Saturday, July 07, 2012

Digital Digest: More Alice from Warner Archive; The Streets of San Francisco - Season 3, Volumes 1 and 2 DVD Review


Welcome to Digital Digest! We're in a slow news week this week (most likely due to the Independence Day Holiday), so we don't have a lot of fireworks to bring you... but we do have some! Plus, this week, we've got a review of The Streets of San Francisco - Season Three (Volume 1 and Volume 2). Let's get going!


DIGITAL NEWS

Hopefully, if you are a fan of the classic Linda Lavin series Alice, then you are enjoying Alice - The Complete First Season on DVD. But if you were excited about that release, then you'll be even more excited to learn that more Alice will be making it to DVD by the end of the year! According to the Warner Archive Facebook page
"We can officially confirm that due to unprecedented consumer response to ALICE Season 1, clearances have been expedited and work has begun to bring you ALICE Season 2 later this year. We also will be serving up WITHOUT A TRACE Season 4 in short order. :)"
So it's official! Alice has done well on DVD, and we'll be seeing more! And there is even good news for fans of Without a Trace in there as well! We'll let you know more as we find out more.

We've told you about The Real McCoys - The Complete Series coming to DVD, and we gave you the release date provided by the pre-order listing on amazon.com of September 18. However, in the press release we obtained for the release, it appears that the set may actually be released a little earlier than that. The official press release gives a release date of August 28. Of course, we'll let you know when it actually is released.

The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series is one of the greatest sitcom release on DVD ever, but according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, we're about to get something even better! Image will be releasing the entire series again, but this time on Blu-ray! The October 30 release will contain every episode of the series in the high-def home media format. We'll let you know more as we find out more!


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (July 10) brings the first two seasons of a current sitcom back on home media, this time in Blu-ray, with Warner Home Video's releases of The Big Bang Theory - The Complete First Season (DVD/Blu-ray/Ultraviolet Combo) and The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Second Season (DVD/Blu-ray/Ultraviolet Combo). We'll have a review of both of these sets soon. Also, CBS has Father Dowling Mysteries - The Second Season. We'll have a review of this set on July 21 on Digital Digest.


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW



Blog DVD Review: The Streets of San Francisco - Season 3, Volumes 1 and 2 (CBS, $42.99 each)
by skees53

It's time to get back onto the streets with The Streets of San Francisco - Season 3, Volumes 1 and 2 on DVD! Both volumes are now available to purchase separately on DVD, and combined, they comprise the entire third season of the classic ABC crime drama. For those unfamiliar with the series, it was one of the many series of the era from the iconic Quinn Martin Productions (also responsible for series such as The Fugitive, Cannon, Barnaby Jones, and others) and starred Karl Malden and Michael Douglas (in his earliest days of fame) as Lt. Mike Stone and Inspector Steve Keller, two detectives out to solve crime on (where else?) the streets of San Francisco.

As mentioned, the season is split into two volumes which must be purchased individually, just like the first two seasons were when they were released on DVD, but both volumes were released on the same day. Since the sets are very similar, we've combined both volumes into one review.

Volume 1 begins with "One Last Shot," where an alcoholic cop gets his partner killed in the line of duty and tries to cover it up. A mobster seeks vengeance for his son's murder in "The Most Deadly Species." A government trained assassin is out to kill a Chinese diplomat in "Target: Red," unless Stone and Keller can stop him. John Davidson and Herb Edelman guest stars in "Mask of Death," a female impersonator (Davidson) has an alter ego which is more deadly than his stunning dresses. An AWOL Marine is murdered in "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore," leaving Keller to go undercover and join a commune of Vietnam draft dodgers to find answers to his murder… but he faces grave danger if the others discover he is a cop. A woman reports being strangled in "One Chance to Live," but Keller knows there is more than what she is saying to the story.

