Laven, Arnold

The Rockford Files - Season One

From the premiere of its first hour-long episode on September 13, 1974, The Rockford Files was a critical and commercial success that gained a large and loyal following. Like other private-eye shows of the 1970s (such as Columbo and David Janssen's Harry O), the series offered smart mystery plots in the hardboiled-sleuth traditions of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Rex Stout, given a sunlit spin in contemporary California. But ex-convict turned private investigator Jim Rockford (who served time for a crime he didn't commit) was anything but a conventional gumshoe; for one thing, he rarely carried a gun, and resorted to violence only when he'd exhausted his options. As played to perfection by James Garner (in what would become his signature role, surpassing his previous success as Maverick), Rockford preferred wisecracks over violence, and his going rate ("$200 a day, plus expenses") was typically applied to cold cases, missing persons, and family disputes, frequently leading to entanglements with organized crime and L.A.P.D. Sergeant Dennis Becker (Joe Santos), whose friendship with Rockford lent the series one of its pivotal character relationships. As Rockford pursued the truth from his rusty trailer-home on the Pacific Coast Highway, his inherent warmth and compassionate sleuthing were further enhanced by engaging interplay with his retired ex-trucker father "Rocky" (Noah Beery, Jr.), his lawyer and on-and-off girlfriend Beth Davenport (Gretchen Corbett), and his weasely former cell-mate "Angel" Martin (Stuart Margolin), a trio of supporting players as memorably appealing as any in '70s television. As a loose-knit ensemble, they followed Garner's capable lead with intelligent dialogue (the best of it written by series cocreator Stephen J. Cannell and frequent contributor Juanita Bartlett) and occasionally burst of stunt-laden action, typically involving Rockford's expert driving of a versatile Pontiac Firebird. (As Garner fondly recalls in the disc 1 bonus interview, "That car could do anything.")

With a catchy Mike Post theme song, The Rockford Files began each week with a new message on Rockford's telephone answering machine, usually a humorous indication that Rockford's life was always in some kind of financial disarray. Garner played this angle to the hilt, portraying Rockford as a nice guy who knew all the scams and wasn't above using them if it aided his case. His portrayal, and the show's excellent writing, attracted a wide variety of new and established guest stars, and these 23 episodes (24 if you count the two-part "This Case Is Closed," originally broadcast as one 90-minute episode) feature appearances by Joseph Cotten, James Woods, Sharon Gless, Lindsay Wagner, James Cromwell, Suzanne Somers, Ned Beatty, and others, along with lesser-known but familiar TV regulars like Sian Barbara Allen and Mills Watson, all adding flavor to a series that was routinely hailed by mystery writers as one of the best private-eye shows in TV history. Speaking of mysteries, one can only wonder why Universal failed to include the series' 90-minute pilot (originally aired in March 1974), and while this reviewer experienced no playback problems with these three double-sided DVDs (four episodes per side), many consumers have reported DVD freeze-ups likely resulting from lower-quality players less capable of handling high-compression DVDs. These caveats aside, season 1 of The Rockford Files is a bona fide treat, setting the tone for even better episodes that followed in subsequent seasons. --Jeff Shannon

The world's most unlikely detective comes to DVD for the first time ever in all 23 thrilling Season One episodes of The Rockford Files. Emmy(r) winner James Garner stars as the offbeat Jim Rockford, an ex-con-turned-private-investigator who would rather fish than fight, but whose instinct on closed cases is more golden than his classic Pontiac Firebird. From his mobile home in Malibu, this wisecracking private eye takes on the cases of the lost and the dispossessed, chasing down seemingly long-dead clues in the sun-baked streets and seamy alleys of Los Angeles. Including an interview with James Garner himself, this phenomenal DVD set contains 23 TV hours of classic Rockford action and includes such stellar guest stars as Lindsay Wagner, James Woods, Abe Vigoda, Suzanne Somers and Ned Beatty. The Rockford Files are now open and declassified for mystery fans everywhere!

