BANACEK-SEASON 1 TV DVD REVIEW

A short blurb from Hart Sharp Video about Banacek: Season 1- George Peppard is Thomas Banacek, Boston’s leading freelance investigator. When a crime proves too difficult for insurance investigators to solve, Banacek is called on in this classic TV show form the early 1970s.

One of the better NBC Mystery Movie Series was Banacek! Played by the late George Peppard. It ran on NBC as one of the shows in the rotating umbrella Wednesday Night At The Movies from 1972 to 1974. This show was on in a few that lasted more than one season. The show was well received by critics but never had a great audience. The show was about a Boston-based freelance investigator who solved crimes for insurance companies for usually a fee of 10% of the value of the insured’s property. The series lasted 17 episodes including the pilot movie, which is not in this set. The show was going to go into a third series but at the last minute, Peppard quit the show in order that his ex-wife Elizabeth Ashley would not receive a larger percentage of his earnings to go to their divorce settlement. This 2-disc set also includes a photo gallery and a DVD-Rom feature for TV Guide Crossword Puzzles.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! Digitally remastered and restored for the first time on DVD.
All episodes are approx. 73 minutes long,

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Is also in Mono but very clear!

Disc 1- 1. “Let’s Hear it from A Living Legend”-with Stephanie Powers
2. “Project Phoenix”-with William Windom and Stafford Repp
3. “No Sign of the Cross”-with Broderick Crawford and Victor Jory
4. “A Million the Hard Way”-with Margot Kidder

Disc 2- 1. “To Steal A King”-with Kevin McCarthy and Pernell Roberts
2. “Ten Thousand Dollars A Page”-with Stella Stevens and David Wayne
3. “The Greatest Collection of Them All”-with Mike Farrell and John Hoyt
4. “The Two Million Clams of Cap’n Jack”-with Jessica Walter and David White

Extras

Disc 1: Photo Gallery (29) pictures

Disc 2: DVD-Rom TV Guide Crossword Puzzles


Verdict

A nice series to have. Season Two should be out in January with the pilot movie on the set.

Rating: ****!