Sony released Season One of "Police Woman" in 2006 and I thought Season Two would quickly follow since they showed remastered clips from it on their "Ladies Night" promos that appeared on the "Maude" and "Mary Hartman" DVDs, among others. I guess sales weren't what they'd hoped and I've been longing for my Pepper fix for nearly six years! Thankfully, Shout Factory comes through once again, resurrecting this groundbreaking '70s series from oblivion.

This set consists of the 24 episodes that aired during the 1975-76 TV season on NBC. The picture quality is excellent and they all look like they were filmed yesterday. Purists will be delighted because the original Columbia logo is present at the end of the episodes so you are experiencing them exactly as they aired in 1975-76! Some episodes contain the alternate harpsichord theme song instead of the more familiar piano one. The insert has a nice color photo of Angie on the back and the same image of her appears on all 6 discs. The episode title and original airdates are listed; the episode descriptions are not.

I was most looking forward to the segment that features Donna Mills as a crazed woman who put her baby up for adoption, and now will go to any lengths--even murder--to get that baby back. The guest stars this season read like a who's-who of Hollywood from the '50s to the '80s including Ida Lupino, Sam Elliott, Erik Estrada, Diane Baker, James Darren, Joan Collins, Joanna Pettet, Gerald McRaney, Amy Irving, Jeannette Nolan and plenty more! The guest stars are the gravy but Angie Dickinson, who's effortless sexuality oozes out of the screen and reliable Earl Holliman are of course the meat-and-potatoes of the show.

Sometimes gritty, sometimes campy '70s fun (thanks to Pepper's wigs, massive hoop earrings and bell-bottom hip-huggers), "Police Woman" is long overdue on DVD and won't likely be shown on a cable network near you anytime soon. Buy it so we get Seasons 3 and 4 quickly after!

If you've read Liz Worth's chronicle of the Toronto '70s punk scene "Treat Me Like Dirt" you need to get Don Pyle's "Trouble in the Camera Club" right now! Don's book is a perfect visual companion to Liz's and I loved that we get to see large, glossy photos of the many characters in the Toronto scene such as Nazi Dog and the Viletones, the Diodes, Teenage Head, The Curse, The Dishes, as well as then-current and future icons such as the Ramones, Blondie and Iggy Pop.

The book is a large soft-cover coffee-table volume of 300 high-quality glossy pages with photos in color and black-and-white all taken by Don as a teenager in the '70s. He includes pics of his many friends and aquaintances and even himself, as we see his transformation from bespectacled nerd in '75 to a broodingly handsome, intense young man in 1979. Vintage ticket stubs, flyers and handmade posters from the era accompany the photos and text.

Thanks Don, for sharing this incredible visual history. For those of us too young to have enjoyed this movement, it's the next best thing.

Five stars!

This movie is like a trio of old "Twilight Zone" episodes ('70s style) strung together starring the incomparable Karen Black.

The episodes are simply named after the female protagonists in each: "Julia", "Margaret & Therese" and "Amelia". Interestingly, the supporting players become progressively less important in each segment. She stars with her then-current husband in the first one (which features a young Gregory Harrison in a bit part); does the Patty Duke trick by playing dual roles in the second one and is the lone actor in the finale.

Ms. Black shows her range here, as the roles require her to essay an uptight, frigid schoolteacher who may not be all she seems; a mutually-loathing pair of twins consisting of a tarty, carefree blonde and her bifocal-wearing, brittle chapped-lipped spinster sibling; and a young woman trying to deal with an overbearing mother.

Ms. Black herself has stated she does not consider these true horror movies and I would agree they fall more into the psychological thriller category, along the lines of something like "The Stepford Wives".

Very entertaining for those who love '70s films, this one falls somewhere in between A-list and Grindhouse as it's not quite either.

There is a full-length commentary with Black and one of the writers, as well as two featurettes.

Four Stars.

Fans have been divided on Alice Cooper's 1977 album "Lace and Whiskey" for decades. Personally, I love the way this album follows the pattern set by the previous release of a few kickass rockers, a few theatrical Broadway-type numbers, a trendy discoesque effort and a couple ballads. Alice's next few albums would also follow this formula to varying levels of success.

The terrific opener "It's Hot Tonight" is a dirty, sweaty grind that would have been equally at home on "Alice Cooper Goes to Hell".

