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Even under the heavy censorship of 1946 Hollywood, Lana Turner and John Garfield's libidinous desires burn up the screen in Tay Garnett's adaptation of James M. Cain's torrid crime melodrama. Platinum blond Turner is Cora, a restless sexpot stuck in a roadside diner married to mundane middle-aged fry cook Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway) when handsome drifter Frank (Garfield) blows her way. It's lust at first sight, a rapacious desire that neither can break off, and before long they're plotting his demise--but in the wicked world of Cain nothing is that easy. Garnett's visual approach is subdued compared to the more expressionistic film noir of the period, but he's at no loss when he films the luminous Turner in her milky-white wardrobe. She radiates repressed sexuality and uncontrollable passion while Garfield's smart-talking loner Frank mixes street-smart swagger and scrappy toughness with vulnerability and sincere intensity. Costar Hume Cronyn cuts a cold, calculating figure as their conniving lawyer, a chilly character that only increases our feelings for the murderous couple, victims of an all consuming amour fou that drives their passions to extremes. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Naughty, naughty, naughty.
I may be old fashioned but I still find this movie a little shocking. And while the end is a dissapointment, it was probably made necessary by the censors. Its also an element of Film Noir that everything ISN'T going to be ok.

It all works because of Lana Turner. Ms. Turner takes a simple--and hopfully, implausible--story and makes it cheap, tawdry and hotter than hell.

Man, this must have been something in 1946! I'll bet a lot of couples gave each other a long look as they left the theatre....

"You've been trying to make a tramp out of me."
"The Postman Always Rings Twice" is one of the best-known entries in the Film Noir genre. The film, directed by Tay Garnett is based on the James Cain novel. Cora Smith (Lana Turner) is married to Nick Smith. It's an incongruous match, and drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) certainly thinks the Smiths are wildly mismatched when he arrives in the Smiths' petrol station/roadside cafe. Frank has no intention of staying, but when he gets an eyeful of the scantily clad Cora, he decides to stick around and accepts a job from Nick Smith.

Before too long, Cora and Frank are embroiled in a hot affair under her husband's nose. He's blissfully unaware that Cora and Frank are hot and heavy. In some situations, perhaps, this affair would continue on for years, but circumstances force Frank and Cora to take action. When the decision is made to murder Nick, Frank and Cora's relationship is put to the test.

Lana Turner was great in the role of Cora. She is obviously extremely unhappy with Nick--even before Frank comes along. This is glaringly obvious to everyone except Nick, and as it turns out, he has entirely different plans for Cora. Cora tries to fight the attraction to Frank, but they are too much alike and they are inevitably drawn to one another. Under different circumstances, they would probably meet and have a passionate brief affair. Somehow, I don't think ambitious Cora would really give Frank much of a second glance if she had the world of men to choose from.

This film works so well thanks to the strong characterization and excellent acting. Bleached blonde Cora just doesn't look right in her neat, little white Twin Oaks uniform--she was built to languish on a velvet chaise, but fate has her stuck in a poky hole-in-the-ground cafe. One conversation between Cora and Frank hints at Cora's past as she explains away her marriage. It's only a matter of time before some man comes along, takes one look at Cora and decides to liberate her from Nick's company. Just as Cora married Nick for security, Nick has his own reasons for marrying Cora, and love does not seem to be one of them. Frank, the drifter, is suitably rough-around-the edges. He's so enamored with Cora, that he takes her bidding--but also nurses a vague resentment at the same time. Hume Cronyn and Leon Ames are both excellent in their supporting roles--both actors are scene-stealers. The DVD also includes many worthwhile extras about the career of John Garfield. I recommend this film highly if you are interested in Film Noir or just want to watch a riveting film--displacedhuman

Welcome to the Twin Oaks
Postman's plot centers around drifter Frank, and his relationship with the beautiful Cora. Cora and husband, Nick, run the Twin Oaks -- a roadside service station/diner -- and Nick has hired Frank to help around the place. Cora and Nick are May/December, but there is no romance whatsover between them. The reason for their marriage is cryptically revealed during one scene, but, in the end, one never can quite figure out why they are together. Frank and Cora quickly fall for each other and desire a life together -- a desire that requires removing Nick from the picture. The urgency reaches fever pitch when Nick announces his intention to sell the diner and move Cora to nothern Canada where she will care for Nick's recently paralyzed sister, who, in Nick's words, is going to live for a long time. As other reviewers have mentioned, the DA and defense attorney stand out in this film as well-conceived characters, the defense attorney played to perfection by Hume Cronyn.

