Customer Reviews

Burke's Law: Season One Volume Two

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VCI Entertainment presents "BURKE'S LAW-SEASON ONE - VOLUME TWO" (20 September 1963) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- On 4 DVD's 16 episodes exceptional quality, produced by Aaron Spelling --- Burke's Law is a detective series which ran on ABC from 1963 to 1966 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s --- The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire Los Angeles Chief of Detectives, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce --- The best of the Cary Grant clones was Gene Barry --- In his career Barry was a male model, had good breeding and seductive whiskey voice --- Barry was also TV's greatest reactors --- With a multitude of comic takes that was perfect for Amos Burke, who had to confront an unending series of eccentric subjects --- Yet he could turn around and romance the ladies or get tough with the tough guys. And he was a good enough actor to hold up his end when the heavy dramatics intervened.

The 1964 Golden Globe Winner best TV Show & Best Male TV Stars --- Capt. Amos Burke (Gene Barry) was a Los Angeles chief of detectives who was also a millionaire with a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, a mansion, and a high wheeling lifestyle --- The hallmarks of this series were glamorous, sophisticated settings, unusual twists on formula homicide plot lines, and big name guest stars --- After a couple of seasons, its format was radically revamped. Burke left the police force and became an agent for US Intelligence --- At that point, the show's name changed to "Amos Burke--Secret Agent". Burke's adventures were briefly revived in 1994, under the original title.

In the original series, other characters were Detective Tim Tilson (Gary Conway), Detective Les Hart (Regis Toomey), and Sergeant Ames (Eileen O'Neill). In several episodes Anne Francis appeared as female detective Honey West, which led to a short-lived spin-off series --- The musical score for Burke's Law was largely the work of Herschel Burke Gilbert, whose middle name was coincidentally the same as the character of the series --- The role of Amos Burke actually predated Barry's series, having been played by Dick Powell on an episode of The Dick Powell Show in 1961 --- The first incarnation of the series was produced by Powell's company, Four Star Television --- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Under the production staff of:
Don Weis - Director (13 episodes, 1963-1965)
Jerry Hopper - Director (11 episodes, 1964-1965)

the cast includes:
Gene Barry ... Capt. Amos Burke / ... (81 episodes, 1963-1966)
Gary Conway ... Det. Tim Tilson (64 episodes, 1963-1965)
Regis Toomey ... Det. Les Hart (64 episodes, 1963-1965)
Leon Lontoc ... Henry (64 episodes, 1963-1965)
Eileen O'Neill ... Sgt. Gloria Ames / ... (33 episodes, 1963-1965)
Michael Fox ... M. E. George McLeod / ... (25 episodes, 1963-1965)

SEASON ONE VOLUME TWO - EPISODES AND AIRDATES:

Episode 18: Who Killed Madison Cooper? [24 January 1964]

Episode 19: Who Killed April? [31 January 1964]

Episode 20: Who Killed Carrie Cornell? [14 February 1964]

Episode 21: Who Killed His Royal Highness? [21 February 1964]

Episode 22: Who Killed Marty Kelso? [28 February 1964]

Episode 23: Who Killed Avery Lord? [6 March 1964]

Episode 24: Who Killed Andy Zygmunt? [13 March 1964]

Episode 25: Who Killed the Paper Dragon? [20 March 1964]

Episode 26: Who Killed Molly? [27 March 1964]

Episode 27: Who Killed WHO IV? [3 April 1964]

Episode 28: Who Killed Annie Foran? [10 April 1964]
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Episode 29: Who Killed My Girl? [17 April 1964]

Episode 30: Who Killed the Eleventh Best Dressed Woman in the World? [24 April 1964]

Episode 31: Who Killed Don Pablo? [1 May 1964]

Episode 32: Who Killed 1/2 of Glory Lee? [8 May 1964]

SPECIAL FEATURES
BIOS:
1. Gene Barry
Date of Birth: 14 June 1919 - New York, New York
Date of Death: Still Living

2. Gary Conway
Date of Birth: 4 February 1936, Boston, Massachusetts
Date of Death: Still Living

3. Regis Toomey
Date of Birth: 13 August 1898, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date of Death: 12 October 1991 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California

SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES:
1. Episode Selection
2. Vintage Television Commercials
3. Attractive 'Holofoil' packaging
4. "Space-saving" 14mm Amaray style DVD case
5. Both picture and sound have been digitally restored from 35mm fine grains

Hats off and thanks to Robert Blair and his staff at VCI Entertainment --- VCI was named in Variety and Hollywood Reporter as the first company to produce and release motion pictures directly to the home marketplace --- order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- VCI are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector -- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections.

