Customer Reviews

Vega$: The First Season, Vol. 1

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

 

 

"Vega$-The First Season, Volume 1," is the first release of the popular, but brief series starring Robert Urich as Las Vegas private eye Dan Tanna.

As was typical with other Aaron Spelling action television shows of this era (and Urich himself starred as James Street in Spelling's even shorter-lived series SWAT), Vega$ featured lots of fistfights, gunfights, car chases, and plots that not only strained credulity, but often broke it. But faithful viewers didn't care about how realistic the show was, but how much fun and pure escapism it was. Urich as Tanna was a former Special Forces soldier now making his career as a rough and tumble private eye, who relied on help from girl Friday Bea (Phyllis Davis), a former showgirl, his buddy Binzer (Bart Braverman), his police contact, Lt. Dave Nelson (Greg Morris) and Vegas hotel owner Phillip Roth (Tony Curtis). A unique feature of Tanna's apartment behind Roth's hotel was the fact that he could drive his cool sports car into his living room.

It is great to have the late Urich's work on DVD, and Vega$ will be enjoyed today by many who spent evenings enjoying the show in their youth.

I absolutely LOVED THIS SHOW!!!!!!!!! As a kid I watched it live and loved it so much - yes, Charlie's Angels, Starsky and Hutch, Love Boat and Fantasy Island TOO but this one I never thought would be released on dvd!! When I first started dating, I would come home and watch late night tv with my mom (10pm curfew...the old days) and this was one of my favorite childhood shows that was repeating at the time at 11pm, so there are great memories from the first airing when I was little and the repeats as a teenager(12am was Trapper John MD and 1 am was Love Boat-after dates were better than the dates!). I am about halfway through my dreadful vhs tapes of this show (transferring to dvd)- I only have about half the episodes, and they were repeats on TNT's Lunchbox TV in the mid-90's and they are in such poor condition, I'm just thrilled to get some in quality condition and will inevitably get my hopes up that I'll get them all eventually.

The only reason it might be tied for the best release this year is because it's been a good year for us fans of 70's shows with the constant release of more Love Boat episodes, finally the 4th season of Charlie's Angels, another season of Taxi on it's way and the long awaited but finally given up on (prior to the miraculous announcement)of the second season of Knots Landing (not a 70's show but still qualifies as a childhood favorite). It took so long for some of these, it leaves me in a position of perpetual hope that it will never be too late for a network to get their head out of their collective...or for someone else like SHOUT to buy the rights to some of the greatest shows ever made - dated as they may be.

HOWEVER.............I agree with everyone about this partial season garbage. I am so absolutely FED UP with that bull - If you're going to test it out, either test a cheap half season or make us pay what's necessary to produce a full season but to charge full price for a half season? This isn't 2006 - Let's not forget we're in a major recession with huge unemployment, not a whole lot of entertainment money left in the budget and you're gonna take this opportunity to join in with so many other institutions and stick it to us regular people right when we're hurting the most? It's more than the adult birthday budget in my family (which is getting less and less the older we get and less money we have!!!!! How about this...earn my loyalty for life (networks)and cut your prices for all your "half season" releases until this economic nightmare is over - I don't mean "pretend" over, I mean low unemployment over. At least Amazon has more reasonable prices compared to everywhere else but they can only go so low when the people releasing it charge an arm and a leg to begin with.

Okay back to the point, Dan Tanna is the greatest!!!!!

Alright people, I wanted to post this here to let everyone know about this series that dont know it. First off, they are setting this up to fail by only releasing a half of season (ridiculous!!) and pricing it high at full boxed set price.

Remember what they did with releasing "Kojak" and "Police Woman"?? They set it up to fail, and it did fail and it gave em their excuse to not release any more and continue releasing more of today's brainless excuse for TV.

It was high demand from the millions of fans for years made them release "something" under pressure.

Now about the show...the first half of the first season (what they are releasing) is pretty weak, goofy, stupid and cheesey at times and all in all is not that great..through there are a few decent episodes in the first half that give you a taste of whats to come.

The second half of the first season (which they are not releasing) is where the series takes a drastic change for the best and becomes the classic, tough and brilliant show that made us all fans for life! Vega$ is actually my #1 fave show of alltime.

Seasons 2 and 3 are where its at folks. So, basicly what im trying to say is..dont let their plan for this to fail work!! Just buy this excuse for a release, make it sell VERY good, and then they'll have no choice but to give us the 2nd half and then hopefully, 2 full boxed sets with the rest of the series!

So anyone thats never seen the show, take my word, what they are releasing is by all means NOT what the show is all about..it gets better..WAYYY better and becomes almost a totaly different show!

Think Rockford Files meets what Miami Vice woulda been in the late 70s..and thats the REAL Vega$ that comes late in season 1, and throughout the rest of the series.

