Customer Reviews

Route 66 - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

They finally made the correct scale picture for Route 66, Season One! The first Route 66 Season One dvd's- first half (Volume 1) and second half (Volume 2) sets, were made elongated, with the tops of the actors heads cut off! What a nightmare for viewing! The picture is not cleaned up as pristine as it could be, but what an improvement to be able to see the whole picture, with everyones head not cut off at the top of the screen!

If you are not certain which set you have bought, the first elongated, cropped dvd sets were sold separately, in halves for the first season (Season One, Volume 1 and Season One, Volume 2) . When you view this cropped picture, it looks like a letterbox style movie, only the actors heads are cut off at the top of the screen!

This corrected set has both Season One, Volumes 1 and 2 together in a sleeve (exact, same packaging). The picture is no longer letter box style, and the actors heads are not near the screen edge. Thank goodness, I hope this never happens again, as I've never seen a show with so many tops of the heads cut off! It's great to see everyone's entire head, as it should be!

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Found this enlightening entry on TVShowsOnDVD.com (that some here may have missed):
-Michael


- Quote -
Route 66 - What's the Delay on Route 66 DVDs? It's GOOD News, Actually!
Complete 1st Season set still coming; 2nd Season isn't scrapped either!
by David Lambert (tvshowsondvd), 4/29/2008

Back in mid-March we reported that Infinity Entertainment and Roxbury Entertainment were planning on May 20th releases on DVD for both Route 66 - The Complete 1st Season AND Route 66 - Season 2, Volume 1. Late last week fans of the show started writing in to us, highly concerned that online pre-orders they had placed for one or both of these were being canceled. What's going on? We talked to Infinity, and we've got the scoop on what's happening...and it turns out that it's a good thing, actually.

Along the course of putting out the first DVD packages, Infinity (and Roxbury) recognized that there was some customer dissatisfaction with the half-season sets put out for the first season, and they want to resolve this. To begin with, they are scrapping the half-season set concept at this time. As a result, Season 2, Vol. 1 is completely canceled. Instead, though, we will get a Complete Season 2 DVD package! It's currently penciled in for an October release, but that's not finalized just yet.

In the meantime, the release of The Complete Season 1 DVD set IS still coming out. But it's being pushed back to release sometime in August, in order to give the studio more time to resolve customer complaints about how episodes were presented on disc in the two half-season sets for that show. There has not been any word yet as to whether Infinity will offer any sort of "upgrade/fix" path for people who purchased the original versions and wish to get the corrected versions, but we'll let you know if we hear anything.

We'll bring you the specific new release date for Route 66 - The Complete 1st Season once it's been determined, and we'll also bring you the release date for Route 66 - The Complete 2nd Season when that's announced. Stay tuned!

Copyright 2001-2008 TVShowsOnDVD.com
- Unquote -

Link: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Route-66-DVD-Plans-Changed/9504

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Hope the above helps to clarify,
-MJB, 052508

'Route 66' is one of the finest television anthology series ever produced. With a somewhat dark and brooding tone, much like the 'Fugitive', the show jumps from town to city to state along the classic American corridor know as U.S highway route 66. Brilliant screen writing and direction provide poignant drama as Tod Stiles and Buzz Murdock rediscover early 1960's social views and changing perspectives from the seats of a Chevrolet Corvette.

Best news of all, it appears that the releasing studio has finally heard the pleas of America by halting the absurd practice of half season releases. Appropriately filmed in Black & White; as with "The Fugitive', this is quality programming for the entire family.

**UPDATE** 08.08.08

I've noticed that with the Volume 1 discs, the video and audio is a bit on the muddy side, probably due to the most affordable source material Infinity decided to spend on this venture. And as another reviewer stated , the elapsed time & chapters are missing on the Volume 2 discs but this happens on only select players.

BUT, Infinity IS listening to its customers; restoring the OAR and putting the entire 1st season out as a single set. And at a reasonable price too! At least Infinity/Roxbury is moving in the right direction. The Mob bosses at Paramount could take some lessons from them!

**UPDATE** 08.28.08

I just finished episode 30. WOW! What a show! Route 66 - The Complete Second Season continues this great anthology! I'm sure Infinity/Roxbury will shortly have the remaining 2 seasons on their way!

Route 66 centered on two young men, who traveled together in a sleek Corvette. The car was bequeathed to one of the main characters, named Tod, by his dead father. His traveling companion was named Buzz. Tod and Buzz were actually polar opposites. Tod came from an affluent background, and had an education that he'd acquired from Harvard. On the other hand, Buzz was a street-wise young tough, who grew up in the urban jungle of 'hell's kitchen', in NYC.

