Naked City

Naked City


Starring:Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor, Frank Conroy, Ted de Corsia, House Jameson, Anne Sargent, Adelaide Klein, Grover Burgess, Tom Pedi, Enid Markey, Mark Hellinger, Charles P. Thompson, Elliott Sullivan, Mildred Stronger, Charles Latorella, John Randolph, Walter Burke, Kermit Kegley
Director: Jules Dassin
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
"Ladies and gentlemen, the motion picture you are about to see is called The Naked City." With a helicopter shot slowly closing in on Manhattan, producer Mark Hellinger's staccato narration introduces the film ("It was not photographed in a studio . . .") and continues throughout like a documentary commentator with a literary flair. It's a conceit that serves this police story nicely, giving the patina of realism to this deglamorized look at the work of the homicide squad. Barry Fitzgerald reigns over the film with his jovial good humor as a veteran detective investigating the murder of a high-living model. He has few clues and fewer suspects, until he cracks the story of big-talking Howard Duff and throws some light on his shady past. Jules Dassin, who had just come off the shadowy, expressionist Brute Force, peels away those flourishes to shoot in a straightforward style influenced by the Italian neo-realists and the contemporary American newsreels. The film is rich in supporting performances by soon-to-be-famous character actors--Arthur O'Connell, James Gregory, Paul Ford--but the city itself becomes the film's most vivid character. Shot entirely on location in New York City, the distinctive cityscape looms over practically every shot and injects the film with a defining sense of place (cinematographer William Daniels won an Oscar for his work). You can see the roots of The French Connection in the bustling city scenes and the exciting foot chase finale on an elevated walkway. --Sean Axmaker
Description
New York City detectives Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) and Jimmy Halloran (Don Taylor) are assigned to investigate the mysterious murder of a young woman. Following the leads in the case, they come upon a jewel theft ring that has been plaguing New York society. Muldoon and Halloran finally untangle the skein of thieves and discover the murderer to be one of the slain woman's cohorts in the jewel gang. When cornered by the detectives, there is a violent shoot-out.
Naked City - Criterion Collection
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Naked City
  • Did I see the same film?
  • The architype of police procedurals - and, film noir to boot
  • One of Eight Million Stories
  • no truer depiction of new york was ever caught on screen
 Naked City - Criterion Collection
Starring: Barry Fitzgerald , Howard Duff , Dorothy Hart , Don Taylor , and Frank Conroy
Director: Jules Dassin
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
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Duff, HowardDuff, Howard | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fitzgerald, BarryFitzgerald, Barry | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Ford, PaulFord, Paul | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Opatoshu, DavidOpatoshu, David | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Persoff, NehemiahPersoff, Nehemiah | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:
  1. Brute Force (Criterion Collection)
  2. Green for Danger - Criterion Collection
  3. 49th Parallel - Criterion Collection
  4. Army of Shadows - Criterion Collection
  5. The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition)

ASIN: B000M2E3GI
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Amazon.com

"Ladies and gentlemen, the motion picture you are about to see is called The Naked City." With a helicopter shot slowly closing in on Manhattan, producer Mark Hellinger's staccato narration introduces the film ("It was not photographed in a studio . . .") and continues throughout like a documentary commentator with a literary flair. It's a conceit that serves this police story nicely, giving the patina of realism to this deglamorized look at the work of the homicide squad. Barry Fitzgerald reigns over the film with his jovial good humor as a veteran detective investigating the murder of a high-living model. He has few clues and fewer suspects, until he cracks the story of big-talking Howard Duff and throws some light on his shady past. Jules Dassin, who had just come off the shadowy, expressionist Brute Force, peels away those flourishes to shoot in a straightforward style influenced by the Italian neo-realists and the contemporary American newsreels. The film is rich in supporting performances by soon-to-be-famous character actors--Arthur O'Connell, James Gregory, Paul Ford--but the city itself becomes the film's most vivid character. Shot entirely on location in New York City, the distinctive cityscape looms over practically every shot and injects the film with a defining sense of place (cinematographer William Daniels won an Oscar for his work). You can see the roots of The French Connection in the bustling city scenes and the exciting foot chase finale on an elevated walkway. --Sean Axmaker

Description

"There are eight million stories in the Naked City," as the narrator immortally states at the close of this breathtakingly vivid film—and this is one of them. Master noir craftsman Jules Dassin and newspaperman-cum-producer Mark Hellinger's dazzling police procedural was shot entirely on location in New York City, as influenced by Italian neorealism as American crime fiction. A double Academy Award-winner, The Naked City remains a benchmark for naturalism in noir, living and breathing in the promises and perils of the Big Apple, from its lowest depths to its highest skyscrapers.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Naked City.......2007-06-25

Shot entirely on location in 1940s Manhattan, this semi-documentary police procedural offers a day-to-day look at the life of the Big Apple, its varied denizens, and the routine of two cops--old hand Fitzgerald (who quietly steals the film) and the dutiful but still green Taylor--out to catch a killer. Dassin handles the action with matter-of-fact directness, and soon fast-talking Frank Niles (Howard Duff) has raised their interest. But the great achievement of "City" is its verisimilitude of character and place, and a final chase scene on the Williamsburg Bridge that will steal your breath away. There might be "8 million stories in the naked city," but this sinister crime drama was the first--and still the best. Trivia note:this film was said to have inspired "Dragnet".

2 out of 5 stars Did I see the same film?.......2007-06-23

This has developed a rep as being a landmark movie, but somehow I managed to miss it. Now that I've seen it I don't understand the praise at all. The Irish affected Fitzgerald barely carries the lead, and the rest of the acting is simply putrid, horribly ham handed. I watched the scene with the mother identifying her dead daughter, and all I could think of is that she had another job that afternoon and had to emote quick and flee. The preceding scene where the young cop comes home to handle spanking his kid is completely pointless, and the acting by husband and wife is soap opera quality at best, just awful.

It gets worse, there's a narrative track would embarrass a "Dragnet" episode, syrupy strings in the soundtrack, and dialogue that often wanders off point, making it difficult to follow. All the side bits just waste time, the action doesn't move from scene to scene in a form which builds any sense of continuity. I couldn't even finish watching it, so I guess I'll never know who Mcillicuddy was.

5 out of 5 stars The architype of police procedurals - and, film noir to boot.......2007-06-04

A murder.
The evidence.
The investigation.
Red herrings.
Resolution.

This film's DNA runs through all that followed - from Dragnet to Law & Order.
Buy this film if you love 1948 NYC and Irish detectives - a great film!

4 out of 5 stars One of Eight Million Stories.......2007-05-07

This landmark film, energetically directed by Jules Dassin not long before the McCarthy witch-hunts forced him out of the U.S., deserves the typically classy Criterion treatment. As we have now come to expect of all Criterion versions, the print has been beautifully restored and meticulously annotated. Movies of any decade do not hold up equally well; "Naked City" is flawed by producer Mark Hellinger's narration--often hammy and too much "on-the-nose"--and some dated performances. On the other hand, the police procedural still draws you in, the music score is superb, and the noirish yet documentary-quality of post-war New York City makes for a wondrous time-capsule. (Thank God the move was shot in black and white. Color would have ruined it.) Like the place and people it captures, ""The Naked City" is an imperfect but very good movie.

