The Untouchables -- TV series

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MikeBSG
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The Untouchables -- TV series

Post by MikeBSG »

It looks as if this classic TV series will be out on DVD soon.

What are your memories of this? I was too young to see it in first run, but I knew of it as a series that pressed the limit of good taste on TV from all sorts of jokes on other shows.

Finally, in the mid-80s, I was able to watch "The Untouchables" on rerun, ironically on a "Christian TV station" run by Rex Humbard in Akron, Ohio. This was pretty funny. All I can think of it that the station approved of the show because of the (implied) anti-booze aspect of the show. Still, I was shocked by the violence in the episodes, such as the "Purple Gang" episode when a guy had a fork stuck into his hand to make him talk.

All in all, I really liked what I saw, and I look forward to the DVDs.
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Dewey1960
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Post by Dewey1960 »

Excellent, hardboiled, fast paced show (at least the first couple of seasons). Notable too for its extreme use of violence, particularly unusual for its time. Of all the cop-related shows on TV from this period, UNTOUCHABLES was one of the few that could get away with being called noir (Johnny Staccato, Peter Gunn, M-Squad would also be qualifers). A worthy choice for DVD release.
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Dewey is right. Excellent show.

Robert Stack and Paul Picerni made good G-men - tough and hard as nails. I remember Bruce Gordon and Nehemiah Persoff, but they were the gangsters, and not very much to be idealized. Good show to catch on re-runs when there is nothing else on TV.

Anne
Anne


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Lzcutter
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Post by Lzcutter »

When people ask what was so great about Desilu in the post I Love Lucy years, I tell them The Untouchables and Star Trek.

They (Desi and Lucy) took a flyer on The Untouchables when no one else would and a few years later, Lucy would do the same with Star Trek.
Lynn in Lake Balboa

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Post by jdb1 »

Lzcutter wrote:When people ask what was so great about Desilu in the post I Love Lucy years, I tell them The Untouchables and Star Trek.

They (Desi and Lucy) took a flyer on The Untouchables when no one else would and a few years later, Lucy would do the same with Star Trek.
That's true, Lynn - Desilu gave us some very good shows. Desi in his memoirs says, I think, that one of the reasons he was willing to go with The Untouchables was that Quinn Martin (remember the announcer intoning A Quinn Martin Production!) was married to one of their former I Love Lucy writers, Madeline Martin (a/k/a Madeline Pugh and one other name, if I recall rightly).
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Dewey1960
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Untouchables TV show

Post by Dewey1960 »

Here's a little something special for all you UNTOUCHABLES fans!

[youtube][/youtube]
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Dewey1960
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Untouchables DVD

Post by Dewey1960 »

John -- I think you'll find it well worth the cost; these episodes hold up incredibly well!!
-Dewey
raftfan
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Post by raftfan »

Childhood memories relived with the DVD release of "The Untouchables". It was a great series until it ran out of steam towards the end of its run. I had the privilege of conducting what turned out to be Robert Stack's last interview and told him that "The Untouchables" was THE program that my dad and I watched together every Friday night. Mr. Stack laughed and said that it was amazing how many people had told him the same thing. I guess it was the ultimate father-son bonding show.
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

The Untouchables, like The Rifleman, was one of those shows you watched every week to see the shooting, or like me, because you had a crush on the star. Now, however, as an adult, you can look back and watch it with a more discernible eye, and enjoy it for its' actual value as sharp technical skills in all ways from acting to lighting. Supporting actors may have been a little stiff, but the main stars and guest stars always gave 100% to make it an exciting hour of TV every week, and something to look forward to.

Anne
Anne


***********************************************************************
* * * * * * * * What is past is prologue. * * * * * * * *

]***********************************************************************
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