Search - Classic Adventurers - 26 TV Episodes on DVD

Four Classic Adventure Series from the 1950s

Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 06/29/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At the time this review was written, Amazon provided no description of the programming found on this 3-DVD set, so I'll attempt to provide some details. The set includes 26 half-hour episodes from two very successful adventure shows of the 1950s and two other 1950s adventures shows that were "one season wonders." Disc 1 includes ten episodes (fully one-third of the series) of "The Adventures of Sir Lancelot" that was broadcast on NBC in the 1956-57 season. Little seen in reruns, this has been a difficult show to find in North America, though the full series has been released on DVD in the UK. The series' introductory episode, "The Knight with the Red Plume" is included but is not the first episode included on the disc. A short narrative on the legend of Sir Lancelot rounds out the disc. Disc 2 includes six early season 1 episodes of "The Adventures of Robin Hood," including the series' first episode, and includes episodes that introduce the characters of Little John, Maid Marian, and Friar Tuck. The show originally ran on CBS from 1955-58, and was made by Sapphire Films, the same production company that made "Sir Lancelot." Like "Sir Lancelot," the full run of "Robin Hood" is available on DVD in the UK. A 1949 radio show about the Robin Hood legend completes the disc and the radio cast includes Edmund O'Brien, Ed Begley, Sr., and William Conrad. Finally, disc 3 includes five episodes of "Ramar of the Jungle," Jon Hall's syndicated 1952-54 jungle adventure series that was rerun well into the 1960s, and 5 episodes of the historical adventure series "Northwest Passage" that ran on NBC during the 1958-59 season. "Northwest Passage" was produced by MGM and is one of the few television shows of the 1950s produced entirely in color. A short slide show of jungle adventure theatrical film posters concludes this disc.

This collection of episodes has been released by the St. Clair Entertainment Group, a Canadian company that has also offered similar packages titled "Police TV" and "Western TV," among others. With the exception of a number of the episodes from "Sir Lancelot," many of the episodes in this collection have been released by other companies specializing in public domain material, most notably Alpha Video. The source material is variable and can even differ dramatically among episodes from the same series. Those who are familiar with the type of material released by Alpha Video and other companies releasing public domain television programs will know what to expect, but those expecting studio quality, pristine prints are in for a big disappointment. All of the episodes are certainly watchable, and the comparatively low cost for this set coupled with the large number of episodes offered offsets the lesser visual quality somewhat.

Bottom Line: This is a value priced collection of entertaining adventure series that filled the nation's airwaves during the 1950s and early 1960s. These types of series are rarely produced anymore (Kevin Sorbo's "Hercules" series would be a modern-day equivalent), and the series selected for this collection provide a nice representation of the adventure series genre. "Classic Adventurers" is recommended, primarily, for classic/vintage TV fans and those who enjoy tales of olde.
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Television nostalgia

Highlander | Scotland | 05/04/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Oh boy! To think I watched these shows regularly every week as a kid. It is truly fascinating to revisit your past favourites. All the shows are in black and white on budgets that today would not get you an opening credit on a cheese commercial, yet they definitely have charm. There is minimal violence even though there are sword fights galore, no sex even though Lancelot and Guinevere exchange lots of long glances. English is spoken precisely and with a stiff upper lip at all times. Richard Greene and William Russell (pre Dr. Who) are noble and stalwart with just an occassional tongue in cheek. Ideal for parents who worry about too much violence or sex on the TV today and epitomises what nostalgia is all about. Great value."