Reviews (2)

Birthdays Should Never be this Exciting!
For those of you who are not acquainted with the Buck Rogers series, here's a short rundown. In 1987, NASA launched the last deep space probe, captained by William "Buck" Rogers (Gil Gerard). In a "freak mishap," the ship is blown off its trajectory into an orbit that freezes the life support systems, and returns him to Earth 500 years later. The series takes Buck, along with the gorgeous Col. Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) and friends on many interesting adventures throughout space. Younger sci-fi fans may be disappointed with the special effects and simple story lines. However, for those of us who grew up in the 80s, they can still be as exciting and fun as they were when we were kids.

In this episode, Buck's been feeling a little depressed as his 534th birthday approaches. Everything's perfect, nothing ever changes in the future, and he really misses his past life. To get him out of his funk, Wilma and Dr. Huer (Tim O'Connor) decide to throw Buck a surprise party. The surprise is almost on them, however, when the psycho Col. Traeger arrives and attempts to kill Dr. Huer out of a warped sense of revenge.

A Great Episode
This is a really great episode.I really like the interplay between Buck And Wilma. Not to mention what a delight Mel Blanc is as the voice of Twiki. Buy this you'll will really enjoy it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!
I have most of the Nancy Drew videos and I think this one is my favorite! When the hosts of a benefit carnival are robbed of their jewels, Nancy sets out to try to get a job at the carnival to find out if any of the carnival workers are the thieves. As usual, she soon finds herself in danger. To complete your Nancy Drew video collection, this one is a must have!!!

Pretty Good Movie!
In this movie, Nancy, George, Carson, and Ned are a benifit in the form of a carnival when the hosts are roobed of their expensive jewels! It's up to Nancy and her friends to find the robbers and return the jewels. But it's not that easy. Nancy will have you asking for more in The Mystery Of The Fallen Angels. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The Creature from the Black Lagoon Strikes Back.
As a typical example of '50s Grade B sci-fi, this sequel meets most expectations. After an exciting start detailing the capture of the violent "gill-man," the plot drags a little during the creature's captivity in "Ocean Harbor," a forerunner of Sea World. As the man-fish languishes on display for gawking spectators, Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar) moons around the delectable Helen Dobson. Both are academic types studying the creature, and each other. These romantic interludes (not to mention the pointless Flippy the porpoise segment) become tiresome, and one squirms waiting for the script to get back to the sci-fi/horror plot. Thankfully, the gill-man eventually breaks loose and typical monster-movie mayhem prevails. The panicked crowd fleeing Ocean Harbor in their best '50s summer-wear evokes chuckles. Rarely have we seen so many white shirts, crewcuts, and bobby sox in one place. And checkout those Panama hats. As the gill-man makes his way down to the sea through various canals and inlets, he brings dreadful death to clueless victims. They fatuously wander around at night, although there is a well-publicized monster on the loose. Feeling conflicted by freedom lust and other lusts, the gill-man stalks Helen, who lounges around in swimwear, underwear, etc. She obligingly stays by water, and leaves her doors and windows open and unlocked. The veteran Jack Arnold, who directed the classic "Tarantula" directed the movie. For those who enjoy old sci-fi/horror flicks, no matter how unlikely, this is a good one for you. Others beware. ;-)

UNDERWATER THRILLS ABOUND!
John Agar, Lori Nelson, and John Bromfield star in this movie that is an equal sucsessor to the original CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. A scientific team travles to the black lagoon to capture a very alive gill man. The expedition succeeds and he is brought to a florida aquariam, were it escapes and causes terrible havok all up and down the eastern seabourd. One of the best sequels ever, it ranks right up there with ALIENS, THE GODFATHER PART II, and THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK.

Is anybody awake at Universal?
Universal has released fancy new box sets of Dracula, Wolf Man, and Frankenstein with all the sequels. These excellent boxes are fairly priced and a genuine treat. But what gives with the Creature? Doesn't Univesal understand how much we love these three movies. Creature from the Black Lagoon was out on the last round of DVD releases of these classic horror films from Universal, but is now out of print. Alas, the two sequels, Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us, have never seen DVD, even though you can still find them from various sources on VHS. Better get one of those while they're still out there because Universal seems disinclined from giving them to us any time soon on DVD. Same for The Mummy and its sequels. Aw c'mon Universal. Give 'em up. It's time.

