Customer Reviews

Jack of All Trades - The Complete Series

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"Jack of All Trades" puts Bruce Campbell into the perfect role as a sort of swashbuckling hero that reminds me quite a bit of the Daffy Duck "Scarlett Pumpernickel" cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. Appointed by Thomas Jefferson to prevent the French from further colonizing, Jack tangles with Napoleon (played by Vern Troyer aka Mini-Me)in a number of episodes. He also rescues Ben Franklin from Napoleon who hopes that Franklin will come up with the ultimate weapon and Jack appears as a masked folk hero the Daring Dragoon (great name)when he tangles with the French governor Croque. His contact is a beautiful British agent (Angela Dotchin). Aside from the great chemistry between Campbell and Dotchin, the show has all the entertaining trademarks of Equal bits adventure and comedy the show was the best part of the ACTIONPACK hour that also featured "Cleopatra 2525". The DVDs look extremely good with nice full screen transfers and colors that pop off the screen.

Unfortunately Universal has decided to release the full series without any extras. There was a review that mentioned that Campbell was against the release of this show and Brisco on DVD--nothing could be further from the truth. He was probably referring to a money issue (or being sarcastic)and the haggling with Universal. Also, the show had such a small cult following I'm sure that impacted the release as well. Campbell was executive producer of this show with Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi.

Delightfully funny "Jack" makes a perfect compliment to "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." (through no accident its being released the same day at a much lower price--because there are no extras--Universal is hoping that Campbell/Brisco fans will see this, see the price and say, "hey this looks pretty good, too". Can't fault them for a brilliant marketing ploy).

The show is nicely packaged in those slimline DVD holders so they won't take quite as much space on your shelf.

At last one of the funniest shows on TV gets its due. Of course it still should be on the air but at least we can relive the show which had Verne Troyer as the funniest Napoleon ever. Bruce Campbell is one of the most underrated actors alive and does the role of Jack/Daring Dragoon justice. Please buy this wonderful piece of television as shows like this are hard to come by today.

One of my favorite shows-EVER. Bruce Campbell at his best, and Angela, WOW what can one say other than, wish I could see more of her as well.. I've been waiting for YEARS to find this series on VHS and/or DVD (bootlegs were OK, however... I'm sure Bruce and all the other actors would like their residuals!) Excellent show, great slapstick, wonderful acting and very entertaining. This is a must for christmas for the Bruce Campbell fan...

*JACK OF ALL TRADES - DVD"

I'll make this short. It's whitty and funny, at times, but I just kept feeling like something was missing. Perhaps it's because the show is only 22 minutes long each and there's not enough character development? Anyway, overall it's not bad, but there's way too much verbal porn with sexual inuendos in almost every line. To me that's what really ruined this series.

*NOTE* NOT FOR KIDS! ! !

My favorite part of the show is the intro theme and the theme song, it's brilliant. Too bad it's the only thing the kids can watch. Again, Bruce is brilliant.

I grew up when Bob Hope movies were still played on Saturday afternoons, and as a kid I loved his wacky antics. It was only later I realized how risque he was for his time with all the one line zingers that zoomed over my head at first.
Jack of All Trades reminds me of nothing as much as it does those zany Bob Hope movies. Bruce Campbell has nailed this "persona,' and while he's not aping Hope, he nails the essence of that style with flair.
You'll want to be careful who watches it with you as it's rather spicey tongue and cheek dialogue is not really suitable for teens (who might not want to watch a 10 year old series anyway.)
The series works great for my wife and I and we enjoy it as we do most Bruce Campbell offerings. I still scratch my head over why Bruce didn't become more popular, maybe he doesn't take himself seriously enough, but whatever the reason, he's easy to like and fun to watch, and he hasn't lost a step with Burn Notice.

