Home Video Exclusives

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense


[An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on March 19th, 2015 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

Be smooth. Be a cool. Be a vintage player in "Man Men"...



"Mad Men: Season 6" was released on home video on November 5th, 2013.

It streeted against "Under The Dome (Season One)", "Parkland" and "Ambushed".

This season's packaging was different from the others. It came in a thick cardboard slipcase, practically fabric textured. Inside was a digipak holding four discs (I'm speaking of the DVD version). It came with a single small insert; a double sided ad for season seven of the show.

It also came with a card stock backing; listing the contents - it mirrors the rear of the digipak inside. The card was gummed on the back of the slipcase

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Once again, it is Target which had the sole exclusive, a bonus disc. This came inside the box within a printed cardboard sleeve.

The disc has a run time of 24:58 minutes, five chapters in widescreen. There is no menu screen, it just plays.

This exclusive was available for both DVD and Blu-Ray, both were priced $27.99.



Unique and quite interesting; a mock-broadcast, a news special, "Celebrity News - Year In Review". The fake program aired on New Year's Eve 1967. It includes vintage TV commercials; shown in black and white. Sway. I'm glad I got a copy, no problem finding the exclusive.

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Rant.



As I wrote in the PT entry for season five; this has consistently been firing on all cylinders. Excellent writing and actors; a great dramatic series. It has definitely earned a spot within the Top Ten of best television shows. If you haven't, you should. Very recommend.

In case you're curious this season begins in 1967.

Hands down my favorite "Mad Men" moment is from this season; episode "The Flood" (April 28th, 2013). Don (Jon Hamm) decided to play hooky with his son, Bobby (Mason Vale Cotton); they go to see "Planet Of The Apes".

The film finishes and his son is confused. So he lays it out for him... (fifty-one year old spoilers, you should know by now)

Col. Taylor (Charlton Heston) and crew didn't land on another planet in the Orion system. They ship had gone forward in time and returned to Earth, thousands of years in the future - where apes rule the world. The look on Bobby's face; MIND BLOWN. That made me so giddy.

A bit on discontinuity; that opened on April 3rd, 1968 - but the episode takes place a day earlier. I put the blame on damn dirty apes and time travel, lot of time travel.



Another favorite is "The Crash" from this season (May 19th, 2013). A physician, Dr. Hecht (Rick Zieff) is brought in to help boost creativity - three day stimulant. The creative staff is injected with a so called 'vitamin super dose' (a.k.a. amphetamine), so weird. Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Staton) breaking into a tap dance number. Men racing to jump over furniture. It works; a release of stress over an account (Chevy) going sour.

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Void.

You think you've seen everything of a particular show, then something pops that makes you pull a 'whahh!'

Like when I found out there were a string of "I Love Lucy" (1951 - 1957; CBS) episodes I never saw before; part a mini post-season, one hour programs.

I had another one of those moments in late December, the 28th to be exact.



Goofing off, discover something I never heard of before. A long dead show, "Dusty's Trail" (1973 - 1974; syndication).

What is it?

It's "Gilligan's Island" (1964 - 1967; CBS) 2.0.

You can't have three snakes in your hand and expect to make gravy.

- Bret

Take the famous show's concept and move it into the old west, circa 1870s.

Not shipwrecked on an island, but lost in a journey; wagon and stage coach are separated from their main wagon train on their way to California. I'll let their theme song explain (written by Ross Schwartz; he co-wrote the "Gilligan" theme)...

Let's follow the path of Dusty's Trail
Oh, Dusty's trail, Dusty's Trail
A stage and a wagon a-headin' West
Part of a wagon train lost from the rest

Dusty's the reason for their plight
Thanks' to Dusty nothin's right
Only the Wagonmaster's hand
Keeps 'em a-rollin' to the promised land

Oh, the goin' gets mighty rough
But they don't seem to mind
It's Californ-i-a
That's the place they must find

Deserts and rocks are in their way
But they won't stop, come what may
Mountains and hills that they must scale
But they know they'll make it
'Cause they just can't fail
On Dusty's Trail

Who's in the cast?



