Search - Biff Baker USA on DVD

The Bakers find adventure wherever they go . . .

trebe | 01/09/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Alan Hale Jr. is almost universally known for playing Jonas Grumby, The Skipper of the SS Minnow, on the classic 60's comedy Gilligan's Island (1964-67). Although the program only ran for three seasons, it pretty much typecast Alan Hale for the rest of his career. While not classic leading man material, in his younger days, Hale starred in the series Biff Baker USA (1952-53), for one season, and also in the western Casey Jones (1957-58).

Biff Baker is in the import/export business, and his work involves travelling to foreign lands to set up various deals. His wife Louise (Randy Stuart) accompanies him on his journeys, and the couple is most often staying in a hotel. In the course of conducting business, or seeing the sights, they get involved in some interesting and exciting adventures, often related to smuggling, or some other illegal activity. The heart of the show is the husband and wife relationship, and Hale and Stuart, seem to make a pretty nice couple. Louise is smart, and proves to be an asset in difficult situations, although she often seems to end up being a hostage. Biff isn't a great brawler, but he asserts himself physically when necessary.

The DVD contains four episodes, and the video quality of this vintage program is average at best. The source material shows signs of age, and deterioration. Although the image has many imperfections, and gets a little wavy in spots, it is still watchable. The sound quality is decent. Biff Baker USA is not a `must see', but is a decent adventure series, that is interesting, as part of TV's early history. Fans of The Skipper, might want to see Hale (by most accounts a very nice guy), in his youth.

For this level of quality, the cost for just four episodes seems rather high. As apparently only 13 episodes of Biff Baker were produced, and the level of interest in the series is probably limited, presenting them all of them in a single release would be the preferred way to go, assuming that all the episodes are still available in decent condition. These four episode offerings are probably not the best method to satisfy fans, or maximize sales."