Silverstein, Elliot

Cat Ballou

Long before Unforgiven deconstructed the Western, or Blazing Saddles lampooned it, Cat Ballou poked the genre in the eye. An altogether enjoyable comedy, the film is full of small surprises, big laughs, and wonderful character turns. Catherine Ballou (Jane Fonda) is a schoolteacher until a hired thug kills her daddy. To protect what she loves, she collects two petty criminals, a wisecracking hired hand, and a hired killer, Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin). Unfortunately, Shelleen is a raging drunk who is so inebriated and unsteady with a gun he literally misses the broad side of a barn. However, Cat, has, as they used to say in those days, a mind of her own, and she masterminds a spectacular train heist that puts them all on the lam. Marvin won an Academy Award for his role as the derelict Shelleen, and his performances (he actually has two) are still topnotch and on target. The framing device, two wandering minstrels, played by Stubby Kaye and Nat "King" Cole, are the maraschino cherries on the top of this Wild West confection. --Keith Simanton

The sleeper hit of 1965 Cat Balou was declared an instant classic when its sly blend of Western parody and rapid-fire action hit the screen. Lee Marvin won an Oscar for Best Actor for his dual role as noiseless ("it got bit off in a fight") gunslinger Tim Strawn and as Kid Shelleen the woozy boozy has-been who goes up against him. Jane Fonda co-stars as Catherine "Cat" Balou the schoolmarm-turned-outlaw who teams up with Kid. Slinger Nat King cole and comedian Stubby Kaye also appear singing the title song "The Ballad Of Cat Ballou." This wild and wooly adventure is "the ultimate American spoof of the American Western." Judith CristSystem Requirements:Starring: Jane Fonda Lee Marvin Michael Callan and Dwayne Hickman. Directed By: Elliot Silverstein. Running Time: 96 Min. Color. This film is presented in both "Widescreen" and "Standard" formats. Copyright 2000 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating:  UPC: 043396048645 Manufacturer No: 04864

A Man Called Horse

American Indians were a "cool" factor in 1970 cinema, the year A Man Called Horse made its vigorous, feverishly real, and occasionally shocking debut alongside Little Big Man and Soldier Blue. Unlike the latter two films, however, Horse is less an allegory for Vietnam-era America and more of a vision quest for historical identity. In one of his defining roles, Richard Harris plays an English aristocrat captured by Dakota Sioux in 1825. Over time, he adopts their way of life and eventually becomes tribal leader--but not before undergoing savage initiation rituals, the most famous of which involves being suspended by blades inserted beneath Harris's pectoral muscles. Horse looks clunky, quaint, and inadvertently demeaning in some respects today, but the film's Native American milieu is at least defined on its own terms, i.e., whole cloth and apart from familiar Western conventions. The real draw is Harris, whose performance has a soulful integrity. --Tom Keogh

The Car

Fasten your seatbelts for the terrifying thrill ride that has become a cult classic - The Car! The peaceful tranquility of a small Western town is disturbed when a murderous car wreaks havoc by viciously mowing down innocent victims. New sheriff Wade Parent (James Brolin) may be the only one who can stop this menace in its tracks until he realizes that the driver of this indestructible vehicle is far more dangerous than any man it is driven by pure evil. With a digitally remastered picture The Car has never been more thrilling more chilling or more explosively entertaining!System Requirements:Running Time: 97 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/CULT MOVIES Rating: PG UPC: 025195027571 Manufacturer No: 61103503

Picket Fences - Season 1

While Ally McBeal garnered more attention, Picket Fences garnered more acclaim. It was justified. Set in Wisconsin, the Emmy-winning drama plays like The Andy Griffith Show by way of The Commish. The focus is on small-town life from a law and order perspective. The action revolves around Sheriff Jimmy Brock (Tom Skerritt), his physician wife Jill (Kathy Baker), and their children, Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs), Matthew (Justin Shenkarow), and Zack (Adam Wylie). Storylines alternate between personal issues, like puberty and pre-marital sex, and criminal cases. As Matthew quips, "Things happen around here." At city hall, Jimmy works with officers Kenny (Costas Mandylor) and Max (Lauren Holly), dispatcher Ginny (Zelda Rubinstein), and coroner Carter Pike (Kelly Connell), who likes to exclaim, "Let me exhume the body!" Judge Henry Bone (Ray Walston) and attorney Douglas Wambaugh (Fyvush Finkel) dominate the courthouse. Cases include such tragi-comic crimes as a serial bather ("Frank, the Potato Man") and a cupid killer ("Be My Valentine"), but serious issues also come into play, such as assisted suicide ("Sacred Hearts") and incest ("Nuclear Meltdowns"). Unlike Twin Peaks, to which it was sometimes compared, Picket Fences could be heavy-handed, but piety never trumped entertainment, and Baker, Skerritt, Walston, and Finkel all won Emmys for their work.