5 out of 5 stars no truer depiction of new york was ever caught on screen.......2007-05-05

just an all-around great movie! jules dassin directed this groundbreaking film, shot in and around late 1940s new york city: a decade too early for me to remember its reality, but still close enuf in time for me to sense just how accurately it was caught. any fan of procedural television cop shows of today (the "law & order" or "csi" franchises most prominent among them) should go take a look at this to understand where they came from; tho the immature eye might view this earlier version as "primitive" in some senses, that would be akin to a fan of adam sandler disparaging chaplin. barry fitzgerald is wonderfully schlumpfy as the long-time detective working his way thru a homicide investigation, even making a misstep or two along the way. great supporting cast, great editing, great writing, great cinematography, &c. -- and neat extras on the dvd, highlighted by a long interview with the still going strong dassin, whos a hoot! this is a must see.
Naked City - Set 1 [TV-Series 1958-1963]
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A Great TV Show!
  • Great old TV!
  • THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THEM!
  • Absolutely Loved This Show
  • Superior Collection
 Naked City - Set 1 [TV-Series 1958-1963]
Starring: Horace McMahon , Harry Bellaver , James Franciscus , John McIntire , and Nancy Malone
Director: Harry Harris , Lawrence Doheny , Ralph Senensky , John Peyser , and Paul Stanley
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Bellaver, HarryBellaver, Harry | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Burke, PaulBurke, Paul | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Franciscus, JamesFranciscus, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Frees, PaulFrees, Paul | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Malone, NancyMalone, Nancy | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
McIntire, JohnMcIntire, John | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
McMahon, HoraceMcMahon, Horace | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Harris, HarryHarris, Harry | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Hopper, JerryHopper, Jerry | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Johnson, LamontJohnson, Lamont | ( J ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Kulik, BuzzKulik, Buzz | ( K ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
March, AlexMarch, Alex | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Sagal, BorisSagal, Boris | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Sanders, DenisSanders, Denis | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Senensky, RalphSenensky, Ralph | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Senesky, RalphSenesky, Ralph | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Sheldon, JamesSheldon, James | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Stanley, PaulStanley, Paul | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
TelevisionTelevision | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
Mystery & SuspenseMystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
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GeneralGeneral | 1950s | By Decade | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
Naked CityNaked City | N | TV Series, A-Z | TV Series | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
GeneralGeneral | Television | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:
  1. Naked City - Set 2
  2. Naked City - Set 3
  3. Peter Gunn, Set 1
  4. Naked City - New York to L.A.
  5. The Untouchables - Season One, Vol. 1

ASIN: B0007WFXUI
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Product Description

Gritty and realistic, this is one of television#s finest police dramas. Filmed on the streets of New York City, this ever-popular series puts a human face on crime, going beyond a simplistic portrayal of good vs. evil to delve into the complex personal dramas of the people involved. Filled with swift-moving action, the stories are often violent and tragic but also contain their share of humor, absurdity and even fairy tale romance. Starring Paul Burke and Horace McMahon, this landmark collection features many top film and television actors in guest-starring roles. Episodes include: The Fault in Our Stars; A Memory of Crying; Make-Believe Man; Take and Put; The Fingers of Henri Tourelle; Which Is Joseph Creely?; Requiem for a Sunday Afternoon; Ooftus Goofus; The Face of the Enemy; The Contract; Let Me Die Before I Wake; To Walk Like a Lion.

System Requirements:
  • Running Time 615 Min

    Format: DVD MOVIE

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A Great TV Show! .......2007-07-01

    I originally saw this show in the mid-1990s. I had never heard of it before but was absorbed by the stories and impressed by the acting. The show wasn't on long and I never had a glimpse of it again. When I saw the DVDs on sale, I was thrilled since I hadn't seen the show in so long but had fond memories of it's excellence. After viewing the 1st DVD set of the show is no disappointment. The show is every bit of good as I remember. It's definitely one of the greatest shows ever made.
    All of the episodes in this set are wonderful but my favorites are The Face of the Enemy and Oofus Goofus. Both episodes provide a tour de force role for a great actor - Jack Warden and MIckey Rooney. I highly recommend this set and hope you buy it soon.

    5 out of 5 stars Great old TV!.......2007-05-15

    It was really nice to see some ad breaks and commercials included in this series! Superb example of the golden age of television.

    2 out of 5 stars THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THEM!.......2007-05-10

    This is the famous tv show in which the narrator always said in the epilogue "THERE ARE 8 MILLION STORIES IN THE NAKED CITY , THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THEM."A more descriptive closing statement would have been "there are 8 million neurotics in the naked city"..and in each episode you get to see what finally drove them over the edge! On the plus side you also get to see many great actors cut their teeth on demanding parts for each week the guest stars are the main focus ; they have most of the lines and film time.. ahhh a would be actors dream, and that dream was fulfilled too , for the casting right down to the extras was surperb! Seeing nyc in 1958 is also nostalgic( i was born there in 53')and the black and white helps bring out the grim and grit that IS the concrete gray city of MANHATTAN.
    However, you may find that watching episodes about one irrational big city casualty after another DISTRESSFUL, DEPRESSING AND DRAINING! Never thought i could burn out from watching a T.V. SHOW but some shows are best watched once a week! " THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THEM"!

    5 out of 5 stars Absolutely Loved This Show.......2007-04-08

    The gritty realism of police work filmed on location in the streets of New York, with terrific plots and great acting. One of my favorite shows from the golden age of television.

    I am just very disappointed that Image Entertainment did not produce this show in complete season sets, as they did with The Twilight Zone. As it stands, there are 3 volume sets available that contain 12 episodes each and 6 additional sets that contain 4 episodes each. For a total of just 60 episodes of this great television drama. This show lasted 6 years and there were 137 episodes made. Less than half the episodes are available on DVD.

    5 out of 5 stars Superior Collection.......2007-02-14

    I had not seen a single episode of Naked City before ordering this set; I hadn't even heard of it before. I was very pleasantly surprised. The quality is uneven, as with any TV series: Some of the episodes suffer from convoluted scripts ("Let Me Die before I Wake"); weak humor ("Take and Put," "To Walk Like a Lion"), or sentimentality; but for the most part they are absorbing and surprisingly gritty. "Face of the Enemy," about a tormented war hero, ends with the deaths of eight people, mostly innocent bystanders--no big deal in today's TV dramas, but a veritable slaughter by the standards of 1961. Other episodes, like "Which is Joseph Creeley," about a man driven to homicidal behavior by a brain tumor, are thought-provoking. The guest actors are mostly excellent--particularly Jack Warden, himself a veteran, who portrayed the soldier in "Face of the Enemy," but also Roddy McDowell, Mickey Rooney, Jack Klugman, and others. The DVD presentation is fine--I especially liked the contemporary TV ads.

