These new-to-DVD television programs are led by a classic TV production from 1959.
"What Makes Sammy Run?" (Koch, 1959, b/w, $24.98). Once upon a time the major TV networks produced rousing dramas based on books, and "What Makes Sammy Run?" is one of the more famous, an insider story of a poor kid who makes a ruthless climb up the Hollywood ladder.
Based on Budd Schulberg's novel, the show aired in two one-hour parts on "The NBC Sunday Showcase" and starred Broadway performer Larry Blyden as Sammy Glick — a precursor to subsequent sinister Hollywood movers and shakers in such films as "Sunset Blvd.," "Sweet Smell of Success" and "The Player."
The supporting cast features John Forsythe, Barbara Rush, Dina Merrill and Norman Fell, but it is Blyden's performance as Glick that stays with you, every bit as powerful as Michael Douglas' equally loathsome character in "Wall Street."
Although the show was originally broadcast in color, this black-and-white kinescope (filmed off of a television screen) is all that remains, but it's a very good print.
Extras: full frame, audio commentary (by Merrill and Rush), interview with Schulberg; 16-page booklet
"She Stoops to Conquer" (Acorn, 2008, two discs, $39.99). The classic 18th century farce — which rivals Shakespeare for mistaken identities and convoluted plotting, and remains quite funny — gets a lavish redo for British television with this adaptation of the story of a practical joke that leads to mix-ups about who is of upper or lower social status.
Extras: widescreen, five episodes, featurette
"Wild at Heart: Series 1" (Acorn, 2006, two discs, $39.99). Filmed on location near Johannesburg, this drama features a blended English family (dad's a veterinarian) that travels to South Africa on holiday but gets caught up in restoring a rundown game preserve and decides to stay on.
Extras: widescreen, six episodes, text production notes, photo gallery
"Dennis Potter: 3 to Remember" (Koch, 1980, three discs, $39.98). Fans of Potter's unique TV miniseries "Pennies From Heaven" and "The Singing Detective" will appreciate these three British teleplays: "Cream in My Coffee," about an elderly couple (Lionel Jeffries and Peggy Ashcroft) who visit the hotel where they began their romance; "Blade on the Feather," with Donald Pleasance as an author whose quiet household is up-ended by a fan (Tom Conti); and "Rain on the Roof," about a married teacher who flirts with her mentally challenged student, unleashing the lad's inner rage.
Extras: full frame, documentary: "Dennis Potter: The Last Interview" (1994)
"Melrose Place: The Fifth Season, Volume One" (CBS/Paramount, 1996-97, four discs, $42.99). Kelly Rutherford, Rob Estes and Lisa Rinna join Heather Locklear, Courtney Thorne-Smith and the rest of the cast for Season 5 of this torrid prime-time soap … well, the first half of Season 5.
Extras: full frame, 19 episodes
E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com