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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Burke's Law (1963) ... Gene Barry ... VCI Ent. (2008)",
By
This review is from: Burke's Law: Season 1 - Volume 1 (First 16 Episodes) (DVD)
VCI Entertainment presents "BURKE'S LAW-SEASON 1 - VOLUME I" (20 September 1963) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- 1964 Golden Globe Winner best TV Show & Best Male TV Stars --- Capt. Amos Burke (Gene Barry) was a Los Angeles chief of detectives who was also a millionaire with a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, a mansion, and a high wheeling lifestyle --- The hallmarks of this series were glamorous, sophisticated settings, unusual twists on formula homicide plot lines, and big name guest stars --- After a couple of seasons, its format was radically revamped. Burke left the police force and became an agent for US Intelligence --- At that point, the show's name changed to "Amos Burke--Secret Agent". Burke's adventures were briefly revived in 1994, under the original title.Burke's Law is a detective series which ran on ABC from 1963 to 1966 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s --- The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire Los Angeles Chief of Detectives, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce --- The best of the Cary Grant clones was Gene Barry --- In his career Barry was a male model, had good breeding and seductive whiskey voice --- Barry was also TV's greatest reactors --- With a multitude of comic takes that was perfect for Amos Burke, who had to confront an unending series of eccentric subjects --- Yet he could turn around and romance the ladies or get tough with the tough guys. And he was a good enough actor to hold up his end when the heavy dramatics intervened. In the original series, other characters were Detective Tim Tilson (Gary Conway), Detective Les Hart (Regis Toomey), and Sergeant Ames (Eileen O'Neill). In several episodes Anne Francis appeared as female detective Honey West, which led to a short-lived spin-off series --- The musical score for Burke's Law was largely the work of Herschel Burke Gilbert, whose middle name was coincidentally the same as the character of the series --- The role of Amos Burke actually predated Barry's series, having been played by Dick Powell on an episode of The Dick Powell Show in 1961 --- The first incarnation of the series was produced by Powell's company, Four Star Television --- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Under the production staff of: Don Weis - Director (13 episodes, 1963-1965) Jerry Hopper - Director (11 episodes, 1964-1965) the cast includes: Gene Barry ... Capt. Amos Burke / ... (81 episodes, 1963-1966) Gary Conway ... Det. Tim Tilson (64 episodes, 1963-1965) Regis Toomey ... Det. Les Hart (64 episodes, 1963-1965) Leon Lontoc ... Henry (64 episodes, 1963-1965) Eileen O'Neill ... Sgt. Gloria Ames / ... (33 episodes, 1963-1965) Michael Fox ... M. E. George McLeod / ... (25 episodes, 1963-1965) SPECIAL FEATURES BIOS: 1. Gene Barry Date of Birth: 14 June 1919 - New York, New York Date of Death: Still Living 2. Gary Conway Date of Birth: 4 February 1936, Boston, Massachusetts Date of Death: Still Living 3. Regis Toomey Date of Birth: 13 August 1898, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Date of Death: 12 October 1991 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California Hats off and thanks to Robert Blair and his staff at VCI Entertainment --- VCI was named in Variety and Hollywood Reporter as the first company to produce and release motion pictures directly to the home marketplace --- order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- VCI are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector -- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections. Total Time: 800 mins on DVD/VHS ~ VCI Entertainment 8510 ~ (4/29/2008)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews) 47 of 49 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Unique and Funny Cop Show,
By Only-A-Child - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Burke's Law: Season 1 - Volume 1 (First 16 Episodes) (DVD)
The 64 black and white hour-long episodes of "Burke's Law" were originally broadcast from 1963-65 on ABC. The show then morphed into "Amos Burke, Secret Agent" for another 17 episodes during the 1965-66 season. And one episode "Who Killed the Jackpot" served as the introduction of the "Honey West" characters played by Anne Francis and John Ericson.Gene Barry played police captain Amos Burke, who headed up homicide while maintaining a lavish lifestyle; not because he was on the take but because he was already extremely rich and was just working for whatever intrinsic value the job provided. This was the main hook or novelty of the show, which was a weekly showcase of his lavish lifestyle (chauffeured limo with fully stocked bar, mansion, and a host of gorgeous women clamoring for his affections). Although technically a mystery-adventure series there was a significant comedy element generated by the reactions of his detectives