Mini-reviews of Fan Favorite DVD releases for The Honeymooners, Hogan's Heroes, Happy Days, The Odd Couple, Cheers, Fraiser, and MacGyver »»
Crime paid off royally for those who dared to rub their mugs against Eliot Ness (Robert Stack) and his mob busters. Fresh faces were eager to prove they could knock Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) from his lofty seat as Chicago’s vice mayor. The Untouchables: Season 3, Volume 1 has 16 episodes featuring as many stars as bullet holes. »»
Roommates are always comic fodder when their personalities are completely opposite. There are moments when the fun of their lifestyle clashes leads to homicide or a murder-suicide. Who knows what happens when two divorced guys are stuck together. In the case of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, it led to a Broadway hit, a blockbuster movie and a successful TV show. The movie reunited the acting duo of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau after they played so well off each other in Billy Wilder’s The Fortune Cookie. The Odd Couple: Centennial Collection is a celebration of this duo in their prime. »»
During the first two seasons of Gunsmoke Marshall Matt Dillon (James Arness) wore his badge with a heavy burden. After intense showdowns, he might doubt if the life of a lawman was his true calling. There always seemed to be a moment when he was willing to toss his badge on the ground and ride off toward a peaceful life. Marshall Dillon on Gunsmoke: The Third Season, Volume 1 is determined to be the law that keeps the order. He’s mature and assured while walking the dusty street of Dodge City. He still doesn’t like killing, but he’s accepted it as the necessary evil. He’d rather live with blood on his hands than chaos in his territory. Luckily he hasn’t cleaned up Miss Kitty’s Long Branch saloon. They still have the staircase going upstairs and her girls working the tables without delivering drinks to the cowboys. There’s still a wildness to this season of Gunsmoke. »»
Roommates splitting up can be a freeing process or a sad breaking up. There's no tears for the ones that ate your food, drank your booze and never paid rent on time. On the rare occasion, you'll miss the special roomie who cooked you food, shared their booze and didn't mind when you needed an extra week to pay the rent. The Odd Couple: The Final Season brings us to the final go around for Felix Unger (Tony Randall) and Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman). Over the course of five seasons these divorced middle-aged guys drove each other nuts yet became inseparable in their friendship. »»
