Banacek - The First Season Reviews

• What will be missing?

  
  By AV0TBILEYEZZF on 2007-04-03
  This is indeed one of the great TV shows from the Mystery Movie Series. Universal Television will not be producing these DVDs. I just checked the production companys (Hart Sharp Video) website and found that only 8 episodes will be offered in the first season. It appears that the Pilot will not be included with the set. The Hart Sharp website indicated that 8 programs of 72 minutes in length would be offered in this set of DVDs. Nothing was mentioned of the image quality of the transfer. Hope this is helpful.
  
  

• NBC Universal should be ashamed of themselves

  
  By AJ51UD0ZO1O2B on 2007-03-28
  Universal was the leading supplier of tv in the late '60s well into the '70s. Their catalog is vast with classics: Kojak, Ironside, Marcus Welby MD, The Name of the Game (the most expensive series at the time, 1968), Columbo, McMillan & Wife, McCloud, and of course Banacek. I'm a huge fan of this show. Apparently, Universal did not deem this one "important enough" to give it the same treatment some of the others have gotten, so they licensed the DVD rights to Hart Sharp Video (?). Well, what they've done here is taken the old masters and simply transferred them to DVD. No remaster, no sound re-mix to 5.1, nothing. Even the DVD menu looks like something a kid could do on his computer. The transfer displays a somewhat pink image (more apparent in exteriors), seemingly faded from age. At some points even the sound is distorted (reference "Let's Hear it for the Living Legend"). And during the episode "Project Phoenix" (about 18 minutes into chapter 3), as a guy is running down a hill to catch up with Banacek's limo, the picture does a quick fade to black (and in the midst of a music cue, which also fades), then fades back into the next shot! What the %@#$&! Additionally, the DVD extras are limited to a cheesy photo gallery and "TV Guide" crosswords! And, where's the original pilot ("Detour to Nowhere")?? This set should have been treated by Universal as the classic it is, with a box set of all episodes, remastered picture & sound, with extras and liner notes. Fox gets this, and treats their classic shows with the respect they deserve. Just look at what they're doing with the release of "Land of the Giants". It too, was on for only 2 seasons, but Fox is boxing it as one set with a staggering amount of extras. Then there's also the great sets of "Lost in Space" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea". And by the way Universal, no I don't work at Fox, but I am a classic tv on DVD fan!
  
  

• Banacek -Back from the Golden Age of Television Detectives

  
  By A3160YSU1KRL8E on 2007-05-20
  Well, finally we have Banacek available on DVD. The only other missing link is perhaps "The Name of the Game" of 1960's through 1980's Television sleuths that represent the Golden Age of Television Detectives. Banacek is different. A private investigator of recovery in insurance scam attempts and thefts. The classic of course is our famous weekly series that featured Columbo, MacMillan & Wife, McCloud and the ever changing 4th slot in the monthly rotation. This series was different and interestingly plotted. The location scenery, the '41 Packard, and especially that Used Antiquarian Bookshop of his friend,Mulholland bring some fresh air to the standard formula of murder in other series. Here we deal with aristocrats but unlike Columbo, there is no need for Homicide. Our rich are involved in insurance fraud for Gold coins, Ancient books, Paintings and therefore we can believe the characters here as a little closer to reality. Banacek can be counted on to succeed where other minds fail, get the girl, and live extravagantly at the same time. All within 90 minutes a case! Now, as to the DVD, well, I know it is not top notch but I am just glad to have a copy of these episodes. Perhaps the company felt it was not as important as some other longer running shows. I no doubt will buy the second half when it is released, but it should include the pilot and some sort of commentary would be appreciated.
  
  

• Missing scenes - come on guys!!!

