Singer, Alexander

The Rockford Files - Season Four

Series about an ex-con-turned-private-investigator named Jim Rockford who would rather run away than fight and would rather go fishing than work. He isn't a coward and he isn't lazy--just a bit on the cautious side that's all. And he bears a very strong resemblance to Western TV hero Bret Maverick. Rockford is sometimes aided (and sometimes deterred) in his cases by friends Dennis Becker (a police detective) Angel (his cowardly former cellmate) and pretty Beth Davenport (his lawyer).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025195005715 Manufacturer No: 61100691

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 Rockford Files - Season Three

Much like his trusty Pontiac Firebird, The Rockford Files was a particularly well-oiled machine by the third year. Everything was clicking into place, from the writing to the acting (writer/producer David Chase went on to create The Sopranos). Despite a terrific supporting cast, James Garner was always the main draw, and he received an Emmy for the series during year three (1976-1977). Considering that the show was carefully pitched between drama and comedy, it was well deserved as Garner excelled at both. Notable episodes include "Feeding Frenzy," in which Rockford returns stolen loot for a client; "Drought at Indian Head River," in which informant Angel (Stuart Margolin) reinvents himself as a real estate developer; and "Rattler's Class of '63," in which Angel ties the knot. Among the guest stars are such hip cats as Blazing Saddles's Cleavon Little ("Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones...") and Cool Hand Luke's Strother Martin ("The Trees, the Bees, and T.T. Flowers"). Ned Beatty also drops by as a buddy from Korea ("Return to the 38th Parallel"), while R&B legend Isaac Hayes returns as prison pal Gandy Fitch ("Just Another Polish Wedding").

As usual, there are plenty of good lines, like Robert Loggia's "I expect him to tell me the truth. If he doesn't, he's gonna end up in the flower business--as a soil additive" ("Drought at Indian Head River") and Garner's "Stop batting your eyes like that or you're gonna get a muscle spasm" ("Return to the 38th Parallel"). The best part about season three is simply that it adds depth to Rockford's relationships with the four people most important to him: Angel, dad Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.), detective Becker (Joe Santos), and attorney Beth (Gretchen Corbett). The only extra feature is "Quickie Nirvana," an episode from the fourth season. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Series about an ex-con-turned-private-investigator named Jim Rockford who would rather run away than fight and would rather go fishing than work. He isn't a coward and he isn't lazy--just a bit on the cautious side that's all. And he bears a very strong resemblance to Western TV hero Bret Maverick. Rockford is sometimes aided (and sometimes deterred) in his cases by friends Dennis Becker (a police detective) Angel (his cowardly former cellmate) and pretty Beth Davenport (his lawyer).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025193281920 Manufacturer No: 61032819

The Rockford Files - Season Two

Starring James Garner as quirky ex-con turned detective Jim Rockford THE ROCKFORD FILES became a favorite of mystery lovers when it debuted in 1974. Living in a mobile home in Malibu Jim would rather just relax than solve crimes but his undeniable knack for uncovering the truth keeps him busy with casework in Los Angeles. This release gathers every episode from the show's second season.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025192647222 Manufacturer No: 26472