Hello Universal?!
Where's the DVD? Why not put "The Creature Walks Among Us" on it as well, like your other Classic Monsters?

Return to the Black Lagoon
Being the first of two sequels to a famous 1950's horror classic like "Creature From the Black Lagoon" any film would have its work cut out for it. Indeed "Revenge Of The Creature" certainly lacks that sense of confinement and eerie mystery that was so beautifully put across in the first film and which undoubtedly helped it become the great classic that it still is. The best way to view this film is to see it as an independant production and look at it for its own merits as entertainment.

"Revenge Of The Creature" picks up the story roughly one year after the conclusion of the earlier film. It has an entirely different cast with the exception of the River Boat Captain who was responsible for ferrying the expeditions in both films up to the far reaches of the Amazon Basin in search of the mysterious Gill Man. This time around B horror movie veteran John Agar stars as Professor Clete Ferguson who is in charge of research at Ocean Harbour aquatic resort in Florida where the Gill Man is taken after being captured and where he is placed on display in an aquarium for the general public to see. As opposed to the first film the creature in this instance is very much the one who has the audience sympathy. He is subjected to quite horrific experiemts in the name of research at the Aquarium and develops a strange fascination for Helen (Lori Nelson)the assistant to Professor Ferguson who he spies on through the portholes at the aquarium. At the first opportunity he escapes from his captivity and goes on a killing spree in Florida before abducting Helen and attempting to find his way back to safety.

While not a great story and while similiar themes have been explored elsewhere far more effectively "Revenge Of The Creature" does hold the interest. The scenes of the Gill Man underwater at the aquarium have that same stylish cinematography about them as the underwater sequences in the original film and the later sequences where the Gill Man escapes and causes havoc among the general public are quite exciting and well staged. The scene where he attacks two teenage boys by the water really has a very eerie quality to it and his attack does come as a bit of a surprise when it does occur. While John Agar might not be the best actor in the world he is quite believable here and despite the limited demands that the part calls for does a good job. "Revenge Of The Creature" is also famous for boasting the debut performance of later day superstar Clint Eastwood in the small role of a Lab technician in an early sequence of the film. Eastwood cut his teeth in 1950's horror tales and also had a tiny role in that other classic "Tarantula".

The Gill Man will always remain a classic creature and the makeup/suit for this creature is far and away the best of its kind. The more sympathetic slant that this movie takes on the creature is a welcome change and the film is a logical flow from the first film. For an excursion back to wonderfully innocent 1950's Sci Fi "Revenge Of The Creature" is an enjoyable viewing experience and a worthy successor of sorts to its classic parent. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Oldies but Gookies
Two Gun-runners named Corliss and Trent recover a freighter carrying 20th century nerve gas.The two have long seought revenge on Colonel Deerin.They plan to destroy earth with the bombs.Earht turns to Noah Cooper(played by Peter Graves!),leader of earth's last space marine bomber squadron,for help.Can Noah and hIis spuadron save earth?To find out buy the video!I like this video because it shown being old or handicapped can't stop you from doing great things!

Silly shenanigans in a 20th century wasteland
Like popular music, television just gets worse and worse as time goes on and viewers crave more and more immediate gratification, as political correctness becomes more entrenched, and as the medium strives to conform to the tastes of youthful viewers, in particular, who become cruder and cruder with each new generation.

The TV show, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", based on the old movie serial, has the saving grace of being over 20 years old, which means that, by definition, it can't be as bad as the pap that the networks circulate today. It's as dumb and as formulaic as any other show, but at least, it's clean and fairly harmless.

And it has one other redeeming feature, which is the only reason why I bought this video. And that, of course, would be Erin Grey (as Colonel Wilma Deering) exhibiting her cute blondness in tight space outfits. And even THAT redeeming feature was diminished during the second season when she unaccountably became a brunette.

"Return of the Fighting 69th" is a first season episode, however, and interestingly enough, the scene which requires Erin to disguise herself in a unisex patrol outfit, with helmet, doesn't defuse her sensuality nearly as much as dark hair would later. She provides considerably more thrills than the story does.