    My only complaints: (1) Why can't Image issue the complete series, season by season, instead of just selected episodes? They seem to have passed over many superior episodes just because they didn't contain name actors.
    (2) Lt. Adam Flint, with his looks of slack-jawed befuddlement, and gasping sincerity, annoys the hell out of me. So does his pert girlfriend, and their nauseating love-talk! But that's just me, I guess!
    Naked City - Set 3
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Very Good, But......
    • David Janssen as a dying executive
    • superb
    		 Naked City - Set 3
    Starring: Horace McMahon , Harry Bellaver , James Franciscus , John McIntire , and Nancy Malone
    Director: Harry Harris , Lawrence Doheny , Ralph Senensky , John Peyser , and Paul Stanley
    Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
    Classic TVClassic TV | Television | Genres | DVD | Video | The Addams Family | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | The Andy Griffith Show | Bonanza | The Dick Van Dyke Show | Dragnet | The Ed Sullivan Show | Gilligan's Island | Green Acres | Gunsmoke | The Honeymooners | I Love Lucy | Leave It to Beaver | The Lone Ranger | Lost in Space | Maverick | The Milton Berle Show | Mister Ed | The Munsters | The Outer Limits | Perry Mason | Star Trek | The Time Tunnel | The Twilight Zone
    GeneralGeneral | 1950s | By Decade | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
    Naked CityNaked City | N | TV Series, A-Z | TV Series | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
    Bellaver, HarryBellaver, Harry | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Burke, PaulBurke, Paul | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Franciscus, JamesFranciscus, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Frees, PaulFrees, Paul | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Malone, NancyMalone, Nancy | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McIntire, JohnMcIntire, John | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McMahon, HoraceMcMahon, Horace | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Harris, HarryHarris, Harry | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Hopper, JerryHopper, Jerry | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Johnson, LamontJohnson, Lamont | ( J ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Kulik, BuzzKulik, Buzz | ( K ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    March, AlexMarch, Alex | ( M ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Sagal, BorisSagal, Boris | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Sanders, DenisSanders, Denis | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Senensky, RalphSenensky, Ralph | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Senesky, RalphSenesky, Ralph | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Sheldon, JamesSheldon, James | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Stanley, PaulStanley, Paul | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    TelevisionTelevision | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
    Mystery & SuspenseMystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
    Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
    ( N )( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
    Similar Items:
    1. Naked City - Set 2
    2. Naked City - Set 1 [TV-Series 1958-1963]
    3. Naked City - New York to L.A.
    4. Naked City - Portrait of a Painter
    5. Naked City - Button in the Haystack

    ASIN: B000BZN1Q4
    Release Date: 2006-03-14

    Description

    More gripping tales from the crime series that pulls no punches! THE VIRTUES OF MADAME DOUVAY: A woman plans to blame her husband for a murder and run off with his stepbrother until Adam Flint investigates.

    KING STANISLAUS & THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE: Longtime friends Pete (Jack Klugman) and Steve follow an old Polish custom to resolve a bitter argument.

    HER LIFE IN MOVING PICTURES: After a wealthy man's home is robbed, police find important clues in a diary belonging to the maid, Virginia Cort (Eileen Heckart).

    ROBIN HOOD AND CLARENCE DARROW, WENT OUT WITH A BOW AND ARROW: Recent widower Earl Johannis (Eddie Albert) faces a gang of thieves when he tries to reach out to his sons, Jack and Chris (Christopher Walken).

    THE APPLE FALLS NOT FAR FROM THE TREE: Walter Gerrick would do anything to keep his cherished son, Les (Keir Dullea), out of jail, even if he must risk arrest himself.

    THE HIGHEST OF PRIZES: Richard Calder (Robert Culp) is gleeful after being found not guilty of murdering his wife but might be celebrating too soon.

    ON THE BATTLEFRONT EVERY MINUTE IS IMPORTANT: Korsica (Kurt Kasznar) bungles a major robbery, which erupts into violence. Meanwhile, Detective Adam Flint gets a lucrative job offer.

    NO NAKED LADIES IN FRONT OF GIOVANNI'S HOUSE: Hanging out in a college town, Ben Giovanni is enjoying an extended adolescence and will do anything to avoid marriage, even socking his tenant (Al Lewis) in the eye.

    THE S.S. AMERICAN DREAM: George Paraskis feels he can make his lifelong dreams come true by restoring an old cargo ship, but when things go horribly wrong, he robs a loan shark (Roger C. Carmel). ONE, TWO, THREE, RITA RAKAHOWSKI: Stock boy Gorilla (Tony Franciosa) sets off a riot after vying with the business owner for the affection of Rita Rakahowski.

    GOLDEN LADS AND GIRLS: After two men are arrested for wife-beating, the judge (Tom Bosley) orders them to get much-needed therapy, which they continue to resist.

    BAREFOOT ON A BED OF COALS: Barber Stanley Walenty desperately wants to be a cop, donning a patrolman's uniform to wound a holdup man and facing off against a killer.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Very Good, But.............2007-01-20

    After purchasing two other sets of Naked City DVDs, I have to say that this #3 was NOT Naked City's "finest hours."

    It seems to me that by the time the Naked City writers got to the year 1963 (the show's last season), they must have started to get burnt out on story lines. With the other disks, I found myself watching the whole four one-hour episodes in one sitting, but these disks (it's a three-disk set) I found myself stopping mid-way to go to bed.

    The investigation plot was somewhat confusing, compounded by a script made up of inane wording requiring the viewer to stop and think, "What did he just say, and what does it have to do with the story?" Basically...and sadly...it seemed that the writers had a hard time filling the the one-hour show.

    All-in-all, the shows are good, if for only the NYC scenery and watching then-unknown actors (like Dustin Hoffman and Christopher Walken, and "Law and Order" DA Stephen Hill as a young man) play some of their first roles in show buisiness.

    If you are an old-time New Yorker, and a fan of old black-and-white TV, you'll enjoy having the whole Naked City set.

    5 out of 5 stars David Janssen as a dying executive.......2006-11-25

    David Janssen is the star of "On the Battlefront Every Moment is Important". The co-writer of that episode is series story editor Howard Rodman, who would create Janssen's "Harry O" a decade later. Janssen would start playing "The Fugitive" the year after this episode aired.

    Janssen plays the owner of an advertising agency who is dying of leukemia. Janssen decides intelligent, creative, focused Detective Adam Flint (Paul Burke) is the right man to take over his company. Flint, who is investigating a theft at the company, must decide whether to leave the force for the challenges and rewards of running a business.

    One scene was filmed in the famous restaurant "Danny's Hideaway", and propreitor Danny has a role.

    This was one of Janssen's very few performances prior to "The Fugitive" where he showed the gravitas he would give to the character of Dr. Richard Kimble. I think this episode might have influenced producer Roy Huggins when he created "Run For Your Life", a series about a man (Ben Gazzara) with only a year or two to live.

    This was Janssen's second guest star role on "Naked City". He also guest starred once on "Route 66", which had the same executive producer (Bert Leonard). Janssen was a close and long time friend of series star Paul Burke. Janssen, Burke, Martin Milner ("Route 66") and Clint Eastwood had small roles in one of Universal's "Francis, The Talking Mule" movies in the mid 1950's.

    "Naked City" used the best actors in America as guest stars, such as George C. Scott, Lee J. Cobb, Peter Falk and Walter Mathau. Janssen wasn't in that league, but he was at his best on this show.

    Janssen isn't listed on the box as one of the stars of these episodes of "Naked City". I wonder why. Janssen was arguably as big a star as Robert Culp and Tony Franciosa. Is he that forgotton? Or is he not considered to be as good an actor as the others?

    I think it would have been a shrewder marketing move to put his name on the cover. There are still a lot of people who fondly remember David Janssen.

