Customer Reviews

Starsky & Hutch - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I remember enjoying this series with the highlight on Starsky's and Hutch's friendship and some great chase scenes. I couldn't find out much about the DVD set from Columbia's website. (I am writing this prior to release.) They did say that the set is 1173 minutes long. Here is an episode guide which I hope will be helpful. I listed any guest stars whose names I recognized. However, they may have had a small part in the episode.

Here is an episode guide for Season 1, with a tiny description:
1.Pilot: Two teenagers in a car matching Starsky's are killed. A local crime lord awaiting trial is suspected.
2. Savage Sunday: An elderly couple's car is stolen. The thieves don't know that the car trunk is rigged with dymanite and a timer. Guest star: Suzanne Somers
3. Texas Longhorn: A wealthy man's young wife is raped and murdered. The bereaved man wants his own revenge.
4. Death Ride: The daughter of a crime boss who's ratting on his friends needs police protection. Starsky and Hutch don't know that they have been tricked. Guest star: Jeff Corey
5. Snowstorm: Starsky and Hutch are suspected of stealing a million dollars worth of cocaine after a drug raid.
6. The Fix: Hutch is kidnapped by a jealous mobster who gets him addicted to heroin.
7. Death Notice: Starsky and Hutch are bodyguards to a group of strippers who have received death threats.
8. Pariah: After a man arrested by Starsky dies in jail, the bereaved father begins killing police officers and demands that Starsky be punished.
9. Kill Huggy Bear: Huggy Bear, a police informant, ends up with some mob money and gets into trouble with the "owners".
10. The Bait: Starsky and Hutch pose as dealers to trap a drug supplier. They ask a woman arrested for drug possession for help.
11. Lady Blue: Starsky's ex-girlfriend is murdered while working undercover as a go-go dancer.
12. Captain Dobey, You're Dead: Captain Dobey's family is threatened.
13. Terror on the Docks: Starsky and Hutch try to solve the murder of an undercover police officer investigating waterfront heists.
14. Deadly Imposter: An old friend from the acadamy tells them he was a POW and wants to find his ex-wife.
15. Shootout: This episode is considered by some to be one of the series best, with the action occuring in real time. Hit men after a mobster take over a diner where Starsky and Hutch are eating dinner. Guest star: Albert Paulsen
16. The Hostages: The pregnant wife of an armored car driver is kidnapped. The driver is blackmailed into helping rob the businesses on his route. Guest stars: John Ritter, Kristy McNichol
17. Losing Streak: A musician takes money from a club owner that owes him back pay. However, the money turns out to be counterfeit.
18. Silence: A mute parolee who is the resident of a halfway house is suspected of a crime spree.
19. The Omaha Tiger: The murder of a concessioneer sends Starsky and Hutch undercover into the wrestling world.
20. JoJo: Starsky and Hutc nab a rapist. However, the feds want to use the rapist to take down a drug ring.
21. Running: Starsky tries to solve a homicide while helping an old friend in trouble.
22. A Coffin for Starsky: Starsky is injected with a slow-acting poison.
23. Bounty Hunter: Starsky and Hutch are not the only ones searching for a bail-jumper suspected of killing a police officer.

As someone who was ten when "Starsky & Hutch" premiered in September of '75, I was very excited to get my hands on this brand new DVD first season set in honor of one of my favorite shows of the 70's. (The other being "Emergency!"). Looking at these episodes so crisply re-mastered, brings back a lot of memories of sighing longingly while gazing at Paul Michael Glaser ("Starsky")..as my older sister pined for the dreamy David Soul ("Hutch"). I remember the excitement as a young child of waiting for "my" show to come on every Wednesday evening and discovering what "messes" my heroes were going to get into. Even back then, I appreciated the humor, loyal friendship and camaraderie of the two leads; two men who were never afraid to show or express their deep love and affection for each other. It is that element that has kept me a fan to this day.

