Banacek - The First Season (1972)

A self-made millionaire and living in Boston's posh Beacon Hill area Thomas Banacek (played by George Peppard) has a taste for only the finest things. Being of Polish decent he also loves to recite enigmatic Polish proverbs. Banacek is aided in his efforts by his limo chauffer and gofer Jay (played by Ralph Manza). Jay usually has his own ideas on how the items were taken and also has dreams of recovering the items himself first and get the reward. Banacek also relies heavily on his close friend and bibliophile/bookstore owner Felix Mulholland (played by Murray Matheson) to help in background research. Insurance companies are loath to call on his services for the recovery of lost or stolen insured items because of these fees. Nevertheless they call on him when they get stuck as no one else can solve these impossible cases.Runtime: 576 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 829567042823 Manufacturer No: 670428 Product Description

Better than nothing, but barely

A lot has been said about this low quality presentation of one of the better Mystery movie series, but a few things have been missed.

First, these are not made from the original masters. They are not even made from the prints used in the later run on late night television or the prints used when A&E ran the series in the mid 90s. These seem to be made from the edited prints the Hallmark network used a few years back.

This is a slap in the face to all fans of the series as Hallmark edited in more commercials (the fade to black then back to the same scene some reviewers have noticed) and removed content to make way for those additional adds. The commercial cuts are a small irritation, but whole scenes are edited or missing from this edition. For example, one of Penny Marshal's earliest TV appearances was on Banacek. She had a wonderful scene that help establish her as a star, and here it is cut to a few lines. There is no excuse for that.

Maybe someday Universal will see the error of its ways a produce a real set of this fine series. Until then fans will have to contend with this, abridged, paperback edition of a classic show. May 23, 2008

Banacek, First Season

Excellent....For those who wish to watch a program that reminds us of yesterday, this is it....It also brought back some mighty nice memories....George Peppard is right on in the title role....He describes himself as a womanizer, that would be putting it lightly....The filming on location lets us see how our cities have changed over the past 35 years....I wish it had the pilot on this set....I had to buy the second season to get the pilot....It was well worth the price....red.... April 23, 2008

As my old Polish grandmother used to tell me....

"Just because the Horse runs with the Bull doesn't make the Series shoot on Location."

Great reviews all, but the numerous citations of the show having been shot "on location in Boston" just ain't necessarily so. A few days worth of shooting was done for the opening credits and some establishing shots (notably the stuff of Peppard rowing on the river) in Boston, but the rest of the show was done either on the Universal back lot and soundstages or various local Southern California spots, such as the Norton Simon art museum, Cal Arts university, etc. etc. True--getting L.A. to look like Boston is no easy feat, but that's why they call it movie magic.

Meanwhile, the show is a delight of course, and for fans of the classic "locked room" mystery format, a treasure trove of such "impossible" crimes, all unraveled by the cerebral, cool, clever Banacek.

By the way, a trivia note: The show was picked up for a third season, but Peppard decided to quit because a divorce settlement with his ex-wife actress Elizabeth Ashley would have made most of his income from the show go into her pockets, not his, because he'd begun the series during the marriage. So ratings are not, in fact, the only factor in such decisions.

I agree with others that the one series still "MIA" from that really golden age of Universal-for-NBC TV series re. DVD release is "The Name Of The Game", but surely it'll come out sooner or later. It's also interesting that the "Banacek" pilot is not on either of these disks. Probably some arcane rights issue.

IF you've never seen "Banacek" you're in for a real treat, and the shows really hold up after all these years....but then, those of us who enjoyed them way back when have done alright, too (Smile.) April 10, 2008

Banacek Season I & II

When they took Banacek off the air after the second season II was really upset back in the mid-seventies. Out of the four detective series Banacek was the best and Columbo ranked second in my opition with McCloud and McMillian and wife a real distant third and forth. If you never seen the series you are missing one of the best detective series that ever hit the air. April 6, 2008

Banacek- The First Season

I like the murder mysteries from this era. Columbo, McMillan & Wife, etc. Just entertainment. I don't have to worry what the grandkids will see or hear. No gore, bad language or too much skin showing. This is a great set. March 23, 2008

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