  
  By A2FVD0MOWZKMX3 on 2007-05-26
  First, let me say that I will probably buy the second season when it comes out because the DVD is still better than the tapes I have of the old A&E showings. But, if you are going to charge money for a TV favorite why cut scenes? I watched Banacek when it orignally aired in the 70's so I knew that A&E cut some great scenes to put in additional ads. I was looking forward to the DVD to see the cut scenes once again. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that while the DVD did restore some of the missing scenes they cut scenes that had appeared in the both the original and the A&E versions! Two examples that long-time Banacek fans should notice:
  
  (1). In Project Phoenix the DVD cut part of the scene where Banacek is in his limo talking to the hobo Paddle. In the original aired version (and even in the A&E version) Paddle says: "Used to be in one of the largest banks in Florida - trust officer. By 10:00 in the morning I'd be sweating, literally. Like I'd been running a couple of miles. That's no way to live, not if you ever hope to see 60." However in the DVD version this entire conversation is cut to "Used to be in one of the largest banks in Florida."
  
  (2). In The Greatest Collection of Them All almost the entire scene beween Banacek and the receptionsit played by Penny Marshall is cut from the DVD version so one is left wondering how Banacek found out that the security guard was at the bar.
  
  Banacek aficionados beware, these are not the compete Banaceks as originally aired!!
  
  
  

• Banacek The First Season

  
  By A1TUQ4ODPFL7P0 on 2007-05-17
  Finally, the TV I was waiting for years to come to DVD and what did we get, well, a sub-par transfer from the master reels to DVD. I enjoyed the show very much when A&E aired it in the mid 1990's. The picture quality is not what I come to expect from a DVD. The sound is not 5.1 and the cover art/photo are very grainy. Hart Sharp Studios did a very poor job on this one. For Banacek fans, it is a must, but be warned this DVD is not the same quality that other shows released to DVD received. I would have given 5 stars, but picture and sound quality is just not good. I hope that when second season is released that Hart Sharp Studios improves the quality.
  
  
• will buy it once
  By ACY27M578XP2R on 2007-04-02
  i remember this show many years ago and i thought it was real cool. those who never saw it (or forgot it) the basic's are these. many years ago,
  banacek's father (a polish refugee?, who we never see) comes to america and spends most of his life working for a big insurance company slaving
  over a hot calcuating machine working out the proiblities of paying out
  on claims, and when he retires, all he gets is the prototypical gold
  watch and small pension. banacek never thought it was fair, but desided
  to get his revenge the legal way. 1.)wait for some item of great value to go missing, 2.) then wait untill the clueless insurance investgator's give up, and post a reward of 10%+ of the insurance payout 3.)then find the missing item(s) and collect the reward. banacek
  does well enough by the time the series starts (the mid 70"s) to already have
  1.)a townhouse in the very fashionable beacon hill district of boston 2.)
  a cadillac fleetwood limo, complete with driver (who he hires in the pilot
  episode) 3.) have his townhouse furnished in very valueable anqiues.
  in addition to always tweaking the noses of the insurancer company investigators by making each case look simple to solve, he goes around
  quoting polish proverbs, ala charlie chan. the episodes were witty
  (something very much lacking today), and would leave you guessing
  both who did it, how it was done. as i said, it was a cool show
  
  
  
• An old Polish proverb once said...
  By A2TPBNRUYKVH4S on 2007-05-22
  The first season is AOK and I was glad to finally get my hands on "Banacek" in DVD form, but I wondered about the missing pilot. Luckily, the President of Hart Sharp Video was kind enough to respond almost immediately to my e-mail. Good news! The rights have been acquired for the pilot "Detour to Nowhere" (the armored car heist) and will be included with the 2nd season in the fall.
  
  Rather than complain about the delay, let's just be happy that they were on top of it and eventually got it done! Apparently, the negotions for the rights were both lengthy and tiresome...but we are the winners for their efforts. If you ask me, these guys deserve Banacek's standard 10% finders fee. Get your orders in through Amazon once they list it...right after me that is! Amazon doesn't show it "coming soon" just yet, but they will. Keep an eye on it, and it will show.
  
  Further, let all male chauvinists delight in the splendor of Banacek's 21st century DVD release! Ah yes...the history of it all...only in 20th century America could you find a Polish male chauvinist TV personality going strong at the same time that Gloria Steinem (of real Polish ancestry) manipulated the free (news) media, holding herself out as the vanguard of the feminist movement. Yes, those were the good old days...
  
