TV Series

A - H

 

 

The Abbott and Costello Show

6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

 

In the golden age of classic film and television, few comedians could match the success and popularity of legendary comic duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. The pair was successful in almost every medium, including stage, radio, film, cartoon, and television. Toward the end of their career, the duo had already hosted the Colgate Comedy Hour and decided to do a TV series that would utilize their classic gags while still reaching a newer, younger audience. The result was The Abbott and Costello Show.

Premiering in 1951, The Abbott and Costello Show was a huge (though short-lived) success. Although it ran for only two seasons and 52 thirty minute episodes, it still managed to showcased the pairÕs incredible repertoire of routines which they had originally done in vaudeville and reintroduced to new generations of film and TV fans.

This wonderful TV series allowed for Abbott & Costello to shine with their signature mix of misunderstandings, physical comedy, and rapid-fire exchanges.

BudÕs character was that of a selfish con man who would use and abuse his easily manipulated pal, getting Lou into endless trouble. LouÕs character was the simple-minded yet good-hearted guy who was picked on by everyone yet somehow endured and often triumphed through perseverance and a pure heart.

The team basically played down-and-out versions of themselves in the series, even using their real names. The premise of the show was that Bud and Lou were out of work actors living in a spartan rooming house where they were perpetually months behind in the rent. Every episode started out with a basic plot, usually some scheme of BudÕs to make money, but the episode would drift further and further from the core of the storyline as it went on and finally disintegrated into chaos. The bulk of the episodes were a series of random, barely connected sketches, taken from the duoÕs vast body of previous work. The show would always manage to work in one of their famous routines, even if it was an awkward fit. Nonetheless it featured such classic sketches as:

WhoÕs on First?, 7 x 13=28, Electricity is a Watt, Find the Lemon, The Dice Game

Mustard is Made for the Hot Dog, Making Money Loafing, Heard of Cows,

The Moving Candle, Floogle Street, Packing/Unpacking & YouÕre Forty, SheÕs Ten

 

The show had a regular cast of supporting characters. Hillary Brooke played LouÕs glamorous dream girl Hillary, Gordon Jones was the short tempered and eternally annoyed Mike the Cop, Joe Kirk played their Italian friend Bacciagalupe, Joe Besser played Stinky & Sid Fields played the duoÕs quirky landlord.

 

The series ran for two seasons each of 26 for a total of 52 half hour episodes

 

This 6 DVD set contains the entire series of 52 half hour episodes of The Abbott and Costello Show in their original broadcast order - perfect uncut B&W prints throughout

 

Also worth a look: Abbott & Costello movies!

The best 4 films from popular 'Abbott & Costello Meets É" series can be found in the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section: Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff (1949), Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) & Abbott & Costello Meet The Mummy (1955)

 

The Abbott and Costello Show (Season One) Disc No. 1

The Drug Store

The Dentist's Office

Jail

The Vacation

The Birthday Party

Alaska

The Vacuum Cleaner Salesman

The Army Story

 

The Abbott and Costello Show (Season One) Disc No. 2

Pots and Pans

The Charity Bazaar

The Western Story

The Haunted House

Peace and Quiet

Hungry

The Music Lovers

The Politician

The Wrestling Story

 

The Abbott and Costello Show (Season One) Disc No. 3

Getting a Job

The Chimp

Hillary's Birthday

Television

Las Vegas

Little Old Lady

The Actors' Home

Police Rookies

Safari

 

 

The Abbott and Costello Show (Season Two) Disc No. 1

The Paper Hangers

Uncle Bozzo's Visit

In Society

Life Insurance

Pest Exterminators

Killer's Wife

Cheap Skates

South of Dixie

 

The Abbott and Costello Show (Season Two) Disc No. 2

From Bed to Worse

$1000 TV Prize

Amnesia

Efficiency Experts

Car Trouble

Wife Wanted

Uncle from New Jersey

Private Eye

The Tax Return

 

The Abbott and Costello Show (Season Two) Disc No. 3

Public Enemies

Bank Holdup

Well Oiled

The Pigeon

Honeymoon House

Fencing Master

Beauty Contest Story

Fall Guy

Barber Lou

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2005, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

 

Adventures in Paradise

3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

Adam Troy (Gardner McKay) was an American Korean War veteran who stayed

in the South Pacific after the war. As captain of the schooner "Tiki", Troy drifted from adventure to adventure while carrying passengers and cargo anywhere from Hong Kong to Pitcairn Island. His original partner was Chinese-American Oliver Lee (Weaver Levy) and he was assisted by first mates Clay Baker (James Holden) and later Chris Parker (Guy Stockwell). The series was inspired by James A. Mitchener' book. Mitchener also contributed to the script in the first episodes. The series ran for 3 seasons (1959-62) and 91 episodes.

 

A nicely remastered and digitally restored set of episodes

 

 

Disc No. 1

The Siege Of Troy

The Archer's Ring

The Bamboo Curtain

The Amazon

 

Disc No. 2

Once Around The Circuit

A Whale Of A Tale

The Big Surf

Treasure Hunt

 

Disc No. 3

Mr. Flotsam

A Touch Of Genius

The Serpent In The Garden

The Reluctant Hero

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2004, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

 

Adventures of The Falcon

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

The Falcon that was adapted from the successful movie series (see Movie Series section), in the mid-fifties, for a syndicated 1954 -55 television series, starred Charles McGraw as a slightly more hardboiled, and less dashing Falcon than depicted in the movies. He was now a famous undercover agent who operates around the world on his hazardous missions. Interestingly, the gravel-voiced McGraw played the Mike Waring character as basically the same rough-hewn adventurer Michael Arlen  had presented to his readers in 1940.

 

A nicely remastered and digitally restored set of episodes

 

Note that this DVD is also part of a 5 DVD set which includes all of the The Falcon films

- it can be found in the Movie Series section of this website

 

Also worth a look : The Falcon Radio Shows - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

 

 

Adventures of The Falcon TV Series (starring Charles McGraw)

Out of All Evil

Decision in Red

Rocky's Asylum

The Big Heist

Backlash

Kiss Me Not

A Drug on the Market

The Wheel of Fortune

Green Means Danger

The Big Break

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2004, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

 

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin TV Series

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

Over a span of five years this enduring 1950's series became a family favourite. It was set in a boy's idyllic adventureland, a fort in the Old West. The cavalry officer in charge was reliable Lieutenant Rip Masters; hilarious comedy was provided by Sergeant Biff O'Hara; and the boy was the fabulous, freckle-faced Rusty, who got to wear a mini-cavalry outfit and have an honorary title: Corporal Rusty.

Note: See the separate listing below for details about color episodes

 

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 1

Meet Rin Tin Tin

Rin Tin Tin and the Raging River

The Killer Cat

Rin Tin Tin and the Raw Recruit

Rin Tin Tin and the Gold Bullion

Rin Tin Tin and the Bounty Hunters

Rin Tin Tin and the Bugle Call

 

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 2

Rin Tin Tin : Hero of the West - a 1985 computer colorized compilation of three episodes  :

  • Blood Brothers
  • Rin Tin Tin and the Wild Stallion
  • Rin Tin Tin and the White Buffalo

 

Rin Tin Tin and the White Wolf - Part 1 of a two part episode set in Canada

Return of Rin Tin Tin - Part 2 of a two part episode set in Canada

 

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 3

Wolf Cry

Rin Tin Tin and the Flaming Forest

The Education of Corporal  Rusty

Rin Tin Tin and The Apache Chief

Rin Tin Tin and The Ancient Mariner

Rin Tin Tin and The Shifting Sands

Rusty Plays Cupid

O'Hara Gets Busted

Rin Tin Tin and the Iron Horse

 

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 4

Boone's Grandpappy

The Lost Puppy

Presidential Citation

Racing Rails

The Warrior's Promise

Rusty Gets Busted

Brave Bow

The Foot Soldier

Star of India

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2008, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY ENHANCED

USING NEW TECHNOLOGY!

Fabulous Color Prints!

New 8 DVD set now available

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin TV Series

Volume 1 (Discs 1 to 4): 4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Volume 2 (Discs 5 to 8): 4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Volume 3 (Discs 1 to 8): 8 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$55 or US$55 or £28

 

Most recently, selected episodes of this fabulous B&W series has been remastered to produce colored renditions with enhanced musical score and improved sound effects. The results are spectacularly good

Its still Rinny, Rusty, Rip, O'Hara and the boys, but now they are in full color!

If ever you wanted to show 50s TV to the grandkids (great-grandkids?), this is it - perfect color prints of a series which exemplifies the values of the 50s

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 1

Meet Rin Tin Tin

Rin Tin Tin in the Flaming Forest

Rin Tin Tin and the Raging River

The Killer Cat

The Education of Corporal Rusty

Rin Tin Tin, Outlaw

The Outcast of Fort Apache

Rin Tin Tin and the Raw Recruit

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 2

Blood Brothers

Rin Tin Tin and the Gold Bullion

Rin Tin Tin and the Shifting Sands

Rusty Plays Cupid

Rin Tin Tin and the Medicine Man

Rin Tin Tin and the Babe in the Woods

Rin Tin Tin and the Eagle's Nest

Rusty Resigns from the Army

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 3

The Legacy of Sean O'Hara

Rin Tin Tin and the Barber of Seville

The Guilty One

Rin Tin Tin and the Magic Box

Rin Tin Tin and the Dead Man's Gold

Rin Tin Tin and the Ghost Town

Rin Tin Tin and the Bounty Hunters

Farewell to Fort Apache

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 4

Rin Tin Tin and the Lost Scotsman

Rin Tin Tin and the Lonesome Road

Rin Tin Tin and the Bugle Call

Rin Tin Tin Meets Shakespeare

Rin Tin Tin and the Wild Stallion

Rusty Volunteers

Rin Tin Tin and the Poor Little Rich Boy

Rin Tin Tin and the White Buffalo

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 5

Rin Tin Tin Meets Mister President

Rin Tin Tin and the Iron Horse

Higgins Rides Again

Boone's Wedding Day

Rusty Goes to Town

Rin Tin Tin and the Star Witness

Rin Tin Tin and the Last Chance

Rin Tin Tin and the Christmas Story

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 6

Rin Tin Tin and the Missing Heir

Rusty's Romance

Rin Tin Tin and the Tin Soldier

Rin Tin Tin Meets O'Hara's Mother

The Third Rider

Rusty Surrenders

Rin Tin Tin and the Rainmaker

Scotsman's Gold

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 7

Rin Tin Tin and Homer the Great

Rinty Finds a Bone

Forward Ho!

Rin Tin Tin and the Witch of the Woods

Rin Tin Tin and the Return of the Chief

Yo-o Rinty

Rin Tin Tin and the White Wolf

Return of Rin Tin Tin

The Lost Puppy

 

The Color Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Disc No. 8

Presidential Citation

Higgins' Last Stand

The Courtship of Marshal Higgins

Rusty's Reward

A Look of Eagles

The Last Navajo

Rusty's Strategy

The General's Daughter

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

Beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) - looks good on big TVs!

 

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, like the similarly themed William Tell, The Buccaneers,  Sir Francis Drake & The Count of Monte Cristo, was a British television series of the 1950s, produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and screened on the ITV network. The series starred William Russell as the eponymous Sir Lancelot, a Knight of the Round Table in the time of King Arthur at Camelot.

The series debuted in the UK on Saturday September 15 1956, on London weekend ITV franchise holder ATV, and on the NBC network in the United States nine days later. It is one of the very few British television series ever to have been screened on one of the major broadcast networks in the US (as opposed to on PBS or cable television stations). Its success on NBC led to it becoming the first British television series ever to be produced in colour, the last fourteen of the thirty half-hour episodes being shot on colour stock, although they were only seen in colour in the US. The last episode was shown on April 13 1957 in the UK and September 16 1957 on NBC. It later transferred networks in the US to ABC, who repeated the episodes from October 1957 to September 1958.

Bruce Seton and later Ronald Leigh-Hunt played King Arthur, with Jane Hylton as Guinevere and Cyril Smith as Merlin. As was common with other British television series of the time, it employed several American screenwriters who had moved to Britain after being placed on the Hollywood blacklist, often under pseudonyms. These included Ian McLellan Hunter and Ring Lardner Jr.. The series was produced by Sidney Cole, Dallas Bower and Bernard Knowles and made at Nettlefold Studios in Walton-on-Thames.

The complete series of 30 episodes - perfect B&W and color prints!

 

Check out The Count of Monte Cristo, The Buccaneers, Sir Francis Drake & William Tell

- all available from this website

 

 

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot Disc No. 1

The Knight with the Red Plume

The Ferocious Fathers

The Queen's Knight

The Outcast

Winged Victory

Sir Bliant

The Pirates

The Magic Sword

 

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot Disc No. 2

Lancelot's Banishment

Roman Wall

Caledon

Theft of Excalibur

The Black Castle

Shepherds' War

The Magic Book

The Ruby of Radnor (color)

 

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot Disc No. 3

The Lesser Breed (color)

Witches Brew (color)

Sir Crustabread (color)

Maid of Somerset (color)

Knight Errant

Double Identity (color)

Lady Lilith (color)

 

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot Disc No. 4

The Bridge (color)

The Ugly Duckling

Knights Choice (color)

The Missing Princess

The Mortaise Fair (color)

The Thieves (color)

The Prince of Limerick (color)

 

 

The Adventures of Spin and Marty

See Mickey Mouse Club Serials: Spin and Marty & The Hardy Boys

                                    in the TV Series I-Z section

 

 

Adventures of Superman

Season One - 3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

Season Two - 3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

Seasons Three & Four - 3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

Seasons Five & Six - 3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

 

Announcer: "The Adventures of Superman" Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound! Voices: "Look up in the sky! "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!" Announcer: "Yes, it's Superman, strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands; and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way."

There were 104 episodes produced across 6 seasons. Seasons 1 & 2 comprised 26 Black & White episodes each. Seasons 3, 4, 5 & 6 were filmed in color and as such only 13 episodes were produced for each series.

