A slew of vintage television shows and documentaries are new to DVD this week, led by 1,001 commercials from very early broadcasts, a nostalgic treat for TV-generation baby boomers.
"1001 Classic Commercials" (Mill Creek, 1950s-70s, three discs, $14.98). Just the other day, someone sent me one of those baby-boomer e-mail quizzes and it was nothing but TV-commercial slogans. Sadly, I knew every one of them without hesitating. You know: "You'll wonder where the yellow went (fill in the rest)."
And all of them are here, along with many more, in such categories as food, appliances, health and beauty, beverages and cigarettes (further broken down by brand names). Some of the prints are scratchy, soft or color-faded but many are quite sharp, parading across the screen such old friends as Speedy (Alka-Seltzer), the Jolley Green Giant, the Marlboro Man and Mr. Clean.
There are also celebrities aplenty, as with these cigarette-product hucksters: Bob Barker (BelAir); Ed Wynn, William Frawley and the Three Stooges (Camel); Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam (Kent); Julie London (Marlboro); Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (Philip Morris); Fred and Wilma Flintstone (Winston); Ida Lupino, Howard Duff and Bob Cummings (Winston); Boris Karloff (Ronson lighters).
And just to be balanced there's also a 1954 anti-smoking short.
Far too much for one sitting, of course (16 hours!), but great fun in small doses.
Extras: full frame, 1,001 TV ad spots
"The State: The Complete Series" (MTV/Paramount, 1993-95, five discs, $69.99). The skits performed by this 11-man comedy troupe are sometimes very funny, often very naughty and naturally owe something to Monty Python... Several of these guys went on to do "Reno 911!" which should tell you where they're coming from. Loads of bonus materials will please fans.
Extras: full frame, 24 episodes, pilot, unaired sketches, audio commentaries, featurettes, appearances on other shows, outtakes, promos
"Matlock: The Third Season" (CBS/Paramount, 1988-89, five discs, $49.99). This is the season that reunites Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, as Les Calhoun moves next door to Matlock; Knotts appears in a half-dozen episodes. Other guests include Roddy McDowall, David Ogden Stiers and Dennis Franz.
Extras: full frame, 20 episodes
"Joe Schmo2: The Complete Second Season" (Mill Creek, 2004, two discs, $14.98). A spoof of reality programs, "The Joe Schmo Show" aired on the Spike cable network — and this second season has both a Joe Schmo and a Jane Schmo, two real people who don't realize they're being punk'd by the reality-show stereotypes who surround them, who are actually actors.
Extras: full frame, nine episodes (includes the unaired finale)
"Shark Week: The Great Bites Collection" (Discovery/Image, 2009, two discs, $24.98). This set focuses on human survival: how do you avoid becoming shark cuisine? Included are relevant episodes of "MythBusters" and "Dirty Jobs."
Extras: widescreen, six episodes, three bonus episodes
"McHale's Navy: The First 8 Episodes" (Shout!/Mill Creek, 1962, b/w, $14.98)."Ironside: The Best of Season 1" (Shout!/Mill Creek, 1967, $14.98)..."Swamp Thing: Eight Favorite Episodes" (Shout!/Mill Creek, 1990-91, $14.98)."Punky Brewster: 8 Episodes" (Shout!/Mill Creek, 1984, $14.98)."Men Behaving Badly: Eight Complete Episodes" (Shout!/Mill Creek, 1996, $14.98). These five TV series get the "best of" treatment, essentially the first few episodes of each program's debut season. The best are the vintage sitcom "McHale's Navy" (which launched Tim Conway to stardom) and the crime drama "Ironside," Raymond Burr's successful follow-up to "Perry Mason."
Extras: full frame, eight episodes each (except "Ironside": feature-length pilot, four episodes)
"Journey to the Moon: The 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11" (Mill Creek, 2009, two discs, $14.98). Leading off this set is a new 45-minute documentary — "Journey to the Moon: the Apollo 11 Story" — which looks back on the moon landing, with comments by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. In addition there are six NASA films, including chronicles of Apollo 13, Apollo 17 and a speech at Rice University by President John F... Kennedy.
Extras: full frame, seven films, two slide shows
"Vegas: The City the Mob Made" (Mill Creek, 2009, two discs, $14.98). New 10-episode documentary provides an interesting anecdotal overview of Las Vegas. The usual talking heads, vintage video and photos are used to explore the city's history from its mobster-oriented roots.
Extras: full frame, 10 episodes
"Last Extinction" (PBS, 2009, $29.99). The debate over the demise of mammoths is explored in this "NOVA" program. Theories range from a disastrous meteor to hunters driving them to extinction.
Extras: widescreen, printable materials
"Black Money" (PBS, 2009, $29.99). This "Frontline" investigative episode looks at international bribery, to include slush funds, front companies and secret payments.
Extras: widescreen
e-mail: hicks@desnews.com