For introductory information on Route 66 as a show, follow the link to my review of season 1, volume 1 below. This second volume of discs offers 15 more episodes and 15 more hours of classic adventure television. The screener contains only four episodes, but they lead to an extremely favorable view of the show itself, and the remaining 11 episodes in this collection.
In the double episode “Fly Away Home” Tod and Buz head to Arizona in their blue convertible so that Tod can follow through on some flying lessons he received from a family friend as a child. But instead of a friendly welcome, the guys find yet another intriguing situation involving a mysterious death, a jinxed flyer and his scorned lover (who Buz immediately takes a liking to), and a dicey contract that may be the final blow to the flying business.
Meanwhile, Tod takes up with an old friend who’s “grown up a lot since she was 15.” It’s all classic television and even this child of the ’80s can see the draw to a show that plays out like hour-long episodes of a lengthy film. The on-location filming is a clever gimmick that turns into more than a gimmick as audiences see much more than simple constructed Hollywood sets. It’s the kind of show that could tear up the screen in today’s lackluster television lineup, but anyone with a DVD player can now enjoy it anytime they like.
The bouncy, string-filled score often serves to further highlight the more overdramatic moments, though by the standards of The O.C. and Dawson’s Creek, the melodrama meter is relatively low here. Don’t worry, though, there’s still plenty of romantic tension and dramatic mysteries running through these episodes. Anyone who purchased the first volume will be more than happy to drop the money for this second volume containing the remaining 15 episodes from the first season.
Zach’s Rating: A-
Perfect For: Those looking to continue the season started with Route 66: Season 1, Volume 1
Stay Away if: A bit of melodrama doesn’t do it for you
Watch For: The striking chemistry between the two leads
To purchase Route 66: Season 1, Volume 2, visit Amazon
To read Zach’s review of Route 66: Season 1, Volume 1, visit BloggerNews
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10 users commented in " DVD Review: Route 66: Season 1, Volume 2 "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackWas your copy cropped for 16:9 televisions? This is a 4:3 TV series and people are getting butchered DVDs. This is the new danger in the Pan & Scam war. Classic television and film are under threat and people need to be more aware and vocal of this danger. If you are watching this on a 4:3 TV it should fill up the screen. If you are watching this on a 16:9 television there should be black bars on the left and right side. OAR is the only way and DVD should be presented. I find it hard to believe you would not mention this cropping in your review and give it such a high score being butchered in the way that it is.
Did you even watch this set before reviewing it? If you did, how could you not mention the obvious, that they took a 4:3 picture and stretched it to 16:9? There is no way to do this without screwing up the image and cutting off the tops and bottoms of the screen. Don’t you think a little detail like 25% of the image being eliminated might have been worth mentioning in your review?
The copy that I watched was fine and I didn’t notice any of the problems that the two of you are mentioning. But I was only sent a review screener copy so I have no experience with the actual copies that are for sale.
What is your setup?
At HTF, there is a pic of the cropping:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/sd-dvd-tv-shows-tv-movies/256967-best-route-66-a-12.html#post3323654
Sad, but true. The Season 1, Volume 2, that was produced for retail sale displays an image that has been cropped to fit “widescreen” TVs. As Jeremiah so plainly puts it, the episodes in this set have been “butchered” and it is totally unwatchable in my humble opinion (and I’m a huge fan of Route 66… perhaps that is why I find it so painful).
They are sending out e-mails lying that it was necessary for an HD future, a load of bull, tell that to Warner with Casablanca in HD. Black bars on the left and right are what is needed for these formats. This is an evil that needs stopping. Please anyone with a strong voice, yell this loud before it happens to other shows and films, OAR must be preserved.
Jeremiah, you must have received the same email from Infinity that I got today. And you are 100% correct: It is a huge load of bull.
Widescreen movies are “letterboxed” for television and video by inserting black mattes above and below the image. This is STILL done on High Definition transfers where it is desired to keep the original aspect ratio (frequently 2.40:1) rather than reformat for 16:9. The process is NO DIFFERENT when transferring television and thousands of classic films that were photographed in a 1.34:1 aspect ratio. The mattes are simply inserted at the SIDES, preserving the ENTIRE original film frame.
Infinity’s excuse for cropping was astounding, if not laughable: “In this new widescreen format, without vertical cropping the program would appear distorted.” Any “distortion” is obviously coming from their effort to fill the screen by chopping off the top and bottom. This is nothing but insensitive handling of the show’s original photographic composition, and such butchering has got to stop!
It’s shameful… it’s an outrage. And they can keep it. I’ll keep watching my FULL FRAME tape versions from the old ‘Nick-at-Nite’ run, thank you.
Actually they did not bother to send me an e-mail though I did contact them and after reading what they were sending out I emailed a response to it though they seem to be ignoring me. I wish I had Nick at Nite but I did not have cable at the time this was on. It was through forums I learned of this show and though I read complaints about the quality of the first set of this show, I would rather have that than this mutilation as it is a really good show. We need a larger voice though. Anyone reading this that has a blog where they review DVDs and get samplers needs to help take a stand. Anyone reading this that works for a paper or magazine or runs a website, a news site a fan site for any TV show or film or genre or actor or period or culture, be it Route 66, Looney Tunes, the Marx Brothers, I Love Lucy, Friends, Cheers, Honeymooners, Wheeler & Woolsey, Hardcastle & McCormick, Smurfs, Rainbow Brite, Maverick, Buster Keaton, Doctor Who, Charley Chase, Johnny Carson, Golden Girls, Wizard of Oz, Sanford & Son, Gilligan’s Island, Dragnet, Batman, 3 Stooges, Bob Newhart, 80’s, 50’s, 70’s, 60’s, 20’s, 30’s’ 90’s, 40’s, He-Man, Sledge Hammer, Cosby Show, Star Trek, anything, everything be it cult or popular, on DVD or on TV you need to help take a stand against this and warn your people of this potential threat as someday it might affect your beloved film or TV show. This is about more than Route 66, it is about preserving our history, the creators vision, the original aspect ratio must be preserved. Please contact dthornblad@infinity-entertainmentgroup.com and register your discuss at what has been done.
I mean register your disgust, typing a bit fast there. This really makes me mad. We were winning a battle for proper aspect ratio of films and now we have to fight this again with television shows and older films and with this mindset in place, we are likely to face more cropping of wider films as well but not to 4:3, instead 16:9. Some fit this format but there are many that are much wider. It seems like colorization is making a second front as well. Then there is a movement to not air or release anything old, to hide them away to rot or secretly destroy them but if you do this to them you might as well let them rot.
I am very upset over what they have done to this classic show by trying to present a ‘WIDESCREEN’ format. I was hoping to collect the entire series but I have no intention of doing so now. Even more stupid is to present two volumes, one full screen the other cropped. At least be consistant. Hopefully, someone will get the message and fully restore this series back to its original aspect ratio which is the way all tv shows should be. I hope nobody else climbs on board with this stupid cropping idea when it comes to future shows that have yet to be released.
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