            Great Picture & Sound

 

Also worth a look : The Superman Radio Shows - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

 

Season One - 3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

The Adventures of Superman (Season 1) Disc No. 1

Superman on Earth

The Haunted Lighthouse

The Case of the Talkative Dummy

Mystery of the Broken Statues

The Monkey Mystery

Night of Terror

The Birthday Letter

The Mind Machine

 

The Adventures of Superman (Season 1) Disc No. 2

Rescue

The Secret of Superman

No Holds Barred

The Deserted Village

The Stolen Costume

Treasure of the Incas

Double Trouble

Mystery in Wax

The Runaway Robot

 

The Adventures of Superman (Season 1) Disc No. 3

Drums of Death

The Evil Three

The Riddle of the Chinese Jade

The Human Bomb

Czar of the Underworld

Ghost Wolf

Crime Wave

The Unknown People - Part I*

The Unknown People - Part II*

* from the theatrical pilot Superman and the Mole People (1951)

 

 

 

Season Two - 3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

The Adventures of Superman (Season 2) Disc No. 1

Five Minutes to Doom

The Big Squeeze

The Man Who Could Read

Jet Ace

Shot in the Dark

The Defeat of Superman

Superman in Exile

A Ghost for Scotland Yard

 

The Adventures of Superman (Season 2) Disc No. 2

The Dog Who Knew Superman

The Face and the Voice

The Man in the Lead Mask

Panic in the Sky

The Machine That Could Plot Crimes

Jungle Devil

My Friend Superman

The Clown Who Cried

The Boy Who Hated Superman

 

The Adventures of Superman (Season 2) Disc No. 3

Semi-Private Eye

Perry White's Scoop

Beware the Wrecker

The Golden Vulture

Jimmy Olsen, Boy Editor

Lady in Black

Star of Fate

The Whistling Bird

Around the World with Superman

 

 

 

Seasons Three & Four - 3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

The Adventures of Superman (Seasons 3 & 4) Disc No. 1

Through the Time Barrier

The Talking Clue

The Lucky Cat

Superman Week

Great Caesar's Ghost

Test of a Warrior

Olsen's Millions

Clark Kent, Outlaw

 

The Adventures of Superman (Seasons 3 & 4) Disc No. 2

The Magic Necklace

The Bully of Dry Gulch

Flight to the North

The Seven Souvenirs

King For a Day

Joey

The Unlucky Number

The Big Freeze

Peril By Sea

 

The Adventures of Superman (Seasons 3 & 4) Disc No. 3

Topsy Turvy

Jimmy the Kid

The Girl Who Hired Superman

The Wedding of Superman

Dagger Island

Blackmail

The Deadly Rock

The Phantom Ring

The Jolly Roger

 

 

 

Seasons Five & Six - 3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

The Adventures of Superman (Seasons 5 & 6) Disc No. 1

Peril in Paris

Tin Hero

The Town That Wasn't

The Tomb of Zaharan

The Man Who Made Dreams Come True

Disappearing Lois

Money to Burn

Close Shave

The Phony Alibi

 

The Adventures of Superman (Seasons 5 & 6) Disc No. 2

The Prince Albert Coat

The Stolen Elephant

Mr. Zero

Whatever Goes Up

The Last Knight

The Magic Secret

Divide and Conquer

The Mysterious Cube

The Atomic Captive

 

The Adventures of Superman (Seasons 5 & 6) Disc No. 3

The Superman Silver Mine

The Big Forget

The Gentle Monster

Superman's Wife

Three in One

The Brainy Burro

The Perils of Superman

All That Glitters

 

 

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 1)

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

"Good Evening É I'm Alfred Hitchcock and tonight I'm presenting the first in a series of stories of suspense and mystery called, oddly enough, Alfred Hitchcock PresentsÉ

I shall not act in these stories but will only make appearances - something in the nature of an accessory before and after the fact É to give the title to those of you who cannot read and to tidy up afterwards for those of you who don't understand the endings É"

 

Thus heralded the first ever episode of this fabulous and enduring half hour anthology series.

When it premiered in 1955, Alfred Hitchcock Presents was an instant hit destined for long-term popularity (7 Seasons and 268 episodes). The series' original half-hour anthology format provided a perfect showcase for stories of mystery, suspense, and the macabre that reflected Hitchcock's established persona. The series began with the familiar theme of Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" (which would thereafter be inextricably linked with Hitchcock), and as Hitchcock's trademark profile sketch was overshadowed by the familiar silhouette of Hitchcock himself, the weekly "play" opened and closed with the series' most popular feature:

As a good-natured host whose inimitable presence made him a global celebrity, Hitchcock delivered droll, dryly sardonic introductions and epilogues to each week's episode, flawlessly written by James Allardyce and frequently taking polite pot-shots at sponsors, or skirting around broadcast standards (which demanded that no crime could go unpunished) by humorously explaining how the show's killers and criminals were always brought to justice... though always with a nod and a wink to the viewer.

This knowing complicity was Hitchcock's pact with his audience, and the secret to his (and the series') long-term success. It's also what attracted a stable of talented writers whose tele plays, both original and adapted, maintained a high standard of excellence. Hitchcock directed four of the first season's 39 episodes, including the premiere episode "Revenge" (a fan favorite, with future Psycho costar Vera Miles) and the season highlight "Breakdown," with long term collaborator Joseph Cotten as a car-accident victim, paralyzed and motionless, who's nearly left for dead - it's a good example of visual and narrative economy, executed with a master's touch (although presented 7th here, it was the original pilot for the series).

Robert Stevenson directed the majority of the remaining episodes with similar skill, serving tightly plotted tales (selected by associate producers Joan Harrison and Norman Lloyd) by such literary greats as Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Cornell Woolrich, Dorothy L. Sayers, and John Collier.

Adding to the series' prestige was a weekly roster of new and seasoned stars, with first-season appearances by Cloris Leachman, Darren McGavin, Everett Sloane, Peter Lawford, Charles Bronson, Barry Fitzgerald, John Cassavetes, Joanne Woodward, Thelma Ritter, and a host of Hollywood's best-known character players.

 

Trev's personal favorite is Premonition (starring John Forsythe) - excellent!

 

This listing is for Season 1 only - the best season - all 39 B&W half hour episodes from Season 1 are presented here in their original telecast order. All 39 episodes are of exceptional (digitally restored) quality and are completely uncut.

Note that while later seasons had episode lengths of one hour, this first season is of half hour episodes only

 

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 1) Disc No. 1

Revenge - Ralph Meeker & Vera Miles - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Premonition - John Forsythe & Cloris Leachman

Triggers in Leash - Gene Barry & Darren McGavin - a western!

Don't Come Back Alive

Into Thin Air - adapted from "The Lady Vanishes"

Salvage - Gene Barry & Nancy Gates

Breakdown - Joseph Cotten  - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Our Cook's a Treasure

The Long Shot - Peter Lawford

 

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 1) Disc No. 2

The Case of Mr. Pelham - Tom Ewell - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Guilty Witness

Santa Claus and the Tenth Avenue Kid - Barry Fitzgerald

The Cheney Vase - Darren McGavin

A Bullet for Baldwin

The Big Switch

You Got to Have Luck - John Cassavetes

The Older Sister

Shopping for Death

The Derelicts - Robert Newton

 

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 1) Disc No. 3

And So Died Riabouchinska - Claude Rains & Charles Bronson

Safe Conduct - Claire Trevor

Place of Shadows

Back for Christmas - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The Perfect Murder

There Was an Old Woman - Charles Bronson

Whodunit

Help Wanted - Lorne Green

Portrait of Jocelyn

The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby

 

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 1) Disc No. 4

Never Again - Phyllis Thaxter

The Gentleman from America

The Baby Sitter - Thelma Ritter

The Belfry

The Hidden Thing

The Legacy

Mink - Ruth Hussey

Decoy - Robert Horton

The Creeper

Momentum - Joanne Woodward & Skip Homeier

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

Beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) - looks good on big TVs!

(Now a 4 DVD set - upgrades available)

 

Arthur of the Britons

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

Its the Dark Ages a century after the Roman withdrawal from Britain and the tribes have entered into a period of feudal warfare. Arthur (Oliver Tobias) is not a great king with an elaborate court; instead, he is the war chieftain of a tribe of Celts who wants unification of the tribes into a cohesive fighting unit that can effectively oppose the Saxon invaders who were arriving in Britain in growing numbers. Assisted by his adoptive father, Llud the Silver Hand (Jack Watson) and Saxon friend, Kai (Michael Gothard), Arthur sets about keeping the peace with opposition from various feuding factions as well as that his duplicitous cousin, Mark of Cromwell (Brian Blessed).

Arthur of the Britons presents a muddy & realistic version of the King Arthur legend stripped of the elaborate medieval view of Camelot - it provides the viewer with a thoughtful & fascinating insight into the Arthurian legend as it might have been.

There's action all the way (and well staged too) in this excellent outdoors adventure series

A very strong guest cast includes Rupert Davies, Tom Baker, the lovely Catherine Schell, Alfie Bass, a superb Clive Revill, Dave Proswe, a young Sally "Tiswas" James, Gila von Weitersahausen, Bernard Bresslaw, and the future Sir Michael Gambon!

 

Arthur of the Britons was produced by Harlech Television (HTV) and it consisted of two season each of 12 half hour episodes for a total of 24 released between 1972 and 1973.

 

Harlech Television (HTV) was also responsible for two other excellent TV series: Kidnapped starring David McCallum in 1978 and Smuggler starring (again) Oliver Tobias in 1981 - both of which are available from this website

 

The complete series of 24 episodes - perfect color prints!

 

Arthur of the Britons (Season One) Disc No. 1

Arthur is Dead

The Gift of Life

The Challenge

The Penitent Invader

People of the Plough

The Duel

 

Arthur of the Britons (Season One) Disc No. 2

The Pupil

Rolf the Preacher

Enemies and Lovers

The Slaves

The Wood People

The Prize

 

Arthur of the Britons (Season Two) Disc No. 1

The Swordsman

Rowena

The Prisoner

Some Saxon Women

Go Warily

The Marriage Feast

 

Arthur of the Britons (Season Two) Disc No. 2

In Common Cause

Six Measures of Silver

Daughter of the King

The Games

The Treaty

The Girl from Rome

 

 

The Avengers with Mrs Peel

Volume One (Discs 1 to 6): 6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

Volume Two (Discs 7 to 12): 6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

 

The Avengers was a British television series featuring secret agents in 1960s Britain. It was an early example of the spy-fi genre, combining secret agent storylines with science fiction elements. During the course of its 6 season run, The Avengers was marked by different eras as different co-stars came and went.

The only constant was John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee.

After three seasons with Honor Blackman playing Steed's assistant Cathy Gale, a new female partner appeared in October 1965: Mrs. Emma Peel. The character, whose husband went missing while on a South American exploration, combined with superior fighting skills with intelligence, and fashion sense.

Mrs Peel was played with great aplomb by Dianna Rigg.

The classic Avengers episodes are generally considered to be those featuring Macnee and Rigg. By contrast to the Cathy Gale episodes, there was a lighter comic touch evident, both in Steed and Peel's conversations and in the ways they reacted to other characters and situations. The harder edges of the previous seasons almost completely disappeared, as Steed and Peel visibly enjoyed topping each other's witticisms. The exact relationship between the partners was left ambiguous, although they seemed to have carte blanche to visit each other's homes whenever they pleased and it was not uncommon to see an episode in which Steed spent the night at Mrs. Peel's home, or vice-versa. Although nothing "improper" was ever displayed, the obviously much closer chemistry between the Steed/Peel characters constantly suggests that something of the sort is happening in the background

Many episodes were characterized by a futuristic, science fiction bent to the tales, with mad scientists and their creations leaving havoc in their wake.

 The duo dealt with giant alien carnivorous plants (The Man-Eater Of Surrey Green), being shrunk to doll size (Mission . . . Highly Improbable), pet cats being electrically altered into 'miniature tigers' (The Hidden Tiger), killer automatons (The Cybernauts and Return Of The Cybernauts), mind-transferring machines (Who's Who???), and invisible foes (The See-Through Man). The series also poked fun at its American contemporaries with episodes such as The Girl From AUNTIE and Mission ... Highly Improbable (spoofing The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Mission: Impossible, respectively).

The show still carried the basic format: Steed and his associate were charged with solving the problem in the space of a 50-minute episode, thus preserving the safety of 1960s Britain on a regular basis.

The arrival of the Mrs Peel character coincided with the show's sale to US television. This made it one of the first British series to be aired on prime-time American television, alongside traditional US shows.

 

Mrs Peel appeared in Seasons 4 & 5 of The Avengers - a total of 26 B&W and 24 color episodes respectively.

 

Diana Rigg left in 1967 to pursue other projects (including, like Blackman, a Bond film). No farewell episode had been shot, but despite now being out of contract, Rigg agreed to film an episode that explained her departure. At its end, Emma's husband, Peter Peel, was found alive and rescued, and she left the British secret service in order to be with him - from Steed's viewpoint looking out the window to the driveway below, Peter remarkably resembles Steed, only with a moustache!

This episode, the first of the 1968/69 season (The Forget-Me-Knot) also introduced Emma's successor, an inexperienced agent named Tara King, played by Canadian actress Linda Thorson.

 

With this final appearance from Mrs Peel making a total of 51 episodes (26 B&W and 25 color), The Avengers with Mrs Peel has been assembled into two 6 DVD Volumes

Perfect B&W and color prints throughout!

 

See also The New Avengers - the 1976/77 revival with Patrick Macnee back as Steed for a further two series totaling 26 episodes. This series is also available from this website.

 

Also worth a look : The Avengers Radio Shows (an excellent series from South Africa) - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. ItÕs a fully restored and complete series of the 1972 South African radio series of The Avengers. Excellent radio dramatizations with The Avengers presented in a cliffhanger serial format. These shows come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player.

The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

 

 

Volume One (Discs 1 to 6): 6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

The Avengers (Season 4 - B&W) Disc No. 1

The Town of No Return

The Gravediggers

The Cybernauts

Death at Bargain Prices

 

The Avengers (Season 4 - B&W) Disc No. 2

Castle De'ath

The Master Minds

The Murder Market

A Surfeit of H2O

 

The Avengers (Season 4 - B&W) Disc No. 3

The Hour that Never Was

Dial a Deadly Number

Man-Eater of Surrey Green

Two's a Crowd

Too Many Christmas Trees

 

The Avengers (Season 4 - B&W) Disc No. 4

Silent Dust

Room Without a View

Small Game For Big Hunters

Girl From Auntie

 

The Avengers (Season 4 - B&W) Disc No. 5

The Thirteenth Hole

Quick-Quick Slow Death

The Danger Makers

A Touch of Brimstone

 

The Avengers (Season 4 - B&W) Disc No. 6

What the Butler Saw

The House That Jack Built

A Sense of History

How to Succeed .... at Murder

Honey For the Prince

 

 

Volume Two (Discs 7 to 12): 6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

The Avengers (Season 5 - Color) Disc No. 1

From Venus With Love

The Fear Merchants

Escape in Time

The See-Through Man

 

The Avengers (Season 5 - Color) Disc No. 2

The Bird Who Knew Too Much

The Winged Avenger

The Living Dead

The Hidden Tiger

 

The Avengers (Season 5 - Color) Disc No. 3

The Correct Way to Kill

Never, Never Say Die  - costarring Christopher Lee

Epic

The Superlative Seven - costarring Donald Sutherland

 

The Avengers (Season 5 - Color) Disc No. 4

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station

Something Nasty in the Nursery

The Joker

Who's Who???

 

The Avengers (Season 5 - Color) Disc No. 5

Return of the Cybernauts

Death's Door

The 50,000 Pound Breakfast

Dead Man's Treasure

 

The Avengers (Season 5 - Color) Disc No. 6

You Have Just Been Murdered

The Positive Negative Man

Murdersville

Mission... Highly Improbable

The Forget-Me-Knot (Note: This is the 1st episode from Season 6 in which we say good-bye to Mrs Peel)

 

 

The Baron

6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

 

From the same ITC stable that produced The Champions, Department S, Man in a Suitcase, Return of The Saint & Strange Report and created by Robert Baker and the prolific Monty Berman, 'The Baron', whose real name was John Mannering, was a Texan rancher (purveyor of the Baron brand) turned fine arts dealer with exclusive establishments in London, Washington and Paris who was also a secret undercover agent for British Intelligence, helping them out whenever a crime took place involving valuable pieces. The series was initially designed as a replacement for 'The Saint' and became the first live action ITC series with instant US appeal by being filmed entirely in colour.

For the leading man, Berman turned to 6 foot 3 inch Texan Steve Forrest, the brother of Hollywood movie star Dana Andrews, who had appeared in a number of minor film roles as well as numerous 'guest appearances' on US TV series such as 'The Twilight Zone', 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', 'The Virginian', 'The Fugitive' and 'Burke's Law'. Through these roles Forrest was building up a steady reputation for himself. Script supervisor for the series was to be Terry Nation and both John Moxey and Leslie Norman shared the directors chair for the early episodes helping to establish the style of the series. The pilot episode 'Dipolmatic Immunity' introduces SBDI (Special Branch Diplomatic Intelligence) agent Cordelia Winfield played by 26 year-old actress Sue Lloyd. The Cordelia character was designed to inject a little humour into the script and act as a counterpoint to the Mannering character who was played very straight and seriously by Steve Forrest.

A further star of the show and that was Mannering's car that, like Simon Templar's Volvo in 'The Saint', would always be available to him. The British car manufacturer Jensen, realising the benefits that Volvo had reaped from donating one of their vehicles to a major television series were only to happy to supply 'The Baron' with one of their CV8 Mk II sports cars with the powerful 6.2 litre V8 Chrysler engine bearing the (unregistered) index number BAR 1. It paid off and sales of the CV8 increased greatly until it finally went out of production in 1966 to be replaced by the more famously known Jensen Interceptor.

