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(More customer reviews)From 1960 to 1962, Checkmate was my favorite television show. During much of the 1980s and '90s, I collected as many episodes as I could on videotape. So I was quite excited when the dvd sets of Checkmate, the best of seasons 1 and 2 were released. However, as I said in my review of the season one set, the episodes on that set were far from the best of Checkmate. That has now been remedied with the upcoming release of Checkmate-The Complete Series. There were so many great episodes from season one that will now be released: the great pilot "Death Runs Wild" with Anne Baxter, "The Human Touch" with Peter Lorre and "The Murder Game," a greatly atmospheric episode featuring an old house, a stormy night and murder. (I love those type of plots.) As I stated previously, for some reason, the scripts for Checkmate's first season were far superior to Checkmate's second season. I noticed it when I originally watched and I can still easily tell a first season show from a second.
While Checkmate got good ratings its first season, CBS still wanted to cancel it. However the show was produced by Jack Benny's production company and Benny used his clout with CBS to renew it for a second season. (Benny even guest starred on an episode of Checkmate. How many other dramatic series did you ever see Jack Benny guest on? I can't think of any.) However CBS changed its timeslot the second season and wound up cancelling it after that season. I guess not even the great Jack Benny could get them to renew it for a third.
However, as I previously stated in my review of season one, Checkmate had some of the greatest guest stars I can ever remember appearing on a dramatic series. On top of the ones I just mentioned, there was Charles Laughton, Lee Marvin, Joseph Cotton, Joan Fontaine, Dana Andrews, David Janssen, Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Montgomery, Jack Lord, Patricia Neal, James Coburn, Nick Adams, Claire Bloom, Dorothy Malone, Dick Shawn, etc. etc.
I look forward to purchasing the entire series. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with the Best of Seasons One and Two.
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Checkmate - The Complete Series!Checkmate was one of the best television dramas to come out of the 1960's, combining great scripts, locations and casting. Created by thriller-writer Eric Ambler and filmed on the streets of San Francisco, the series revolves around private investigators and their quest to prevent crimes before they happen. The show's haunting, iconic music, composed by John Williams, is perfectly suited for Checkmate's San Francisco setting, of fog-filled streets, sweeping ocean views and cable cars.
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