Customer Reviews

Classic Adventurers - 26 TV Episodes

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At the time this review was written, Amazon provided no description of the programming found on this 3-DVD set, so I'll attempt to provide some details. The set includes 26 half-hour episodes from two very successful adventure shows of the 1950s and two other 1950s adventures shows that were "one season wonders." Disc 1 includes ten episodes (fully one-third of the series) of "The Adventures of Sir Lancelot" that was broadcast on NBC in the 1956-57 season. Little seen in reruns, this has been a difficult show to find in North America, though the full series has been released on DVD in the UK. The series' introductory episode, "The Knight with the Red Plume" is included but is not the first episode included on the disc. A short narrative on the legend of Sir Lancelot rounds out the disc. Disc 2 includes six early season 1 episodes of "The Adventures of Robin Hood," including the series' first episode, and includes episodes that introduce the characters of Little John, Maid Marian, and Friar Tuck. The show originally ran on CBS from 1955-58, and was made by Sapphire Films, the same production company that made "Sir Lancelot." Like "Sir Lancelot," the full run of "Robin Hood" is available on DVD in the UK. A 1949 radio show about the Robin Hood legend completes the disc and the radio cast includes Edmund O'Brien, Ed Begley, Sr., and William Conrad. Finally, disc 3 includes five episodes of "Ramar of the Jungle," Jon Hall's syndicated 1952-54 jungle adventure series that was rerun well into the 1960s, and 5 episodes of the historical adventure series "Northwest Passage" that ran on NBC during the 1958-59 season. "Northwest Passage" was produced by MGM and is one of the few television shows of the 1950s produced entirely in color. A short slide show of jungle adventure theatrical film posters concludes this disc.

This collection of episodes has been released by the St. Clair Entertainment Group, a Canadian company that has also offered similar packages titled "Police TV" and "Western TV," among others. With the exception of a number of the episodes from "Sir Lancelot," many of the episodes in this collection have been released by other companies specializing in public domain material, most notably Alpha Video. The source material is variable and can even differ dramatically among episodes from the same series. Those who are familiar with the type of material released by Alpha Video and other companies releasing public domain television programs will know what to expect, but those expecting studio quality, pristine prints are in for a big disappointment. All of the episodes are certainly watchable, and the comparatively low cost for this set coupled with the large number of episodes offered offsets the lesser visual quality somewhat.

Bottom Line: This is a value priced collection of entertaining adventure series that filled the nation's airwaves during the 1950s and early 1960s. These types of series are rarely produced anymore (Kevin Sorbo's "Hercules" series would be a modern-day equivalent), and the series selected for this collection provide a nice representation of the adventure series genre. "Classic Adventurers" is recommended, primarily, for classic/vintage TV fans and those who enjoy tales of olde.

ST. CLAIR DVD multi-packs are reasonably priced, and offer fine quality video/audio transfers of unrestored public domain material. Discs are single-side recorded, plastic storage cases fairly sturdy, liner notes appear on box's back cover.

CLASSIC ADVENTURERS consists of 26 TV show episodes from the 1950s.

CONTENTS:

THE ADVENTURES OF LANCELOT was produced in Britain for export to America. Despite Oxford research, actual 14th Century settings were used as backdrop, even though Sir Lancelot du Lac lived 800 years earlier. Sets from THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD were reused here. Scriptwriters included McCarthy blacklisted American expatriates.

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, the aforementioned British show, was geared to children. It was broadcast Mondays at 7:30 pm, on the CBS network for four seasons. Robin of Locksley and his Merry Men are charged by King Richard with protecting England while HRM is off fighting the Crusades.

NORTHWEST PASSAGE was a mythical sealane allowing boats to cross North America east to west. This program chronicles the search for this Arctic passage in the 1750s. Complicating matters was a little skirmish now known as the French and Indian War. Twenty-six episodes of this program aired Sunday nights on NBC from 9/14/58 to 3/13/59.

RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE was a syndicated half-hour series that ran from October 1952 to New Year's Day of 1954. The show chronicled the adventures of Dr. Tom Reynolds, a research scientist and physician known by the natives as "Ramar" (translation: white medicine man). Episodes were overseen by veteran director Sam Newfield.

CLASSIC TV COMEDY is another St Clair box set. This one has 25 vintage shows from Milton Berle, Burns & Allen, Red Skelton and the Beverly Hillbillies.

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The following program list includes episode numbers, titles, original airdates and guest stars.

