McMillan & Wife - Season One
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Actor: John Schuck, Nancy Walker, Rock Hudson, Susan Saint JamesBrand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 624 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-08-09
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of McMillan & Wife - Season One
DVD Review: From the city by the bay . . .
Summary: 4 Stars
Part of NBC's diverse Mystery Movie lineup, McMillan and Wife chronicles the crime solving adventures of San Francisco Police Commissioner Stuart `Mac' McMillan (Rock Hudson), and his lovely bride Sally (Susan St. James).
Hudson, with a background in romantic comedies, is a pretty smooth fit with the perky St. James, some 21 years his junior, and already an Emmy award winner. Crime solving is a joint venture, built around the charm and flirtatious chemistry of the couple. `Mac', is generally low key and deliberate, yet capable of quickly springing into action. Fashion freaks may get a kick from Sally's wardrobe, and the 70's décor. The pair is aided by police Sgt. Enright (John Shuck), and the McMillan's sharp-tongued and abrasive housekeeper, Mildred (Nancy Walker).
This unique duo is appropriately confronted with some unconventional and peculiar crimes, mostly centered in high society circles. The stories hold together pretty well, though at times things get ridiculous, when action is stressed over logic, or when the writers try to get too cute. This set contains eight episodes on two double-sided discs. Among the more notable are . . .
Once Upon a Dead Man: Things get off to a good start in the series pilot. An Egyptian sarcophagus mysteriously disappears at an art gallery auction, where Mac and Sally are present. Both McMillans are soon involved in the case, and the body count starts to rise. An impressive highlight is a wild, and scary bike chase through the hilly streets of the city. Guest stars include Jack Albertson, Jonathan Harris, Kurt Kasznar, Herb Edelman, Rene Auberjonois and James Wainwright.
Death Is a Seven Point Favorite: Stories associated with pro football were `in' at the time, and while this one about sports gambling doesn't make much sense, it is a lot of fun. Don Stroud, usually known for playing a heavy, goes against the grain as a quarterback under pressure from more than a pass rush. Andrew Duggan gives an enjoyable, over the top performance as the team owner. However the most humorous situation involves Sgt. Enright, who gets a striking new hairdo. Sally sometimes slept in a red football jersey, with the number 18, reminiscent of then 49ers star receiver and future NFL bigwig, Gene Washington. In this fluffy nonsense, Sally finds herself both on the field during a game, and then running for her life in an empty stadium.
Til Death Do Us Part: A psycho serial killer has his sights on the McMillans, and sets an elaborate scheme in motion. The method of their demise is original, but not very credible. The McMillan residence is tented for fumigation. With the couple trapped inside, poison gas is pumped in. The killer has removed all sharp implements, so they are unable to cut their way out. Why not just crawl out from under the covering? What is far more interesting is Sgt. Enright's love life, as he is off on a weekend trip with a lovely fashion model. Who knew?
An Elementary Case of Murder: In the last episode of the season, we learn that Sally is pregnant. Mac is in an interesting situation, as an old flame, singer Lee Richards, played by singer/actress Barbara McNair, is a suspect in her husband's disappearance. McNair is black, and her character Richards, supposedly was romantically involved with Mac some 12 years earlier, which would make it around 1960, when an interracial relationship might have raised a few eyebrows. These potentially controversial matters do not surface. The story is actually quite good, as Mac is torn between his feelings for a friend, and the facts of the case.
Subsequent real life events, may make viewing even more interesting. Rock Hudson, a homosexual, was one of the first public figures to be recognized as having HIV in the 80's. San Francisco, is where Hudson was rumored to have pursued a gay lifestyle in his later years. Sadly, he may be remembered more for how he died and the aftermath regarding his estate, rather than for his long distinguished acting career. Contrary to what was portrayed in front of the camera, Hudson apparently had less than warm feelings for costar Susan Saint James. Given this, it is quite ironic, how much the couple's affection for each other, and Mac's appeal to women in general, was emphasized. Besides the frequent smooching and romantic interludes with Sally, Mac was also constantly running into beautiful women from his past that are attracted to him.
Susan St. James seems to have little to say about her costar. She had another hit series, `Kate and Allie' in the 80's, and married TV executive Dick Ebersole. She tragically lost one of her sons in a plane crash in 2004, in which Ebersole and another son were also injured. Putting aside the off screen matters, McMillan and Wife has its flaws, but is pretty entertaining, particularly if husband and wife crime solving teams appeal to you.
Description of McMillan & Wife - Season One
MCMILLAN & WIFE:SEASON ONE - DVD MovieThey were the happening '70s answer to Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man movies, and when McMillan & Wife premiered as part of the "NBC Mystery Movie" lineup (in three-way rotation with McCloud and Columbo) on September 17, 1971, they were an instant hit with both critics and viewers. The two-hour pilot "Once Upon a Dead Man" set the serio-comic tone for the series: San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan (Rock Hudson, his film career in decline) and the goofy doofus Sgt. Enright (John Schuck) frequently found themselves in the midst of a mystery, typically beginning when McMillan's cute and kooky wife Sally (Susan Saint James) stumbled onto telltale evidence or a murder scene. The McMillans were the perfect image of '70s California cool, attending trendy parties and charity benefits while solving robberies, murders, and other malicious goings-on, sporting the latest fashions (Hudson's handlebar moustache and longish hair perfectly complementing Saint James's bellbottoms and shag hairdo) and verbally sparring with some of the goofiest dialogue this side of Hope & Crosby's Road movies. Schuck provided additional comic relief while Nancy Walker, as the McMillans' nosy maid Mildred, made brief but memorable appearances before her role was expanded in subsequent seasons.
By latter-day standards the plots are simplistic but cleverly engaging, especially given that the entire series was something of a lark. The first regular series episode "Murder by the Barrel" (9/29/71) is indicative of the series' entertainment value, and "Death is a Seven Point Favorite" (12/8/71) was a season highlight, with '70s stalwart Don Stroud as a pro football quarterback targeted for murder in a bookie scheme gone awry. And while Hudson's macho image was certainly appealing to viewers unaware of his off-screen homosexuality (several episodes end with Stewart and Sally under the sheets), there's no denying that Saint James (whose irresistible charm was previously established on Robert Wagner's caper series It Takes a Thief) was the ideal costar, a perfect Nixon-era combination of looks, humor, and flighty, non-threatening intelligence, adorable to men and acceptable to women's-lib activists. Drawing upon Universal's reliable stable of TV directors including Hy Averback and Addams Family alumnus John Astin, writers including future TV mogul Steven Bochco, and a bevy of guest stars including Andrew Duggan, Jackie Coogan, Wally Cox, Herb Edelman, Peter Bonerz, June Havoc, Rene Auberjonois, Tyne Daly and many others, the debut season of McMillan & Wife (totaling 10 hours and 25 minutes of viewing time) provided a strong start for the series, which lasted (ultimately without Saint James) until 1977. --Jeff Shannon
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