As for the "plot" and the actors/characters in this episode, they have been adequately described by others and there's no need for me to dwell on them. No 12 year old devotee of Saturday morning cartoons could fail to appreciate them, and Gil Gerard, in the title role, has all the dramatic presence of Venusian cloud cover, sort of a space-wrecked Robert Urich. Actually, that's unfair to Urich. Compared to Gerard, Urich appears to have as much flair and color as Cesar Romero playing the Joker.

The bad guys, played by Robert Quarry and Elizabeth Allen, are a lot more passionate, a lot more real, and a lot more genuinely motivated than the good guys, and if you're actually paying attention to the plot, you should be rooting for them - for all the good it will do.

Peter Graves plays the head of the "Fighting 69th" who comes out of retirement to do battle with the bad guys, and he, Gerard, Grey, and the other supporting cast members naturally assume that flat pompous virtue that the heroes in these productions always have - the self-conscious virtue that always finds a way to say, "Aren't we good?"

The most noxious example of this is the hero's welcome that Gerard receives from his conspirators in virtue after he returns from the arduous task of - locating the deaf girl's parents by searching some futuristic Hall of Records for them. Good old Buck Rogers - not only can he save the universe through expert navigation, crack-shooting, and rapid-fire fist-fighting, but he can brave carpal tunnel syndrome and download a file with the best of any $6.50/hour (or whatever the prevailing 25th century wage is) file clerk. Bleah!

After fast-forwarding to all of the enticing Erin Grey poses, put this cassette away and read a book.

Buck Involved In More Than One Crossfire
Return Of The Fighting 69th is one of the best episodes of the Buck Rogers series, combining some impressive SFX action sequences with some of the strongest character interplay of the series, giving a greater emotional punch than normal.

A Directorate container ship has been hijacked and is flying toward Necrosis, an asteroid belt of unusual (and admittedly unrealistic) density. Wilma and Buck, on a training run with two cadets, are hastily sent to stop the container ship, but when four oblong-shaped Scorpian fighters (this is the only episode which identifies these bizarre-shaped fightercraft) attack, two are shot down, but the two Directorate cadets plunge into the Necrosis belt and are pulverized.

Buck furiously demands to know why the stolen ship was worth the lives of the two cadets, and Dr. Huer provides video inventory as explanation - a stash of nerve gas bombs dug out of a bunker near the old Washington DC. And since the ship was flown to the Necrosis belt, the thieves are clearly Corliss and Roxanne Trent, two gunrunners who have vowed revenge on Wilma because of severe injuries (Corliss' face is seriously scarred, Roxanne Trent sports metallic hands after hers were burned to a shrivel) incurred in a space pursuit years earlier.

The only pilots who can possibly navigate the treacherous belt are the surviving members of the Space Marine 69th Squadron - led by Noah Cooper (Peter Graves), who has known Wilma since she was knee-high and earned the nickname Dizzy Deering aka Dizzy D. But all five members of the Fighting 69th were forced into retirement a year earlier, despite still-sharp combat skills. Wilma wants no part of having them return to duty, espeically when they propose using decades-old cargo-sled bombers to launch even older surface-penetrating incendiary explosives into Corliss and Roxanne's asteroid base. When Wilma angrilly protests after an unimpressive live-fire exercise, Buck caustically calls her on the fact she is simply worried sick for Noah, rather than using rational analysis.

When the three sled bombers penetrate the belt, they are jumped by a squadron of Scorpians - three are shot down but Buck and Wilma are captured, and meet Corliss and Roxanne up close. Buck also meets Roxanne's youthful slave servant, Alicia, who is deaf and can only speak via sign language - a fact Buck can use to get himself, Wilma, and Alicia to freedom when Noah leads the attack on the asteroid.

Elizabeth Allen plays Roxanne Trent and imbues the character with such effective monstrosity that the audience can feel genuine hatred welling up as she smashes a memory globe belonging to Alicia.

