Info:
Release Date: November 8, 2005 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Color/1984, 2004-05
MSRP: $19.98
Number of Discs: 1
Number of Episodes: 5
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Total Run Time of Special Features: 67 Minutes
Languages: English; No Subtitles; Closed Captioned
Special Features:
*21 Years of Answers and Questions
*Jeopardy!: Behind the Answers
*What does it Take to Get a Clue?
*Parts of a Jeopardy! Episode viewable through
multiple camera angles
Introduction:
Catch some of your favorite episodes of America’s
favorite quiz show PLUS go behind the scenes and see
what really makes “Jeopardy!” the top quiz show ever!
Have your questions and many more answered directly
from the writers, researchers, producers, the Clue
Crew, and even Alex Trebek himself. Never before has
“Jeopardy!” been seen this way.
The Episodes:
Included in the release are five episodes. This
set’s really more of a “best of last season” set that
they happened to include the first episode on, as four
of five are from the 04-05 season. The episodes ARE
in airdate order. The episodes are listed below in the
order they appear on the disc, with a brief episode
summary and original airdate included. There are no
guest stars in any episodes.
#1: Episode #1: September 17, 1984 - Season One
Contestants: Greg Hopkins vs. Lois Feinstein vs. Frank
Selibas
First Episode of Jeopardy
#2: Episode #4657: November 30, 2004 - Season Twenty-One
Contestants: Ken Jennings vs. Nancy Zerg vs. David
Hankins
Ken Jennings 75th and Final Episode
#3: Episode #4783, May 23, 2005 - Season Twenty-One
Ultimate Tournament of Champions Finals - Day 1
Contestants: Jerome Vered vs. Brad Rutter vs. Ken
Jennings
#4: Episode #4784, May 24, 2005 - Season Twenty-One
Ultimate Tournament of Champions Finals - Day 2
Contestants: Jerome Vered vs. Brad Rutter vs. Ken
Jennings
#5: Episode #4785, May 25, 2005 - Season Twenty-One
Ultimate Tournament of Champions Finals Day 3 [FINAL
DAY]
Contestants: Jerome Vered vs. Brad Rutter vs. Ken
Jennings
Episode information courtesy of the J! Archive
Packaging/Discs:
Packaging is a single black keep case appropriate
for a single-disc set like this is. Front cover has
Alex Trebek leaning on a chair with his name on it, in
front of the “Jeopardy!” set (random thing: the
Jeopardy logo on the screen behind Alex would indicate
that the particular picture of the set was taken in
2002 to 2003.) Reverse cover is solid blue, with a
little bar of five pictures spanning part of the back
cover near the top. Disc art features the same shot
of Alex, closer-up, in front of the rest of the disc
art. The bottom lower third of the disc is a
panoramic shot of the “Jeopardy!” set taken during a
game, while the rest of the disc…is blue.
Considering this is only a one disc set, a disc
breakdown really isn’t necessary.
Menu Design and Navigation:
The menus on this set are actually impressive. Sony
actually went to some degree of effort for the menus
of a single-disc release of a game show - it’s one of
the better menus on a Sony set, though that doesn’t
necessarily say much. The show starts out with the
“This….is…Jeopardy!” intro animation from last season,
complete with Johnny Gilbert voiceover. The main
theme then cues up, and you go to the main menu the
big board. The menu options are “categories”, with
the Jeopardy logo taking up the question…err…answer
part of the board. The categories are: Play All
Episodes, Episode Selections, Extras, Previews,
DVD-ROM, and Potpourri. Picking any of the
“categories” causes the board to load up, as it does
in the show, complete with board loading sound effect.
Each selectable option takes the place of a
different dollar amount as does a screenshot of the
episode on the episode selection menu. Normal
Jeopardy round dollar values fills the rest of the
spaces. All sub-menus follow the Big Board design…the
DVD-ROM and Potpourri screens actually use the
“screen” format of a Jeopardy clue, complete with
accompanying font.
Video and Audio Quality:
Ever want to compare something shot in 1984 with
something shot in 2005? Well, here’s your chance.