I Have Enjoyed reading some customer reviews regarding the TV series "VEGA$" and am ecstatic about it being released on DVD.Some reviews sound apologetic about Season 1 episodes but let me assure readers that these episodes more than set the tone for future ones.This series created Rob Urich's 1st hit having been on several short-lived series before.It introduced viewers to a part of the country never covered like this before,and made a star of Judy Landers, whose poster still beautifies my walls to this day.Several series have gone the Season 1,Vol. 1 route before and have continued to be released ,such as "Streets of San Francisco","Love Boat",so this is not uncommon.I figure it's very pricey to digitally re-master anything,and Vol.1 issues are a safe way to make profit.I can only say as an avid fan and person who never believed his absolute favorite series would be made available that paying their price is well worth what I'm getting.I'm sure all buyers will appreciate this series as much as I have.

SO many people I know have been waiting for this to come out on DVD...Its been 30 years!! Its about time and I am so grateful. However, the whole first season should have been released as a set, and then the second, and then the third- just like they do with show seasons now. I hope they don't wait very long to release the second volume and subsequent seasons. Vega$ is a classic that preserves Old Vegas-a gift, given the dramatic change Las Vegas has gone through over the past 30 years. Can't wait to own!!

I am so happy to see that VEGA$ has hit DVD, Ive been waiting for this for a long time,Robert Urich is one of my favorite actors. I've already pre-order This product.I want to see the entire seasons.This was a good move,thank you to the powers that be,Hopefully we'll see Spencer for Hire soon.

Ok first of all....

Yes, I feel we got cheated on price & quanitity. 11 episodes at the price of what some full seasons go for. That is the economy, and times we live in. And, it really sucks since we as the consumers suffer as a result. Unfortunately, we the viewers asked for this, so we have to take some responsibility. I have learned to cut out certain things in order to still afford my entertainment...

BUT....

And, remember, this is my opinion.....not a fact...

Buying something like this, the price depends on how bad you really want it....how available it is anywhere else, the quality and the integrity of the merchant. What does owning this series mean to you? It is, in it's own way, a collectible. So that should be taken into consideration.

Also, there might be some copyright issues to work out to get all of it on DVD. Let's face it, we all know about the mountains of paperwork required for cars & homes....and we aren't fully informed about what goes into producing older shows, from studios perhaps no longer in business or producers long deceased.

An interesting fact, this is produced by CBS entertainment; and correct me if I am wrong--this series aired on ABC when it ran from 1978-1981. I was 2 at the time, but I remember Aaron Spelling being the ABC king with much of his series, even into the early 80's--Love Boat, TJ Hooker, Fantasy Island.....

That could be an issue as well.

However, this is to review the product itself.

For me, yes, $25.99 (which is what I was charged) is well worth it. This series is over 30 years old, never found it's own audience as it followed behind Charlie's Angels. So it was destined to fail by the Powers That Be (PTB). Still, the people who remember it from back then or it's limited run in re-runs appreciate the fact that even some of it is available. I know I do.

The DVDs are a great quality, given what the studios have to work with. And even on an HDTV with an HD upgradable DVD player, from a distance they look no worse than newer DVDs. There were no problems with skips, jumps or freezing. The case is around the same size as a standard DVD, which makes storage easy...especially if you have a lot of DVDs.They are snapped into place, so there are no issues with them popping out and moving, though with the shipping services that is not always guaranteed, but mine survived the postal service.

All in all, if you want the series and have the money, pick it up. And while it isn't always visually accurate (driving scenes especially) it does what it was meant to do--entertain.

There's always a nostalgia for Old School Las Vegas with Frank, Dino and Sammy bringing class to the oasis in the Nevada desert. Rarely does anyone praise the next step in the city's evolution: Disco Vegas. The `70s was the time when the corporations elbowed the mobsters off the strip. When colorful carpet and geometric shapes greeted sweaty tourists in their double knit polyester. The beauty of this time is captured on Vega$: Season One, Volume One. Dan Tanna (Robert Urich) had a bit of the old school swagger as a private detective that cruised the strip in a red '57 Thunderbird. He was a man's man who knew how to ruffle the feathers on a showgirl. He was also part of the modern world with his car phone and 20 ft. high whip antenna to keep the calls rolling with him. He dressed in the height of `70s fashions. His heart might pump Ratpack, but his feet moved to the disco beat.

Before Michael Mann became connected to Miami Vice, he created Vega$. He wrote the pilot movie script for Aaron Spelling's production company. He put the words into the insiders, hustlers and hookers. Yet you rarely hear Mann fanatics wondering when he's going to make a motion picture based on Vega$. He really should since Tanna is such a great character. He lives in a converted warehouse behind Circus Circus. This is rather weird since he parks his car inside the place. Doesn't the smell of motor oil and exhaust make it bothersome to his lady guests? Scoring with Tanna must have been like hooking up with the pump jockey in the back of the Shell station. His crew also hung around his pad. Dancer Phyllis Davis was his part-time secretary, Judy Landers was a ditzy showgirl that wore skimpy outfits and barely took phone messages. Bart Braverman was his comic relief flunky. Bart used this as a launching board to the first seat on Match Game. Will Sampson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) was Tanna's old army buddy who knows how to knock heads around town. Tony Curtis was a casino owner who has Tanna on retainer for odd investigation jobs.