Nearly every episode of 'The Baron' featured Mannering involved in the world of antiques, whether trying to unmask a scheming insurance agent, trying to obtain rare collectibles, helping a friend who is being blackmailed and forced to sell her valuable collection or trying to sell a fake Renoir, the adventures took him from London to behind the Iron Curtain, from New York to Switzerland. A superior action packed adventure series of true quality, complimented by an enigmatic leading man and his attractively charming assistant and a production team that comprised the best in British talent, 'The Baron', at 30 episodes was all too short lived and is today far too underrated.

 

Note that the complete series of Department S, Man in a Suitcase, The Champions, Return of The Saint & Strange Report is also available from this website

 

 

This 6 DVD set contains the entire series of thirty 50 minute episodes of The Baron in their original broadcast order - superb color prints throughout

 

The Baron Disc No. 1

Diplomatic Immunity

Epitaph For A Hero

Something For A Rainy Day

Red Horse, Red Rider

Enemy Of The State

 

The Baron Disc No. 2

Masquerade (Part 1 of a 2-Parter)

The Killing (Part 2 of a 2-Parter)

The Persuaders

And Suddenly You're Dead

The Legions Of Ammak

 

The Baron Disc No. 3

Samurai West

The Maze

Portrait Of Louisa

There's Someone Close Behind You

Storm Warning (Part 1 of a 2-Parter)

 

The Baron Disc No. 4

The Island (Part 2 of a 2-Parter)

Time To Kill

A Memory Of Evil

You Can't Win Them All

The High Terrace

 

The Baron Disc No. 5

The Seven Eyes Of Night

Night Of The Hunter

The Edge Of Fear

Long Ago And Far Away

So Dark The Night

 

The Baron Disc No. 6

The Long, Long Day

Roundabout

The Man Outside

Countdown

Farewell To Yesterday

 

 

 

Bat Masterson

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

 

Bat Masterson was a 30 minute US western TV series which ran for 3 seasons and 108 episodes from 1958. Bat Masterson was played with great aplomb by Gene Barry, fresh from success in the lead role in War of the Worlds. The show took a tongue-in-cheek outlook, with Barry's Masterson dressed in expensive Eastern clothing and preferring to use his cane rather than a gun to get himself out of trouble, hence the nickname "Bat." Masterson was also portrayed as a ladies' man who traveled the West looking for women and adventure. The black derby, fancy vest, black jacket, and elegant cane were his trademarks. He was a professional gambler, a scout, an Indian fighter and a lawman, although he used his cane and his 'wits' before resorting to his gun.

The series is based upon the legend created by the real William Bartley "Bat" Masterson

 

This 2 DVD set comprises the first 12 episodes (in order) from Season 1 and then the last 8 episodes (in order) from Season3 - each is uncut and of excellent quality

 

Bat Masterson Disc No. 1

Double Showdown - the first ever episode!

Two Graves for Swan Valley

Dynamite Blows Two Ways

Stampede at Tent City

The Fighter

Bear Bait

A Noose Fits Anybody

Dude's Folly

The Treasure of Worry Hill

Cheyenne Club

 

Bat Masterson Disc No. 2

Sherman's March Through Dodge City

Trail Pirate

Meeting at Mimbres

Dagger Dance

The Fourth Man

Dead Man's Claim

The Marble Slab

Farmer with a Badge

The Fatal Garment

Jeopardy at Jackson Hole - the last ever episode!

 

 

Bearcats! - TV Movie & TV Series

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

ItÕs 1914 and Hank Brackett (Rod Taylor) is a former Army captain and a veteran of the Spanish-American War campaign in the Philippines. Having left the Army and settled in the Southwest, he rescues the young Johnny Reach (Dennis Cole) from unjustly being lynched as a cattle rustler. Together they cleaned up a couple of border towns in self-defense, and eventually people started coming to them for help.

Hank and Johnny had to get a bit mercenary about the jobs they would take and set their fee as a signed blank check. They would fill in the amount only after successfully completing their job: the amount being determined by the degree of difficulty encountered. Their rationale was simple: If you could put a dollar amount on your trouble, then you didn't need their help badly enough.

Typically they worked for railroads, landowners or the government. As private citizens they were able to cross the Mexican border where normal lawmen or the military could not go.

Brackett was responsible for the clever plans the pair had to come up with to defeat their well-organized foes. As the younger of the pair, Reach would often do the more athletic stunts.

The main source of conflict in their relationship was a good-natured competition for some of the inevitably beautiful (and available) women they would meet in their adventures. There are some great scenes involving these two - expertly written and played - for example check out their concluding conversation at the end of Tiger, Tiger - we get to hear the always rugged charismatic Rod Taylor (as Hackett) giving his (1914) opinions on universal suffrage, women's smoking and driving!

 

Would you like to hear this actual exchange now?

Just click on the link below and you'll hear Hank and Johnny discussing the place of women in society whilst driving along in their Stutz Bearcat - you'll also get to hear the fabulous music score, as well:

 

Bearcats&Women.mp3

 

The centrepiece of the action is their unlikely form of transport: a Stutz Bearcat!

So there you have a great TV series shot on a big budget which was part The Professionals, part The Wild Bunch and part Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Well written and loaded with action Bearcats! commenced life with a highly successful pilot called PowderKeg (1971) - a 94 minute story with the boys pitted against Chucho Morales (Fernando Lamas) a Mexican bandit who takes over a train and holds the passengers as hostages unless his brother is released from death row in a US penitentiary. It was a big success and after being released as a movie to theatres in Europe, the series Bearcats! premiered in September 1971.

John Vernon played the adversary in the first episode with Henry Silva, Kevin McCarthy, Leslie Nielsen, Morgan Woodward & William "Falconetti" Smith taking over "baddie" duties in later episodes. On the side of the goodies: Henry "Manolito" Darrow played Mexican Army pilot Raoul Estaban in two episodes ("Ground Loop at Spanish Wells" & "The Return of Estaban") - both episodes featuring some spectacular aerial photography of his fabulous pre WWI biplane. Interestingly Superman: The Movie (1978) directed Richard Donner helmed two episodes of this series

Perhaps best remembered of the TV movie and subsequent series was the thumping musical score from John Andrew Tartaglia - fabulous!

Unfortunately this expensive series didn't rate and it was cancelled after only 13 episodes - such a shame (Monday nights at 7:30 here in Australia were never the same again!)

 

This 4 DVD set contains the 94 minute TV movie pilot Powderkeg (1971) as well as all 13 fifty-two minute uncut episodes of the TV series; Bearcats!

 

Quality Note: Whilst Powerkeg (1971) is an excellent print, the episodes which comprise the series are less so - although taken directly from 16 mm film stock the color has degraded somewhat - but the enjoyment of this series is never compromised

 

Note that Powderkeg (1971) is available separately from within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

 

Rod's other TV series was 1960's Hong Kong - a DVD set of episodes from this excellent action series can be found below

 

Fans of aussie actor Rod Taylor are well catered for on this website with the following titles available: The Time Machine (1960), Seven Seas to Calais (1962), The Birds (1963), Fate Is the Hunter (1964), 36 Hours (1965), Young Cassidy (1965), The Liquidator (1965), Chuka (1967), Dark of the Sun aka The Mercenaries (1968), The High Commissioner aka Nobody Runs Forever (1968), The Hell With Heroes (1968), Powderkeg (1971), Trader Horn (1973) & Cry of the Innocent (1980) - all of which are available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

 

 

Disc No. 1 (TV Movie Disc)

Powderkeg (1971)

 

Disc No. 2 (Bearcats! TV series)

The Devil Wears Armor

Ground Loop at Spanish Wells

Dos Gringos

The Feathered Serpent

 

Disc No. 3 (Bearcats! TV series)

The Hostage

Conqueror's Gold

Blood Knot

Assault on San Saba

 

Disc No. 4 (Bearcats! TV series)

Bitter Flats

Tiger, Tiger

The Big Guns

The Return of Estaban

Man in a Cage

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2008, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

 

Bold Venture

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

 

This 1959 TV series arose out of the successful radio series of the same name which starring Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall.

Dane Clark plays Slate Shannon, the owner and proprietor of a dubious Havana hotel, and Joan Marshall is Sailor Duval, his sultry, wisecracking sidekick. Bernie Gozier plays the calypso-singing aide-de-camp King Moses. Shannon's hotel attracts all manner of types and he is thrown into exotic adventures both on shore in steamy Havana and aboard his beloved yacht: Bold Venture.

In total 39 episodes of this exciting series were produced (and by the same team who made Sea Hunt - also available from this website). But not many episodes have survived.

This DVD set consists of a restored set of 7 episodes which have been properly titled thanks to an exhaustive search "through what records remain".

Quality Note : Despite the restoration, the print quality of these episodes is in the 7.5 to 8.5 range (out of 10)

 

Also worth a look : The Bold Venture Radio Shows starring Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions.

Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

 

 

Bold Venture Disc

The Last Hungry Man (aka The Search)

Some Came Sleeping (co-starring DeForest "Bones" Kelley)

The Kick in the Can (aka Feathered Capes)

Look Back, Inge Anger

The Red and the Black

Matador

Build My Gallows Ankle High

 

 

Border Patrol - see U.S. Border Patrol in the TV Series I - Z Section

 

 

Boris Karloff's Thriller

Season One - 8 DVD Special Boxed Set price : AU$50 or US$50 or £26

Season Two - 6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

 

Thriller (aka Boris Karloff's Thriller) was an anthology television series that aired from 1960-1962 on NBC. The show featured host Boris Karloff introducing a mix of macabre horror tales and suspense thrillers. Karloff would open each episode with a brief onscreen appearance, setting the scene for the story to follow and introducing the viewers to the cast.

Created by Hubbell Robinson, it drew on the works of many talented and well known writers for the series: Richard Matheson, Cornell Woolrich and mostly notably, Robert ÒPsychoÓ Bloch who adapted a number of his own stories including the exceptional: The Weird Tailor. Whilst the horror episodes were often more highly regarded than the crime-themed ones, an adaptation of Jack Vance's clever "Man in a Cage," provided ample proof that this exceptional series was indeed a Thriller rather than just a series of horror stories introduced by the Boris ÒFrankensteinÓ Karloff.

In fact Karloff acted in several of the episodes himself, whilst other emerging actors (and indeed) future stars featured in a smorgasbord of thrilling stories: William Shatner, Jack Carson, Robert Vaughan, Richard Chamberlain, Phil Carey, Elizabeth Montgomery, Leslie Nielsen, John Carradine, Richard Carlson, Warren Oates, Mary Tyler Moore, Brandon De Wilde, Lloyd Bochner,  É

Incisive direction came from some of HollywoodÕs finest chill-thrillers, including Ida ÒThe Hitch-HikerÓ Lupino and John ÒThe LodgerÓ Brahm. Some programs consisted on two or three separate stories (though with a common thread) - so, the Ida Lupino helmed Trio for Terror provided three doses of scary stuff in the one episode!

 

The series ran for two seasons comprising (in total) 67 B&W episodes, each of an uncut length of 50 minutes (sans commercials). 

Season One episodes – there are 37 of them – are presented here in an 8 DVD boxed set.

Season Two – consisting of 30 episodes – are presented in a 6 DVD set.

Picture quality is uniformly superb

 

 

Season One - 8 DVD Special Boxed Set price : AU$50 or US$50 or £26

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 1) Disc No. 1

The Twisted Image

Child's Play

Worse Than Murder

The Mark of the Hand

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 1) Disc No. 2

Rose's Last Summer

The Guilty Men

The Purple Room

The Watcher

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 1) Disc No. 3

Girl With a Secret

The Prediction

The Fatal Impulse

The Big Blackout

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 1) Disc No. 4

Knock Three-One-Two

Man in the Middle

The Cheaters

The Hungry Glass

The Poisoner

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 1) Disc No. 5

Man in the Cage

Choose a Victim

Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook

The Merriweather File

The Fingers of Fear

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 1) Disc No. 6

Well of Doom

The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell

Trio for Terror (3 stories)

Papa Benjamin

Late Date

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 1) Disc No. 7

Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper

The Devil's Ticket

Parasite Mansion

A Good Imagination

Mr. George

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 1) Disc No. 8

The Terror in Teakwood

Prisoner in the Mirror

Dark Legacy

Pigeons From Hell

The Grim Reaper

 

 

Season Two - 6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 2) Disc No. 1

What Beckoning Ghost?

Guillotine

The Premature Burial

The Weird Tailor

God Grante That She Lye Stille

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 2) Disc No. 2

Masquerade

The Last of the Sommervilles

Letter to a Lover

A Third For Pinochle

The Closed Cabinet

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 2) Disc No. 3

Dialogues With Death (2 stories)

The Return of Andrew Bentley

The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk

Portrait Without a Face

An Attractive Family

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 2) Disc No. 4

Waxworks

La Strega

The Storm

A Wig For Miss Devore

The Hollow Watcher

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 2) Disc No. 5

Cousin Tundifer

The Incredible Doktor Markesan

Flowers of Evil

'Til Death Do Us Part

The Bride Who Died Twice

 

Boris Karoff's Thriller (Season 2) Disc No. 6

Kill My Love

Man of Mystery

The Innocent Bystanders

The Lethal Ladies (2 stories)

The Specialists

 

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2004, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

 

Boston Blackie

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

After 14 successful Boston Blackie films in the 40's (starring Chester Morris) - see Movie Series section, the character was a natural to progress to the small screen. During the early 50's the Boston Blackie series(1951-1953) was very popular with many TV fans who enjoyed the way actor Kent Taylor played his roll as the tough, suave and sometimes humorous investigator who traveled around the Los Angeles area solving crimes with the help of his girlfriend Mary Wesley(Lois Collier)and their dog Whitey (of course). They were also assisted by their friend, Police Inspector Faraday(Frank Orth). There were three things that really stood out about the series. First, the crisp camera work performed through most of the series by cameraman Curt Fetters. Second, was the tight editing by veteran film editor Ace Herman. And third, the wonderful action sequences put together by two stuntman, who were fairly new to the business at that time, and who went on to have very successful careers in television and motion pictures : Bill Catching and Troy Melton.

 

A nicely remastered and digitally restored set of episodes

 

This DVD is also part of a 5 DVD set which includes all of the Boston Blackie films

- it can be found in the Movie Series section of this website

 

This DVD is also part of "The 50's TV Detectives" 4 DVD set - see below (under "F" for 50's)

 

Also worth a look : The Boston Blackie Radio Shows - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

 

Boston Blackie TV Series (starring Kent Taylor)

The Heist Job

The Gunman

Revenge

Queen of Thieves

So Was Goliath

The Devil's Daughters

False Face

Deep Six

Minuet for Murders

Scar Hand

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

Beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) - looks good on big TVs!

 

The Buccaneers

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

TV's first pirate series, featured swashbuckling adventure on land and high seas. Set in the West Indies in the 1720's, The Buccaneers told the rousing tale of reformed pirate Dan Tempest (Robert Shaw - the legendary movie actor), who had been the leader of a band of freebooters in the British Caribbean province of New Providence, as he battled against buccaneers and Spanish attack after being persuaded by Lt. Beamish (Peter Hammond), the new deputy governor, to switch sides and fight on behalf of the Crown. Armando, Taffy and Gaff were all loyal members of Tempest's swashbuckling crew. Deacon, a stowaway-turned cabin-boy and Captain Morgan, Tempest's pet monkey also featured.

Take note that Dan Tempest is not introduced to the series until Episode No. 3 - sources report that Robert Shaw was unavailable for the first few episodes, but nevertheless shooting went ahead without him. In the majority of episodes, he is listed as "With" rather than "Starring" in the title sequence, for reasons that are open to speculation.

