The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Volume Three: The Years of Change

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

The title of this DVD, like the collection itself, is long and tells many stories - The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones - The Complete Volume Three: The Years Of Change. The first volume, The Early Years told the stories of a younger, innocent teenaged Indy. The stories highlighted his innocence. The second volume, The War Years played off the innocence of Indy and his generation with the cold realities of World War I. Story after story focused on the humanity inside the inhumanity of the war. Our character, Indy, survives relatively intact despite the brutality surrounding him. This last volume completes the series with seven "episodes" on nine discs and a tenth bonus disc. But how do you focus a series dealing with the post-WWI Jazz Age when we viewers know what Nazi-based adventures are yet to come in the feature films?

You can't talk about this ten-disc set without talking about the extras. In fact, with over 15 hours of special features, they dominate this collection. There are 30 different documentaries to accompany the different episodes. I'm reinforcing my opinion from Volume Two that the documentaries should be watched before each episode. Knowing the context of the times and the people that Indy comes in contact with, helps give depth to most of the superficial scripts. These documentaries are not the typical "Behind The Scenes" documentaries seen on most discs. Many of these included in this collection are ripe for the High School or College classroom. I find the biographical documentaries to be the most rewarding. This collection's best being on Ernest Hemingway, Erich von Stroheim, Louis Armstrong, and Edith Wharton.

The First World War is essentially over and continues for only the first two episodes. The intrigue of that war and what destruction it wrought on a whole generation still make it the most interesting backdrop for these Indiana Jones stories. The first one, "Tales Of Innocence" is a simple tale and maybe my favorite in this collection. The two stories - Indy and Ernest Hemingway falling in love with the same woman and Indy and Edith Wharton developing a forbidden attraction to each other while Indy searches for a traitor - are light on the surface but that belies a hidden depth. These unrequited loves hint at what will become the post-war "Lost Generation." After what Indy has seen in the War, what meaning will there be in life? And how does he truly give his heart when he's seen so much death and destruction?

The other World War I episode, "Masks Of Evil" transitions us to the adventurous Indy. In it, Indy finds himself in Transylvania up against Vlad The Impaler (Dracula) and his undead army. What better way to end the war stories but with the nightmare that even the dead will come back to fight. Ultimately this is a lighter story that will lead us directly into the treasure-hunting Indy that we've come to love in the feature films. The next episode, "Treasure Of The Peacock's Eye" is right out of the serial tradition. Here, at the end of the war, we see Indy set off on a quest for Alexander The Great's treasured "Eye Of The Peacock." The adventure will take him from London to Alexandria to the South Seas with lots of great swordplay in-between. As he heads back to America at the end of this episode, the die is set for all of his future treasure-hunting adventures.

Indy will encounter more adventures back in America. He'll meet with Louis Armstrong (a couple times), Ho Chi Minh, Lawrence Of Arabia, and Al Capone and Eliot Ness. He deal with racism, gangsters, Twenties Hollywood, and the Jazz Age. But these adventures seem to lack the life-altering adventures of the War. In "Scandal Of 1920" we have Indy working on a musical and in love trouble again. In "Hollywood Follies," Indy is working on the movies of Erich von Stroheim and John Ford and eventually solving a murder. These are fun stories that play out more like traditional TV dramas.

By the end of "Hollywood Follies", you feel like the character is being throttled. These last couple adventures seem determined to place Indy back in 1920's society but they've forgotten about "The Adventures . . . " part of the title. As fictional stories within historical events, there has never been a show as well done as this one. The documentaries included on these discs are worthy of their own release and any viewer would be well served to watch them. But they overwhelm the actual product. The documentary on Ernest Hemingway is my favorite in the collection because it delves into the dark secrets of the man's past. The episode is not informed by that characterization. He becomes merely a stock player - a love rival for Indy who happens to be a writer. Taking away the dramatic background of the First World War brings these problems out in the open. This collection includes episodes that lack the overall focus seen in the previous two collections. But it's still a rich, worthy addition to any library.