The video on the 1984 episode looks grainier. The
video on the 1984 show also looked way, WAY, overly
edge-corrected. The video on the 2005 episodes, on
the other hand, looks great. There’s a minor edge
correction artifacts here and there, but otherwise
looks fine. The audio on the 1984 show also sounds
extremely low compared to the rest of the episodes,
while the audio on the 2005 episode sounds fuller and
richer than anything I’ve ever heard watching Jeopardy
in syndication.
Edit Time: The Fee Plugs - the usual “promotional
consideration provided by” plugs you hear near the end
of each show have been replaced by a spot for the
Jeopardy DVD and then it’s back to the show. This
occurs on the 1984 AND 2005 shows. Interestingly
enough, though, the mid-show plugs for 2nd and 3rd
place’s prizes, on the 1984 show, are left in.
Chapter stops occur at fade-to-blacks.
Special Features:
All four features feature an introduction by Alex
Trebek, for what it’s worth.
Multi-Camera Episode (6:43): The description for this
episode is wildly deceptive. It’s not an entire
episode viewable from multiple camera angles - it’s
only roughly a third of an episode - the Jeopardy
category introductions and first few questions, daily
double, other question answers, Final Jeopardy. The
one truly unique thing is that when the first camera
goes to a still that says “Commercial Break”, the
other 4 keep going, showing you part what goes on
during a commercial break before Final Jeopardy. The
five angles are the TV Broadcast, directly above Alex’
podium, behind the contestants, and two cameras from
the control room.
21 Years of Answers and Questions (21:05): Interviews
with a few contestants, Merv Griffin, Alex Trebek,
Johnny Gilbert, etc. about the show. Alex Trebek’s
planned salary for the show was rather low, so he
wound up signing on as producer to bump up his
paycheck…he wound up producing the first three years.
Also talks about how, originally, the clue database
was printed out on old IBM printer paper, and they had
to manually flip through for clues. This is
essentially a quickened version of Jeopardy history
to-date, with interesting anecdotes throughout.
What Does it Take to Get a Clue? (19:56): Similar to
the above, but focusing on the contestants, Ken
Jennings, Frank Spangenberg, Eddie Timanus, plus more
interview material with Alex Trebek, Harry Friedman,
etc. The anatomy of a good Jeopardy contestant, Ken
Jennings, the Brain Bus, and so on--also includes tips
on being a good contestant.
Jeopardy! Behind the Answers 22:00: This feature’s the
third counterpart to the previous to, this one about
the behind the scenes efforts on the show. The cast
and crew, writing, anatomy of a clue, etc. are
discussed. Also mentioned is something you never see
on camera, Alex’ interaction with the audience.
Potpourri (No Time): This is just a still screen
that comes up when the option is selected featuring
various facts and figures about the show.
Total Runtime of Special Features: 67 Minutes.
Final Comments:
This is an amazingly well-done set, lack of episodes
(5 in a series that’s made almost 5000?) aside.
What’s here is really, really, really good. It was a
genuine treat getting to see the first episode again
particularly given Game Show Network’s lack of desire
to run the older episodes.
I’d like to be able to state what I’d like to see in
future releases, but given the nature of the set,
that’s hardly a given. Sony, you have a vast,
vast, game show library at your disposal (Jeopardy,
Wheel, Pyramid, etc) PLEASE use it. The only
CURRENT manufacturing method, currently, that would
allow for game shows or talk shows, or any other
show that airs in a “daily” format to be placed onto
a purchasable medium is the dual-layer double-sided
method. The upcoming BluRay and HD-DVD formats have
storage capacities as such they could also support
releases. The fan bases of these shows, particularly
Wheel and Jeopardy, could probably justify some
production once the cost even in mass bulk of
double-duals comes down. I just hope Sony will
consider it.
I urge the millions of fans of this show, three of
whom are probably actually reading this, to go out
and purchase this set, particularly if you’d like to
see more releases of the show in the future. And even
if you’re not a fan of the show, but are a fan of any
show that produces such high numbers of episodes (talk
shows come to mind) as Jeopardy does, you should pick
this set up, in order to make sales volume high enough
that season sets of “daily” series become justifiable
options.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars - How our point system works)
Video Quality: 4/5
Audio Quality: 4/5
Special Features: 4.5/5
Menu Design/Navigation: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
--Reviewed by Seth Thrasher on 10/22/05
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