  
• Finaly Another Great Detective show on DVD
  By A2F7CCPK4QL359 on 2007-10-25
  Before the A-Team and Hannibal Smith's Loving when a plan comes together, there was the role of Banacek for George Peppard
  
  A small bit of history, in 1972, NBC had a hit with the Sunday Mystery Movie Wheel (Columbo, McCloud and McMillian & Wife). So someone asked Universal to come up with three other ninety minute shows (Banacek, Cool Millions with James Farentino and Madigan with Richard Widmark) for a Wednesday movie wheel to compete with the ABC movie of the week (as well ninety minute made for TV movies). Banacek was the most popular of the three shows.
  
  In the early 1970's, TV shows on DVD (or even VHS ) was not even a thoughtin anyone's mind. The Home theater market was not even an idea in anyone's mind. To have this show transfered to DVD is a godsend. The show's copies are clear and clean. It looks like it is from a fresh show, rather than old master. Do know these shows are in full screen
  
  Now to the show.....Thomas Banacek (George Peppard) is a witty Polish Insurance investigator who lives in Boston. He solves the most intricate and unusual mysteries,while speaking his Polish proverbs and smart alec asides. His assistants in solving cases are chauffeur Jay ( Ralph Manza) and Bookstore owner Felix Mullholland (Murray Matheson).
  
  Peppard is in great acting form. This show could have ran forever. However Peppard called this show to an end after two seasons, which also canceled the NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie wheel
  
  Note this is the first season of eight season. The second season and the show's pilot will be released in jan. 2008
  
  Now is this worth it for you? YES, this action adventure is a thinking man's show. There are no heavy car chases. It shows complex mysteries like Columbo would have, without the "DUH SIR, MY WIFE..." This show does not seem to date itself
  
  This is one of the "TV Guide presents" DVD imprint. The company has this DVD, The Crow series and soon Charles in Charge season 2 & 3 & Banacek season two. Lets hope in the future, this company could or would releases such one to two season shows like The Magician with Bill Bixby, The Courtship of Eddie's Father (also with Bixby), Cool Million (which was part of the Mystery Wheel), Hec Ramsey with Richard Boone (which was part of the Sunday Mystery Wheel) and (dare I wish) Spenser for Hire with Robert Urich and Avery Brooks
  
  So help this company out, buy this DVD for enjoyment. Help this company survive and bring great old shows to DVD!!!!!
  
  Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD
  
  
• Puts your mind to work in solving the mysteries.
  By A3G9GKPM4IOZPG on 2007-05-29
  These shows are excellent brain teasers. At the end of each episode, Banacek takes you back to certain clues that he saids helped him in solving the mystery of the missing items. I found this show very interesting and you shouldn't walk away from the tv without put it on pause or you will miss an important clue in solving the mystery. If you are a Columbo or Poirot fan. This set is in your taste. The dvd color quality is excellent. I anticipate the next season.
  
  
• Great mystery series; Peppard is superb in the title role
  By A5UGX57EV695M on 2007-08-16
  What an enjoyable detective series this is! If you loved Columbo ( I have the whole series on DVD), fans of the original "NBC Mystery Night Movie" will truly enjoy this first season of Banacek which was part of the alternate line-up featuring Columbo, McMillian & Wife, and McCloud.
  
  A complete opposite to Peter Falk's self-effacing Columbo and resident of Boston's Beacon Hill, American/Polish insurance investigator Banacek is smug, erudite, wealthy, and terribly competent always managing to get his 10% on every recovery while making other insurance investigators and detectives green with envy. Supporting cast is excellent with veteran and accomplished actor Murray Matheson as a rare book dealer and friend of Banacek who assists him in solving a number of capers. Other notable guest stars such as Bert Convy, William Windom, and Kevin McCarthy also appear in the series.
  
  Shot on location in Boston and other interesting locales, Banacek is an engaging whodunit with the protagonist explaining how the crime or, in most cases, the "heist" or "fraud" was completed. Unlike "Columbo" we don't really know who the criminal or the thief is until the last act of the 90 minute episode. (In one episode, Banacek explains how an entire railroad car with a top secret sports coupe prototype inside literally disappears while in transit and under armed guards!)
  
