Beverly Hillbillies

Rating:
Summary: Good Picture Quality - Bad Replacement Singer
Review: I got this DVD set a few weeks ago. The picture quality is very good, but one thing that annoys me is that it is missing the original opening and closing, and the replacement singer sounds irritated and rather menacing when he sings the famous "Ballad of Jed Clampett". Not only that, but they must not have the rights to the original recordings of anyone saying 'The Beverly Hillbillies' on these DVDs - for example, on the first episode, when the original narrator says, "This is Beverly Hills, and here come the Beverly Hillbillies!", the last three words are cut off, and you can hear the replacement yelling "THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES!!!" as loud and rather unsettling as possible. I actually recommend the Platinum Disc Corporation's Beverly Hillbillies Four Disc Set more than this, but there are a few episodes on this that aren't featured in that set, and this would be good to pick up if you find it for a good price somewhere.

Rating:
Summary: It's about time you came back.
Review: I'm not sure what Granny and the gang would think of their show being put on these little round mirrors with the hole in the center of each one, but if anyone can find fault with these shows, just go dunk your fool head in the cement pond!

Rating:
Summary: Heapin' helpin' of hospitality----hillbilly, that is!
Review: The first thing I noticed when playing this DVD is that the theme song had changed. Instead of the original put together by Paul Henning it's got some new guy trying to sing with the same voice as in the original theme - and failing miserably. What a shame...

The editing of this DVD is choppy in a few places so the DVD master wasn't proofed well.

Basically, how difficult could it have been for them to transfer the originals to DVD - theme song and all? This would also have been nice for the end song played after each original episode when it aired. That song is not present on the DVD.

Overall though, this DVD is enjoyable to watch.

Rating:
Summary: almost true to the original series...
Review: The first thing I noticed when playing this DVD is that the theme song had changed. Instead of the original put together by Paul Henning it's got some new guy trying to sing with the same voice as in the original theme - and failing miserably. What a shame...

The editing of this DVD is choppy in a few places so the DVD master wasn't proofed well.

Basically, how difficult could it have been for them to transfer the originals to DVD - theme song and all? This would also have been nice for the end song played after each original episode when it aired. That song is not present on the DVD.

Overall though, this DVD is enjoyable to watch.

Rating:
Summary: Heapin' helpin' of hospitality----hillbilly, that is!
Review: This DVD contains four of the earliest episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies," but because these are not released by the copyright holder, the actual open and close we all know is not on the DVD. Instead, there's an Elvis sounding impersonator handling the singing made famous by Jerry Scoggins. Hopefully, CBS will release "Beverly Hillbillies" on DVD soon, so better prints with the actual opens and closes are available. The episodes on this DVD do a pretty good job of showing why the first two seasons of the program are actually among the best written in the history of television. Snobs hate the program, but the writing, character definition, and evolution of the characters all get off to a good start. And the music of Perry Botkin is used in a very sophisticated way to underscore the action on the screen, compared to the music of Curt Massey whose background music is heard on the later color episodes. Instead of using the music to set up a gag or to get a reaction, Botkin's masterful use of music sets up certain motifs for each of the characters to define them. That's something rarely done in a filmed sitcom--if it was ever even done prior to this show.
The quality of the prints from which these episodes were taken is not particularly good. But until CBS releases the show on DVD, this is what you've got.

Rating:
Summary: Heapin' helpin' of hospitality----hillbilly, that is!
Review: This DVD contains four of the earliest episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies," but because these are not released by the copyright holder, the actual open and close we all know is not on the DVD. Instead, there's an Elvis sounding impersonator handling the singing made famous by Jerry Scoggins. Hopefully, CBS will release "Beverly Hillbillies" on DVD soon, so better prints with the actual opens and closes are available. The episodes on this DVD do a pretty good job of showing why the first two seasons of the program are actually among the best written in the history of television. Snobs hate the program, but the writing, character definition, and evolution of the characters all get off to a good start. And the music of Perry Botkin is used in a very sophisticated way to underscore the action on the screen, compared to the music of Curt Massey whose background music is heard on the later color episodes. Instead of using the music to set up a gag or to get a reaction, Botkin's masterful use of music sets up certain motifs for each of the characters to define them. That's something rarely done in a filmed sitcom--if it was ever even done prior to this show.
The quality of the prints from which these episodes were taken is not particularly good. But until CBS releases the show on DVD, this is what you've got.