GIVEAWAY: M-Squad: The Complete Series!

Week in Rewind is pleased to offer a giveaway of

M-Squad: The Complete Series

Own it on DVD November 11, 2008!

Thanks to our friends at Timeless Media Group

for this opportunity!

Product description:

The long wait is over for fans of classic television and crime drama, as one of the groundbreaking programs from the golden age of television finally arrives on DVD.  M Squad, starring Oscar-winning actor Lee Marvin (The Dirty Dozen, Cat Ballou), makes a grand return when all 117 episodes arrive on DVD in a definitive 15-disc collectors’ set.  For M Squad: The Complete Series, Timeless Media has painstakingly compiled over 47 hours of the captivating series which debuted on NBC in 1957 and aired for three seasons.   As a bonus, the set also includes the original TV soundtrack The Music From M Squad, a CD collection of jazz-inspired musical score from the series performed by legendary musicians Count Basie, Benny Carter, and composer/jazz pianist John Williams. 

The late ‘50s saw the emergence of the television police drama, with “Dragnet”, “Arrest & Trial”, and “Checkmate” competing for viewership.  “M-Squad” stood apart from the others with its coarse, film noir look, unique story lines and first rate music score.   Filmed in Chicago, the high-contrast cinematography brought the city to life – from the easily recognizable landmarks and swanky lake-front penthouses, to the seedy, darker side of the city.   “M Squad” (M stands for Murder), was inspired by actual Chicago crime-fighter Joseph Morris, and the series retained a sense of realism and intensity lost among the other dramas.  As a credit to its realism, after an episode of “M Squad” depicted a Chicago police officer accepting a bribe, Mayor Richard Daley banned any other television or film production in the city of Chicago.  (The ban was eventually lifted with the filming of The Blues Brothers in 1980.) 

“M Squad” stars a 33-year old Lee Marvin (with his distinguished and distinctive premature white hair) as Lt. Frank Ballinger, a no-nonsense plainclothes cop working in the elite M-Squad division of the Chicago Police Department.  Marvin’s portrayal of the cool tough-guy character with a big heart gave him instant name recognition, and launched his career.  He went on to star in The Dirty Dozen, Paint Your Wagon and The Iceman Cometh, and won both the Oscar and Golden Globe® awards for his role as Kid Shelleen opposite Jane Fonda in Cat Ballou.  He last starred opposite Chuck Norris in 1986’s The Delta Force, just a year before his death at age 63.

Long time character actor Paul Newlan played Ballinger’s boss, Captain Grey.  The rest of the cast features a revolving door of television luminaries and stars-to-be; guest actors included, most notably, Angie Dickinson, Charles Bronson, a very young Burt Reynolds, and Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley of “Star Trek”.

Also playing a starring “role” in M Squad is the extraordinary musical score.  For the first season, the producers enlisted long-time conductor and music supervisor Stanley Wilson to lead the orchestra in moody arrangements by legendary jazz man Benny Carter and a new composer on the scene, 25-year old jazz pianist John Williams (Star Wars, etc.).  For the second season, jazz great Count Basie wrote the enduring “M Squad Theme”.  It was a perfect marriage of image and sound.   Because of the importance of the musical score to the series, Timeless Media has included the CD version of the original 1959 soundtrack, The Music From M Squad, within M Squad: The Complete Series DVD collection. We are giving away TWO copies, and winning is easy.

We are giving away TWO copies, and winning is easy.

The contest will end on December 23, 2008.

To double your chances of winning, leave a comment on this post. You can do so below in the "Comment" or "Post a comment" sections.

Once that is done, sign up for this contest by clicking here and following all of the directions carefully.

Good luck!

Christopher

P.S. DON'T FORGET OUR PLAYSTATION 3 GIVEAWAY HERE .

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