Over the years, Postman has been lauded as perhaps the quintessential piece of film noir -- an intentionally bleak genre that experienced its heyday in the forties and fifties. Although Postman is undoubtedly a precise work of film noir, it's reputation may be based as much on it's mold-shattering relationship with MGM as on its artistic merit. Released by MGM, Postman was so far out of character for the studio that MGM had to borrow John Garfield to cast the leading role. That said, one is hard pressed to envision Frank as having been played by anyone other than Garfield. The same can't be said for Lana Turner's Cora, though. Yet, while other actresses may admirably have filled Cora's sultry shoes, Turner does indeed sizzle in this role. Both Garfield and Turner play their parts to perfection -- their acting is simply terrific. Somehow, though, the chemistry between the two leaves a little something wanting. For me, this was underscored by the instant chemistry that exists between Frank/Garfield and the "other woman" he picks up at the train station during Lana/Cora's absence. That said, the little something that is wanting between Turner and Gerfield contributes, in its own way, to the bleakness of the plot.

Technically, the dvd presentation of Postman is quite good. The transfer here is not as pristine as other Warner releases and there are digital artifacts and noise noticeable in many scenes. However, they are not severe enough in effect or number to detract from the film. Although the audio on this dvd is fine, the score for Postman is really just mediocre. Heavy on suspense motifs, one is left feeling as though they've heard much of this music before. The highlight of the dvd is the Garfield documentary that Warner has included as an extra. For fans of the noir genre, and for fans of Garfield in particular, this extra transforms a good dvd into a must-own dvd.

All things considered, this is a title for confirmed noir fans, and, for them, it is highly recommended. Even if you're not a noir fan, though, Postman is a work of broader cultural significance and is well worth owning even if its the only noir on your shelf.

I wouldn't say
it's the BEST movie about lust, but it should be in the enclclopedia next to "noir." Whatta cast, whatta film, whatta fool you are if you don't buy or at least rent it!!

Start watching and you won't be able to stop
Great black and white photography
Excellent tension between Garfield and Turner.
Great storyline.
If you start watching this film you won't be able to stop.

I have always thought Lana Turner is fun to watch but sometimes of I find her performances -over the top- but,
she is pitch perfect in this film. With her whiter than white hair and clothes she seems like the unattainable female. She works in this greasy spoon but she is incredibly groomed and perfectly desirable to the drifter played by John Garfield.

My favorite scene is when she and John Garfield leave together the and then decide to return. Lana's character explains her motivations--the dialogue and her delivery seem so real and you sympathize with her character (a woman who plots to kill her husband!)

I also like the setting of early Southern California...orange groves and empty beaches.

This is a must see film ... Read more

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Tay Garnett was a hard-nosed, job-of-all-work director who moved from studioto studio and genre to genre throughout the golden age of Hollywood.Henever achieved the status, let alone the distinctive signature, of a Howard Hawks or Raoul Walsh; still, with talent, brashness, and cojones to spare,he was responsible for a slew of cheerfully vulgar entertainments, andseveral genuinely fine films.

Bataan may well be the best. Certainly it's one of the strongest Hollywoodsalutes to the war effort while World War II was still raging. In hisgrittiest roleto date, Robert Taylor (sans mustache) plays a U.S. Army sergeant fighting arear-guard action in the Philippine jungle, covering Douglas MacArthur'sretreat.His platoon is the usual wartime study in democratic motley:veterans (Lloyd Nolan, Thomas Mitchell, Tom Dugan) thrown together with greenrecruits (Robert Walker, Barry Nelson), a Latino (Desi Arnaz), a black(Kenneth Spencer), not to mention a couple of stalwart Filipinos (RoqueEspiritu, J. Alex Havier), and several officer types (George Murphy, LeeBowman) with sense enough to defer to the sergeant's judgment. As in JohnFord's desert classic The Lost Patrol, the group is whittled down throughmisadventure, disease, and skirmishes with the ever-advancing Japanese, tillonly a handful remain for a still-shattering last stand.