As always, my favorite episodes involved angst or "hurt/comfort"..and I eagerly awaited fan favorites such as, "The Fix", "The Shootout", and "A Coffin for Starsky"; anything that expressed the heartfelt devotion and concern these two men had for each other. I know that in today's age, such overt displays of affection would be frowned upon amongst men..and certainly back then it was unique, unusual and different..but it is this very uniquely displayed vulnerability and CHEMISTRY amongst the gritty reality of their daily lives that made the show a winner for me, and still makes it so to this day. There has been, nor will there EVER be, a cop show to match the heart that this show had: two undercover cops whose priority to their jobs was surpassed only by their deep love and affection for each other. Their motto: "Me and Thee" sums up in a nutshell what this series was all about-friendship first. It warms my heart, also, to know that both Paul and David were and still are just as close offscreen. It makes watching these episodes all the more touching.

A VERY BIG thank you to Amazon for sending out my replacement DVD's within a two-day period. You guys ROCK!!!

Starsky and Hutch is perhaps one of the best cop shows of the '70s (there was a lot of competition then), and easily one of the best ever. It's about time that it's finally received the digital treatment it has so long deserved.

This was probably the first police drama that showed that cops could also be close friends and actually hang out together and have social lives. All cop shows previously were of the Quinn Martin/Jack Webb/Hawaii 5-0 variety, where everything was done by the book and the principals--although professional--were somewhat cold and very one-dimensional and superficial. This was also the first cop drama that showed that sometimes the rules have to be bent a little bit (and arms and god-knows-what-else broken!) in order to get the job done. Hey, it was rough out there on the mean streets of the 1970s.

This DVD set is a little piece of history. The first season is generally considered the best of the four, so this is the one to get. Lots of extras too, including an in-depth look at the Gran Torino that STILL has to be the coolest car ever telecast.

Its about time someone woke up and put one of, if not the greatest cop shows of all time on dvd format. I heard the first season 5 dvd set will include the Pilot episode. Cant get any better then that. A while back, I purchased S&H on VHS thru Colombia House. They are great, but nothing beats seeing the candy apple red Ford Grand Torino tearing up the streets in digital format. Awesome, cant wait. I have been waiting a long time for this. Finally....

Cops and robbers, pimps and hustlers, all done in grand 70's style. This is probably the finest cop show ever...sorry Kojak and Baretta! Check out these two cool hip cops take on every lowlife on the seedy streets of downtown L.A. Have a bunch of friends over, wear your best pair of bellbottoms, and time travel back to a simpler time...Starsky & Hutch style!

Although the upcoming movie will likely be entertaining, I prefer to go for the real deal. I've already viewed several episodes from the 1st season box set, and after 29 years, still recall most of these episodes, only because it was such a stand up series. In my opinion no other two actors blended as well as David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser, and between 1975 - 1979 they managed to mould a very unique television series, containing action, romance, drama, and even comedic moments. If you were too young to recall it, my advice is to purchase it, for the price its well worth every penny. A lot of extras with the DVD release, very nicely put together. It would be great to see these two together again. I encourage everyone to read David Souls letter on the interest of doing a film that presents a closure to this original superb series. I don't understand why they have never been approached? Get with it producers, because with the new movie and DVD release of the series, now is the time!

Go To: http://www.criticdoctor.com/features/sandh1.html (for David Souls letter)