Next, we get the one of the album's best in the upbeat, Phil Spectorish "Lace and Whiskey" in which Alice reveals his two vices--alcohol and women--as '60s-style background vocals la-la-la in the background.

The equally great keyboard-driven "Road Rats" possesses fierce start-and-stop drumming, borrows a guitar line from the galloping Act I of "Halo of Flies", has a great instumental passage and has a slightly darker sound while the lyrics are an homage to the roadies.

"Damned If You Do" has Alice experimenting with a country/rock fusion which turns out surprisingly well, even if it's not one of my favorites here.

"You and Me" was a huge Top-Five ballad and while it is a little sappy and sentimental (for Alice), it's catchy and easy to see why millions of teenage romantics ate this up back in '77.

"King of the Silver Screen" is an overblown, gaudy, extremely fun romp that explores Alice's fascination with old-time Hollywood (in which Fred Astaire, King Kong, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and "Gone With the Wind" receive honorable mention). Unlike the mess of some of the "School's Out" album, by now Alice has perfected the fusion of rock and theatre topped off with his tongue-in-cheek humour. Halfway through the song, his character screams "I'm tired of closets" and admits to his fellow construction workers that he loves makeup and dresses and will "make somebody a great little wife". It's a great performance with Alice projecting total liberation by its end.

"Ubangi Stomp" is an okay rockabilly ditty--nothing special.

"(No More) Love at Your Convenience" is disco-tinged, and even has xylophone! But hey, it WAS 1977 and I love the versatility Alice shows on this song. It's got great production values and reminds me of Carl Carlton's "Everlasting Love".

"I Never Wrote Those Songs" is an introspective ballad with strings and sax. Listen close and you can hear how this one borrows from 1971's "Second Coming".

"My God" is another theatrical number that sort of reminds me of "Jesus Christ Superstar", with its organ and religious overtones.

There's more piano on this album but it's still a far cry from Elton John or Billy Joel. "Lace and Whiskey" is a solid and varied Alice Cooper release that I consider his second-best solo album of the '70s. A newly remastered version is due out January 2012.

Fans have been waiting years for "The Legend of Lylah Clare" to arrive on DVD. Warner Archive finally comes through with a beautifully restored, widescreen release (NO Subtitles however) of this overlooked 1968 indictment of Hollywood and the people who make the movies and make or break the stars. (NOTE - Check the Images section of this product to view the screen grabs I posted). Directed by grand-guignol master Robert Aldrich ("Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte"), the film tries for the same gothic atmosphere, but doesn't quite achieve it, with it's psychadelic colors, fuzz guitars on the soundtrack and lightning-fast dialogue not as well-suited to the genre.

Kim Novak plays a dual role as mousy but headstrong budding actress Elsa Campbell, who is plucked from obscurity by agent Milton Selzer and presented to has-been director Peter Finch because she resembles the dead 1940s movie queen of the title. At first Finch is reluctant to meet her, but quickly changes his mind when Elsa begins to eerily channel Lylah while viewing her old films. It becomes clear that Finch and Selzer will direct and produce a new biopic about the late star. It's never explained or acknowledged in the script whether Novak's supposed to be possessed by the dead actress' spirit, but the script moves things along quickly, we as the audience don't really question it either.

Predictably, Finch becomes increasingly obsessed with molding Elsa into Lylah's image to recreate the past. The film's highlight is a press conference in which Elsa is introduced and there are clever camera angles used so that we the viewer don't get to see Novak's transformation until she descends the imposing staircase where the original Lylah met her demise years ago. According to her acting coach and supposed one-time lesbian lover Rosella Falk, she was accosted by a crazed fan on her wedding night and died under mysterious circumstances. The history of that fateful night is recalled Rashomon-style, in three separate, creepy, distorted, black-and-white flashbacks, while Novak's visage is superimposed in the corner listening wide-eyed to the sordid details.

Coral Browne steals the show as a viper-ish, crippled gossip columnist who pokes and prods Novak with her cane like a piece of livestock, referring to the starlet as "a grubby little slut". The film's best moment comes when Novak channels Lylah and lets Browne have it with both barrels. The deep, guttural German voice-dubbing for Novak as Lylah is so over-the-top it's ridiculous, and gives the movie added camp appeal. There's also some witty dialogue such as "For a man who sticks his initials on everything including the toilet seat, you're pretty critical of other people's vanities". Odd little moments such as Novak strolling the grounds of Finch's mansion in polka-dot hip huggers and her brassiere also give this a bizarre flavour.