Bataan was made at MGM, and the principal setting, a jungle clearing overlooking a strategic bridge, stinks of the soundstage.In other respects,however, Garnett manages to introduce shocking, un-Metro-like realism intothe proceedings.In an early scene of bombardment, a GI, blinded, crawls outof the wreckage of a field hospital only to have a smoking roofbeam crush hisbandaged skull.There's nothing cosmetic about the wounds in this movie;they hurt and they bleed, and people get them during the most gruesomehand-to-hand combat in any '40s war movie. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Interesting Portrayal of Men in War
Released in 1943 this is an attempt to show the American public what we were fighting for and what our men were up against during WWII in the Pacific. They not only fought the Japanese but the elements and each other in a hostile environment. From a technical standpoint cinematographer Sidney Wagner and art designer Cedric Gibbons put together a hellish vision of war in the jungle. The cast is first rate with Robert Taylor as Sergeant Bill Dane incharge of the defenders. George Murphy is very good as the pensive Lt. Steve Bentley. Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Nolan, Robert Walker, Desi Arnaz (in a good performance) and Barry Nelson are among the other defenders left on Bataan. The strangest relationship in this film is between Robert Taylor and Lloyd Nolan. Taylor recognizes Nolan as someone else he once knew. Nolan makes every attempt to undermine Taylor's command. Nolan fights hard but it never seems for any higher aspirations such as duty, honor and country. This was a strange portrayal in a film meant to expound those very qualities.

Bataan: The 'Good' War
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Americans then reacted much the same as they did on September 11, 2001, when Saudi terrorists crashed two jet planes into the WTC. Shock was quickly followed by anger, and then to a call for action. By the start of 1942, Hollywood heard this clarion call, and for the next four years dutifully cranked out one patriotic war movie after another. BATAAN was one of the first and the best. Director Tay Garnett boiled the movie down to an us versus them level. On the us side were a number of well-known American actors led by the then megastar Robert Taylor, and capably backed up by LLoyd Nolan, Thomas Mitchell, Desi Arnaz, and Robert Walker. The Japanese were shown as nameless, faceless, buck-toothed, slanty-eyed devils who refused to attack unless possessing numerical superiority. Much of the film plays out as an updated version of the earlier THE LOST PATROL. In this latter film, the good guys (Brits) are picked off one at a time by nameless, faceless, towel-headed Arab cowards who refused to attack unless possessing numerical superiority. In both films, the heroes are led by crusty yet heroic leaders who command a motley group of assorted ethnic types. One by one,the Americans die. With each death, the audience could feel both sadness and anger. This movie shows the horrors of jungle warfare in a way that Hollywood had never approached. Director Garnett kept the audience involved by switching from scenes of gripping combat to vignettes of personal drama. Desi Arnaz plays the ethnic jitterbug who dreams only of returning to his beloved Brooklyn. Robert Walker is the archetypal kid whose greatest fear is that he won't be able to send a letter home to his parents. Probably the most interesting of these subplots was the one involving LLoyd Nolan and Robert Taylor. Little by little the audience learns that Taylor as a military policeman years earlier was in charge of escorting a criminal to prison for execution. There was a train wreck, and the handcuffed prisoner wriggles free. (Sound like Dr. Richard Kimble?) Taylor spends years tracking him down only to find that this very fugitive is one of the Americans under his command. Taylor slyly lets Nolan know that he knows who Nolan is, but before Taylor can arrest him, Nolan is stabbed in the back by one of the cowardly Japs who had been playing dead. Nolan's last words to Taylor are, "For just one second,I thought it was you who stuck the shiv in my back." Taylor, alone, fights on, blasting his heavy machine gun directly into the camera, shouting, "Here I am! I'll never leave."
BATAAN accomplished its goal of getting Americans involved on many levels, not the least of which was to stir up hatred against a clearly recognizable enemy. With the Japanese now our friends, a contemporary viewing leaves the audience trying to see past the dated enemy while still recognizing that every era has its war and each war its recognizable enemy. This BATAAN manages to do as well as Spielberg did sixty years later with SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

Average War Film
Pretty good. Fairly forgotten 60 years later. Cliched and macho but interesting as indicative of typical wartime propaganda. A platoon of soldiers must make a last stand to allow others to escape. Almost no effort is made to explain what is actually going on in terms of the larger picture and why they are being called upon to make this sacrifice. These men are just "doing their duty". They are,of course, whittled down to the last man. Worth a viewing.

