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TV Tip SheetCry U.N.C.L.E.: You asked for it—and we finally got it. The classic 1960s spy series is coming to DVD in comprehensive form with The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series, a spectacular 41-disc (!) set. Robert Vaughn is Napoleon Solo and David McCallum is Illya Kuryakin, operatives for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, an organization trying to stop the evil agents of THRUSH. Leo G. Carroll plays Mr. Waverly, who gives the two agents orders from a secret headquarters which uses a tailor shop as a front. The great co-stars of the 1964-1968 NBC series include future '60s TV secret agents Robert Culp and Barbara Feldon, as well as William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Vincent Price, and Boris Karloff. There were also lovelies like Nancy Sinatra, Senta Berger, Luciana Paluzzi, and Stefanie Powers (who is introduced as April Dancer, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., in the series pilot featured here), plus Russ Meyer babes Tura Satana and Edy Williams. From the memorable instrumental theme song to the cool demeanor of the stars to the nifty gadgets, The Man From U.N.C.L.E : The Complete Series is a must-own item for baby boomers the world over. Hello Frisco!: After a few seasons’ hiatus from keeping Miami safe from drugrunners, Don Johnson returned to series TV with Nash Bridges: The First Season. This hit CBS show that ran from 1996 to 2001 offered Johnson as a smart alecky San Francisco detective who tries to juggle catching the bad guys and dealing with his topsy-turvy personal life. Cheech Marin plays his partner, and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe and Jeff Perry co-star in this eight-episode two-disc set. Right Said Fred: One of the best-loved of 1960s sitcoms, My Three Sons: The First Season, Vol. 1 stars Fred MacMurray as widowed engineer Steve Douglas who, along with help from father in-law Bub O’Casey (William Frawley), tries to bring up his boys Robbie (Don Grady), Chip (Stanley Livingston) and Mike (Tim Considine). Funny and sweet-natured, the show enjoyed a lengthy run on ABC and CBS from 1960-1972; over the years, William Demarest supplanted the ailing Frawley as Bub’s brother Uncle Charley, and Livingston’s real-life brother Barry was brought aboard to replace the departing Considine as adoptive son Ernie. All the while, the series detailed the sons grappling with the problems of growing up and MacMurray dealing with single fatherhood. Fifteen episodes are offered over three discs. Star Wars: Darren Star, creator of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place, was the man behind Cashmere Mafia: The Complete Series, a survey of a group of attractive longtime female friends who depend on each other for advice regarding men, career, and relationships while they stand guard against calculating rivals. Lucy Liu, Miranda Otto, Frances O’Connor, and Bonnie Somerville star in this 2008 ABC series that was short-circuited in part due to the writers’ strike. This two-disc set runs over five hours. Sibling Silliness: Bill, Mark and Brett Hudson were the stars and creative forces behind The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show: The Complete Series, a zany Saturday morning entertainment show that ran on CBS from 1974 to 1975. This quintessentially 1970s skit-com offers wacky sketches, off-the-wall characters, music and timely humor. The three-disc set includes 16 hours of programming. Grammer Schooled: Following up their iconic sitcom stints as Frasier Crane and Deb Barone, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton were paired on the well-reviewed 2007 Fox TV series Back To You: Season 1, in which the stars play co-anchors on a Pittsburgh TV station. Onscreen, the chemistry’s great; offscreen, backstabbing and jealousy take over. Fred Willard, Ty Burrell, Josh Gad and Ayda Field add able support in this three-disc set. All About The Benjamin: In the wake of Star Wars, Buck Henry set out to do for the space opera what he did for the spy craze with Get Smart. The end result was Quark, which bowed on NBC in February of ’78. The series starred Richard Benjamin as Adam Quark, the hapless commander of an intergalactic garbage scow charged with keeping the cosmos clean. His somewhat able crew included the non-gender-specific Gene/Jean (Tim Thomerson), the mechanically dysfunctional Andy the Robot (Bobby Porter), the hot co-pilot Betty I (Tricia Barnstable) and her clone Betty II (Cyb Barnstable) (or is it the other way around?) and the botanical humanoid Ficus (Richard Kelton). They took their orders from the disembodied Head (Alan Caillou) and supervisor Otto Palindrome (Conrad Janis). Ahead of its time, Quark only managed an eight-episode run, but cult fans can finally obtain them all on the single-disc Quark: The Complete Series. ‘Tween Scene: A couple of ‘tween favorites are on the way on DVD: Sister, Sister: The First Season was a favorite on ABC and the WB during its 1994-1999 run, and now the initial 12 half-hours shows are on the way. Real-life siblings Tia and Tamera Mowry play identical twins accidentally reunited after a long separation, and who go to live with Tamera’s adoptive parents (Tim Reid and Jackee Harry) in the Detroit suburbs. Brittany Murphy was a frequent co-star while Marques Houston played Roger, the neighbor who liked them both. iCarly: Season 1, Vol. 1, a big 2007 hit on Nickelodeon, stars Miranda Cosgrove of Drake And Josh fame as a high school student who, along with surrogate parent-sibling Spencer (Jerry Trainor) and other friends, puts on a webcast directed to kids her own age. Sometimes her broadcasts get her and the crew into trouble; other times, funny situations occur. The first 13 episodes are offered on this disc. Since 2005, The Disney Channel has been the place to find Life With Derek: The Complete First Season, which focuses on a Brady Bunch situation in which teenagers Derek (Michael Seater) and Casey (Ashley Leggat) are friends who become family when their single parents get married. The transition doesn’t go that smoothly—for them or their respective siblings. Jordan Todosey and Daniel Magder co-star in the shot-in-Canada series. Thirteen episodes are available on a two-disc set. In the tradition of Anne Of Green Gables, Emily Of New Moon is based on a series of books by Anne creator L.M. Montgomery and is a Canadian-produced show that ran over 1998-2000 on CBC. The setting is beautiful Prince Edward Island at the turn of the 20th century, where Emily Starr (Martha MacIsaac), an imaginative young girl, goes to live with her aunt after her widowed father dies. How Emily adjusts to her new life—and her unusual cousins—makes this story a warm and winning saga. Emily Of New Moon: Season One runs over three discs. Reality Bytes: Scott Baio Is 45…And Single and Scott Baio Is 46 & Pregnant are two VH1 reality shows boasting the former star of Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi. In the seven 2007 episodes of Single, Scott reconsiders his life, how he had dalliances with many beautiful women (Pam Anderson, Erika Eleniak, and Brooke Shields among them) yet has been unable to settle down. When he finally does, in the nine episodes of 2008’s Pregnant, we see that his fiancée is expecting and how he deals with the situation. E! is, um, responsible for Keeping Up With The Kardashians: Season 1, a no-holds-barred 2007 eight-episode study of a quintessentially oddball Hollywood clan. The mixed brood of Olympic star Bruce Jenner and wife Kris, who was married to the late attorney (and O.J. Simpson counsel) Robert Kardashian, includes XXX video star Kim Kardashian, as well as daughters Kourtney and Khloe. Then there’s Kylie Jenner, Brody Jenner and Robert Kardashian, Jr. It’s all one unpredictable family portrait filled with drinking, stripping and more. Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane: Season 1 centers on the world of Kimora Lee Simmons, former wife of rap mogul Russell Simmons. The chaotic life of the multi-racial high fashion model and owner of Phat Fashions includes dealing with business matters and her two young daughters. Eight episodes of this 2007 Style Network entry are available on two discs.
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