You have Dusty played by Bob Denver who is rehashing his previous Willie Gilligan role.

Forrest Tucker plays Mr. Callahan, their wagon master; a.k.a. "The Skipper", Jonas Grumby.

You have Bostonian millionaire and his wife in Mr. Carson Brookhaven (Ivor Francis) and Mrs. Daphne (Lynn Wood); Thurston Howell III and Eunice Lovelle Wentworth Howell.

There is Andy Boone (William Cort) a civil engineer; a.k.a. Professor Roy Hinkley.

A country schoolteacher from Iowa, Betsy McGuire (Lori Saunders); Mary Ann Summers.

And rounding out the cast is Jeannine Riley as Lulu McQueen, a dance-hall girl; Ginger Grant.

Created by Sherwood Schwartz; the same guy who did "Gilligan's Island". He tried to recapture his success, a reboot. Twenty-six episodes were made (though the original intent was thirty, but it got canceled), all aired. The half hour show was broadcast on 7:30PM on Tuesdays in syndication.

"Dusty's Trail" hasn't been seen much; the total episode number is low - stations prefer a hundred episodes for rereun broadcasts.

Oh yeah, those images above are from a YouTube video I downloaded.

The only characters with any depth and I use that loosely is Callahan and Dusty. The rest is ultra generic. Like you're watching the beloved characters from "Gilligan's Island" being played by models from the Sears catalog. Could be played by different actors each week and it wouldn't make a difference.

Complete series hasn't come out on home video, fallen into public domain. There was a DVD set (Brentwood Home Video; 2004) with seventeen episodes. It appears that the remaining have become lost to time.

Episodes?

An indian chief sees a birthmark on Dusty and believe the idiot is his long lost son. So what to do? Kidnap Dusty to bring the guy back to the tribe - to return to Native American life.

The gang runs into a traveling magician who gives them a free show. Why? Easy, the assistant is attempting to steal all their valuables.

Their small wagon train has taken a break from their travels. Gathering supplies Dusty discovers the gang is situated over a volcano, but on the way to tell his friends - Dusty fall on a rock and gets amnesia.

While out and about to Californ-i-a, they find a young woman. She is brought to their camp and odd things start happening, leading them to believe she's a witch.

Looking for a route through some mountains, the gang encounter a murderous outlaw on the lam.

Could go on, but you get the general idea. This IS "Gilligan's Island" 2.0.



In fact there was a "Gilligan's Island" 3.0 produced in 1982, "Gilligan's Planet" (CBS). A cartoon show by Filmation, thirteen half hour episodes were made - all aired. This has an official release; M.O.D. (DVD-R) from Warner Archive Collection in 2014.

I'll make it short; the Professor builds a rocket out of wood and various jungle items. The hope is the launch from the island back to civilization, but they end up being shipwrecked once again... on another planet.

Okay then.

One more thing. A conspiracy theory that the show, "Gilligan's Island" is about the seven deadly sins.

Skipper: Wrath
Gilligan: Gluttony
Ginger: Lust
Professor: Pride
Mr. Howell: Greed
Mrs. Howell: Sloth
Mary Ann: Envy

It kinda, kinda makes sense. One more thing - "Planet Of The Apes" (1968)

Something starting to bug me; something I hadn't registered until recently.

Once it is discovered that Taylor can talk; Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) demands to know where the rest of the intelligent humans are - their tribe. He says, 'where's there's one, there's more'.

Were there? And I don't mean the mutants who worship the Divine Bomb.

It stands to reason there are descendants of the old world, still living - in hiding from the Apes.

Anyhow, just thought I'd share that thought.

Come back here on January 9th... 2020. Woh! You'll like the post; honest - it tastes like Coke, but without the ground up polar bears aftertaste.