Search - Studio One Anthology on DVD

A gem of early television comes to DVD

calvinnme | 08/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Studio One ran for nine years on CBS and presented a wide range of dramas and received 18-Emmy nominations and a total of five Emmy wins. Its story began in 1948 when a CBS executive took one of their long-running radio programs and adapted it to television. It was one of several drama anthology series which were common in the 1950's and had a single sponsor. However, its quality was superior to many of the others.

This collection features 17 restored and remastered episodes along with bonus materials. The episodes include:

Twelve Angry Men - long thought lost, a copy was discovered in 2003.
Wuthering Heights
1984
The Arena
June Moon
Dino - Sal Mineo reprised his role here in the 1957 film.
Julius Caesar
Pontius Pilate
The Storm - an exceptionally good crime drama
Confessions of a Nervous Man
The Remarkable Incident at Carson Corners
Dark Possession
The Death and Life of Larry Benson
The Strike
The Medium
An Almanac on Liberty
Summer Pavilion

The guest stars in these episodes include include Charlton Heston, Art Carney, Jack Lemmon, Leslie Nielsen, Norman Fell, Sal Mineo, Elizabeth Montgomery, Vaughn Taylor, Lorne Greene and Lee Remick.

BONUS FEATURES:

Footage from the Archive of American Television Utilizing Interview Excerpts about Studio One
Excerpts from The Paley Center's Studio One Seminar
Interview with Director Paul Nickell
PLUS: Collectible - 52-page Booklet with Detailed Information about Each Anthology Episode

The expense is probably due to the fact that Studio One was filmed only in kinescope for the purpose of re-broadcasting across timezones. In the 40's and early 50's nobody ever considered the possibility of reruns that might go on for years and bring in a continued revenue stream. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were about the only two TV stars to have the foresight to have their show shot in 35mm. That is one of the reasons why reruns of the show "I Love Lucy" have been ubiquitous for years. The video was in good shape."

When TV dramas were LIVE - Essential for anyone interested i

Steven I. Ramm | Phila, PA USA | 11/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 2002 a company named Video Service Inc released 3 DVDs of kinescopes of original "Studio One" programs (including the original play "The Defender", which became a long running CBS-TV series, "The Defenders" with E.G. Marshall. These discs brought back memories of when I original watched these shows LIVE, as they were broadcast in real-time in the early 1950s. I wished for more of these, especially the highly acclaimed - and probably the best well known - teleplay, "Twelve Angry Men" (TAM).

2008 brought my wish with this fabulously six-disc set produced by Koch Vision in partnership with the Archive of American Television (a program of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences). There are 17 dramas (well 16 plus the TV opera "The Medium") here and each runs about an hour. Most of them have the original Westinghouse Commercials (with Betty Furness) included - and thankfully they are indexed so you can skip them on repeat viewings. Some shows are missing the commercials - as they were probably from versions made for the Armed Forces broadcasts - and "Twelve Angry Men" (TAM) is one of them. This is such a riveting drama that you don't want to see a refrigerator or washing machine being sold in the middle of this jury room drama by Reginald Rose. Another Rose drama - which most won't remember is "An Almanac of Liberty", which was based on a book (published the day the play was originally aired) by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Douglas. Like TAM, and 1984 (an adaptation of Orwell's novel starring Eddie Albert) there is a message about prejudice. Rose was a master at writing these. Though TAM was later made into a movie, it was somewhat padded. Here, in 50 minutes, the story has even more impact.

I won't go into each of the plays - it's more fun to discover them for yourself - but I loved "June Moon" a play with music which was the debut of Jack Lennon and a VERY young Eva Marie Saint. Though they are on screen more than all the other actors, they are actually listed at the end of the cast because they were "unknowns" then.

The quality of the prints vary but are more than watchable and many haven't been seen in 60 years. (Note that the TAM has a Copyright 1997 by CBS notice at the end so maybe it was released and I missed it,.).

The extras include an hour-long Seminar held at the Paley Center of the Museum of Television in the 1990s with many of the writers and directors - AND Betty Furness! There's also a short interview with Director Paul Nickell from another period.

The 52-page booklet is also excellent. In addition to full cast and credits, there are essays on each play. (I found it more fun to watch the play before reading, as you will find surprises, just as when the shows were originally aired. (Try to guess which play was directed by actor Yul Brynner!)

Every theater lover must own this set. These shows are classics. Koch has already announced that "What Makes Sammy Run?" based on the book by Budd Schulberg is coming next. (This is the drama; not the Broadway musical with Steve Lawrence.). And, if sales are good, I hope there is more to come. And EVERY College library needs a copy as well.

Along with TAM, the other TV play which is most often mentioned in the "Golden Age" of television drama - "Marty" with Rod Steiger - was not on Studio One. It was on Philco Television Playhouse (May 1953). Maybe Koch can team with the Archive of Television to release these and even Playhouse 90 shows, many of which are in the AAT archives.


Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

"

Fascinating Look at Early TV Drama

The Movie Man | Maywood, New Jersey USA | 11/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Studio One," a live drama anthology, was the first of the early TV drama programs that focused on the visual, always experimenting with innovative camera work and showing rather than having actors talk, talk, talk. The series received 18 Emmy nominations and five wins during its nine-year run on CBS.
"Studio One Anthology" is a six-disc box set containing 17 shows, including the original broadcast, "The Storm," and 1954's "Twelve Angry Men," a show later transferred to the big screen starring Henry Fonda. Others include "Dino" starring Sal Mineo (who reprised this role in the 1957 theatrical version), "Wuthering Heights," starring Charlton Heston as Heathcliff, Lee Remick in "The Death and Life of Larry Benson," Art Carney in "Confessions of a Nervous Man," Jack Lemmon in "June Moon," and Leslie Nielsen in Gore Vidal's "Dark Possession." Other actors in the set include Robert Cummings, Eddie Albert, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Montgomery, Eva Marie Saint, Lorne Greene, and Marsha Hunt.
Bonus features include "Studio One"-related footage from the Archive of American Television, a 52-page book, and a "Studio One" historical overview and rediscovery featurette. Because the shows are taken from kinescopes -- films of the original broadcasts made from a TV screen -- quality is not up to the usual DVD standard, but the material is so fascinating, it would be a shame not to have these shows preserved."

Quite an oddity!

Alan G. Carter | Lindon, UT | 11/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Excellent and rare.......It's amazing how you can get such rare finds through the Internet. It might be that some of such material will be great for posterity, as some of the movies are classic for their inconspicuously absent nature.

Mainly, I just HAD to have everything from ROD SERLING I could possibly find!"