`Homicide: LOTS' on DVD (finally)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Chris R, May 27, 2003.

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  1. Chris R

    Chris R Forum Fones Thread Starter

    Posted on Tue, May. 27, 2003

    `Homicide' on DVD (finally)
    By AARON BARNHART
    The Kansas City Star

    "From the creators of" -- oh, stop already! Who can't figure out that "American Juniors," which kicks off at 7 tonight on Fox, is from the creators of "American Idol"?

    So instead of adding to "American's" hype, may I call your attention to a genuine television event happening today at your local video shop. At long last, the first DVD set of "Homicide: Life on the Street" goes on sale. The set is billed as "seasons one and two" of "Homicide," one of TV's most original and revered cop shows. However, due to erratic scheduling by NBC, only 13 episodes aired in those two years.

    Two of those episodes, however, almost justify the $54 street price by themselves. In one, Robin Williams gives a spellbinding performance as a tourist whose wife is gunned down before his eyes. In the other, Vincent D'Onofrio ("Law And Order: Criminal Intent") plays a victim slowly dying on the subway tracks.

    Aaron Barhart is at (816) 234-4790 and www.TVBarn.com.
    ______________

    Any other HLOTS fans here? The two epsiodes mentioned in the above article are brilliant. But I'm a bit confused. According to various Homicide episode guides on the Web, "Subway" was an episode from Season 6, first broadcast on December 5, 1997. I have the Vincent D'Onofrio episode on tape from a two hour documentary about that episode that ran on PBS in November, 1998. The epiosde won a Peabody award. The documentary called "Anatomy of a Homicide: Life on the Street" covered the production of this episode. The first hour covered the production and background of the episode. In hour two, PBS ran the complete episode commercial free. Now that folks, is TV!

    AND, Homicide always had a great music soundtrack. Everything from Blind Faith, to Barenaked Ladies, Suzanne Vega, Nina Simone, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Public Enemy, Metallica, James Brown, and the list goes on. Los Lobos' cover of "Georgia Slop" was used twice, in two epsiodes involving the Michelle Forbes character.

    Some of the Homicide cast:
    The male detectives
    Ned Beatty (Stan Bolander),
    Clark Johson (Meldrick Lewis)
    Richard Belzer (John Munch)
    Kyle Secor (Tim Baylis)
    Andre Braugher (Frank Pembleton)
    Yaphet Koto (Lt. Al Giardello, aka "G")
    Peter Gerety (Stuart Gharty)
    Jon Seda (Paul Falsone)
    The female detectives:
    Melissa Leo (Kay Howard)
    Callie Thorne (Laura Ballard)
    Toni Lewis (Terri Stivers)
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Ed Bishop

    Ed Bishop Incredibly, I'm still here

    HOMICIDE was, along with THE X-FILES, one of the finest dramas of its time. But where X-F got lucky when moved to Sunday evening, HOMICIDE was doomed to always be on the edge of cancellation and, as you point out, it was really shuttled around during its first two seasons, yet despite that Mr. Fontana & his gang came up with some great TV. The D'Onofrio episode, in fact, was analyzed for a PBS special some years back. The first portion was devoted to how an episode is begun in the writing stage, on through approval by the network and adjustments made during filming. This was followed by the uncut episode in its entirety.

    Hope they put some commentaries on this sucker; if ever a show cried out for its writers and actors to participate, this is the one.

    ED:cool:
     
  3. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    My personal favorite cop drama of all time.

    Regards,
     
  4. Chris R

    Chris R Forum Fones Thread Starter

    The Kansas City Star or Aaron Barnhart or someone has changed/edited the above article. I sent the link to my brother up at the U of A asking him specifically about "The Subway" episode being included with the first two seasons DVDs. He just replied telling me "I just read his article. He doesn't mention the subway episode."

    I guess someone pointed that out the KC Star editors and the article was changed. Makes sense that the episode would not be included with the first two seasons of Homicide. Guess we'll have to wait for Season 6 to be released on DVD sometime in the future.

    "The Subway" or "The Accident" as NBC remamed it when they first aired the episode is in the top two or three episodes that Homicide ever did. Interesting too, is that only 4 of the main characters/actors appeared in that episode: Andre Braugher, Kyle Secor, Clark Johnson, and Jon Seda. A very fine performance by Vincent D'Onofrio as the victim. He received an Emmy nominaion in 1998 in the guest acting category for that performance. The episode also received a writing Emmy nomination as well that year.

    You can still purchase "The Subway" episode as a stand-alone video. I've seen it at Amazon.com.

    Think, I'll be watching that PBS documentary tonight. It's one of those TV shows you're glad you taped at SP and kept. :)
     
  5. LarryDavenport

    LarryDavenport New Member

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    It was the PBS special that got me hooked on Homicide. I for one will buy every single episode.
     
