The pilot was a 90 minute (with commercials) presentation when aired on NBC. It was padded out and edited to two 60 minute shows for syndication. That is what is on the new set. The Universal set on season two has the original. There are other 90 minute shows spread out in the run. This Case is Closed from season one is still at 90 on the new set. The Six Million Dollar Man did the same thing when it went to syndication with the three shows prior to series that were 90 minutes and made them two parts for syndication. The fun thing for us is that both are included in the complete series set.
I wish they'd included both versions of the Rockford pilot. The 90-minute pilot in the old DVDs flows better. The added scenes in the blu ray are really not that significant. I don't really care about seeing the dancing dogs at the nightclub or theater or whatever that place is. And I don't like how they divided that nightclub scene between the two parts. It's such a great scene it should flow uninterrupted.
Amazon dot see eh's release date of the BluRay set has gone from June 30 2017 to August 1 2017 - August 30, 2017. Maybe they don't know that the month of August has thirty-one days.
I just noticed that it's going to ship today and I should have it by Wednesday. Have you received an update?
There's a defect on my Blu-ray set - Season 1, disc 2, 'The Big Ripoff' episode. Has anyone else had the same problem?
No problem here. I'm up to the middle of season 3 and no problems yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
What's the defect? I haven't played them yet but I actually thought about any potential issues arising. I'll test my disc tonight. But if you can let me know what to look for or what time it happens that'll make it easier.
The pixels are screwed up and the flow of the video is jerky and occasionally freezes. In the episode 'The Big Ripoff' (Season 1, disc 2, episode 3) it starts at about 9:13 for second (the scene where Rockford is reporting to his client at her home), then is fine but at 10:48 (pay phone call to insurance agent scene) it starts for good and continues on into the next scene (at the airport). I stopped watching at about the 13 minute mark. I started to watch the next episode, 'Find Me If You Can' and the same thing happens right from the start (I only watched this for a few seconds). The first two episodes and the last twio episodes on the disc are fine.
I checked my copy, purchased from Amazon.ca, and there were no issues in either of the two programs you mentioned.
Regardless of how you feel about Mark Steyn's political commentary, he is an excellent obituarist. Here's his appreciation of James Garner. The last paragraph is laugh-out-loud funny. Chemistry Lessons: James Garner, 1928-2014
Watching "The Deuce" from season five, and every line spoken by Margaret Blye (as Bonnie) is overdubbed. Any idea why? Southern accent, maybe? Something else?
I just rewatched her scenes in a horrific YT version. Apparently you're right, though I believe it is indeed Blye's voice. Perhaps her natural Texas accent was too thick on the set for TPTB (her character is supposedly from Tulsa, so maybe she went a bit too method-actress) One my favorite examples of this anti-Southern accent attitude is the Twilight Zone episode "The Bewitchin' Pool" starring Mary Badham, who'd just been a sensation in To Kill A Mockingbird. Not sensational as far as TZ was concerned, as all her lines were overdubbed by the late June Foray.
Just finished "Only Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die", which had never been a favorite, but I watched more closely and think it is one of the best. The writing is excellent, but I just always found the rock episodes rather cliche (the other was "Dwarf in a Helium Hat"). Keep Google close for this one - writer, David Chase, throws out one obscure or semi-obsure reference after another: Molly Pitcher, Irene Rich, Rondo Hutton, Cisco Kid, Heathcliff, John Donne, to name a few. What I really like about it is that more than just about any other episode it has a highly relevant, interesting theme running through it: falling in love with someone you don't know isn't a good idea and should be avoided. As Jim says, it's a matter of giving a lot of power to someone you don't know. And he gives his friend, Eddie, the most right on, accurate, helpful advice you can give to someone as smitten with a stranger as Eddie: "this is going to sound a little weird, but Whitney is an idea in your own head." Perfect advice and should have been an "a-ha!!" moment for Eddie, but he just doesn't even think about it. The ending continues the theme where Whitney says she tried things with several people, but they just weren't Tim Ritchie. Then she says she tried with Tim Ritchie, but, you guessed it --- it wasn't Tim Ritchie! As Rockford said -- he was just an idea inside her own head!
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I personally have never cared for "Only Rock & Roll". "Helium", while not an all time classic, has a good script and is only marred by the casting of the rather too-sleazy John Pleshette, in a role that needed some charm.
A classic scene from one of the first really great episodes, "Chicken Little Is A Little Chicken" (s2e9). The bit where Angel begs for mercy is hilarious.
Too bad they were on different networks - I'd'a killed to see Magnum hire Jim to find out who Robin was...