"The best detective series ever," according to TV Guide, the second Rockford Files set begins at the beginning. That's because the double-length pilot ("Backlash of the Hunter") appears as an extra. In this episode, Jim Rockford (James Garner) explains to guest star Lindsay Wagner, "I only handle criminal cases that are closed." The first Rockford file also introduces his errant father, Rocky (Robert Donley, who'll soon be replaced by Noah Beery Jr.), detective buddy Dennis (Joe Santos, The Sopranos), and squirrelly pal Angel (Emmy winner Stuart Margolin) with whom he did time at San Quentin (before being granted a full pardon). Season two highlights include the two-part "Gearjammers," in which Rockford discovers his dad's secret life, "Chicken Little Is a Little Chicken," in which Rockford helps Angel fake his death, and "The Hammer of C Block," with Isaac "Shaft" Hayes as a former cellmate who just can't get his name straight—he thinks it's "Rockfish." (The Oscar-winning Hayes also contributes an original number called "Gandy's Theme.") Even when the episodes are less memorable, Garner's easygoing Oklahoma charm and potent chemistry with his co-stars, including lawyer/ex-girlfriend girlfriend Beth (Gretchen Corbett), makes each one worth watching. Like most Stephen J. Cannell programs (Baretta, 21 Jump Street, etc.), The Rockford Files never had any difficulty attracting famous (and soon-to-be-famous) guests. The second year claims such notables as Linda Evans ("The Farnsworth Stratagem"), Stefanie Powers ("The Real Easy Red Dog"), Blair Brown ("The Girl in the Bay City Boys Club"), Rob Reiner ("The No-Cut Contract"), and Louis Gossett Jr. ("Foul on the First Play'). The only other bonus feature is a short, if informative interview with Cannell, who reveals that the character of Joseph "Rocky" Rockford was modeled after his own father. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Christy - The Complete Series

Based on the bestseller by Catherine Marshall "Christy" tells the story of an idealistic nineteen year old who leaves the comforts of her city home to teach school in the impoverished Appalachian community of Cutter Gap Tennessee in 1912. Strength determination and faith guide young Christy Huddleston through unforeseen difficulties help her to gain understanding of the proud mountain people and win her mentorship friendship and the love of two men.System Requirements:Run Time: 907 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543424376 Manufacturer No: 2242437

Determination, faith, and optimism are powerful forces that enable individuals to positively affect the lives of themselves and others. Christy, a captivating 1994 television series based on the book by Catherine Marshall and reminiscent of the Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie series, is the story of an idealistic 19-year-old woman named Christy Huddleston (Kellie Martin) who sets out for the wilderness of the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in 1912 on a mission to educate the children of the remote community of Cutter Gap. A well-to-do girl raised in the city, Christy is shocked and completely unprepared for the extreme poverty, ignorance, and superstitious tendencies of Cutter Gap's people, but resolves to persevere in her commitment to better the lives of her young students. Each day brings a fresh lesson for the children and a new struggle that inspires Christy to draw upon and re-examine her own faith while striving to disprove local superstitions and replace long-held animosities and prejudices with virtues like forgiveness and respect. Christy is surrounded by a handful of allies in Cutter Gap that include fellow missionary Miss Alice Henderson (Tyne Daly), whom she idolizes for her strength, resolve, and mentorship; Fairlight Spencer (Tess Harper), a local woman who offers Christy the rare gift of friendship; mission preacher Reverend David Grantland (Randall Batinkoff), a hard worker who immediately becomes smitten with Christy; and local Doctor Neil MacNeill (Stewart Finlay-McLennan) whose gruff manner and atheistic beliefs both confuse and excite Christy. Eventually, Christy finds she's fallen in love with both Reverend Grantland and Doctor MacNeill and embarks on a very personal journey toward maturity while simultaneously succeeding in her quest to educate the children of Cutter Gap and affect significant positive change throughout the entire community. (Ages 9 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

The Rockford Files - Season Five

James Garner returns in his Primetime Emmy® Award-winning role as wisecracking ex-con-turned-private detective Jim Rockford in all 22 Season Five episodes of The Rockford Files! In this thrilling five-disc set Rockford chases down underworld mobsters art thieves an organ transplant ring and other criminals who never expect to find the world's most unlikely detective behind Rockford's easygoing laid-back demeanor. Along for the chase this season are such phenomenal guest stars as Tom Selleck Ed Harris John Pleshette Harold Gould and more. From legendary TV producer Stephen J. Cannell the Primetime Emmy® Award-winning series that earned eighteen nominations returns for more intelligent mysteries devious suspects and classic Rockford action!System Requirements:Running time: 297 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025195017237 Manufacturer No: 61102094

Cagney & Lacey - Season 1(The Complete First Season)

Two female NYPD detectives with opposite personalities cooperate in their professional and personal lives.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 8-MAY-2007
Media Type: DVD

