Amazon.com

The brainchild of veteran writer-directors Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Flicker, the comedy/drama Barney Miller (1975-1982) offered a very human look at the inner workings of a New York City police precinct; its wry and observant scripts, aided by a stellar cast, helped earn the series three Emmy Awards and a devoted fan base, which should be pleased by this two-disc set that compiles its entire first season. Viewers familiar with the series' later seasons will notice substantial differences in the cast and storyline; episodes divide Barney's (Hal Linden) time evenly between the 12th Precinct and his apartment, which he shares with wife Barbara Barrie and two children (all of whom would be phased out of the series). The first season squad was composed of Abe Vigoda's dyspeptic Fish, the overeager Wojciehowicz (Max Gail), dry-witted Yemana (Jack Soo, who passed away during the fifth season), and street-smart Chano (Gregory Sierra, who departed the series after the second season); Ron Glass's dapper Harris would not be listed in the opening credits until subsequent seasons.

Arnold, along with Chris Hayward (Get Smart) and other scribes, would pen the majority of the first season, which set the tone for the series by pitting the squad against a host of offbeat criminals, other cops, and regular citizens, several of whom would become semi-regulars; James Gregory's crusty Inspector Luger makes his debut in "Vigilante" (episode 9), while unscrupulous lawyer Arnold Ripner (Alex Henteloff) and Detective Wentworth (a pre-Alice Linda Lavin) have their first appearances in "The Experience" (episode 2) and "Ms. Cop" (episode 8), respectively.

Columbia/TriStar's two-disc set offers all 13 episodes of the first season, as well as short credit lists for some of the major players; the little-seen 1974 pilot, "The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller," might have made an interesting supplemental feature, but fans should be pleased to have this set regardless. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Dum...da da dum...da da dum...
Who can forget that classic bass line intro! Barney Miller is finally on DVD in a two DVD set featuring the first 13 episodes of season 1 totally uncut and commercial free for the first time! Barney Miller ran from Jan. 1975 to May 1982 (8 seasons, 170 episodes). The sitcom was a new concept, concerning a group of Police Detectives and their Captain and the goings-on in a NY precinct squadroom. The cast, which would make slight changes over the years, had to be one of the most diverse in TV history. In season one, the cast includes Barney (Hal Linden), Wojciehowicz (Max Gail), Harris (Ron Glass), Fish (Abe Vigoda), Yemana (Jack Soo) and Chano (Gregory Sierra). Season 1 is also the only time Barney's whole family were shown. In Season 2, only his wife Elizabeth (Barbara Barrie) had appearances and by Season 3, even she was written out of the show. Barney Miller is a rare sitcom from the 70s that is essential and makes a welcome addition to other classics like All in the family, Sanford & Son, and the Jeffersons. Season one includes these episodes:

Disc One:
01. Ramon
02. The experience
03. Snow job
04. Graft
05. Courtesans
06. Stakeout
07. The Bureaucrat
08. Ms. Cop
09. The vigilante
Disc Two:
10. The guest
11. Escape artist
12. Hair
13. Hero

Trivia:

*The characters of Barney, Wojo, & Harris would be the only detectives to remain throughout the entire series as regular cast members. Fish left after 3 seasons, Chano after 2, and Yemana after 4 (Jack Soo passed away in January 1979). In season 3, Detrich (Steve Landesberg) & Levitt (Ron Carey) would join the cast as regulars until the series ended.

*Look for Linda Lavin (TV's Alice) in episode 8 debuting as Det. Janice Wentworth. She would make appearances in the second season as well.

*Before Barney Miller, Gregory Sierra (Chano) was popular for his role as Fred and Lamont's neighbor, Julio, who had a pet goat named Chico, on Sanford & Son. He made appearances on everything from All in the Family (where he had no accent) to Miami Vice. After Barney Miller, Sierra joined the cast of Soap.

*One of the main series writers, Reinhold Weege, previously wrote on M*A*S*H* and went on to create one of the funniest sitcoms ever, Night Court! (by the way, where's season one?!!)

Jack Soo (1916-1979)
James Gregory (Insp. Frank Luger) (1911-2002)
Florence Stanley (Bernice Fish) (1924-2003)

Also Highly recommended on DVD:
All in the family
Sanford & Son
The Jeffersons
Good Times
What's Happening
Three's Company

At last. Now where are the rest?
This is one of my all-time favourite shows, one that I've been waiting for years for Sony / Columbia Tri-star to release (along with Newsradio).

Compared to some of the later Barney Miller seasons this probably isn't worth the full 5 stars, but it certainly deserves 5 starts compared to the zillions of average TV shows around, past or present.

I agree with the earlier review that mentioned that the picture quality isn't top-notch, but then it is almost thirty years since the original broadcasts and the quality is good enough that I forgot to worry about it within the first five minutes of the first episode. It's as good as other 70s television DVDs.

