Starsky & Hutch - The Complete Second Season

Buy This Item Starsky & Hutch - The Complete Second Season by Sony Pictures  Available from Amazon  $29.99  on 11-29-2008     <I>Starsky & Hutch: The Complete Second Season</I> proves the 1970s ABC series, in its sophomore year, both codified its earliest strengths while continuing to evolve into a sharper, wittier, and often darker show. Contributing to those improvements were the stars themselves: David Soul (who plays maverick police detective, intellectual, and health nut Ken Hutchinson) and Paul Michael Glaser (as Hutch's more impulsive, junk-food-junkie partner Dave Starsky), each of whom directed exemplary episodes in season 2. Series creators also struck a more entertaining balance between the comic and dramatic possibilities inherent in Starsky and Hutch's bluntly honest, fraternal relationship. A number of stories placed the guys in intentionally funny undercover situations: as garish gamblers in the two-part opener "The Las Vegas Strangler;" entertainment directors (named Hack and Zack) on a luxury cruise ship in "Murder at Sea;" gigolo-like dance aficionados in the playfully-titled "Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back into Your Hearts;" and, most amusingly, stunt men in "Murder on Stage 17." <p> Those are all good shows, and the duo often bicker within them, to great comic effect, like an old married couple. (Soul and Glaser's commitment to their schtick as well as their more emotionally raw collaborations is truly admirable.) But it's the relentlessly tougher episodes that prove each character's mettle and demonstrates the depth of Starsky and Hutch's mutual trust. Among these is the powerful "Gillian," in which Starsky discovers Hutch's classy new girlfriend is a prostitute and breaks the news to his shattered friend. Somewhat lighter but just as revealing is "Little Girl Lost," starring a young Kristy McNichol as an orphaned street urchin whom Hutch, lately in a misanthropic, anti-Christmas mood, takes into his home. Glaser's directorial debut, the harrowing "Bloodbath," gives Soul a lot of room for an intensely physical and psychological performance as Hutch scurries to find his kidnapped partner. Soul returns the favor with "Survival," in which Starsky desperately seeks his missing pal, trapped and slowly dying beneath a car wreck. All in all, a very good season, with (of course) Antonio Fargas still sharp as sidekick Huggy Bear. <I>--Tom Keogh</I> Reader Reviews episodes are in high quality resolution, although i would have loved to see the full cut of las vegas strangler(originally 2 hour season premier),also cut are : nightmare(mising over 2 min), survival(missing 15 sec.), starkys lady as well slightly cut . but to my surprise i was very pleased to see the full 2 hour cut of murder at sea even though in 2 parts on dvd it is the full lenght abc version , excellent . ( notice the running time on part one? part 2 ran over into pt one about 5-8 min. )this episode was rarely seen when went into syndication back in 1980-81.

Starsky & Hutch - The Complete Second Season Available from Amazon Price: $29.99 Updated on 11-29-2008.

SPONSORED LINKS