In "Jacob's Boy," Stone and Keller face a dilemma when the suspect in a murder case may be innocent this time, but may not have been in a cold case. Keller is taken hostage by domestic terrorists in "Flags of Terror." Eddie Barth (Myron Fowler from Simon & Simon) and Clint Howard (brother of Ron Howard) guest stars in "Cry Help!," where Howard plays a teen accused of murdering his best friend's stepfather. Mike Evans and Berlinda Tolbert both guest star (before they played a married couple on The Jeffersons just a few months later) in "For Good or Evil," where a witnessing a gang murder may lead to dire consequences. Keller is forced to go undercover as an Air Force Colonel to investigate another Colonel in "Bird of Prey." Volume 1 ends with "license to Kill," where Stone's ex-partner is in town, with a deadly vendetta on his mind.

Volume 2 begins with "The Twenty-Five Caliber Plague," where Stone and Keller follow a bloody trail left behind from a .25-caliber gun over the weekend. In "Mister Nobody," Stone and Keller have a confession for a murder, but they aren't buying it. A cop becomes a vigilante in an attempt to destroy a drug lord in his old neighborhood in "False Witness." In "Letters from the Grave," the remains of an inmate who was thought to have escaped from Alcatraz are found in the walls during some repairs 20 years later, and Stone and Keller are on the case. Stone has been demoted to a beat cop in "Endgame," but has he really been demoted or is this just another undercover operation? In "Ten Dollar Murder," a cop's son has been robbing taxis all over town, but things are about to get a lot worse for him.

A psychiatrist is trying to exploit his client, a convicted sex-offender, in "The Programming of Charlie Blake," and it isn't making Stone and Keller's role in a murder investigation any easier. A 12-year old girl wants to prove that her stepfather killed her mother in "River of Fear." Belinda Montgomery guest stars in "Asylum," where Keller goes undercover at a mental hospital in order to stop a serial killer's deadly spree. Stone and Keller have to search every room in a high-rise hotel to find a boxer who threw a mob hitman out of the window in "Labyrinth." The season (and volume 2) ends with "Solitaire," where Keller is shot on the job (don't worry, he'll be OK) and Stone is partnered with a shady officer who may have actually been involved in Keller's injury.

The episodes appear to be unedited, with each episode running around 51 minutes. In fact, CBS seems to have not even disturbed the music on the episodes in this set, as the episode "Mask of Death" originally had some music in it (performed by John Davidson) and it is all intact. Runtimes are as follows:

Volume 1

Disc 1:
1. "One Last Shot" (51:24)
2. "The Most Deadly Species" (51:29)
3. "Target: Red" (51:28)
4. "Mask of Death" (51:28)

Disc 2:
5. "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore" (51:24)
6. "One Chance to Live" (51:30)
7. "Jacob's Boy" (51:29)
8. "Flags of Terror" (51:31)

Disc 3:
9. "Cry Help!" (50:28)
10. "For Good or Evil" (51:28)
11. "Bird of Prey" (51:05)
12. "License to Kill" (51:06)

Volume 2

Disc 1:
1. "The Twenty-Five Caliber Plague" (50:47)
2. "Mister Nobody" (50:40)
3. "False Witness" (51:07)
4. "Letters from the Grave" (51:07)

Disc 2:
5. "Endgame" (51:08)
6. "Ten Dollar Murder" (50:47)
7. "The Programming of Charlie Blake" (50:49)
8. "River of Fear" (51:30)

Disc 3:
9. "Asylum" (50:47)
10. "Labyrinth" (50:28)
11. "Solitaire" (51:26)

The first two seasons were released in slimcases, but of course, as is the cast with just about all CBS releases, that has changed by now (after all, those were released four years ago). Now, we have each volume in a standard Viva case. On the cover of each set, there is a photo of Stone and Keller with a shot of the San Francisco bridge below them (with a green shade on Volume 1 and a gray shade on Volume 2). The back of each set describes the series, along with a few episodes on each set. There are also a few episode snapshots on the back. Inside the case, there is a listing of all of the episodes, along with original airdates and a brief description. Each set contains three discs, which just have the series logo and a listing of the episodes on the disc printed on each disc. Every disc on Volume 1 contains four episodes, and on Volume 2, the first two discs contain four episodes each, while the third disc contains just three episodes.