Total Time: 800 mins on DVD/VHS ~ VCI Entertainment 8530 ~ (11/18/2008)

As a DVD collector, space is critical to me, the packaging for this volume of Burke's Law was nothing short of perfect. They should have packaged the first volume like this also.

* All 4 discs in one package

* Slimmer case

As far as the Episodes?, they were great, I finished Volume two last night. If you were a fan of this show in the 60's, I can tell you, it hasn't lost any of it's greatness and the vintage commercials, while some were snoozers to watch, were tinged with nostalgia.

If you like 60's crime shows, you need this in your DVD collection - Bill's Law.

************** 2011 UPDATE *************

As of me updating this review on September 17th, 2011, The studio, VCI Entertainment, has failed to release Season 2 or any of the remaining Seasons of "Burke's Law", this is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE to me as I have Season One sitting on my DVD rack collecting dust and no other season to show for it.
What I did do is write to them and they informed me that CBS/Fox had the rights to the show now but then my life took over and had more important stuff to do, If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn't have bought season one in the first place...............Lesson learned.
And now that Gene Barry has passed away, you would think they would want to get the rest of the seasons out there for his fans to enjoy, but apparently not.
Well BL has made me a little more careful in purchasing TV shows when they come out, now I wait until subsequent seasons come out before I start buying them, easier that way, saves me aggravation.

I had actually been searching for a company to put out DVD's of "Burke's Law" and all of a sudden there they were (at least Season 1). I have been thrilled with both volumes of that first season. I remembered this show being on TV in the 60's and loving it and to go back and view the shows again has been wonderful. All the characters: Capt. Burke, Tim, & Les are there in their respective roles making the show special. Gene Barry was created for this part of the rich, debonaire, handsome police captain and he carries the part well. Someone always has to be the murder victim in each show of course but murder is never glorified. It is the old "Who DunIt" format that I like. If you remember this show and liked it then these DVD's are for you.

This DVD set is well done. The restoration of this classic detective series of the early 1960's is a must have. Picture is sharp and clear as is the sound. Highly recommend.

The first Volume of this fantastic series was housed in 4 dvd`s and a box that took up considerable shelf space- great if you don`t have a lot of box sets and want to show off the ones you do. However, for the degenerate dvd collectors like myself (there ought to be a 12-step program for those like me), this set wasted a lot of shelf space, but the second volume is a God-send, both in packaging AND the quality of this remarkable series. The show is a wonderful throw-back to a world not so long ago, yet seems like another dimension in time today - men and women were very different creatures back then, and the society at large was light years away from today`s world. And, right or wrong, I miss it, for all the right reasons. Back to the show- Gene Barry is marvelous (this was after his 'Bat Masterson' series, which I also enjoyed as a kid),Gary Conway and Regis Toomey were great in supporting roles, well-plotted stories, witty dialogue, and a carousel of incredible guest stars each and every episode- no joke, each ep had 5 or 6 famous names, plus well-known character actors in peripheral roles. TV didn`t get much better than this, if ever it did. I can`t recommend this show enough to you, IF you`re over 40. If you`re younger, you`re not reading this anyway, you`re on some social-networking website trying to make believe YOU`RE a celebrity...

This is a great DVD if you were in the '60's group that I'm in. It's a great escape back to the days of black and white and when murder mysteries were great. Of course, the list of guest stars to me were always something I looked forward to each week. Order the DVD if your in the age group to remember this series.

Volume 2 Season 1 of Burke's Law was a welcome return to witty dialogue, spontaneous one liners and genuine star studded puzzlers. Amos Burke (played by Gene Barry) was an erudite millionaire police captain who never reclined on the laurels of his wealth but attacked police work with the same gusto and spontaneity which he pursued romantic dalliances (of which there were many). From the indefatigable Sergeant Les Hart (played solidly by Regis Toomey)to the younger eager beaver Detective Tilson with a head for trivia(played by Gary Conway), the cast boasts a wide array of talent and an absence of maudlin cliches. All the cases begin with "Who Killed?" All the murder victims are odious in some way and have no shortage of enemies. It is up to Amos Burke and cohorts to break alibis and tirelessly sift through clues top determine the culprits, amidst witty exchanges of bantering and verbal jousting.Certain episodes contain Gothic overtones like "Who Kllled Avery Lord?" in which the murder of an architect has Burke pursuing a lady in white at night at a foggy estate. A murder at an exclusive spa for women "Who Killed the Eleventh Best Dressed Woman in the World? has no shortage of female suspects in a glittery world of upper crust cattiness and murderous impulses. All in all, I cannot wait for Season 2 to be unveiled.

