M Squad - The Complete Series starring Lee Marvin - 15 DVD Box Set, Plus Bonus CD - The Music From M Squad
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Actor: Angie Dickinson, Charles Bronson, Janice Rule, Lee Marvin, Leonard NimoyDirector: n/a
Brand: Timeless Media Group
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Box set, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 2866 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-11
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 67154
Studio: Timeless Media Group
Product features:
- M-SQUAD 15 DISCS+BONUS CD (DVD MOVIE)
DVD Reviews of M Squad - The Complete Series starring Lee Marvin - 15 DVD Box Set, Plus Bonus CD - The Music From M Squad
DVD Review: Hard-Boiled Cop in 1950s Chicago
Summary: 4 Stars
"M Squad" has the reputation, deservedly so, as being one of the key television crime series of the 1950s. Lee Marvin stars as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger, fighting crime in the mean streets of Chicago. What works for this show is the casting of tough guy Marvin, the location filming, and the half hour time-frame of this series, which forced the series' writers to create tight scripts for the show. "M Squad" has been referred to as one of the prime examples of "TV noir" and it's easy to see why based on the episodes that I've had a chance to watch so far in this 15-DVD set, which includes all 117 episodes from the series' three seasons (1957-60). The series is probably closest in tone to the original 1950s version of "Dragnet," and includes plenty of voice over narration by Marvin, just like Jack Webb's narration in "Dragnet." And one of the early episodes in this DVD release includes no fewer than four actors from Webb's "stock company" of actors who appeared on "Dragnet" multiple times (William Bryant, Herb Ellis, Olan Soule and Peggy Webber). But "M Squad" is a tougher, more hard-boiled series devoid of "Dragnet's" lighter moments and, unlike Webb's Sgt. Joe Friday, Marvin's Lt. Ballinger goes it alone without a partner more often than not. It's easy to see why "M Squad" made Lee Marvin a bankable star . . . . once the crime is committed in the opening sequence, Marvin is in virtually every scene as he pieces the evidence together.
This is a vintage TV-on-DVD set that's a bit tougher to evaluate given the circumstances surrounding its release. The DVD releasing company, the Timeless Media Group, has a licensing arrangement with NBC Universal for this series and several others like "Checkmate" and "Arrest and Trial" where they have DVD release rights only. Universal did not provide Timeless with any prints for this series and Timeless had to secure prints on its own, including reaching out to collectors who own 16 millimeter prints of the series. Originally, this set was slated to have 100 episodes, but collectors of the series contributed the additional 17 episodes necessary for a complete series release. Consequently, the audio/visual presentation for "M Squad" is highly variable. None of the episodes that I've viewed so far are of the razor sharp quality found in vintage TV releases from the major studios and, frankly, these episodes are much closer in audio/visual quality to public domain releases from companies like Alpha Video or Mill Creek Entertainment; those who are familiar with some of the public domain episodes of the 1950s version of "Dragnet" will know what to expect. So here's the dilemma for prospective purchasers of this release. Does one buy this set with very inconsistent audio/visual quality, or does one hold out for something better in the future? The series' rights holder, Universal, seems to be releasing fewer vintage television releases on its own, preferring to license some of its older series to companies like Shout! Factory ("McHale's Navy," "Ironside," "Adam-12"), Arts Alliance America ("Banacek") and Timeless Media (several TV westerns and the aforementioned "Checkmate" and "Arrest and Trial"). So it's unlikely that "M Squad" will ever see a release directly from Universal, given the cost of restoring and remastering episodes. Ultimately, the purchasing decision for "M Squad" is a trade-off in audio/visual quality versus the chance to own all 117 episodes, plus the set's sole bonus item . . . a music CD soundtrack of the show.
At best, the audio/visual quality of this release would earn no more that three stars, but the fact that Timeless has included the entire run of this rare-to-see series, plus a bonus music CD, earns the set an additional star. Videophiles will want to avoid this set, but fans of the series will appreciate the opportunity to own the entire series in a single package.