I don't mind the lack of bonus extras - as long the episodes are there I'm happy, though I miss not having "The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller" mentioned in the other review.

Can't wait for the other seasons to be released, and well done to Sony for not coming out with a stupid 'best of' (which we all know would've picked the 'wrong' episodes). Full season releases are the only way to go.

Waiting for seasons 2-8
The first season was great...now let's get the other seven seasons (as well as the pilot episode) out as soon as possible. I will buy all of them.

Poor picture quality on DISC 1
I was very excited to hear that the first season would be available on DVD on 2-discs.

Unfortunately, on the first DVD, the picture quality is very bad, like VHS in the "LP" mode (e.g., way too much compression). The second disc is acceptable, but it only has 4-episodes on it.

Rather than cram 9-episodes on one DVD, they should have placed only 4-episodes per DVD, or a maximum of 6-episdoes on Disc 1 and 7-episodes on Disc 2.

If you can rent it (e.g., NetFlix), I would.

more barney miller
great dvd,but get more out soon,this is a classic show, and we are starved for good entertainment, ... Read more

Amazon.com

An Elmore Leonard novel, subsequently remade for a 2004 Owen Wilson release, gets the swinging sixties treatment. Ryan O'Neal, in his first big film after achieving TV stardom, plays a Vietnam vet drifting from job to job; Leigh Taylor-Young is the rich man's mistress who takes a fancy to him. The plot sort of revolves around an amazingly vague plan to steal money from the rich guy, but the purpose seems to be showing thrillseeker Taylor-Young in various stages of undress. This is a vacuous movie, ineptly written and shot, in which poor O'Neal wanders around looking understandably bewildered. (His career bounced back with Love Story the following year.) Decorating this mishmash is the exceptionally maladroit musical score by Mike Curb (remember the soft-rock stylings of the Mike Curb Congregation?), whose soupy melodies undercut the tension at every turn. In short, a pretty good selection for Bad Cinema Night. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Cheesy Acting, Silly Plot----I Loved It!
About 35 years ago, I sat alone in a movie theater and watched this movie. That should have been my first clue that this movie was destined for nothing, but I was then, and still am, a devoted Ryan O'Neal fan, perhaps the longest-lasting fan he's ever had! For years I searched for a video of this to complete my collection of all his movies. I guess this movie was so bad it never went to video, but the happy ending just came when a remake of this movie prompted the release of the original on DVD.

Ryan O'Neal is cute as ever in this pre-Love Story tale based on the Elmore Leonard novel. Leigh Taylor-Young is beautiful; I think I had forgotten just how beautiful. Their chemistry is magnetic and, after all, she did become the second Mrs. Ryan O'Neal in real life.

The story centers around an ex-VietNam GI drifter Jack Ryan (O'Neal) who while working as a migratory farm laborer meets and is instantly attracted to the boss' secretary/lover Nancy Barker(Taylor-Young). Their physical attraction is such that Jack is willing to do anything to please Nancy, even go along with her petty theft schemes. When Nancy comes up with the idea to steal $50,000 (yes, when this movie was released that amount could have set the duo up for life) Jack is cautious and becomes aware of a sick streak in his girlfriend.

Lee Grant, Van Heflin, and other actors of note must cringe when they look at their performances is this one today. It's stereotypical, trite, a bit silly, and totally laughable, especially the scene where Taylor-Young, in a fit of rage, destroys her boss' beach house. And it even shows quite a bit of skin by 1969 standards as Leigh Taylor-Young is shown nude in several scenes.

Would I recommend it? Only if you love either of these two stars as much as I do. Did I enjoy it? Oh, totally. For me personally, it was a five-star experience, but to keep my credibility it should only get one star on amazon. Therefore, I have compromised and given it three. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It is a sordid fact of life that were it not for Robert Blake's newfound infamy as an accused wife murderer, Baretta, which lasted three seasons beginning in 1975, might have been relegated to late nights in TV land. But as they say in Hollywood, there's no such thing as bad publicity. So for those who do not want to invest in the Season One boxed set, here are three episodes from this offbeat cop series' first season, including the atypically gritty and brutal pilot, in which funky undercover cop Anthony Baretta goes after his girlfriend's killer, and speaks those grimly prophetic words: "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime." As these episodes testify, Baretta is more than a newly minted sick joke. The randy, rule-bending Baretta was a cop like no other on TV. And, as Tony was fond of saying, you can take that to the bank. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

WHY BUY THIS???
I give this two star, ONLY BECAUSE....and I mean this....WHY BUY THIS DVD SET WHEN THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON HAS THESE SAME EPISODES? I give the FIRST SEASON DVD SET about 10 stars, because I love watching Baretta. It brings back some great memories. Truly just "one" of the best shows from the seventies. So any fan of this show would know, why waste the money. I'm not sure why the companies do this. JUST PUT OUT THE OTHER SEASONS. Then we'll be happy.

