Spenser For Hire - the Movie Collection
 
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Spenser For Hire - the Movie Collection (1994)

Robert Urich (Actor), Avery Brooks (Actor), Andrew Wild (Director), Joseph L. Scanlan (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews) |

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Product Details

  • Actors: Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Cynthia Dale, Ross Petty, Hayley Tyson
  • Directors: Andrew Wild, Joseph L. Scanlan, Paul Lynch, Vic Sarin
  • Writers: Carol Daley, Donald Martin, Joan H. Parker, Monte Stettin
  • Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 4
  • Rated: Unrated
  • Studio: Rykodisc
  • DVD Release Date: June 28, 2005
  • Run Time: 362 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0009NSDW0
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,191 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

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  • Learn more about "Spenser For Hire - the Movie Collection" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

USA TODAY

"We’ll Always Remember Robert Urich As Spenser. And When We Do, We’ll Smile."

Product Description

For The First Time Ever
The Four Top-Rated SPENSER Movies
In One Explosive Collection

Following the surprise cancellation of the hit series Spenser: For Hire, ABC produced four full-length movies starring the late Robert Urich as the wisecracking-but-deadly Boston detective. Avery Brooks (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) co-stars as ‘Hawk’ in these television events based on the best-selling books by Robert B. Parker that The New York Times calls "one of the great series in the history of the American detective story."
SPENSER: CEREMONY
Starring Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Barbara Williams
Screenplay by Robert P. Parker & Joan H. Parker

When a 16-year-old girl disappears into Boston’s sleazy underbelly, Spenser and Hawk pull the trigger on a teen pornography ring that leads to a shocking final twist.
SPENSER: PALE KINGS AND PRINCES
Starring Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Barbara Williams, Alex Carter (CSI), Matthew Ferguson (La Femme Nikita)
Screenplay by Robert P. Parker & Joan H. Parker

Spenser, his ‘lady shrink’ girlfriend Susan Silverman, and Hawk investigate a brutal murder in a quaint New England town where snow falls in kilo packages.
SPENSER: THE JUDAS GOAT
Starring Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Wendy Crewson (24, AIR FORCE ONE)

Spenser is hired out-of-town and may be out of his league when a terrorist group with a taste for car bombs targets a controversial African leader.
SPENSER: A SAVAGE PLACE
Starring Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Cynthia Dale, Wendy Crewson

A TV news cameraman is found murdered, and Spencer is hired by an old flame to investigate a movie producer who may be shooting more than film.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
131 of 136 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Perhaps the signature role in Robert Urich's too short career. Spenser, with an 's' like the poet, was a tough talking Private Eye in Boston. He likes to cook, and he loves Susan Silverman. He garners help on a regular basis from Hawk, a former mob enforcer who respects what Spenser stands for.

The first two of these movies are decent enough. They capture some of the flavor of the TV show. Although the production moved from Boston to Toronto to cut costs. Also in a cost-cutting measure, they replaced the series' Susan (Barbara Stock) with Barbara Williams and later Wendy Crewson. (A move that Urich admitted was a bad one.) ABC produced the first two movies after cancelling the series. The latter two were produced for Lifetime Television.

Robert B. Parker, who penned the novels on which the series was based, co-wrote the first two of these movies with his wife. The quality of the first two scripts notwithstanding, the productions suffered from the move to Toronto. While it is a beautiful city, it doesn't have the same feel as Beantown.

The latter two cable movies are a hollow shell of what made the show great. It's basically a cut-and-paste job.

That having been said, I would guess that Warner Bros. is keeping a close eye on the sales of this set to decide if they'll release the great series on DVD. So, if you want to see the real "Spenser: For Hire" you'll have to go through here to get it.
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92 of 96 people found the following review helpful
Urich's return a triumph June 26, 2005
Format:DVD
They say Robert Parker grew unhappy with the network interpretation of Spenser. they even say he objected to Urich in the role. But Parker probably owes a lot more book sales to Urich's signature role as the smart and philosophical PI in boston.

I loved this show when it aired, even though I was only 14 at the time.