Gritty, Violent, and Remarkable
As wartime propaganda, "Bataan" is brilliant--watching it, you may be filled with a seething hostility toward the Japanese that hasn't been felt since Reagan's 1980s. But what's more remarkable is that this gritty, often racist Robert Taylor vehicle is pretty solid as a movie, too. Filmed on an atmospheric soundstage that doubles for the jungle, its moody production practically oozes menace and rivals the Universal "monster movies" of the 1930s. (Watch it at night with the lights off for the full effect.) Often dubbed a remake of John Ford's "The Lost Patrol," "Bataan" has as much in common with any number of last-stand movies . . . as well as later slashfests like "Friday, the 13th," where each character's inevitable demise is more gruesome than the last. In that respect, "Bataan" is again remarkable, as the violence is graphic and shocking, particularly for the period in which the film was made. The cast of many familiar faces, including Desi Arnez, Barry Nelson, Lloyd Nolan, and Robert Walker, also deliver the emotional goods, keeping us caring about what happens next to these doomed men, a quality more recent films generally lack. If you're expecting the technoglitz excess of "Black Hawk Down," you'll probably be disappointed by "Bataan." But if you want to see a Hollywood depiction of war as a silvery nightmare, this may well be the one movie to watch.

Hollywood document
Filmed at the time, this is the closest you will get to experiencing World War 2. Watch this film and youll see why Americans fight, and why the U.S. must win every war at all costs. ... Read more

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Humphrey Bogart takes a rare stab at comedy in the show-biz screwballcomedy Stand-In. But though Bogart demonstrates his effortless starpower, Leslie Howard (best known as Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind)turns in a marvelous comic performance as a finicky mathematical whiz namedAtterbury Dodd, who's sent by a bank to decide whether a Hollywood studio shouldbe salvaged or shut down. Assaulted by social parasites and stage mothers uponhis arrival in Tinseltown, Dodd must take refuge in a flophouse filled withhas-beens, never-weres, and a trained seal--among them a former child star (JoanBlondell) whose only job now is as a stand-in for an overrated glamour queen.Between Blondell and Bogart (playing a bitter producer), Dodd gets some lessonsin show-biz economics. The movie's ending is dopey, but it's a lot of fun alongthe way. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Hilarious look at Hollywood
Leslie Howard is a mathematician sent to run a failing film comapny to see if it is worth saving. Utterly bemused by Hollywood, he is helped by a former child star who is now a long-suffering stand-in (Joan Blondell) and tough director Humphrey Bogart. Howard is absolutely hilarious as the naive intellectual grappling with the mysteries of the motion picture industry, and Blondell and Bogart are wonderful too. Howard finds refuge in the boarding house where Blondell stays, and finds himself among a motley crowd of aspiring actors, who include a trained seal and a penguin. As Howard struggles to understand this alien world he comes to be fond of it (and of course fond of Joan Blondell too), and the film builds to a rousing finale when the put-upon workers, stirred up by Howard, rebel against the closure of the company. A wonderful film, Howard was never better, what a wonderful actor he was. If you've only ever seen him as the rather dull Ashely Wilkes in Gone With the Wind, you really should see him in this.

A gem!
What's not to like? Fast pace, great dialogue, clever performances -- just watch. Rare fun. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A series of rare depth, power & humanity
It's astonishing to watch these stories, created during the early 1960s, and realize just how much TV was capable of providing when talented writers, actors & directors were allowed to tell real stories. Even with the restrictions of the culture in general & the networks themselves, TV could produce true quality that both entertained & left the viewer with food for thought.

