Product Description
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An impressive roster of Hollywood talent brings a keen
eye to the camera lens in this smoke DVD Collection that
spotlights the series' accled directors. The courage,
character and spirit of the American West blazes across the
screen in a television series that set a standard for
entertainment excellence during it's 20-year run. Noted film
directors include: Robert Stevenson, Arthur Hiller, Mark Rydell
and Andrew V. McLaglen. This three-disc set also features
episodes by such familiar on-camera talents as Dennis
Weaver, Peter Graves, William Conrad and Victor French.
.com
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As a splendid sampler of standout episodes from the
20-season history of smoke, this well-chosen Directors
Collection is a bona fide treasure. Fans of the long-running
Western series will appreciate the archival care that went into
this set: Not only does it provide a comprehensive overview of
the series' evolution (from original radio shows to one-hour
color episodes from the 1960s and '70s), but it also delivers a
priceless abundance of oral TV history in the form of audio
commentaries, some recorded by series stars and directors (like
Dennis Weaver, a.k.a. "Chester") shortly before their death. The
fact that this set "is dedicated with love to Dennis Weaver from
his smoke family at CBS" indicates the deep affection that
smoke inspired among cast, crew, and fans alike. This set
gathers 15 episodes on three DVDs, with disc 1 containing seven
episodes in the black-and-white, half-hour format that smoke
maintained for its first six seasons (1955-61). Discs 2 and 3
contain four one-hour episodes each, culled from subsequent
seasons (with disc 3 containing full-color episodes from seasons
14, 16, 17, and 20). Picture and sound quality is remarkably
good, although some of the earliest episodes have a slightly
grainy look that's common to DVD transfers of TV episodes of this
vintage (like Have , Will Travel).
The Directors Collection is a showcase for rookies and veterans
alike whose filmmaking careers were boosted by smoke. Andrew
V. McLaglen (who directed 95 episodes, far more than anyone else)
is represented by season 8's "US Haggens," and his commentary is
a highlight of the set. The episode commentaries (by John Rich,
Arthur Hiller, Dennis Weaver, McLaglen, Mariette Hartley, and
Harry Harris Jr., Mark Rydell, and Peter Graves--brother of
series star James Arness) offer a wealth of smoke history, and
while Hartley (a rising star in the early '60s) did not direct
the eighth-season episode "Cotter's Girl," her commentary with
director Harris is a real treat, as they playfully argue over
their memories of the episode's production. smoke's excellent
writing is evident throughout, including the third-season episode
"How to Kill a Woman," written by David S. (Sam) Peckinpah, who
would soon begin his own illustrious directorial career.
Additional special features include four original CBS broadcasts
of the smoke radio show (which starred William Conrad as
Marshall Matt Dillon, the role played on TV by James Arness); an
eight-minute interview with Amanda "Miss Kitty" Blake, from The
Mike Douglas Show; a excerpt from a soundtrack scoring session,
and a clip from Have , Will Travel featuring Ken Curtis, who
played "Festus" on smoke. Taken as a whole, the episodes and
special features of The Directors Collection qualify as one-stop
shopping for the best that smoke had to offer. --Jeff Shannon