Reviews (2)

WHAT ARE THE EPISODES????????
HOW DO THEY EXPECT TO SELL THIS THING IF THEY DO NOT TELL YOU WHAT YOU ARE BUYING?

To the publishers: Please re-release this video!
As an avid fan of the Andy Griffith Show, please re-release this video. I'm certain you will have many many purchasers! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

BONANZA--What Else Is There To Say?
You can't go wrong with any videos of Bonanza. It was a series that was decent (as opposed to anything on the TV these days!)with good values taught.

It's a Bonanza!
...I hesitated for a couple of months to get this video, even considering myself a huge Bonanza fan. The reason for my reluctancy was simply that I had already owned many other episodes on that show and didn't want to take the risk of getting doubles.If you realized, Amazon.com doesn't name the episode, but it's a real Bonanza. If you had the same problem, I think it's over now for I took the chances for you and bought the tape.The episode name is "Blood on the Land". That episode was first seen on February 13, 1960. Sheep and Cows are not supposed to live together on that story. Because of that, Everett Sloane, who is the guest star and plays the role of a sheepherder, kidnaps Adam Cartwright. The "small" Ponderosa is the price for him not to kill Pernell Roberts, our "Adam boy", also known as 'The Dark Cartwright'. It's really worth seeing and owning that tape. Mature the idea if you are a Bonanza fan like me. I'm sure you won't regret watching it. Have fun! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

BUYER BEWARE!
Buyer beware. For some reason the company that produces these particular Andy Griffith Show video collections do not have the copyrights to the original Andy Griffith score so they have created some annoying, cheesy new score that sounds nothing like the familiar whistling tune. I was greatly disappointed with this purchase and urge anyone who is a die hard Andy Griffith fan NOT to buy these tapes. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A searing indictment of anti-intellectualism run amuck
The episode "The Obsolete Man" is a philosophy lecture in video form, as T-Z episodes always tended to be. The problem is that if you inject some lesson into entertainment, a lot of people aren't going to entirely get the point. To this day, the consensus on this episode is mostly that it's Cold War-era "boogeyman" propaganda about totalitarian societies--its resemblance to certain scenes in the screen version of Orwell's "1984" tends to create the misapprehension that it's an offshoot. But what librarian Wordsworth has been busted for is that he deals in a banned item--books. Burgess Meredith as Wordsworth has always had a talent for playing bookish types and Fritz Weaver is almost typecast as the tyrant he faces. It's a standard cliche that totalitarian regimes don't like people to read the wrong things because it might lead to disloyalty. Nazi Germany burned books because of that very rationale. More recently, the Religious Right did the same during the 1980s here in America. In the case of both symbolic acts, there was a loud and avid audience for any such event. Nobody likes people who read too much--at least nobody that matters. Is the term "bookworm" an accolade? Hell no. "Excessive reading" is one of the classic symptoms of the nerd--he can't relate to real people because he's always reading. It's always assumed that when a kid wears coke-bottle glasses, too much reading is why. When I was a kid, if my dad had been required to pay a fine to me every time he spoke the phrase "with his nose in a goddam book", he might not have gone broke--but I would have gotten a bigger allowance from him than I actually did get on a weekly basis. When a neighboring county ran into a budget deficit this year, library services were among the first cutbacks. I guess the lesson I see in this episode is that books might indeed be considered as a "toxic substance" by totalitarian societies, but the grassroots bias against too much reading because it isn't "cool" is a problem in and of itself. A lot of people don't like reading because it bores them, but when people impose that preference on others, you don't have to live in a Fourth or Fifth Reich for something to be wrong with that picture.

Rod Serling's Classic Zone episode about the Holocaust
Burgess Meredith returns to the Zone as Romney Wordsworth, another book loving man, in "The Obsolete Man." Although this story does not have to do with World War II, it does feature a Nazi-like futuristic regime where books have been banned. The Chancellor (Fritz Weaver) judges Wordsworth to be "obsolete" and sentences him to be executed in a manner of his own choosing. The better episode here is "Death's Head Revisited," written by Rod Serling and very effectively directed by Don Medford. Oscar Beregi plays "Mr. Schmidt," who visits the ruins of Dachau because during the war he was Captain Gunther Lutze of the S.S. However, his happy reminiscences are disturbed by the "caretaker" Becker, played with quiet effectiveness by Joseph Schildkraut, who is really the ghost of one of Lutze's victims--and he is not alone. Years before "Holocaust" or "Schindler's List," Serling's "Deaths-Head Revisited" stood as a reminder we should not forget. Of all of Serling's "preachy" episodes, this is far and away the best of the lot. This is an absolutely classic television episode.

