|
Although time has passed "The Untouchables" by with
much more gritty and realistic police dramas, the series
remains a golden touchstone for TV. Produced by Desilu Studios
(who would later produce "Star Trek", "Mission: Impossible"
and had already successfully produced "I Love Lucy") Paramount/CBS
has put together the first half of the 1959 season featuring
14 episodes. We also get the two part pilot as part of this
set as well. Based on the book "The Untouchables" The Real
Story" by Elliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, the series wasn't
exactly true to its source material (and who knows how many
liberties Ness himself took with his own story about busting
gangsters like Al Capone) but it certainly was entertaining
and-for its time-violent television. Walter Winchell's breathless
over-the-top narration adds to the sense of melodrama on
display here. Fans will be happy to see this show finally
show up on DVD although it has hardly been scarce except
recently as it ran in syndication for decades. ---
Image & Sound:
The show looks nice although there is a considerable
about of softness in some episodes. The black and white
images look pretty good overall though and it's clear that
most of the budget for this release went into making sure
the show looked acceptable on DVD. Audio is a bit tinny
sounding (more to do with the recording techniques of the
time than the transfer itself) but dialogue comes across
clearly. ---
|