It's a treat to see so many gifted actors at the beginnings of their careers, especially with such literate material. Let me especially single out "Hold For Gloria Christmas," the story of a dying poet struggling to send a precious gift to the future; and "The One Marked Hot Gives Cold," a poignant & heartbreaking tale of the inevitable betrayals & disappointments that come with growing up. Robert Duvall is remarkable as an angry, wounded, yearning man searching desperately for the father who abandoned him, while acting in turn as a surrogate father & friend for a sensitive 12 year old girl, knowing that she's going to be hurt, knowing that he's prolonging her fairy tale, but hesitant to destroy it even as he tries to prepare her for the end of childhood innocence.

But every episode is equally worthy, each one more like a small film than a weekly TV episode. I hope that the entire series is eventually released on DVD. If only TV could be this good today!

Highly recommended!

my favorite TV series all-time
Not only was this a groundbreaking series for such hits as "Hill Street Blues", but it had a profound effect on me as an adolescent, with its humanistic view of cops and criminals alike, its bittersweet and emotional musical theme, all the NYC locations, and especially the great scriptwriting. There is no doubt in my mind when I say that "Naked City" is my favorite series of all.

It featured so many actors who would go on to become superstars like Redford, Hackman, Duvall, Hoffman, Coburn, Hopper, and so many great character actors, but it was the regular cast of eminently likeable characters that held the show together week after week.

Now there are 4 dvds with 4 episodes each available, and should be in the collection of anyone who values fine drama, period. PLEASE BUY THESE DVD'S SO THEY WILL RELEASE MORE!!! There were 99 episodes in all (before it was mysteriously cancelled while still high in the ratings) so there is still a treasure trove of classic television drama for Image Entertainment to choose from...

Don't miss this DVD if you love New York
This is a must-buy for anyone who loves New York, and particularly the vastly different city of the late 50's and early 60's. If you like NYPD Blue, you'll go crazy over this gritty but heartwarming TV series. For fans of Diahann Carroll who stars in one of the episodes, it is a memorable experience as she protrays a teacher of blind children, one of whom is lost during a field trip. He must rely on his instincts and fortitude to make it back to his home in Brooklyn from mid-town Manhattan.

Another of the four memorable episodes in this single DVD stars a young Robert Duvall who finds that his naive kindness toward a young girl lands him in trouble with the police.
When I was growing up, I watched Naked City on a snowy black and white TV. The clarity of this DVD is outstanding. The poignancy of the stories, the beauty of New York, and the excitement of city life caught by the cameras resulted in my moving to the city as fast as I could get there.

A great anthology!
This is the latest of four DVDs that have been released for one of the most outstanding TV series of all time.
This particular DVD has one of the best of the Naked City series--"Hold for Gloria Christmas"--and in and of itself warrants a purchase of this DVD. It stars Burgess Meredith as a Greenwich Village poet, with the famous theatrical personality Sanford Meisner in a very rare supporting role. The episode was written by the blacklisted writer Arnold Manoff, under the pseudonym Joel Carpenter. It is not only a literate, mesmerizing and powerful drama but also a time capsule of New York City in the early 1960s.
Other episodes on this DVD feature Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall, with the other--a real gem--about a blind child's journey home from Midtown Manhattan.
Priceless stuff. ... Read more

Description

In "Portrait of a Painter" a struggling artist (Star Trek's William Shatner) awakens to find his wife has been murdered. He swears that he didn't do it, but Detective Flint is not convinced. In "Alive and Still a Second Lieutenant" a frustrated junior executive erupts with anger when a man named Mr. Binks (Deliverance's Jon Voight) taunts him. In "Don't Knock it Till You've Tried It" a stressed psychologist (The Odd Couple's Walter Matthau) seeks solace in a Las Vegas dancer who kidnaps him and threatens to kill him if he doesn't marry her. In "The Tragic Success of Alfred Tiloff" Lifelong failure Alfy Tiloff (Quincy's Jack Klugman) tries for a big payoff when he kidnaps a little girl, but his scheme's success may have a price he can't afford. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dramatic and Nostalgic
This and the other DVDs of the early 1960s TV show "Naked City" are all excellent.

The New York locales give the episodes a distinct look. It was very nostalgic for me to see what the city that I grew up in and still work in looked like in 1961.