Very current even today
The Obsolete Man stand up with the best of Sterling's work on the Twilight zone. Just Look at all the jails being built and the people they put in them and you may begain to realize how current this one twilight zone show is. Goverments still decides who's obsolete. Not to be missed!

Serling isn't a writer, he's a prophet.
Two masterful episodes, both originated by Serling. In "Death's Head Revisited," a Nazi gets a dose of his own medicine. In "The Obsolete Man," Burgess Meredith gives a riveting performance as a librarian in the desolate future where books have been banned. It has everything: a moral, suspense, wit, and irony. A must. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A pair of first rate Rod Serling scripts, esp. "The Shelter"
A pair of excellent scripts by Rod Serling are featured on this particular "Twilight Zone" videotape. "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" (October 16, 1959) is the third episode of "The Twilight Zone," starring Dan Duryea as the title character, a drunken gunslinger who is forced to fight the town bully (Martin Landau). However, Henry J. Fate (Malcolm Atterbury) rides into town and just by looking at Denton momentarily restores his shooting skills. But after winning the gunfight, Denton finds he has become the target for a young gunslinger (Doug McClure) wanting to make his reputation. Denton buys a magic potion from Fate that will give him ten seconds of deadly accuracy, which Denton must use to change his life forever. This episode provides one of the better "TZ" scripts, which I do not think you will find predictable.

"The Shelter" (September 29, 1961) is one of my favorite episodes of "The Twilight Zone." Although this is one of Serling's "preachy" scripts, I think it is a case where he hits the mark perfectly. The neighborhood is gathering for a surprise party for Doc Stockton (Larry Gates), when the radio announces radar has detected what appears to be incoming missiles. Doc, his wife and young son go to the shelter he has built in his basement. But when his unprepared neighbors start begging to be let in there is neither enough room nor enough supplies, which is when things get ugly. Some people consider "The Shelter" to be melodramatic, but I always found it rather chilling. Maybe because it is a rare "TZ" episode that has neither any science fiction nor fantasy elements. The cast for this third season episode includes Jack Albertson as Jerry Harlowe, Joseph Bernard as Mary Weiss, Sandy Kenyon as Frank, and Peggy Stewart as Grace Stockton.

Shows who's really youy friends
The shelter isn't a particulary scary episode but shows what your friends may do to you in a state of crisis.A doctor has some friends over with a party when a ufo flys over and everyone is panicked and runs home.The doctor and his family retire to the bomb shelter and have enough supplies for only his family.His friends panic and knock the door down and the crisis is a false alarm.His friends apologize for being so greedy but the doctor comes out in disbelief in how these people acted, wanting to save themselves even if it meant killing the doctor in the process. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The Invaders looks silly now
I watched a different tape - which had the Invaders but not Nothing in Dark.

The Invaders is a good acting performance and it is interesting but SSLLOOWW and a little silly looking now. Little versions of the robot from lost in space attacking this woman with little flashlights and a carving knife??? For it's time it was probably good, but not now - in my opinion.

Agnes Moorhead, Gladys Cooper and Robert Redford in the Zone
This volume of "The Twilight Zone" offers a pair of classic episodes where the performances by the actors are as memorable as the stories with their infamous Twilight Zone twists. "The Invaders" is a tour de force performance by Agnes Moorhead in an episode written by Richard Matheson. Moorhead plays a woman living alone in a farmhouse who finds that a miniature flying saucer has landed on her roof. The woman has to fight against the strange tiny invaders with their advanced technology. But then remember, this is the Twilight Zone. "Nothing in the Dark," written by George Clayton Johnson, offers Gladys Cooper as Wanda Dunn as an old woman who has barricaded herself in her basement apartment for years, fearing that Mr. Death with kill her with a touch. Wanda knows that Death can take many disguises. But despite her fears, when Harold Beldon, a young policeman is shot outside her door, she drags him inside. Of course, the fact Beldon is played by Robert Redford might have something to do with her letting her guard down. Like I said up top, both of these episodes are classics from the beloved television anthology series.

Two More Gems From the Twilight Zone
two more well written episodes from the Twilight Zone series finds host Rod Serling Presenting Agnes Moorehead being attacked in her home by small invaders (a spine thriller episode written by Richard Matheson). The second episode written by George Clayton Johnson shows a young Robert Redford playing a mystery guest who shows an old woman that there is nothing to be afraid of in the dark (even after the lights are turned on). science fiction on television never got better then this.

WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR
NOTHING IN THE DARK and THE INVADERS have to be 2 of the most watched episodes of "The Twilight Zone." Gladys Cooper and Robert Redford give very good performances in this story of 'Mister Death' knocking at the door by George Clayton Johnson. THE INVADERS is a classic episode in the true tradition of "The Twilight Zone." Richard Matheson wrote a memorable story and Agnes Moorehead gave one of the greatest visual acting jobs of all time. Volume 1 is excellent and a must-have!