Tod and Buzz were seeking adventure during their travels, and they often got more than they bargained for. As they made their way from town to town, they frequently got into some serious skirmishes, that they were barely able to escape. They also got to assist many of the people that they met, in one way or another. In this way, the show resembled the story-line of the Fugitive, which was also an enormously popular 60s drama series.

George Maharis as Buzz, and Martin Milner as Tod, projected a good on-screen rapport, as the two road buddies. George had a more charismatic appeal as an actor, than Martin Milner did. The cinematography in this show was amazing. Especially considering that the show was produced in the early 60s, before the high-tech film cameras of today were available. The scenery in general, was always one of the most enjoyable parts of Route 66.

This was a quality TV drama series. And it was prescient regarding the restlessness of young people, that would intensify by the latter part of the 1960s. In this way, the show was really on the cutting-edge of hipness. Highly recommended, for fans of 60s TV dramas.

Finally, we get the ENTIRE 1st season of "route 66" in one box, and EVERY episode is shown in its original full-frame aspect ratio... exactly as it was photographed, and exactly as it was shown on TV during it's original run. THANKS, Infinity, for making this right! Now on to Season 2!

I was a bit young to have watched this excellent drama series when it aired in 1960 ; but am glad it has been re-mastered and now available. Each episode follows Buzz and Tod to a new location, where they meet and become involved with local people. Difficult situations occur; but the pair are determined to help out, and somehow things are made better because of their efforts. That constant private struggle toward improvement was a natural part of their society.

The episodes were filmed on location, and it is facinaing to see what the country looked like at that time. Some things are the same, such as buildings or houses, that could likely be viewed just as they were today. So much though is different. The amount of economic activity is astounding, as is the freedom in which the people operate.

As they travel about, they easily take jobs at seeminly endless manufacturing facilities. No labor laws keep them from taking or ending their employment at will. They, and their employers, enjoy freedom of association. Those facilities efficiently directed the society's scarce capital into productive uses, causing prosperity, and a real hope of a better tomorrow for all honest people. They also produced most of the goods purchased by people around the world. Almost every product seen, in location after location, was made in America. Just being able to see these products, especially the fabulous American cars of that time, is reason enough to watch the series.

And the money, it was real. One episode involves gambling in a Reno casino, where we witness that silver dollars were often then used as chips! What a sad testiment to our times that those honest dollars have been replaced by tokens made of cheap plastic or base metal.

As we witness the present decline our living standards, and social disintrigation, brought about by the financial bankrupcy of out nation by the politicians, the mis-direction of of our scarce capital into consumption, rather than productive investment, and the substitution of our once honest money by fiat paper, we would do well to look back at our world from 1960 -1963, and re-kindle it.

Each of the four season 1 volume 2 discs does not display time elapsed or remaining as they should. Menu is also confusing because you have to click on "play all" rather than "episodes" in order to access the episodes individually...they got this backwards...and it does this on all three dvd players I have. At first, I thought you could only access subsequent episodes only by advancing through chapter stops, but this fortunately is not the case. Finally, last episode on disc one stops during the end credits before they're done playing all the way through. Checked the same episode on the previous release of volume 2 of season 1 (with the goofy aspect ratio) and it does play all through the end credits like it should. Where is the quality control? The authoring needs a bit more TLC. But I'm happy all the episodes play. But three star rating for imperfect formatting.

Just watched all of Route 66 Season 1 via Netflix and had never seen the show before.
I have to say this is a fantastic show and love the friendship between Tod and Buzz, the different locales and great cinematography.
I may love this show as much as "The Fugitive"

I like it so much I will still purchase it on DVD from Amazon !

I'd previously bought a version of Route 66 in which season 1 was broken into two DVDs, which was a TERRIBLE version, WAY too dark. The stories were the same, of course, but watching it was a chore. This version is bright and clear and makes me feel as though I were watching the original show.

It takes me back to those days of wishing I could hop in a Corvette with a buddy and travel across the US and enjoy the scenery, places, people, and adventures along the way. It wasn't a realistic dream then, and it isn't now, but it's fun to remember, and to dream.

I can't wait until this company makes and releases DVDs of this excellent quality for the rest of the Route 66 series.

This is a great collection of the Route 66 show. Believe it or not, the plots are much more sophisticated than the brain-dead shows that are being churned out daily today. A wonderful window to a world that is long gone. God, I wish I could go back to those days....