This episode grows on you; it's still worth watching.
Previously I wrote a 2(or less) star review for this episode. When I first saw it--after sooo many years I was in a time-flux shock! I couldn't believe the difference in producing a sci-fi adventure 20 years ago and 20 years later.--The fight scenes, etc.. Since then I have seen this show repeatedly and it's grown on me. My shock has worn off. I enjoy watching this episode. I still especially enjoy watching the scenes with "Alicia", who is deaf and kidnapped 5 years previously. Her only mode of communication is manually through American Sign Language. I was taken by surprise to hear "Wilma" refer to it as HAND TALK. But today when I see that scene in reference I see the past,present and future rolled into one because she mentions a corrective operation children can have to regain their hearing. Today we would especially know one corrective procedure: COCHLEAR IMPLANT. SCIENCE FICTION becomes Science Fact. WHAT A DIFFENCE 20 YEARS MAKES!!!

EEHH BEETY-BEETY-BEET. COULD BE BETTER
AS A CHILD WHEN i SAW THIS EPISODE I LOVED IT BECAUSE OF THE ACTRESS WHO WAS DEAF PORTRAYING A DEAF CHILD KIDNAPPED AND ENSLAVED. I remember thinking that the futuristic sci-fi shows always showed the futuristic people as having more control of their emotion (Star Trek, Buck Rogers, etc..) Proof was in seing how Buck and his 25th Cent. buds behaved towards each other. What I didn't like this time around was seeing Erin Grey (Gray?) unemotional/underemotional--or underacting? in response to emotional situations. I wasn't taken by how she asked their captors to let Buck and the girl go and they can do anything to her. There were other scenes in which I did like her. Also, the fighting scenes are a little dated. You can tell the actors have little experience with judo or kung fu. Definitely pre-Xena for Wilma Deering! I still enjoy Buck Rogers. I'm waiting to see when Amazon.com gets episodes including the Hawk clan!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Pure Entertainment.
I was seven when I first saw this episode. For several weeks afterwards, my mother had to remove pieces of broken glass that I had superglued to the walls: watch the episode and you'll understand. Twenty years later I picked up a copy of the episode and saw it again. I was amazed: indeed the lines are corny; the special effects are dated; the flavors are very disco-70s; the roundhouse kicks are two feet off the ground; and the plot - well, the plot is thinner than plastic wrap. But! This is Buck at his best. This is the Buck Rogers that helped a little boy dream and made a grown man laugh.

It was tired when it was on television.
Do not be deceived: this is not the cult film "Vegas in Space," which offers one of the single most bizzare premises in science-fiction filmdom. Rather, it is indeed Buck Rogers as told by television land... and there is a reason the series was canceled, you know.

Do you ever want to see something more gaudy than Vegas?
If your answer is yes, you want to see this episode of the great series. Who knew that hero's could play cards. Watch Buck take on this Las Vegas type place, and walk away with a bundle of cash.

cool
love the faraway shots of aluminum foil: ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not the best, but still good
This episode is not as good as others, simply because it doesn't really have an adventurous plot, as we've come to expect in Buck Rogers shows. This episode basically was created using flashbacks to scenes from other episodes. The problem arises in that most of the episodes from which these short cuts were taken are not available for purchase. So, unless the viewer has a great memory and was a fan of Buck Rogers as a kid, he/she will really have no context for these stories.

The plot generally surrounds a mysterious group of items which are beamed through the Earth's defense shield. Each item is accompanied by a lymeric (riddle). To solve the mystery, Buck, Wilma (Erin Gray) and even Tweekie are hooked to a machine to retrieve memories of people who might have a grudge against Earth and wish to destroy the Earth. (These memories are the past episodes mentioned above). Of course, they do not solve the mystery until the hour has struck and the "Blast" is set off.

Good show, as are all the Buck Rogers shows. But this episode is definitely for those die-hard fans who remember the show from when we were kids.

Erin Gray - the Diana Rigg of my generation is sublime
Let's be honest - Erin Gray is the reason why Buck Rogers achieved the measure of success it did (both on the big screen and on TV). This movie was originally a TV pilot that was rushed into theaters to see how much money it could make, and it shows. Even the incidental music betrays its TV origins. But despite that (or because of), this gem is almost a 5-star rater. Reason one is the wonderful opening credits where Buck Rogers awakes on a neon-lit walkway surrounded by beautiful futuristic (1979 futuristic, that is) women who pout and kiss him while the goofy song "Suspension" blares away. A classic opening. Reason Two - Erin Gray. Like Diana Rigg in the 60s, Gray was the unattainable class-act who seemed to transcend the screen. There is a Reason Three, but that's just minor stuff like the fact that Buck in the 25th is, simply, one of the funnest things a person can experience. It's B-stuff, no doubt. But man, is it good B-stuff. And also, there's Erin Gray.

