The Colbys: The Complete Series
DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:
I’m currently in the middle of watching Season 1 of The Colbys, along with Season 6 of Dynasty (they aired during the same time period). I’m enjoying both, but could it be The Colbys is the better show? It certainly has something Dynasty never had in its main cast: former A-list actors.
It’s good seeing Charlton Heston again. He was 62 years old at the time, and I suspect what we see on his head isn’t quite all of his ‘God-Given’ hair. Barbara Stanwyck is really old, and wasn’t happy with the way things were going, and so she left after the first season. The character of Sable is something else and often makes Alexis seem tame in comparison.
I like Emma Samms (General Hospital) as Fallon. She’s a more subdued and softer version, and even though she’s no longer sexually promiscuous, that doesn’t stop men being attracted to her and the poor lady is often taken by force.
I didn’t see a lot of these shows during their original run, so it’s good watching them without missing anything. Too bad it was cancelled!
-Customer B65
I was a die-hard fan of this series in the 80’s. Watching it 30+ years later, is akin to time travel in the campiest sense. As for the DVD set itself, it failed expectations; no scene selections and no alternate language/caption options. It hasn’t been digitized at all, so you see all of the “specks” as I call them, though the transfer is acceptable. The jewels sparkle, the flowers are in bloom and the sets look fabulous. I was disappointed that each episode doesn’t end with the next weeks preview, as when originally aired. There are two interviews with Stephanie Beacham, Maxwell Caufield and John James, which were enlightening. I will give it credit when it comes to sound. The music, which is just as ultra dramatic as the series, is a joy to hear after all of these years, even if it’s not Dolby 7.1.
The series itself ranges from totally awful in the first season to totally ridiculous and addictive melodrama by the second season. I will agree on what another reviewer stated, it should be renamed “The Stephanie Beacham Show”. While the entire cast are beautiful and handsome, their acting abilities are sorely put to the test. Charlton Heston (Jason) and Barbara Stanwyck (Constance/Connie) are marginal at best. Katherine Ross (Francesca/Frankie) is totally lost and out of her element. Ricardo Montalban (Zack Powers) has much more of a redeeming character than I remembered, vengeful yet noble, and strangely reminiscent of Khan against Kirk, this time Powers against Colby. Emma Samms (Fallon), John James (Jeff), Maxwell Caulfield (Miles), Tracy Scoggins (Monica) and Claire Yarlett (Bliss) are just stunningly beautiful, with body curvatures and shots in swim wear and evening wear that even today, social media would go wild with. They are minor characters to Stephanie Beacham and if I may, the city of Los Angeles. Much to their credit, by the second season their acting improved, along with the scripts, in my opinion.
-JohnNDFW
As a fan of Dynasty, I became equally turned on to The Colbys. It was somewhat a staple of the 80s for TV networks to duplicate the success of other networks while retaining innovation and individuality. Keep in mind, in the 80s there were only the TV networks CBS, ABC, and NBC for those persons who didn’t have Cable TV. ABC was home to many shows from producer Aaron Spelling, and The Colbys was a new gem and spinoff of Dynasty. The Colbys (particularly) continued the 80s tradition of exhibiting how money doesn’t solve rich people’s problems, despite their glamour, passion, and wealth. It was a joy to have a cast anchored by the incredible screen legends Charlton Heston, Barbara Stanwyck, and Ricardo Montalban. Additionally, I grew to love the beautiful and talented Stephanie Beacham and Tracy Scoggins. Stephanie (Sable Colby) particularly became a favorite in that while she wasn’t as treacherous as her cousin Alexis on Dynasty, she nevertheless did whatever she could to hold her family together without trying to control her children. This was a notable difference in the shows in my opinion.
– Shurron Farmer
DVD Wholesale Main Features:
Actors: Charlton Heston, Katharine Ross, John James, Emma Samms, Maxwell Caulfield
Directors: Harry Falk
Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Number of discs: 12
Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Release Date: May 12, 2015
Run Time: 2220 minutes
