Reviews (5)

Collectors dream gone bad...
Everyone should buy this dvd......NOT!!!!!!!! This is one of my all time favorite shows and they really made a mess of it. The quality was bad and the theme song...WAS GONE!!!!!
Simply this, don't waste your money. If you never saw "Petticoat Junction", you're in for a treat, but don't watch it this way. Wait for a qulified company to put it out. Doesn't even deserve one star.

The pits
As a big-time fan of Petticoat Junction, I was tremendously disappointed in this DVD. The picture quality is the absolute worst. This is a major rip-off and the company that released it should refund everyone's money. Who's idea was it to over-dub the theme song? Give me a break! I will certainly make a note of the releasing agent of this disc and NOT PURCHASE anything else with their name on it!! Shame on you! Junk, junk, junk!!

I want to see the entire series transferred with SUPERIOR quality and sound, with no rediculous over-dubbing or edits. Whoever owns the rights to the show needs to sell permission to a QUALIFIED DVD entertainment group. I think Mr. Haney had something to do with this fiasco.

Ok but not collector quality
For people who just want to casually view the episodes this is OK, but collectors will be disappointed with the quality. For me the best part of the whole show is missing. The main theme, beginning and end, has been overdubbed with some really hokey banjo music. Unfortunately, the theme was the main reason I bought the disc. Being a rail fan I was also disappointed that none of the episodes featured the train or railroad.

Technically, this is not a good copy. It doesn't look like the film was cleaned and treated before it was transferred. There are white spots and blotches throughout. The master was not aligned well frame-to-frame the background motion makes me feel like I'm standing on the deck of a ship. It is especially noticeable in the introduction still shots of the water tower and hotel. Finally, one can see the jittery 25 fps compression. While being the nature of a DVD I think it is exaggerate by the poor alignment of the transfer. Note, this review is based on viewing on a Pioneer Elite DVL-91.

What happened to the theme song?
I was so glad to get these old episodes on DVD, however, I was extremely disappointed that the theme song had been replaced by some generic banjo music with no lyrics. I don't have a clue why they did this, but it ruined it for me, because the theme song is one of my favorite parts of the show. But, for the extremely low price, it was worth buying despite the absence of the theme song.

Good down home fun!
Petticoat Junction is good viewing for people of all ages.Set in the southern or midwest town of Hooterville (the name of the state is delightfully not given) the show focuses on the Shady Rest hotel.It is run by Kate Bradley, her 3 outstanding looking daughters and their crusty but likable Uncle Joe (Carson). Stories relate to the amusing run ins they have with their guests and the girls' romances. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Worth getting just for the Arena episode
Star Trek - The Original Series Vol. 10 isn't the best volume of the original series made for DVD yet, but it's not bad either. It has the classic episode, "Arena", where Captain Kirk goes up against a powerful lizard-like creature called a Gorn who wants to kill Captain Kirk. Kirk must find a way to defeat the Gorn in order to get his ship back and in order to stay alive. On the other hand, a lot of people probably won't be too crazy about "The Alternative Factor" because it can be hard to understand. Captain Kirk and the crew deal with a strange man named Lazarus who says he is being terrorized by an evil spirit, or man. Lazarus needs some crystals in order to get his flying-saucer looking ship back into space and off of this evil spirit's planet. And the only place that Lazarus knows of that has the crystals he needs is the Enterprise.

If you're a fan of the original series, I recommend getting Vol. 10 of the original series. It contains one of the best episodes of Star Trek with "Arena" and a mysterious, but likable episode with "The Alternative Factor."

KIRK BATTLES THE GORN IN ARENA!!!
Volume 10 of the Star Trek DVD series contains two episodes that may or may not be considered classics depending on your point of view but none the less both ARENA and THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR are quite memorable.

ARENA is easily considered a classic. In the classic tale Kirk and the crew are in an intergalactic battle with a enemy Gorn ship. The Gorn ship attacks the Enterprise after it invaded their territory. Soon however a "superior" peaceful race captures the two ships and takes Kirk and The Gorn Cpt. to a nearby habitable planet to do beattle. The winner can continue on his mission the loser will be destroyed along with his ship in the interests of peace. The episode sontains two hilarious moments the Gorn (who looks really fake) and the ridiculous superior being whom appears in the end. He asks "Does My Appearance Shock You Captain?" Well it sure shocked me. Later on he says there is hope for the human race and that they can be like the superior race. I don't know but if thats the superior race then I would prefer to stay the way we are! Anyways the episode is a classic. Easily one of the best Trek episodes of the first season.

