FitzPatrick Traveltalks: Volume 1

What a pleasant surprise to open this set -- ordered May 18, 2016 from Deep Discount via Amazon's Marketplace rather than Amazon directly -- and discover DUAL-LAYERED (gold) PRESSED DVDs rather than the standard DVD-Rs that Warner Archive often uses for its releases. Thankfully they've been increasing their use of proper DVDs, especially in collections and individual titles predicted to be big sellers, but finding this information online is often a Herculean task, especially when the Warner Archive rarely provides it even on their own site, let alone to secondary retailers, so purchasing sets like this or the Forbidden Hollywood collections is often something of a crapshoot unless you buy them early in the run (which then decreases you chances of saving a few bucks getting them on sale later on).The TravelTalks -- particularly the Lush Technicolor versions that fill this set -- have their devoted fans, myself included, who've subsisted on the meager morsels doled out by Warner as bonus features on various DVDs of classic films over the years, so having a full SIXTY of them in one set is manna from heaven. Having them available on pressed DVDs ensures I'll be buying the next two volumes for sure. I can't assume, however, that pressed discs are available from all retailers as I've heard reports that Amazon itself, for example, burns their own "on-demand" Warner Archive discs when fulfilling orders (I welcome those who can correct me on this), and indeed the TravelTalks listing here does claim that the set comes on DVD-Rs. Just something to keep in mind in case you're the type who prefers discs that are likely to have a considerably longer shelf life.One thing to keep in mind: the Warner Archive eventually STOPS producing pressed DVDs for sets like these and reverts to DVD-R media. I'm not sure how long it takes, but for reference, some of the more recent Forbidden Hollywood sets, for example, can still be purchased with pressed discs in the case, but eventually they'll run out. As I write this, the TravelTalks set has barely been on the market a month, so buyers should still have plenty of time to source a good set. Just make sure to do your research and find out which online retailers are supplied direct from the Archive. My recommendation, obviously, is Deep Discount, which as of this writing sells this set via Amazon's Marketplace and is apparently supplied direct from Warner Archive thus having access to sets with pressed discs. Ordering from Amazon directly will most likely get you a set with burned DVD-Rs as per the disclaimer near the top of the product page.

I requested this release on their Facebook page nearly 4 years ago and they said they were working on it then. This set is far from complete, but it does have 60 of those wonderful color travel shorts from the 1930s through the 1950s (volume 1 covers some but not all the releases from 1934-1945). I wish they would have just given us everything in release date order, as I find the pre World War II shorts the most interesting from a historic standpoint (perhaps that's WA's thinking so they wanted to save some of these for future volumes). Here's a list of what's on it:Disc 11934 Switzerland, The Beautiful1934 Ireland: The Emerald Isle1934 Zeeland: The Hidden Paradise1934 Rainbow Canyon1935 Colorful Guatemala1935 Los Angeles: Wonder City Of The West1935 Beautiful Banff And Lake Louise1935 Modern Tokyo1936 Sacred City Of The Mayan Indians1936 Rio de Janeiro: City Of Splendor1936 Yellowstone Park: Nature's Playground1936 Oriental Paradise1937 Glimpses Of Java And Ceylon1937 Hong Kong: Hub Of The Orient1937 Floral Japan1937 Stockholm: Pride Of Sweeden1938 Chile: Land Of Charm1938 Copenhagen1938 Land Of The Incas1938 Glimpses Of AustriaDisc 21938 Czechoslovakia On Parade1938 Paris On Parade1938 Jaipur: The Pink City1938 Singapore And Jahore1938 Java Journey1939 Rural Hungary1939 Colorful Curacao1939 Quaint St. Augustine1940 Land Of Alaska Nellie1940 Seattle: Gateway To The Northwest1940 Sitka And Juneau1938 Glimpses Of Australia1940 Cavalcade Of San Francisco1940 Old New Mexico1940 Beautiful Bali1941 Mediterranean Ports Of Call1940 Red Men On Parade1940 Alluring Alaska1940 Glimpses Of Kentucky1940 Haiti: Land Of Dark MajestyDisc 31941 Glimpses Of Florida1941 Scenic Grandeur1942 Minnesota: Land Of Plenty1942 Glacier Park And Waterton Lakes1942 Exotic Mexico1942 Modern Mexico City1942 Land Of Orizaba1943 Motoring In Mexico1943 On The Road To Monterrey1943 Scenic Oregon1943 Through The Colorado Rockies1943 A Day In Death Valley1943 Salt Lake Diversions1944 Along The Cactus Trail1944 Colorful Colorado1944 City Of Brigham Young1944 Monumental Utah1944 Shrines Of Yucatan1945 Merida And Campeche1944 Glimpse Of GuatemalaHopefully Volume 2 won't take nearly as long to release!

My husband and I started watching Traveltalks on Saturday mornings on the TCM channel. New England born James Fitzpatrick, the “voice of the globe”, travelled the world in the 30’s and 40’s capturing beautiful scenery and culture wherever he went. Mr. Fitzpatrick lead a fascinating life and shared it with the rest of the world through his journalism & travel. His voice is soothing, the scenery and music nostalgic. He touches on a bit of history and culture in each location he visited. So, while you are enjoying his peaceful narration and videography you also learn a bit about other cultures, their values, beliefs, arts, traditions, etc.TCM stopped airing Traveltalks (they come and go) and my husband was genuinely bummed. We looked forward to watching this during coffee time on Saturday mornings. When his birthday approached, I did some research and found these on amazon. What a score! I ordered all 3 volumes. I don’t think he has ever been more excited to receive a gift before as he was with these dvds. We can now watch “T-talks” at our leisure. Each clip is about 10 minutes so you can watch as many or few as you wish at each sitting. If you love history and old movies I really think you will enjoy watching Traveltalks. Happy traveling from your own couch!

This is a wonderfully classic travelogue. Interesting and a throwback in time.