Ernest Borgnine is terrific as the blustery studio head barking orders at everyone, and a brunette Ellen Corby ("Grandma Walton") has a small part as "Script Girl".

Some may find this movie endlessly talky and dull, and it probably could have benefit from some tighter editing as it does run over two hours. Not as campy or fun as "Valley of the Dolls" but better than "The Killing of Sister George".

Told from the perspective of a disgusted straight-laced observer, "Go To Hell" opens Alice Cooper's second solo album with a bang. Delivering brilliantly self-mocking lyrics such as "You'd gift-wrap a leper and mail it to your Aunt Jane" with a wicked sneer, this is easily one of Alice's best solo offerings ever.

Though not as tight a concept album as "Welcome to My Nightmare", "Alice Cooper Goes to Hell" still maintains its theme with the '50s-style "Give the Kid a Break" a plea to Saint Peter to not sentence Alice to a lifetime in pergatory. The bongo disco-rocker "Wish You Were Here" ("It's pretty warm down here; but it ain't sunny") continues the concept and is irressistibly funky.

The cool, moody, bass-driven "I'm the Coolest" is a little too laid-back for its' own good but adds variety. "Guilty" is an average straight-ahead biographical rocker.

Alice discovers his inner Bee Gee on the disco-flavoured "You Gotta Dance" employing a surprisingly effective falsetto on the bridge. The cowbell on this one is an interesting touch. While Alice dips his toe in the then-current disco pool, ironically it screams "sell-out" less than the syrupy ballads that would be his bread and butter for the latter part of the decade. Said ballad on this album is the Top-40 smash "I Never Cry". While it's not as intelligent or edgy lyrically or musically as "Only Women", you can't help but sing along and it's not as saccharine as the future ballads "You and Me" or "How You Gonna See Me Now". "Wake Me Gently" is an even better ballad than "I Never Cry" and has a rock-musical feel that would have been a perfect finale for the previous album.

The cowbell makes a return appearance on "Didn't We Meet" which is as close to the old ACG as this album gets. The vocals range from a whisper to a growl and are reminiscent of Alice's performance on "Desperado" (and if I didn't know better I'd say Neal Smith's on the skins for this one--he's not).

The last two numbers "Chasing Rainbows" and "Going Home" are as Broadway as Alice gets and may not appeal to his core fanbase and thus prevent this from being a five-star release IMO.

A great follow-up to WTMN and a solid album that proves solo Alice was not a one-trick pony. Part rock-musical with a few timely disco-rock hybrids thrown in for good measure. A remastered re-release is due out Januuary 2012. Four stars.

In 1974, after the original Alice Cooper group disbanded, rhythm guitarist/keyboard player Michael Bruce was the first to release an album of solo material. Not surprising, since Bruce was the chief songwriter of the group along with Alice himself.

The Shock-Rock of the Alice Cooper group is abandoned for more a more laid-back, poppy '70s sound. That's not to say it's The Osmonds or Bread; here Bruce comes across as a very underrated songwriter with many McCartney-esque offerings such as "King of America" (which uncannily sounds like George Harrison on guitar); the slow keyboard-driven title track "In My Own Way" and medium-tempo "If The Sky Should Fall".

There's an okay, by-the-numbers cover of the Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind" and average rockers "So Far, So Good" and "Gotta Get Hold" which boasts some great, funky '70s guitar work. Alice himself does guest backup vocals on "As Rock Rolls On" but the results are underwhelming. Actually the alternate take without Alice and some lyrical tweaking, is superior with Bruce sounding less self-conscious.

Among the album's best moments are "Lucky Break", a terrific, infectious ode to stardom that's on par with anything Elton John and Billy Joel churned out during the Me Decade and should have been a huge single. Bruce employs a seemingly-effortless falsetto on the sensual, atmospheric "Seems Like I Only Fool Myself".

Don't expect the over-the-top mock horror or bluesy rock that the ACG were cranking out in the early '70s. Bruce's solo album is more McCartney and Todd-Rundgren flavoured and is all but criminally unknown/forgotten by most music fans.

For Alice Cooper group completists and fans of mid-70s pop-rock. There's a 2-Disc edition that features some demos and outtakes from the Lake Tahoe "Sunburst" sessions, but they are more miss-than-hit and you're better off just getting the original album on CD.

