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The Movie: Arguably one of the finest things Disney has done in recent years, the "Walt Disney Treasures" line has allowed consumers to be able to purchase rare archive live-action and animated material from the studio's early days, most of which has been restored to very pleasing condition. The series has offered everything from classic Mickey and Donald cartoons to the Davy Crockett TV series. In this case, "Elfego Baca and The Swamp Fox - Legendary Heroes" presents the two short shows that Disney brought to the screen after the success of the small screen adventures of Davy Crockett. The adventures of Baca (played by Robert Loggia), an outlaw-turned-lawyer (based on the real Baca), were featured in ten episodes. "Swamp Fox", based upon Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, was played by none other than "Naked Gun" actor Leslie Neilsen, and was featured in eight episodes. Unfortunately, instead of getting the full runs of each of the two shows, we only get three episodes from each. It's impressive to have these shows be brought from out of the vaults for the first time in years, but it's too bad that both shows didn't get their own full season sets for fans instead of this two-show "best of". "Elfego Baca" episodes: "The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca", "Four Down and Five Lives to Go" and "Attorney At Law". "Swamp Fox" episodes include: "Birth of the Swamp Fox", "Brother Against Brother", "Tory Vengeance". Once again, the Disney Treasures sets in this fifth wave are offered in a limited run of 125,000 each - a numbered certificate of authenticity is included inside the set itself. As with the other sets, these make terrific Christmas gifts and are certainly something the whole family can enjoy. The DVD VIDEO: "Baca" and "Swamp Fox" are both presented by Disney in 1.33:1 full-frame, the original aspect ratio for both shows. Picture quality for "Baca" remains very good, considering the age of the series. Sharpness and detail are not consistent, but the majority of the episodes looked crisp and clear. The show did show its age at times, with some minor specks, marks and other debris on the print, but it was less than expected and wasn't a distraction. Aside from the wear, the picture didn't suffer from any other issues. Colors looked bright and natural, with no smearing or other faults. SOUND: Both shows are presented in mono, and sound fine, with clear dialogue, music and sound effects. Slight hiss is heard and the audio for both shows is somewhat thin, but like the video quality, the audio is fine for a TV show from this era. EXTRAS: Intros by Leonard Maltin, interview with Loggia, galleries and "Walt Disney Presents: Heroes of the American Frontier" featurette. Final Thoughts: I found both of these shows to be enjoyable old TV adventures, but it's a bit disappointing that only 3 episodes of each are offered. As for the 6 episodes here, audio/video quality are satisfactory, and the few supplements offered are worthwhile viewing. Still, fans may want to wait until either set is given a full series release instead of this "best of" pairing. |