For true 'Starsky & Hutch' fans, this is an excellent box set. I give it 5 out of 5 stars simply because any fan of 'S&H' will no doubt love it.
'Starsky & Hutch' was a ground-breaking show when it debuted in 1975. Based loosely on the early-70s TV movie 'Super-Cops', itself a true-life inspired story, 'Starsky & Hutch' blended the buddy-formula that worked so well in 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', as well as 'The Sting' with the conventions of TV cop show simplicities, throwing in a lot of personal touches along the way.
Critics initially lambasted the show for being little more than an ultra-violent shoot-em-up peppered with endless car chases, but the sincere sensitivity displyed by the main characters, fleshed out by the very-likable leads Paul Michael Glaser as 'Starsky' and David Soul as 'Hutch', as well as supporting cast Antonio Fargas as thier snitch-buddy 'Huggy Bear'(he was NOT a pimp!)and Bernard Hamilton as thier tough-as-nails 'Captain Dobey' was enough to take the hard 'edge' off of the violent action that would have quickly become boring and uninteresting.
The TV show 'S.W.A.T.', another Spelling-Goldberg production airing during 1975 was also initially a huge hit, packed with even more of the audience-grabbing uber-violence. Unfortunately, that show did not have the talents or likeability of a cast like Glaser, Soul, Fargas and Hamilton to give it any lasting appeal, and it was soon gone from the air-waves.
What gave this show it's lasting appeal was the near-perfect balance of action, friendship, humor and drama, all capped off with theme music, as well as incidental episode music that was far and away the best ever used on an hour long weekly cop series up until that time.
The opening theme music for the first season, as well as much of this season's incidental music was by the award-winning Lalo Schifrin, most famous for his unforgettable them to 'Mission: Impossible', as well as his jazzy theme for the private-detective series 'Mannix', starring Mike Conners. Schifrin also was responsible for the award winning scores from both 'Dirty Harry', the Clint Eastwood film and 'Bullit', the Steve McQueen actioner famous for its near-perfect 15-minute car chase scene through the streets and hills of San Francisco.
Along with Schifrin's unbeatable contributions, many other famous film composers contributed to the 'Starsky & Hutch' sound during its freshman season.
Probably the most amazing thing about the first season of 'Starsky & Hutch' is the fact that of the 23 episodes, only two of the stories were written originally for this show.
This show was cutting-edge for its time, tackling subjects rarely, if ever shown on a typical hour long TV show before.
Of the entire first season, almost every episode is a classic, with no stinkers in the bunch.
The biggest treat to fans for this set is the inclusion of the rarely-seen pilot episode. Like most pilot shows, there are a few differences from the series once it was underway, but they are very few and barely noticeable. In other words...they got it right from the beginning and didn't have to 'fix it' when it became a series. The most obvious change is that 'Dobey' is played by Richard Ward in the pilot, who was unavailable for the series. Bernie Hamilton then became the beloved 'Dobey' for the entire 4-year run of the series. The pilot is a little more gritty and rough than what the series was, but all the elements are clearly in place. After all these years, seeing the pilot again is a real treat!
Unlike most cop-shows from the era, 'Starsky & Hutch' gave its two leads plenty of opportunities for some real acting by letting the characters show flaws, hesitations and quirks along with the usual heroic and unflinching abilities of most TV cops.
'The Fix' is probably one of the best hours of episodic drama ever produced for American televison, even by today's standards. As revenge for 'stealing' his girlfriend, a viscious and insanely jealous mobster gets Hutch strung-out on heroin, simply to get him to reveal where Hutch is hiding her. David Soul's performance in this episode is a tour-de-force display as he takes the viewer through every harrowing stage of Hutch's ordeal from being kidnapped, shot-up while blindfolded, beaten to near-death while high, and eventually left for dead as a strung-out junkie too weak and disoriented to even know who his friends are. This episode was so disturbing it was banned from all European broadcasts of 'Starsky & Hutch' until the early 1990s!
'Texas Longhorn' tells the story of good ole' boy millionaire car-dealership owner 'Zack Tyler', who's wife is brutally raped and murdered. Instead of the typical TV show rage and anger, Zack's sedate and disturbing depression draws so much sympathy from Starsky & Hutch (as well as the audience!) that it is hard to find fault with him for hunting down the rapists responsible for his wife's death. Another touching episode.
'Deadly Imposter' features the awesome Canadian-actor Art Hindle as Starsky & Hutch's friend John Colby from thier police-academy days. Colby's surprise return to Bay City, asking his pals Starsky & Hutch to help him find his ex-wife and son is in reality a cover for the fact that he is now a highly-paid assassin, using his friends Starsky & Hutch to unknowingly help him track down a mob informant marked for assassination...by Colby! The hand-to-hand combat between two former close friends on the beach at the end of the episode is startlingly realistic and quite dramatic. Another great episode!
'The Hostages' tells the suspenseful story of a young armored car driver(John Ritter) and his pregnant wife being held hostage who will be killed unless he turns in all the money from the day's pick-ups. A well-acted and well paced race-against-time episode.
These are only a few of the great episodes, and my favorites from this season. But rest assured...every episode from this set is a great one!
The over-riding theme set up during the first season is that 'Starsky & Hutch' are truly best friends, not just co-workers. They would willingly give thier life for each other if necessary, and thier dedication to each other, as well as 'doing the right thing', even if it means bending the rules a bit is inspirational and makes the characters seem like real people.
Glaser and Soul ARE 'Starsky & Hutch' and are unforgettable. Stiller and Wilson were just acting.
The picture quality and sound on this set is generally excellent. Some artifacts from the original source films are present, mostly in the opening credits on some episodes.
The packaging is pretty nice, with a colorful box, a nice fold-out section to hold the 5 discs, and plenty of close-ups of the famous Torino to look at. Unfortunately for true aficianados, the Gran Torino used on the package is the version used in the new Stller and Wilson 'Starsky & Hutch' movie, not the 'real' Torino from the TV show.That's undestandable, since the original cars are owned by a collector and are in original, unrestored condition...meaning they are pretty rough! In fact, there is a short featurette in the 'special features' all about these origianl cars.
The 'special features' also includes a nice up-to-date set of all-new interviews with Glaser, Soul, Fargas and the producers. Very enlightening!
The only sore spot for me is the 'Original TV Promo Spots' included. They are in fact NOT original 'promo spots', but are actually the promo spots produced in 1980 as part of the syndication package for the entire series. Its still cool to see them though.
If you are a fan of 'Starsky & Hutch' this set is for you. You will definately enjoy it, so just get it.
Do it.Do it.........Do it.