Erin Gray is a goddess!
More Erin Gray! More spandex! What more do you need? ... Read more

Description

Action-mystery involving a black private detective who investigates murders connected with a drug ring in Venice, CA. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Urban Action Flick!!
This is a great urban action flick starring Fred Williamson.Check it out!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Complete First Season is Coming out on DVD!!
Gilligan's Island may be one of the silliest sitcoms ever to be shown on TV but isn't that one of the reasons us fans of the show like it so much? This tape has some great epiodes, Angel on the Island is good but my favorite is Waiting for Watubi, it is a very funny episode and Alan Hale and Bob Denver are hilarious! Both of these episodes are from the first season and Gilligan's Island's first season is coming out on DVD on February 3, 2004. In the first season DVD set you get Angel on the Island and Waiting for Watubi and a whole lot more and the first season episodes are shown in the original black and white while the two episodes on this tape have been colorised and look like it too! They have that weird distorted look that happens when they colorise black and white so I have to dock several points for that.

A nice pair of episodes where Gilligan saves the day
This videotape has two of the better first season episodes of "Gilligan's Island," mainly because the focus is on characters other than Gilligan (Bob Denver) and it is actually the First Mate of the S.S. "Minnow" who saves the day. In Episode 10, "Waiting for Watubi," the Skipper (Alan Hale, Jr.) digs up the sacred Tiki god of the Watubi tribe, which he believes has him under a curse. No matter what he does to try and get rid of the statue, it keeps reappearing. The only thing that will save him is if a Watubi witch dotor removes the curse and in the absence of any other living sole on the island, it is up to his little buddy to do the job himself. Given all the shtick that the two would go through in their three years on the island, episodes where the friendship between the Skipper and Gilligan seems real come across as a breath of fresh air.

Then in Episode 11, "Angel on the Island," Ginger (Tina Louise) is depressed because she has lost a leading role in a Broadway play because she is, well, shipwrecked on the island. Mr. Howell (Jim Backus) promises he will back the play when they are rescued and the Castaways start rehearsing the play. The only problem is that Lovey (Natalie Schaeffer) insists on taking the starring role of Cleopatra, which is not exactly making Ginger happier, which was supposedly the point of the rehearsal. Once again, it is Gilligan who comes to the rescue by having a chat with Mrs. Howell. Like the previous episode, there is a sense of community if not family behind the story, and not just a descent into sitcom shtick. Ironically, this makes "Waiting for Watubi" and "Angel on the Island" atypical episodes of the classic "idiot" situation comedy, but above average episodes as well.

about tina lousieAND ALAN HALE
i ThINK tina lousie did a great job on angel on the island because she really brought out her personiaty as ginger grant,and alan hale as the skipper did a great job on wating for watubi.he thought that he had a curse that ahe need a doctor to crue him.so the proffsser dressed gilligan as watubi to brack the curse.all in al I LOVE THIS TAPE!!!...

What fun these shows are! It's great!
This video is one of my first "Gilligan's Island" videos, and it is absolutely fabulous. I believe you can see what Mr. Denver's personality is like in this show, and particularly in "Waiting for Watubi". I don't think that he is as clumsy as Gilligan, but I believe he has as big a heart as him. Watch this episode and you'll see what I mean. The second episode on this video, "Angel on the Island", is a wonderful one also. All the castaways try so hard to make Ginger not feel so bad about missing her stage debut. They do the play with Mr. Howell directing it. Mrs. Howell gets a big head, and talks him into allowing her to play in the starring role of Cleopatra, the part that Ginger was to have, instead of playing the maid. This breaks Ginger's heart. Gilligan goes to the Howells' hut and pleads with Mrs. Howell to get back the role of Cleopatra for Ginger. Mrs. Howell pretends to have laryngitis so that Mr. Howell will have to let Ginger do it. The play was done with Gilligan doing all of the roles, except the role of the sailor which was played by the Skipper. It was funny seeing poor little Gilligan run backstage and back on stage after he had changed into different clothes fot the multiple roles he had to play. If you're a fan of "Gilligan's Island", you will love this tape. It is shown in color which, I think, is better than black-and-white. You get a better idea of things that way. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