    5 out of 5 stars superb.......2006-03-25

    There is no payroll for Naked City dvds, so I am still not on it....and I don't want to be.

    Buy this DVD, however, and watch it with a good stiff drink. Superb performances by everyone...but mostly by the city of New York, circa 1959-63. (A very different place then!) Film noir at its best before film noir was a buzzword...gritty, real, filmed on the streets..an incredible look at NYC with believeable heart-wrenching stories (with humor, too) and totally unreal performances. This set of DVDs is worth the price just for one of the hour-long episodes, starring pekingese-faced Madeleine Sherwood and John Larch. Such brilliant performances. As a bonus you get Paul Burke and lovely Nancy Malone (epitome of NY sophistication when I lived there)...plus all the other regulars. You are transported back to the 50's and 60's in NYC. If you don't want to go, don't buy it.

    I just wish the DVDs played better on my player. Hard to move around on them...and sometimes they won't play at all...but then I throw them onto my computer and they play perfectly. But any problems are worth it...the soundtrack, the Naked City theme, the reality of the plots and characters, and being transported magically back to New York in those somehow simpler days.

    Try it, you'll like it.
    Naked City - Set 2
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • A chronicle of New York Theatrical Style
    • "There are eight million stories in the Naked City"---
    • Superb slices of life!
    • Was There
    • Early '60s earnestness
    		 Naked City - Set 2
    Starring: Horace McMahon , Harry Bellaver , James Franciscus , John McIntire , and Nancy Malone
    Director: Harry Harris , Lawrence Doheny , Ralph Senensky , John Peyser , and Paul Stanley
    Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    Bellaver, HarryBellaver, Harry | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Burke, PaulBurke, Paul | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Franciscus, JamesFranciscus, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Frees, PaulFrees, Paul | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Malone, NancyMalone, Nancy | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McIntire, JohnMcIntire, John | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McMahon, HoraceMcMahon, Horace | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Harris, HarryHarris, Harry | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Hopper, JerryHopper, Jerry | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Johnson, LamontJohnson, Lamont | ( J ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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    Sanders, DenisSanders, Denis | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Senensky, RalphSenensky, Ralph | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Senesky, RalphSenesky, Ralph | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Sheldon, JamesSheldon, James | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Stanley, PaulStanley, Paul | ( S ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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    Naked CityNaked City | N | TV Series, A-Z | TV Series | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
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    Similar Items:
    1. Naked City - Set 3
    2. Naked City - Set 1 [TV-Series 1958-1963]
    3. Naked City - New York to L.A.
    4. Naked City - Prime of Life
    5. Naked City - Portrait of a Painter

    ASIN: B000BD1LKY
    Release Date: 2005-11-22

    Description

    Twelve exciting tales from the city that holds a million incredible stories!

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars A chronicle of New York Theatrical Style.......2007-04-21

    I love collecting and studying TV's Golden Age, but I find this series very frustrating. I prefer a basically straightforward story---something that really pulls you in and, despite its twists and turns and oddities in style, still lets you follow it through from beginning to end. And when the end comes, I prefer a feeling of finality, of inevitability, a resolution that seems fitting and conclusive. Just old fashioned, I guess.

    Naked City's story-telling is frequently too abstruse for my taste, but there's a good reason why. The series is, after all, a chronicle of the time and place in which it was made. For me, it stands as a documentation of:

    1.) New York, the city itself in all of its grit and glory. It's fun to watch these shows, reproduced in crystal-clear transfers, and just feast your eyes on the REAL streets of New York, c.1960-63. Practically worth the price of these discs alone.

    2.) The "Greenwich Village" style of theatre of the early 60's, with its avant garde overtones and sometimes "freaky" characters, situations, and visual storytelling (and episode titles!) Anchoring the stories are 3 standard-type cops, featuring straight-as-an-arrow acting (very convincing) by Paul Burke combined with the far more stagey, almost caricature style of Horace MacMahon and Harry Bellaver, thrust into some of the wackiest situations ever to come from the Off-Broadway experimental theatre scene. What usually results is a mish-mash of style and content, which rarely comes together convincingly in the end (the sadistic, unhinged acrobatic dwarf-landlord who attacks Martin Sheen and Peter Fonda with a bull-whip for no apparent reason in an earlier release ["The Night the Saints Lost Their Halos"]is a REAL tip-off that we're in for some rough going in the series...)

    In Set 2, watch our for

    "Memory of a Red Trolley Car", with its incredibly chintzey opening flashback scene, lots of "far-out" visualtouches and deliberately "outre" psychological jibber-jabber, complete with a scenery-chewing performance by Barry Morse (a fine actor who needed strong direction to curb his bad habits).

    "And By the Sweat of Thy Brow" has a very promising premise and some fabulous direction and camera work--for the opening 10 minutes or so. But the allure and mystery of the central relationship is blown once we see Jonah's disfigured face---the story then settles down into a fairly routine concerned-cop-tries-to-help-troubled-teen yarn. A great opportunity lost (along with some more obscure pseudo-psychology between Barbare Barrie and Paul Burke).

    "Dust Devil on a Quiet Street" features another over-the-top scenery-chomping performance, this time by Richard Basehart. Similarly, "And If Any Are Frozen"...is done in by Nehemiah Persoff's broad caricature of a nutty Rumanian.

    On the other hand, John Larch is gut-wrenchingly intense in "Today the Man Who Kills the Ants.." David Wayne is remarkably restrained and deft
    in the charming and touching "Multiplicity of Herbert Konish", and "The Rydecker Case" gives us a powerful and sobering look at the corrupt politics which undermine the efforts of honest agents of the law. And Dan Duryea and Barbara Harris are terrific in "Daughter I Am..", which only occasionally veers into the too-theatrical realm.

    3.) Perhaps most importantly, the series often served as a showcase for iconic stage performers who left very little of their work on film.

    a.) The young Barbara Harris ("Daughter I am...') was a very cultish actress on Broadway, for whom the musicals "On a Clear Day.." and "The Apple Tree" were written.

    b.) George Rose ("Go Fight City Hall") was a MAJOR character actor, starring as Captain Hook opposite Sandy Duncan's Peter Pan and The Modern Major-General in the Kevin Kline/Linda Ronstadt "Pirates of Penzance", to name but a few (impressive Shakesperean credits as well).

    c.) Joseph Buloff, who joins George Rose in the nutty and totally off-beat Act 4 of "Go Fight City Hall", was, among other things, the original Ali Hakim in "Oklahoma". Check out the moment when Rose and Buloff, drunk out of their minds on the New York Harbor ferry, actually
    LOOK INTO THE CAMERA and WAVE TO US (!!!!), totally breaking the dramatic illusion. What a showcase for these two grand, old-style comedians!

    d.) Let's not forget Harry Bellaver himself, an old Broadway character player--he created many roles, including Sitting Bull in the original "Annie Get Your Gun".

    So "Naked City", whatever its artsy-ness and pretensions, still represents an amazing visual chronicle of an exciting, important period of American theatricality. It's great to have it preserved.