This movie does not get the credit it deserves for being more of a pioneer in the genre than "Black Christmas" or "Halloween". It's not perfect, but it's a moody, depressing, atmospheric film that was filmed in 1972 when cinema sleaze seemed to be at its peak with great trash like "Pink Flamingos" and "Last House on the Left" hitting midnight theaters and drive-ins.

The story revolves around the sale of a gothic old house by the original owner's mysterious grandson. It's a house of secrets that the citizens of an old New England town would like to see destroyed forever. But what secrets of their own are these people hiding and who would like to see them die?

I only knew Mary Woronov as the bitchy prison matron who sprayed down "Charlie's Angels" for lice and crabs in 1976, and her performance here as the so-called "final girl" isn't as fun or campy. She also seems much younger and softer here.

Still, a lengthy, creepy flashback sequence that looks like old pre-WWII European stock footage (featuring Candy Darling and other Warhol "superstars"), an intriguing storyline, and some shocking gore for its time outweigh a few uninspired performances and some slow spots in the script.

The print looks ragged and worn, but the DVD market is oversaturated with public domain releases of this film and a restored version is highly unlikely.

If you enjoy early '70s twisted thrillers such as "Blood and Lace", "Private Parts" or "Don't Look in the Basement" this one will be right up your alley.

The first thing I'd like to do in this review is clarify exactly what we're getting in this release. There has been some confusion as to just exactly what this release is all about. Because MPI and the Reed/Owen estate have decided to name this the "The Lost Episodes", consumers are confused as to whether this is just a compilation of random Season 4 installments--rest assured it's not. ALL 39 episodes from the series' fourth season which aired on ABC during 1961-62 are included, UNCUT and restored. They are of much better quality than the previous releases by Virgil Films who put out Seasons 1-3 in 2008-09. (NOTE: Check out the screen captures I uploaded in the Images section of this product). MPI is a much more professional company--just look at that gorgeous cover art! Yes, when it comes to MPI you CAN judge a DVD set by its cover! The 5 discs are housed in a clear plastic case just like MPI's wonderful sets of "Here's Lucy".

These episodes have not been part of the "Donna Reed" syndication package since the 1970s and were never seen on Nick@Nite when they aired the show from 1985-94. One of the most sought-after episodes where Shelley Fabares performs "Johnny Angel" is included--an outstanding artifact from the early '60s.

Many episodes have the original sponsor openings and closings intact. Several episodes are presented in their COMPLETE form with all original commercials and sponsor openings and closings so the viewing experience is exactly as though you were watching it on ABC in prime time in 1961!

The set includes a wealth of bonus features including vintage promos and commercials and new interviews with Paul Petersen and Shelley Fabares as well as Stu Phillips who produced the songs Paul and Shelley performed on the show.

Thanks to MPI and Mary Owen, this is the best Christmas present ever for Donna fans!

"Where The Boys Are '84" is more or less the female version of 1983's "Spring Break" rather than an update of the 1960 Paula Prentiss/Connie Francis original. It's your standard college-kids-on-vacation flick, mid-80s style with lots of frizzy hair and cheesy music. The sex and profanity is somewhat tame by today's standards. Lisa Hartman is the diligent, responsible music student; Lorna Luft's the zany one who's bored with her longtime boyfriend; Wendy Schaal is the prissy Southern belle and Lynn-Holly Johnson's the party chick in search of meaningless sex with a "Conan the Barbarian"-type.

Not a great film by any means--Lorna Luft brings the most to the table as the comic relief and her dance routine during a "Hot-Bod" contest is quite amusing, but not enough to save the movie. It's predictable and there's not a lot of snappy dialogue. Lisa Hartman fans may be disappointed. Though she performs the title song at the end, she doesn't show a lot of skin here, which is odd because I've seen pics of her from this era and she always looked great in a bikini.

Where this release succeeds is in the bonus features. There's a 20-minute interview with Russell Todd but fans of Wendy Schaal will be delighted. Hers runs over a half-hour and she elaborates on everything and even talks about her time on "It's a Living" and "Fantasy Island". She still looks adorable by the way (*NOTE* Check out the screen grabs I posted in the Images section of this product).

Rent before you buy. Not a keeper, unless you're a big fan of Wendy; then get it for the extensive interview. The print looks great and it's widescreen.