This show was a show I grew up with in the mid-60's. It is great to see it again and, to actually see it better and crisper than originally viewed.
I was glad that the second volume took up a lot less space than the first volume. Much better packaging.
If you are a child of the 50's, and you enjoy "cops and robbers" with a bit of humor, this is a must to see. This show was on air after Gene Barry's portrayal of "Bat Masterson."

Loved this series in my teens and didn't know if it would live up to expectations. It did. Excellent quality DVD and the scripts are witty and inventive and the plethora of name stars are a trip down memory lane. Loved every second.
Mary H

Part two in VCI's wonderful release of the first season of Burke's Law sees the affable, millionaire police Captain continuing to hobnob with the rich and famous while solving often bizarre murder cases.

Only in the swinging '60s could we find a character like Amos Burke--a wealthy Captain of the LAPD Homicide division who arrives at the scene of the latest murder in a chauffeur-driven Bentley, complete with a car phone and a fully-stocked bar. Naturally, Burke meets his share of attractive women during his exploits, many of whom he squires around in his limo (among the stars that Burke romances in this set of episodes: Carolyn Jones, then-wife of series producer Aaron Spelling; future Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery; Felicia Farr, a/k/a Mrs. Jack Lemmon; and everyone's favorite genie (or is that Jeannie?) Barbara Eden).

Burke is ably assisted by two legmen: Sgt. Les Hart, played by Regis Toomey, an old colleague of Amos's and a cagey vet who's out to enjoy a cushy ride until it's time to retire, and Detective Tim Tilson, played by Gary Conway, a young hunk and often exasperating know-it-all whom Burke constantly deflates. Also in the police station is Sgt. Ames (Eileen O'Neill), a well-stacked brunette who makes overtures to the handsome hero. Lastly, there is Henry, Burke's Oriental chauffeur, played by Leon Lontoc, who quite often steals scenes from his co-stars.

As good as the regular cast is, it is definitely the guest casts for each episode that make the series worthwhile. How many shows can boast an episode that features Edgar Bergen, Dick Clark, Andy Devine and Spike Jones (though not doing anything musical, darn it!) in the cast? Not many, I would imagine! And over the remaining episodes, we're treated to eclectic guest casts featuring a host of celebs, ranging from late-night-movie staples (Kevin McCarthy, Dorothy LaMour, Jim Backus, Linda Darnell, Broderick Crawford, Dan Duryea, Don Ameche, Jane Greer, Jeanne Crain, Agnes Moorehead, Buster Keaton) to familiar TV faces (Carolyn Jones, Mark Goddard, Fess Parker) to up-and-coming performers (William Shatner, Barbara Eden, Dawn Wells) and occasional non-acting TV personalities trying their hands at acting (Dick Clark, Joanie Sommers, Bert Parks, Spike Jones).

Some of the highlights include "Who Killed What's-His-Name?", in which a phony bank robbery is staged to mask the murder of a financier during the caper; "Who Killed Madison Cooper?", about the murder of a high-profile lawyer who dies while on the phone to Burke; "Who Killed Carrie Cornell?", focusing on the murder of a young centerfold/folk singer (and for Star Trek fans, a treat: William Shatner and Michael Ansara as beatnik artists and roommates); and the Harlan Ellison-penned "Who Killed Andy Zygmunt?", about the killing of a hated pop artist/blackmailer.

Burke's Law is worthwhile viewing for anyone who enjoys '60s series, fanciful detective tales, all-star casts, or all of the above. This was the original all-star-guest-cast series, produced by Aaron Spelling (who would carry the all-star cast thing to greater success with The Love Boat over a decade later) and frequently written by Richard Levinson and William Link (who did a number of all-star cast shows down the road, including The New Adventures of Ellery Queen, before hitting major paydirt with Murder, She Wrote). Buy it, enjoy it, love it...that's Mark's Law!