The Nature of Fear
These two episodes are immortal examples of the very essence of what "The Twilight Zone" is all about. 'NOTHING IN THE DARK' and 'THE INVADERS' are two very classic examples. They focus one the isolation of the individual and the fears that one creates. By our own willingness through self-fortitude we face those fears. And perhaps the very nature of those fears was not what we had made them out to be. The performances by Agnes Moorehead, Gladys Cooper and Robert Redford make these episodes very tangible for the emotional response of the viewer. Very effective and highly recommended viewing. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

In the Twilight Zone, it matters how you play the game...
The sporting life is the top of this pair of above average episodes from "The Twilght Zone." "Steel," adapted by Richard Matheson from this short story and directed by Don Weis, is the better of Lee Marvin's two appearances in the series. Once a heavyweight who was never knocked down "Steel" Kelly is now the manager of Battling Maxo (Tip McClure), an outmoded B2 robot who badly needs repairs. The problem is, Kelly has no money in this future where only androids are allowed in the ring since prizefighter was banned in 1968. However, Kelly pretends to be an android to get a fight to raise the cash for his fighter. "A Game of Pool" is one of George Clayton Johnson's best scripted episodes, featuring Jack Klugman as pool shark Jesse Cardiff who gets the game of a lifetime against the legendary--and late--Fats Brown, played by Jonathan Winters. This episode, directed by Buzz Kulik, is one of those moments that reaffirms how good comedians are as dramatic actors. If you are reminded of Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason in "The Hustler" after watching "A Game of Pool," then you are certainly not alone in that regard.

Gamesman ship at several interesting levels
Jack Klugman is brilliant as an unchallenged pool shark who calls to the edge of the "Twilight Zone" for a worthy, if deceased challenger. As Fats Brown, Winters is nibble and smart as a Jackie Gleason styled hustler. The pay off on this show doesn't come until the end, so do not tune out too quickly. Steel is a slightly other matter. Serling was a boxer when younger and, despite his small stature, was rather skilled. This piece is certainly not up to the standard of "Requiem for a Heavyweight," coincidently on the U.S. Steel Hour, but examines the courage inherent in man's quest to control his universe. The premise of "Steel" has boxing for humans outlawed. Robots are sent to do man's work. Unfortunately, what do you do when your metal mealticket is damaged and you need the money to repair him? Lee Marvin plays the aptly nicknamed Steel who was a fighter before is was outlawed. You may guess from the previous sentence how the protagonists deal with the problem. Not unlike "Requiem,"the underdog scores a victory of sorts which will satisfy without being ridiculous. I recommend "Requiem" with Jack Palance for a true examination of Serling at the height of his writing ability dealing with this subject he obviously loved. Despite that, the Twilight Zone at its weakest is still superior to most television and movies of today. This is certainly not at its weakest. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

LITTLE JOE AND HOSS AT IT AGAIN
THIS IS A KIND OF EPISODE WHERE WE SEELITTLE JOE HAVE A LITTLE FUN WITH HIS BIGBROTHER. LITTLE JOE KNOCKS DOWN A HOUSE OFCARDS THAT HOSS IS MAKING. AFTER THE CARDSARE ALL OVER THE TABLEAND THE FLOOR, WE SEEHOSS RUN AFTER JOE WHENBEN COMES WALKING IN,BUMPS INTO JOE AND GOESTO SIT DOWN BY THE DESK. STANDING BY HIS PAHE TRYS TO GET PAST HIM BUT WITH NO LUCKAS HOSS ADVANCES TOWORDSJOE. IT'S JUST A DELGHT TO SEE OUR LOVING CARTWRIGHTS ONTAPE FOR OUR VERY OWNTO WATCH OVER AND OVERAGAIN. FOR ADAM FANS, YOUONLY SEE HIM IN THEBEGINING AND A LITTLEIN THE MIDDLE. BUT, AGOOD EPISODE ALL IN ALL. ... 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 (2)

A pair of World War II stories in the Zone from Rod Serling
Both of the stories in this "Twilight Zone" volume offer writer Rod Serling's take on World War II and the brutality of war. "The Purple Testament" is set on the Philippine Islands during World War II. William Reynolds plays Lt. Fitzgerald, who sees a strange light on the faces of those men in his platoon who are about to be killed in battle. The better episode of the two is "A Quality of Mercy." Dean Stockwell plays Lt. Katell, who has recently arrived in the Philippines in August of 1945 and wants to prove himself in battle before the war ends. When he orders an attack on a group of starved Japanese soldiers trapped in a cave, Sgt. Causarano (Albert Salmi) tries to talk him out of it. Katell refuses and suddenly finds himself as Japanese Lt. Yamuri, ordered by his captain (Jerry Fujikawa) to attack a cave where wounded American soldiers are holed up. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Neither of these is a classic Zone episode, but they are still worthy of your consideration.

