An early TV sitcom starring an Oscar-winning actress leads off this collection of new-to-DVD programs, scheduled to be in stores on Tuesday.
"Hazel: The Complete First Season" (Sony, 1961-62, not rated, $39.95, four discs). Based on a popular panel comic strip in the Saturday Evening Post magazine (and still running in some newspapers around the country), the title character is the maid to a lawyer, his wife and their young son.
Don't ask why a homemaker with one child needs a maid. Just enjoy Shirley Booth (1952's best actress for "Come Back, Little Sheba"), who shines as a wisdom-dispensing, cleaning-and-cooking member of the family.
The show is a soft domestic sitcom in the tradition of "Ozzie & Harriet" and "Father Knows Best" — "Maid Knows Best," if you will. And Booth is a delight.
Extras: Full frame, 35 episodes, optional English subtitles, chapters.
"La Femme Nikita: The Complete Fourth Season" (Warner, 2000, not rated, $99.98, six discs). Peta Wilson returns for a fourth season of this thrilling basic-cable series, a precursor to "Alias" and from some of the talent now working on "24." This season includes Nikita being coerced into marriage and more of the unexpected twists we've come to expect from this fast-paced show.
Extras: Full frame, 22 episodes, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"Broken Saints: The Animated Comic Epic" (Fox, 2001, not rated, $49.98, four discs). This visually arresting animated fantasy is actually an online series. The apocalyptic sci-fi/horror stories are interesting, but the style takes some getting used to, with still pictures in the manner of a comic book, complete with thought/speech balloons (that are also verbalized).
Extras: Widescreen, 24 episodes, audio commentaries, featurettes, fan films, subtitle options (English, Spanish, French), chapters; DVD-Rom applications.
"Star Trek Klingon Fan Collective" (CBS/Paramount,1967-2001, not rated, $42.99, four discs). Another collection of character-specific episodes from the many "Star Trek" TV series. These focus on Klingons and how their personalities and physical look have changed over the years.
Extras: Full frame/widescreen, 11 episodes, audio commentaries, text commentaries, optional English subtitles, chapters.
"Blue Collar TV: The Complete Second Season" (Warner, 2005, not rated, $24.98, two discs). More skits from the country-comedy series starring Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall.
Extras: Full frame, 13 episodes, deleted/censored skits, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"Laguna Beach: The Complete Second Season" (MTV/Paramount, 2005-06, not rated, $39.99, three discs). Eight rich Laguna Beach, Calif., teens who'll do anything to get on TV flaunt their materialistic lives in this MTV reality series.
Extras: Widescreen, 17 episodes, deleted scenes, featurettes, casting tapes, trailers, optional English subtitles, chapters.
"Frontline: The Al Qaeda Files" (PBS/Paramount, 2006, not rated, $34.99, two discs). These are episodes of the PBS series "Frontline" about al-Qaida and the pursuit of Osama bin Laden.
Extras: Full frame/widescreen, seven episodes, optional English subtitles, chapters.
"MacArthur" (WGBH, 1999, not rated, $29.95, two discs). Two-part, four-hour documentary about the controversial Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who led soldiers in World War II and Korea and who battled with President Harry Truman.
Extras: Full frame, printable materials, optional English subtitles, chapters. (If you can't find this title in a local store, it can be ordered by phone at 800-949-8670 or on the Web at shop.wgbh.org.)
"Beavis and Butt-Head: The Mike Judge Collection, Volume 3" (Paramount, 2001-06, not rated, $39.99, three discs). More of the crude, rude, dopey duo's MTV animated adventures.
Extras: Full frame, 42 cartoons, 15 music videos, featurettes, Beavis and Butt-Head guest appearances, chapters.
"Alice in Wonderland" (Sony, 1985, not rated, $14.94). "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" are adapted in this childish two-part TV musical, with songs by Steve Allen, who is also among the all-star cast, including Sammy Davis Jr., Ringo Starr, Harvey Korman, Sid Caesar, etc.
Extras: Full frame, subtitle options (English, French), chapters.
"VeggieTales: Larry Boy and the Bad Apple" (Big Idea, 2006, not rated, $14.98). Funny, thoughtful animation for kids, with faith-based elements, as Bad Apple tries to get denizens of Bumblyburg to give in to temptation.
Extras: Full frame, audio commentary, featurettes, interactive games, trivia, subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters; DVD-Rom applications.
"Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends: The Prince, the Princess and the Bee" (Lionsgate, 2006, not rated, $14.98). This feature-length cartoon is a spinoff from the "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends" TV show on Nick Jr. Here, Miss Spider helps Shimmer discover whether she is actually a beetle princess.
Extras: Full frame, featurettes, sing-alongs, interactive game, episode from TV series, language options (English, Spanish), chapters.
"Livin' It Up! With the Bratz" (Goldhil, 2006, not rated, $19.98). Sasha, Cloe, Yasmin and Jade star in this interactive animated effort.
Extras: Full frame, audio commentary, featurettes, music videos, chapter.
"Clifford's Puppy Days: Puppy Sports Spectacular" (Scholastic, 2006, not rated, $14.98).
"Clifford, the Big Red Dog: Growing Up With Clifford" (Scholastic, 2006, not rated, $14.98). Animated stories with the big red dog.
Extras: Full frame, eight stories, featurettes, language options (English, Spanish), optional English subtitles, chapters.
"Elmo's World: Pets" (Sesame Street/Sony, 2006, not rated, $12.98). Three episodes of "Elmo's World" — "Dogs," "Cats" and "Pets" — have the child-puppet interacting with real kids and real animals.
Extras: Full frame, three episodes, chapters.
"Rock & Bop With the Doodlebops" (Lionsgate, 2006, not rated, $14.98).
"Dance & Hop With the Doodlebops" (Lionsgate, 2006, not rated, $14.98). Live-action musical adventures with the title characters, Deedee, Rooney and Moe Doodle.
Extras: Full frame, four episodes each, knock-knock jokes, sing-alongs, music videos, optional English subtitles, chapters.
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com