Saturday, April 09, 2011
Digital Digest: Dragnet 1970 - Season 4 DVD Review
The birds can sing as we are in the full swing of spring, but here, we sing all year long in Digital Digest, our weekly feature about all things sitcom related in the home media realm! This week, in addition to our regular news (which, lamentably, is about as slow as it has been regularly lately), we have a review of Dragnet 1970 - Season 4. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
We know that you're excited about Car 54, Where Are You? - The Complete First Season making it's DVD debut on Tuesday (check out our review here), and you probably aren't thinking "season two, where are you?" just yet... but you should! Because even though no firm date is set for the second season, it IS on the horizon for sometime in 2012. We'll let you know when we have more information, of course.
Our only other news this week is a bit of "housekeeping" news with an announcement (somewhat) of a current season of a current season coming to DVD. This time it is ABC's The Middle, with The Middle - The Complete Second Season. No date is given yet (August or September is a VERY safe bet), but it will come at a $44.98 MSRP.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (April 12) has one sitcom release with the debut of the classic TV series Car 54, Where Are You? - The Complete First Season, finally available on DVD for the first time ever! You can check out our review of this excellent set here. There are also a few classic drama releases on Tuesday, including Dallas - Movie Collection, which contains every single one of the televised movies based upon the series of Dallas. You can read our review of this set here. Finally, "it's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday" with Joe Friday in Dragnet 1970 - Season 4, the final season of the most popular version of the franchise about Los Angeles police detectives. We have a review of this set today in Digital Digest.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Joe Friday (Jack Webb) and Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) are back together one last time for the final season of the late 60s/early 70s incarnation of the series Dragnet. Working together, the crime fighting duo sees it all (and it is all based upon true stories) in the city of Los Angeles, in the era of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll," and do their part to fight back. Check out our review of Dragnet 1970 - Season 4.
DVD Review - Dragnet 1970 - Season 4
by skees53
Dragnet 1970 - Season 4 (Shout! Factory, $34.93) is the end of an era for Jack Webb's iconic series about the police detectives who work hard to keep crime off of the streets of Los Angeles. The final 26 installments of the series, in this four disc set, find Sergeant Friday and Officer Gannon dealing with cases from homicide to forgery to bigamy to drug pushers and even to dognappers. The streets of Los Angeles aren't the safest place in the world, but Friday and Gannon are going to do their best to make those streets just a little bit safer.
The season begins with "Personnel - The Shooting," where the wives of two officers have to comfort each other during an injury in the line of duty. Friday and Gannon come across $25,000 in stolen loot in "S.I.U. - The Ring." Friday and Gannon are working in Central Receiving Hospital in "D.H.Q. - Medical," where they have to deal with some difficult cases. In "Juvenile - The Little Pusher," a junior high school drug bust turns out to be much more than it seems. Friday and Gannon are on the trail of a missing juvenile in "D.H.Q. - Missing Persons." Technicalities may turn a guilty man free in "Burglary - Courtroom."
Friday and Gannon may have to save a 19 year old former addict who may have gone back to old habits in "Narco - Missing Hype." A murder mystery has to be solved in "Homicide - Who Killed Who." In "A.I.D. - The Weekend," a weekend of rest and recreation for the two officers turns out to be anything but that. A dangerous personality changing pill is what the guys are after in "Narco - Pill Maker." What better way to make money than to steal dogs and collect reward money from their owners? That is what one crook does in "Auto Theft - Dognappers." Friday and Gannon have to identify a dead body using very few clues in "Missing Persons - The Body." Friday is in night school in "D.H.Q. - Night School," but making an arrest after class may jeopardize his entire education. The series ends with "D.H.Q. - The Victims," where Friday and Gannon investigate two homicides, an armed robbery, and a purse snatching.
