Customer Reviews

TV Classics: The Adventures of Topper

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This DVD contains the following episodes (9):
Decorating 1.29.54
George's Old Flame 7.2.54
Henrietta Sells The House 4.9.54
The Proposal 2.19.54
Second Honeymoon 1.8.54
Sweepstakes (A Ghostly Joke) 5.7.54
Topper Goes to Las Vegas 4.23.54
Topper Goes West 4.30.54
Trip to Lisbon 2.12.54
This is A Platinum dual layer disk (DVD9), so there is a Platinum leader on each episode as well as the logo in the lower right corner.
Video quality is good to very good as is the sound.
I bought it for the first episode (Decorating). If not for that go with Critics Choice Volumes One and Two. They contain 8 of the 9 episodes above with the exception of Decorating.

This is a wonderful collection of nine classic episodes from a series that is unmatched by today's slop on TV. For $3.99, the price can't be beat. Echo Bridge has a HUGE catalog of Classic TV and classic western. This was another great find to add to my collection. The only (small) drawback is a light watermark logo on the screen, but it's hardly noticeeable.

I loved this series when I was a child and watching this was such a kick! I wish it had all the episodes but these 9 episodes will scratch the itch well enough.

TV Classics: The Adventures of Topper

While I appreciate seeing one of my favorite 50s sitcoms, I feel like the dog who has been thrown a bone. Although the DVD clearly says digitally remastered, I have gotten better quality sound and video on VHS tapes that I recorded from channels featuring the golden years of TV. I may be wrong but with the exception of I love Lucy the Honeymooners, and Leave it to Beaver, there has been no attempt to catalog other 50s TV by season together with truly cleaning up the sound and video. If they can do it for Lucy, why can't they do it for Topper, Ozzie and Harriet, My Little Margie, Oh Susanna, The Charlie Farrell Show, the Adventures of Hiram Holliday, I Married Joan, the People's Choice and Our Miss Brooks. Every single episode of Lucy has been released by year and the sound and video is excellent. There are certainly episodes I have seen of Topper within the last ten years that were not included and the quality was much better. Hope better news is coming.

In spite of that its definitely worth getting the Adventures of Topper, because the comedy could not be better. This includes acting writing and directing. You do not get them this good any more.

The reason that I purchase DVDs of old shows at Amazon.com, aside from the obvious fact that current television is pure garbage, is because the networks have driven me away with their annoying logos and text on the screen and their self promoting and distracting promos flashing on and off during programming. So I have cancelled my cable and I will spend that money buying DVDs here. Watching DVDs of the old shows before television went so far south is so refreshing. No loud, state controlled, politically correct commercials and no intrusive graphics on the screen, just full screen enjoyment as television was intended to be. Anyway, the company that produced this "Topper" video apparently feels that they cannot allow the viewer to enjoy the programs without their self promoting logo flashing on the screen. The customer does not care who manufactured the DVD and their logos on the screen will not make the customer more likely to buy their product in the future. In fact, the opposite is true. You would think they would have enough sense to realize this. So this is my first and last purchase of their products.

I enjoyed watching the old TV topper series. There were, however, a couple episodes that could not be viewed due to some type of error in the recording.

This video only has partial episodes not the full episodes. Maybe if I could see what was going on I could have followed it better but they jumped from one partial episode to the next without any breaks. Very confusing and disappointing.

MANUFACTURE: DVD arrived with factory seal intact. Surprisingly, there were miniscule scuffs and major fingerprints on this "new" disc. Playlist is only accessible from DVD menu. Back cover describes FEATURES as "digitally remastered," which is a given when copying analog tape or 16mm broadcast film to DVD. A faint PLATINUM DISC watermark appears at times in screen's lower right corner.

EPISODES: All nine are from Season One. Most have muffled audio and only OK picture quality. "George's Old Flame" and "Henrietta Sells the House" are above average exceptions. Their title sequence is a plug for the sitcom's cigarette sponsor (Topper, George and Marion light up Camels). "A Ghostly Joke" is misidentified as "Sweepstakes."

Main cast: Anne Jeffries - Marion Kerby; Robert Sterling - George Kerby; Leo G. Carroll - Cosmo Topper; Lee Patrick - Henrietta Topper

PROGRAM

Decorating (#17 - 1/29/54) - Kathleen Freeman/Mary Field/Paul Bryar

George's Old Flame (#39 - 7/2/54) - Mira McKinney/Thurston Hall/Frances Rafferty/James Seay

Henrietta Sells the House (#27 - 4/9/54) - Don Beddoe/Katherine Warren/Anthony Sydes/Isa Ashdown

The Proposal (#20 - 2/19/54) - James Parnell

Second Honeymoon (#14 - 1/8/54) - Guy Wilkerson/Juney Ellis

A Ghostly Joke ("Sweepstakes") (#31 - 5/7/54) - Charles Lane/Nana Bryant/Charles Williams/Ron Miller/Steve Miller

Topper Goes to Las Vegas (#29 - 4/23/54) - Paul Bryar/Lee oberts/G. Pat Collins/Arthur Lovejoy

Topper Goes West (#30 - 4/30/54) - William Cottrell/Harry Shannon/Frank Sully/John Dierkes

Trip to Lisbon (#19 - 2/12/54) - Hugh Sanders/Angela Greene/Lillian Bronson/Bill Walker

I remembered this as a child, then watched it again as an adult. It was hilarious and so much more when seen as an adult. GREAT TV CLASSIC

For the price, these episodes are worth it! Where else will you get classic television at its best. The quality isn't too bad. The adventures of Topper speak for themselves. You have to be a fan to really enjoy!!!