Produced in 1957 by Lord Lee Grade's ITC, the series guested lots of emerging English talent including Richard Johnson, Sid James & Conrad Phillips - the latter being star of Grade's  "sister" series: William Tell (ITC also produced the similarly themed The Count of Monte Cristo, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot & Sir Francis Drake) - all available from this website

 

This 4 DVD set contains the entire series of 39 episodes in their original broadcast order - superb prints throughout

 

Check out The Count of Monte Cristo, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, Sir Francis Drake & William Tell - all available from this website

 

The Buccaneers Disc No. 1

Blackbeard - does not feature Dan Tempest (Robert Shaw)

The Raider - does not feature Dan Tempest (Robert Shaw)

Captain Dan Tempest - introduces Dan Tempest (Robert Shaw) for the first time

Dan Tempest's War with Spain

The Wasp

Whale Gold

The Slave Ship

Gunpowder Plot

The Ladies

 

The Buccaneers Disc No. 2

The Surgeon of Sangre Rojo

Before the Mast

Dan Tempest and the Amazons

Articles of War

The Hand of the Hawk

Marooned

Gentleman Jack and the Lady

Mr. Beamish and the Hangman's Noose

Dead Man's Rock

Blood Will Tell

 

The Buccaneers Disc No. 3

Dangerous Cargo

The Return of Calico Jack

Ghost Ship

Conquistador

Mother Doughty's Crew

Conquest of New Providence

Hurricane

Cutlass Wedding

The Aztec Treasure

Prize of Andalusia

 

The Buccaneers Disc No. 4

Dan Tempest Holds an Auction

The Spy Aboard

Flip and Jenny

Indian Fighters

Mistress Higgins' Treasure

To the Rescue

The Decoy

Instrument of War

Pirate Honour

Printer's Devil

 

 

Captain America TV Movies

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

 

Apart from a few animated TV series, live-action characterisations of Captain America have been confined to two 1979 TV movies

 

Captain America (1979)

Starring Reb Brown, Len Birman, Heather Menzies & Steve Forrest

Directed By Rod Holcomb

90 minutes

The ex-marine son of the original World War II hero (see the serial) has his life is saved by a super steroid endowing him with extra strength, vision, hearing and agility. Determined to carry on the duties of his late father, he dons the famed red, white & blue costume and climbs aboard a high tech motorcycle to thwart a power mad industrialist who threatens to destroy Phoenix with a neutron bomb

 

Captain America II (1979)

Starring Reb Brown, Len Birman, Connie Sellecca & Christopher Lee

Directed By Ivan Nagy

90 minutes

Christopher Lee stars as a merciless world revolutionary who threatens to unleash a drug that accelerates the aging process unless his impossible demands are met. Faced with the greatest challenge of his career, Captain America races against time to penetrate the evil terrorist's fortress of death.

 

Disc No. 1

Captain America (1979)

 

Disc No. 2

Captain America II (1979)

 

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY ENHANCED - JULY 2011

Yes, I've returned to those 16mm masters (plus a few others of lesser quality) and completely remastered all 37 surviving episodes using digital enhancement technology

The result is most encouraging: just about all episodes are now quite presentable with the core group (those from 16mm masters) of exceptional quality

 

As before, this is very restricted release É.

Bootleggers eventually got hold of the previous unrestored set

despite my efforts in protecting the considerable investment in

"unearthing" those (previously considered) lost episodes.

Which is one of the reasons why I have now spent further time

digitally restoring & remastering the set all over again

Stay ahead of those bootleggers! - be gone you opportunists!

 

Contact Trev for more details (genuine fans only!)

"Justice! Through Strength & Courage"

 

Captain Midnight (Jet Jackson) TV Series

4 DVD (Discs No. 1 to 4) Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

The Captain Midnight (aka Jet Jackson) TV Series ran on Saturday mornings in 1954 and proved so popular that it was moved to evenings in prime time after only 17 episodes. In all, 39 episodes were produced of this, my all-time favourite TV show. The series then became Jet Jackson in syndication and again proved to be a winner.  It was the story of a crimefighter, a World War II veteran (aka Jim Albright, played by Richard Webb) who, along with his sidekick Ikky (Sid Melton), fought evil-doers all around the world. It was the perfect series for the time as the "cold war" conflict between capitalist, communist and socialist countries provided lots of fodder for the scripts. Also, the "advanced" scientific knowledge that they got from scientist Aristotle "Tut" Jones (Olan Soule) also fitted well into the time period which encompassed the beginnings of nuclear, electronic, computer and rocketry research and development. Captain Midnight had his own private jet (The Silver Dart) which he often landed on "a flat stretch of beach". And he had the BEST fist fights - to this day I have not seen better, nor more spectacular rumbles. As Captain Midnight, the series was sponsored by Ovaltine (and in alternate weeks by Kix) and the advertisements by the Captain were a true encapsulation of the time - "Show the boys and girls how to mix a 'Tut' special". And the premiums - decoder badges (find out about next weeks show), Secret Squadron emblems (on Ovaltine jars) and the ultimate : membership to the Secret Squadron ("Justice through Strength & Courage").

 

A total of 37 (out of 39) episodes have been mastered into broadcast order across 4 DVDs - this allows for the viewer (at the end of the episode) to hear a little about the next episode and perhaps also decode information relevant to its content.

Two episodes remain as "Missing": No. 11 Sabotage Under the Sea & No. 28 The Runaway Suitcase

 

Below is the list of episodes together with my opinion of their respective quality:

 

(BTW: Did you know that Richard Webb made another TV Series after Captain Midnight concluded?

It was called U.S. Border Patrol - a nice set of episodes from this series is available from this website)

 

Captain Midnight aka Jet Jackson Disc No. 1

Murder by Radiation

Electronic Killer

Deadly Diamonds

The Lost Moon

Death Below Zero

Operation Failure

Trapped Behind Bars

Counterfeit Millions

The Walking Ghost

 

Captain Midnight aka Jet Jackson Disc No. 2

Secret of the Jungle

Isle of Mystery

The Curse of the Pharaohs

The Deserters

The Electrified Man

The Young Criminal

The Deadly Project

Touchdown Terror

Top Secret Weapon

 

Captain Midnight aka Jet Jackson Disc No. 3

The Human Bomb

The Mark of Death

Arctic Avalanche

Mystery of the Forest

The Invisible Terror

Saboteurs of the Sky

Peril from the Arctic

The Secret Room

Mission to Mexico

The Frozen Man

 

Captain Midnight aka Jet Jackson Disc No. 4

Doctors of Doom

Sunken Sapphires

Master Criminal

Secret of Superstition Mountain

The Mountain of Fire

The Jungle Pit

Flight into the Unknown

Million Dollar Diamond

The Human Bullet

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2004, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

 

Casey Jones

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

 

Calling all steam train enthusiasts! - "Casey Jones, steamin and a-rollin .É" - who could forget this famous song that topped and tailed the legendary 1950's TV series. This family adventure series was set in Illinois, Tennessee, and told the story of a 1890's railroad engineer John Luther 'Casey' Jones played by that genial big man Alan Hale Jr (before he was to achieve further notoriety as the Skipper on Gilligan's Island) who drove the Cannonball Express for the Midwest & Central Railroad Company. Each week he plunged into another adventure, helped by his son, Casey Jr, wife Alice, their dog, Cinders and the dedicated crew of the Cannonball Express : Fireman Wallie Sims (Dub Taylor) and Conductor Red Rock Smith (Eddy Waller). This is the series where we leaned about Morse Code and schedules and being on time - all that we wanted for Xmas was a train set. Casey had a ready smile which belied a toughness (in one memorable episode, he beats up on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly tough guy Lee Van Cleef!) - he was indeed a model citizen.

Good Picture & Sound

 

 

Casey Jones Disc No. 1

Night Mail

The President's Special

Prison Train

Spur Line to Danger

The Old Timer

The Run to Deadwood

Death Rides the Tender

One Way Ticket

The Lost Train

 

Casey Jones Disc No. 2

The Gunslinger

A Badge for Casey

The Marauders

The Trackwalker

The Silk Train

Lethal Journey

Honeymoon Express

The Fire Eater

Mrs Casey Jones

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2005, this title has now been

RECENTLY TRANSCODED (PAL to NTSC) & REMASTERED

(its now an 8 DVD set)

 

The Champions

8 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$55 or US$55 or £28

 

 

"Craig Stirling, Richard Barrett & Sharron Macready are The Champions. Endowed with the qualities and skills of superhumans - qualities and skills, both physical and mental, to the peak of human performance. Gifts given to them by an unknown race of people, when their plane crashed near a lost civilisation in Tibet. Now, with their secret known only to them, they are able to use their fantastic powers to their best advantage...as The Champions of Law, Order and Justice. Operators of the International Agency, Nemesis!"

 

From the same company that made The Baron, Department S, Man in a Suitcase, Return of The Saint & Strange Report comes The Champions, the story of three agents of the international crime-fighting agency Nemesis.

The first episode 'The Beginning' sets the story: Richard (William Gaunt) and Craig (Stuart Damon) are 'hard-bitten Nemesis agents', Sharron (Alexandra Bastedo) has joined them for her first mission, to retrieve evidence of new germ-warfare tests 'behind the bamboo curtain'. Hit by gunfire as they escape, their plane crashes in the mountains of Tibet. There, they are rescued by a hidden Tibetian civilisation which mends their bodies and raises them to the peak of human physical and mental performance. Vowing to keep this a secret, the three agents set about using their powers in their role as Nemesis agents.

Nice humour was generated in their "keeping the secret of their powers". The Boss of Nemesis, Tremayne, is amazed by the success of this trio and wonders at how they were able to achieve such a result - the trio do their level best to explain away things (although with a wry smile).

The series was the brainchild of Dennis Spooner and Monty Berman, both veterans of the cult action/adventure genre, but this would be the first time they had created a series together. Spooner had previously written for series such as The Saint and The Baron, as well as being a script editor for Doctor Who. Berman had been one of the driving forces behind the creation of the TV series of The Saint as well as Gideon's Way. All these series came from the stable of Lew Grade, via his company ITC.

The first episode made its debut on 25 September 1968, and ran for 30 color episodes each of 50 minutes duration.

Note that the complete series of The Baron, Department S, Man in a Suitcase, Return of The Saint & Strange Report is also available from this website

 

 

This 8 DVD set contains the entire series of thirty 50 minute episodes of The Champions in their original production order - superb color prints throughout

 

The Champions Disc No. 1

The Beginning

The Invisible Man

Operation Deep-Freeze

 

The Champions Disc No. 2

A Case of Lemmings

The Interrogation

The Search

The Dark Island

 

The Champions Disc No. 3

The Iron Man

The Experiment

The Fanatics

The Silent Enemy

 

The Champions Disc No. 4

To Trap a Rat

The Gilded Cage

Get Me Out of Here!

The Ghost Plane

 

The Champions Disc No. 5

The Night People

Twelve Hours

Shadow of the Panther - guest star Donald Sutherland

 

The Champions Disc No. 6

Full Circle

Reply Box No. 666

Project Zero

The Survivors 

 

The Champions Disc No. 7

The Body Snatchers - guest star Bernard Lee

The Mission

The Gun-Runners

Nutcracker

 

The Champions Disc No. 8

The Final Countdown

Happening

Desert Journey

Autokill

 

 

NEW ADDITION É NEW ADDITION É NEW ADDITION

 

Cheyenne (Seasons 1 & 2)

Volume One (Season 1): 4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Volume Two (Season 2): 6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

 

 

Cheyenne, Cheyenne.

Where will you be camping tonight?

Lonely man, Cheyenne.

Will your heart stay free and light?

 

Cheyenne was a western TV series starring Clint Walker as Cheyenne Bodie, a former frontier scout who drifts through the Old West, travelling from one adventure to another. Along the way he takes a number of jobs, working on ranches or wagon trains, taking part in cattle drives or protecting precious cargo. Sometimes he works for the federal government; at other times he finds himself deputized by local lawmen.

The series was built around its charismatic star, Clint Walker, who rose from obscurity to become one of the icons of the TV western. With his powerful physique and towering height, Walker commanded the small screen through sheer presence with his performance gaining impetus simply from the way his body dominated the screen - he was certainly a Òbig unitÓ. (Of note is that fact that producers quickly realized Walker's Òhunk valueÓ and his shirt came off in an astonishing number of episodes).

The first season of 'Cheyenne' existed as a segment of the weekly series ÔWarner Brothers Presents...Õ which was hosted by Gig Young. The show featured three rotating series: ÔKingÕs RowÕ, ÔCheyenneÕ and ÔCasablancaÕ plus 6 hour-long features

As such there were only 15 episodes in the first season of ÔCheyenneÕ.

And they weren't really "hour-long" - after commercials breaks and Gig's topping and tailing each episode, they worked out to be about 42 minutes!

 

Later seasons became Ôstand-aloneÕ with the full complement of episodes (with a longer running time of about 50 minutes per episode) and in all 108 B&W episodes were produced from 1955 to 1963.

The Cheyenne TV Series made a huge impact: it was the first hour-long western, and in fact the first hour-long dramatic series of any kind, with continuing characters, to last more than one season!

 

Worthy of note is that for the initial season, Cheyenne Bodie (who nominally described himself as a ÔscoutÕ) also had a sidekick, a mapmaker named Smitty (L.Q. Jones).

 

The Cheyenne series achieved a benchmark ratings success as early as the 3rd episode of the initial series: ÔThe ArgonautsÕ which told of gold dust miners who are the best of friends until they strike it rich, only to have Indians attack and cast their dust to the wind. It was an interesting ÒtakeÓ on John HustonÕs wonderful The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) with Walker in the Walter Huston role, Edward Andrews doing Bogie and a young Rod Taylor (who scored excellent reviews) filling the Tim Holt spot.

 

This first series is of significance in that it provided the launching pad of future mega-star James Garner. The initial episode (Mountain Fortress) was JimÕs first ever acting gig! And he also guested in two further episodes from this first series: Decision & The Last Train West.

(The three appearances must have impressed Warner Bros execs as they signed him for his very own western series, Maverick which premiered on the same network two years later and thereby making Garner a household name)

 

 

Season Two heralded Cheyenne "standing on its own terms" - no longer part of Warner Brothers Presents and no longer with the support of other shows in the roster. Season Two consisted of the full complement of 20 episodes and it has significance for the fact that Episode No. 2 (The Long Winter) is the first episode to have the familiar ÔCheyenneÕ title screen as well as the even more familiar ÔCheyenneÕ Theme Song (see above). Also there was more "bang for ya buck" in that the running time became the standard "hour less commercial breaks" of 50 minutes. So Season Two episodes were at least 5 minutes longer per episode than Season One!

Why were these changes not in the first episode of Season Two? É Well the first episode of the new season (The Dark Rider) appears to be an unaired episode from Season One, as it has the same intro as the first season, no title card and no song - and its running time is only 42 minutes (more than 5 minutes shorter than the rest of the Season Two episodes) É

 

BTW: Warner Bros ÒallowedÓ Clint Walker to make only three films (all westerns) during his successful as Cheyenne on TV: Fort Dobbs (1958), Yellowstone Kelly (1959) and Gold of the Seven Saints (1961). Each of trio afforded Clint the opportunity to shine and convey significant Òscreen presenceÓ under the tight direction of Gordon Douglas.

These 3 films are available in a special 3 DVD set from within the Classic Movie Combinations of this website under the heading Cheyenne É on the Big Screen ...