The Monster That Challenged the World/It! The Terror From Beyond Space

The Monster That Challenged the WorldCreeping dread! Crawling terror! Oozing fear! The local beaches go from fun-filled swim-fest to horrifying slugfest when a horde of gargantuan vampire snails ooze their way into the water supply and threaten to suck the life out of mankind! Packed with nerve-jangling suspense and excitement (Variety) this slimy sci-fi thriller delivers superior monster action (VideoHound s Movie Guide) that ll pull the most hardened sci-fi cynic right out of his shell!Running Time 69 MinIt! The Terror from Beyond SpaceToo terrifying to even have a name It is a seemingly invincible monster that is hellbent on killing everybody on a mission to Mars. A Martian by birth and Frankenstein by instinct (Variety) this life-devouring alien brushes aside bullets and even nuclear blasts making it the deadliest Cold War-style invader ever to hit the silver screen.Running Time 74 MinSystem Requirements: Running Time 143 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: NR UPC: 027616910851 Manufacturer No: 1006944

Fantasy Island - The Complete First Season

Smiles everyone smiles! It's the fabulous first season of FANTASY ISLAND the mysterious Pacific paradise where anything can - and will - happen. Join Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban) and his assistant Tattoo (Herve Villechaize) as they welcome their very special guests - including Bill Bixby Don Knotts Juliet Mills Leslie Nielsen Ray Bolger and Sandra Dee - for a weekend stay and make their fondest dreams and wishes come true. This DVD includes the long-running series' initial 14 episodes plus the 1977 pilot and the original feature-length television movie that started it all!System Requirements: Running Time 776 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 043396114906 Manufacturer No: 11490

One of the definitive TV shows of the 1970s originally aspired to the dark moral complexity of anthology shows like The Twilight Zone. Even diehard fans will have to admit Fantasy Island fell short of its goal--but that didn't stop it from becoming hugely popular, lasting for seven powerhouse seasons. All the most iconic elements were present from the beginning: Diminutive Tattoo (Herve Villechaize, The Man with the Golden Gun) shouting "De plane! De plane!"; infinitely gracious Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) commanding "Smiles, everyone, smiles," before delivering pages of exposition with his implacable Latin gravitas; the white suits; the tropical island that somehow has all the vegetation and weather patterns in the world; the pageant of celebrities from Jim Backus to Karen Valentine, Barbi Benton to Don Knotts--it all added up to sneakily addictive television. After all, wish-fulfillment--be it a schlub who wants to be irresistible to chicks or kids who want their separated parents to reconcile or a former cheerleading team who want to relive their high school glory days--had a built-in narrative hook, even though the resolution (various versions of "be careful what you wish for") was never in doubt. Almost every episode bubbled over with sex, revenge, ambition, and regret, delivered with a shameless lack of subtlety. Over the course of the first season, the interplay between Montalban and Villechaize--each armed with an intriguing exotic accent--became more and more prominent, with Mr. Roarke becoming increasingly supernatural while Tattoo oozed the mortal sins of greed and lechery. Turn on any episode; you'll find it hard to stop watching, no matter how cheesy or ludicrous the storyline. This four-dvd set includes the original TV movie pilot, its sequel, and the 16 episode first season, as well as a couple of largely bland featurettes enlivened by the occasional barbed comment from executive producer Leonard Goldberg. --Bret Fetzer

CHiPs - The Complete First Season

Country boy Larry Wilcox got first billing, but Erik Estrada was the breakaway star of CHiPs, the popular late 1970s show about California highway patrolmen. With his blindingly white teeth, tight shirts, tighter pants, and exquisite '70s hair (which always emerged from under his helmet perfectly coifed), Estrada transformed his struggling career of playing hoodlums into becoming one of television's first Latino heroes--Frank "Ponch" Poncharello--and a skyrocketing sex symbol as well. CHiPs is basically Adam-12 on motorcycles. Ponch may have been a hothead, but there's not a hint that these cops are anything but perfectly upright and earnest in their duties--a far cry from The Shield or The Wire! Ponch and Jon Baker (Wilcox) cruise all over the southern California freeway system, grappling with car thieves, clearing away overturned trucks, and pulling beautiful girls out of car accidents. Every episode has at least one high-speed chase and just about every episode features Ponch hitting on a woman with gloriously feathered hair; watching episode after episode may feel a bit repetitive, but there's no denying that the stories are efficiently laid out and crisply executed. Foiling crime and rescuing lost dogs was the show's meat and potatoes, but the dessert was preposterousness like Ponch competing with a squad of middle-aged housewives on a game show or chasing after spilled chickens. The extras on CHiPs: The Complete First Season are meager, but many episodes feature introductions by Estrada, who's gained some weight but lost none of his cocksure charm. --Bret Fetzer