The second episode here is THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR where Kirk meets a crazed mad man named Lazerus who is bent on destroying his double in a parallel universe. I have always found this episode a headache to watch (similar to the Dagger In The Mind episode). Sure the episode has a deep complex interesting plot but it was not translated well into an episode as it would have belong better in a book. That is why THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR is reviewed so negatively. The episode is quite trippy and complex but I understood it although many viewers don't.

Overall Volume 10 is worth a look particularily for the classic ARENA but you may like THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR depending on your taste. It wasn't my favourite but the plot was quite good. This collection is definetly worth it though.
Highly recommended.

An Alternative Opinion
Being an ORIGINAL trekkie (I care not for johnnie-come-lately Trekkors who have no clue what this series meant in '66), I have strong memories of watching Kirk and Spock every week. When the reruns began to be aired locally (some years after the rest of the country, apparently), I got to see stuff I did not remember. The Alternative Factor became my personal favorite because of the struggles: 1. Kirk and Spock not understanding the nature of the situation 2. Lazarus dealing with his opposite self's actions after they swap universes 3. Stopping anihilation successfully.
The state of budgets and special effects somewhat hurt the visual storytelling, but the rest of the show I find heroic in a very classical sense. I was always blown away by the magnitude of the sacrifice of the rational Lasarus, and Kirk's words at the end chill me even today. Maybe having a friend who looked like, and whose intellect was on the order of Spock's, gives me a different perspective toward this tale. I always felt like Kirk to his Spock, but without a ship to command (Boy, did we need one). Hey, If networks today would pay attention to what Gene and the guys were up to, we'd have shows like...like...like...Enterprise today. Hey, we do! Trek Lives! Long Live Treckkiedom!
This is story telling at it's peak, galactic in scope, human at it's heart, and gut wrenching in it's conclusion. They don't come better than this, even with bigger budgets. This is the stuff that inspires kids to be great achievers, and grown-ups to think about why we do what we do. Great stuff, if you pay attention.

One strong episode, and one very weak one
Arena-This strong episode sees Kirk locked in a life and death struggle with the lizard-like Gorn. The episode commences with the kind of in-the-trenches warfare rarely seen on TV. The brutality of the killing brings out bloodlust in Kirk, who seems ready to exact revenge until control is taken out of his hands. A rather innovative take is then applied to the battle, one which forces Kirk to rely on his wits and keep a level head. It is one of the trademarks of Trek that Kirk eventually shows mercy. Here that mercy is rewarded; if only it were so simple in the real world. (4 stars)

The Alternative Factor-This episode, in which a loner travels between universes in a small ship, just never comes together. Despite the fact that nothing short of the universe is at stake, the episode feels trivial. While Robert Brown certainly has a tough assignment here as the two Laseruses (Laserii?), he seems torn between trying to make each of them 'real' while still being sufficiently different that the viewer will not become confused. Unfortunately he does not succeed in either regard, and the seemingly haphazard storyline doesn't assist the viewer any either. The team also seems to struggle to fill up the episode's allotted hour, but the main problem is the story is presented in a way that doesn't make sense; everything feels arbitrary and desultory. The self-flagellation between universes, while memorable, is not particularly effective either. About the best thing about this episode is the end-the disturbing idea of someone spending eternity battling a madman. (2 stars)

Two Classic Episodes for a Classic Series
"Arena" - Episode 19 - This episode features a duel between our Capt. Kirk and the Gorn. An interesting plot, surreal music, location and the Gorn character give this episode a wonderful campy feeling. Great episode to watch at pitch black night!!

"Alternative Factor" - Episode 20 - An excellent episode that deals with the orignal crew being thrown into unfamilar territory. A man named Lazarus is thrown into an odd state of flux where him and his counterpart switch between a positive and negative universe. An insane Lazarus on one of the sides is bent on destroying both universes. They both eventually meet to fight in the gap between universes eternally. Great epsiode that explores a more complex concept of the universe than the crew usually deals with!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Television's first "Police Woman"
Pre-dating the Angie Dickinson series "Police Woman" by nearly two decades, "Decoy" starred Beverly Garland as Patricia "Casey" Jones, an undercover police officer with the New York Police Department. The series had a total of 39 episodes and was broadcast in the 1957-1958 season. The series had its interiors filmed at the Production Center in New York City and there are usually several exterior scenes of New York City locales in each episode, including one episode that's set at Coney Island. Beverly Garland is great as the no-nonsense cop.

