The Untouchables - Season 1, Vol. 1 (1959)

The Best

When this program was running on Australian TV of course there were no such things as DVD recorders or Video recorders. So if there were two great shows on at the same time slot you missed one. This was the case with Cheyenne and Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip and Bonanza and worst of all Perry Mason and The Untouchables. These were two giant programs and it was a killer to miss one of them. As my parents and I considered The Untouchables was the best show on TV, Perry missed out, but fortunely I have seen many episodes of Perry Mason replayed on TV since.

The Untouchables was the best show on TV then and I believe it was close to if not the best TV show ever. It was a body blow when the last episode was made. The rumour was that it was because Italians were offended that nearly all of the gangsters in the show were Italians. I don't know whether this was the real reason the show was stopped.

So far I have only watched the double episode pilot which was released originally on Desilu Playhouse. Whilst some of the characters that were in most of the subsequent episodes did appear in this pilot a number were missing inluding two of my favourites, Nicholas Gorgiani (appologies for the spelling - I know it is not correct) and Paul Picerni (who was in the pilot but played the part of a gangster).

Robert Stack is absolutely outstanding as Eliot Ness. What a cool character. What a great voice.

I am looking forward to watching all of the episodes and I am sure that each one will be a treasure. After I have seen all the episodes, no doubt i will purchase more episodes. It is a shame that all of series one is not included in this collection. I read a number of reviews before purchasing and the author of one of those reviews believes the publisher is being greedy.

The only real negative is the sound quality which is vastly inferior to the picture quality. It is a pity but you can live with it.

I think it is just wonderful that we are able to enjoy classic shows from the past. There are a number of others that are not available, such as Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Laramie, M Squad and from a more modern era Sledge Hammer that would be great to see again. Hopefully one day these series will also be available. April 30, 2008

better than the 60s

The picture quality is better than it ever was on black and white tv. However, the dvds wouldn't play on my blueray player. Also the monaural sound track is not easily played on my surround sound. Overall, I think this series is well worth the bucks. Watch close and see how many times Elliot Ness smiles. [almost never] March 22, 2008

Great DVD series but overshadowed with greed

Great series and a classic you must own. I agree with others, its greed driving dividing up the season into two. February 20, 2008

Great TV!!!

Robert Stack as Eliot Ness......In the intro you see Desi Arnaz introducing the series-wow! How cool is that...1959. Old School,but the best of the old school! Wish they didn't separate the seasons into P1 and P2!!! Get Them All.... January 16, 2008

Why not an "any region" DVD release

5 stars because it was the most scintillating show of its time, and still stands watching today -- for its outstanding star, narration and great guest stars. If only I could see it. Sadly because it is released as Region 1, the DVD isn't playable here in England. How about releasing these classic shows as "any region" DVDs so that the whole world can enjoy them once again, not just the americas. September 14, 2007

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