Notable guests are a hallmark of every David E. Kelley production, from Chicago Hope to Boston Legal (and beyond). The first season attracted Carnivále's Michael J. Anderson ("Mr. Dreeb Comes to Town"), Evening Shade's Michael Jeter ("Frog Man"), and Man of La Mancha's Richard Kiley ("Thanksgiving"). The series also features one of the last of the old-fashioned orchestral scores, Stewart Levin's distinctive piano theme. Picket Fences ran for four seasons on CBS (when Kelley left between seasons three and four, ratings took a nosedive). Afterwards, Combs joined Charmed, Baker joined Kelley's Boston Public, and Holly joined NCIS. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

PICKET FENCES Season 1 is the first season of the critically acclaimed series from creator David E. Kelly ("Ally McBeal", "Boston Legal") starring Tom Skerrit and Kathy Baker, in the story of a sherriff and his family in Rome, Wisconsin, a town where things never seem to be business as usual. This long-awaited fan favorite is available on 6 discs.

Naked City - Set 1 [TV-Series 1958-1963]

Gritty and realistic, this is one of television's finest police dramas. Filmed on the streets of New York City, this ever-popular series puts a human face on crime, going beyond a simplistic portrayal of good vs. evil to delve into the complex personal dramas of the people involved. Filled with swift-moving action, the stories are often violent and tragic but also contain their share of humor, absurdity and even fairy tale romance. Starring Paul Burke and Horace McMahon, this landmark collection features many top film and television actors in guest-starring roles. Episodes include: The Fault in Our Stars; A Memory of Crying; Make-Believe Man; Take and Put; The Fingers of Henri Tourelle; Which Is Joseph Creely?; Requiem for a Sunday Afternoon; Ooftus Goofus; The Face of the Enemy; The Contract; Let Me Die Before I Wake; To Walk Like a Lion.

Naked City - New York to L.A.

Assignment Underwater - Volume 2

Four (more) lost episodes of underwater adventure following the exploits of a daring charter boat captain.

Naked City - A Death of Princes

There are eight million stories in the Naked City, and this disc compiles four of them from the ABC police drama that should please vintage TV fans with its gritty stories, noirish photography, and New York locations. The quartet included here is culled from the series' second season (1960-61), which was distinctly different from its 1958-59 debut. Stars John McIntire and James Franciscus were replaced by Paul Burke and Horace McMahon as the lead detectives; the half-hour program had also been expanded to 60 minutes. Untouched, however, were the complex, character-driven scripts, powered by stellar actors and directors. Among those featured on this disc are actors Eli Wallach and Walter Matthau, writers W. R. Burnett (High Sierra) and Stirling Silliphant (also the series' story consultant), and directors Arthur Hiller and John Brahm. Viewers under 40 may find the hard-boiled dialogue old fashioned, but cop show aficionados will appreciate the serious tone and action. --Paul Gaita

Gritty and realistic, this is one of television's best police dramas. Filmed on the streets of New York City, this ever-popular series puts a human face on crime, going beyond a simplistic portrayal of good vs. evil to delve into the complex personal dramas of the people involved. Filled with swift-moving action, the stories are often violent and tragic, but also contain their share of humor, absurdity and even fairy tale romance. Paul Burke stars as Detective Adam Flint, the young, handsome detective who manages to hold on to his ideals, and Horace McMahon is his crusty older boss, Lt. Mike Parker. Because of the critically-acclaimed series' outstanding reputation, the series attracted many top film and television actors for its guest-starring roles. Episodes: "Death of Princes" (Ep. 40, October 12, 1960) - A crooked detective (Eli Wallach) blackmails a cashier, a prizefighter (George Maharis) and a playboy into helping him steal the proceeds from a charity boxing match. "Debt of Honor" (Ep. 46, November 23, 1960) - A gambler (Steve Cochran) gets in deep trouble with an underworld crime syndicate, triggering his wife (Lois Nettleton) to run away after she learns about his unsavory connections. "The Man Who Bit a Diamond in Half" (Ep. 48, December 14, 1960) - A man (Walter Matthau) discovers that his wife is involved with a gang of jewel thieves who plan to steal the world's largest uncut diamond. "Murder Is a Face I Know" (Ep. 50, January 11, 1961) - A model husband and father (Theodore Bikel) massacres the crew of a cabin cruiser. Now his wife and son (Keir Dullea) must face the fact that he's secretly a hitman for a gang lord.

The Car

Naked City - Portrait of a Painter

In "Portrait of a Painter" a struggling artist (Star Trek's William Shatner) awakens to find his wife has been murdered. He swears that he didn't do it, but Detective Flint is not convinced. In "Alive and Still a Second Lieutenant" a frustrated junior executive erupts with anger when a man named Mr. Binks (Deliverance's Jon Voight) taunts him. In "Don't Knock it Till You've Tried It" a stressed psychologist (The Odd Couple's Walter Matthau) seeks solace in a Las Vegas dancer who kidnaps him and threatens to kill him if he doesn't marry her. In "The Tragic Success of Alfred Tiloff" Lifelong failure Alfy Tiloff (Quincy's Jack Klugman) tries for a big payoff when he kidnaps a little girl, but his scheme's success may have a price he can't afford.