NOV 7 DVD IN REVIEW

POLICE SQUAD THE COMPLETE SERIES
Paramount Home Entertainment

Anybody who loves spoofs is glad to see this hit DVD. Police Squad offers spoof king Leslie Nielson as Detective Frank Drebin in a show that is probably the closest thing to Mad Magazine as TV has ever gotten. I’m a big fan of non-sequiter comedy. A non- sequiter is basically getting a laugh out of something that doesn’t belong in the scene. I seem to remember one episode where the cast played most of the story straight but had to do it around an inexplicably placed and very annoying chimpanzee. My favorite of the shows many running gags was the freeze frame ending. As the cast enjoyed a last light moment in the stationhouse the actors would all freeze- physically freeze- imitating the cheesy ending of shows like TJ Hooker and Police Woman. Flies would buzz around people would blink etc.

For a show that only generated six episodes there are a lot of extras here including select episode commentary by the legendary Zuckers and Abrams (who also created Airplane, Top Secret! And other essential spoof films). There’s also a brand-new interview with Leslie Nielsen a number of behind the scenes featurettes and a gag reel.

MELROSE PLACE THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
BEVERLY HILLS 90210 THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
Paramount Home Entertainment

Can shows like these become cult “classics”? I’m guessing they could never be anything but guilty pleasures. As insipid as the romance novel culture that inspired them these types of shows have nonetheless proliferated even mutated into the preferred slick style of presentation for TV melodrama. So whether you are watching Buffy, Supernatural, Smallville, Seventh Heaven, Desperate Housewives or …. You get the idea. These are the programs that perfected the slow but inexorable move of the Soap Opera into prime time. And yet a guilty sort of pleasure remains for many. Why? Is it the parade of impossibly beautiful bodies? Or is it watching adults behave like high schoolers? Or is it watching adults play high schoolers?

I’m quite serious. Would someone out there who likes this stuff tell me why? I’m also curious how stuff like this plays out against Korean television and melodrama. It would make a fascinating dialogue on the site.

You get some extras on these but nothing outstanding. All 32 episodes from the 1992-93 season are included on 8 discs. 2 featurettes "Melrose Place: Behind the Scenes" and "Melrose Place: New Style Profile" are balanced alongside a variety of other Mini featurettes and you also get Season 1 episode recaps. Beverly Hills 90210 offers all 22 episodes from the 1990-91 season on 6 discs with commentary by creator Darren Star on select episodes. You also get the featurettes “Meet The Class”, "Beginnings with Darren Star" and 90210 Behind The Scenes as well as Looking Back: The Season One Recap.

My advice? Not a fan. If you are then buy these with the confidence that there won’t be better Criterion Collection versions later.

M.A.S.H. SEASON 11
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Ain’t givin’ this up! I’ve The last season of Mash is a keeper because of the programs last episode. Yeah, it’s partly nostalgia but it’s also really, really good television and up until very recently was the highest rated episodic moment in the history of the medium. We had said fond farewells to characters before but seldom like this. Watching the members of the 4007th go their separate ways was as bittersweet as it was inevitable. While Hawkeye’s constant punning hasn’t aged well the more human aspects of MASH have. The fact that MASH is set in the Korean War is provocative stuff for Twitchers. Any Asian wartime series that could bear out comparison?

Extras here are a major point of contention with fan who are complaining they should not have to buy the Ultimate Box Set to get the Extras disc included there. It’s easy to see their point since there really aren’t any extras included on this set. Extras aren’t something people should have to pay extras for are they? Fans who’ve invested money in 11 box sets?

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: ANNIE OAKLEY
PBS Home Entertainment

PBS may be somewhat overrated as a source of self-education but there are certainly worse places to start. I rarely feel less than enriched by their documentary fare. This look at Annie Oakley is no exception the rule. Rich with historical detail and perspective about the myth that has grown up around her this is basically must own for anyone who has an interest in turn of the century western entertainment. A real plus here is the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show Poster Gallery

OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR
Paramount Home Entertainment

A good movie I’ve never heard of is always a welcome addition to my mailbox. I especially enjoy surreal social satires like The Ruling Class, Brazil and The Singing Detective (TV show more than the film). So I was pretty surprised to find this hidden Brit gem. Based on a well regarded stage musical of the same name, Oh! What A Lovely War looks to have the same sort of irreverent energy and spark that fuels the best antiwar stuff. Included here are some wonderful extras included a three part documentary on the history of the production with interviews of principal surviving cast and crew. What a pity this didn’t happen sooner given the remarkable cast that was assembled. Imagine if we could have had interviews with Olivier, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, as well as those who were able to participate. A marvelous commentary from Lord Richard Attenborough goes a long way towards making up for that and fans will be interested to hear him talk about his debut directing experience.