The episode runtimes are fairly consistent this time, with no problems to note at all. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "Personnel - The Shooting" (25:04)
2. "Homicide - The Student" (25:04)
3. "S.I.U. - The Ring" (25:04)
4. "D.H.Q. - Medical" (25:04)
5. "Burglary - Mister" (25:03)
6. "Juvenile - The Little Pusher" (25:02)
Disc 2:
7. "Homicide - Cigarette Butt" (25:05)
8. "D.H.Q. - Missing Persons" (25:05)
9. "Burglary - Courtroom" (25:02)
10. "Internal Affairs - Parolee" (25:06)
11. "Burglary - Juvenile Genius" (25:02)
12. "Bunco - $9,000" (25:05)
Disc 3:
13. "Narco - Missing Hype" (25:05)
14. "Burglary - Helpful Woman" (25:05)
15. "Homicide - Who Killed Who" (25:05)
16. "Burglary - The Son" (25:04)
17. "A.I.D. - The Weekend" (25:04)
18. "Narco - Pill Maker" (25:03)
19. "Auto Theft - Dognappers" (25:05)
Disc 4:
20. "Missing Persons - The Body" (25:05)
21. "Forgery - The Ranger" (25:03)
22. "D.H.Q. - Night School" (25:05)
23. "I.A.D. - The Receipt" (25:05)
24. "Robbery - The Harassing Wife" (25:03)
25. "Burglary - Baseball" (25:05)
26. "D.H.Q. - The Victims" (25:05)
The set is packaged a bit different this time than the previous sets, as it has gone to the standard Viva cases like many other DVD sets have (as opposed to the previous slimcases). On the cover, we have a simple shot of Friday and Gannon (smiling, believe it or not) and the back has another shot of Friday along with the basic information about the set. Inside the case, we have the four discs (the only artwork is the series logo on a blue background) and a listing of all of the episodes (along with descriptions and airdates) inside the case. Disc 1 contains episodes 1-6, Disc 2 contains episodes 7-12, Disc 3 contains episodes 13-19, and Disc 4 contains episodes 20-26.
The menus are along the same lines as the previous sets, with the main menu displaying the series logo on the main menu with the closing theme playing in the background. The options are the same as the previous sets, with options of Play All, Episodes, and Bonus (on Disc 1 only). Selecting Episodes will give you a menu that shows brief video segments of each episode on the disc. There are chapters placed throughout each episode.
I didn't really notice any problems on the set as far as video and audio is concerned, although there was some of the usual grain and debris. Still, the series doesn't look all that bad considering how old it is. Unfortunately, the episodes are neither closed-captioned nor are they subtitled.
The set contains only one bonus feature, which can be found on Disc 1. "Jack Webb and Harry Morgan on The Jack Benny Second Farewell Special" (5:34) is a brief skit from the second farewell special for Jack Benny where Webb and Morgan reprise their roles as Friday and Gannon to investigate Benny for a purse snatching. It isn't a very long feature, but it is nice to have, at least.
I never thought that this series would be finished on DVD after being stalled for so many years, but now, in less than one year, we've gotten all three of the remaining seasons of the series. It is disappointing that special features have not been too impressive on these sets, but what has been available has been a nice touch to each of the sets. It would be nice to see some of the other incarnations of the series (particularly the version from the 50s) released on DVD now, but aside from the few public domain sets that are out there now, I wouldn't count on those being released anytime soon. Fans of crime dramas are sure to enjoy this, but there is definitely some crossover appeal for this series as well. The series appears to have been removed from online streaming from Netflix, so this is now the best way to view the series. But remember, even though these are true stories, all suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
(4/5 stars)
To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Dragnet on TV.com
LOOKING AHEAD
It's a wrap for this week in Digital Digest! We've got some Hanna-Barbera animated DVD reviews in the upcoming weeks and more. We hope that you'll be back with us next week and every week thereafter. Until then, keep it digital!
DIGITAL NEWS
We know that you're excited about Car 54, Where Are You? - The Complete First Season making it's DVD debut on Tuesday (check out our review here), and you probably aren't thinking "season two, where are you?" just yet... but you should! Because even though no firm date is set for the second season, it IS on the horizon for sometime in 2012. We'll let you know when we have more information, of course.