    5 out of 5 stars "There are eight million stories in the Naked City"---.......2007-04-08

    Naked City was(and is)a great New York city hour-long drama that was on ABC from the late 1950's to the early sixites-
    The show features great writing,great acting(part of the fun in watching these episodes is spotting actors who later became stars),and best of all a visual record of New York City in the early 1960's(those of us who live in N.Y. can especially appreciate this)
    These shows,taken from the 1962 season,feature Jean Stapleton(Edith Bunker),Nancy Marchand(later Lidia Soprano),Richard Basehart, Sandy Dennis, Aldo Ray,among the strs featured in this set of stories.
    If you enjoy New York City crime drama, then I highly recommend this set(as well as the the other sets).

    5 out of 5 stars Superb slices of life!.......2006-05-17

    As previous reviewers have noted, this is a remarkable drama series from an earlier, more idealistic time. It's a pity we don't have a bit more of such earnestness & idealism today, because I'm not sure that the edgy, dark "realism" of some contemporary entertainment will age as well as this show has, for all that it's clearly rooted in its time. But what a time! TV was still open to literate, questioning, even experimental drama; and even with the network restrictions then, it pushed for truly adult entertainment. Indeed, it's quite possible that those network restrictions made the writers more creative & inventive.

    Each episode is almost a small movie, with a distinctive look & vivid characters. Strict realism is often eschewed for intense characterization, sometimes a little larger than life, in order to illuminate one facet of the human soul. We get symbolic drama, absurdist farce, whimsy, elegy, regret ... all depending on the story being told.

    Just to pick a few of the episodes:

    "Today the Man Who Kills the Ants is Coming" shows us a decent, hardworking man, driven by gnawing demons both within & without, crumbling before our eyes. It's an early depiction of the toll exacted by life, when even doing your best isn't enough. John Larch gives a performance that's almost too painful to watch in its naked honesty.

    "The Multiplicity of Herbert Konish" is more in the whimsical vein, although with a serious point. Here we have a man living several lives at once, because he sees no reason why he shouldn't try & experience life on as many levels as possible. A paean to non-conformity, Herbert Konish puzzles & bemuses the police attempting to track him down, because he isn't actually committing any crimes. He isn't in it for the money or any scams, he simply wants to sample as many possibilities as he can.

    "Idylls of a Running Back" is probably one of the earliest depictions of the deluded celebrity stalker, with Sandy Dennis chilling as a young woman living in her own fantasy world. It's telling that even when the truth is revealed, the life of the innocent football star she claimed as her lover is still tainted, and it's clear that things will never be the same for him again. Aldo Ray is excellent as the man who's physically capable of overcoming any obstacle, but helpless in the face of this very different threat.

    "Daughter Am I in My Father's House" is a truly fascinating, sexually twisted tale of an overprotective father, whose attempts to maintain his daughter's honor are gradually revealed as his own warped drive for control, for sexual release through violence, and an almost incestuous compulsion.

    "And by the Sweat of Thy Brow" is practically a fairytale with a twist. Richard Jordan portrays a scarred young man who lives by night, almost in another world. Barbara Barrie is the somewhat too prim & self-denying young woman whose life he saves. It's rather like Beauty & the Beast, except that the story goes even deeper, revealing Barbara Barrie's own inner scars, even as Richard Jordan is eased into the daylight by a sympathetic but firm Detective Flint.

    And let me comment here on the overall fine performances of the cast regulars, who serve as our guides into this complex & compelling New York. Even when they seem to take a back seat to the week's guest stars, they all have revealing lines & quirks which flesh them out fully over the course of the series' run. And the commercials are an extra treat, a real time capsule!

    All in all, an exemplar of superior television, most highly recommended!

    5 out of 5 stars Was There.......2006-04-08

    Brings back memories of when I was a kid watching the filming in my neighborhood.

    5 out of 5 stars Early '60s earnestness.......2006-02-19

    I used to think that "Naked City" was an antecedent of shows like "NYPD Blue," but nothing could be further from the truth. What each show is is a reflection of the times in which they were made. Det. Flint is always probing the psychological motives of the suspects and people involved in a case, much to the exasperation of Lt. Parker. Det. Sipowicz usually assumed the guilt of someone they've brought in for questioning, and wasn't above roughing someone up or telling them something deceitful to get a confession, methods that would horrify Adam Flint.

    Many "Naked City" episodes spend much of their time on the inner torment of the criminal, in keeping with the Kennedy-optimistic "forward" thinking of the time. Thus the guest stars are guys who were good at portraying twisted minds, like Robert Duvall and William Shatner. "NYPD Blue" is very victim-focused, with two-dimensional creeps and weirdos for bad guys, with punishment extracted seen as justice done.

    "Naked City" can come off as too earnest and idealistic, especially through Flint's character, but at least the motives are noble, and it's actually refreshing now to see such integrity.

    The cast is terrific with Nancy Malone very attractive in a pert early-'60s way, very independent in her Broadway career and on a par with Flint as his gal, and often feeding him smart advice. It's a very believable relationship for the brief periods we see it. (The best is going to either of their apartments: It's a veritable catalog of mid-century modern design tips.)

    From a pure viewing perspective, the NYC location shooting and overall cinematography is phenomenal, and on progressive-scan TV is so amazing you feel sad that such work could not be fully appreciated in its original airing, having been seem mostly on piss-poor B&W televisions averaging 19" diagonal.

    Music -- what can you say about the intersection of the Sinatra world here with themes and incidental music from Billy May and Nelson Riddle?

    Stories, acting, cinematography, music -- each episode plays out like a short noir. Being in the early '60s, though, gives it that added "anything seems possible" earnestness and optimism even amid the grimness of the stories.

    I've been getting every DVD as they came out (and even wrote to Image after the first release to encourage more), and I love the new bigger sets with the original commercials and station-ID interstitials.

    To see the attempts of ad agencies to manipulate viewers 45 years ago is to see crude early stages of techniques that seem laughable now in their transparency. However, you can see the basis for manipulations done in more sophisticated ways today. Aside from that, they're just a riot!
    Naked City - New York to L.A.
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • A memorable show
    • Incredible vintage TV
    • One of the best dramatic series ever made
    		 Naked City - New York to L.A.
    Starring: Horace McMahon , Harry Bellaver , James Franciscus , John McIntire , and Nancy Malone
    Director: Harry Harris , Lawrence Doheny , Ralph Senensky , John Peyser , and Paul Stanley
    Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
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    GeneralGeneral | 1950s | By Decade | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
    Naked CityNaked City | N | TV Series, A-Z | TV Series | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
    Bellaver, HarryBellaver, Harry | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Burke, PaulBurke, Paul | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Franciscus, JamesFranciscus, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Frees, PaulFrees, Paul | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Malone, NancyMalone, Nancy | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McIntire, JohnMcIntire, John | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McMahon, HoraceMcMahon, Horace | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Harris, HarryHarris, Harry | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
    Hopper, JerryHopper, Jerry | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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    2. Naked City - Portrait of a Painter
    3. Naked City - Death of Princes
    4. Naked City - Spectre of the Rose Street Gang
    5. Naked City - Button in the Haystack

    ASIN: B0000CG8HE
    Release Date: 2003-11-18

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A memorable show.......2004-03-14

    In its earlier half-hour series starring James Franciscus "Naked City" was a pretty conventional cop show, but when it was expanded to an hour's length and recast with Paul Burke it became more like an anthology series, with its famous "eight million stories" taking in the ordinary people and eccentric characters of New York City. Gradually it developed a unique tone and style, mixing action with sentiment, humour, and occasional moments of the surreal - how many other cop shows, then or now, would begin an episode with a voice-over meditating on the meaning of the Talmud? These DVDs feature episodes from the hour series, chosen in seemingly random order, a wise move as many of the best episodes came later. Picture quality is excellent, showing the atmospheric New York locations to great advantage. I've bought all the discs released to date and am keenly looking forward to future volumes.

