Starsky Hutch The Complete Third Season DVD with David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser, Bernie Hamilton (NR) +Movie Reviews

Uneven, Unbalanced, yet Unforgettable

William Smith | Fontana, CA United States | 07/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Starsky and Hutch: Season III

(Out of 5 stars)

The Scale

(5 classic, 4 very good, 3 good but flawed, 2 at least S&H were good!, 1 Voodoo Priest)

Murder on Voodoo Island: 1 and 2: Seems like a good idea on paper... and even a slight recreation of Season Two's getaway theme "Murder at Sea", sadly this doesn't contain the same magic, and throw in an overzealous "Voodoo Priest" and you've got a real mess. Part 1: 3 stars Part 2: 1.5 stars

Fatal Charm: I'll admit, after the above episodes I was concerned... somewhat. I'm somewhat new to S&H but owning both the first Two Seasons, I know what this show is capable of and this episode solidly hit's the mark. I have a "thing" I guess for these "stalker-type" stories and this one is actually quite chilling. I'm taking a half star off b/c the "hooker undercover" part of the story was weak. And did I hear a "boing" when the axle came off? Sheesh. 4.5 stars.

I Love You, Rosey Malone: If you can look past the silly title you'll find a decent episode. The brightest spot being the chemistry between Rosey and Starsky. 3.5 stars.

Murder Ward: This one has its moments and considering it was cast for TV I think they did about as good a job as they could. This one gives Paul Glaser an excellent vehicle to ham it up. 3 stars.

Death in a Different Place: This one is interesting. Some here seem to rave about it, and while I think it is fair to midland, the interesting aspect is seeing how the term "gay" is "homo-sexual" and how people in general, as far as the show dealt with the subject matter. The end bit, "tag" if you will, was telling:) 3 stars.

The Crying Child: I'm sorry but this subject matter is so typical 70's-After-School-Special that almost by default the episode sank. The problem with a show like S&H trying to tackle this concept is there are NO KIDS on the show so the audience is thrown a "kid" and we are supposed to sympathize and say "Ahhh..." Quincy Season Two has a similar episode that is far better. And excuse ME, but why does this episode begin with a hold-up sequence from a PREVIOUS SEASON?? Is this the Twilight Zone? Also, the plot is just too predicable, would have been better if they would have had the TEACHER beating the kid. 2 stars.

The Heroes: Ok, back on track. There is some great dialogue here and the message about being politically correct couldn't BE more relevant than right now. The "competition" between S&H for the hand of the lady reporter was excellent! Love the scene where they RACE up to the station in hopes of being first! HA! Plus, the casting for this show and junkies, is a bit eerie because the lady that they got truly looks to be strung out on something. 4 stars.

The Plague 1 and 2: I'm kinda starting to get a bad feeling about this Season. Hopefully you can recognize I love David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser, so any critique I have is almost NEVER directed at them... instead as was the case with the last quarter of Season 2, Season 3 just has scripts that are literally all over the map, and some, like this two parter are mixed at best. I've never seen a series with such a penchant for "two parters" when the "one parters" are hard enough to be consistent with. 2.5 stars

The Collector: Here we go again... middle of the road. Again, not terrible but just not memorable either. The thing I loved about Season 1 seems absent in many of these scripts; the BANTER between S&H. It is sprinkled about but just too sparingly. Beyond that, the story is interesting but a lot of the steam is removed when you realize the new collector could just shoot the dog and the child star and make off with the money. 2.5 stars

Manchild on the Streets: I'm sorry, did I miss something? Who are these people!? I'm starting to see that "socially relevant" actually means "totally generic." How can S&H be such great friends with these people and we've never heard of them? Easy to see the "suits" have their hands all over this episode, David Soul directing or not. The performances for the most part seem "ok" but I just can't see how these people fit within the confines of Starsky and Hutch and the story really never develops. Plagues, racism, gays... whatever happened to crime fighting? 2 stars

The Action: Gambling!? Thugery?! I love it! This is a good "above par" episode that deals well with what the duo do best; undercover work with wacky personas. 3.5 stars

The Heavyweight: Being a Classic Trek fan I tend to gravitate towards all things Gary "Mitchell" Lockwood, however this episode doesn't deliver much of a punch... despite the subject matter. 3 stars

A Body Worth Guarding: Well it took awhile but I get my first 5 star episode of Season Three, and it was well worth the wait. You just never know what you are going to get judging by the description sheet inside the DVD set. On the surface it sounds dull... Ballerinas? Y-A-W-N. But what lies beneath is a Hutch performance for the ages, chemistry that won't quit, and some of the best comedic performances of the series. 5 stars

The Trap: The best part of this episode is without a doubt Starsky's new watch and all the ensuing chaos. Kristy McNichol has never really gunned my engine and the simple story of revenge is rather Ho Hum. 3 stars

Satan's Witches: Uh-Oh. Somebody saw 1975's Race With Devil one time too many... this is an interesting re-telling, right down to the rattlers! Aside from that, I actually like this one because of all the banter about camping. 3.5 stars