IRON MAN Fires On All Cylinders

Written by Hombre Divertido

If this is a sign of things to come in this young summer season, we are in for one great ride. Jon Favreau directs Robert Downey Jr. in the well-paced adventure written by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and succeeds where many have failed in the past, when it comes to superhero films, by keeping it simple.

Introduce us to the character, show us how he became a superhero, and have him fight a bad guy. Simple. You would think, but when looking back on the multiple-villain blockbuster disasters of the past, there is always some concern going in.

Here we get some great insight into Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) the billionaire playboy and genius head and chief weapons developer for Stark Industries. Not only is Downey perfectly cast, but displays wonderful comedic timing reminiscent of the sarcastic characters of his youth.

Stark is in Afghanistan with his Air Force pal Rhodey (Terrance Howard) to show the military Stark Industries newest weapon when Stark is taken hostage by insurgents and forced to build them a weapon. Instead he manages to build the first of his super suits right under their nose in one of the more far-fetched premises in this outing.

Stark does manage to escape with the use of the first iron outfit, and returns home with a new attitude about the business he is in. Making a change in the direction of Stark Industries helps to flush out the scheming antics of his associate Obadiah Stane played subtly by Jeff Bridges.

With the help of his faithful assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) Stark manages to refine the suit of iron, enact revenge on the insurgents in Afghanistan, and beat down Obadiah who has built a bigger suit, all while cracking wise, and winking at the audience.

This is 126 minutes of popcorn fun that is sure to leave you wanting more Iron Man. The story is well paced, the dialog is well crafted, the special effects are not obvious, and the music compliments the story.

Howard may be the only weak link in the cast, only because he does not present a strong military presence that some might expect, but he makes up for it by creating a likeable sidekick presence. A few more action scenes could have added to the fun of this film, and some may say that the ending was a little anti-climactic for an action blockbuster, but in this case less is more. Keep it simple and leave them wanting more.

For the true comic buffs: This has one of the funniest cameos by Stan Lee, the creator of many Marvel superheroes, who appears in all the Marvel films. Also, make sure you stay for all the credits. Recommendation: Don’t miss this fun action film. May be too much blood and innuendo for the real young kids, but good family fare for the rest.

Speed Racer The Next Generation: The Beginning

Written by Hombre Divertido

Set as a series to run on Nicktoons, premiering a week before the feature film adaptation, and featuring the voice of Peter Fernandez, who not only wrote the original theme song, but also voiced the original Speed Racer, this new DVD release from Lionsgate would seem to have a lot going for it. From a marketing standpoint it does have a lot going for it; but from a quality standpoint, unless you are seven-years-old or younger, it leaves a lot to be desired.

The animation resembles a video game more than anything else, and the opening sequence displaying an armadillo crossing the road appears to be incomplete from an artistic perspective. Unfortunately, it is simply a preview of things to come. This film is incomplete in more ways than one. From our main character’s non-existent last name, and everyone’s acceptance of that, to the plodding mechanical animation, pointless virtual racetrack, and story that serves no purpose other than to introduce the characters for the television show, this is advertising at it’s best and worst.

Should the new motion picture be successful, there certainly could be interest in a new television animated series for children, but that may be too big of a risk to take. This film will be a huge disappointment to any fan of the forty-year-old original series, and would have a hard time bringing in new fans.

In this film we are introduced to Speed, an orphan who arrives at a racing school run by Spritle Racer (Fernandez) younger brother of the legendary Speed Racer who disappeared many years earlier. Speed’s son X (Apparently named after the original Speed Racer’s older brother) also attends the school and is the resident hot shot. Lost yet? Yeah, it’s a bit confusing. Fans of the original series will get it, and see the rest of the story coming. Youthful viewers being introduced to the Racer family for the first time might be a bit concerned as to the make-up of this clan, but there are far more important things to be worried about.