    5 out of 5 stars Incredible vintage TV.......2003-12-30

    I cannot praise this late 50's, early 60's series too much. This DVD contains four episodes. By far the best is "A Case Study of Two Savages" starring a young Rip Torn and Tuesday Weld as two hillbillies with virtually no ethics. The acting is superb and heart wrenching. Another episode, "The Night the Saints Lost Their Halos," stars Martin Sheen and a pimply Peter Fonda as two young boys who have tried to rob a store and must pay the messy consequences. Two additional powerful episodes make this a must buy for fans of film noir and gritty reality. The real star, of course, in this tough and totally realistic series filmed on location is a black and white New York City with finned cars, stores, snowy streets and a smoggy skyline vastly different from today's. It is an entrancing step back in history for lovers of New York City and reality TV.

    5 out of 5 stars One of the best dramatic series ever made.......2003-12-09

    Like "The Twilight Zone" without the fantasy element, "Naked City" is a superby crafted television series from the golden age. "The Hot Minerva" is a bit too comical for the overall series concept, however "New York to L.A." and "The Nights the Saints Lost Their Halos" are heady stuff, far more thought provoking than the current crop of tv fluff. Observe Frank Sutton and Robert Blake in "NY to LA", this is what dramatic method acting is all about. Like the other fine episodes in the remaining volumes, characters are multi-dimensional, beset with inner conflicts, flaws and ambiguities that make for a top notch series. "Dragnet" had its straight forward good guy vs. bad guy approach but "Naked City" was far more complex and nebulous in its portrayal of the human condition. Let's hope Image Entertainment releases all 99 episodes of this superlative show.
    Naked City - Portrait of a Painter
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • There are 8,000,000 stories...
    • Dramatic and Nostalgic
    		 Naked City - Portrait of a Painter
    Starring: Horace McMahon , Harry Bellaver , James Franciscus , John McIntire , and Nancy Malone
    Director: Harry Harris , Lawrence Doheny , Ralph Senensky , John Peyser , and Paul Stanley
    Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
    Classic TVClassic TV | Television | Genres | DVD | Video | The Addams Family | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | The Andy Griffith Show | Bonanza | The Dick Van Dyke Show | Dragnet | The Ed Sullivan Show | Gilligan's Island | Green Acres | Gunsmoke | The Honeymooners | I Love Lucy | Leave It to Beaver | The Lone Ranger | Lost in Space | Maverick | The Milton Berle Show | Mister Ed | The Munsters | The Outer Limits | Perry Mason | Star Trek | The Time Tunnel | The Twilight Zone
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    Naked CityNaked City | N | TV Series, A-Z | TV Series | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
    GeneralGeneral | Television | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
    Bellaver, HarryBellaver, Harry | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Burke, PaulBurke, Paul | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Franciscus, JamesFranciscus, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Frees, PaulFrees, Paul | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    Malone, NancyMalone, Nancy | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McIntire, JohnMcIntire, John | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
    McMahon, HoraceMcMahon, Horace | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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    1. Naked City - Spectre of the Rose Street Gang
    2. Naked City - Prime of Life
    3. Naked City - Death of Princes
    4. Naked City - Button in the Haystack
    5. Naked City - New York to L.A.

    ASIN: B0001UZZMC
    Release Date: 2004-05-11

    Description

    In "Portrait of a Painter" a struggling artist (Star Trek's William Shatner) awakens to find his wife has been murdered. He swears that he didn't do it, but Detective Flint is not convinced. In "Alive and Still a Second Lieutenant" a frustrated junior executive erupts with anger when a man named Mr. Binks (Deliverance's Jon Voight) taunts him. In "Don't Knock it Till You've Tried It" a stressed psychologist (The Odd Couple's Walter Matthau) seeks solace in a Las Vegas dancer who kidnaps him and threatens to kill him if he doesn't marry her. In "The Tragic Success of Alfred Tiloff" Lifelong failure Alfy Tiloff (Quincy's Jack Klugman) tries for a big payoff when he kidnaps a little girl, but his scheme's success may have a price he can't afford.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars There are 8,000,000 stories..........2004-07-25

    They sure don't make them like this anymore. NAKED CITY ran on television from 1958-1963, and it's unlike any cop show of the last ten years. Its continuing stars were Horace McMahon, Harry Bellaver and Paul Burke (Burke joined the series in 1960), detectives working out of the 65th Precinct in New York City.
    It's difficult to judge a series on only four episodes, but if the shows on this disk are representative some conclusions are warranted. First, these are very well written. It's tough to fit a compelling story into the fifty minutes allowed an hour broadcast, but all the episodes on the disk are very strong. The NAKED CITY used veteran guest stars and focused as much on the guests as on the continuing stars. There aren't any of the currently popular sub-plots. The cops are there to track and book the bad guys, and not to distract us with a drinking problem or a messy divorce. Each episode is complete and self-contained. The forensic guys are buried deep in the background. McMahon's character, Lt. Mike Parker, might have something sent "to the boys in the lab," but that's about it. New York and environs are very much a part of the series; there are a number of location shots in each episode.
    The first episode, "Portrait of a Painter," stars a pre-girdle-and-scalp-rug William Shatner as a painter who discovers his wife is dead and goes to his psychiatrist (Theodore Bikel) with a nagging dread that he may have murdered her. The young Shatner was already a-bursting with energy and his peculiar brand of Method Acting. The second episode, "Don't Knock It Til You've Tried It," stars Walter Matthau as a psychiatrist who is kidnapped by a Vegas chorus girl (Sally Gracie) and a girlfriend. This one is a quirky little morality tale about the relationships between men and women. Fun and a little strange. The third, "Alive and Still a Second Lieutenant," stars Robert Sterling as a WWII vet who, after accidentally killing a man, has to deal with moral cowardice and 'misplaced aggression.' It co-stars a very young Jon Voight, which is probably why it's included in the first place. Jack Klugman stars with Jan Sterling in the final offering, "The Tragic Success of Alfred Tiloff," about a chronic loser and his wife who hatches a nefarious scheme to bring them success and fortune.
    There aren't any extras on this disk. Still, NAKED CITY: PORTRAIT OF A PAINTER was fun to watch and I certainly didn't feel cheated.

    5 out of 5 stars Dramatic and Nostalgic.......2004-06-12

    This and the other DVDs of the early 1960s TV show "Naked City" are all excellent.

    The New York locales give the episodes a distinct look. It was very nostalgic for me to see what the city that I grew up in and still work in looked like in 1961.

    The stories are interesting and unique in that the guest star/criminal is on camera more than the policemen investigating the case.

    I especially liked the Walter Matthau episode in which he's kidnapped by a Las Vegas showgirl who threatens to kill him unless he makes good on his promise to marry her. The humor of this situation makes this episode a nice light-hearted change of pace from the other more dramatic and poignant ones that are on this disk, such as the Jack Klugman episode revolving around the kidnapping of a little girl.

