Whether he's hot on the trail of a ruthless kidnapper or entangled in the gruesome murder of a Hollywood hopeful, the zealous Philip Marlowe always gets his man. Set in the smog-shrouded streets of 1930's Los Angeles, Phil... more »ip Marlowe: Private Eye consists of adaptations of classic stories from famous mystery author, Raymond Chandler. Chandler's superb story telling and Emmy-winner Powers Boothe's (24, Deadwood) impeccable portrayal of the hardboiled Marlowe make for a winning combination.Episodes:1. Blackmailers Don't Shoot - Marlowe is hired to sniff out blackmailers who are bothering a movie queen and girlfriend of racketeer Lucky Landry.2. Spanish Blood - Marlowe finds himself embroiled with corrupt politicians, cops on the take and with a beautiful grieving widow.3. Pickup on Noon Street - Marlowe investigates the gruesome murder of a young Hollywood hopeful and uncovers a vice ring and more!4. Guns at Cyrano's - Marlowe is hired to uncover a threat to a boxer and discovers that his girlfriend is involved in a web of political blackmail.5. Trouble is My Business - Marlowe is hired by a millionaire to buy off the girlfriend of his nephew and heir. Trouble begins when the nephew is murdered with her gun, while plenty of people have motives.6. Red Wind - Marlowe is hired to recover a stolen string of pearls and soon figures out why people are dying & prematurely.« less
These Philip Marlowes with Powers Boothe are absolutely superb. He IS Philip Marlowe. There was no expense spared with this production, with genuine antique cars, sets, etc. Granted, it doesn't have much comparison to real life, but nobody watches Marlowe for reality - you watch for the incredible character of Marlowe - his hard boiled integrity in a dirty business and the fantastic metaphors.
"She was a charming middle-aged lady with a face like a bucket of mud. I gave her a drink. She was a gal who'd take a drink, if she had to knock you down to get the bottle."
However, BE AWARE. There was a mistake in the packaging of this DVD. The episodes mentioned here are the season TWO episodes, not the season one. The season 1 episodes are The Pencil, Nevada Gas, The King in Yellow, etc. I think this is a season 2 compilation mistakenly called season one. So if you have season one already, you might just be doubling up. If you have neither, get it anyway. It's worth it.
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Movie Reviews
MISS LABLED?
NORTON C. BROWNE | SEATTLE, WA USA | 08/30/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is a rerelease of the Philip Marlowe collection labled as season 1 when it's really season "2". If you don't have the collection already, the sound and picture is as good and it takes up less shelf space but it's not the season 1. If you have the "Philip Marlowe collection" you'll just be doubling up."
Hard-boiled P.I.
Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 08/21/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"PHILIP MARLOWE: PRIVATE EYE
(Powers Boothe, William Kearns, Kathryn Leigh Scott)
The six episodes in the PHILIP MARLOWE: PRIVATE EYE DVD set are adaptations of Raymond Chandler stories. Powers Boothe portrayed the hard-bitten detective on this second television go-round for Marlowe. This British/Canadian-produced series of eleven one-hour chapters aired from 1983 to '86. According to MILL CREEK's box cover art, these six episodes are from season #1, but they're actually the show's complete second (and last) season.
For the ultimate in vintage cop shows, try Best OF TV DETECTIVES 150 EPISODES, from MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT.
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Episodes below are listed sequentially. Included are original season #2 airdates and guest actors for all.
(.#7) Spanish Blood (S.2, 5/4/86) - Frank Pellegrino/John Vernin/Helen Shaver
(.#8) Pickup on Noon Street (S.2, 5/11/86) - Kate Trotter/Christopher Newton/Ken Pogue/Ardon Bess/Al Waxman/Eugene A. Clark/Robin Givens
(.#9) Guns at Cyrano's (S.2, 5/18/86) - Ken Pogue/Roxanne Hart/Frank Moore/Wayne Robson/Alar Aderna/Cec Linder/George Buza/Ian A. Wallace/Angelo Rizacos
(#10) Trouble is My Business (S.2, 5/25/86) - Jennifer Dale/Richard Donat/Paul Hecht/Ed McNamara/Donald Moore/Kate Reid/Angelo Rizacos/Booth Savage/Errol Slue
(#11) Red Wind (S.2, 6/3/86) - Frank Pellegrino/Sherry Flett/Maury Chaykin/Linda Griffiths"
Philip Marlowe, the Silent Version
T. Warner | Baltimore | 10/22/2009
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I liked this show when it was on HBO, but the Mill Creek Entertainment DVD release is literally up the creek. The audio is horrible and the whole thing plays like a silent film. The audio is so low I turned my sound up to the maximum, and it was still like listening to whispering at Church on Sunday."
Questionable sound quality
runner30 | LA, CA | 04/23/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"When played on my DVD player & TV, the sound quality of these discs is terrible. I had to crank the volume up to hear the dialog, which then got lost in a hiss. Meanwhile, the music level is fine -- which means when the volume is up, you get lots of hiss punctuated by huge blasts of saxophone. (I've only had sound issues with 1-2 other DVDs on my player, out of 100s, but the player is about 4 years old and the TV is about 10).
The sound quality seems okay, when played on a Mac computer, or on a newer DVD player & digital TV."