Our only other news this week is a bit of "housekeeping" news with an announcement (somewhat) of a current season of a current season coming to DVD. This time it is ABC's The Middle, with The Middle - The Complete Second Season. No date is given yet (August or September is a VERY safe bet), but it will come at a $44.98 MSRP.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (April 12) has one sitcom release with the debut of the classic TV series Car 54, Where Are You? - The Complete First Season, finally available on DVD for the first time ever! You can check out our review of this excellent set here. There are also a few classic drama releases on Tuesday, including Dallas - Movie Collection, which contains every single one of the televised movies based upon the series of Dallas. You can read our review of this set here. Finally, "it's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday" with Joe Friday in Dragnet 1970 - Season 4, the final season of the most popular version of the franchise about Los Angeles police detectives. We have a review of this set today in Digital Digest.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Joe Friday (Jack Webb) and Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) are back together one last time for the final season of the late 60s/early 70s incarnation of the series Dragnet. Working together, the crime fighting duo sees it all (and it is all based upon true stories) in the city of Los Angeles, in the era of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll," and do their part to fight back. Check out our review of Dragnet 1970 - Season 4.
DVD Review - Dragnet 1970 - Season 4
by skees53
Dragnet 1970 - Season 4 (Shout! Factory, $34.93) is the end of an era for Jack Webb's iconic series about the police detectives who work hard to keep crime off of the streets of Los Angeles. The final 26 installments of the series, in this four disc set, find Sergeant Friday and Officer Gannon dealing with cases from homicide to forgery to bigamy to drug pushers and even to dognappers. The streets of Los Angeles aren't the safest place in the world, but Friday and Gannon are going to do their best to make those streets just a little bit safer.
The season begins with "Personnel - The Shooting," where the wives of two officers have to comfort each other during an injury in the line of duty. Friday and Gannon come across $25,000 in stolen loot in "S.I.U. - The Ring." Friday and Gannon are working in Central Receiving Hospital in "D.H.Q. - Medical," where they have to deal with some difficult cases. In "Juvenile - The Little Pusher," a junior high school drug bust turns out to be much more than it seems. Friday and Gannon are on the trail of a missing juvenile in "D.H.Q. - Missing Persons." Technicalities may turn a guilty man free in "Burglary - Courtroom."
Friday and Gannon may have to save a 19 year old former addict who may have gone back to old habits in "Narco - Missing Hype." A murder mystery has to be solved in "Homicide - Who Killed Who." In "A.I.D. - The Weekend," a weekend of rest and recreation for the two officers turns out to be anything but that. A dangerous personality changing pill is what the guys are after in "Narco - Pill Maker." What better way to make money than to steal dogs and collect reward money from their owners? That is what one crook does in "Auto Theft - Dognappers." Friday and Gannon have to identify a dead body using very few clues in "Missing Persons - The Body." Friday is in night school in "D.H.Q. - Night School," but making an arrest after class may jeopardize his entire education. The series ends with "D.H.Q. - The Victims," where Friday and Gannon investigate two homicides, an armed robbery, and a purse snatching.
The episode runtimes are fairly consistent this time, with no problems to note at all. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "Personnel - The Shooting" (25:04)
2. "Homicide - The Student" (25:04)
3. "S.I.U. - The Ring" (25:04)
4. "D.H.Q. - Medical" (25:04)
5. "Burglary - Mister" (25:03)
6. "Juvenile - The Little Pusher" (25:02)
Disc 2:
7. "Homicide - Cigarette Butt" (25:05)
8. "D.H.Q. - Missing Persons" (25:05)
9. "Burglary - Courtroom" (25:02)
10. "Internal Affairs - Parolee" (25:06)
11. "Burglary - Juvenile Genius" (25:02)
12. "Bunco - $9,000" (25:05)
Disc 3:
13. "Narco - Missing Hype" (25:05)
14. "Burglary - Helpful Woman" (25:05)
15. "Homicide - Who Killed Who" (25:05)
16. "Burglary - The Son" (25:04)
17. "A.I.D. - The Weekend" (25:04)
18. "Narco - Pill Maker" (25:03)
19. "Auto Theft - Dognappers" (25:05)
Disc 4:
20. "Missing Persons - The Body" (25:05)
21. "Forgery - The Ranger" (25:03)
22. "D.H.Q. - Night School" (25:05)
23. "I.A.D. - The Receipt" (25:05)
24. "Robbery - The Harassing Wife" (25:03)
25. "Burglary - Baseball" (25:05)
26. "D.H.Q. - The Victims" (25:05)
The set is packaged a bit different this time than the previous sets, as it has gone to the standard Viva cases like many other DVD sets have (as opposed to the previous slimcases). On the cover, we have a simple shot of Friday and Gannon (smiling, believe it or not) and the back has another shot of Friday along with the basic information about the set. Inside the case, we have the four discs (the only artwork is the series logo on a blue background) and a listing of all of the episodes (along with descriptions and airdates) inside the case. Disc 1 contains episodes 1-6, Disc 2 contains episodes 7-12, Disc 3 contains episodes 13-19, and Disc 4 contains episodes 20-26.