As well, each of the titles are also available separately from within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website

 

Also available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website is Cheyenne (1947) - the film on which the TV series is (loosely) based

 

Cheyenne (Season One) consists of 15 B&W episodes

Cheyenne (Season Two) consists of 20 B&W episodes

Excellent print quality throughout - uncut and no logos

 

Volume One (Season 1): 4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

Cheyenne (Season One) Disc No. 1

Mountain Fortress

Julesburg

The Argonauts

 

Cheyenne (Season One) Disc No. 2

Border Showdown

The Outlander

The Travelers

Decision

 

Cheyenne (Season One) Disc No. 3

The Storm Riders

Rendezvous at Red Rock

West of the River

Quicksand

 

Cheyenne (Season One) Disc No. 4

Fury at Rio Hondo

Star in the Dust

Johnny Bravo

The Last Train West

 

Cheyenne (Season One) Disc No. 1

Mountain Fortress

Julesburg

The Argonauts

 

 

Volume Two (Season 2): 6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

 

Cheyenne (Season Two) Disc No. 1

The Dark Rider

The Long Winter

Death Deals the Hand

 

Cheyenne (Season Two) Disc No. 2

The Bounty Killers

The Law Man

Mustang Trail

 

Cheyenne (Season Two) Disc No. 3

Lone Gun

The Trap

The Iron Trail

 

Cheyenne (Season Two) Disc No. 4

Land Beyond the Law

Test of Courage

War Party

 

Cheyenne (Season Two) Disc No. 5

Deadline

Big Ghost Basin

Born Bad

The Brand

 

Cheyenne (Season Two) Disc No. 6

Decision at Gunsight

The Spanish Grant

Hard Bargain

The Broken Pledge

 

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2004, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

 

Circus Boy

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

If you didn't quite go through with your threat to run away and join the circus as a kid, the Circus Boy TV series (1956 - 58) was the next best thing. This half hour adventure series, set at the turn of the 20th Century, gave 12 year old Corky played by Mickey Braddock, (who was to eventually become Micky Dolenz of The Monkees) a chance to live out every kid's dream. And he didn't even have to run away from home to do it, since the circus was his home. In the first episode, Meet Circus Boy, we learn how young Corky was adopted by the Burke & Walsh Circus' new owner Big Tim Champion (played by serial Batman, Robert Lowery), after Corky's parents were killed in a high-wire accident, The young lad quickly found a role in the show as water boy to Bimbo, a baby elephant that Corky would come to consider his pet. Corky found fun and adventure while dealing with his adolescent problems and helped the show's adults including Uncle Joey the Clown (Noah Beery Jr. - later to play Jim Rockford's father Rocky) and Pete, the Canvasman (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) as the circus moved from town to town each week.

Good Picture & Sound

 

Now a nice digitally restored set of episodes in original telecast order

 

 

Circus Boy Disc No. 1

Meet Circus Boy

The Fabulous Colonel Jack

The Great Gambino

Corky And The Circus Doctor

Casey Rides Again

The Little Fugitive

The Proud Pagliacci

White Eagle

The Masked Marvel

 

Circus Boy Disc No. 2

The Good Samaritans

Daring Young Man

Farewell To The Circus

Elmer The Aeronaut

The Remarkable Ricardo

Big Top Angel

Corky's Big Parade

The Lady And The Circus

The Marvelous Manellis

 

 

The Cisco Kid Movie & TV Series

6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

Starred Duncan Renaldo as the knight-errant title role and Leo Carrillo (then in his seventies) as his portly sidekick, Pancho. Cisco and Pancho saw plenty of action as they galloped around 1890's New Mexico on Diablo and Loco meting out justice to black-hearted villains. They kept violence to a minimum, with Cisco confining himself to shooting guns from his opponent's hands, whilst Pancho was an expert with the whip.. Cisco was a bit of a dandy, dressed in his finely embroidered shirts and silver spurs with a giant sombrero.. Pancho, however, loved his food. The adventures were played mainly for laughs and Pancho's terrible grip of the English language was used to the full. Writer O. Henry created the Cisco Kid stories and the character had already appeared on film in the 1920's. Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo had previously played the role of Cisco & Pancho in the cinema in 5 B&W Westerns (the last four of which can be found on Disc No. 1 below) before moving to TV (and color) in 1951. The TV series was filmed in color

Picture & Sound are both perfect

Special Note: Ask Trev about the 1st Renaldo / Carrillo feature film "Valiant Hombre" - it is available as special bonus with this DVD set

 

 

The Cisco Kid (Renaldo/Carrillo) Movie Series Disc No. 1

The Gay Amigo (1949)

The Daring Caballero (1949)

Satan's Cradle (1949)

The Girl From San Lorenzo (1950)

 

The Cisco Kid TV Series Disc No. 2

Big Switch

Convict Story

Oil Land

Chain Lightning

Railroad Land Rush

Confession for Money

Haven for Heavies

 

The Cisco Kid TV Series Disc No. 3

Freight Line Feud

Phoney Heiress

Monkey Business

The Puppeteer

The Talking Dog

Pancho and the Pachyderm

Face of Death

 

The Cisco Kid TV Series Disc No. 4

Laughing Badman

Canyon City Kid

Dutchman's Flat

Freedom of the Press

Battle of Red Rock Pass

Bandaged Badman

Chinese Gold

 

The Cisco Kid TV Series Disc No. 5

Counterfeit Money

Cattle Rustling

Newspaper Crusaders

Medicine Flats

Lynching Story

Dog Story

Pancho Hostage

 

The Cisco Kid TV Series Disc No. 6

Performance Bond

Water Rights

Uncle Disinherits Niece

Stolen Bonds

Jewellery Hold-Up

Ghost Town Story

Buried Treasure

 

 

Coronado 9

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

In 1960, ruggedly handsome Rod Cameron shook off the cowboy garb which had served him so well through 20 years of film & television, and donned the suit (but no fedora) for the high octane crime drama series: COronado 9.

Set in San Diego, California, it told of the adventures of Dan Adams (Rod Cameron), a former United States Navy intelligence officer who has turned private detective.

Set in the affluent San Diego County suburb of Coronado, Adams is intelligent but also tough and he usually finds himself accepting cases that are too Òcomplicated & difficultÓ for other PIs to handle, often involving wealthy and celebrated clients. Business is brisk because heÕs got a nice beach house and a well kitted-out yacht at the jetty nearby.

Why the capital ÒCOÓ followed by small caps ÒronadoÓ? Well its DanÕs phone exchange - in the days when few people had phones and all telephones numbers had place name prefixes.

Across 39 half hour action packed episodes, we follow Dan from his base in Coronado to far-flung corners of the world solving all manner of exotic cases, among them: London, Singapore, Mexico, Havana and (Oahu) Honolulu.

Rod Cameron was 50 when this series filmed - yet he still looks good, and does a lot of his own stunts (sans hat) notably some fantastic ÒfisticuffsÓ with the villains.

A lot of the episodes were directed by serial and B western veteran William Witney who had previously helmed CameronÕs Republic films. Guest stars included Doug ÒTrampasÓ McClure & DeForest ÒBonesÓ Kelley along with legendary silent & talkie movie star Richard Arlen.

 

 

All 39 uncut half hour episodes are included here in their original production order on this 4 DVD set.

Perfect B&W prints throughout!

 

Also Rod Cameron also made another excellent half hour adventure TV series: State Trooper

            - its also available from this website (TV Series I-Z).

 

Also, also there's a nice set of Rod Cameron westerns which can be found in the "B" Westerns section of this website

 

 

Coronado 9 Disc - No. 1

I Want To Be Hated

Remember The Alamo

The Widow Of Kill Cove

The Day Chivalry Died

Blow, Gabriella

Three's A Shroud

Four And Twenty Buddhas

Alibi Bye

Obituary Of A Small Ape

 

Coronado 9 - Disc No. 2

Loser's Circle

The Day Ramon Fell

The Groom Came D.O.A.

Film Flam

Londonderry Heiress

Run, Shep, Run

Wrong Odds

Man From Way Down Yonder

Caribbean Chase

Sincerely Yours, Napoleon

 

Coronado 9 - Disc No. 3

Doomtown

Hunt Breakfast

Excursion To Algiers

Flight To La Paz

Come With Thy Loot

The Spinster Of Nob Hill

A Bookie Is Not A Bibliophile

Long Way To Detroit

Blonde Herring

I Came For The Funeral

 

Coronado 9 - Disc No. 4

Singapore Girl

Stroll In The Park

Gone Goose

Run Scared

But The Patient Died

The Anxious Mariner

Flee Now, Pay Later

Careless Joe

The Daley Double

They Met In Honolulu

 

 

NEW É NEW É NEW É NEW

Beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) - looks good on big TVs!

 

The Count of Monte Cristo

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

A half hour TV series adaptated from the classic Alexandre Dumas novel, The Count of Monte Cristo is set in 18th-century France and centres on Edmond Dantes (George Dolenz) - he is falsely accused of bearing treasonable information, is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Chateau d'If. There he learns of a buried treasure from his cellmate - he digs his way out, escapes, and retreats to the island of Monte Cristo. There, he uncovers the treasure and establishes himself as a mysterious and powerful figure for justice fighting the forces of corruption.

This 1956 joint  US/UK-produced TV series of 39 episodes combined the resources of the US-based NPA and UK's ITC - the latter was having successfully produced similarly themed: The Buccaneers, Sir Francis Drake, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot & William Tell. Most of the series was filmed at Elstree (UK) - however, the first 12 episodes were filmed in the US at the Hal Roach studios - thus underlining the show's strong links to the US, thanks to the starring roles of Americans, George Dolenz (father of Circus Boy & Monkee drummer Micky Dolenz/Braddock) & well-known Burt Lancaster side-kick, Nick Cravat who plays DantesÕ assistant Jacopo.

Of special interest is the initial (pilot) episode The Affair of the Three Napoleons which starred prominent "B" movie actress Faith Domergue and was helmed by legendary director Budd Boetticher (who went on to film such a wonderful set of westerns with Randolph Scott). In fact the US cast across the initial dozen episodes is peopled with such always-interesting supporting players as: Anthony Caruso, John Eldgredge, John Hoyt, Paul Picerni, Jack Kruschen, Pierre Watkin, Nancy Hale, Glenn Langan, Nestor Paiva, Harry Lauter & Rick Vallin

 

The complete series is presented here in its original production order - an absolutely perfect set of B&W prints which have been beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) with an "eye on the big picture" (ie they look good on big TVs!)

 

Check out The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Buccaneers, Sir Francis Drake & William Tell

- all available from this website

 

The Count of Monte Cristo - Disc No. 1

The Affair of the Three Napoleons (filmed in the US)

The Pen and the Sword (filmed in the US)

The Deberry Affair (filmed in the US)

The Black Death (filmed in the US)

Affair of Honor (filmed in the US)

First Train to Paris (filmed in the US)

The Sardinian Affair (filmed in the US)

Return to the Chateau D'If (filmed in the US)

The Golden Blade (filmed in the US)

 

The Count of Monte Cristo - Disc No. 2

Andorra (filmed in the US)

The Duel (filmed in the US)

Victor Hugo (filmed in the US)

A Toy for the Infanta

Marseilles - starring Conrad "William Tell" Williams

The Luxembourg Affair

The Texas Affair

The Mazzini Affair

The Carbonari

The Devil's Emissary

 

The Count of Monte Cristo - Disc No. 3

Bordeaux

Flight to Calais - starring Adrienne Corri

Naples - starring Nigel Davenport

Albania

The Art of Terror

The Experiment - starring Conrad "William Tell" Williams

Mecklenburg

The Portuguese Affair - starring Bill Nagy

Lichtenburg

Burgundy

 

The Count of Monte Cristo - Disc No. 4

Majorca

Sicily

A Matter of Justice

Point Counterpoint - starring John Loder

The Talleyrand Affair - starring Finlay Currie

The Island

Athens

The Barefoot Empress

Monaco

The Grecian Gift - starring Conrad "William Tell" Williams

 

 

Danger Man (Season 1)

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

Every government has its secret service branch:

America, its C.I.A; France, SDECE; England, MI5.

A messy job? - well thatÕs when they

usually call on me or someone like me É

oh, yes, my name is Drake, John Drake

 

Danger Man was a British television series telecast between in 1960 - 1961, and again between 1964 and 1968. This series featuring Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts. The show was also telecast under the title Secret Agent in some non-UK markets.

Boasting good writing and benefiting from a characteristically intense and charismatic performance from the always compelling McGoohan, Danger Man paved the way for the plethora of secret agent series which followed (incl The Man from U.N.C.L.E. & Honey West - both of which are available from this website)

The first season (1960-62) consisted of 39 half hour B&W episodes and portrayed John Drake as working for a Washington, D.C.-based intelligence organization, chiefly acting on behalf of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.The reference to NATO in the opening titles of this initial season was dropped part way through production. However he often went on missions well out of NATO jurisdiction with assignments in Africa, Latin America and the Far East.

Drake sometimes seems at odds with his superiors about the ethics of the missions. Many of Drake's cases involve aiding democracy in foreign countries and he is also called upon to solve murders and crimes affecting the interests of either the U.S. or NATO or both.

He uses his intelligence, charm, and quick-thinking rather than force, usually playing a role to infiltrate a situation, e.g. opportunistic journalist, bumbling tourist, cold-blooded mercenary, bland diplomat or impeccable butler.

As Drake gets involved in a case, things are rarely as they seem. He is not infallible: he gets arrested, he makes mistakes, equipment fails, careful plans don't work; Drake often has to improvise an alternative plan. Sometimes investigation fails, and he simply does something provocative to crack open the case. People he trusts can turn out to be untrustworthy or incompetent; he finds unexpected allies.

John Drake, also unlike Bond, never romanced on-screen with any of the women, as McGoohan was determined to create a family-friendly show, Drake uses his immense charm in his undercover work, and women are often very attracted to him but the viewer is left to assume whatever they want about Drake's personal life. McGoohan denounced the sexual promiscuity of James Bond and The Saint, roles he had rejected.

This early TV excursion into espionage was a polished production and boasted many emerging guest stars in its roster: Robert Shaw, Donald Pleasance, Keiron Moore, Honor Blackman, Charles Gray, Laurence Naismith & Patrick Wymark.

Well known American actress (& B movie regular) Beverly Garland even appears in an episode.

 

This listing is for Season 1 only - the best season - all 39 B&W episodes from Season 1 are presented here in their original telecast order. All 39 episodes are of exceptional (digitally restored) quality and are completely uncut running the full 26 minutes.

 

Disc No. 1

View from the Villa

Time to Kill

Josetta

The Blue Veil - costarring Laurence Naismith

The Lovers

The Girl in Pink Pyjamas

Position of Trust - costarring Donald Pleasance

The Lonely Chair

The Sanctuary - costarring Kieron Moore

 

Disc No. 2

An Affair of State - costarring Patrick Wymark

The Key - costarring Charles Gray

The Sisters

The Prisoner

The Traitor

Colonel Rodriguez - costarring Honor Blackman

The Island

Find and Return - costarring Donald Pleasance

The Girl Who Liked GI's

Name, Date and Place

 

Disc No. 3

Vacation

The Conspirators

The Honeymooners

The Gallows Tree

The Relaxed Informer

The Brothers

The Journey Ends Halfway

Bury the Dead - costarring Robert Shaw & Beverly Garland

Sabotage

The Contessa

 

Disc No. 4

The Leak

The Trap

The Actor

Hired Assassin

The Deputy Coyannis Story - costarring Charles Gray

Find and Destroy

Under the Lake

The Nurse

Dead Man Walks

Deadline

 

 

Dangerous Assignment

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

"Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent a lot of places I can't even pronounce. They all spell the same thing: trouble."

These are the opening lines of the NBC radio series, Dangerous Assignment which ran from 1949 until about 1952, featuring Movie actor Brian Donlevy (Wake Island & This Gun for Hire) as international troubleshooter and undercover agent for the U.S. government, Steve Mitchell. In each episode he was sent off by "The Commissioner" to some foreign place like Burma, Mexico City or somewhere behind the Iron Curtain.

During its last year on radio, Donlevy formed a production company to convert the idea to television; But no TV network was interested, so he produced 39 episodes and sold them to individual stations nationwide in First-run Syndication; In the TV version, Herb Butterfield played the boss called "The  Commissioner" as he had on the radio series. Director Bill Karn also came across from the radio show.