I LOVE BARETTA
I watched aLL THE bARETTA SHOWS AND I just love him and still do. THis episode is one of the hottest.Only robert blake can come across as he does for I BELIEVE a little of it is part of him....he is just great!!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Made For TV Action!
I was actually a fan of the television series loosely based on this 1973 TV movie. That doesn't mean I wasn't familiar with the movie...it aired endlessly on late night television for years. It's a very racist-themed movie, so much so my wife said that she'd forgotten how bad it was 30 years ago.

The exterior fire scenes appear largely to be actual fires the film crew just followed a fire department around and shot, which probably weren't hard to come by in 1970's Chicago. The tone of the film is gritty and dark with kind of a neat low-rent pulsating soundtrack, but again limited to a 1973 made for TV movie kind of way.

The print quality is about what you'd expect for the price. It's in its native 4:3 screen ratio, it has obvious commercial break inserts, it's soft with dull colors that fade into each other, and it's pretty dirty. It may have been a dub of a VHS transfer. On the other hand, I could say you've never seen it look better, and probably be right. Sadly, this is probably as good as gets.

The soundtrack automatically showed up in PLII on my receiver but was mixed off to the right, which may have been intended to make it sound wider

There are no extras of any kind. Click "Play Movie" and it starts cold to the point you appear to be jumping into the middle. (You're not...it just starts that way.)

I wouldn't mind seeing a DVD release of this movie cleaned up and including the 13 episodes of the loosely-based television series that followed with maybe a Richard Roundtree commentary for the movie but...oh, who am I kidding. That anybody bothered to release this on DVD at all is probably something of a miracle, and I'll take it.

great movie!
it is a great movie from the past. watched it as a kid in the 60's it went on to be a great tv show and i watched that as well.
glad to see it on dvd! hope to see the tv series on dvd too!

WHEN THE FIRE'S OUT... THE HEAT IS ON
Richard Roundtree gives an emotional performance as a dedicated black firefighter, who is a fish out of water, in a n all-white firehouse. Somehow throught sheer hard work and courage, he is able to overcome racial prejudice and hatred, and earn the respect and friendship of the other men. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Made For TV Action!
I was actually a fan of the television series loosely based on this 1973 TV movie. That doesn't mean I wasn't familiar with the movie...it aired endlessly on late night television for years. It's a very racist-themed movie, so much so my wife said that she'd forgotten how bad it was 30 years ago.

The exterior fire scenes appear largely to be actual fires the film crew just followed a fire department around and shot, which probably weren't hard to come by in 1970's Chicago. The tone of the film is gritty and dark with kind of a neat low-rent pulsating soundtrack, but again limited to a 1973 made for TV movie kind of way.

The print quality is about what you'd expect for the price. It's in its native 4:3 screen ratio, it has obvious commercial break inserts, it's soft with dull colors that fade into each other, and it's pretty dirty. It may have been a dub of a VHS transfer. On the other hand, I could say you've never seen it look better, and probably be right. Sadly, this is probably as good as gets.

The soundtrack automatically showed up in PLII on my receiver but was mixed off to the right, which may have been intended to make it sound wider

There are no extras of any kind. Click "Play Movie" and it starts cold to the point you appear to be jumping into the middle. (You're not...it just starts that way.)

I wouldn't mind seeing a DVD release of this movie cleaned up and including the 13 episodes of the loosely-based television series that followed with maybe a Richard Roundtree commentary for the movie but...oh, who am I kidding. That anybody bothered to release this on DVD at all is probably something of a miracle, and I'll take it.

great movie!
it is a great movie from the past. watched it as a kid in the 60's it went on to be a great tv show and i watched that as well.
glad to see it on dvd! hope to see the tv series on dvd too!

WHEN THE FIRE'S OUT... THE HEAT IS ON
Richard Roundtree gives an emotional performance as a dedicated black firefighter, who is a fish out of water, in a n all-white firehouse. Somehow throught sheer hard work and courage, he is able to overcome racial prejudice and hatred, and earn the respect and friendship of the other men. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Hope it gets a good DVD release....
Which is to say with bonus features. The show ran on CBS from 1970 to 1975, and was a rateings success for almost all the time it was on.The chemistry between Tony and Jack was great.The first season shows were also very hilarious and retained the atmosphere of the stage production by Neil Simon. Hopefully the DVD release will contain cast and crew interviews.

ODD COUPLE has NEVER jumped the shark
So what are these geniuses waiting for?

The same thing with Tony Randall's funny movie from the 1950s "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?"In it with him were Jayne Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay, Joan Blondell and Groucho Marx (in a hilarious cameo).