DISC ONE--
THE ADVENTURES OF LANCELOT
(William Russell: Sir Lancelot, Jane Hylton: Queen Guinevere, Cyril Smith: Merlin)
(#_2) Ferocious Fathers (9/22/56) - Bruce Seton/Ballard Berkely/Norah Gorsen
(#_1) The Knight With the Red Plume (9/15/56) - Bruce Seton/Brian Worth
(#23) The Lady Lilith (3/2/57) - Shirley Cooklin/Richard Leech
(#17) The Lesser Breed (1/19/57) - Ann Stephens/Gerald Heinz/Wilfrid Brambell
(#28) The Mortaise Fair (4/6/57) - William Franklyn/Richard Hearne/Martin Benson
(#30) The Prince of Limerick (series finale) (4/20/57) - Jerome Willis/Lynne Furlong
(#16) The Ruby of Radnor (1/12/57) - Colin Tapley/Eric Corrie
(#12) Theft of Excalibur (12/1/56) - Alfie Bass/David Brough
(#25) The Ugly Duckling (3/16/57) - CarolMarsh/Ian Whittaker/Jeanette Hutchinson
(#18) Witches Brew' (1/26/57) - Leonard Sachs/Maxine Audley/Richard Hearne

BONUS: Legend of Lancelot

DISC TWO--
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD
(John Arnett: Robin, Ian Hunter: Sir Richard, Alexander Gauge: Friar Tuck)
(#1) The Coming of Robin Hood (S.1, 9/26/55) - Susan Richards/Norman Macowan
(#2) The Moneylender (S.1, 10/3/55) - Bruce Seton/Leo McKern/Kenneth Edwards
(#3) Dead or Alive (S.1, 10/10/55) - John Rutland/Agnes Bernelle
(#4) Friar Tuck (S.1, 10/17/55) - Willoughby Gray/Leslie Phillips/Faith Bailey
(#5) Maid Marian (S.1, 10/24/55) - Marie Burke/Shaun Noble/Dave Edwards
(#6) A Guest For the Gallows (S.1, 10/31/55) - Denis Shaw/Robert Desmond/Jan Miller

BONUS: "Family Radio Theater": An Adventure With Robin Hood

DISC THREE--
RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE
(Jon Hall: Dr. Tom "Ramar" Reynolds, Ray Montgomery: Prof. Howard Ogden)
(#35) Dark Venture (S.2, 12/12/53) - Veronica Pataky/Carleton Young/Enmmett Smith
(#15) Curse of the Devil Doll (S.1, 7/25/53) - Archie Savage/Chick Chandler
(#33) Idol Voodoo (S.2, 11/28/53) - Paul Thompson/Felix Nelson/Tom Dillon
(#17) Lady of the Leopards (S.1, 8/8/53) - Suzanne Dalbert/Jay Brooks/Norman duPont
(#23) Savage Challenge (S.1, 9/19/53) - Juanita Moore/Rex Ingram/James Edwards

NORTHWEST PASSAGE
(Keith Larsen: Maj. Robert Rogers, Buddy Ebsen: Sgt. Hunk Marriner, Don Burnette: Ens. Langdon Towne)
(#19) Death Rides the Wind (1/23/59) - DeForest Kelley/Yvette Vickers/Murvyn Vye
(#17) The Secret of the Cliff (1/9/59) - Taina Elg/Maurice Marsac/Albert Carrier
(#20) The Fourth Brother (1/30/59) - Lee Van Cleef/Gene Nelson/Grant Withers
(#_4) Surprise Attack (10/5/58) - Madge Meridith/Larry Chance/Lisa Gaye
(#14) Vengeance Trail (12/21/58) - Paul Fix/Rod Dana/Joseph Vitale

BONUS: Classic Adventure Poster Gallery

Oh boy! To think I watched these shows regularly every week as a kid. It is truly fascinating to revisit your past favourites. All the shows are in black and white on budgets that today would not get you an opening credit on a cheese commercial, yet they definitely have charm. There is minimal violence even though there are sword fights galore, no sex even though Lancelot and Guinevere exchange lots of long glances. English is spoken precisely and with a stiff upper lip at all times. Richard Greene and William Russell (pre Dr. Who) are noble and stalwart with just an occassional tongue in cheek. Ideal for parents who worry about too much violence or sex on the TV today and epitomises what nostalgia is all about. Great value.

Very Good 1950's British TV Series. As Good as Any other Early BBC or British Series Today.