The Lieutenant - The Complete Series; Part 1

Great writing and performances; Roddenberry is a terrific producer
I was worried that this show would suffer because Gene Roddenberry, for all his uncommon abilities as a producer and a visionary, isn't always a stellar storyteller when it comes to plot and dialogue. These shows, at least the ones I've watched so far, haven't been written by Roddenberry. The writing here is nothing less than stellar. The performances are terrific and the directing is solid. I'm not sure why this show didn't catch on. But it's clear from watching it that Roddenberry knows how to produce a TV series. I'm glad I bought it. If you're on the fence, get the first set and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Another Terrific Show on DVD
The release of "The Lieutenant" on DVD, continues the welcome trend of the recent releases of several excellent series from the early 1960s that only lasted one season including "The Gallant Men," "87th. Precinct" and "Wide Country." "The Lieutenant" was aired Saturday nights at 7:30 on NBC from 1963-1964. The series concerned a young Lieutenant in the peacetime Marine Corps (although it would not be peacetime much longer as the Viet Nam was was kicking into gear during this period.) The war was touched on in occasional episodes although the majority of the series took place in Camp Pendleton.
"The Lieutenant" starred Gary Lockwood, just coming off co-starring in another excellent one-season series "Follow the Sun" and 2 films co-starring with Elvis ("Wild in the Country' and "It Happened at the Worlds Fair.) The series co-starred Robert Vaughn as Captain Raymond Rambridge, Lt. Rice's (Lockwood's) no-nonsense superior. The series was created and produced by Gene Roddenberry,...

Looks Like It Was Filmed Yesterday
...actually that's a lie since everything these days is on digital video, but the FILM elements here have been restored to perfection for such an obscure series. I suppose the Roddenberry pedigree may entice a lot of people, but this was a complete blind-buy for me. I've always liked Gary Lockwood's guest appearances on other shows so I decided to get this. What a terrific series!

There's a nice balance between the Marine/civilian life so if the idea of a "war" show doesn't appeal to you, "The Lieutenant" is much more than that. It's like an early '60s anthology drama with a military motif. The guest-star roster is surreal. Where else can you see Mr. Roper (Norman Fell) and The Man--as in "Chico and..." (Jack Albertson) in the same episode? Lots of great, familiar character actors too. Gary Lockwood is beyond handsome here--the camera just loves him. It's like a time capsule of 1963 seeing all the old clothes, cars, hairdos and cigarettes, cigarettes, cigarettes...

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