Speed manages to make some friends, acquire not one, but three cars including the Mach 5 and 6, and find danger both on and off the racecourse.

This film is not all bad. Fernandez adds a nice touch as his vocal quality remains consistent to the original series, some of the supporting characters are enjoyable, and the music adds a nice touch, but the story is simply too trite, and most will see it as nothing more than a device to get you to watch the new series.

The bonus features include a making-of piece that you should watch before the film, an introduction to each character, and a racing game that will make it quite clear who this film is targeting.

Recommendation: Young children might be used to, and subsequently more appreciative, of the video game animation and the simplicity of the story, and combining this film with future episodes of the television series might allow for a story to develop, but this is not for the fans of the original series. It simply lacks the pacing and energy that was Speed Racer.

SOLARIS (1972)

Written by El Mono Santo

We have no interest in conquering any cosmos.
We want to extend the earth to the borders of the cosmos.
We don't know what to do with other worlds.
We don't need other worlds.
We need a mirror...
Man needs man.
--­Snaut

After watching Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris (not to be confused with the Clooney clone) my love of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey waned. Though 2001 preceded it by four years, Solaris makes Kubrick's masterpiece resemble a Hollywood film. The two share many similarities. And yet the similarities seem entirely accidental. Both directors used very different methods of film-making for very different reasons. Perhaps it would be better to call Kubrick's film a "space ballad" and Tarkovsky's a "soul probe." Kubrick's arm reaches forward, out, away from present being to the dream of what we might become. Tarkovksy reaches deep inside to ask what we are.

As the opening quote indicates, Solaris plays with a paradox of human motivation. We turn our heads to the cosmos seeking to uncover it's wonders. "The truth is out there" as The X-Files put it. And yet if there was extra-­terrestrial life - an OTHER kind of life than what we - could we recognize it? Or would we be invariably led, like a Modern Narcissus, to see nothing more than our own reflection? Our concepts of "life" and "being" and "mind" are anthropomorphic. They are contained and given meaning by a frame that is human. But if there was a different frame? In Solaris, that frame is a foreign planetoid or its ocean. Tarkovsky might ask me whether even there I am reducing it to something resembling "the human." At any rate, when human beings came to this deep-space ocean, it reacted.

The main character, Kris, is a scientist sent to the space station to examine its remaining crew and evaluate their psychological standing. Ironically, it will be the scientist, like those he wished to examine, who will be the one psychologically evaluated. Above the churning, morphing ocean of Solaris, contact between humankind and the other is made. And the point of contact is conscience. As the fog of sleep overpowers Kris and the crew, they awake to find that memories etched into their mind by a fingerprint of remorse, guilt, or the tension between ethical/moral dilemma and duty have taken on flesh. We are led to believe, for example, that one crewman, Gibarian, is perpetually haunted by a version of his own perversion - presumably an innocent daughter he blamed himself for molesting. Unable to face a too-­real reflection of his inner demon, Gibarian commits suicide. Caught within his own web of conscience, Kris chooses to embrace it instead of reject it. Will this lead Kris to deeper union with "the other" or further strand him in the island of his own humanity?

In a style similar to Hitchcock's Rope, Tarkovsky limits his cutting and splicing of many scenes. This is done in opposition to his Soviet film-making comrades who wanted to force perspective through their editing. Instead, Tarkovsky leaves us hanging inside the space of the character in near realtime and forces the camera to follow. Truth is thus unveiled through question, not propaganda. Combined with a very minimalistic soundtrack, this stretches out the moments of the film and causes the audience to enter into the self-awareness and meditative ambiance of its characters. And like 2001, there were many instances of incredible cinematic mise-en-scene.

NIM'S ISLAND

Written by Hombre Divertido

Take the Disney classic Swiss Family Robinson, throw in the family classic Home Alone, add a little of the under-appreciated Stranger Than Fiction and a sprinkle of Raiders of the Lost Ark and you have Nim’s Island. Though this project warrants the reference to the four films mentioned, it doesn’t quite manage to deliver the same level of entertainment.