The main menu on each disc has photos of Stone and Keller, with video clips from the episodes playing between them. The theme song plays in the background, and options on the main menu include Play All, Episodes, and Subtitles. Once you select an option, you get an animated transition to the next menu featuring the audio at the end of the theme song. The episodes menu lists all of the episodes on the disc, with a snapshot from one of the featured episodes in the background. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately. Chapters are placed at all commercial breaks within the episode.

Like many other series which CBS has been releasing on DVD, this series has been remastered in HD. It really shows on here, and the episodes on this set look excellent. The episodes have one of the cleanest and most crisp pictures I've seen on almost any series, and if it wasn't for the outdated '70s fashions and scenery, this series would look like it was just recently filmed. This is best demonstrated in scenes with neutral backgrounds where just Michael Douglas is in the shot, as his "fashion sense" during the original run of the series actually doesn't look too outdated. There is some grain and debris on the episodes, but you'd have to watch very closely to even notice it. The audio, presented in mono, is plenty loud and clear. And there are subtitles for all of the episodes.

There are no special features on either release. It is understandable, though, because the series was really just about Karl Malden and Michael Douglas. Karl Malden is, of course, deceased, and as for Michael Douglas, he has obviously gone on to much bigger things. Still, maybe some old promos for the series would have been nice. They would have been something, at least.

All in all, these are two nice releases of the classic series on DVD, and it is nice to see that CBS has finally picked up the series on DVD once again after nearly a four year gap since the last release. I almost feared that the series was abandoned, but alas, it hasn't been. It gets even better, as CBS has already scheduled season 4 for release in just a little over a month! That'll leave only the fifth season (where Michael Douglas actually left the series) to be released. As for the series itself, it is a great series that is surprisingly well written, and unlike some crime dramas of the era, it really did manage to keep up with the changing times. The "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore" episode on Volume 1 best demonstrates that, where Keller shows some compassion for the Vietnam draft dodgers and is focused only on the fact that one was murdered, and that murder was wrong; it didn't at all focus on whether or not what the draft dodgers did was right or wrong, a change from some of the older series (like Dragnet) which would portray them in a very negative light just because they were draft dodgers. In fact, if anything, it almost seemed like Keller viewed himself as sort of a draft dodger, since he avoided going to Vietnam by going to college. It is also very interesting to see Michael Douglas in his early days of his career here. Who would have imagined that this was only the beginning of a career which would make this one of his less memorable contributions to entertainment? And that is saying a lot, considering that his portrayal of Steve Keller in this series is excellent. If you're a fan of classic detective dramas, particularly ones which became a bit more "enlightened" in the '70s such as Kojak, this is certainly one you won't want to miss out on.

(4.5/5 stars)


To purchase The Streets of San Francisco - Season Three, Volume 1, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

To purchase The Streets of San Francisco - Season Three, Volume 2, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:


CLICK OF THE WEEK

J! Archive (www.j-archive.com) - This website archives clues from Jeopardy! episodes going back over a decade. (What is J! Archive, Alex?) That's correct! Our Click of the Week this week is probably one of the simplest websites which we've ever presented. You won't find lost interviews with Alex Trebek on here, nor will you find bloopers, video, audio, or any of that. But the one thing that you will find... and lots of it... is boards from actual episodes of Jeopardy! In fact, you'll find every episode from the past decade (and even earlier than that) on this website, where you can view the categories, click on a value, read the clue, and read the answer. You can even find out what answers those who buzzed in gave... no matter how lousy they may have been (although the series doesn't lead to answers which are quite as hilarious as game shows like The Newlywed Game). So this week, we give you a simple site as our Click of the Week... but there is a LOT to click on here!