one of the coolest detective series ever made.
If I had to compare Craig Stevens' suave demeanor as Peter Gunn with any contemporary actor of today that actor would be Pierce Brosnan. Peter Gunn had a style all it's own from the clothes that the character wore to the incidental music and lighting of the show itself. I remember as a young child watching this show and thinking how cool this guy really was. They just don't make shows like that anymore. What a shame!!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wacky Wagon Train
The movie the wackiest wagon train in the west was wacky! It is pathetic if you want a realistic if not half normal view of a wagon train. Their tricks are basic and jokes didn't really tickle my funny bone. It is so ridiculous it would be good for a hearty laugh. Its acting is poor but then again I'm a tough critic after watching John Wayne movies all my life there was no comparison. I never care to watch this movie again and don't recommend it by any means it's on my worst movie list- but then again in could strike others differently. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This one shines!
A crumbling old theatre is the dramatic stage for this fabulous mystery. Ned Nickerson's small-town charitable stage production suddenly becomes a major event when five internationally famous actors volunteer to act in it. But when mysterious and deadly accidents begin to plague the rapidly growing production, Nancy begins to suspect that not everything is as it seems ... or should be ...

A wonderful, rapidly-paced episode. Leaving you with new questions at every turn, it scintillates with ingenious characterization, plot development, and phantoms that are more than what they seem. A killer! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Urban Action Flick!!
This is a great urban action flick starring Fred Williamson.Check it out!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Cringe as Buck does "The Hustle".
Not exactly the high point of the series it does feature an unintentional parody of the disco years here on modern day Earth. And its always nice to see Col. Wilma Deering on the dance floor. However,its the break dancing Tweeky(the little robot guy) that steals the show. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Jamie's Kinda Cute in Orange!
For those of you who are not acquainted with the Buck Rogers series, here's a short rundown. In 1987, NASA launched the last deep space probe, captained by William "Buck" Rogers (Gil Gerard). In a "freak mishap," the ship is blown off its trajectory into an orbit that freezes the life support systems, and returns him to Earth 500 years later. The series takes Buck, along with the gorgeous Col. Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) and friends on many interesting adventures throughout space. Younger sci-fi fans may be disappointed with the special effects and simple story lines. However, for those of us who grew up in the 80s, they can still be as exciting and fun as they were when we were kids.

In this episode, Buck goes undercover as a convict in order to find wrongly convicted prisoner Jen (Jamie Lee Curtis). They need to get ahold of her to get information that will help them stop her boyfriend from breaking the law. Buck needs to break out of prison with Jen, meet up with Wilma, and stop the boyfriend, while being chased by a prison guard android who just keeps on coming.

Co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis!!!!
This is a high point in the Canon! It co-stars a very young Jamie Lee Curtis as a convict who can put the finger on the nefarious space pirate, Pantera! Here is what I learned from this episode;
1. In the future prison guards will wear leather dresses.
2. Androids always take out their frustration on hapless scenery.
3. "Tied to a chair" is a great look for Erin Gray.
4. Squids roam the deserts of the future.
5. Finally, while styles of clothing and cars may change, hairstyles will always remain the same, relevant to the time of the episode's filming.
In closing, this one has plenty of good Buck. He has to rescue Wilma, fight an indestructible android,capture a space pirate and outwit a diabolical Space Diplomat. And don't forget the Sand Squid.

The goddess Erin Gray
Erin Gray, in her tight spandex outfits, is the reason to watch the late 70s Buck Rogers. Kudos to her costume designers! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The First Season is Being Released Soon on DVD!!
Gilligan's Island is a very silly sitcom but that I think is one of the reasons we fans of the show like it so much! This tape has some great epiodes from the first season President Gilligan and Wrongway Feldman but the complete First season of Gilligan's Island is coming out on DVD February 3, 2004 and personally that's what I would go for. In the first season DVD set you get Wrongway Feldman, President Gilligan and more, plus the episodes are shown in the original black and white and the two episodes on this tape have been colorised and look awful. They have that strange, distorted look that happens when they take black and white film and colorise it and I have to dock points off for that.