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Description of M Squad - The Complete Series starring Lee Marvin - 15 DVD Box Set, Plus Bonus CD - The Music From M Squad
M SQUAD - THE COMPLETE SERIES STARRING LEE MARVIN! 15 DVD Box Set, Plus Bonus CD: The Music From M Squad! 117 Episodes! One of the most memorable of the early television police dramas, M Squad debuted in 1957 running for three seasons on NBC. There were many black and white crime dramas competing for viewers in the late fifties, notably Dragnet, Arrest and Trial and Checkmate. M Squad stands apart because of its unique combination of story, production values, musical score and a great cast portraying crime fighters getting down and dirty on the mean streets. Lee Marvin, a decorated WWII Marine veteran of the South Pacific,where he received the Purple Heart in the Battle of Saipan, stars as Lt. Frank Ballinger, a no-nonsense Chicago plainclothes cop in the elite M Squad Division. The Squad's (M-for Murder) task is to root out organized crime and corruption in America's Second City. Marvin's portrayal of a tough undercover officer, whose perseverance and potential for violence, but with utter cool, permeates each gritty episode, gave Marvin name recognition with the public, and did much to make him a star. He would go on to many starring roles (The Dirty Dozen, Cat Ballou) and to win a coveted Oscar for Best Actor. Frank Ballinger's boss, Captain Grey, is played by Paul Newlan, a fine actor who brings weight and substance to the role of running the M Squad. It is perhaps his most memorable role. In addition to the regular cast, a who's who of television luminaries and stars-to-be made guest appearances on the show. Among the guest stars were Angie Dickinson, Charles Bronson, Janice Rule, Leonard Nimoy, Ed Nelson, DeForest Kelley, H. M. Wynant and a young Burt Reynolds. But is wasn't just the crisp, taut story lines and great cast that made M Squad memorable. First, it was shot in gritty, film-noire style black and white. The excellent high contrast cinematography brings Chicago to life, with all of its easily recognizable landmarks, swanky penthouses on Lake Michigan, and the seedy darker side of the city. In fact, M Squad did for Chicago what the Naked City did for New York. Second was the musical score. In keeping with the film noir look of the series, the producers enlisted conductor Stanley Wilson to lead the orchestra in arrangements by legendary jazz men Benny Carter, and a young John Williams (Star Wars). For the second season, the great jazz artist Count Basie wrote the enduring M Squad Theme. It was a perfect marriage of image and sound. Lee Marvin, who wrote the liner notes for the RCA Victor release of the Music From M Squad album in 1959, put it this way: I am ... constantly amazed at the manner in which our characterizations and situations are supported, highlighted and intensified by the fine musical score ... I love the great beat, the exciting solos and the clean, crisp section work of the trumpets and trombones. As I listen, my imagination paints thumbnail sketches of the Loop, Bayshore Drive, the South Side, and the other localities which set Chicago apart from other cities. It's sort of like an armchair tour of America's second largest city. - Lee Marvin The resulting television series is hard to match for its intensity and its humanity. Marvin's hard-nosed Frank Ballinger is the archetype of all the tough-guy, big-hearted crime fighters, from Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and Hammett's Sam Spade, to later incarnations portrayed by Jack Nicholson and Harvey Keitel. In sum, M Squad is that rare television series that has it all. It's about time that long-time fans and newcomers have a chance to experience high quality DVDs of this great show.Filmed in Chicago, M Squad is my kind of cop show, with an authentic sense of place, a driving, brassy jazz score, shady characters with names like Johnny East Side, a captain feeling the heat from "downtown" ("They want the killer; they want him real bad"), and hard-boiled dialogue (Cop: "Where?d you get that money?" Suspect: "From the guy who had it"). Best of all, it?s got Lee Marvin in his breakout role as plainclothes cop Lt. Frank Ballinger, who works in M-Squad, an elite special division of the Chi-town police department. This 1957 series was as tough and no-nonsense as the City of Big Shoulders itself. As Marvin states at one point, "You can be subtle, or you can be plain." M Squad was plain. In the first episode, Ballinger takes stock of a case: "Armed robbery, murder, and three dead. Looks like my Chicago was fixing up with (more) hot hours for me." Ballinger is a conductor on the Straight Talk Express. In one episode, he counsels an unfaithful wife on what to tell her husband, "Tell him the truth. It's gonna hurt, but if it heals, it'll heal clean." Marvin is in his element as the unflappable Ballinger, whether glowering at the crime scene, or fluster a suspect with an unnerving smile. M Squad ranks with the best of TV noir, but it is perhaps best known today as the inspiration and template for Police Squad and the spinoff Naked Gun spoofs. It's hard to keep a straight face watching Ballinger exchange gunfire in the opening credits without thinking of Leslie Nielsen as Sgt. Frank Drebin. This 15-disc set contains all 117 episodes from the series? three season run, as well as a bonus music CD of the original 1959 soundtrack featuring Count Basie?s great theme that made its debut in season two. M Squad offers ample opportunity for future star-gazing, with early appearances by Burt Reynolds, Angie Dickinson, Charles Bronson, Leonard Nimoy, Mike "Mannix" Connors, Don Rickles, and James Coburn. Picture quality varies from episode to episode, but that should not diminish the thrill of watching Marvin in action or dispensing such hard-earned street wisdom as, "The only people who return to the scene of the crime are the police." It?s great to have M Squad on the DVD beat. --Donald Liebenson
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