"High Roller," the pilot movie, introduces us to the latest TV detective who earns his living doing the dirty work in Sin City. He's hired to locate a teen runaway who is working as a hooker. We're introduced to her as she rolls Michael Lerner (Godzilla). Michael Mann might have written this script, but it makes no sense. Lerner lets the hooker into his room and tells her he needs to take a shower. He shuts the bathroom door and leaves her alone with his wallet on the dresser. Who orders a prostitute and trusts her around their valuables? The guy deserved to get robbed. Tony Curtis needs Tanna to find out how Red Buttons is winning so much cash on the slots. The episode is stocked with classic guest stars including Scatman Crothers, Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible) and Dian Parkinson (The Price Is Right).

"Centerfold" has Tanna hired to stop a beauty from being blackmailed into a management deal. The side gig has him hunting down a lion that's connected to Abe Vigoda (The Godfather) and Vic Tayback (Alice). "The Games Girls Play" has a brief cameo from Jeopardy's Alex Trebek during his High Rollers days. Mother Mishkin places a madame in jeopardy. Tanna thinks an evil real estate developer (Wild Wild West's Ross Martin) is out to killer her. Bart must repossess a car from Antonio Fargas (Starsky and Hutch). How can you hoodwink Huggy Bear? "Love, Laugh and Die" properly casts Jonathan Harris (Dr. Smith on Lost In Space) as a used car salesman.

"Yes, My Darling Daughter" makes Strother Martin (The Wild Bunch) the lost father of Lauren Tewes (The Love Boat). He's a famous country singer who left a suicide note, but nobody found the body. Did he pop up at his daughter's wedding to Lloyd Bochner's son? The person who knows the truth is Slim Whitman. The excitement of this episode comes from seeing a cameo from Whitman Mayo (Sanford and Son's Grady). This episode has as much star power as an episode of Love Boat especially with the woman who played Julie at the center. "The Pageant" is the jaw dropper of the set for casting weirdness. Maureen McCormick gets raped and her father hires Tanna to find the attacker. Her father is played by Robert Reed. Mr. Brady wants the man that raped Marcia Brady. This was never a plot on The Brady Bunch. "Lost Women" has Cesar Romero (Batman's The Joker) abducting women to sell as hookers around the world. "Second Stanza" gives us a touch of The Tonight Show's Doc Severinsen.

Vega$ aired right after Charlie's Angels on Wednesday nights. Three decades later the adventures of Dan Tanna are more fun to watch than the third season of the female detectives. Vega$ is captivating and kitsch with the Love Boat level guest stars. Perhaps the constant trips around Disco Vegas helps keep this show from being bogged down like a backlot detective show. It's easy to get caught up into wondering which casinos have been leveled for the mega-casinos that now smash up against the Vegas Strip. Vega$: Season One, Volume One is a jackpot even if Michael Mann doesn't treasure it.

While I fully agree with those who complain about CBS/Paramount's
greed in releasing only 22 episodes from season one, instead of the entire first season or a complete set of all 69 episodes at
reasonable prices, I'm rating the show, the regular stars and the reproduction quality; not decisions made by those who earn big bucks at CBS/Paramount.

Giving CBS/Paramount deserved credit, they did a marvelous job in
designing the case artwork. The audio and visual quality are
excellent...perhaps better than in 1978.

Robert Urich as Dan Tanna made this one of the top detective series of all time. Phyllis Davis is terrific as Bea, and Bart Braverson is just right for the role of Binzer. Some of the guest stars were pretty bad, but you have that with any detective or law enforcement series. These first 22 episodes (the longer pilot + ten 48-minute episodes [w/o commercials]) are not the best of the three years by a long shot. Still, they are not to be missed by series fans.

I sometimes buy old series just to see if my memory exceeds
reality. Often, I sell them after watching once. To be truthful, that was my intention in buying this first release of VEGA$. Now that I've relived a portion of the first season,
I'll be keeping the three DVD-set, awaiting the release of more
episodes. We can all keep hoping CBS/Paramount will do the right thing and release full-season sets at a reasonable price.

More recent series of this type have a big advantage in technology, but they don't have the class of VEGA$, HAWAII FIVE-O,77 SUNSET STRIP. or ROUTE 66. These four series are the all-time greatest TV drama series. You won't be disappointed
in having purchased season one, vol. 1 of VEGA$.

One of the best things about this show is seeing the Vegas locations the way they were back then. This is a fun show that does not take itself too seriously. The good guys win and crime doesn't pay. Also, there is none of that Law and Order preachy political correctness. So relax, have a glass of milk and enjoy the show.