  Tranfers to DVD are decent but not remarkable; Universal's "Columbo" sets look much better, but we are fortunate to have this much talked about but rarely seen series featuring George Peppard in one of his finest television roles. A fine actor who was superb in starring roles in such films as "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "The Blue Max," but never really quite made it to Hollywood's A-list, Peppard was ideally cast in the role of Thomas Banacek. I am looking forward to the other eight episodes in Season 2!
  
  
• Banacek: Polish prince of the impossible crime
  By A2OPCNZ0UMTRZL on 2007-06-19
  This has been a great year for mystery on TVDVD: Two, count 'em, two seasons of Rockford (the Elvis of TV P.I.s); the late '80s revival of Columbo (the quintessential TV detective and spiritual father of Matlock, Monk, and Goren); Ironside (Burr was a presence that consumed the screen); and two of David E. Kelley's best -- The Practice and the quirky smalltown "cop" show Picket Fences (you can have your inane Ally McBeal and the ham-handed Boston Legal). But when I discovered Banacek was about to hit the shelves, I nearly threw an embolism of retro ecstacy. Before I became acquainted with James Scott Rockford, George Peppard was my gold standard for cool (I went through eighth grade in a turtleneck, no doubt sparking rumors of parental abuse and/or bohemian depression. While not as flashily eccentric as Mystery Movie cohorts Columbo or McCloud, Banacek staked out his own unique detectival territory: The "howdunit," or impossible crime -- in this case, theft on the grandest scale imaginable. Just as Columbo managed to mesmerize with two hours of dialogue-dominated plot, Banacek kept us guessing with a minimum of homicide (except for the occasional collateral murder). The solutions to these mini-movie mysteries were worthy of Ellery Queen or John Dickson Carr, and the path to them was usually littered with savory red herrings.
  
  
  
  TV mystery scholars have noted that beyond Banacek's ethnic heritage and colorfully cryptic Polish proverbs, he lacked the larger-than-life persona of a Columbo or Ironside. But what grabbed me on rewatching the DVD that sailed right over my adolescent head was the well-concealed complexity of the character. Behind Banacek's urbane musings and womanizing, we see occasional flashes of his blue-collar upbringing (watch for the gold watch scene in Let's Hear it for a Living Legend -- a glimpse into the motivation behind Banacek's glee in besting insurance companies); a hard-edged sense of decency (he gives a voluntarily homeless mom unsolicited money for her child's milk along with an ascerbic comment on her rejection of material things); and a courtesy and respect for working men and women of all stripes. Only thing to regret here is the missing pilot, Detour to Nowhere, and the cool Quincy Jones Wednesday Mystery Movie theme
  
  
  
  Now give me the first season of Harry O and at least a sampling of The Name of the Game, and I'll cheerfully lock myself in for the next two years.
  
  
• banacek
  By A1Q8MDHJY1OL2J on 2007-05-28
  What a great serie but what a pitty for this edition!!!!!!!!!
  Where are the subtitles and where is the pilot episod?!?!?!?
  Please go on for a re-edition complete for this great show!!!
  
  
• Peppard dazzles ....
  By A3EFBFA3KJD4G9 on 2007-06-13
  Banacek - The First Season. George - how we love ya! If you remember the 70s, if you want to relish George Peppard at his egotistical best, then take this set home, unwrap the package, ignore the sense of cigar smell, and reap the sensory perception of fine cognac. Indulge this weekly series and enjoy a lost-and-I-will-find (and keep the 10% insurance check) of Banacek. Only George Peppard can carry the dry wit and subtlety of this imaginary character and make us want to join the hunt. Cry Clooney, cry!
  
  
• Must have if your a true Banacek fan
  By A1MQKHJYICVEJP on 2007-08-05
  I was so excited when I saw that Banacek was out on DVD, but then I read some of the negitive reviews about the quality of the dvd's. So I decided not to buy them, then a week later I thought who cares about the quality, at least I will have them, and they look fine. They are a copy of a 1970's show, the quality that you probabally saw on tv back in 1970. Now that everybody has seen HD and DVD, some expect too much. Please, Please put out the season 2 of Banacek. Season 2 had some better story lines
  
  
• Banacek Is Great TV...
  By A2RAV8KNJ5PF12 on 2007-05-27
  Banacek Is A Wonderful Show With A Great Cast!!! I Had Not Seen Many Episodes When Fisrt Aired Or In Reruns, But Now Thanks To Hart Sharp/TV Guide I Can Enjoy This Show Whenever I Please!!! George Is Fantastic In This Role And The Writing Is Sharp & Interesting!!!
  
