TV MOVIE OF THE WEEK - COLLECTION FOUR (1977-1983)
3-Disc Limited Edition Hardbox. 1500 copies only.
CONTRACT ON CHERRY STREET (1977)
TO KILL A COP (1978)
COCAINE AND BLUE EYES (1983)
Bonus Film: A KILLING AFFAIR (1977)
I love TV movies, a s a kid of the 70s/80s I grew up watching them on the regular, I am old enough to remember there only being four channels, and made for TV movies were a big deal, my earliest horror memories of movies go back to seeing Gargoyles (1973), Don't be Afraid of the Dark (1973) and Salem's Lot (1979) on TV with my mom. and I always tell the tale of being scared witless after seeing a rebroadcast of Gargoyles, and how I thought Bernie Casey's gargoyle character was under my bed waiting o get me, and how I screamed out for my mother in terror one night. I would say that the horror and supernatural TV flicks were my favorites, but the networks made all manner of TV films in every genre, including crime thrillers and cop procedurals, which is what Imprint Films' TV Movie Of The Week - Collection Four (1977 / 1978 / 1983) delves into, vintage prestige made-for-TV crime-thrillers, the latest set include crime-thrillers Contract on Cherry Street (1977), To Kill a Cop (1978) and Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983), all three films making their worldwide Blu-ray debuts, newly restored in 2K from the original 35mm film elements.
CONTRACT ON CHERRY STREET (1977)
Imprint Television #27 Blu-ray
Label: Imprint Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 145 Minutes 14 Seconds, 110 Minutes
Audio: English PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: William A. Graham
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Martin Balsam, Jay Black, Johnny Barnes, Marco St. John, Martin Gabel, Henry Silva, Robert Davi, Harry Guardino, Michael Nouri, Lenny Montana
Made-for-TV cop-thriller Contract on Cherry Street (1977), is directed by prolific TV movie director William A. Graham (TV movie Shark Kill), a gritty NYC-set crime-thriller, based on the novel of the same name by Phillip Rosenberg, starring Frank Sinatra, Martin Balsam (Psycho) and singer Jay Black (Jay and the Americans). When Inspector Frank Hovannes (Sinatra) partner Captain Ernie Weinberg (Balsam) is gunned down by unstable killer Otis Washington (Johnny Barnes, The Warriors) during a chop shop bust, with Hovannes snapping and double-barrel shotgunning the unhinged killer to death,. In the aftermath he and other officers tale the law into their own hands to ensure the gang responsible are eradicated, with extreme prejudice, by turning the crime families lead by Manzaro (Marco St. John, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning) and Waldman (Martin Gabel, Marnie) against each other. It's a surprisingly violent slice of TV movie mayhem, this one is chock full of familiar faces, too - we have Henry Silva (Almost Human), Robert Davi (The Goonies), Keith Davis, (Across 110th Street) Harry Guardino (Dirty Harry), Michael Nouri (The Hidden), and Lenny Montana (Luca Brasa from The Godfather). The TV movie is well-made, lots of location's shooting around NYC give this one a filmic quality, plenty of tense moments as the vigilante cops target mobsters, and the informant Fran (Steve Inwood, Night of the Juggler, Cruising) is a freaking hoot, totally whacked out on smack and worth the price of admission alone. While the TV flick does have some grit and a surprisingly visceral edge at over two hours it does get pacey and languid in spots, but just this is still a high recommend, especially for film buffs who are nostalgic for this era of made-for-TV films and all the face-spotting happening onscreen.
TO KILL A COP (1978)
Imprint Television #28 Blu-ray
Label: Imprint Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: Pt. (1:36:40), Pt. 2: (1:35:04)
Audio: English PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Gary Nelson
Cast: Joe Don Baker, Louis Gossett Jr., Patrick O'Neal, Joyce Van Patten, Diana Muldaur, Desi Arnaz Jr., Christine Belford Eartha Kitt, Julius Harris, Alan Fudge
Next up is To Kill a Cop (1978), an epic three-hour two-part telemovie event directed by Gary Nelson (The Black Hole), starring Joe Don Baker (Joysticks) as Earl Eischied, the cigar-chomping Chief of Detectives in New York City, who is trying to break up a group of black militants (F.E.A.R.), lead by Everett Walker (Louis Gossett Jr., Firewalker) that are on a crime spree, robbing banks and killing killing of a police officers. He is also battling the Mayor and his own police commissioner (Patrick O'Neal, The Stepford Wives), both of who want him out of his job, The initially quite strong police procedural premise is hampered by a lengthy three hour run time that is heavy with dialogue and messy domestic melodrama via the needs of his ex-wife Betty (Joyce Van Patten, Monkey Shines) and kid and his current girlfriend Florence (Diana Muldaur, The Swimmer. Another subplot involvesthe first ever male/female cop patrol car partnering via Desi Arnaz Jr. and Christine Belford (Christine), who find themselves the targets of F.E.A.R.. The face-spotting entertainment value here is pretty high, especially as a kid of the 70s/80s, we also get crooner Eartha Kitt, Julius Harris (Black Caesar), and Alan Fudge (Airplane!). I liked it, the police procedural elements are pretty engaging, and it's long enough to flesh out a couple of the characters, with both Lou Gossett Jr. and Joe Don Baker shining here, but I did find that the racial stereotypes and casual sexism of the era were rather unfortunate. That said, even at three hours long I found this quite an engaging watch.