and his superior to Burke's displays of wealth and indulgence. Barry was perfectly cast as the suave and sophisticated working playboy. Unfortunately the supporting cast was quite marginal and the writers never developed these secondary characters beyond the most superficial level. But this did allow room to showcase a multitude of guest stars and like "The Wild Wild West" many of these were Hollywood's hottest starlets. Especially memorable was former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley whose unexpected chemistry with Barry led to multiple appearances during the course of the series. Unlike "Columbo", the series withheld the identity of the killer from viewers until the end although it was not disclosed in the standard "Murder She Wrote" moment of revelation. The huge popularity of "James Bond" and "The Man From UNCLE" caused producer Aaron Spelling to introduce a secret agent formula into the final season. Unfortunately what had been a unique cop show became just another silly spy series and it expired after just half a season. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. 25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Class Show, First Class Release!,
By Eric Paddon - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Burke's Law: Season 1 - Volume 1 (First 16 Episodes) (DVD)
A decade before Aaron Spelling gave us a long list of big-name celeb guests on shows like "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" he was serving them up on this great 1963-65 detective show "Burke's Law", which starred Gene Barry as the suave millionaire playboy police captain solving a murder from which a half dozen big named guest stars were among the suspects.VCI's release of the first half of Season 1 (16 hour long episodes) is first-rate, especially since they've never handled a TV series before for release. The episodes clearly come from the original 35 mm masters, and while not as sharp as the prints we see on CBS/Paramount DVDs, they look very good. Original commercials from the film prints have been presented as a supplement, similar to Image's later releases of "Naked City" while the end of each episode retains the preview for the following week's show narrated by Barry. VCI is committed to doing the entire run of the show (including its reimagined "Amos Burke" version) as well as the spin-off "Honey West" and they are to be commended for bringing back these B/W gems of mid-60s TV to us! 15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Improbable, but highly entertaining series....,
By Kenneth M. Pizzi - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Burke's Law: Season 1 - Volume 1 (First 16 Episodes) (DVD)
How many of LA's Chief of Detectives, have been chauffeured to work in a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, live in a palatial mansion, and are the toast of society? Enter one, Amos Burke, played expertly by Gene Barry, whose only real distinction in the cinema was a starring role in George Pal's "War of the Worlds," (1953).Barry, not unlike the character depicted in "Burke's Law," was well-suited to the role. Born into a family with musical credentials, (his father was a violinst; his mother a singer) Barry had a sense of effortless style, grace, charm and an attractive baritone voice and, at one time, entertained the idea of an operatic career for the stage. After appearing in several forgettable films, save "War of the Worlds," Barry embarked on a successful acting career throughout the 50's and 60's. He even had the distinctive honor to be the first villain in the pilot for "Columbo" entitled "Prescription Murder" (1968), as what else? An eminent psychiatrist suspected of killing his wife. In the 70's Barry starred in the short-lived series, "The Adventurer" with Barry Morse and the lovely Catherine von Schell (Maya from Space 1999), as a globetrotting, ultra wealthy, bachelor (although a little too old for the role)solving international capers. The european locales added a bit of flair to this otherwise pedestrian series. Nonetheless, this first set of Burke's Law comes highly recommended. VCA has done a superb job of remastering the episodes and has even included vintage commercials from LARK and L&M cigarettes, Crest toothpaste, and other interesting spots from VCA's vaults--all accessible from the menu screen. The only downside to this set is that VCA has opted to only release the first 16 epsidoes of Season 1, rather than the whole season. Taking the economically expedient and profitable route, it seems VCA's practice has become all too familiar with these popular vintage series' cherished by classic television fans like me. The show also stars a pre-"Land of the Giants" Gary Conway as Burke's indispensable assistant. The show has a bevy of recognizable guest stars that reads like recitation from Hollywood's Walk of Fame--even silent star Zazu Pitts and Anne Francis in the pilot episode, "Who Killed Honey West?" If you like classic crime dramas as I do, here is yet another collection you will add to your DVD library. |
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