One of the goofiest shows I've ever seen (along with "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", which was released on DVD the same day as this series) has finally been resurrected from the graveyard of unfairly-cancelled series! The plot is very simply told; an American secret agent, Jack Stiles (Bruce Campbell) is ordered by President Jefferson to go to the French colonial island of Palau-Palau in the South Pacific to thwart Napoleon's expansonistic schemes. There, he will work with a female British agent-merchant-inventor, Emilia Rothschild (Angela Dotchin). This provides the foundation for 22 episodes' worth of pure zaniness centered on the Moonlighting-esque relationship between Jack and Emilia, and their continuing misadventures as they elude the idiot French governor and his even more buffoonish army commandant, encounter historical figures including Napoleon himself (played by Verne Troyer, a/k/a Mini-Me), Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Lewis and Clark and Blackbeard, and exchange politically incorrect and risque one-liners. Campbell and Dotchin generate plenty of onscreen sparks; Dotchin is a gorgeous petite blonde with ravishingly expressive blue eyes which she deploys to splendid comic effect (I love watching her roll those beautiful orbs every time Jack lets loose with a particularly stupid quip!)

I can't give this DVD set 5 stars, though, much as I'd like to, because the episodes aren't presented in the proper order. This can confuse some people new to the series. Also, there don't seem to be any extras, which is a pity.

This series is zany, raunchy fractured history at its best, right up there with Black Adder and 'Allo,'Allo. Bruce Campbell, a worthy swashbuckling successor to Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power (if they had been somewhat tilted), heads a cast of hilarious goofballs in a spoof of the post-American Revolutionary period. An American spy, Jack, he is assigned to work with an English spy on a potty little French island in the South Pacific, trying their best to foil the French secret plans to rule the world. The two of them are posing as an English merchant and her aide. Notice I said "her." She is Emilia, a feisty scientist and inventor and the actress who plays her is a perfect foil for our Bruce. The two characters bicker with each other and scheme behind each other's backs to achieve their own countries' aims but nevertheless show genuine respect and affection for each other.

Into this mixture rides Jack as his heroic alter ego, The Dashing Dragoon, complete with black mask, sword, huge swirling red cape, and his trusty horse, Nutcracker. He foils villains and exposes plots and rescues people, that is, when he doesn't fall over his own cape or have to be rescued by Emilia.

No famous historical icon is safe in this series, from President Jefferson to Benjamin Franklin to Czarina Catherine of Russia to King George of England to Napoleon, a true "Little Corporal" played with great gusto by a midget. Anachronisms, double entendre and slapstick abound. You will laugh until you hurt at the ferocious tiny Napoleon, the "typical American Thanksgiving Day", occasional cross-dressing, and Lewis and Clark trying to find Oregon in the South Pacific -- they also don't know that the Revolutionary War is over.

Don't miss this one! No review can really do justice to its wonderful craziness or to the talent and skill with which it was created.

This DVD collection is a must have for any Bruce Campbell fan. The actor has long embraced his legacy of being the poster boy for b-flick movies and shows and this series only further solidifies his place in cult classic history forever. His campy and witty license is in full effect with this delightful series that let's Campbell fire off double entendres and one-liners that are a joy to laugh at. Angela Dotchin plays Emilia Rothschild and is a refreshing opposite to Bruce with surprisingly excellent chemistry between them and there has rarely been a pair on screen so fun to watch.
There are moments too numerous to mention here of simple and genuine fun and the success of this post-Revolutionary romp is in the excellent character actors all around. This series can be enjoyed at any time with almost anyone. Producer Sam Raimi and company may have had a longer run with their Hercules and Xena series, but Jack of All Trades leaves you wishing there was much more of this very enjoyable show.

This was a syndicated series from a few years back. Imagine a blending of Zorro, James Bond and Captain Blood all played for comic effect. Bruce Campbell is just great as Jack, the foppish character with the hidden identity as a secret agent for Thomas Jefferson. His contact is a beautiful English woman who could not care the least for him, or does she? Lots of ennuendo and double entendre humor. Fun and well written, it sends up just about every movie and cliffhanger in memory. Lots of action and laughs in this piece of work. Even the opening theme is fun.

There's absolutely nothing accurate about this series. It's defininetly not accurate historically, socially, technologically, and I think the geography is suspect. I love this series though. It's brilliantly goofy. Bruce Campbell's sarcastic wit shines in this escapist fare. I give it four stars and would recommend it to anyone who wanted a witty, funny, and occasionally, silly show to watch. Enjoy.