Class in Crime: This one almost seems like a Columbo. Well cast, well paced, and mimes! Ok, so maybe the mimes aren't too great. Whatever happened to mimes? Anyway, this Paul Glaser episode is his best directed yet. 4 stars

Hutchinson: Murder One: "On Paper" this looked to be a great one. Sadly, it's merely a "good one". Stiff key casting (Hutch's Ex) just didn't measure up to what could have been. Still I'm puzzled as to why the Voodoo Island led off Season Three when an episode like this would do so much more to inform viewers what the show was about. 3 stars

Foxy Lady: Unlike Season 2, this season is gaining momentum as it goes along. Well cast, plenty of humor, well written is some of the high points. I never cared much for the guest actress from the last legs of Three's Company, but she's all legs here. 4 stars

Quadromania: Did I say gaining momentum? This is definitely the "Spocks Brain" of this Season. It's almost fitting that nearly 4 minutes of footage is missing because it simply adds to the absurdity. Steel hands? Poor make-up? Hammy acting? Silly plot? It's all here for you, and more! 1 star

Deckwatch: Talk about your 180's! Big thumbs up to Paul Glaser for an excellent episode. Suspenseful, 3 dimensional dialogue, solid casting make this an excellent closer. The suspense created by something as simple as the tick of a clock was not lost on me and the ultimate climax and the way it was shot was stunning, making this the second 5 star episode of a wildly unbalanced season. 5 stars

Packaging/extras/price/picture/sound:

What happened to the beautiful artwork as seen in Season Two's set? The pictures were "groovy" and the disc artwork was fitting. With Season Three it looks like they just gave up and said "The hell with it... make it striped" Don't get me wrong I'm grateful to have this set but it's just so basic and RED with little detail. 3/5

Extras...? What are those? None to speak of. Actually, none to write about either. 0/5

Ahhh yes, the price point. I marvel at how there seem to be so many different price schemes for similar lengths. I paid about $37 for this... and it's over TWENTY hours of material. Star Trek, S1, S2, S3 (Original) is over a hundred bills for the same length. And Quantum Leap Season One is $30... For SEVEN hours. Now, I may not be a Vulcan math wiz but there do seem to be huge Leaps in price points. I for one, think this series is the perfect happy medium. 5/5

I'd say the picture is actually superb considering the age of the print, no complaints by me. People seem to forget 1977 is no longer merely ten years ago. 4/5

The sound is interesting. I had assumed the soundtrack would be the Gotcha Theme from S2, I was quite surprised to hear Mark Snows Theme. I liked Season Two's opening theme better but actually I love the closing Theme here in Season Three. Lastly, why didn't they spend some time and re-master these in 5.1? What is this... 1977, all over again? Don't we wish. 3/5

Now, where is Starsky and Hutch Season 4? The Rockford Files DVD sets? Can I get an Amen, Brother?"

Bring on Season 4 !!!!!!

Amazon.com Customer | 04/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Love the packaging on all Seasons (1-3) and want Sony to continue with the final season as they have done with the previous seasons. I also would like to make sure that they do not get syndicated versions of the episodes, most notably Quadromania, which is a subpar transfer compared to the rest of the package. Also, it would be nice if the episode is a 2 hour special to let it run the entire 2 hours without breaking it into parts. I love the 2 part concept when it was originally aired in that way (ex: Las Vegas Strangler, The Set Up, and The Plague) Murder at Sea and Voodoo Island (aka Playboy Island) were 2 hour episodes. Season 4 has the famous 3 part episode Targets Without A Badge. I hope they transfer it with the proper To Be Continued at the end of each part. Also, showing the previously on Starsky and Hutch sequence before starting the next part would be highly welcome. It adds to the authenticity of the real broadcast. Let's make sure that Season 4 is done properly without any syndicated transfers, keeping the original episode in full form."

Love the series but....

P. Hall | Buffalo, NY | 03/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am an avid 'original' Starsky & Hutch fan...I had the series books, Paul Michael Glaser lived on my wall next to Bruce Lee until I came home from college in '82, and let's not even discuss the Tiger Beat magazine collection I kept. I love the fact that the series is available on DVD but where is the quality with Season 3? Fans have waited 8 months for a better job and it's just not there this time. I am watching the series backwards, and the quality of "Quadromaina" is awful. It's grainy in spots and the part where Starsky's head connects with the glass of the cab was totally cut from the scene. And there are no promo spots listed this time around. Please, theres only one more season left, at least make it a good one!"

Finally!...the third season is here.

Kit Sullivan | Kissimmee, Florida | 03/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For the true 'Starsky & Hutch' fans out there, this collection is great...a continuation of the first two season's worth of episodes.

'Starsky & Hutch' evolved and changed considerably each season due to many external as well as internal pressures at the time.