Where the rubber meets the road and the bad guys meet the badge -- that's where you'll find California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers Jon (Larry Wilcox) and Ponch (Erik Estrada). Set in the sun-drenched sprawl of Los Angeles CHiPs combines action heroics and fun in 22 Season One episodes whose event-packed storylines range from freeway gridlock (let's use a circus elephant to tow that broken-axled truck!) to wild roadway pursuits (who's that beautiful woman lead-footing a Rolls Royce?) from spilled onions (crying time fellas) to pure venom (an overturned van loaded with...sssnakes!). Attention all units: Report now for arresting entertainment!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 053939778526 Manufacturer No: T7785

Sam Whiskey

Welcome to America's Wild and very wacky West! Burt Reynolds Clint Walker Ossie Davis and Angie Dickinson star in this tongue-in-cheek tale of love lust and larceny that's brimming with "real charm" and "sharp wit" (Boxoffice). Thanks to ingenious plot twists hilarious blunders and delightful chemistry Sam Whiskey is a comely caper full of mischief and mayhem that is altogether intoxicating.Even crooks have standards and keeping the loot is usually one of them. But when cowboy con artist Sam Whiskey (Reynolds) falls head over spurs for a sexy widow (Dickinson) he finds himself compromising a lot more than his principles. After she seduces him into helping her break into the US Mint to return a fortune in stolen gold Sam begins to suspect that honesty might have some very ample rewardsSystem Requirements: Running Time 97 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: PG UPC: 027616923608 Manufacturer No: 1008329

Anna Lucasta

Based on the hit Broadway play Anna Lucasta is "a searing illuminating family drama" (The Film Daily). Sultry siren Eartha Kitt is "vibrantly sexy" (Los Angeles Times) as a lascivious lady of the night and cool cat Sammy Davis Jr. displays "tremendous appeal and power" (Cue) in this torrid tale of love and greed.When wild child Anna Lucasta (Kitt) is banished from the family home by her self-righteous father she falls into a life of prostitution and into the arms of street-wise sailor Danny Johnson (Davis). But after Anna shocks them all by finally finding true love with a well-heeled young suitor her unforgiving father sets a vengeful plan in motion to remind his daughter of her sordid past and destroy her future forever!System Requirements: Running Time 97 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 027616917218 Manufacturer No: 1007641

Rough Night in Jericho

The Monster That Challenged the World

A highlight among 1950s creature-features, The Monster That Challenged the World is a near-classic B movie that never goes out of style. When an earthquake reveals a nest of giant, prehistoric sea mollusks at the bottom of California's Salton Sea, the local body count skyrockets. Navy lietenant Twillinger (Tim Holt) takes command, assisting the obligatory scientist (Hans Conreid) while wooing the June Cleaver wanna-be (Barbara Darrow) who inevitably tangles with the monster--a flailing caterpillar-like beastie with snapping mandibles and a voracious appetite. With a moment of vintage gross-out ("Get the eye! Get the eye!"), well-handled suspense, and the requisite balance of tepid romance and sci-fi jargon, this is a prime companion to any film in the atomic-monster lineup. The aging Holt made only two more movies after this (following a thriving career in Westerns), but he gives Monster his best shot and comes up a winner. --Jeff Shannon

Without Warning

Splashing spotlights across tight blonde curls and the sharp edges of the murderous blades of a gardener's shears---Without Warning! Opening with pure noir murder, our love-killer gardener Carl Martin (Andy Williams, North by Northwest) leaves his latest fair-haired victim gaping at the ceiling in a motel room in a post-passion melee. But our killer is not a random psycho, He's a clean-cut kid with an unknown chip on his. shoulder and a pair of garden shears in his hands---and a murderous lust for big-busted blonde babes out for a quick night's thrill. Befriending a local garden shop owner's daughter, Carl boldly snares her in his lair. Scant clues keep detective Ed Binns (12 Angry Men), busy while Carl Martin keeps pruning the blondes. With a tip of the hat and a draw of the gun, the flatfoots keep our killer hustling until he's plucked his last daisy. Drawing on the classic inspirations of the period, Without Warning! is one of the final missing pieces in the shadowy world of American film noir.

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