Alpha Video's DVD release is a mixed bag. The first episode on the disc, "First Arrest" looks very good and is of near-broadcast quality. From there, however, things go down hill. The next two episodes, "High Swing" and "Saturday Lost," are of considerably less visual quality, yet are still watchable. Things rebound a bit with the final episode "To Trap a Thief." Given the relative rarity of this series on video/DVD, Alpha's release is certainly acceptable, though one wishes that Alpha had used better source materials. This series is highly recommended for fans of classic/vintage police dramas like "Dragnet" and "The Naked City." Look for guest stars like Larry Hagman, William Hickey and Simon Oakland, among others, in these episodes.

The episodes included are:

First Arrest (Episode #38)
High Swing (Episode #25)
Saturday Lost (Episode #24)
To Trap a Thief (Episode #4)

***** for the "Decoy" series; *** for Alpha's DVD presentation. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The pilot episode is not time comressed.
After reading a claim of time compression by another reviewer,I checked the time of the pilot and it is 22 minutes and 29 seconds and not the 21 minutes that he claims.
It has to be remembered that this was the pilot and not a regular episode so comparing times is not valid. Also if it was time-compressed the voices would be one semitone higher as they are on PAL versions of American shows in whuch the shows are sped up by 1/25th of a second. The voices sound exactly the same on the pilot as the other episodes.
My verdict on the show,four episodes with clear pictures and good sound. A good job done by Rhino on this production.

Pilot episode TIME COMPRESSED!!!!
Notice how everything in the first episode or pilot is un-naturally rushed. Listen to the music. Check it's running time. Then check the running time of the additional episodes. The pilot 21 min. the others 25. Rhino has released this otherwise great show in a TAMPERED with digitally time compressed/edited version. All dvd collectors of classic t.v. want versions better, sharper and at the very least UN-CUT then those shown on Nick at Nite and T.V. Land. Rhino did us no favors with THE REAL McCOYS (EDITED), THE LONE RANGER (EDITED) and add to their list My Favorite Martian!

I like old time tv shows
I have always liked black & white tv programs!{ in FACT I STILL OWN A 20INCH BLACK AND WHITE TV SET} my favorite martin ran on tv when I was kid. today I like the program even more because it is clean and it is still funny after all those years! I would love to see more of the programs released on DVD. I don't mind that some older prints have minnor defects in the film. it is the story and the plots that our the most important to me. I realize that rino did the best they could with the prints they had to work with. the recent passing of ray watson was a great lost to me. I would recommend this disk to anyone looking for funny and fresh stories. I detest the foul mouthed south park that every "thinks is so good today" we need more clean comdy on television today.

A gem
Startlingly good comedy from a bunch of pros. I hadn't seen these episodes in thirty-five years, and I was amazed at how fresh, light, and full of heart they were. Watched them with my kids, 6 and 9, and they both loved the episodes and keep demanding more. Get to work Rhino! Rhino did the best it could with the source material, but one doesn't watch these episodes for the David Lean directorial qualities: just the wonderfully haywire plots and the tight, consistent characterizations of Bixby and Walston. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Sci-Fi and Laughs
"My Favorite Martian" is for Science Fiction what "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie" are for Fantasy: a sitcom based in a fantastic scenario. Bill Bixby (later Doctor David Banner in "The Incredible Hulk" TV series) is Tim O'Hara, a journalist in which roof a flying saucer fells. The occupant of the saucer is a Martian with retractile antennae and the capacity to became invisible and levitate objects. Stranded in Earth, the alien is forced to disguise himself as O'Hara's Uncle Martin. For then on, O'Hara and Martin lives in a "Odd Couple" situation. The Martian's unfamiliarity with Earth customs provided much of the comic situations. The high point of "My Favorite Martian" was Ray Walston's characterization of Uncle Martin. The chemistry between Walston and Bixby was a decisive factor to the success of the series. Walston can be seen in 1999's big screen adaptation, as Uncle Martin's (Christopher Lloyd) fellow countryman, stranded here in Earth since the sixties. The series opened in 1963. The first two seasons were in black and white, and the third in color. ... Read more