This DVD set is awesome! The picture quality is terrific and it is great to watch the episdoes in their entirity without commerials! Having been only 5 when the series was on in the 70s, it is great to watch these episodes now and appreciate how fantastic this series was! The extras are good, but the Behind the Badge segment on Disc 5 is probably the best - there are in-depth interviews about how the show came to be. I must say that every episode on this DVD set is great and Season 1 may very well be the best of the series. Looking forward to the remaining seasons coming out for us long waiting Starsky & Hutch fans!

I sure hope they include the pilot even though its hard to tell yet.

Starsky & Hutch - Complete First Season, The (5 discs) - DVD

Format: DVD
Running Time: 1173 Min.
Rated NR

SYNOPSIS

DVD FEATURES

 Full Screen Presentation
 Languages: English (Mono), Spanish
 Sneak peek at Warner Bros. Pictures new movie Starsky & Hutch
 It's Harder Than It Looks featurette with hilarious bloopers
 The third Star featurette gets inside Starsky's famous Gran Torino
 Behind the Badge making-of documentary with exclusive new interviews with Paul Michael Glaser, David Soul and Antonio Vargas
 Includes all 22 episodes from the first season!
 5 disc set
 Photo Gallery with the stars of the original series and Warner Bros. new movie!

Like many, I grew up with this show in the 70's, but since forgot how good it was, I hesitated to buy the first season on DVD, but did anyway, & boy, am I glad I did!!, although some episodes I remember were not here,(probably in season 2), I was amazed at how well I liked those episodes I had not seen, of the 33 episodes, I disliked only two, but loved the rest, It was refreshing to see a show not trimmed for political correctness, Paul Michael Glaser & David Soul really brought out the best in these characters, & you really could identify with them as people,& Captain Doby is a boss you just can't help but like, & how he backs his men in the face of adversity is what makes him likable, although the show screams 70's, it is a nice to see a good quality show that grabs you & keeps you interested, not one time did I get bored, like I do with today's imitation shows, it took me awhile to get through season 1, but I can't wait for season 2!!