Twenty-two early episodes of the breakthrough television series, Cagney & Lacey, are gathered in this Season 1 pack, though these do not include those with early Cagneys Loretta Swit and Meg Foster. Directed by Karen Arthur, written by a female team, and starring two filmic heroes of the feminist movement--Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney and Tyne Daly as Mary-Beth Lacey--the show pioneered on-screen presentation of independent, working women. With Cagney as the career-minded single woman, and Lacey as the mother/wife juggling job with home time, the two detectives serve as foil characters, the way other cop shows such as ChiPs, Moonlighting, or Charlie's Angels starred police with opposing opinions. But where other shows cast the foxiest people possible, Cagney & Lacey relied on character development instead of sex.

That is not to say that Gless and Daly aren't attractive, for indeed they are. Episodic narratives include Cagney & Lacey fighting female spousal abuse in "A Cry For Help"; date rape in "Date Rape"; racism in "Let Them Eat Pretzels," and many other issues targeted in the consciousness-raising feminist movement of the '70s and '80s. Many of the episodes, compared to the lightning fast-paced cop shows airing today, are slow and surprisingly non-humorous. But regardless of the show's occasional descent into tedium, Cagney & Lacey did much to promote the image of the self-made, multitasking woman. The two-part featurette, "Breaking the Laws of TV," starring heavyweights such as Gloria Steinem, critically places the show in TV history by contextualizing what was happening in the women's movement concurrent to the show's airing. Though the show may have its dull moments, it is fascinating to remember how television has changed over the decades. —Trinie Dalton

The Monkees - Our Favorite Episodes

Whether you're indulging nostalgia or experiencing the Monkees for the first time, Our Favorite Episodes--chosen by Davey Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith--is a curious time capsule. Even for veteran Monkeephiles, it's obvious that the TV series, totaling 58 episodes from 1966 to 1968, hasn't aged very gracefully. It's fun as a pop-cultural artifact, and original fans will fondly recall the eagerness with which each week's episode was anticipated. Looking back, however, the shows are marginally amusing, and their improvisational, low-budget strategy tends to limit their lasting appeal. For die-hard fans it won't matter a bit; any chance to own and archive the Monkee phenomenon (with brief latter-day interviews included) is going to be welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed.

Because Jones's favorite episode was actually the Emmy-winning "Royal Flush," the inclusion of "Hitting the High Seas" is a conspicuous blunder, but it's compensated by Peter's "Monkee vs. Machine." Directed by series producer (and then-budding filmmaker) Bob Rafelson, and featuring comedian Stan Freberg as a stodgy toy-company executive, this early episode was a first-season highlight. Mickey selected (and directed) the series finale, "Mijacogeo (The Frodis Caper)," which is noteworthy for a filmed performance of Tim Buckley singing a rare acoustic version of "Siren Song" (further proof that the Monkees were hipper than their TV personas). Mike's favorite "Fairy Tale" is a wild romp indeed, with Nesmith in drag (as a fairy princess), sounding shockingly like Cher from her later TV variety show. They're semi-inspired at best, but these vintage episodes still capture the lunacy that accompanied the meteoric success of the "Pre-Fab Four." --Jeff Shannon

Hunter - The Complete Second Season

Get ready to reload as L.A. homicide detective Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer) and his partner Dee Dee McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) return to toss out the rulebook and blow away every other cop show on TV! In this explosive second season, Hunter and McCall take on deadly heists, killer porn stars, gangland murders, international terrorists, street hookers, punk rockers, McCall's rapist and more. Bruce Davison co-stars as Captain Wyler in the legendary Saturday night series that shot down all critics to become one of the hottest action hits in television history! HUNTER - THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON features all 23 episodes - including the shocking two-part "Rape & Revenge"- with such guest stars as Robert Englund, Jane Russell, Robert Davi, Stuart Whitman, Kay Lenz, Sheryl Lee Ralph, John Matuszak and Isaac Hayes.

Wonder Woman - The Complete Seasons 1-3

No Description Available.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 7-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVD