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Starsky & Hutch - The Complete First Season

Starsky & Hutch - The Complete First Season

List Price: $49.95
Your Price: $44.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I'd give it more stars if I could!!!
Review: As someone who was ten when "Starsky & Hutch" premiered in September of '75, I was very excited to get my hands on this brand new DVD first season set in honor of one of my favorite shows of the 70's. (The other being "Emergency!"). Looking at these episodes so crisply re-mastered, brings back a lot of memories of sighing longingly while gazing at Paul Michael Glaser ("Starsky")..as my older sister pined for the dreamy David Soul ("Hutch"). I remember the excitement as a young child of waiting for "my" show to come on every Wednesday evening and discovering what "messes" my heroes were going to get into. Even back then, I appreciated the humor, loyal friendship and camaraderie of the two leads; two men who were never afraid to show or express their deep love and affection for each other. It is that element that has kept me a fan to this day.

As always, my favorite episodes involved angst or "hurt/comfort"..and I eagerly awaited fan favorites such as, "The Fix", "The Shootout", and "A Coffin for Starsky"; anything that expressed the heartfelt devotion and concern these two men had for each other. I know that in today's age, such overt displays of affection would be frowned upon amongst men..and certainly back then it was unique, unusual and different..but it is this very uniquely displayed vulnerability and CHEMISTRY amongst the gritty reality of their daily lives that made the show a winner for me, and still makes it so to this day. There has been, nor will there EVER be, a cop show to match the heart that this show had: two undercover cops whose priority to their jobs was surpassed only by their deep love and affection for each other. Their motto: "Me and Thee" sums up in a nutshell what this series was all about-friendship first. It warms my heart, also, to know that both Paul and David were and still are just as close offscreen. It makes watching these episodes all the more touching.

A VERY BIG thank you to Amazon for sending out my replacement DVD's within a two-day period. You guys ROCK!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Credit where credit is due
Review: I just saw 'He's Starsky and I'm Hutch' a doc on the life of David Soul. I didn't realise the these guys get nothing for any of this. Not a red cent. I'm now not so happy about this. Even the film uses 'Silver Lady' that;s a David Soul song not a Hutch song.

I'd like to start a campaign. Anyone the buys this DVD sets aside 50c to a buck, or whatever you can afford and sends it to David Soul. Pass on the news, and I'll post more details.

John

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Show, Great Value
Review: The five disc set contains over 20 episodes with great picture quality. Bonus material is pretty weak. I wish Glaser and Soul would have provided audio commentary on a seperate audio track. I guess I can't complain at a buck and a half an episode.
The shows have stood the test of time and are just as entertaining as when first aired. Great chemistry between the two main characters and scripts that contain humor, action and drama. What else could you want in a show?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally!
Review: I've waited years for Starsky and Hutch to be released, and here it is! Thank you. I hope to see other seasons released soon.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My Favorite Partnership on Disc
Review: Answer: Blue. Question: The color of their eyes. This remarkable series is finally available on DVD, uncut with detail to die for. Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul's on-screen chemistry is a rarity to behold. My life would have been complete if it included an audio commentary over episodes by the actors. If you like screetching Torinos, creepy-looking bad guys and 70s action, it has it all. But we all know what separates this series from the rest; the friendship.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best tv cop show ever!
Review: Starsky & Hutch was simply put the very best cop show ever on tv. The comradie between the characters, the excitement, action and funny too.

There can never be a show like Starsky & Hutch again. The chemistry was unique and the formula cannot be duplicated.

Starsky & Hutch was a fun show and it was a serious show. One of my favorite episodes was when the boys went to Las Vegas to catch a strangler. This particular episode co-starred Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) and was actually split into two episodes.
Seeing the boys trying to demonstrate their gambling skills was hilarious and seeing them catch the strangler was impressive, although not as impressive as LYNDA CARTER!

There is talk about doing a cap off episode with Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul and suppossedly the rest of the original cast. As a TV fan, I would like to see that, just don't know how it would work now that the movie is out and doing very well.

Judging by the reaction of the fans at the theatre that I was at watching Starsky & Hutch, Glaser & Soul are still fan favorites.

