Customer Reviews

Suspense: The Lost Episodes - Collections 1-3

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

 

 

This was a very low-budget live TV series from 49-53. For comparison The Lone Ranger and Superman made at the same time was vastly superior. Most of the stories are poorly developed but there are a few gems. For the price, a chance to see future stars in early roles, and as an example of early TV it is worth while.

I did have to send this back several times because a number of the discs rattled in the player and wouldn't load. I have 3 players and found that the better the player the less likely they were to work.

I must say I agree with the other reviews about the quality of this show. If you buy it expecting the quality of picture etc. used in "Twilight Zone" or "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", you will be sorely disappointed. What is does offer, is a rich lesson in television history. This is television in it's infancy, experimenting, growing and learning it's craft. First these shows are the kinescopes made of LIVE performances to be used in rebroadcast to the West Coast. I can only imagine how stressful and difficult it must have been to switch from multiple cameras etc. for the technicians, and how incredibly distracting it must have been for the actors to have to perform, make costume changes etc. at that pace, while avoiding the cameras and technicians needed to do the broadcast. The shows had to be performed in the time span of the show's slot, unlike filmed shows which had the luxury of multiple days to film and the ability to do retakes, set up closeups, etc, and were confined to the cramped studio, since locations could not be switched. (There are a few crudely filmed bits added to try to serve as location and transition scenes in some episodes.) The actors were also "working without a net", so to speak, since there was no possibility to fix it if there was a mistake. In "Comic Strip Murder" Lilli Palmer moves from one part of the set to another and a camera operator from the previous shot is clearly visible over her shoulder! Camera work is also occasionally blurred especially while trying to move in and out of closeups. So what makes this show 5 stars in my opinion? First, I think it's fascinating to watch them accomplishing so very much within the limitations placed on them by the crude technology of the period and the limited budgets. TV, being almost an experimental medium in 1949, couldn't have attracted the kind of money from sponsors it does today. Secondly, the casts! There is a mixture here of established stars of their day (Karloff, Palmer, Lugosi, etc.) and lots of fresh faces just getting started (Paul Newman, Anne Francis, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Keith, Cloris Leachman, etc.). So, if what you most want is early television entertainment, go for Hitchcock, Twilight Zone, or Thriller (all excellent suspense tv series which would possibly have never existed if Suspense and other shows hadn't paved the way) but, if you want the added bit of knowing you are watching one of the major industries of our modern life being born, this show is for you!

this dvd set brings back memories of early television with commercials from the late 40's and early 50's. It would be a good addition to the true collectors library.

I've just started to watch these but so far they are hard to watch because they are so old and the stories aren't that great. Nice to see some early performances on tv by Karloff-waiting for the Lugosi spot. The organ playing was annoying I would have preferred no live soundtrack! Hopefully they will get better but I'm not holding my breath.