My Favorite Martian – The Complete First Series (Umbrella Entertainment PAL DVD/Region 0/Zero)
PLEASE NOTE: This TV on DVD set can only be
operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region
Zero/0, PAL format software, and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella
Entertainment at the website address provided at the end of the review.
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Concert: C+
Backtracking
to the beginning of the series, Umbrella Entertainment is releasing the first
season of the classic hit TV show My
Favorite Martian after releasing the third and final season; the only ones
to do so on DVD so far, as this link will show:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6344/My+Favorite+Martian+–+The+Comp
Not
knowing this was coming out, I said just about everything I could about the
series, so we’ll move to the episodes:
1)
My Favorite Martin (guest stars Simon Oakland, J,
Pat O’Malley)
2)
Matchmakers (guest stars Linden Chiles)
3)
There Is No Cure For The Common
Martian (guest
stars Sharon Farrell)
4)
Russians R In Season (guest stars Richard Deacon,
Frank Aletter)
5)
Man or Amoeba (guest stars John Fiedler)
6)
The Man On The Couch (guest stars Henry Beckman)
7)
A Loaf Of Bread, A Jug Of Wine
& Peaches
(guest stars Kathy Browne)
8)
The Awful Truth (guest stars J. Pat O’Malley)
9)
Rocket To Mars (guest stars Cliff Norton, Vito
Scotti)
10) Raffles
No. 2 (guest stars J. Pat O’Malley)
11) The Atom
Misers (guest stars Jean Hale)
12) That
Little Old Matchmaker, Martin (guest stars Robert Colbert)
13) How To
Be A Hero Without Really Trying (guest stars Butch Patrick, Dick Wilson)
14) Blood Is
Thicker Than The Martian
15) Poor
Little Rich Cat (guest stars Bernie Kopell)
16) RX For
Martian
17) Going,
Going, Gone (guest stars Henry Beckman)
18) Who Am
I?
19) Now You
See It, Now You Don’t (guest stars Cecil Kellaway)
20) My
Nephew The Artist (guest stars Richard Deacon, J. Pat O’Malley)
21) Hitch-Hikers
To Mars (guest stars Alice Backes, Vito Scotti)
22) Uncle
Martin’s Broadcast (guest stars Dick Wilson, Paul Sorenson)
23) An Old,
Old Friend For The Family
24) Super
Dooper Snooper (guest stars Cliff Norton)
25) The
Sinkable Mrs. Brown (guest stars Allan Melvin)
26) Martin
& The Eternal Triangle
27) Danger! High Voltage (guest stars Henry Gibson)
28) If You
Can’t Lick ‘Em
29) Unidentified
Flying Uncle Martin
30) How You
Gonna Keep Them Down On The Pharmacy?
31) Miss
Jekyll & Hyde (guest stars Tom Skerritt, Marlo Thomas)
32) Who’s
Got The Power?
33) Oh, My
Aching Antenna
34) The
Disastro-Nauts (guest stars Alan Hale Jr., Frank DeVol)
35) Sake
Well & Don’t Use (guest stars J. Pat O’Malley)
36) A Nose
For News (guest stars J. Pat O’Malley)
37) Uncle
Martin’s Wisdom Tooth
From that
cast, you can see this was a strong first season, though its quiet nature and
the simple rough beginnings of doing a show like that that had never been done
before definitely shows in some roughness here and there. That ages it more than the later seasons, but
it is still watchable quality entertainment and when watching, you can see why
it is in print again.
The 1.33
X 1 monochrome image has slight digititis problems throughout the six discs of
shows, meaning digital copies were used instead of new copies from the original
35mm black and white film materials.
They are watchable at best, but not as good as the color transfers
Umbrella has for the third and last season.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono comes across better and sounds good for its
age. Extras include an extended version
of the pilot, audio commentary on it by Peter Greenwald & Ann Marshall,
stills, Ann Marshall interview and the script for the “Sir Charles”
episode. Also, the packaging is better
than the Rhino version and one fans of the show will want.
As noted
above, you can order this import DVD exclusively from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
- Nicholas Sheffo