Avery Brooks was exceptional as Hawk. So much so, they spun him into a solo series that ultimately failed. It failed because whoever was in charge forgot what made Hawk so popular - his wiseass, tough guy personality. All those Hawk-eque qualities got down played in the Hawk series. So it was nice to see him return to the 4 movies in the early 90s. (His Hawk was so good, that Deep Space 9 eventually had him Hawk-ify his Commander role on that show).

The lack of a regular Susan (or the return of the original) hurts these movies only slightly.

And this time Parker took the reigns and adapted them from his books. Eventually, he adapted one or two more with Joe Mantagna as Spenser, but it never worked as well and the series of movies ceased. Parker has now moved on to Jesse Stone, his newest novel character and Tom Selleck has made one TV movie that is also excellent.

Missing also here are original Belson actor and Lt Quark. But they play only minor roles.

Unlike a TV episode, these are fully contained stories told over a larger canvas that takes more time and a more film like pace. Also missing is Boston as the city they film in - very noticable and saddening. Spenser drives a Ford Probe rather than the classic Mustang, which is also a let down. But those are only asthetic items.

Let's hope that fans scoop these movies on DVD up, since word is that these are tests to see if the regular series 3 seasons are worth the time and effort to release. Let's show them that they are, and buy these when they come out.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Having been a fan of the series, and the books, each in their own way, finding these movies as a box set was a rare treat. I had only seen parts of these movies during their first-run, so to me they were new. Robert Urich IS Spenser, and the book scripts suit him even better than the TV shows did. He really brings the wise-cracks to life and delivers them so well, and fast, that you want to jump back a few seconds to hear the delivery again.

Several of the reviewers mentioned that the voice-overs were no longer an element of the new movies. While I still have one of the films to watch, all of the other 3 had a good bit of voice-overs in them, so I don't really understand what they are getting at. The replacement of Susan, repeatly, doesn't seem to make much sense... though I will say that I though Barbara Williams was closer to the book version of Susan than the others. I have seen one of the new Spenser films... and while Joe Mantegna is lacking as Spenser... the HAWKS are horrible. Avery IS Hawk... end of story. Here's to the series on DVD, may it come soon....
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Where is the series?
Would love to be able to have the whole series on dvd. Robert Urich was Spenser. The series was great television. Anyone who could find fault with it didn't enjoy how it was done. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bill
Excellent Product
Excellent product. Produced during the time when TV had some VERY HIGH QUALITY programs; Unlike today. Read more
Published on March 13, 2010 by J. Myles
bought like new very happy
the only thing really missing was the shrink wrap the product was in very good condition and well worth the price
Published on February 2, 2010 by L. Kenyon
Better than nothing
While we Spenser fans wait for Warner Bros. to release the regular series on dvd, at least we have these 4 cable movies starring Urich & Brooks to tide us over. Read more
Published on December 12, 2009 by Delmo Walters Jr.
A Mere Shadow of the TV Series
As a big fan of the '85-'88 Spenser: For Hire TV series, I anticipated the arrival of my Amazon order of this Spenser movie collection. Read more
Published on November 10, 2009 by McElligot's Pool
Spenser doesn't fail to please
Having read most of Robert B Parkser's books, it was a natural progression to be curious about the Spenser TV and Movie series. Read more
Published on September 8, 2009 by Dianne Lizee
"Spenser for Hire" Movie Collection
Spenser For Hire - the Movie Collection

These movies are great stories and the quality of the DVDs is first class. Read more
Published on June 3, 2009 by Yvette Sparks
Old school
Now all I have to do is find the tv series!! Check them out! This is a good set to have. Especialy if your from Boston!
Published on April 18, 2009 by Bryce S. Swearingen
Long-time Spenser Fan
As a long-time fan of the Spenser character I was delighted to discover these movies. I thought I remembered a TV series a couple of decades ago that I didn't particularly enjoy... Read more
Published on February 2, 2009 by Lover of English
Tough Guys
Humphrey Bogart,Lee Marvin,Robert Mitchum and John Wayne are my favorite
tough guys. I have to add more to this list becauce in this collection
Urich and Brooks really... Read more
Published on September 27, 2008 by John Bean
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