Wrongway Feldman and is is a real classic Gilligan!
We really enjoyed these two episodes of Gilligan. It was really funny to watch everyone try to convince Wrongway to do what they wanted him to do. Tina Louise was great in this one! My kids really enjoyed Mr. Howell!

The first appearance of a guest star on "Gilligan's Island"
This video tape offers up another pair of episodes from Season 1 (1964-1965) of "Gilligan's Island," including the first appearance of a guest star on the classic "idiot" situation comedy. Episode #5 "Wrongway Feldman" finds the infamous pilot (Hans Conreid) stuck on the island. His plane has fuel but Wrongway has lost the nerve to fly. Still, Wrongway wants to help and tries to teach Gilligan (Bob Denver) how to fly his ancient plane. I remember first watching this episode as a kid and thinking how unfair it was that even with an airplane at their disposal the Castaways could not get home (I clearly did not understand the premise of a situation comedy at that early age).

Then in Episode #6, "President Gilligan," both the Skipper (Alan Hale, Jr.) and Mr. Howell (Jim Backus) want to be in charge. When the Castaways agree to hold an election for President the pair have alienated the others with the campaign hijinks and it is Gilligan who ends up winning the election. Suddenly, the First Mate of the S.S. "Minnow" is being flattered by everyone else (because they want good jobs in his administration). I keep thinking that there is some sort of social commetary going on in this episode, making it a political satire of some sort. But when I watched this episode again it became clear that "President Gilligan" is incapable of bearing such lofty weight. This is clearly the lesser episode of the two on this particular tape.

Gilligan Is Classic Comedy, But Don't COLORIZE the B & W!
I am a die-hard fan of the Island, and the only reason I don't give this one 5 is because some idiot can't keep their crayons away!DON'T COLORIZE(hear me Ted Turner! ). Wrongway Feldman episode rocks!Character who played Wrongway is perfect, and scene where he teaches Gilligan to fly is priceless.President Gilligan includes one of the famous dream sequences that were so cool in the series. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When the radiation-spawned giant ants of Them! swarmed over American screens to become one the most successful films of 1954, it didn't take long for the rest of the insect kingdom to follow suit. The best of these mutant bug movies is Jack Arnold's giddy Tarantula, with Leo G. Carroll as a scientist whose experimental, radiation-treated nutritional supplements transform the title creature into a rampaging monster. The hungry arachnid graduates from rabbits to cattle to people as it grows and creeps across the barren countryside in search of food, dwarfing the desert hills in simple but unsettling special effects shots. John Agar plays the square-jawed doctor who tries to warn the local populace of the impending menace and Clint Eastwood has a bit as an Air Force pilot called in to bomb the now mountain-sized spider. It's an essentially silly story with plenty of heroic dashing about and monster-movie tropes ("See its mandibles crush cars like a tin cans!"), but Arnold, one of the most talented and thoughtful genre directors of the 1950s (It Came From Outer Space, The Incredible Shrinking Man), creates a surprisingly eerie mood with his austere visual style and winds the film up with his tension-building rapid pacing. Composer-playwright Richard O'Brien liked thefilm so much he immortalized it in the Rocky Horror Picture Show: "Leo G. Carroll was over a barrel when the Tarantula took the hills." The film still straddles the line between nostalgic goofiness and smart sci-fi thrills. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (29)

A 1950'S CLASSIC!
Sometimes I really wish I had been born 15 years earlier so I would have been able to enjoy great films like "Them" and "Tarantula" at a drive-in movie.That really would have been fun.Tarantula has always been one of my favorites in the Giant insect genre of films and I rank it right up there (almost) with "Them".

Professor Deemer is working on an experimental nutrient to solve the worlds hunger problem.During a fight with an assistant, a Tarantula that had been injected with the experimental formula escapes and begins to mutate, growing large and larger.Soon the giant arachnid is out feeding on livestock, ranchers, and just about anything else that gets in its way.A local doctor played by the great John Agar eventually is able to determine that white stuff found at the site of the attacks is spider venom.Soon the local police and residents take on the giant spider but bullets and even dynamite don't slow it down.Finally its decided to call in the Air Force where we get a brief glimpse of Clint Eastwood in an early, uncredited role as an air force pilot.