They'll put junk out but not the good stuff!

Best sitcom ever - NOT ON DVD YET!!!!!!!!
It is just unbelivable that the Odd TV series has not yet made it to DVD . With all the CR@P new shows out that make it to DVD 2 months after they first air I am shocked that one of the best loved TV series has not yet made it. To the producers or persons in charge of potentially releasing the Odd couple on DVD. You stand to loose a TON of $money$ by not releasing all 144 episodes ASAP. You will be Forcing FANS everywhere to purchase bootleg DVD's which are Readily available Worldwide on the internet. Help the Fans and yourselves by doing justice to the best show ever on TV and give us what we want before it's too late.

Who are the Rocket Scientists that are holding this up?
Wait a minute. I'm reading your lips. You're saying "I much fear" some lunatic holding up the release of this series!"And you're right. Every time I see that some completely unfunny show like "The Golden Girls" has been released on DVD before this series, I cringe!There must be an "enormous woman" blocking the release of this show. And just like Aristophanes, this is ridiculous.So, Let's Make a Deal, Monte -- release this show and I'll buy 10 copies, and I promise not to trade them for one more can of squid.

RELEASE THE ODD COUPLE ON DVD OR I'LL DIE!!!!
I just can't believe this absolutely wonderful series has not gotten the respect of being released on dvd!!!! I grew up watching this show and simply adored Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. For years I did'nt even know the show was based on the play and feature film of the Odd Couple and did'nt care! To me Tony Randall and Jack Klugman were the original Felix and Oscar, they were so perfectly cast.

I especially loved when they would do flashbacks when Oscar and Felix were married to Blanche and Gloria, because it allowed you to see the characters in a diferent setting before they got divorced, which made you understand why Felix drove Gloria crazy despite the love they still had for one another.

I have so many favorite episodes it's hard to choose but, I just love the ones when Oscar and Felix went on the game shows Password and Let's Make a Deal. They were simply hilarious!
I also loved the time when Felix stole the Lassie like dog that was being verbally mistreated by his owner. Needless to say Felix Unger was my hero, he always tried to do the right thing but went about it in the wrong way. I suppose that was part of his appeal and he was a true neat master.

WELL PARAMOUNT STUDIOS YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO RELEASE THE ODD COUPLE ON DVD IT'S A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

THE HOTTEST SUPERCOUPLE ON TELEVISION!!!!
Johnathan and Jennifer Hart were the quintessential super sexy couple of the late 70's and early 80's!!!! They rocked as the jet-setting, totally in love, detective duo!!! They had it all, wealth, glamour,passion, and no kids!!!
I just loved the way they stumbled on to those unexpected exciting adventures and murder mysteries. They made it look so easy!!! This show worked on so many levels, you had Jennifer who was sexy as hell, and you didn't hate her because she was so beautiful. She was just so lovable!!! Then there was Johnathan, handsome, but not beefcake, had a great sense of humor, and the guy was completely smitten with his adoring wife. Let's face it they had the ultimate fantasy dream marriage that only existed on prime-time television!!!
I hope we the fans of this dynamite show wont have to wait too much longer for the dvd release, and it would be nice to see a current interview with Robert Wagner & Stephanie Powers. God! I can't believe Robert Wagner turned 75 recently, he looks fantastic!!! Stephanie Powers is still pretty well preserved as well. I would also love to see a couple of her best mini-series come to dvd in America, Mistral's Daughter and Deceptions.

CAN NOT WAIT FOR HART TO HART
Hello,

iam sorry about my english.

I saw HART TO HART first telecast in Germany when I was 14 years old. I love that show from the beginning and recording
on tapes. My love will not ending !!! I saw Stef & RJ in Munich
filming an HART TO HART movie and you can see me in the film, too. I talked with Stef & RJ, thy are so phantastic. RJ is absolutely MR. GENTELEMAN !!! So cool, friendly and nice. We have talkt about HART TO HART and my old FANCLUB.

HART TO HART- Complete on DVD !
That is what all the fans want. The Pilotmovie was never shown
in Germany. We love it so much !!! Hoping to see Jennifer & Jonathan Hart on DVD - than we have the true romance and crime on DVD FOREVER, in our hearts !!!

A true fan & friend from Stef, RJ and Lionel.

Yours, Mario from German (Luenen)

AT LONG LAST!
I've been waiting for this dvd release for years! Let's hope there will be lots of extras like outtakes and a Making of...
This is a series that was great from the start. The Pilot is classic and was never shown in Europe. Bring on the next seasons! You'll enjoy Hart to Hart, believe me!! Stefanie Powers, Robert Wagner and Lional Stander as Jennifer Hart, Jonathan Hart and Max....and when they met -- it was murder!

At last!
Finally!A release of this show on DVD is long over due.Lets hope we get all five seasons with decent extras! ... Read more