Though it comes close, it seems a bit too unsure of itself, and there is a general lack of commitment by the writing teams of Joseph Kwong & Paula Mazur and directors Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin to one aspect of this multi-layered endeavor. Had they simply been willing to truly invest in each storyline, and provide a well-rounded 120-minute motion picture, the result could have easily been a family classic. Though the film contains numerous enjoyable aspects, it is too heavy-handed in its delivery, and the performances are a huge disappointment.

Where it does succeed is in its ability to channel some of the classic episodes of The Wonderful World of Disney. Had the writers focused more on Nim (Abigail Breslin) and her adventures on the tropical island where she lives with her microbiologist father, and the Home Alone scenario of fending off invaders with the help of her animal friends, the movie would had been simply more enjoyable. Though the addition of Nim’s contact with her favorite author (Jodie Foster) who she believes is an Indiana Jones-esque hero, brings about some pleasant fantasy scenes that are well crafted, it tends to draw away from what the audience wants to see.

Jodie Foster has not made a comedy since Maverick, and not a good one since Freaky Friday, and there must be a reason for that. As an agoraphobic author who decides to travel around the world to save a circumstantially abandoned Nim, Foster is in way over her head. The comedic chops of Helen Hunt, Tina Fey, or Joan Cusack would have been far better suited for this project. Breslin also seems a bit out of her element in this role, as she seems too emotionally inconsistent to endear her to most audiences.

Based on the novel by Wendy Orr, Walden Media has created another beautiful film to look at, with great special effects, but even those elements are not enough to hold the audiences attention for the 94-minute jaunt that does not really go anywhere you don’t see coming.

Recommendation: If you have children, take them to this on a Saturday afternoon for some safe, predictable, and somewhat satisfying entertainment. Or just pick up a copy of Swiss Family Robinson and head home for a far more enjoyable entertainment experience.

FLASH POINT

Written by Puño Estupendo

Flash Point reunites the team of director Wilson Yip, writer Kam-Yuen Szeto, and action-star Donnie Yen in a follow up to their 2005 collaboration S.P.L.: Saat po long (released here in 2006 and given the title Kill Zone). Though S.P.L. garnered positive attention and was a fairly good watch, Flash Point kind of falls a little bit shorter with its accomplishments. It doesn't fall short through any fault of the cast but more from just an overall lack of originality.

Donnie Yen plays the on-the-edge detective who has Internal Affairs all over him because of his rough-house tactics. He gets the collars but a majority of his arrests end up with the bad guy in the hospital, thus giving the whole department a black eye. Even by Hong Kong action standards, this premise has been done only about a gazillion times and isn't even particularly done well here. With Yen's character currently investigating a trio of Vietnamese crime lord brothers, it becomes kind of a poor man's Infernal Affairs. Yen has a man on the inside who has been undercover for years and is a trusted lackey by the Vietnamese bosses. This goes into a subplot revolving around the undercover agent's problems, but still just comes out as a tired rehash of other films.

But let's cut to the meat and potatoes here. What you watch a film like this for is the action and the entire cast delivers pretty well. Yen also serves duty as the Action Director and expands nicely on the mixed martial arts style he started using on S.P.L. I found the fighting to be that much more exciting given the kind of unoriginal plotline. If anything, I easily could have handled a couple more action scenes with this. The submission and take-down moves that come from the use of mixed martial arts (M.M.A.) are given a great intensity and flurry to them by Yen's presentation. All sorts of aerial moves, and very quick punches and grabs, combine to get your heart rate going at a good pace. Donnie Yen is definitely onto something with his embrace of this style of fighting and it should pay off much heavier in films to come. It has the traditional gun play that permeates the genre, but the hand-to-hand stuff is where it shines.

