Product Description

Robert Wagner, Juliet Mills, Lloyd Bochner, Stefanie Powers, Lionel Stander

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11553 in DVD
• Brand: DVD Boxsets
• Released on: 2006-04-10
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: .69 pounds
• Running time: 999 minutes

Amazon.com
Created by Sidney Sheldon (I Dream of Jeannie), Hart to Hart was a Thin Man for the 1980s. Self-made millionaire Jonathan (Robert Wagner, It Takes a Thief) and part-time journalist Jennifer Hart (Stefanie Powers, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.) even had their own Asta-like pooch, Freeway. Unlike Nick and Nora Charles, however, children weren't part of their globe-trotting, crime-solving plan. Fortunately, they had trusty butler/Bentley driver Max (Golden Globe winner Lionel Stander) to keep them company. Mr. And Mrs. H., as Max referred to them, were introduced by 1979's two-part pilot ("Hart to Hart"), which features Roddy McDowall and Stella Stevens as devious doctors and Wagner's future wife, Jill St. John (Diamonds are Forever), as a wealthy patient. Natalie Wood, his wife at the time, also has a cameo (under the name Natasha Gurdin). Other highlights of the first year include "Jonathan Hart, Jr.," in which a stranger (Dee Wallace-Stone, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) claims Jonathan is her son's father, and "You Made Me Kill You," in which an obsessed Jonathan fan (Kathleen Lloyd, Magnum P.I.) plans to eliminate the competition--Jennifer Hart. Other notable guests include Markie Post (Night Court), Daniel J. Travanti (Hill Street Blues), René Auberjonois (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Juliet Mills (Nanny and the Professor), and Eve Arden (Our Miss Brooks). Hart to Hart ran on ABC for five seasons and went on to inspire such popular detective dramas as Remington Steele and Moonlighting. After a move to NBC, it was followed by eight made-for-TV movies. Sadly, Stander passed away shortly after filming 1994's Secrets of the Hart. Three years later, Wagner gained a new generation of fans by spoofing the urbane manner that helped make Hart to Hart such a hit in the Austin Powers trilogy. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Synopsis
This popular TV series from the early 1980s was created by the bestselling novelist Sidney Sheldon. Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner) is a self-made millionaire, the owner of a huge corporation called Hart Industries, while his wife, Jennifer (Stephanie Powers), is a well-known freelance journalist. Their opulent household is rounded out by the Harts' loyal housekeeper and sidekick, Max (Lionel Stander). The glamorous husband and wife are constantly getting pulled into cases that challenge their amateur sleuthing abilities. They roam the world, mingling with the glitterati while constantly encountering crimes to solve. In the first season, a young boy claiming to be Jonathan's illegitimate child might be hiding a duplicitous scheme, while a story Jennifer writes puts the Harts on the trail of a killer of prostitutes. The comedy and intrigue continue from Vail to South Africa, as the Harts pursue blackmailers, murderers, smugglers, and kidnappers all in a day's work for this dynamite team!

Customer Reviews

The perfect series and about time too!
Finally, 6 months after the US release, Hart to Hart has made it over to its second home, the UK. The series itself is a rare thing. It has all the ingredients to make the perfect viewing: Beautiful people, romance (and they're married...to each other...shock horror!), glamourous locations, a dash of mystery and adventure and a sprinkling of comedy. No graphic violence, adultery, gratuitous sex or bad language.

The dvd itself is everything we would expect, although, after years of watching this series on dodgy vhs, I'd have been pleased with anything! It is beautifully packaged with an assortment of images and pleasantly pleasing menus.

The extras are worth the money alone. Included with the 23 episodes (including the extended pilot) is a half hour documentary 'The Hart of Season One'. It features interviews with RJ, Stefanie, Leonard Goldberg and Tom Mankiewicz as well as some out takes. All very interesting but the gem on this dvd is the commentary featured on the pilot episode. I am a great fan of commentaries but this one beats all.

The affection that RJ and Stefanie feel for the series and each other is obvious in every comment. Tom Mankiewicz (director and sometime writer) also adds his tuppenceworth, mostly about the girls but he does also have some very interesting background information on the show and the filming. There are some great stories involving Lionel Stander (Max) and his refusal to read the script, the Malibu fire that was burning on the first day of filming and lots of other treasures which I won't spoil for you.

I can't recommend this dvd enough and can only hope that series 2 (with more commentaries please!) will follow shortly.

DVD specifications
The packaging says the DVD has English and German audio when in fact it has the same as the Region 1 release, namely English and French, same for subtitles. The packaging states that it has English, German, Greek, and Turkish subtitles but unfortunately only English and French. The current 86% off Amazon deal is the sweetest and you won't find this set cheaper, not even used.

Worth the wait!
If you were a fan of Hart to Hart in the early 80's when it was weekend prime-time viewing in the UK (like I was!) re-live it now with this dvd set. The extra's alone are worth the money for any fan and it's nice to hear the banter between Stefanie and RJ during the commentary on the pilot.

Roll on season 2!