The TV series like the radio show owed a lot to Donlevy's charm whilst the international locales (including jungles & snow fields) and high energy action made for great viewing (& listening)

This 4 DVD set contains the entire series of 39 episodes in their original broadcast order - superb prints throughout (much better than some of those on commercial release).

 

Also worth a look : The Dangerous Assignment Radio Shows - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

 

Dangerous Assignment Disc No. 1

The Alien Smuggler Story

The Submarine Story

The Displaced Persons Story

The Memory Chain Story

The Manger Story

The Key Story

The Bhandara Story

The Salami Story

The Pat and Mike Story

 

Dangerous Assignment Disc No. 2

The Lagoon Story

The Mine Story

The Italian Movie Story

The Blood-Stained Feather Story

The Burma Temple Story

The Sunflower Seed Story

The Caboose Story

The Missing Diplomat Story

The Briefcase Story

The Civil War Map Story

 

Dangerous Assignment Disc No. 3

The Piece of String Story

The Iron Banner Story

The Dead General Story

The Parachute Story

The Paris Sewer Story

The Atomic Mine Story

The Bodyguard Assignment Story

The Art Treasures Story

The One Blue Chip Story

The Red Queen Story

 

Dangerous Assignment Disc No. 4

The Knitting Needle Story

The Assassin Ring Story

The Havana Microfilm Story

The Death in the Morgue Story

The Stolen Letter Story

The Venetian Story

The Black Hood Story

The Archaeological Story

The Decoy Story

The Perfect Alibi Story

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

Beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) - looks good on big TVs!

 

Danger UXB

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

 

A WWII drama series based on the true-life exploits of bomb disposal expert Major Bill Hartley, whose book, 'Unexploded Bomb', recounted his continual death-defying ordeals in the face of extreme danger, whilst carrying out one of the most hazardous tasks in London. This is a quality series - thirteen 50 minute episodes charting the career of Lieutenant Brian Ash, a young officer who is assigned to the 27th Tunnelling Company, only to discover that his unit has been seconded to the Bomb Disposal Unit of the Royal Engineers. The day before Ash's arrival, his predecessor had been killed trying to disarm a bomb, and so Ash finds himself quite literally in the firing line, learning his job "along the way", a particularly deadly apprenticeship in a job where one wrong mistake could be the last one you'd ever make and with his life expectancy now of about seven weeks!

Anthony Andrews (Brideshead Revisited) is perfect in the lead, moving from a newcomer utterly out of his depth to a weary veteran by series end. His job is to deactivate bombs made by German technicians some of which have fuses specifically designed to kill him. The series takes us through his maturation as an officer, a love story with Susan Mount (Judy Geeson), the married daughter of explosives boffin Dr David Gillespie (Iain Cuthbertson) and the stresses and strains of wartime on the civilians and military in England.

What is so riveting is the fact that several regular cast members are killed off during the series and so we are really drawn into the "live every day like it's your last" philosophy that people had to adopt back when bombs rained down from the sky. Note that the episode Butterfly Winter, as well as being educational, features the death of one of the most likable regulars. A second series was never planned (nor executed) and the 13 episodes made by Thames/Euston Films and shown in 1979, stand today as a perfect example of edge-of-the-seat drama.

 

The Complete series - color & 50 minutes each - Perfect Prints!

 

Disc No. 1

Dead Man's Shoes

Unsung Heroes

Just Like a Woman

 

Disc No. 2

Cast Iron Killer

The Silver Lining

The Quiet Weekend

 

Disc No. 3

Digging Out

Bad Company

Seventeen Seconds to Glory

 

Disc No. 4

Butterfly Winter

Dead Letter

The Pier

With Love From Adolf

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

Beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) - looks good on big TVs!

 

The Day of the Triffids

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

In 1951 John Wyndham published his novel The Day of the Triffids to moderate acclaim. Fifty-two years later, this horrifying story is a science fiction classic, touted by The Times (London) as having "all the reality of a vividly realized nightmare."

Synopsis : Bill Masen, bandages over his wounded eyes, misses the most spectacular meteorite shower England has ever seen. Removing his bandages the next morning, he finds masses of sightless people wandering the city. He soon meets Josella, another lucky person who has retained her sight, and together they leave the city, aware that the safe, familiar world they knew a mere twenty-four hours before is gone forever.

But to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, one must survive the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world. The Triffids can grow to over seven feet tall, pull their roots from the ground to walk, and kill a man with one quick lash of their poisonous stingers. With society in shambles, they are now poised to prey on humankind. Wyndham chillingly anticipates bio-warfare and mass destruction, fifty years before their realization, in this prescient account of Cold War paranoia.

A movie version, The Day of the Triffids starring Howard Keel was filmed in 1962 - its available from within the Sci-Fi & INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES sections of this website.

A scorching TV mini-series followed in 1981. Consisting of six parts each of 30 minutes duration, it adhered more closely to the book and was enthusiastically received. It was said to be the template for the Danny Boyle's 2002 film : 28 Days Later É

Great Picture & Sound

 

The Day of the Triffids TV Mini-Series Disc

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

Beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) - looks good on big TVs!

 

Department S

7 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$50 or US$50 or £25

 

F.B.I (Washington): Result Negative, SžretŽ (Paris): No Solution, C.I.D (London): Insufficient Evidence - when a case proves too baffling, they turn to the talents of Department S, a special section within Interpol headed by Sir Curtis Seretse (Dennis Alaba Peters). Department S consists of just two men and one woman - 3 extraordinary agents - Jason King (Peter Wyngarde): an eccentric novelist, a best selling writer of crime thrillers with a vivid imagination & flamboyant personality; Stewart Sullivan (Joel Fabiani): a determined man of action, who utilizes his brain as well as his fists; Annabelle Hurst (Rosemary Nicols): a beautiful but meticulous computer expert with an eye for detail. Each with their own distinct method of approaching an unsolvable & bizarre crime, the team of Department S proves that the most illogical of a situation has a logical explanation.

Created by Dennis Spooner and Monty Berman, the series was produced in 1968 by ITC (The Baron, Man in a Suitcase, The Champions, Return of The Saint & Strange Report). But Department S was a departure from most other mystery programs. With its intriguing adventure & off beat stories, the series was a forerunner to contemporary programs like The X Files & Jonathan Creek which take the premise of an illogical occurrence, proceed to analyse and dissect it, which in turn leads to a fascinating and rational conclusion. Department S was a huge rating hit of the 1969-1970 UK TV season. The series made an international star of its leading man (Peter Wyngarde), voted by Australian women in 1971 as the world's sexiest man, leading him to his own spin off series: Jason King.

Note that the complete series of The Baron, Man in a Suitcase, The Champions, Return of The Saint & Strange Report is also available from this website

 

This 7 DVD set contains the entire series of 28 episodes, each of 50 minute duration and in their original broadcast order - superb color prints throughout

 

Department S Disc No. 1

Six Days

The Trojan Tanker

A Cellar Full of Silence

The Pied Piper of Hambledown

 

Department S Disc No. 2

One Of Our Aircraft is Empty

The Man in the Elegant Room

Handicap Dead

Black Out

 

Department S Disc No. 3

The Double Death of Charlie Crippen

The Treasure of the Costa Del Sol

Who Plays The Dummy?

The Man Who Got a New Face

 

Department S Disc No. 4

Les Fleurs Du Mal

The Shift That Never Was

Dead Men Die Twice

A Ticket to Nowhere

 

Department S Disc No. 5

Last Train to Redbridge

The Ghost of Mary Burnham

The Man From 'X'

Death on Reflection

 

Department S Disc No. 6

The Perfect Operation

The Duplicated Man

The Mysterious Man in the Flying Machine

Spencer Bodily is Sixty Years Old

 

Department S Disc No. 7

A Fish Out of Water

A Small War of Nerves - costarring (Sir) Anthony Hopkins

The Bones of Byrom Blain

The Soup of the Day

 

 

 

Dick Barton É TV Adventures É

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

 

Dick Barton, Special Agent was a popular radio program on the BBC from 1946 to 1951.

A 15 minute serial, it featured ex-Commando Captain Richard Barton who, with his mates Jock Anderson and Snowy White solved all sorts of crimes, escaped from dangerous situations and saved the nation from disaster time and again. At its peak it had an audience of 15 million.

It gave rise to a popular catchphrase of the late forties

"Éwith one bound Dick was free!"

which made light of the fact that no matter how dangerous the cliffhanging situation Dick found himself in every evening, he would always escape.

Most famously Dick Barton had a memorable signature tune: Devil's Gallop by Charles Williams.

A movie series followed in the late 1940s (available from the Movie Series section of this website) and in 1979 a TV series.

 

The TV series which starred Tony Vogel as Dick Barton, Anthony Heaton as Snowy White and James Cosmo as Jock Anderson was assembled just like the radio series in that each cliffhanging episode ran for just 15 minutes - but unlike the (each weekday) radio series, the TV series was telecast twice weekly.

In all 32 episodes, each of about 12 minutes duration and comprising four complete adventures were filmed. They depicting a Dick Barton who following the end of WWII, still craves excitement and so he sets himself up as an adventurer, helping people in distress.

 

Adventure One (10 episodes)

Demobbed after World War II, Dick Barton and Snowy White are asked by old friend Sir Richard Marley to look into the disappearance of his daughter Virginia and son Rex. They come up against master criminal, Melganik

 

Adventure Two (8 episodes)

Dick and Snowy rescue a young girl, Lucy Cameron from being attacked. She tells them that her father, George Cameron has been kidnapped by the devious German villain, Muller who is after the deadly poison formula which George has developed

 

Adventure Three (6 episodes)

Dick's Aunt Agatha rings up and tells him that her house has vanished! A further phone call from Sir Richard Marley reveals that scientist, Harold Jenkins has perfected his ultimate weapon (the XB19) and Barton and comrades soon find themselves up against Melganik once more.

 

Adventure Four (8 episodes)

Dandy Parkes, a middle-aged playboy and Amanda Aston, wife of a respected Whitehall official are threatened by the Drew Brothers, leaders of the underworld.

Millions of pounds of stolen war supplies are involved

 

This 2 DVD comprises all 32 twelve minute episodes which comprised the series

Perfect color prints

 

 

Also worth a look : The Dick Barton Movie Series - all 3 theatrical films.

Check the Movie Series A-M section for further details

 

Also, also worth a look : The Dick Barton Radio Shows - check out the Radio Shows on MP3 CD section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions.

 

 

Dick Barton TV Adventures: Disc No. 1

Adventure One (10 parts)

Adventure Two (8 parts)

 

Dick Barton TV Adventures: Disc No. 2

Adventure Three (6 parts)

Adventure Four (8 parts)

 

 

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (Season 1)

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

Dick Powell & Zane Grey É

Zane Grey was a prolific American writer and pioneer of Western as a new literary genre. He produced over sixty books during his career and presented the West as a moral battle ground, in which his characters are redeemed through a final confrontation with their past or destroyed because of their inability to change.

Dick Powell may be best remembered as a movie star, a boyish crooner in dozens of Hollywood musicals of the 1930s, and later, a hard-boiled film noir tough guy. Like many stars of the studio era, Powell turned his dramatic talents to television in the fifties, and especially as an independent telefilm producer. Between 1952 and his death in 1963, Powell served as the head of Four Star Television (along with actor pals: Charles Boyer, David Niven & Ida Lupino), which became, under his leadership, one of Hollywood's leading suppliers of prime-time network programming.

 

Four Star's stock-in-trade was anthologies and in particular Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, hosted by and occasionally starring the Four Star chief executive officer himself. Zane Grey Theatre ran for five years (1956-1961) on CBS, at once feeding and riding the crest of the phenomenal surge of western programs on television in the late 1950s.

Probably because of the financial clout of the "Four Stars", the series was well-budgeted in comparison with most programs of its time - a real "outdoors" show, filmed outdoors on realistic locations - it looked good!

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre was created by Luke Short, himself a highly regarded western novelist and screen-writer. The half hour series was originally based on the short stories and novels of Grey, but as the episodes continued, new material was used and it often came from the pen of Aaron Spelling (who went on to become the famed Hollywood producer).

 

Dick Powell hosted each episode appearing briefly at the beginning, usually with some "western props" which, by way of explanation, introduced that week's program. Powell appeared as various characters in 15 of the 149 episodes of the program whilst an incredible array of Hollywood movie talent filled the roster for the balance of the series - see below

 

As an example of the type of programs which were a staple of this excellent series, consider the episode Until the Man Dies. In it we have the forthright and upright rancher Clint Belmet (John Payne) who rescues the murderer Dave Jordan (Stuart Whitman) from a mob hanging. Clint takes Jordan to the town sheriff Mark Clanton for imprisonment awaiting trial. We learn that Clint and Mark are best friends and that  Mark's wife Ella (Carolyn Jones) was once close to Clint. Unfortunately Jordan escapes and in the process kills Mark, leaving Clint feeling responsible (and the hanging mob less than impressed). Clint must now track down Jordan and in the process deal with the emotional impact on Ella (and himself).

But as the hunt ensues, we learn that all is not what it seems ..

So there you have it: a taunt, lean and muscular story in which our hero's values and determination are tested to the limit - John Payne at his best in a typical Zane Grey yarn (although written by Aaron Spelling). Direction comes via the impressive skills of John English, the legendary Republic serial director.

 

 

This listing is for Season 1 only - the best season - all 29 B&W episodes from Season 1 are presented here in their original telecast order. All 29 episodes are of exceptional (digitally restored) quality and are completely uncut running the full 26 minutes.

Note that some Episode Guides indicate that there were 30 episodes in Season 1

This is incorrect - these (faulty) guides list Episode No. 21 as " The Hangin' Tree" but its one and the same as Episode No. 1  "You Only Run Once"

 

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (Season 1) Disc No. 1

You Only Run Once - Robert Ryan

Fearful Courage - Ida Lupino & James Whitmore,

The Long Road Home - Dick. Powell

The Unrelenting Sky - Lew Ayres

Lariat - Jack Palance

Death Watch - Lee J. Cobb

Stage for Tucson - Eddie Albert

 

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (Season 1) Disc No. 2

A Quiet Sunday in San Ardo - Wendell Corey

Vengeance Canyon - Walter Brennan

Return to Nowhere - Steven McNally, John Ireland & Audrey Totter

Courage is a Gun - Dick Powell

Muletown Gold Strike - Rory Calhoun

Star over Texas - Ralph Bellamy

Three Graves - Jack Lemmon

 

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (Season 1) Disc No. 3

No Man Living - Frank Lovejoy

Time of Decision - Lloyd Bridges

Until the Man Dies - John Payne, Carolyn Jones & Stuart Whitman

Backtrail - Dick Powell, Catherine McLeod

Dangerous Orders - Mark Stevens

The Necessary Breed - Sterling Hayden

Village of Fear - David Niven

 

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (Season 1) Disc No. 4

Black Creek Encounter- Ernest Borgnine

There Were Four - John Derek & Dean Jagger

Fugitive - Eddie Albert & Celeste Holm

A Time To Live - Ralph Meeker & Julie London

Black is for Grief - Mary Astor & Chester Morris

Badge of Honor - Gary Merrill, Tom Tully & Robert Culp

Decision at Wilson's Creek - John Forsythe & John Dehner

Man on the Run - Scott Brady

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2004, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

Dick Tracy

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

After portraying Dick Tracy in 4 movie serials (all of which are available from the Movie Serials section of this website) and in 2 feature films (available from the Movie Series section of this website), Ralph Byrd was a natural to take his character to the small screen. Premiering in Sept. 1950 it ran for 22 episodes and featured many of Tracy's old enemies as well some new ones (in most cases Cold War spies). The series was dramatically cut short by Ralph Byrd's untimely death in 1952.

 

In 1967, William Dozier (of Batman & The Green Hornet 60's TV Shows) produced a pilot for a new Dick Tracy TV series titled The Plot to Kill NATO. This version of the classic Chester Gould comic strip didn't make it past the pilot, but it is truer to the source material than any other adaptation. Noted stage actor Ray MacDonnell portrayed the role of the ace detective with Victor Buono as standout playing Mr. Memory.