Sure the special effects are cheesy by today's CGI standards but this is still a great movie and wonderful fun.The type you want to watch on a summer night at the drive in with a big bowl of popcorn.

CLASSIC SCI-FI THRILLER*****DVD PLEASE ********
So when is this great old film coming out on DVD?????? Many of us are eagerly waiting for this one to add to our library. I put this one right up there with "The Day the Earth Stood Still" & "Creature From the Black Lagoon".These are always great for repeat viewings on Sunday afternoons..

Ultimate 50s sci fi!
Tarantula is a highlight of the continuous stream of monster B movies produced in the 50s and 60s. This is the story of a lifelong scientist (Leo Carroll), who is attempting to produce technology for the world to benefit from. When he is attacked one night by one of his former partners, a mutated tarantula is set loose in an Arizona town. The town medical doctor (John Agar), realizes that life is at stake, and must find a way to destroy this creature before it is too late. The formula used to mutate the arachnid has produced fatal effects on humans, deforming and killing them in a matter of 4 days.
Jack Arnold's edge of your seat lore did not need to be remade several years ago. If they are planning to outdo the 1950's "Tarantula", they should forget the idea right now. Movies just are not made like that anymore, and it just cannot be equaled by modern technology. Pick this horror film up, and you will discover why so many of these type of films were made in that time.

CLASSIC SPIDER FILM
It's been almost 50 years since TARANTULA first hit the big screen.Having seen the movie when I was a little kid running around to all the monster double-features, I have to say this one remained with me through all these years. Watching it was like spending time with an old childhood friend.Considering it was 1955, the effects in this movie are pretty frightening, especially when viewing the entire real tarantula that was superimposed.The closeups are cheesy, but we didn't have CGI then.John Agar, Leo G. Carroll (who would go on to be the boss for the man from UNCLE), Mara Corday (Black Scorpion), Nestor Paiva, Hank Patterson (Green Acres), and yes, even Clint Eastwood are around to flesh out the characters.Arnold was smart in doing a lot of the effects at night, giving us a shadow of the spider to boot.This is much better (I think) than THEM or THE BLACK SCORPION, and it deserves to be on DVD, so let's get with it, Universal!
A classic film of the 20th century horror genre!

"Tarantula" Has Plenty Of "Bite"!A Fun "Huge Insect" Film!
Many people categorize 1955's sci-fi film "Tarantula" as a "B" picture or a "cult" flick for just sci-fi buffs. While this may be true to some degree I suppose, I believe this little chiller rises above the average "B" movie, and reaches a loftier status.

It's a very re-watchable film, with some pretty good acting and well-drawn characters. Plus a plot that's not totally off-the-wall. Well, yeah, it's out in left field (somewhat), but not so much as to be considered completely ludicrous in every sense.

Leo G. Carroll does a fine job as the bio-chemist whose experiments with a new "growth formula" on animals (including our menacing friend, Mister "Tarantula") go terribly wrong when the multi-legged beast escapes Carroll's laboratory.

I truly enjoy watching this movie -- no matter how many screenings I give it.The atmosphere, characters, and storyline have me "locked in" from the very start.

And the special effects don't look too bad either -- considering it's from 1955 and well before "CGI" type beasts & explosions.

I even kind of like the rather corny (and, I assume, not realistic) "hissing"/"rattling" noises that emanate from the super-sized spider during the film. LOL!

Also on the humorous side of things -- I've always thought it was mighty cooperative of our giant-sized, venom-spewing beast to "follow the road into town" at the end of the film, thereby making the townspeople's job of setting up the dynamite a great deal easier. (Since when do spiders follow the 'rules of the road'? Oh, well, I guess we'll just assume that our Tarantula here owns a '55 Chevy, and is familiar with the desert highways that surround him. LOL!)

This whole movie is great fun from start to finish.Plus -- There's a fun "Theatrical Trailer" for the film included on this VHS version.

If you like really big hairy spiders, then look no further than 1955's "Tarantula". ... Read more