Flash Point comes with a second disc of supplemental material that is almost more entertaining then the movie itself. Interviews, making-of's, and deleted scenes concentrate heavily on the fighting without all of that boring plot stuff getting in the way. Nothing dynamite on here but still worth watching for the insight to the fight training and choreography.

As a cop thriller/action flick, Flash Point is just kind of middle of the road. The action itself is where the true entertainment lies here and I have a feeling Donnie Yen hasn't even hit his stride with his new style yet. I think it's quite possible that if he gets the chance to keep bringing this to the screen the way he wants to, there might be something really awesome coming our way soon.

THE MAGIC BLADE

Written by Musgo Del Jefe

After 5 Fingers Of Death, 36th Chamber Of Shaolin and The 5 Deadly Venoms, The Magic Blade typifies all that is right with the Wuxia genre of the mid-Seventies. Just a few years after Bruce Lee brought the genre to new heights, the Shaw Bros. pushed the genre forward with high quality sets, lush cinematography, and classic fights with a talented crew of actors and actresses.

The film stars two very familiar faces to fans of Hong Kong films. We first meet our hero Fu Hung-Hsueh (Ti Lung). You'll recognize the young, Ti Lung from many other Shaw Bros. films and especially from his career role in John Woo's A Better Tomorrow. Fu meets up with Yen Nan-Fei (Lo Lieh). Lo Lieh seems to have been in every Shaw Bros. film ever made - including a memorable role in 36th Chamber Of Shaolin. The two talented swordsmen restart a fight of a previously unfinished duel. During their fight, Yen is attacked by a Master Yu. Fu's life is saved by Yen and the two put aside their differences to stop Master Yu from acquiring the deadly weapon called the Peacock Dart.

The Wuxia genre had a huge influence on the Western genre. In this movie, the Western genre pays the Wuxia genre back. From the original fight onward, the movie plays out like a classic Spaghetti Western. Both Fu and Yen wear ponchos like Clint Eastwood in A Fistful Of Dollars. The cities that our heroes travel through are bare and dusty like the classic Western village. The swordsmen carry their weapons like the classic gunfighters would going into a High Noon showdown.

The movie unfolds not unlike many other Wuxia films and not too far from the Kill Bill formula. Master Yu exists unseen in the shadows. He dispatches assassin after more deadly assassin to steal the Peacock Dart and ultimately to kill our heroes. After finding the Peacock Dart, they acquire the typical damsel in distress (played by the atypical beauty, Ching Li). Our heroes eventually get separated. That allows a romantic relationship to develop between Fu and our damsel.

The plot does not go off in any wild, crazy tangents. The assassins' attempt to get the Peacock Dart only serves to slow down the march towards a final battle between our heroes and the evil Master Yu. Throw in an unusual amount of blood for a Shaw Bros. film and a short but exploitive lesbian scene that seems out of place. But out of place is what makes these films stand out over other films of their day. There's a killer named the Devil Grandma and there's a battle on a life-sized chess board. The final showdown is quick by today's standards of "final showdowns" but it brings nice closure to the story.

Viewed as a return of the Western traditions to Eastern cinema, The Magic Blade is a complete package. The two foes become reluctant partners against a greater evil. The sword battles are equivalent to gun fights. The restaurants even double as the Western saloon. And what better tradition than the lone gunman (or two gunmen in this case) against the evil Boss and his never ending henchmen.

There are limited bonus features on this disc. The biggest is the Original Mandarin soundtrack with English subtitles. I've watched these movies for years with the same painful English dubbed soundtrack, so it's tempting to watch it that way again for nostalgia, but hearing the original language is a revelation. The sound effects and score are not buried like they are in the dub version. The disc also includes trailers for 16 other Shaw Bros. classics, so get your pen and paper ready to start your next shopping list.

LEATHERHEADS Doesn't Score

Written by Hombre Divertido

Take George Clooney as star and director, add the youthful and funny John Krasinski from The Office, and throw the beautiful and talented Renee Zellwegger into a movie about professional football in 1925, and it would seem like a recipe for success.