    I can't wait for the next batch of "Naked City" DVDs to be released.
    Naked City - Death of Princes
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Death of Princes - the Jewel in this collection
    • Naked City: A Death of Princes
    • Yippee, Finally, Hooray!
    • GREAT OLD TV SHOW
    • A steal!
    		 Naked City - Death of Princes
    Starring: Horace McMahon , Harry Bellaver , James Franciscus , John McIntire , and Nancy Malone
    Director: Harry Harris , Lawrence Doheny , Ralph Senensky , John Peyser , and Paul Stanley
    Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    Similar Items:
    1. Naked City - Button in the Haystack
    2. Naked City - Portrait of a Painter
    3. Naked City - Spectre of the Rose Street Gang
    4. Naked City - Prime of Life
    5. Naked City - New York to L.A.

    ASIN: B00007ELDX
    Release Date: 2003-01-14

    Amazon.com

    There are eight million stories in the Naked City, and this disc compiles four of them from the ABC police drama that should please vintage TV fans with its gritty stories, noirish photography, and New York locations. The quartet included here is culled from the series' second season (1960-61), which was distinctly different from its 1958-59 debut. Stars John McIntire and James Franciscus were replaced by Paul Burke and Horace McMahon as the lead detectives; the half-hour program had also been expanded to 60 minutes. Untouched, however, were the complex, character-driven scripts, powered by stellar actors and directors. Among those featured on this disc are actors Eli Wallach and Walter Matthau, writers W. R. Burnett (High Sierra) and Stirling Silliphant (also the series' story consultant), and directors Arthur Hiller and John Brahm. Viewers under 40 may find the hard-boiled dialogue old fashioned, but cop show aficionados will appreciate the serious tone and action. --Paul Gaita

    Description

    Gritty and realistic, this is one of television's best police dramas. Filmed on the streets of New York City, this ever-popular series puts a human face on crime, going beyond a simplistic portrayal of good vs. evil to delve into the complex personal dramas of the people involved. Filled with swift-moving action, the stories are often violent and tragic, but also contain their share of humor, absurdity and even fairy tale romance. Paul Burke stars as Detective Adam Flint, the young, handsome detective who manages to hold on to his ideals, and Horace McMahon is his crusty older boss, Lt. Mike Parker. Because of the critically-acclaimed series' outstanding reputation, the series attracted many top film and television actors for its guest-starring roles. Episodes: "Death of Princes" (Ep. 40, October 12, 1960) - A crooked detective (Eli Wallach) blackmails a cashier, a prizefighter (George Maharis) and a playboy into helping him steal the proceeds from a charity boxing match. "Debt of Honor" (Ep. 46, November 23, 1960) - A gambler (Steve Cochran) gets in deep trouble with an underworld crime syndicate, triggering his wife (Lois Nettleton) to run away after she learns about his unsavory connections. "The Man Who Bit a Diamond in Half" (Ep. 48, December 14, 1960) - A man (Walter Matthau) discovers that his wife is involved with a gang of jewel thieves who plan to steal the world's largest uncut diamond. "Murder Is a Face I Know" (Ep. 50, January 11, 1961) - A model husband and father (Theodore Bikel) massacres the crew of a cabin cruiser. Now his wife and son (Keir Dullea) must face the fact that he's secretly a hitman for a gang lord.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Death of Princes - the Jewel in this collection.......2003-12-31

    I am giving this DVD collection four instead of five stars because I don't believe it represents a collection of the strongest episodes from the Naked City TV series. It starts out strong with the excellent "Death of Princes" but it is my personal opinion that the following three episodes shy in comparison and are disappointing, especially "Bit a Diamond" which I forced myself to watch to the end. Is it worth buying? Yes! And I would buy it again. Just for "Death of Princes." The opening episode has one of the greatest opening sequence of all of them. The photography is pure genious. And the simplicity and brevity of the narrator's "reaching up... reaching out... and reaching down..." and how it ties in with an equally strong epilogue narration. You just have to see this episode to appreciate one of the most brilliant examples of this TV series.

    5 out of 5 stars Naked City: A Death of Princes.......2003-04-03

    I recently purchased this DVD and have viewed all four episodes. I had forgotten how good this series was. I hadn't viewed any re-runs in some twenty years and it was good to re-visit this outstanding series. I heartily recommend this DVD to fans of Naked City. I will probably purchase the other DVD offered in the near future.

    5 out of 5 stars Yippee, Finally, Hooray!.......2003-02-10

    There are eight million stories in the Naked City and here is your opportunity to view some of the best. Don't miss watching this series of hard hitting dramas, all filmed in New York City in the late 50's and early 60's! Many poignant stories that will break your heart or warm it. Realistic story lines and fantastic acting by many stars who went on to "make it big." A New York City that still exists in our memories is the real star of this series. One can only hope that more episodes will be released as they are uniformly incredible.

    4 out of 5 stars GREAT OLD TV SHOW.......2003-01-29

    I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SHOW ON DVD,I WAS 13 YRS OLD WHEN THIS SHOW WAS ON TV.ITS GREAT TO SEE HOW THESE GREAT ACTORS OF TODAY GOT STARTED.WHAT EVER HAPPEND TO PAUL BURKE.THE PICTURE QUALITY IS FANTASTIC,ITS GREAT TO SEE A TV SHOW 51MINS LONG NOT 39 MINS TODAY.TV SETS ARE FANTASTIC TODAY BUT THE COMMERICALS ARE REDICULOUS,TODAYS TV STARS WORK MUCH LESS THEN THOSE OF YEARS AGO AN MAKE SO MUCH MORE MONEY.I HOPE IMAGE VIDEO COMES OUT WITH MORE OF THESE OLD TV SHOWS,MABEY M SQUAD MR LUCKY,THE DEFENDERS,GREAT JOB IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT.

    5 out of 5 stars A steal!.......2003-01-15

    I'm delighted that Image has begun releasing NAKED CITY episodes. This disc (and "Button in a Haystack") includes 4 episodes from the show's first hour-long season. With 4 episodes on one side of the disc, I worried about compression -- but picture and sound quality are actually quite fine. It's a treat to see & hear these episodes in a 51-minute, uncut format. Here's hoping that Image releases more episodes soon!
    Naked in New York
    Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
    • BEWARE: Chopped version!
    • Naked in New York
    • ... the playwright
    • great indie film
    • Funny, honest, appealing
    		 Naked in New York
    Starring: Eric Stoltz , Mary-Louise Parker , Ralph Macchio , Jill Clayburgh , and Tony Curtis
    Director: Daniel Algrant
    Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    ASIN: B00000F6N8
    Release Date: 2004-09-07

    Amazon.com essential video

    Naked in New York is a likable, intimate look at the young couple Jake and Joanne (Eric Stoltz and Mary-Louise Parker), who meet in college and slowly see their lives pull apart. A romantic comedy with a New York attitude, it's a more realistic version of Reality Bites. A struggling playwright with a rich imagination, Jake has a laziness factor that's holding him back, and, in part, that's the underlying feeling of the movie: Things just happen. But it's a great showcase for the underappreciated Parker (Fried Green Tomatoes) and for Tony Curtis as an off-Broadway producer. In addition to the hugely likable cast are many catchy cameo appearances. --Doug Thomas

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars BEWARE: Chopped version!.......2006-04-26

    This version has the sides chopped off of it to force it into the 1.33:1 aspect ratio. I thought they'd learned to at least offer the full movie these days, but I guess not. I didn't pay full price to only get 2/3rds (or less) of the movie though!