  6. Dugan

    Dugan Senior Member

    Location:
    Midway,Pa
    On of my favorite shows. I'll be getting this soon since I didn't discover it until a couple years later. I especially loved the Law & Order crossover episodes.
     
  7. Craig

    Craig (unspecified) Staff

    Location:
    North of Seattle
    Perry Mason is first but.....

    My second favorite show of all time. The episode that sticks in my mind it the one where Pembleton gets a murder confession out a kid he's got in the "box" and then it turns out he's innocent, but Frank had him convinced he was responsible.

    I also still check the used CD stores for The Iguanas "Nuevo Boogaloo" CD so I can hear "Boom Boom Boom" again. ....ahhhhh I see it's also on a movie soundtrack album.....
     
  8. Larry Naramore

    Larry Naramore Bonafied Knucklehead

    Location:
    Sun Valley, Calif.
    Is the one on there where Pembleton is interrogating a white supremest? Gotta be one of my favorites!!
     
  9. reidc

    reidc Senior Member

    Location:
    Fitchburg, Mass
    HLOTS!!!!

    Yippe- my favorite cop show finally coming to DVD. I could never get enough of it on Court TV.

    I never got into it during the first or second season, but during the third I started watching. It was hard to follow sometimes- but I have always had a facination<SP> with anything Baltimore.

    I always loved the episode with the 2 brothers from Florida driving I-95 north. Everytime he stopped for gas- he offed someone. I always thought it was a litttle silly for the 2 detectives to drive down to Alexandria VA after that shooting- because in the time it took for them to get down there- the brothers SHOULD have been driving through Balto.

    I think the BIG turning point in the series getting less of my time was when Bayliss? killed off the local big hood up in the highrise. I just can't remember his name anymore.


    I once got to go to a convention with a young man real big into Scouting who was from Timonium(he has since passed on). We were at a Popcorn fundraising convention for our local Boy Scout District. Being from the area- he took us down to the Inner HArbor area of Balto- across the harbor to the Fells Point are- which is where the Homicide set was. Even got my picture in front of the squad house!!!!!!

    Chris
     
  10. Tony Plachy

    Tony Plachy Senior Member

    Location:
    Pleasantville, NY
    My wife is a total nut about HLOTS, I was not that into it but I am buying the DVD for her.
     
  11. Rspaight

    Rspaight New Member

    Location:
    Kentucky
    Probably the best drama ever to air on network television. The highlight of this box for me isn't the Robin Williams episode (which is great) but the jaw-dropping "Three Men And Adena," in which nearly the whole episode is an epic grilling of a suspect in a child murder case. Riveting stuff.

    Anyone who loved HLOTS needs to be sure to catch "The Wire" on HBO, created by David Simon, who wrote the book HLOTS was based on. A great crime drama set in Baltimore, which features ex-Homicide actors from time to time and even includes the beloved "board." (The season premiere this week showed a close-up of a name being written in red on the board. Nice touch.)

    Ryan
     
  12. fishinfool

    fishinfool New Member

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    The Court TV channel ran the entire series about a year ago. It was, I believe, in the correct order from start to finish. I don't know if it was the film copy used (or it was filmed that way), but the first few episodes (at least on the Court TV channel re-runs) were almost monochrome with only slight coloring. I didn't see the "original" five or six episodes, so I don't know if I got to see the true "color'" of these shows?
     
  13. pdenny

    pdenny 22-Year SHTV Participation Trophy Recipient

    Location:
    Hawthorne CA
    Worth it for Belz alone. Yeasureright. ;)
     
  14. Rspaight

    Rspaight New Member

    Location:
    Kentucky
    The early episodes were very washed-out on purpose. (I think they were after a documentary-ish feel, grim and realistic. Psychologically, most people see film with no or low color level as more "real" that one with vivid color, which looks more processed and manufactured. Sorta like adding noise and tinniness to a sound recording to make it sound like it was recorded "in the field.") NBC mandated they pump up the color after a while. I haven't watched the DVDs yet, but they ought to look the way you describe.

    Ryan
     
  15. Tony Plachy

    Tony Plachy Senior Member

    Location:
    Pleasantville, NY
    Our HLOTS dvd's arrived yesterday and talk about a bummer - we have two volume 4's and no volume 1. Digital Eyes will exchange it of course, but it is still a bummer :mad:
     
  16. Mark

    Mark I Am Gort, Hear Me Roar Staff

    I adored this show, as well. One of the real great background deals in the show was the ringing phone in the unit. It was just loud enough to be noticeable as almost part of the storyline, but never so much as to be annoyong. And what a fabulous cast! Did everyone here see the reunion movie a couple of years ago. The end, with Bayless and Pembleton (I won't reveal the plot, for those who did not see it yet) was mind-blowing.
     
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