  
• DVD quality poor
  By A2J1YNKJT61X2K on 2007-06-07
  5 stars for banacek, deduct 4 for the dvd quality.
  
  the dvd opens with the usual anti-copying sob story, then when you get
  to episode #3 (disk 1), it is full of dvd rot. Another couple of viewings and
  banacek will make a nice coaster.
  
  
• Banacek
  By A2IMLIGQOIP1JS on 2007-06-10
  I can certainly tell how old the show is by the amount of "smoking and drinking", but love the show anyway. I'm waiting patiently for the season 2 to be available.
  
  
• nice to have but poor quality
  By A3PBAED2YSHEJ on 2007-08-03
  It's great to be able to have these episodes, but they are pretty poor in quality. Shame shame on TV Guide for putting their good name on this.
  
  I'd love to see the Ellery Queen series with Jim Hutton released!
  
  
• Hurray! Banacek is now available on DVD
  By A1JWSDDIH5Z7DV on 2007-08-05
  Over the years there have been a number of entertaining series on TV. But, as one looks back, it is clear that only a few TV series -- including Remington Steele and Columbo -- stood out sharply from the crowd as both unique in concept and very well done. Banacek definitely was such a unique and outstanding series. Thomas Banacek (superbly played by George Peppard) was a free-lance insurance investigator with a charismatic personality and a knack for solving seemingly insoluble large-scale cases of theft and fraud -- for a hefty 10% fee. Every episode was both fascinating and enjoyable and the series never became predictable or boring, When this DVD of the first season of Banacek finally became available on DVD I bought it immediately and have played it twice already -- thoroughly enjoying it both times. Although this DVD regretably does not include the outstanding pilot episode the eight episodes which it does include are well worth buying. I hope they release the second season -- hopefully including the pilot -- soon. This series was one of the best.
  
  
• Better than nothing, but barely
  By A1332UYSH5FZBI on 2008-05-23
  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.
  
  
• Green Jauar Press -- Banacek
  By A3QIG35Y7Q62IM on 2007-06-08
  The quality of these DVD is excellent. Viewing these adventures without commercial interruption works well. Missing from this paciket is the first (pilot?) aadventure in which Banacek meets and hires his chauffeur. I miss that. Fortunately I have it on tape. It's not the same.
  
  
• BANACEK SEASON ONE
  By A7ZVHE2IRXZK0 on 2007-06-09
  BANACEK IS A FASCINATING CHARACTER. INTELIGENT AND QUICK WITTED (AND PROUD OF BEING POLISH), HE IS NOT UNLIKE OTHER DETECTIVES OF THE 70'S GENRE. GIVEN AN IMPOSSIBLE, AND SOMETIMES IMPLAUSABLE TASK, HE ALWAYS PREVAILS. GEORGE PEPPARD IS VERY COOL. THE STORIES ARE WELL PLAYED OUT, AND ARE VERY ENTERTAINING. IF YOU LIKE ROCKFORD OR COLUMBO, YOU WILL LIKE BANACEK.
  
  
• Blink & you miss it - bizarre Elton John reference!
  By A1L6UYPAMTZMKK on 2007-07-23
  Early on in "The Greatest Collection of Them All" there's a scene where security guards pull over a truck in front of a movie theater - freeze frame it and the marquee reads "Elton John starring in Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player"! No kidding!!!
  