COCAINE AND BLUE EYES (1983)
Imprint Television #29 Blu-ray
Label: Imprint Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 101 Minutes 36 Seconds
Audio: English PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: E.W. Swackhamer
Cast: O.J. Simpson, Cliff Gorman, Candy Clark, Irena Ferris, John Spencer, Leonardo Cimino, Cindy Pickett, Eugene Roche, Key Luke
Made-for-TV noir Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983) stars O.J. Simpson as San Francisco based private eye Michael Brennen who after encountering Joey Crawford (John Spencer, WarGames) on Christmas Eve at a roadside cafe he is posthumously hired by the guy to find his girlfriend Dani (Irena Ferris, Looker) aka Blue Eyes, his investigation
uncovers evidence that a drug-smuggling operation is being run by the prominent Anatole family, including the wheelchair-bound patriarch Orestes Anatole
(Leonardo Cimino, Freckled Max and the Spooks) and his adult children Riki (Cliff Gorman, Night of the Juggler) and Catherine (Cindy Pickett, Ferris Bueller's Day Off). The 80-s set private eye flick seems to want to channel vintage noir in an 80s setting but the script and O.J. Simpson are not up to the task. We even get OJ stiffly reciting voice-over narration which falls flat, every time. It doesn't work, but seeing OJ in a Santa suit being chowed down on by an ankle-biter dog and navigating a punk rock club is not without it's entertainment value. We also get plenty of fun cameos, including Candy Clark (StarCrash), Eugene Roche (Foul Play) as Sgt. KhourI, and Key Luke from Gremlins as mobster Tan Ng.
Special Features:
- Bonus Film: A Killing Affair (1977, 1:34:07) SD
All three films are presented in 1080p HD fullscreen (1.33:1), the original television broadcast aspect ratios, looking very solid. These look like fresh scans from film elements, grain is appreciable resolved with pleasing textures and fine detail. Colors look terrific, lots of earthy 70s vibes all over the place, strong primaries and rock solid black levels, with pleasing depth and clarity. Audio comes by way of English PCM 2.0 dual-mono, the tracks are clean and well-balanced, free of age-related hiss or distortion. The scores are full-bodied, with Contract on Cherry Street having a noticeably grander than usual (for a TV movie) score by Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen)!
Extras include a longer 110-minute version of Contract on Cherry Street, plus the bonus film A Killing Affair (1977), presented in SD with lossy Dolby Digital audio. Another solid extras is the bonus made-for-TV film The Killing Affair (1977) starring Elizabeth Montgomery (TV's Bewitched) and O. J. Simpson in SD 1080i 1.33:1 fullscreen with lossy audio, running about 94 minutes in length, This is a L.A.-based cop thriller with secret-lover cop partners Montgomery and Simpson, on the trail of serial killer Kenneth Switzer (Dean Stockwell, The Dunwich Horror). A solid bit of made-for-TV fare, be on the lookout for John P. Ryan (It's Alive), Todd Bridges from Different Strokes, and the lovely Rosalind Cash (Tales from the Hood) in this one.
The 3-disc set arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Via Vision Entertainment in three keeepcases housed inside a top-loading Rigid Slipbox, each keepcase features it's own unique artwork, with a wrap that features interior artwork.
Another solid set of made-for-TV flicks from Imprint Films, all three of them making their worldwide Blu-ray debuts, which is just very cool. Personally, I am more drawn toward the supernatural and horror made-for-TV terrors than I am of the cop and crime thrillers, and I would look forward to an all-horror edition of the TV Movie of the Week series from Imprint. I am just saying, the first company to finally give us Gargoyles (1973) on Blu-ray will have my horror-loving heart forever, any one out there up to the challenge?
Buy it HERE!