 

The Dick Tracy TV Series Disc

Dick Tracy TV Series Promotional Reel (8 mins)

Shaky's Secret Treasure

Hi-Jack

Dick Tracy Meets Heels Beals

The Foreign Agents / Dick Tracy and Influence - a double episode (50 mins) story arc involving foreign spies

The Plot to Kill NATO - 1967 TV Pilot episode (in color)

 

 

The Falcon - see Adventures of The Falcon above

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

Beautifully transcoded (PAL to NTSC) - looks good on big TVs!

 

Father Brown

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

Father Brown is a fictional character created in 1911 by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor (1870 - 1952), a Roman Catholic monsignor who became a friend of the author.

The priest is a small, insignificant type of fellow with, as his author put it, a face ''as round and dull as a Norfolk dumpling.'' He wears a black cassock and broad-brimmed clerical hat. He carries, and is often dropping, an umbrella, and he rides a bicycle. While others strut and loudly theorize, he sits on the sidelines muttering things like, ''Oh dear, oh dear, it won't do, you know.'' The surface images are, of course, entirely deceptive. Father Brown has a steel-trap mind and an almost fanatical tenacity.

When Lew Grade decided to make a TV mystery series out of the stories he had only one actor in mind for Father Brown, and that was Kenneth More. More wasn't so sure. It took a deal of persuading before More (a former matinee idol now in his 60s) agreed.

The result was 13 episodes of about 50 minutes each broadcast in 1974.

In this series, Father Brown is played to low-keyed but clearly defined perfection by More, sly without being cute, sharp without being aggressive. Ever suspicious of the permanent smile, he is entirely convincing when he says, ''If ever I murdered someone, it might well be an optimist.''

 

This 4 DVD set contains all 13 episodes (in telecast order) of the Father Brown series (Color, 50 minutes each)  - Perfect Color prints throughout

 

There were also two theatrical Father Brown films: Father Brown, Detective (1934) starring Walter Connolly and Father Brown (1954) (aka The Detective) starring Alec Guinness

Each of these films is available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

 

Also worth a look : The Father Brown Radio Shows - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

 

Disc No. 1

The Hammer of God

The Oracle of the Dog

The Curse of the Golden Cross

 

Disc No. 2

The Eye of Apollo

The Three Tools of Death

The Mirror of the Magistrate

 

Disc No. 3

The Dagger with Wings

The Actor and the Alibi

The Quick One

 

Disc No. 4

The Man with Two Beards

The Head of Caesar

The Arrow of Heaven

The Secret Garden

 

 

The FBI (Season 1)

8 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$55 or US$55 or £28

 

Beneath the imposing tenets of Fidelity, Bravery & Integrity,

The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) was born.

Its Mission: to protect the innocent and identify the enemies of the Government of the United States.

 

The FBI was also a US TV series that was broadcast on ABC from 1965 to 1974. It was produced by Quinn Martin and based in part on concepts from the 1959 Warner Bros. theatrical film The FBI Story (starring James Stewart and also available from within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section).

The TV series transpired as an authentic telling of or fictionalized accounts of actual F.B.I. cases, with fictitious main characters carrying the stories - headed by Inspector Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), Special Agent Jim Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) & Assistant Director (to F.B.I. chief J. Edgar Hoover) Arthur Ward (Philip Abbott).

Note that although J. Edgar Hoover served as series consultant until his death in 1972, he was never seen in the series.

The TV Series oozed class - a big budget, charismatic leads, good stories and a fabulous signature tune (by legendary composer, Bronislaw Kaper)

 

The first (and best) series consisted of 32 hour long episodes

 

This 8 DVD set contains the entire first season of 32 hour long episodes of The FBI in their original production order - superb color prints throughout

 

The FBI (Season 1) Disc No. 1

The Monster

Image in a Cracked Mirror

A Mouthful of Dust

Slow March Up a Steep Hill

 

The FBI (Season 1) Disc No. 2

The Insolents

To Free My Enemy

The Problem of the Honorable Wife

Courage of a Conviction

 

The FBI (Season 1) Disc No. 3

The Exiles

The Giant Killer

All the Streets Are Silent

An Elephant is Like a Rope

 

The FBI (Season 1) Disc No. 4

How to Murder an Iron Horse

Pound of Flesh

The Hijackers

The Forests of the Night

 

The FBI (Season 1) Disc No. 5

The Chameleon

The Sacrifice

Special Delivery

Quantico

 

The FBI (Season 1) Disc No. 6

The Spy-Master

The Baby-Sitter

Flight to Harbin

The Man Who Went Mad by Mistake

 

The FBI (Season 1) Disc No. 7

The Divided Man

The Defector - Part I

The Defector - Part I

The Tormentors

 

The FBI (Season 1) Disc No. 8

The Animal

The Plunderers

The Bomb That Walked Like a Man

The Hiding Place

 

 

The 50's TV Detectives

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

The 1950's saw a string of popular 30 minute "gumshoe" TV shows. Four of the more popular were:

 

Bostin Blackie, Johnny Midnight, Richard Diamond & The Third Man

 

This 4 DVD boxed set consists of single DVDs for each of these guy's TV shows

Each of these titles are available separately

See individual website listings for details

 

The Third Man Disc

One Kind Word

Barcelona Passage

Listen for the Sound of a Witch

How to Buy a Country

The Third Medallion

Toys of the Dead

A Pocketful of Sin

As the Twig is Bent

Broken Strings

A Diamond in the Rough

A Question in Ice

 

Boston Blackie Disc

The Heist Job

The Gunman

Revenge

Queen of Thieves

So Was Goliath

The Devil's Daughters

False Face

Deep Six

Minuet for Murders

Scar Hand

 

Johnny Midnight Disc

X Equals Murder

The Villain of the Piece

Award for Murder

The 9th Doll

The Emerald Star

A Token of Love

Schatzi

Ding-a-Ling

An Old-Fashioned Frame

The Whammy

 

Richard Diamond, Private Detective Disc

Picture of Fear

Double Jeopardy

Pension Plan

Rough Cut

Family Affair

The Messenger

The Counselor

One Dead Cat

Dead to the World

Fallen Star

 

 

F Troop (Season 1)

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

There are few TV shows which we remember more clearly É a TV show with heart & humor

It was very funny É having superb casting, great scripting & production values É.

F Troop!

F Troop is a half hour comedy western TV series which ran for two seasons in the mid 1960s. It was set at Fort Courage, Kansas, a fictional United States Army outpost in the West, shortly after the American Civil War ended in 1865.

The commanding officer is the gallant but clumsy and accident-prone Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry), descended from a long line of military officers. He was awarded the Medal of Honor after accidentally instigating the final charge at the Battle of Appomattox. Only a lieutenant, he was ordered to fetch his commanding officer's laundry. When he rode away, pollen in the air caused him to sneeze repeatedly. He sneezed loudly as he passed a group of soldiers, and they mistook his sneeze for an order to charge. His superiors, wishing to reward his action, promoted him to captain and gave him command of remote Fort Courage, a dumping ground for the Army's least useful soldiers.

This is all told to us in the opening episode (Scourge of the West) and then summarized by the opening and much loved song in later episodes (of Season One):

The end of the Civil War was near,

When quite accidentally,

A hero who sneezed, abruptly seized

Retreat and reversed it to victory.

His Medal of Honor pleased and thrilled

His proud little family group.

While pinning it on, some blood was spilled,

And so it was planned he'd command ... F-Troop!

 

 

Much of the humor is derived from the schemes of Captain Parmenter's non-commissioned officers, Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Corporal Randolph Agarn (Larry Storch), with the local Indian tribe, The Hekawis, alternately seeking to expand and conceal their illicit business, O'Rourke Enterprises. There are also struggles by Parmenter to exert his authority and escape the matrimonial plans of his girlfriend, the beautiful but tomboyish girlfriend shopkeeper–postmaster Jane Angelica Thrift, known as Wrangler Jane (Melody Patterson).

Remember the running gag: Agarn makes a suggestion; O'Rourke: "Agarn, I don't know why they say you're so dumb!" At an inappropriate moment a few minutes later Agarn asks: "Who says I'm dumb?!"

Private First Class Hannibal Shirley Dobbs (James Hampton) is F Troop's inept bugler, who can only play "Yankee Doodle" and "Dixie" with regularity and not the standard Army tunes like "Reveille", "Assembly" and "Retreat". Private Dobbs is also a bit of a thorn in Agarn's side, with his regular taunts resulting in Agarn's retort, "I'm warning you, Dobbs!"

Remember Private Vanderbilt (Joe Brooks) the legally-blind lookout and Trooper Duffy (Bob Steele), the elderly cavalryman with a limp. Duffy is the lone survivor of the siege of the Alamo in 1836 and he just loves to recount his exploits alongside the heroes of the Alamo, "shoulder to shoulder and backs to the wall".

(Note that Bob Steele was a 1930s and '40s B Western movie star and a nice set of his films can be found in the "B" Western Series section of the website).

The Hekawi tribe supposedly derived their name from an incident in which the tribe became lost, exclaiming "Where the heck are we?", which then became "We're The Hekawi". They are partners in O'Rourke Enterprises and produce most of the company's products (usually Whiskey). Chief Wild Eagle (long-term movie "heavy" Frank De Kova) is the shrewd leader of the Hekawi tribe and business partner in the illegal O'Rourke Enterprises scheme. Crazy Cat (Don Diamond - remember "El Toro" in mid '50s TV series The Adventures of Kit Carson?) is Chief Wild Eagle's assistant and heir apparent. He often speculates on when he will become chief, and is subsequently rebuked by Chief Wild Eagle. Veteran actor Edward Everett Horton is the aged medicine man, Roaring Chicken.

 

Of further interest is that F Troop is in some ways a comedy derivative of the John Wayne film, Fort Apache (1948) - a running joke in the film is the number of soldiers at the fort named O'Rourke. One may well recall that Ward Bond & John Agar played the father and son pairing of Sgt. Maj. Michael O'Rourke & 2nd Lt. Michael Shannon O'Rourke in that great John Ford film (which is available from within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website).

 

This listing is for Season 1 only - the best season - all 34 B&W episodes from Season 1 are presented here in their original telecast order. All 34 episodes are of exceptional (digitally restored) quality and are completely uncut running the full 26 minutes.

Yes - there was a Season Two (in color) but it wasn't nearly as good so its not available here.

 

F Troop (Season 1) Disc No. 1

Scourge of the West - co-starring serial "heavy" Henry Brandon

Don't Look Now, One of Our Cannon is Missing

The Phantom Major

Corporal Agarn's Farewell to the Troops

The Return of Bald Eagle - co-starring noted comedian Don Rickles

Dirge for the Scourge - co-starring western "heavy" Jack Elam (as Sam Urp)

The Girl From Philadelphia

Old Ironpants

 

F Troop (Season 1) Disc No. 2

Me Heap Big Injun

She's Only a Build in an Girdled Cage - co-starring Patrice Wymore

A Gift From the Chief

Honest Injun - co-starring John Dehner

O'Rourke vs. O'Reilly - co-starring Lee Meriwether

The 86 Proof Spring

Here Comes the Tribe

Iron Horse Go Home

 

F Troop (Season 1) Disc No. 3

Our Hero, What's His Name? - co-starring Mike Mazurki

Wrongo Starr and the Lady in Black - co-starring Henry Gibson

El Diablo

Go For Broke - co-starring George Gobel

The New I.G. - co-starring Andrew Duggan

Spy, Counterspy, Counter Counterspy

The Courtship of Wrangler Jane

Play, Gypsy, Play - co-starring Zsa Zsa Gabor

Reunion for O'Rourke

 

F Troop (Season 1) Disc No. 4

Captain Parmenter, One Man Army

Don't Ever Speak to Me Again

Too Many Cooks Spoil the Troop - co-starring James Gregory

Indian Fever - co-starring Victor Jory

Johnny Eagle Eye

A Fort's Best Friend is Not a Mother - co-starring Jeanette Nolan

Lieutenant O'Rourke, Front and Center

The Day the Indians Won

Will the Real Captain Try to Stand Up - co-starring Frank McHugh

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

 

Gideon's Way

6 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$45 or US$45 or £23

 

Gideon's Way was a one hour British TV crime series made by ITC Entertainment in 1964/65. It was based on the Gideon of Scotland Yard novels by John Creasey (the writer of The Baron TV series - which is also available from this website). John Gregson, who was a prominent 1950's film actor with leading roles in The Battle of the River Plate (1956), Sea of Sand (1958), Captain's Table (1959) etc, played the title role as Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard. Assisted by Detective Chief Inspector David Keen (Alexander Davion) and Det. Superintendents " Lemmy " LeMaitre (Reginald Jessup) & Joe Bell (Ian Rossiter), Gideon fought crime in and around a London of WWI bomb damage, undeveloped docklands, seedy rooming houses and Soho coffee bars.

Unlike many shows then and later, there was extensive location shooting of early sixties London in Gideon's Way - the  fast-paced action and strong, well crafted story lines made the series very popular in its day. The show was broadcast in the U.S. under the title Gideon CID.

Many well-known British actors appear in guest roles including Alan Cuthbertson, Finlay Currie, George Cole, Gordon Jackson, Ronald Lacey, Anton Rogers, Donald Huston, Ray Barrett, Ray McAnally, Derek Fowlds and Oscar Nominee John Hurt. In the episode called The Millionaire's Daughter, one can ever enjoy an early screen appearance (albeit small screen) for Donald Sutherland.

The series was made at Elstree in twin production with The Saint (Roger Moore) TV series.

Whilst the distinctive Gideon theme music was composed by Edwin Astley, some of the music in dramatic moments was the same as that used in The Saint.

 

This 6 DVD set contains all 26 episodes (in production order) of the Gideon's Way series (B&W, 50 minutes each)  - Perfect B&W prints throughout

 

 

Disc No. 1

The Tin God

The 'V' Men

To Catch a Tiger

The Rhyme and the Reason

 

Disc No. 2

The White Rat

State Visit

The Firebug

The Lady-Killer

 

Disc No. 3

The Big Fix

Big Fish Little Fish

The Housekeeper

The Nightlifers

 

Disc No. 4

Fall High, Fall Hard

How to Retire Without Really Working

The Wall

Subway to Revenge

 

Disc No. 5

Gang War

The Alibi Men

The Prowler

The Thin Red Line

The Great Plane Robbery

 

Disc No. 6

The Reluctant Witness

The Millionaire's Daughter

Boy with Gun

Morna

A Perfect Crime

 

 

NEW PRINTS É NEW PRINTS É NEW PRINTS

All 28 episodes (which includes the two Batman "cross-over" episodes) have been re-sourced

Excellent quality prints throughout (now a 4 DVD set)

Gratis Upgrades for previous customers of this title

The Green Hornet

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Based upon the radio series which began in 1936, the premise was that of another crime-fighting duo which was, oddly enough, related to "The Lone Ranger"; Since George Trendle was the radio station owner who owned both series, this had a natural if far-fetched explanation - the Green Hornet was a masked man whose alter-character was named Britt Reid - who was the Grand-nephew of John Reid, the alter-character known also as "The Lone Ranger". The Green Hornet's faithful companion was named Kato; he was a young oriental man, not unlike Tonto - the Lone Ranger's faithful Indian companion (and not unlike Batman's Robin); The popularity of the camp-humoured TV series "Batman" (66-68) may have had something to do with the experiment to bring The Green Hornet to television; but it lasted only one season; Bruce Lee, who made his debut playing Kato, went on to become a major martial-arts star after the demise of this short-lived show. The Batman TV series also had two sequential episodes which included the Green Hornet : A Piece of the Action & Batman's Satisfaction

Presented in Release Order - Perfect Color Prints throughout

 

The Green Hornet TV Series (Starring Van Williams & Bruce Lee) Disc No. 1

The Silent Gun

Give 'Em Enough Rope

Programmed for Death

Crime Wave

The Frog is a Deadly Weapon

Eat, Drink, and be Dead

 

The Green Hornet TV Series (Starring Van Williams & Bruce Lee) Disc No. 2

Beautiful Dreamer (I)

Beautiful Dreamer (II)

The Ray is for Killing

The Preying Mantis

The Hunters and the Hunted

Deadline for Death

The Secret of the Sally Bell

 

The Green Hornet TV Series (Starring Van Williams & Bruce Lee) Disc No. 3

Freeway to Death

May the Best Man Lose

The Hornet and the Firefly

Seek, Stalk And Destroy

Corpse of the Year (I)

Corpse of the Year (II)

Ace in the Hole

 

The Green Hornet TV Series (Starring Van Williams & Bruce Lee) Disc No. 4

Bad Bet on a 459 -- Silent

Trouble for Prince Charming

Alias the Scarf

Hornet Save Thyself

Invasion from Outer Space (I)

Invasion from Outer Space (II)

Batman: A Piece of the Action - Green Hornet crossover episode

Batman: Batman's Satisfaction - Green Hornet crossover episode

 

 

Hannay

4 DVD Boxed Set (Discs 1 to 4) price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18
5 DVD Boxed Set (Discs 1 to 5) price : AU$40 or US$40 or £20

 

Richard Hannay, the character created by John Buchan featured in 5 novels. The Thirty Nine Steps was the first and most well known, Published in 1915. Hannay also featured in Greenmantle (1916); Mr Standfast (1919); The Three Hostages (1924) & The Island of Sheep (1936).