Get ready to send this unfunny, confused, convoluted, shallow, mess back.

Normally a review would include a description of the plot of the film being reviewed, but since this film has no idea what it wants to be, it is difficult, if not a waste of time, trying to explain it.

What would have made for a good film would have been the simple premise of a football team struggling to make it in the early years of professional football. Introduce us to some interesting and outrageous characters on the team. Bring in the suave Clooney as the seasoned veteran, the young rookie Krasinski, and have Zellwegger as the love interest of both guys. Show some humorous antics as the members of the team try to fit in off the field. How hard could that be? Seemed to work pretty well in Bull Durham and Slapshot to name two successful sport-themed films.

Apparently it was harder than one would think. We get no insight to anyone on the team other than Clooney and Krasinski, and even their characters are one-dimensional. There is very little actual football in the film, and the football scenes that are there are horribly choreographed and directed. The film gets bogged down in storylines that have nothing to do with football in 1925. In other words; the film has far too little to do with leatherheads!

There are storylines regarding Krazinski’s character being a war hero based on a story that has been exaggerated to the point of no longer being true, and Zellwegger’s character, a young reporter, trying to break the big story and expose Krasinski for a fraud. There are holes in the plots and neither storyline really goes anywhere.

There is absolutely no depth to any of the storylines or characters, no chemistry between any of the stars, and even the make-up is bad as they actually manage to make Zellwegger look bad in numerous scenes. The filmmakers finally try to resort to basic slapstick to get some laughs, but by then it is far too little too late. This is one hour and fifty-three minutes of pain.

The best scene in the movie consists of Stephen Root (Another underutilized comedic talent in this dud), who plays one of many poorly developed supporting characters in the film, discussing one of the football games and makes reference to it being boring. One cannot help but laugh at the ironic reference to the film itself.

Recommendation: NO! This will be one of the worst films of the year.

There Will Be Blood (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Written by Puño Estupendo

Very few times in my life have I actually agreed wholeheartedly with Oscar nominations let alone Oscar winners. After watching the two-disc DVD set of director Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, Daniel Day-Lewis' win for Best Actor not only seems like a rare case of the award going to the right man, but also leaves me bewildered as to why this film didn't blatantly sweep the statues up entirely. Not only does Anderson prove without any doubt that he is one of the best filmmakers working today, but he's coming close to solidifying his place as one of the best of all time.

Day-Lewis plays an independent oil man at the turn of the 20th century named Daniel Plainview, who lacks neither ambition nor intelligence. He has charisma when he needs it and a single-mindedness that seems to insure his success. A young man named Paul sells some information to him about a town he comes from, Little Boston. Paul assures him that there is oil there and that the land can be had on the cheap, particularly the Sunday Ranch, which Paul's family owns.

Plainview travels up to the Sunday Ranch and a story of greed and guile, church and business, success and tragedy plays out. This is a true American portrait reflecting the ruthless ambition which offends us on certain levels, but reminds us that our country couldn't have been built without it. This is the crux of the film for me. Though it seems like you should naturally want to damn Plainview, hate him for some of the things he does, you also have to deem him a necessary evil at times. Though he takes advantage of situations and people, he is a catalyst where there was nothing. It's a "for better and for worse" situation, and it plays out brilliantly.

Equally brilliant is the cinematography (which won the film's second Oscar) and the sound. A surprisingly perfect fit is an eerie score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. If I had heard the music separately, I would have never figured it to work, but it does more than just work. It blends with the story and compliments it at every turn.

The only disappointment here is with the second disc, the extras. Not much to say because there's not much there. You get a 15-minute slideshow of reference material just in case you didn't realize how authentic the movie is. There's a couple of trailers and a couple of deleted scenes, really kind of underwhelming as far as a second disc of extras goes. One thing of interest is the inclusion of a silent film from 1923 which gives a breakdown of the oil business in the early 1920's which I found to be perfect for inclusion with this film.