The stories are interesting and unique in that the guest star/criminal is on camera more than the policemen investigating the case.

I especially liked the Walter Matthau episode in which he's kidnapped by a Las Vegas showgirl who threatens to kill him unless he makes good on his promise to marry her. The humor of this situation makes this episode a nice light-hearted change of pace from the other more dramatic and poignant ones that are on this disk, such as the Jack Klugman episode revolving around the kidnapping of a little girl.

I can't wait for the next batch of "Naked City" DVDs to be released. ... Read more

Amazon.com

There are eight million stories in the Naked City, and this disc compiles four of them from the ABC police drama that should please vintage TV fans with its gritty stories, noirish photography, and New York locations. The quartet included here is culled from the series' second season (1960-61), which was distinctly different from its 1958-59 debut. Stars John McIntire and James Franciscus were replaced by Paul Burke and Horace McMahon as the lead detectives; the half-hour program had also been expanded to 60 minutes. Untouched, however, were the complex, character-driven scripts, powered by stellar actors and directors. Among those featured on this disc are actors Eli Wallach and Walter Matthau, writers W. R. Burnett (High Sierra) and Stirling Silliphant (also the series' story consultant), and directors Arthur Hiller and John Brahm. Viewers under 40 may find the hard-boiled dialogue old fashioned, but cop show aficionados will appreciate the serious tone and action. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Absolutely terrific! I want more!
Fortunately there are now four DVDs available for this magnificent old series, and hopefuly the manufacturer will produce more as demand requires.

What can I say? They simply don't get better than this. A great cast, fascinating guest stars (Eli Wallach, Robert Duvall, Robert Redford), and above all, superb writing. With great location footage of New York in the early Sixties.

So if you like this DVD as much as I do, be sure to buy the rest as they come available--to ensure that all the Naked City episodes are eventually recorded on DVD.

Magnificent! Bring on the rest!
One of the great TV dramas of all time, finally available on DVD. Superbly acted and beautifully written. My only beef is that there are only two DVDs available. Where are the rest?

Meanwhile, be sure to get these DVDs. Only one of the eight episodes on these two DVDS seemed a bit below par. That was an episode with Steve Cochran playing the world's least credible Sicilian gangster, and Lois Nettleton as the least believable Sicilian woman on earth. But don't let that dissuade you--these are terrific DVDs!

Yippee, Finally, Hooray!
There are eight million stories in the Naked City and here is your opportunity to view some of the best. Don't miss watching this series of hard hitting dramas, all filmed in New York City in the late 50's and early 60's! Many poignant stories that will break your heart or warm it. Realistic story lines and fantastic acting by many stars who went on to "make it big." A New York City that still exists in our memories is the real star of this series. One can only hope that more episodes will be released as they are uniformly incredible.

GREAT OLD TV SHOW
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SHOW ON DVD,I WAS 13 YRS OLD WHEN THIS SHOW WAS ON TV.ITS GREAT TO SEE HOW THESE GREAT ACTORS OF TODAY GOT STARTED.WHAT EVER HAPPEND TO PAUL BURKE.THE PICTURE QUALITY IS FANTASTIC,ITS GREAT TO SEE A TV SHOW 51MINS LONG NOT 39 MINS TODAY.TV SETS ARE FANTASTIC TODAY BUT THE COMMERICALS ARE REDICULOUS,TODAYS TV STARS WORK MUCH LESS THEN THOSE OF YEARS AGO AN MAKE SO MUCH MORE MONEY.I HOPE IMAGE VIDEO COMES OUT WITH MORE OF THESE OLD TV SHOWS,MABEY M SQUAD MR LUCKY,THE DEFENDERS,GREAT JOB IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT.