In the meantime, I highly recommend the DVD set of the original tv series covering the first year's episodes. This show was exciting, action packed and fun.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An entertaining buddy cop show
Review: Alas, the buddy show is apparently a dead genre. I miss it, but through the magic of DVDs I can watch the good old stuff without commercials or awkward edits that destroy the plot. Considering the age of this show, the DVDs look remarkably good. There are some lines and specks on the film, and the sound warbles on occasion, but unless you're a A/V purist these things won't really detract from viewing. The packaging is a hoot. It's obvious the designers considered the Torino the real star of the show. *G*

I find I'm watching more DVDs instead of current programming, and creating my own personal TV seasons without the obnoxious reality programming and depressing morality plays. Starsky & Hutch harkens back to an era when TV was supposed to be entertainment, rather than an excuse to show and lecture viewers on how human beings are inherently evil, or pander so blatantly to the lowest common denominator. Up until 10-8 aired, I hadn't followed any cop shows since, oh, probably the early '90's, since the new cop shows are all too dark and depressing, and contain so many thoroughly unlikeable and downright despicable characters. If I want to be depressed, I can turn on the news or read the latest statistics about politics, the economy, and unemployment.

When viewing Starsky & Hutch episodes, it's important to remember that they reflect the times they were made and aired. I can assure everyone that today's most popular shows, fashions, and hairstyles will be considered at best dated, and even goofy and passe, in 10 to 15 years.

Starsky & Hutch was not corny for its time period; instead it was edgy, morally ambiguous (consider previous shows like Adam-12, Dragnet, etc.), made people think about issues they'd prefer to ignore, and was even criticized for being too violent. It paved the way for today's much grimmer and grotesquely violent shows.

Overall, if you enjoyed the series and the cop-adventure and buddy genres, this set is for you. Someday, the buddy show may again come back into vogue. Until then, I've got my DVDs. Now, if only Miami Vice and The Sentinel would be released...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tons of Fun!
Review: What a great flashback to the 70's! This was lots of fun to watch all the episodes again!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Corny, but still touching after all these years
Review: The friendship, baby. That's what I'm talking about. Sure, nowadays the plot lines are drab and predictable, but the way the boys handled it was pure class. I enjoyed "Snow Storm", "The Fix" (for obvious hurt/comfort scenes between the guys) and "Coffin For Starsky" (ibid). It was a series that was comical in many aspects (as season 4 portrayed), so the movie is, in all fairness, simply a take off from that perspective. I enjoyed the movie and have seen it twice. I believe they rewrote the characters to give them more appeal to today's audience (and as the audience has laughed throughout the movie both times I've seen it, it seems to be working), but the basic premise of the friendship is the same. There's even a real touching moment when Hutch goes off and gets drunk after he and Starsky have a falling out. I found myself going, "Awww" both times. The series on DVD is what I've been waiting over 20 years for. Uncensored, non-homophobic full length episodes. Uncut. Beautiful. Let the guys and buddies touch, dog-gone it, it's not like they're gonna get married! Then again...<G> Sorry, had to say it. And when the movie comes out on DVD, I'll be the first to pre-order it. For me, as a fan of the series, it's a must have in my collection. Here's hoping the other 3 seasons of S and H come out on DVD soon. I've already finished this one and am raring to go on the others. Thanks ever so much!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Mindless Fun
Review: I was never a fan of this show, although I watched it occasionally back in the day. I bought this set from sheer nostalgia, curious to see how the show has aged.

My initial impression, after watching the first two episodes, is that TV has gotten a heck of a lot better in the last 30 years! Sure we've got the reality shows and other mindless dreck, but we've also had inventive drama like "The Shield", "The Sopranos", "Hill Street Blues", and "NYPD Blue". Compared to these more involving dramas, the cookie-cutter plots and formulaic caricatures of "Starsky and Hutch" are cartoonish. Like "Charlie's Angels", (also produced by Spelling & Goldberg) this show was never meant to be taken seriously.

Like most 70s shows, there's a certain dowdiness hanging over the proceedings. It's not the tacky fashions and haircuts --- those are half the fun! It's the overall flatness of the performances, the limpness of the editing, the lack of realism, and a certain plodding pace that contrasts wildly with modern-day "edge" shows such as "The Shield."

Having said all that, there's nostalgic fun to be had here. Almost every show I saw in the 70s had the same stylistic limitations. Glaser and Soul are appealing, likeable leads; the sporty Gran Turino is a character in itself, the car chases are fun, the fashions and hairstyles are amusing, and of course Antonio Fargas, the blaxploitation character brought in to provide an ersatz "hip" factor, is perhaps the most talented actor on board (his subsequent career in films seems to have been more successful that Soul's or Glaser's). If nothing else, "Huggy Bear's" unique facial features and remarkable nose are worth at least part of the admission price.

This is a beautifully mastered DVD set, and should please fans of the series. This is highly recommended for those who did enjoy the show in the 70s, but will probably seem tame and corny to anyone under the age of 35.


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