I have intentionally left many of the story details out because it would probably fall short in description anyway. What I am trying to say is that this is damn well a perfect film, but I figured I had to write more than "This movie is perfect and you should see it".

To be clear though, that last statement sums things up pretty well.

Father Knows Best: Season One

Written by Hombre Divertido

Long before The Brady Bunch and even before Leave it To Beaver there was Father Knows Best. On April 1st, Shout Factory released Season One in a four-DVD set, and surprisingly for a show from this era, it is the extras that make this set worth having.

In October of 1954, CBS brought the show from radio to television, and for nine years America tuned in to see the exploits of the Anderson Family, though only the first six years were original episodes. The show ran in primetime for three years consisting of reruns. Jim Anderson (Robert Young) was an insurance salesman and a big kid at heart, Margaret Anderson (Jane Wyatt) was the voice of reason and the perfect mom, Betty “Princess” Anderson (Elinor Donahue) was the oldest child and typical teenager, James “Bud” Anderson Jr. (Billy Gray) was the all-American boy, and Kathy “Kitten” Anderson (Lauren Chapin) was Daddy’s adorable little girl.

CBS actually cancelled the show after the first season due to poor ratings, and it is clear why when watching these episodes. The chemistry was just not there, and the interaction between characters seemed forced and awkward. Luckily, an outpouring of fan support not only brought the show back, but to an earlier time slot where it would grow and eventually flourish.

There are some fun episodes here including “The Motor Scooter,” which deals with getting “Bud” his first motorized mode of transportation; “Football Tickets,” which revolves around Jim’s promise to one of the kids; and “Close Decision,” which is about procrastination and parenting. As in most of the episodes, the comedy writing does not properly display the talents of the actors and seems more reminiscent of the radio show. The parenting messages are a bit contrived as the relationship between the parental characters was still being established and thus not yet comfortable from a viewing perspective.

This is a great set for a history lesson on family-themed television shows, even if the first season may not have been their best. What makes this set so much fun are the extras. Usually when putting together the DVD set of a show from 1954, there is not a lot of material, but extras were found and made to round out this collection. Along with the twenty-six episodes, you get “Daddy’s Girls,” a pleasant and informative feature consisting of all-new interviews with Elinor Donahue and Lauren Chapin, lending their insights into the show as well as their experiences during the casting process. To hear of how Ms. Donahue’s rebellious nature during that period in her life impacted the show, makes this feature well worth watching.

Also included in the bonus material are “Home Movies”. Narrated by Robert Young’s grandson Bill Proffitt, these movies consist of not only footage of Young’s real-life family, but also footage from the set of Father Knows Best. The footage is great fun, and though the narration is amateurish, Mr. Proffitt possesses a nice quality that comes from being emotionally attached to what we are watching.

Another interesting piece of bonus material is an episode entitled “24 Hours in Tyrantland.” The U.S. Department of the Treasury, as a way of encouraging people to buy savings bonds, produced this special episode. It was never broadcast, but was shown in schools, churches, and for civic groups. The message is a bit heavy-handed, but it is a full-length episode, and certainly interesting and reflective of the times.

Probably the best extra in the set is the pilot episode of Window on Main Street, which aired on CBS for one year from October 1961 until September 1962. Robert Young had left Father Knows Best after becoming tired of the role he had played on both television and radio, and wanted to try something different. Along with his producing partner, Eugene B. Rodney, he produced this interesting show. Though not well received, it has a charming format that is ahead of its time. This episode also contains the original commercials that are great fun to see.

Recommendation: For a true fan of the show, these episodes may not bring back the fond memories you are looking for, simply due to the fact that the show had yet to really hit its stride, but the extras makes this set worth having for both the fan of the show, the fan on classic television, or someone looking to explore the early years of the medium.