventure and thrills as Season One of the The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries comes to DVD for the first time ever! Teen sensations Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson and Pamela Sue Martin star as brave super-sleuths in 14 spooky episodes loaded with spellbinding action and smash-hit pop songs, including Shaun Cassidy's #1 hit "Da Doo Ron Ron." Inspired by the hugely popular books and with an amazing lineup of guest stars, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Mark Harmon, Bob Crane, Rick Nelson and more, it's no surprise that The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries is an open-and-shut case for fun!

Baa Baa Black Sheep - Volume 1

A likable mix of WWII action and light comedy, the first 10 episodes of the NBC series Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976-78) wing their way onto DVD in this double-sided two-disc set. Based on the adventures of Marine Corps pilot Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (played in the series by the always dependable Robert Conrad) and his squadron of roguish ace fliers in the South Pacific Theater, Baa Baa Black Sheep benefited from an excellent cast (which included such TV and film vets as Simon Oakland and Dana Elcar, as well as up-and-comers like John Larroquette and Larry Manetti of Magnum, P.I.) and scripts from series creator Stephen J. Cannell (as well as long-time TV scribes like Philip De Guere and Milt Rosen) that offered a enjoyable balance of humor and combat. The blend gets an excellent showcase in the 1976 two-hour pilot, Flying Misfits, which kicks off volume 1; the remaining 10 adventures pit Pappy and the Black Sheep boys against the Axis Japanese in a secret squadron of captured planes ("The Meatball Circus," episode 8), a brainwashed American captain ("Presumed Dead," episode 7), and a tough major (Charles Napier) with designs on commanding the squadron ("Best Three out of Five," episode 3). Fans of the series may question the decision to include only half of the first season's episodes in this set (the 1976-77 season ran for an additional 12 episodes before being dropped by NBC; the series was revived in late 1977, rechristened Black Sheep Squadron, and ran for an additional 13 episodes before being canceled in 1978), but the inclusion of the two-part pilot and interviews with the real Pappy Boyington (who served as the show's consultant and even cameos in the pilot) should appease any concerns. --Paul Gaita

Quantum Leap - The Complete Fifth Season

He s leaped into lives of the past but nothing can compare time traveler Dr. Sam Beckett (Emmy nominee Scott Bakula) and his wise-cracking holographic guide Al (Emmy nominee Dean Stockwell) for the high-stakes groundbreaking adventures that await them in all 21 episodes of the fifth and final season of Quantum Leap! From a presidential assassin to his own great-grandfather to the King of Rock n Roll it s up to his final mission. Complete your Quantum collection with this extraordinary Emmy-winning season that includes such time-stopping guest stars as Brooke Shields Jennifer Aniston Neil Patrick Harris and many more. Available on DVD for the first time ever it also includes images of the actual blueprints from the original sets! He s been on the adventure of many lifetimes is it Sam's time to finally make it home?System Requirements:Running Time: 372 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025193014627 Manufacturer No: 61030146

Quantum Leap - The Complete Second Season

Quantum Leap - The Complete Third Season

Baa Baa Black Sheep, Vol. 2

Based on the real-life experiences of Lt. Col. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP was one of the earliest television series created by celebrated producer Stephen J. Cannell (THE A-TEAM). The series centers on Boyington and his team of fighter pilots stationed on a Pacific island during the Second World War. Boyington not only sends his group of pilots on assorted missions but must also keep order in the ragtag group while they remain on the base. Volume two features the second half of the series' action-packed first season.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025193304025 Manufacturer No: 61033040

Wonder Woman - The Complete First Season

The adventures of the World War II era super heroine Diana, princess of the Amazons, also known as Wonder Woman.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: NR
Release Date: 29-JUN-2004
Media Type: DVD

"In your satin tights / Fighting for your rights / And the old Red, White, and Blue!... / Wonder Woman!" Could anyone who grew up in the '70s ever forget that super-catchy theme song? Originally packaged as the female version of the Batman TV show (producer Stanley Ralph Ross penned 32 of the caped crusader's episodes), Wonder Woman ended up redefining the campy, comic book genre. The primetime show immediately became a social and cultural phenomenon, attracting a wide audience that continued to tune in to America's favorite socially progressive superheroine.

Looking back on it now, it is easy to see the attraction of this unique show that oozed '70s culture, but was set in the 1940s. While trying to stop a Nazi plane from reaching the U.S., Major Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner) is shot down, landing on mythical Paradise Island. The uncharted island is the hidden home to the lost tribe of eternally young Amazon women. The Amazons take in the Major and nurse him back to health. During his recovery he attracts the sympathy and interest of Princess Diana (Lynda Carter, former Miss USA 1973) who is intrigued by the man from the mainland and his tales of the evil Nazis. She decides she must follow the Major back to the U.S. and join the forces of good against the tyranny of evil. So begins the saga of the beautiful Amazon Wonder Woman, armed with super strength, bulletproof bracelets, and the unbreakable, "truth-telling," golden lasso. What sets season 1 apart from the two subsequent seasons is that the pilot and each of the 13 episodes take place during World War II, corresponding to the original comic stories. In this season we see Wonder Woman battle spies, uncover Fausta the Nazi Wonder Woman, stop thieves trying to steal the secret substance of Amazonian power (Feminum), wrestle a Nazi-trained circus gorilla, and rescue an interplanetary visitor held captive by the Third Reich--all of which are priceless.

Included with the pilot episode is an extremely fun commentary track by Lynda Carter and producer Douglas C. Kramer. Also added on the DVD set is the making-of featurette "Beauty, Brawn and Bulletproof Bracelets." Yes, it is very campy, cheesy, dated, and filled with double entendres and subtle innuendos. But below the surface, there is something special that makes the show timeless and a pleasure to watch. Calling Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season a time capsule would be an understatement. But a time capsule in the most wonderful sense of the phrase. --Rob Bracco

Quantum Leap - The Complete Fourth Season

Scott Bakula (STAR TREK - ENTERPRISE) stars as brilliant scientist Sam Beckett who in experimenting with time travel loses himself in a perpetual warp that catapults him into the bodies and lives of random people throughout time. While he temporarily inhabits a person's body Sam also must solve a problem or mystery in that person's life (the solving of which triggers another jump). Continually trying to find a way to his home time Sam has the help of Rear Admiral Albert "Al" Calavicci (Dean Stockwell) who appears in hologram form and the supercomputer Ziggy (voiced by Deborah Pratt) which provides clues for solving each episode's mystery. This collection contains all of the episodes in the fourth season of the very popular cult series.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025192922923 Manufacturer No: 29229