A steal!
I'm delighted that Image has begun releasing NAKED CITY episodes. This disc (and "Button in a Haystack") includes 4 episodes from the show's first hour-long season. With 4 episodes on one side of the disc, I worried about compression -- but picture and sound quality are actually quite fine. It's a treat to see & hear these episodes in a 51-minute, uncut format. Here's hoping that Image releases more episodes soon! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A memorable show
In its earlier half-hour series starring James Franciscus "Naked City" was a pretty conventional cop show, but when it was expanded to an hour's length and recast with Paul Burke it became more like an anthology series, with its famous "eight million stories" taking in the ordinary people and eccentric characters of New York City. Gradually it developed a unique tone and style, mixing action with sentiment, humour, and occasional moments of the surreal - how many other cop shows, then or now, would begin an episode with a voice-over meditating on the meaning of the Talmud? These DVDs feature episodes from the hour series, chosen in seemingly random order, a wise move as many of the best episodes came later. Picture quality is excellent, showing the atmospheric New York locations to great advantage. I've bought all the discs released to date and am keenly looking forward to future volumes.

Incredible vintage TV
I cannot praise this late 50's, early 60's series too much. This DVD contains four episodes. By far the best is "A Case Study of Two Savages" starring a young Rip Torn and Tuesday Weld as two hillbillies with virtually no ethics. The acting is superb and heart wrenching. Another episode, "The Night the Saints Lost Their Halos," stars Martin Sheen and a pimply Peter Fonda as two young boys who have tried to rob a store and must pay the messy consequences. Two additional powerful episodes make this a must buy for fans of film noir and gritty reality. The real star, of course, in this tough and totally realistic series filmed on location is a black and white New York City with finned cars, stores, snowy streets and a smoggy skyline vastly different from today's. It is an entrancing step back in history for lovers of New York City and reality TV.

One of the best dramatic series ever made
Like "The Twilight Zone" without the fantasy element, "Naked City" is a superby crafted television series from the golden age. "The Hot Minerva" is a bit too comical for the overall series concept, however "New York to L.A." and "The Nights the Saints Lost Their Halos" are heady stuff, far more thought provoking than the current crop of tv fluff. Observe Frank Sutton and Robert Blake in "NY to LA", this is what dramatic method acting is all about. Like the other fine episodes in the remaining volumes, characters are multi-dimensional, beset with inner conflicts, flaws and ambiguities that make for a top notch series. "Dragnet" had its straight forward good guy vs. bad guy approach but "Naked City" was far more complex and nebulous in its portrayal of the human condition. Let's hope Image Entertainment releases all 99 episodes of this superlative show. ... Read more

Description

Episodes: "A Hole in the City" (Ep. 52, February 1, 1961) - After holding up an armored car, gang leader Lewis Nunda (Robert Duvall) and his cronies hide out at the home of their leader's aunt (Sylvia Sidney), where Nunda painfully confronts his past. "Button in the Haystack" (Ep. 55, February 22, 1961) - When a service station owner (Albert Salmi) fears he'll be arrested for the murder of a man found nearby, he panics and gets rid of his gun, the only evidence that can save him. "Shoes for Vinnie Winford" (Ep. 56, March 1, 1961) - When a dance hostess is reported missing, a police investigation links the club's sadistic owner (Dennis Hopper) to her disappearance. "Vengeance Is a Wheel" (Ep. 58, March 15, 1961) - Mario Licosa (Paul Stevens) seeks vengeance when the family patriarch is killed, despite his brother's (Ben Piazza) pleas to stay out of it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I want more!
After watching both available Naked City (TV) DVDs, I have only one question--where are the rest? Why aren't the other episodes available on DVD? Because, believe me, I and thousands of other Naked City devotees would snap them up.

This particular DVD has my personal favorite, an episode starring a young Robert Duvall as a homicidal maniac holed up in the Bronx. The other has Eli Wallach as a Shakespeare-quoting homicidal cop.

These wee magnificent shows, well-acted and, above all, beautifully written. These DVDs, while free of any frills or features (which would have been nice) are excellent quality. Bring on more!

