'Jake,' 'Princess' among TV shows out on DVD
Here are some of the latest TV shows to land on DVD, led by a popular series that moved to Hawaii for its second season.
"Jake and the Fatman: Season Two" (CBS/Paramount, 1989, three discs, $39.99). For its second season, this crime-busting series leaves Los Angeles for Hawaii, supposedly the old stomping grounds of J.L. "Fatman" McCabe (William Conrad), who has now retired as L.A. district attorney.
To keep the series' continuity going, he naturally takes along his investigator partner Jake Styles (Joe Penny) and assistant Derek Mitchell (Alan Campbell) to battle bad guys for the Honolulu D.A. (Along with McCabe's bulldog Max.)
In my opinion, the series actually improves with this new locale, if only because Hawaii provides a more interesting background than the L.A. and Manhattan settings of so many police procedurals. (This second season debuted the year after Hawaii-based "Magnum, P.I." left the air.)
With the change, the show also cut this season down to 10 episodes (one of them a two-parter), though it would return with 26 episodes for Season 3.
Extras: full frame, 10 episodes
"A Little Princess" (E1, 1986, $19.98). I'm a fan of the 1995 movie of this story, despite the many liberties taken by filmmakers, and for Shirley Temple buffs the 1939 film remains a favorite — but there's little argument that this British TV adaptation is the most faithful, the most lavish and the most satisfying version of the beloved book by Frances Hodgson Burnett (who also wrote "The Secret Garden").
The plot swirls around young Sara Crewe, whose pampered life changes dramatically when her father dies and she goes from being a respected and showcased pupil at her private school to the bottom rung of the social ladder. ... Yet, Sara's inner goodness never wavers, providing a wonderful message for children as well as top entertainment for all ages.
Extras: full frame
"Gigantor: The Collection, Volume 1" (E1, 1964, b/w, four discs, $39.98). After "Astro Boy," "Gigantor" was the second Japanese anime series made for television in the early 1960s, and when it came to American TV, it captured the imagination of baby boomers with its inventive tales of a giant robot used by young Jimmy Sparks to battle evil criminals and aliens. A DVD set designed to delight fans.
Extras: full frame, 26 episodes, audio commentary, featurettes; DVD-Rom applications (the first six issues of the comic book); 16-page booklet
"Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills" (IndiePix, 2008, $24.95). This is a surprisingly entertaining documentary about a tailor to the stars, whose custom-made suits dressed everyone from Cary Grant to Dean Martin to Elvis Presley, and many more — and who still goes into work every day, despite being in his 90s.
Extras: widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes
E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com
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