Gerald Mcraney

Simon & Simon: Season Two
$49.99
I was very pleased when I read on the web that Universal had sub-licenced the 80's detective series Simon & Simon to Shout! Factory. I was doubly pleased when I bought the boxset via Amazon.com and found the boxset was intact and not damaged and all six discs played perfectly fine (I'd bought the second season from another Region 1 website beforehand but kept having problems with the boxset and some of the discs - broken pieces of plastic in some of the three slipcases, creases and dents to the outer box and audio problems on some of the discs).

The presentation of the Simon & Simon's second season by Shout! Factory is well done. Each disc has a different clip for it's menu screen, the Season 1 theme tune is used as well as the new theme tune for Season 2 on the menu screens, and the print quality of the episodes is very nice. If the 23 episodes in this boxset haven't been digitally remastered by Shout! Factory, then the print quality hasn't diminished much since the episodes' original airing back in the 1982-83 US TV season on CBS.

It was likely common for most 1980's TV series but I was pleased that there was a 30 second teaser before each episode. You eithee love or hate them. Some people say they spoil the following episode and some say they don't. I personally like pre-episode teasers (main example being the Jack Lord episode promos in the Hawaii Five-O DVD boxsets).

Tornado Warning
$14.98
"Tornado Warning" is a made for PAX movie intended to capture the attention of the adventurer in all of us. The premise is that Dr. Jake Arledge (Gerald McRaney, late of "Jericho" and "Deadwood") is a meteorologist who's created a tornado predicting system. On his first big trial, a computer coding error made him inaccurate, so his believability is nil.

Enter Mark Scott (Steve Braun) a computer programming and meteorology major at the University of Oklahoma, a former neighbor of Arledge's, who was influenced to go into meteorology by the good doc himself. He figures out the glitch and reprograms the computer. (Note: he also has a major crush on the doc's daughter, Dee)

As a result of the programming, they discover a town about to celebrate their centennial is right in the path of the storm. Unfortunately, the mayor (played by Joan Van Ark) and the Sheriff (Brown) do not want to believe this.

Oh, did I mention "Stormchasers?" Kirt Reid (David Millbern) is running a tour of people paying to see a tornado up close and personal right to this town.

In addition, Dee Mazur (Thea Gill) is a reporter who is also Arledge's estranged daughter. She's tried to avoid her Dad ever since her Mom was killed in a tornado by her father's hesitation. She's been ordered by her boss to get the story about Arledge once and for all and she's going to do it.

McRaney does his best with the role and I cannot say I have ever seen him in a role that he doesn't shine in. Gill as his daughter is also fairly convincing. The interplay between her and Braun was also interesting.

My issue is, having seen tornadoes firsthand from growing up in Tornado Alley, the CGI footage was just that. Clearly, the researchers didn't look at a lot of the film from the 1999 F5 tornado that took out much of Midwest City, Oklahoma or they would have seen how neatly the storm swept the landscape rather than their piled up effects.

I guess the final coda for this film for us was when the news reporter was wrapping up his coverage of the destruction of Two Rivers and said, "Only one building was left standing." Behind him, was a small townscape of buildings still there.

If you're a diehard McRaney film, this movie is one you will want to see. He does a great job. If you want to see tornado footage that's more real, watch "Twister" or see one of the excellent Weather Channel documentaries about tornadoes.

Rebecca Kyle, September 2008

TV Guide 1991 Back Issue Delta Burke Gerald McRaney Cover June 22-28 (39)
$9.95

Hell in the Family 4 Movie Pack
$9.98
Brentwood's HELL IN THE FAMILY 4 Movie Pack is comprised of a trio of lesser-known early 1970s works (and one from '69) that are sure to please all fright film fans.

CONTENTS:

IT HAPPENED AT NIGHTMARE INN-- A British woman searching for her sister stops at a Spanish roadside inn run by two crazy old women. Atmospherically reminiscent of Hitchcock's "Psycho."

LEGACY OF BLOOD-- In order to receive their shares of a $136,000,000 inheritance, four children of a deceased eccentric must stay a week in their father's creepy mansion. Jealous arguments ensue and eventually, murder.

MURDER MANSION-- Heavily edited Euro-horror film has little violence left in it. A fogbound night brings several couples (and others) together at an isolated house next to an ancient cemetery, where surviving the night alive and in one piece isn't all that easy.

NIGHT OF BLOODY HORROR-- The girlfriends of a former mental patient are dying and he's the prime suspect. Filmed in a gimmicky process called Violent Vision ���.


THE MASTER OF HORROR 4 Movie Pack features works by the one and only Roger Corman.


BRENTWOOD's 4-fers are nicely priced movie bundles. Video and sound quality of these digitally unrestored public domain films is generally fine. Discs are dual-side recorded.

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Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

(4.7) It Happened At Nightmare Inn (Spain-1970) - Judy Geeson/Aurora Bautista/Esperanza Roy

(1.8) Legacy Of Blood ("Blood Legacy") (1971) - John Carradine/Faith Domergue/Norman Bartold/Jeff Morrow/Merry Anders/Richard Davalos/Ivy Bethune/Buck Kartalian

(4.9) Murder Mansion (Spain/Italy-1972) - Andres Resino/Evelyn Stewart/Alberto Dalbes/Analie Gade/Analise Nardi/Eduardo Fajardo

(3.6) Night Of Bloody Horror (1969) - Gerald McRaney/Gaye Yellen/Herbert Nelson/Evelyn Hendricks