Alfred Hitchcock initially wanted to film Greenmantle (a very good read!) but eventually settled on The 39 Steps. His 1935 release was the perfect combination of fine writing and suspense-filled plot and told the story of Hannay through England and the lowlands of Scotland as he eludes spies and keeps Europe from war. Said to be one of Hitch's best efforts, it was inevitable that remakes would follow. In 1959 Kenneth Moore took on the role for a big-budget color excursion, whilst Robert Powell played Hannay in a 1978 effort (costarring a typically malevolent David Warner).

A TV series titled Hannay followed again starring Robert Powell (from the 1978 movie). Although not directly based on the books, it begins in 1912 (3 years before WWI and The 39 Steps), and focuses on Hannay, who has already achieved recognition as an officer in military intelligence and as a mining engineer, He returns to Britain after 30 years in Africa - seeking the quiet life! Hannay is immediately pitched into a string of remarkable adventures as he battles the Brotherhood of the Black Stone (they of the 39 Steps) and the ruthless Count Von Schwabing.

In the true tradition of this character as created in Buchan's books, the Hannay TV series is high adventure stretching from the spectacular Scottish Highlands to the country estates and gentlemen's clubs of the times.

This 4 DVD set contains the entire series of thirteen 50 minute episodes across two seasons (1988-89) in their original broadcast order - superb color prints throughout

An optional 5th DVD is also available - Robert Powell's The Thirty Nine  Steps (1978)

 

Note: The Classic Movie Combinations section contains all three versions of The 39 Steps films in a 3 DVD boxed set titled The 39 Steps Combination.

Robert Powell's The Thirty Nine  Steps (1978) can also be found in a British Espionage Combination along with The Lady Vanishes (1979) & The Riddle of the Sands (1979) - this 3 DVD set is also available from within the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

 

Also worth a look : The "British Espionage" Radio Shows (comprising dramatized radio versions of The Riddle of the Sands, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes & Rogue Male) - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Radio Shows on MP3 CD section for further details

 

 

Hannay Disc No. 1

The Fellowship Of The Black Stone

A Point Of Honour

Voyage Into Fear

 

Hannay Disc No. 2

Death With Due Notice

Act Of Riot

The Hazard Of The Die

 

Hannay Disc No. 3

Coup De Grace

The Terrors Of The Earth

Double Jeopardy

 

Hannay Disc No. 4

The Good Samaritan

That Rough Music

The Confidence Man

Say The Bells Of Shoreditch

 

Disc No. 5

The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) - starring Robert Powell

 

 

The Hardy Boys

See Mickey Mouse Club Serials: Spin and Marty & The Hardy Boys

                                    in the TV Series I-Z section

 

 

Highway Patrol (Season 1)

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

ÒWhenever the laws of any state are broken, a duly authorized organization swings into action.

It may be called the State Police, State Troopers, Militia, the Rangers or the Highway Patrol.

These are the stories of the men whose training, skill and courage

 have enforced and preserved our State LawsÓ

 

So the ominous voice-over intones as the credits roll on Highway Patrol.

 

Highway Patrol was a syndicated action crime drama series from ZIV Productions. It that aired from 1955-1959 and ran for 4 seasons and 156 half hour B&W episodes.

Its success can be put down to two factors: realism and the casting of Academy Award winner, Broderick Crawford as Chief Dan Mathews.

The realism can be traced to its location shooting - in rural and desert areas of southern California - whilst most other TV shows at the time were still very much studio-bound. Also for the early seasons, California Highway Patrol (CHP) provided the series with technical assistance. The Buick, Oldsmobile, Dodge and Mercury sedans used in the show as patrol cars were designed to resemble the then-current CHP fleet in both paint scheme and door insignias. Generic "Highway Patrol" logos were placed over the real CHP emblems and studio license plates were taped over the genuine "E" (exempt) plates. The 1955 Buick Century two-door sedan seen (and later dubbed the "Broderick Crawford Special") were built especially for the CHP and were never offered for sale to the public. The show's uniforms were copies of the khakis worn by the CHP including the state seal and the slogan "Eureka", except that the word "California" was removed.

The other factor in the success of Highway Patrol was Dan Mathews (as played by Broderick Crawford), the gruff and dedicated head of a police force in a large, (unidentified) Western US state.

 A signature image from the series was fedora-wearing Mathews barking "10-4!" and other rapid-fire dialogue into a radio-microphone as he leaned against the door of his patrol car. MathewÕs call sign was ID# "2150" - the actual unit number of then-CHP Commissioner Bernard Caldwell!

There were no other regular cast members as they may have detracted from Òcentre of attentionÓ Mathews. Broderick Crawford bought a powerful and commanding presence to the role - for the latter part of the 1950s he was the epitome of a Chief of Police: confident and very Òhands-onÓ.

The series was also unusual for opening from the point-of-view of the criminals, giving the viewer the (vicarious?) sensation of sharing in the guilt and being systematically hunted down by the police. Episodes usually concluded with an ironic comment on the crime or criminal by Mathews, followed by a closing acerbic comment on highway safety:

ÒÉ the clowns at the Circus are real funny,

but on the highway theyÕre murderÉ

This is Broderick Crawford saying: See you next week ÉÓ

 

BTW: Future movie and TV stars made regular appearances in minor roles, including screen legend Clint Eastwood as a ÒbikieÓ in the first season episode: "Motorcycle A".

 

This 4 DVD set contains all 39 half hour episodes of Highway Patrol (Season One) in their original broadcast order - perfect uncut B&W prints throughout

 

Highway Patrol (Season One) Disc No. 1

Prison Break

Machine Story Copter

Reckless Driving

Lookout

Gambling

Hitch-hiker

Desert Town

Radioactive

Reformed Criminal

 

Highway Patrol (Season One) Disc No. 2

Father Thief

Retired Gangster

Phony Insurance

Escort

Resort

Girl Bandit

Mountain Copter

Lie Detector

Scared Cop

Harbor Story

 

Highway Patrol (Season One) Disc No. 3

Hit and Run

Car Theft

Human Bomb

Plane Crash

Desert Copter

Plant Robbery

Released Convict

Motorcycle A (co-starring Clint Eastwood)

Mental Patient

License Plates

 

Highway Patrol (Season One) Disc No. 1

Hitch-hiker Dies

Blast Area Copter

Anti-Toxin

Dead Patrolman

Art Robbery

Runaway Boy

Taxi

Missing Witness

Prospector

Christmas Story

 

 

NEWLY REMASTERED

 

Honey West

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

 

Honey West is a fictional character created by Gloria and Forest Fickling under the pseudonym "G.G. Fickling", and appearing in numerous mystery novels by the duo.

The character is notable as being one of the first female private detectives in popular fiction. She first appeared in the 1957 book This Girl for Hire and would appear in 10 novels before being retired in 1971.

Movie actress Anne Francis (from 1956's Forbidden Planet) portrayed Honey West on television. The character made her first television appearance in an episode of the popular series Burke's Law entitled "Who Killed the Jackpot?" (Season 2 No. 30, 21st April 1965) and proved so popular that the ABC network spun her off into the series Honey West (1965–1966), produced by Aaron Spelling.

Honey West, a slinky, seductive female private eye, was something new to television. In an era when actresses were confined to sedate housewife and girlfriend roles, this series marked a unique and original departure. This was the first dramatic TV series in the U.S. with a female star in an action-adventure role traditionally played by a male actor. In addition to being television's first modern, independent, self-sufficient woman, Honey frequently engaged in energetic fight scenes and shootouts. She is single, blue-eyed, blond, and a judo/karate expert. Honey sports a distinctively sexy mole on her lower right lip and a wardrobe that runs the gambit from black jumpsuits to stylish and exotic fur ensembles. She drives a sports car and always looks classy.

After Honey's father died, she inherited the private investigation firm of  H. West and Company. The firm's rough and tumble partner, Sam Bolt (John Ericson) stayed on to help Honey run the business. And, while Sam pursues Honey romantically, HoneyÕs only true love is action, adventure, and, of course, her pet ocelot, Bruce. On several occasions, HoneyÕs aunt Meg West (Irene Hervey) dropped by to visit her daring niece and often participate in the action.

To monitor or subdue her suspects, Honey used an arsenal of tools and gadgets. They included an exploding compact, a garter belt gas mask, teargas earrings, a lipstick microphone and martini olives camouflaged as radio transmitters. Honey also kept a cache of weapons in her secret office that was hidden behind her apartment living room wall. Honey kept a .38 revolver in her purse and a backup derringer stashed somewhere on her feminine frame.

Anne Francis really delivered as the high-kicking PI. She was so effective because she never overplayed the character, as was the style of the day. This actress displayed an unmatched, unmistakable aura of cool that captivated the boys and started little girls of the Sixties thinking about what they might want to be when they grew up.

Despite fairly healthy ratings, ABC cancelled the show after its initial season of thirty 30 minute B&W Episodes. Their rationale was that they had just acquired the American rights to The Avengers and that one sexy, karate-kicking female per network was all their viewers would believe - a pity as it was a fun series!

This 4 DVD set contains all 30 episodes (in telecast order) of the Honey West series (B&W, 25 minutes each) as well as the Burke's Law (B&W, 50 minute) episode which introduced the character.

Perfect B&W prints throughout

 

Disc No. 1

Burke's Law: "Who Killed the Jackpot?"

The Swingin' Mrs. Jones

The Owl and the Eye

The Abominable Snowman

A Matter of Wife and Death

Live a LittleÉ. Kill a Little

Whatever Lola Wants....

 

Disc No. 2

The Princess and the Paupers

In the Bag

The Flame and the Pussycat

A Neat Little Package

A Stitch in Crime

A Million Bucks in Anybody's Language

The Gray Lady

Invitation to Limbo

 

Disc No. 3

Rockabye the Hard Way

A Nice Little Till to Tap

How Brillig, O, Beamish Boy

King of the Mountain

It's Earlier Than You Think

The Perfect Un-Crime

Like Visions and Omens and All That Jazz

Don't Look Now, But Isn't That Me

 

Disc No. 4

Come to Me, My Litigation Baby

Slay, Gypsy, Slay

The Fun-Fun Killer

Pop Goes the Easel

Little Green Robin Hood

Just the Bear Facts, Ma'am

There's a Long, Long, Fuse A'Burning

An Eerie, Airy, Thing

 

 

 

Originally mastered here in 2004, this title has now been

RECENTLY REMASTERED & DIGITALLY RESTORED!

 

Hong Kong

3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

Rod Taylor played Glenn Evans, a "two-fisted American correspondent" based in Hong Kong and assigned to cover the Orient. Evans was equally adept at crime-solving, fisticuffs and romance. The suave newspaperman thwarted blackmailers, smugglers, kidnappers and murderers. But he also managed to spend plenty of time in a white dinner jacket, entertaining lovely ladies at the Golden Dragon nightclub. The show created a strong sense of place and adventure as Evans zipped about in his white convertible, with Hong Kong as a backdrop. Also helping set the mood was the show's extraordinary musical score, by Lionel Newman. The rest of the supporting cast included Lloyd Bochner as the very proper Chief Inspector Neil Campbell and Jack Kruschen as Tully, the owner of Tully's Bar.

 

Rod's other TV series was 1971's Bearcats! - a DVD set of the complete series episodes from this excellent action / western series can be found above

 

Fans of aussie actor Rod Taylor are well catered for on this website with the following titles available: The Time Machine (1960), Seven Seas to Calais (1962), The Birds (1963), Fate Is the Hunter (1964), 36 Hours (1965), Young Cassidy (1965), The Liquidator (1965), Chuka (1967), Dark of the Sun aka The Mercenaries (1968), The High Commissioner aka Nobody Runs Forever (1968), The Hell With Heroes (1968), Powderkeg (1971), Trader Horn (1973) & Cry of the Innocent (1980) - all of which are available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

 

 

The Hong Kong TV Series (Starring Rod Taylor) Disc No. 1

Suitable for Framing

The Jade Empress

The Turncoat

The Runaway

 

The Hong Kong TV Series (Starring Rod Taylor) Disc No. 2

The Survivor

Night Cry

Murder by Proxy

Pearl Flower

 

The Hong Kong TV Series (Starring Rod Taylor) Disc No. 3

Clear for Action

Dragon Cup

With Deadly Sorrow

The Innocent Exile

 

 

Hopalong Cassidy "Made For TV"

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

The first significant Western to appear on network television was The Hopalong Cassidy Show, which began in 1949. It starred movie-cowboy legend William Boyd as Hopalong, a character he had played in sixty-six movies between 1935 and 1948. Boyd sold almost everything he owned (even his ranch) to raise the funds to buy the rights to his films. He then re-cut 12 of them into 26 minute TV episodes. These re-cuts which included Hoppy's trademark narration were from his later films and co-starred Rand Brooks and Andy Clyde. To these he added another 40 made-for-TV episodes starring himself as Hoppy, still owner of the Bar 20 Ranch with a sidekick, Red Connors (cleverly played by Edgar Buchanan) who was the perfect foil for Cassidy.

This DVD set consists of the 40 "made for TV' episodes - excellent prints

 

Also worth a look : The Hopalong Cassidy Radio Shows (voiced by William Boyd and Andy Clyde) - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

 

 

Hopalong Cassidy "Made for TV" Disc No. 1

Guns Across the Border

The Knife of Carlos Valero

The Trap

Alien Range

The Feud

Ghost Trails

Marked Cards

Don Colorado

Black Waters

Blind Encounter

 

Hopalong Cassidy "Made for TV" Disc No. 2

The Promised Land

The Vanishing Herd

Black Sheep

Lawless Legacy

The Devils Idol

The Sole Survivor

The Valley Raiders

Twisted Trails

The Last Laugh

The Jinx Wagon

 

Hopalong Cassidy "Made for TV" Disc No. 3

Illegal Entry

Gypsy Destiny

Arizona Troubleshooters

Death By Proxy

Frontier Law

Don't Believe in Ghosts

The Renegade Press

Double Trouble

Copper Hills

New Mexico Manhunt

 

Hopalong Cassidy "Made for TV" Disc No. 4

The Outlaw's Breed

Grubstake

Steel Trails West

Silent Testimony

3-7-77

Masquerade For Matilda

Frameup For Murder

The Black Sombrero

The Emerald Saint

Tricky Fingers

 

 

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