Outstanding DVD
I received this DVD yesterday and watched all 4 episodes. The picture quality is outstanding. I didn't notice any distortions in video or audio quality. It was as if I were watching a first-run episode of a new tv show; not one that was over 40 years old!! I ordered the other DVD of this series and I hope that more episodes are released on DVD. This is one of my top 10 favorite shows of all time and I would purchase all 99 episodes if they came out on DVD with the same quality as the one that I just received. A must buy for true Naked City fans. ... Read more

Description

In "Spectre of the Roses Street Gang" Carroll O'Connor (All in the Family) is one of three successful businessmen who killed a boy long ago. An old friend who learns about the crime hopes to use the information for his own interests. In "Goodbye Mama, Hello Auntie Maud" a murdered woman's daughter unwittingly has a romance with the killer, the family chauffeur (The Magnificent Seven's James Coburn). In "Torment Him Much and Hold Him Long" Barney Sonners (The Godfather's Robert Duvall) is a down-on-his-luck bartender who borrows money from a crime gang to help his family, only to find himself relentlessly hounded by thugs. In "Five Cranks for Winter# Ten Cranks for Spring" Manager Gus Slate (Peter Gunn's Herschel Bernardi) turns on his boxer and helps his opponent, all for a rose. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"A Toast to Martha Scott"
I have seen this movie only once, as a young child.I have much respect for a movie that touched my heart. If I can remember a movie;such as this one for many years and haven't seen it again. You know somehow through my life growing up, now as an adult, I feel somehow through the years the memories of Cheers for Miss Bishop , will never go away, I'd love to find this movie again and hopefully have one for myself. Truthfully, Martha Scott did a remarkably superb job in this magnificent film as Miss Ella Bishop. I raise my hat off to her and toast a lady who did very well in her field.

A Great, Heartwarming Story
"Cheers For Miss Bishop" is one of those undiscovered classics that have virtually been ignored. This film has much of the sentimental flavor of Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life"--which was also ignored for decades before another generation came along and "discovered" it.Martha Scott's portrayal of Miss Ella Bishop, the spinster college professor who's eternally unlucky at love, is a thoroughly convincing performance. She is surrounded by a great cast of character actors. The ending is a bit schmaltsy, but satisfying nonetheless. See this film and return back to a time when you could count on having friends for a lifetime.

Martha Scott's best performance as dedicated teacher.
The film belongs to Martha Scott who gives her best screen performance as Miss Bishop, a dedicated teacher, whose personal life is constantly being put on hold as she ministers to the needs of her pupils. Scott ages from a schoolgirl to an octogenarian and does a lovely, memorable job. The sentimental score is a plus. Oscar nom for Original Score. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pleasant movie,poor print.
The movie itself is by no means a classic - similar comic confections were served up far more enticingly by the likes of Garson Kanin,Wesley Ruggles and Ernst Lubitsch - but Niven and Young are effective enough,and the idea at the heart of the movie is strong enough to survive the mediocre script.The print,however,is dreadful -it is like watching the movie through the bottom of a glass- and,as the video is recorded in EP mode (why?),your VCR may well struggle with its tracking for the 110 minutes of the entertainment.Why this is labelled as a "Collector's Edition" is a mystery:avoid this edition,go for the other one and watch a slight but amiable comedy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pleasant movie,poor print.
The movie itself is by no means a classic - similar comic confections were served up far more enticingly by the likes of Garson Kanin,Wesley Ruggles and Ernst Lubitsch - but Niven and Young are effective enough,and the idea at the heart of the movie is strong enough to survive the mediocre script.The print,however,is dreadful -it is like watching the movie through the bottom of a glass- and,as the video is recorded in EP mode (why?),your VCR may well struggle with its tracking for the 110 minutes of the entertainment.Why this is labelled as a "Collector's Edition" is a mystery:avoid this edition,go for the other one and watch a slight but amiable comedy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Gunsmoke on DVD is long overdue.........
Quite simply, I'd like to see the original Gunsmoke television series released on DVD, beginning with the 1955-56 season, and continuing at least thru the sixth (1960-61) season. This initial collection would take in all of the half-hour episodes, before the format went to one hour in the fall of 1961. These half-hour espisodes are seldon seen today, and are usually severly edited when they are seen at all on contemporary television.

The "half-hour years" truly were the foundational seasons for the series in terms of character development, etc., and they also contained some of the very best stories in the history of the series.

A complete, restored, unedited collection of these early episodes, perhaps with TV trailers, and perhaps with expert commentary, especially by James Arness, who is over eighty years of age now, would be most welcome, and would be extremely popular, I believe, with fans of classic TV westerns. If there's any justice, this series needs to find it's way to DVD. The marketplace is there, and waiting........... ... Read more