Search - Kojak - Season One on DVD

Greatest Detective Show Of All Time - But No More Seasons!

E. Zimmerman | USA | 07/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was definitely a groundbreaking show with such an indominable lead in Telly Savalas, whose screen presence is all but unmatched. It was clear to me when they released this set that its purpose was to promote the new Kojak series with Ving Rhames (since cancelled), but I still assumed the release of one season must lead to the release of the remaining three.

Apparently not so.

After contacting Universal Home Video on this issues, I have been informed that they have no intention at all of releasing the rest of Kojak on DVD, must to my chagrin and annoyance. What a lousy way to treat the loyal fans of the show and loyal customer base for these unreleased shows! I highly recommend everyone who wants to see more Kojak contact Universal Home Video and demand the release of seasons 2-4.

http://www.universalstudios.com/homepage/html/contact_us/contact_form.cgi?email_id=10
"

THE BEST OF 1973-74

Gregory Saffady | Michigan | 08/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"KOJAK was the best new series of 1973-74. Telly Savalas deserved his Best Actor Emmy for his portrayl of Lt. Theo Kojak, NYPD. The first season boasts 23 of the best one hour teleplays-dramas in the history of television. Authentic atmosphere and locations (the first season was shot primarily in NYC before shifting to L.A.) gave the premiere season a unique look absent in the following years. The first rate scripts by Jack Laird, Halstead Wells, Mort Fine and Gene Kearney were amplified by stellar performances by Savalas, Kevin Dobson (who came from the Long Island Railroad and stock to play Detective Bobby Crocker), George Savalas (Telly's brother, who went under the nom-de-gere Demosthenes for 2 seasons) and Dan Frazier. The guest stars were also outstanding, most noteable: Harry Guardino (DEAD ON HIS FEAT), Jackie Cooper (LAST RITES FOR A DEAD PRIEST), Tina Louise (DIE BEFORE THEY WAKE), Harvey Keitel (SIEGE OF TERROR) Paul Michael Glasser (DOWN A LONG AND LONLEY RIVER, which also features Jennifer Aniston's father, John, as mobster Albert Dansek) and a very young James Woods (DEATH IS NOT A PASSING GRADE). Telly was the man and he made the character his own: the charm, the ethnicity, the custom made suits. The first season of KOJAK continues to rank the best of the series 5, especially with the John Cacavas soundtrack of Season 1. FYI: What was to become Telly's signature line ("Who loves ya?") debuts in DIE BEFORE THEY WAKE. Without a doubt, we all loved you Telly!!!!"

Warning....

Mike | New York City, USA | 11/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a warning to anyone who buys multiple set DVDs. There could be a problem with "sticking" (the picture freezes or skips) with these DVDs. When ever you buy a multiple DVD set (or any DVD for that matter), quickly view or fast foward through all of the DVDs to make sure that there are no defects on any of them.

I believe that, unfortunately, the makers of these products are just out to make a quick buck, so they just rush, crank 'em out as quickly as possible, not worried so much about the quality of the final product.

As for the Kojak shows themselves, in my opinion, they're excellent. The show plots, dialog, and action (and Telly Savalas) are worth the price of the DVDs themselves (and the shots of '70's New York are priceless!!). The picture quality is good, although I do have to turn up the volume a bit to hear the sound. You can read more indepth reviews of "Kojak" on this site.

I brought these DVDs in March of this year and just a few days ago found out that there was a defect on one of them, on the third (3 of 3) DVD, of course! I didn't suspect anything wrong with the set, since while I have only a few DVDs, none of them have had this "sticking" problem. I was taking my time, watching one episode about one to three times every month after having just brought them. Then I get to the third DVD, episode 19 to be exact, and near the end, Kojak freezes, then about 5 minutes later (after a few tries to get it to play) skips to the end credits, freezes a few more times, then ends. And it was soooo good up until this point! And I can't return it because its waay after the 30 day return period. sh*@t!!

Again, check the DVDs you buy right away. You don't want to be stuck with a DVD you can't watch.
"

One of the Best of the 1970's Detective Series

givbatam3 | REHOVOT Israel | 12/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Kojak" is one of the best of the "Golden Age" of the the television detective which was the 1970's.
Telly (actually "Aristoteles"} Savalas is a fine actor who
up until he got this series was simply a good character
actor who played "heavies". Here he really comes into his own playing the gruff lollipop-loving New York City Police Lieutenant who deep down has a heart of gold and while being seemingly tough and cynical really cares about his men and wants to rid the world of evildoers.
What is special about this series as compared to the others
of the same period are the especially lush, colorful sets used and the views of New York City
both from ground level as well as from the air. Even tenement dwellings are shown with a lot of detail, so much thought and expense was given by the producers and directors to make the shows a pleasure to watch. My only negative comment, which
makes me give it only a 4 star rating instead of 5, is that
the clues and leads come very quickly which sometimes makes it
difficult to follow the plot and prevents development of
potentially interesting characters, which is the strong suit
of others series from the same period such as Columbo (who had 1.5 to 2 hours in which to fill out the story unlike Kojak who had only an hour) or The
Rockford Files. In any event, I hope that this outstanding series will become available in DVD.
"