Most notably, the third season marks the 'return' of Paul Michael Glaser to the role of 'Starsky'. During the hiatus after season two, Glaser decided he wanted out and wanted to move on to bigger and better things...so he quit. He was subsequently sued to fulfill the details of his original 5-year contract, and after a tension filled summer, the fans got what they wanted: Paul Michael Glaser was indeed in place as 'Starsky' when filming resumed.

However,it was close. Episodes were written without Glaser in them, only to be hastily re-written to include him when he returned late in the game. The first 3rd season episode filmed (Fatal Charm) originally had 'Linda Baylor' (Roz Kelly) as Hutch's new partner, a role she was to play for a few episodes until Starsky's brother 'Nick'(from season two) could be 'rehabilitated' and brought on board as Hutch's new 'Starsky'.

When Glaser returned, thankfully, all that confusing stuff was scrapped, and poor old 'Linda Baylor' ended up in only one episode.

In addition, pressure from critics and the network to curb the unnecessary violence and mindless action, as well as pressure from the two stars themselves for more 'relevant' and personal stories, plus the request by them to direct some episodes themselves all resulted in a major shift in tone and content of the show.

There are mostly good-to-excellent episodes this season, and there are some real clunkers...its about a 75/25% mix overall.

The first episode on this set is the 2-parter 'Murder on Voodoo Island'(also known as 'Murder on Playboy island')and is a typical example of the network's meddling with the show's formula: "Get the guys over to 'Playboy' Island! Pretty girls, nice locale, lots of outdoor shots...it'll be great!" Unfortunately, an interesting or well-written story was not one of thier requests. A clunker, to be sure.

'Murder Ward' was just a poor rip-off of 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest', with Suzanne Somers' third appearance on the series.

'The Collector', about an aging former child-star who hires a charming but ruthless hit-man/collector could have been great, but was filled with far too much talky dialouge,and too many wierd and quirky characters.

'Tha Action' puts the guys undercover on a semi-truck converted into a rolling illeagal gambling ring. Yawn. This exact same episode was done many times by many other hour-long cop shows, most notably 'T.J. Hooker' a few years later.

'The Trap' is a mostly 'bottle-show', filmed almost entirely on one set. Bottle shows are filmed to save the production company money, and this was was too obvious. They clearly couldn't even afford to film the guys driving around the streets with the normally-used trailer-rig, so this episode features the only time in the entire series that rear projection was used for the driving scenes. The effect is so cheesy, it ruins an already poor episode.

'Partners', the inevitable 'clip-show' that all series' must eventually produce came along this season also. A real money and time saver for the production company, these things usually are a low point in any series' run. Surprisingly, this one was quite entertaining, and it was directed by the series' stunt director and Glaser's stuntman, Charles Picerni.

'The Heroes' is a good, entertaining episode featuring David Soul's ex-wife Karen Carlson as 'C.D Phelps', the news reporter doing a story on the guys.

'The Plauge', a mid-season two-parter is a suspensfull, well paced outing with Alex Rocco as a super-deadly (in more ways than one!) hit man.

'Hutchinson:Murder One' brings Hutch's ex-wife ( Veronica Hamel) back to Bay City, and throws Hutch right in the middle of a murder investigation: His ex-wifes!

All in all, of the 23 episodes on this 5-disc set, there are mostly enjoyable episodes, peppered by a few stinkers. Not bad for the third season of any series, to be sure.

True 'Starsky & Hutch' fans have always been divided over the music used throughout the run of the series.

Season one's theme by the late, great Lalo Schifrin of 'Mission:Impossible/Mannix/Dirty Harry' fame is a heavy, driving, action-packed theme, perfectly setting the tone for the first season's hard-edged and action packed stories.

'Gotcha!', Tom Scott's theme for season two is easily the best-remembered and most popular of all the themes used, and the one most fans are familiar with. Season two had the guys really hitting thier stride, with a perfect blend of action, humor and drama. Tom Scott's theme suited this season magnificently.

Season three's theme, used on the episodes in this set, is from Mark Snow, later to become famous for his 'X-Files' theme.

Snow's theme is a funky, synthesizer driven piece that was so different in style from the other themes used that the viewer knew the episodes were sure to be different in style also. And they were.

Season four's theme was a re-recorded version on season two's 'Gotcha!', but with a definite disco-ey influence, which was reaching its peak at the time. There were several disco-influenced episodes during season four,and all were sub-par. Nothing quite so disturbing as pandering to the lowest common denominator.

However,'Starsky & Hutch-Season Three' is is a great collection of episodes, so enjoy them!"

New Generations see one of the greatest buddy cop tv series

Jenn | Canada | 09/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Starsky & Hutch the Epitome of a buddy-cop tv show - one of the greatest shows ever to hit the airwaves, is now on it's third season. Paul Michael Glaser, David Soul, Antonio Fargas and Bernie Hamilton were such a great team that to have the series brought back after 30 years - it makes it for a whole new generation of people to enjoy.I'm really glad that Columbia/Tri-Star decided to release this series as it is a great collection. The two stars directed some episodes and the exotic locations, thrilling car chases and gunfights of cop vs robbers, etc. is awesome."

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