DVD Review: The Streets of San Francisco (Season 5, Volume 1 & 2)

DVD Reviews, Reviews

Nobody can blame Micheal Douglas exiting The Streets of San Francisco. During the summer hiatus, he won the Best Picture Oscar for producing the classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After becoming the new dealmaker of Hollywood, Douglas couldn’t go back to playing Inspector Steve Keller. Unlike some actors who become movie stars, Douglas didn’t completely check out. He made sure there would be a bit of transition for Lt. Mike Stone (Karl Malden) breaking in a new partner on the force. Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica) was picked to play Lt. Dan Robbins. He’d been getting plenty of action as a guest star on various TV dramas. The Streets of San Francisco: Season 5, Volume 1 & Volume 2 contain what turned out to be the final season of the cop series.

Michael Douglas left with a bang in the two part “The Thrill Killers.” This episode has more stars than a Irwin Allen disaster film. A radical group kidnaps the jury seated for their leader’s trial. It’s up to Mike, Steve and Dan to free the 12 frightened hostages. Amongst the familiar faces is Van Williams, Marion Ross (Happy Days), Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond), Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No), Ron Glass (Barney Miller), Dick Van Patten (Eight Is Enough), Anthony Geary (General Hospital), Patty Duke (The Patty Duke Show), Norman Fell (The Ropers) and James Hong (Kung Fu Panda). The big cliffhanger has Susan Dey (The Partridge Family) shoot Steve. By the end of the case, Steve has decided to enter the world of teaching since there’s less of a chance of him being killed in a classroom. Now the show became all about Mike showing Dan the ropes of being a cop in the land of Rice-A-Roni.

Dan’s next case gets messy in “Dead Or Alive.” Howard Duff (Flamingo Road) wants to find the man who raped and killed his daughter. He offers a million dollar reward which brings out a lot of amateur homicide detectives that don’t care about police procedure. Tom Bosley takes a break from Happy Days to be a cop. Max Gail (Barney Miller) also gets in on the action. “The Drop” makes Mike sense he’s the real target of a kidnaper that wants him as part of the ransom exchange. Dabney Coleman (Boardwalk Empire) is part of the intrigue. A teen prostitute (The Brady Bunch‘s Maureen McCormick) doesn’t know her dad is killing her clients in “No Minor Vices.” “Till Death Do Us Part” forces Mike to protect a book keeper’s wife (Arrested Development‘s Jessica Walter) since she’s got evidence on major mobsters.

“Hot Dog” is about motorcyclists, but the big reason to watch is Don Johnson (Miami Vice) being a San Francisco cop before Nash Bridges. “Monkey Is Back” brings Gary Lockwood (2001: A Space Odyssey) back to the neighborhood after 20 years in prison. He’s not happy that a high school gang initiation made him a killer. He’s out for revenge on the old classmates. “The Cannibals” presents an ungrateful son. He robs his mobster dad and then gets police protection to turn state witness against pops. Hatch gets to act with two sci-fi legends Mark Goddard (Lost In Space) and Tim O’Connor (Buck Rogers). “Hang Tough” presents Ned Beatty (Superman) as a good cop about to retire. Except when he shows up at a crime scene he beats to death the suspect. Can he cover his tracks and collect his pension? Mark Hamill (Star Wars) might be a bad kid in “Innocent No More.” Carl Weathers has a small role here before he gave Sly a pounding in Rocky.

“Dead Lift” is a brilliant piece of casting with Arnold Schwarzenegger (Pumping Iron) as a weight lifter who just might suffer from roid rage. Also among the musclebound is Franco Columbu. “Break Up” is a divorce gone really wrong with Pernell Roberts (Bonanza) in the middle. “The Canine Collar” ends the series on a dog note. Mike and Dan have to track down a pet that might be part of an embezzler’s scheme.

Richard Hatch shouldn’t take the blame for the show getting canceled after five seasons. He plays his character as a little less spiffy than Michael Douglas’ Steve. He brought a rough and tumble element to his detective work. He worked well with Malden during the transition. The show just couldn’t handle the ratings of Barnaby Jones. It is a shame the show ended since the location work gave a fine picture of life near the Golden Gate Bridge. The Streets of San Francisco: Season 5, Volume 1 and Volume 2 shouldn’t have been the end. At least Malden kept the character alive for years as the man who reminded you to use American Express Travelers Checks.

Episodes
“The Thrill Killers” (two-parter), “Dead or Alive,” “The Drop,” “No Minor Vices,” “In Case of Madness,” “Till Death Do Us Part,” “Child of Anger,” “Hot Dog,” “Castle of Fear,” “One Last Trick,” “Monkey is Back,” “The Cannibals,” “Who Killed Helen French?,” “A Good Cop…But,” “Hang Tough,” “Innocent No More,” “Once a Con,” “Interlude,” “Dead Lift,” “Breakup,” “Let’s Pretend We’re Strangers,” “Time Out” and “The Canine Collar.”

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers brings out the beauty and the grit of San Francisco. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The mix if fine for a TV show. You can hear Mike huffing when he has to pick up his pace. The episodes are subtitled.

There are no bonus features.

The Streets of San Francisco: Season 5, Volume 1 and Volume 2 brings the season Richard Hatch took over for Michael Douglas as Karl Malden’s partner. This shouldn’t have been the finale since the episodes compare favorably to the best of previous seasons. They have Arnold as a killing machine before The Terminator. But the network pulled the plug. In the end it worked out for the best since Hatch would star on Battlestar Galactica and Malden could focus on American Express ads.
You can get both volumes bundled together for a discount.

CBS DVD presents The Streets of San Francisco: Season 5, Volume 1 and Volume 2. Starring: Karl Malden, Richard Hatch and Micheal Douglas. Boxset Contents: 24 episodes on 6 DVDs. Released: October 30, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.