  
• HE'S BOLD..... HE'S BRILLIANT.....HE'S "BANACEK"
  By A3A81ZZ4ANLZ8G on 2008-01-06
  George Peppard starring as Thomas Banacek, Boston's finest freelance Insurance investigator is called into action for a price when others can't seem to get the job done. George Peppard was the perfect choice for the role of the Polish-American detective Thomas Banacek. George Peppard had a very charming and charismatic approach to the way he conducted and solved an investigation and made it seem believable. Season one of This classic 70's show contains the first eight action-packed and intriguing episodes that feature guest appearances by Brenda Vaccaro, Penny Marshall, Mike Farrell, Curt Gowdy to name a few. Banacek is sometimes helped out by his wisecracking and street smart chauffeur Jay (Ralph Manza) and British bookstore owner Felix Mullholland (Murray Matheson) and fans will really enjoy these characters as well. Fans of "Banacek" will be upset to learn that the original pilot episode "Detour to Nowhere" is not included in this DVD release and that's a huge disappointment. Bonus features also include a Photo gallery, TV Guide Crossword puzzle and Exclusive access to a Banacek microsite. The video and sound transfer from Hart Sharp Video is decent and just about what I expected for a show of its age. The transfers seem to have been remastered for DVD but still suffer from some grain and age related artifacts. Overall I rate the season one DVD release of "Banacek" four stars because the original pilot episode wasn't included. I definitely rate this great show from the 1970's Five Stars all the way for pure entertainment value. I can't wait for the final release of the second season of "Banacek" because there's more Capers,Cigars and Commission to be had. Unfortunately they don't make TV shows like this anymore.
  
  DVD Specs:
  Number of Discs: 2
  Number of Episodes: 8
  Running Time: 576 mins
  
  Episodes Included:
  
  Disc #1
  
  - Let's Hear it for a Living Legend
  - Project Phoenix
  - No Sign of the Cross
  - A Million the Hard Way
  
  Disc #2
  
  -To Steal a King
  -Ten Thousand Dollars a Page
  -The Greatest Collection of Them All
  -The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack
  
  
  
• The Polish vulture . . .
  By A6VXZ1EEPRTLV on 2008-02-18
  Like a magician's illusion, each episode of Banacek opens with the unveiling of some sensational happening that seems to defy logical explanation. Typically something extremely valuable has disappeared, leaving an insurance company on the hook for a huge loss. Faced with a case too challenging for their in-house staff to handle, Boston based investigator Thomas Banacek is the man that insurance companies turn to. Brilliant, affluent, handsome, and refined, Banaceck is the best at what he does, and he knows it. For a ten per-cent recovery fee, he takes on these unusual and perplexing cases, with a low-key style and a quiet confidence that is disarming, and which his competitors find completely aggravating. Totally self-assured, tags like `The Polish Vulture' from his fellow investigators just roll off his back, as Banacek smiles all the way to the bank. Banacek's father was employed at an insurance company for many years, only to be replaced by a computer. Holding a bit of a grudge, Banacek derives great pleasure from making his living from the insurance industry, and letting them squirm whenever possible.
  
  Definitely not politically correct, what separates Banacek from the pack is the unashamed and open display of his libido. A man who appreciates women, when Banacek is interested, he makes his intentions crystal clear. Always a gentlemen, he approaches the female sex with the same confidence that he has working on a case. While some may play the ladies man, Banacek scores in nearly every episode. Based on his apparent success, a crude but perhaps not inappropriate nickname might be `bang-a-chick'. Such amorousness was part of James Bond's movie persona, but it quite unusual for a prime time TV lead in 1972. `Male chauvinistic pig' was a tem in vogue back then, and it is used more than once in reference to Thomas Banacek.
  
  While the beautiful women and sexual innuendo are a provocative element, it is the outrageously executed crimes, and clever detective work that make the series worth watching. Banacek travels around the country, driven by his chauffeur Jay (Ralph Manza), and strategically aided by his friend, book dealer Felix Mullholland (Murray Matheson). Some of the technology and methods employed to commit the crimes, may not have held water too well even back then, and may be even less credible today, but like a magic trick, often it is the presentation, executed with style and panache that provides the entertainment.
  
  The eight episodes in season one include:
  
  Let's Hear It For a Living Legend: At the time, it was hip to feature NFL players as TV actors, and this episode about a vanishing football player, includes John Brodie, Gene Washington, Ben Davidson and Deacon Jones to name a few. While idea that a running back could disappear in a pile after being tackled is memorable, it is frankly absurd. That aside, the story proceeds well enough, with Robert Webber and Stephanie Powers as guest stars. Fortunately, after this, the credibility of the plots is at a much higher level.
  
