Federal Men (compilation/1950 – 1955/Film Chest DVD Set)/Wilfred: The Complete First Season (2011/Fox DVD Set)
Picture:
C-/C+ Sound: C/C+
Extras: D/C Episodes: C+/C
Though it
seems like more and more hour long shows are clocking in at just over a
half-hour, half-hour slotted shows have long been successful since TV finally
arrived after WWII. Here are two very
different examples that show us how.
After
graduating from 15 minute-long shows, TV moved into half-hour programs and more
than a few series from the time were independent productions, even if they had
larger distributors behind them. Federal Men ran from 1950 to 1955 and
it was a crime series, but with a few twists.
For one, the heroes were from the Treasury Department and IRS, which is
something you do not see in the genre much since. As well, it was one of the few crime series
that happened to be an anthology show, so each episode was different and there
was no lead character, though our host The Chief (Walter Greaza) would sometimes
join in the case.
Film
Chest is offering a 3-DVD set of some of these interesting and forgotten shows,
but you will not recognize most of the faces over these 16 episodes. However, Carolyn Jones (The Munsters) shows up and some character actors fans might
recognize from the time (Ted de Corsia, Hugh Sanders, Gloria Talbott, Philip
Van Zandt) though I like the idea of interesting actors giving interesting
performances that I do not recognize.
I had not
seen this show in many decades and it is definitely a lost show, but the format
(somewhat formulaic) works as each self-contained show is based on an actual
case and some of them are really good.
One has a couple who buried a fortune in paper money for so long that it
has mold all over it (guess plastic was not as popular then) so they have to
find a way to get rid of it. The Cold
War also hangs over some of the shows and the officialese of the series was
good enough that it would be shown with the likes of Dragnet and later The
Untouchables.
Greaza makes
for a good host and these hold up pretty well for their age. I hope we somehow see entire seasons if the
prints can be found. There are no
extras.
Originally
a hit in Australia, Wilfred: The Complete First Season (2011)
has been remade for the U.S.
market and in a real coup, stars Elijah Wood as a young man who has to deal
with emotional problems and some depression issues, when he suddenly is
babysitting a dog for his attractive female neighbor. However, what he gets is a man (original
series creator Jason Gann recreating his Australian performance and in his
native accent) in a dog suit who acts and moves around like a dog, but talks
like a streetwise human with limited manners.
It is a
one-joke show that is saved by Wood’s consistent performance, but if you find
the idea thin early like I did, this will not appeal to you. I just wondered if the original version was
somehow funnier or are these just Americanized remakes of the Australian
teleplays. We get 13 episodes here
(without a laugh track, but this is not a ‘dramedy’ (ugh, that term) or drama)
over 2 DVDs. See it at your own risk,
but diehard Wood fans will more likely be entertained.
Extras
include Jason Gann doing a Fox Movie Channel After Film School episode, Mary Jane Mash Up, Deleted Scenes, Wilfred at Comic Con 2011 and featurette
Wilfred & Bear: A Love Affair.
The 1.33
X 1 black and white image on Men is good on a transfer level, but the prints are in poor shape
with damage, dirt and a lack of detail all over the place. Film Chest did their best to make these look
good, but they need to find better copies if possible. Too bad this is all they could find for this
set. The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X
1 image on Wilfred is an HD shoot
with motion blur and a sense of softness across all the episodes.
The lossy
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on Men shows
its age and has some background noise throughout, but is not bad for an
independent production of its time.
Still, the sound is only so good.
The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes on the Wilfred episodes are better, but lack a consistent sense of
surround soundfield and in fairness to the show, it has its share of quiet
moments before more madness begins.
- Nicholas Sheffo
