Search - I Spy Box Set #1 on DVD

Just the show

adalton | Houston, TX USA | 12/05/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

""I Spy" BOX SET #1 (Image Entertainment):
- This appears to be a direct copy from master tapes of good condition.
- Video not redone. Some minor specs/lines, usually towards the beginning of each episode, otherwise crystal clear.
- No languages (English only).
- No subtitles.
- No Close Captioned.
- Audio not redone. Some words are a little muddled and you'll just have to figure out what was said. Rare.
- Container box for discs has classic picture, box set number, and episode titles.
- 7 discs each in its own slim transparent case. Each case is about 4-1/2 discs thick.
- Simple menu. 4 episodes per disc. 6 chapters per episode. All in color.
- Each case has a covering insert. Front cover has a classic picture, series title, and episode titles. Back cover has episode titles, each with a list of its guests and a short synopsis of the episode. 'Spine' has series title, disk number, and one episode title.
- No extras, neither on disc nor included written documentation.
- Each episode is 50 minutes long.
- No laugh track. The series was not recorded with a laugh track.It's amazing that 1 hour TV shows were that long back then. Today's 1 hour shows rarely go over 45 minutes. I would have liked subtitles, close captions, and extras. Either more episodes per disc and extras together on other discs, or mixed together, would also have been nice. Obviously each disc contains lots of blank space. The series lives on DVD and can still deliver the incredible enjoyment of the show, commercial free."

A Wish For All I Spy Fans!

Hugh Betcha | Dolton, Illinois United States | 10/23/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is called box set 1. Box set 1 is a random collection of episodes from any given season. What I would like to see is 'I Spy-The Complete First Season'. I would like THAT box set to have a lot of bells & whistles--outtakes, commercials for the show, interviews (recent and from the era), tv guide covers and articles from everywhere!"

A classic series available again-- TV acting at its best

Richard E. "Nick" Noble | Southborough, MA USA | 05/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While the DVD is pretty basic (although Robert Culp's commentary is interesting), it is just wonderful to have this classic TV series available again. THIS is what collaborative television acting is all about. There is a poise and a maturity to this series that many of today's efforts lack (despite the slicker special effects and more complex soundtracks of today's TV dramas). Some of the Cold War issues may seem dated, but in fact this series had almost every international issue possible, and some things are back in fashion again. At the time "I Spy" was celebrated for its groundbreaking casting and for its lush locations. Today, while those remain interesting, the incredibly effective pairing of Culp and Cosby (and the creative contributioins of both these talented artists) make this series something very special."

Two headed spy

Michael Osborn | Seattle, WA USA | 11/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After Goldfinger hit so big in 1964, I (like everybody else at the time) read every James Bond novel Ian Fleming had written. What struck me the most was how much the novels gave us an insight into 007's mind by displaying his thoughts. The movie industry has generally shyed away from first-person narritive for some reason and so that element was lost in the movies. However, first in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. in 1964 and the next year in I-Spy, that externalized thinking was delivered with a simple device, namely buddies. Two spies constantly bantering. gave back the element of the thinking-man's spy story.

I-Spy remains unique in many ways though. First, each episode was filmed on location around the world and that adds an open and airy atmosphere that cannot be duplicated on a studio lot. Second, unlike James Bond who always saved the world from utter disaster, agents Scott and Kelly do what I assume secret agents actually do, which is more along the line of international detective work. Also they kind of muddle through their assignments at times relying upon luck rather than skill, and if one of them jumps out of a moving vehicle, then he will get a broken bone. Third, what was new for TV in 1965 was instead of the bad guys getting maimed the show had a tendacy to leave dead bodies laying around.

There was a total of 82 episodes included in all three seasons of the show and they are all included in the three box sets, however the sets are not arranged by season nor are they in chronological order.

BOX 1 has 22 episodes of season 1 (out of 28) and 6 episodes of season 2.

BOX 2 has 20 episodes of season 2 (out of 28) and 8 episodes of season 3.

BOX 3 has 18 episodes of season 3 (out of 26), 6 episodes of season 1, and 2 episodes of season 2.

Follow up:

Forget these box sets and get the new ones released in chronological order and by season."