The menus are along the same lines as the previous sets, with the main menu displaying the series logo on the main menu with the closing theme playing in the background. The options are the same as the previous sets, with options of Play All, Episodes, and Bonus (on Disc 1 only). Selecting Episodes will give you a menu that shows brief video segments of each episode on the disc. There are chapters placed throughout each episode.
I didn't really notice any problems on the set as far as video and audio is concerned, although there was some of the usual grain and debris. Still, the series doesn't look all that bad considering how old it is. Unfortunately, the episodes are neither closed-captioned nor are they subtitled.
The set contains only one bonus feature, which can be found on Disc 1. "Jack Webb and Harry Morgan on The Jack Benny Second Farewell Special" (5:34) is a brief skit from the second farewell special for Jack Benny where Webb and Morgan reprise their roles as Friday and Gannon to investigate Benny for a purse snatching. It isn't a very long feature, but it is nice to have, at least.
I never thought that this series would be finished on DVD after being stalled for so many years, but now, in less than one year, we've gotten all three of the remaining seasons of the series. It is disappointing that special features have not been too impressive on these sets, but what has been available has been a nice touch to each of the sets. It would be nice to see some of the other incarnations of the series (particularly the version from the 50s) released on DVD now, but aside from the few public domain sets that are out there now, I wouldn't count on those being released anytime soon. Fans of crime dramas are sure to enjoy this, but there is definitely some crossover appeal for this series as well. The series appears to have been removed from online streaming from Netflix, so this is now the best way to view the series. But remember, even though these are true stories, all suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Dragnet on TV.com
LOOKING AHEAD
It's a wrap for this week in Digital Digest! We've got some Hanna-Barbera animated DVD reviews in the upcoming weeks and more. We hope that you'll be back with us next week and every week thereafter. Until then, keep it digital!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Thursday, March 30
Young Sheldon - "A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Missy steals her dad’s truck and hits the road with her friend Paige (Mckenna Grace).
Ghosts - "Alberta's Descendant" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Alberta is thrilled when a living relative, Alicia (Ashley D. Kelley), visits Woodstone to learn more about her, but things take a turn when she hits it off with Todd (Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll), Sam’s podcast co-host. Also, Nigel uses his knowledge of Trevor and Hetty’s secret tryst to try to blackmail Hetty.
Animal Control - "Peacocks and Pumas" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank and Victoria stake out a squawking peacock; Emily and Patel attend to Shred.
Call Me Kat - "Call Me Not Okurrr" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
In the heat of the moment, Zoey kisses Kat at karaoke night; when Randi discovers a secret hideaway in the condo, she hides it from Carter and makes it a place for her to unwind.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 27)
Thursday, March 30
- Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) - Catch Brett on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred sits-in with the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Kyra Sedgwick (Call Your Mother) - Kyra and Kevin Bacon are guests on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. Kyra will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan (check your local listings) and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John guest hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Animal Practice/Better with You/Reba) and Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - JoAnna and Morris guest co-host The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Katie Lowes (How We Roll) - Katie guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Ike Barinholtz (History of the World, Part II/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project) - Ike appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - Julie is a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man will be on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Larenz Tate (South Central/The Royal Family) - Larenz appears on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)
11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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