That's it for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Monday, October 2

Son of a Critch - "Circus" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mark and Fox find themselves on a maybe-date to the fair; Ritchie's family hosts some new Filipino-Canadians who make him feel insecure about his heritage.

Run the Burbs - "Phamily Games Night" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Andrew and Camille use game nights to help Hudson; Ramesh worries Barb doesn't think he's expressive enough; Khia plans a movie night for Mannix.

Children Ruin Everything - "Screen Time" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Astrid and James enact a weekend screen ban; with new work assignments, they soon learn leading by example is more complicated than they originally thought; without the hypnotic power of electronics, they're in for an uphill battle.

American Dad! - "Multiverse of American Dadness" (TBS, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Hayley searches for a runaway Steve so they can go to a Shaggy concert.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 2)

Monday, October 2

  • Garcelle Beauvais (The Jamie Foxx Show) - E! News has an interview with Garcelle at 11pm on E!.
  • Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola) - Gina is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
  • Patrick Stewart (Blunt Talk) - Patrick talks about Making It So: A Memoir on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) - Nicole tells Sherri about her starring role in the off-Broadway show The Refuge Plays on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Zosia Mamet (Girls) - Zosia is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - NBC's Today catches up with Mindy sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
  • Vivica A. Fox (Mr. Box Office/Getting Personal/Arsenio/Out All Night) - Vivica talks about directing First Lady of BMF on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso stops by and chats about hosting the new season of America's Funniest Videos and gives a behind-the-scenes look at his family life on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • The Cast of The Neighborhood - Cedric the Entertainer, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Tichina Arnold, Marcel Spears, Sheaun McKinney and Hank Greenspan celebrate the series' 100th episode on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)

Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)

06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


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10/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 2, 2023)
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09/29 - Lifetime Announces New Thrillers; Big Mouth Season 7 Trailer
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09/27 - Moonlighting Coming to Hulu; Showtime Announces Date for The Curse
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09/25 - Laff Fall 2023 Schedule with Last Man Standing and Man with a Plan; Upload Returns October 20
09/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 25, 2023)
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09/20 - Paramount+ Announces Colin from Accounts; The Really Loud House Gets Halloween Movie
09/19 - The Simpsons Season 34 Streams October 11 on Disney+; Good Burger 2 Set for Holiday Season
09/18 - Hulu's Huluween and Disney+'s Hallowstream Line-Up; Shining Vale Returns October 13 on STARZ
09/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 18, 2023)
09/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Cancels Wonder Years Reboot; Byron Allen Makes $10 Billion Offer to Buy ABC
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09/14 - Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Cast; BUZZR Celebrates 40 Years of Press Your Luck
09/13 - TBS Acquires Modern Family; The Frasier Awards on COZI TV
09/12 - Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen Gets CBS Late Night Run; Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy Special
09/11 - Matt Rife Gets Netflix Special; Star Trek Day and Kid Cudi Join Forces
09/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 11, 2023)
09/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner Bros. Television Suspends Deals with Top Creators; Fran Drescher Re-Elected President of SAG-AFTRA
09/08 - CBS Announces Hosts of Game Show; New Goosebumps Premieres Friday the 13th This October on Disney+ and Hulu
09/07 - MeTV Presents Svengoolie's Halloween BOOnanza!; The CW Moving Fall Comedies to Thursdays
09/06 - CBS to Air NCIS: Sydney This Fall; Fox Makes Fall Change
09/05 - TBS and TNT September Stunts Include Big Bang Theory Batman Day Marathon; Netflix UK Produced Series Updates
09/04 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2023 Include Three's Company
09/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 4, 2023)
09/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: No Third Season for How I Met Your Father; Spectrum Dispute with Disney Could Spell End of Cable