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The Movie: A popular series that ran from 1979-1984 (and spawned a series of 8 TV movies in the 90's), "Hart to Hart" was produced by Leonard Goldstein and Aaron Spelling, and starred Robert Wagner as Jonathan Hart, a self-made millionare who solved mysteries each and every week with the help of wife Jennifer (Stephanie Powers). The show had the two jet-setters heading off to various locations around the globe to solve a different mystery every week, aided by their trusty sidekick, Max (Lionel Stander) and a pooch named Freeway. Cases in the second season include: a search for millions lost after a bank robber's death ("Murder, Murder on the Wall"), a security leak at a toy company ("'Tis the Season to be Murdered"), spies competing for a list of Russian agents at a Hawaiian croquet tournament ("Murder in Paradise"), going undercover on a gambling cruise to expose a counterfeiting ring ("Getting Aweigh With Murder") and Jennifer becoming a target after agreeing to pose for a fashion mag ("The Latest Fashion in Murder"). "Hart to Hart" remains fun, light entertainment and it offers great performances from Powers and Wagner, who share terrific on-screen chemistry. With varied locales and a blend of action, drama and humor, the series still holds up pretty well as a guilty pleasure. 23. 2- 1 11 Nov 80 Murder, Murder On The Wall 24. 2- 2 18 Nov 80 What Murder? 25. 2- 3 25 Nov 80 This Lady is Murder 26. 2- 4 9 Dec 80 Murder is Man's Best Friend 27. 2- 5 16 Dec 80 'Tis the Season To Be Murdered 28. 2- 6 6 Jan 81 Murder Wrap 29. 2- 7 13 Jan 81 Murder In Paradise 30. 2- 8 20 Jan 81 Ex-Wives Can Be Murder 31. 2- 9 3 Feb 81 Murder is a Drag 32. 2-10 10 Feb 81 Hart-Shaped Murder 33. 2-11 17 Feb 81 Slow Boat to Murder 34. 2-12 24 Feb 81 Murder in the Saddle 35. 2-13 3 Mar 81 Homemade Murder 36. 2-14 24 Mar 81 Solid Gold Murder 37. 2-15 14 Apr 81 Getting Aweigh with Murder 38. 2-16 28 Apr 81 The Murder of Jonathan Hart 39. 2-17 5 May 81 The Latest In High Fashion Murder 40. 2-18 12 May 81 Operation Murder 41. 2-19 19 May 81 Murder Takes A Bow 42. 2-20 26 May 81 Blue Chip Murder The DVD VIDEO: "Hart to Hart" is presented by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. For the most part, the series seemes to have held up well over the years. Sharpness and detail aren't terrific, but the picture generally looks at least mildly crisp and likely resembles what the series looked like when it originally aired. The presentation did show some infrequent wear on the elements (a speck here, some slight marks or dirt there) and a few traces of artifacting, but otherwise appeared clean and clear. Colors looked natural and accurately presented, with no smearing or other issues. SOUND: "Hart to Hart" is presented in stereo on this release, and sounds perfectly fine, with clear (if a little thin-sounding) dialogue, music and effects. EXTRAS: Nothing. Final Thoughts: "Hart to Hart"'s second season continues the show's lively mixture of action, comedy and drama and offers great performances from both the leads and the supporting cast. The DVD presentation doesn't offer any extras, but audio/video quality is fine. Recommended for fans. |