I've seen better
Not the best two episodes. Includes "The Purple testament" which is powerful, but could be better, and the not-too-good episode "A Quality of Mercy" It's probably better not to bother with this one. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Bonanza episode you just gotta watch!
"The Crucible" is one of the best Bonanza episodes ever,featuring Adam Cartwright as the main character.Adam is fighting for his life and his sanity,up against all evil and against all odds.During the time it lasts,it just grows more and more exciting.You can feel it in your bones,and that`s why the outcome becomes sweetly rewarding both for the viewer and for Adam himself.This man is a true hero.This episode`s your best buy!

FIVE STARS AND THREE REASONS WHY
This show is our past and future.
This episode is our best buy.
This man is our hero.

A truly incredible performance by Pernell Roberts!
This is a most compelling episode that shows the depth of the character of Adam Cartwright as portrayed by Pernell Roberts. His gripping performance is extraoridinary and the ending scene is most poignant. It is truly among Bonanza's most riveting episodes! Bonanza is a classic and this episode truly lives up to that category. A true masterpiece!

The Crucible - Bonanza video
One word sums it up! Excellent!

The Crucible: A Bonanza Masterpiece!
This is the best episode of Bonanza ever made! Adam Cartwright is the featured character, and Roberts does a brilliant performance in this uncommonly mature episode. I've never seen an episode of Bonanza this good! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A belly laughing episode!
This episode is full of laughs, especially when two of the three outlaws start fighting together. The outlaws are trying to break in to get some gold out of the old guy's and Walter's hands. In comes Hoss to help them, but doesn't really trust Walter, the dog. A great episode to have to your collection!

I give it a 10!
This is a very funny episode that tells a tale of Hoss helping out an old miner and his dog battle three outlaws that are after some gold. The picture quality is excellent and this contains the original theme song. Once you see this episode, you'll want to watch the sequel to this one: Walter and the Outlaws. However, I don't think that one is out on video yet, but you can catch it on PAX TV. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Classic Barney Fife
This is classic Barney! Opie and Arnold knock a baseball through the front door or the old Rimshaw place and are too scared to go in and get it. Barney gives them a speach about how there is no such things as ghosts. Then Andy calls his bluff and sends him to retrieve the ball. Barney tricks Gomer into going with him, and when they get there, they are scared silly by noises and run back to get Andy. He takes them back to prove to them there's nothing to be afraid of. I won't give away the ending. You'll love it!

The movie is scary yet funny
The movie will make you laug ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Cliff Robertson and Inger Stevens visit The Twilight Zone
Sometimes regular people find it hard to put up with things that should not be alive but are, which is pretty much the common denominator to the two episodes of "The Twilight Zone" submitted her for your approval. "The Dummy" features Cliff Robertson as ventriloquist Jerry Etherson, who is convinced his knotty-pine partner "Willie" is not only alive but pretty much evil incarnate. Rod Serling wrote this script, based on an unpublished story by Lee Polk, which features one of the most memorable and chilling final shots in the history of the Zone. The other episode on this tape is "The Lateness of the Hour," where we find Dr. Loren (John Hoyt) enjoying being served by his perfect robots. However, his daughter Jana (Inger Stevens), cannot stand this idyllic life. Unfortunately, the twist for this one is pretty predictable even though Serling does put a nice flip on the twist at the end. This was the first Zone episode to be taped rather than filmed, and Serling made the limitations of this format part of the story in terms of Jana's feelings of confinement. However, the taped episodes of the Zone just never looked right to me.

Scary, twisty gems from Rod Serling.
"The Dummy" is about a ventriloquist who honestly believes that his dummy is alive (though he drinks a lot) and soon gets taken over in way reminiscent of DEAD OF NIGHT (1945). "The Lateness of the Hour" is a bizarre yet original tale of robots as an elderly gentlemen's personal assistants. The first episode is chilling, the second is strange, both are memorable (especially "The Lateness of the Hour," though, since it has the surrealistic visual style also found in "Long Distance Call").

Fair and Worthwile
Two good episodes on this one. One about a talented man who claims his Dummy he performs with is alive, and one about a girl who is afraid that the robot servants in her family's house are being loved more than she is. Pretty good. Definitely will be enjoyed by TZ fans and collectors. ... Read more