    1 out of 5 stars Naked in New York.......2001-09-18

    Oh dear, it's one of those films where the stars wish they hadn't made! Eric Stoltz does give an excellent performance and the plot i suppose is pretty good, but it's one of those classic 'it never gets started films' and when it tries to it falls into all your typical cliches!
    Tim Dalton...why? I mean I think the guy is a superb actor but, what are you doing man? What was the point in his role? Why did he decide to do it and...Oh I think I have given up asking this now!! Come Back James Bond all is forgiven!

    2 out of 5 stars ... the playwright.......2001-06-24

    This is a descendant of the 1980's teen pic crossed with 1990's grunge directed by Daniel Algrant, with Eric Stoltz having left his girlfriend Mary-Louise Parker and while driving, reminisces, narrating to the camera. There are flashbacks to his childhood, his relationship, and the production of an autobiographical off-Broadway play "Master of my Emotions" (with such a title you know it's bound to flop, unless it is meant as an indication of the self-indulgence of some off-Broadway productions). Only the latter subplot brings this film some degree of interest since as characters Stoltz and Parker are dull, limp, dull. This performance makes you long for Peter Bogdanovich's Mask cos at least in that film Stoltz' makeup gave him something, and Parker appears to be doing Diane Keaton's Annie Hall schtick, using big eyes and odd hand movements. As Stoltz' mother, Jill Clayburgh is keen but given nothing to do except wear a lot of jewellry for eccentricity - get it? In the off-Broadway scenes we get a series of cameos. It's great to see Tony Curtis as the show's producer and his boxer intonation, cheeky smile and silver hair is a delight. Kathleen Turner as the play's lead actor brings some energy, and she carries a drag queen air. Algrant uses her movie-star glamour and pug-ugly face for comic effect. As Stoltz' friend, Ralph Macchio is a true surprise after those terrible Karate Kid titles. His violent reaction to news of his being fired suggests what Macchio might have brought to the Stoltz role, and his scenes with Stoltz carry real sexual tension. Timothy Dalton has a few scenes as a wolf and his snake eyes and dark features hint at a masculinity that his efforts as James Bond lack. Agrant tries for amiability by populating the soundtrack with groovy music and his sensibility includes fantasy and dream, a talking orangutang, stone faces come to life with the help of Whoopi Goldberg, a mariachi band, blackouts, squirrels and a nut factory, an amusing lazy-Susan editing technique, and parties attended by New York literati, including the ubiquitous Quentin Crisp.

    4 out of 5 stars great indie film.......2001-06-19

    This is a great film to watch if you're into 'reality' films. The script has a very real feel to it, in the sense that its goal isn't to solve problems or to give everyone a warm fuzzy feeling. Its goal is to show you 'yeah, no one has it all together (although some have it together better than others).

    The actors do a great job with the matierial, and the script is well written. I warn in advance that this is a film without a traditional 'plot', so if you don't like films where there's more talking than anything else, you may not like this film.

    If you're patient with films, and aren't looking to be entertained, give Naked in New York a try.

    5 out of 5 stars Funny, honest, appealing.......1999-04-01

    This movie depicted exactly the feeling you get at that weird moment ( whgich comes all too often) in your life when things aren't working just right and you can't figure out why. It depicts breaking up with that first love of your life with honesty, and an appealing self-depricating wit. I'd reccomend it highly to anyone who wants to see something a bit off beat and intelligent.
    Naked City - Spectre of the Rose Street Gang
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Release the earliest episodes first!
    		 Naked City - Spectre of the Rose Street Gang
    Starring: Horace McMahon , Harry Bellaver , James Franciscus , John McIntire , and Nancy Malone
    Director: Harry Harris , Lawrence Doheny , Ralph Senensky , John Peyser , and Paul Stanley
    Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    1. Naked City - Portrait of a Painter
    2. Naked City - Death of Princes
    3. Naked City - Prime of Life
    4. Naked City - Button in the Haystack
    5. Naked City - New York to L.A.

    ASIN: B0001UZZMM
    Release Date: 2004-05-11

    Description

    In "Spectre of the Roses Street Gang" Carroll O'Connor (All in the Family) is one of three successful businessmen who killed a boy long ago. An old friend who learns about the crime hopes to use the information for his own interests. In "Goodbye Mama, Hello Auntie Maud" a murdered woman's daughter unwittingly has a romance with the killer, the family chauffeur (The Magnificent Seven's James Coburn). In "Torment Him Much and Hold Him Long" Barney Sonners (The Godfather's Robert Duvall) is a down-on-his-luck bartender who borrows money from a crime gang to help his family, only to find himself relentlessly hounded by thugs. In "Five Cranks for Winter# Ten Cranks for Spring" Manager Gus Slate (Peter Gunn's Herschel Bernardi) turns on his boxer and helps his opponent, all for a rose.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Release the earliest episodes first!.......2004-09-06

    I'm giving this DVD five stars because Naked City was one of the greatest shows to hit the air, and because this DVD is definitely worth buying and is better than 99% of what appears on TV (and about 70% of films) nowadays.

    Unfortunately, this DVD happens to contain four of the weaker episodes from the third season, when Naked City moved to "softer," more character-driven shows. The first two seasons were much harder edged, and in my view much better.

    Obviously they were selected because of the stars who appeared--Carroll O'Connor in two episodes, Jack Warden in one, James Coburn in one and the great Robert Duvall in two.

    But the Coburn episode, while well-acted, is set in an upper-class milieu and the plot is claustrophobic and unappealing. The motivation of the Coburn character doesn't make sense.

    The Rose Street Gang episode is hampered by weak acting (apart from O'Connor and Warden) and a cop-out ending.

    The two Duvall episodes were OK--Duvall is always a pleasure to watch--but not as great as the early episode Hole in the City, which fortunately was released in an earlier DVD.

    Jack Warden was in many Naked City episodes. Why hasn't the distributor released the famous "water tower" episode (I believe it is entitled the King of Venus), also with Jack Warden giving a superb performance, which was better than all these four combined?

    There are literally dozens of much better episodes from the first two seasons that remain unreleased. By choosing weaker episodes because they have "stars," the distributors are shooting themselves in the foot.

    But don't get me wrong. Note the five stars. This DVD is definitely worth buying. But I would suggest that a newcomer to the show go back to the first released DVDs. They contain such classics as "Hold for Gloria Christmas" with Burgess Meredith, which was really outstanding.
    Naked City - Prime of Life
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Four stories down, 7,999,996 to go
    • Hold for Spider-Man
    • A series of rare depth, power & humanity
    • my favorite TV series all-time
    • Don't miss this DVD if you love New York
    		 Naked City - Prime of Life
    Starring: Horace McMahon , Harry Bellaver , James Franciscus , John McIntire , and Nancy Malone
    Director: Harry Harris , Lawrence Doheny , Ralph Senensky , John Peyser , and Paul Stanley
    Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Vide