  Project Phoenix: A flatbed train car transporting an experimental vehicle, vanishes from a moving train. Joanna Pettit is a lovely automotive engineer under suspicion. This well-written tale of industrial espionage, with an inventive credible solution, is one of the best of the series.
  
  A Million the Hard Way: A million in cash on display in a Las Vegas casino mysteriously vanishes. Banacek is summoned to Sin City to work for a reclusive Howard Hughes type to find out how it happened. Featuring guest stars are Margot Kidder and Don Porter.
  
  No Sign of the Cross: A former gangster (Broderick Crawford) seeks to ease his conscience by donating a valuable cross to the church. When it vanishes, Banacek is asked to recover it. Another great episode with lots of misdirection.
  
  To Steal a King: A valuable coin collection disappears from a hotel room safe, just prior to their being auctioned. Thomas is brought in to recover them. Brenda Vaccaro, Kevin McCarthy and Janis Paige head the guest cast.
  
  Ten Thousand Dollars a Page: A priceless book vanishes from a museum with an elaborate security system. In this locked room mystery, Banacek must deal with the museum's abrasive owner (David Wayne), his hostile assistant (Stella Stevens), and an irritating fellow investigator (David Doyle). Good help is indeed hard to find. Poor David Wayne is a victim of a bad makeup job.
  
  The Greatest Collection of Them All: A truckload of valuable paintings disappears in transit from New York to a gallery in Boston. It is up to Banacek to discover how this large scale sight of hand was accomplished.
  
  The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack: Stock certificate plates are stolen from a guard in an elevator while traveling between floors. Banacek finds intrigue surrounding a family owned clam chowder business, as he attempts to get the plates back. Jessica Walter, Andrew Duggan and William Shallert guest star.
  
  Definitely a lover rather than a fighter, Thomas Banacek, Polish proverbs and all, may be too much for some to take. George Peppard is spot on, as a man with no false modesty, who never doubts his ability to discover how the impossible was done. Reasonably priced, this gem from the early 70's is highly recommended to mystery lovers.
  
  
  
• As my old Polish grandmother used to tell me....
  By AEZ0FIFFV9QM0 on 2008-04-10
  "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.)
  
  
• Fun Nostalgia
  By AAJGD1K7CPJTD on 2007-06-18
  I remember watching these as a kid. Very entertaining.
  
  Somewhat dated now, not so much the macho lady's-man Banacek, but the feel of the program seems old in that it ambles its way slowly, plodding forward actually in some cases. They also dwelled a little too much on the Polish ethnicity of the hero, an aspect that IMO wasn't ever used effectively to establish much in the way of character, more to have him quote some old family sayings now & again.
  
  But a fun bit of nostalgia nevertheless. If not all the episodes are here in these two CDs, I'll be disappointed. And perplexed.
  
  
• Loved Banacek
  By A1DO9LRCO23EOM on 2007-09-03
  Loved Banacek when it was on TV and this DVD had many episodes I remember. But I wish for more. Little annoyed by lack of the pilot on this DVD.
  
  
• Far-fetched, but entertaining.
  By A291U11LTEIS1H on 2007-10-17
  If you're a fan of the old NBC mystery movies, George Peppard, or whodunits, this is a must have.
  
  I emailed Hart Sharp and a rep there said that season 2 would be out January 8th.
  
  
• The NBC Weds Mystery Movie rides again!
  By A2OY0RKXHQVD3E on 2007-12-23
  A great walk down memory lane to the NBC Wednesday Night Mystery Movie series.
  
  Banacek was one of the alternating series, and he epitomized 'cool' in a detective. Sort of the polar opposite of 'Columbo' (from the same series), but with the same good results.
  
  They always ended the episode with a recreation of how the bad guy 'did it'.
  
  Peppard was a great actor.
  
  Very enjoyable addition to my collection.
  
  

• Banacek - The Second Season
• Mission Impossible - The Second TV Season
• Perry Mason - Season Two, Vol. 1
• Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection, 1989
• Hawaii Five-O - The Second Season