On DVD: ‘Marley & Me’ even won over the scrooges to become Christmas hit

One of last year’s biggest family hits was David Frankel’s Marley & Me (20th Century Fox), which will be released on DVD this week. It was based on John Grogan's best-selling book about the impact adopting a Labrador puppy has on a family.

The film covers a 14-year period in which John (Owen Wilson) and Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) Grogan go from newlyweds to homeowners and parents, while Grogan struggles with notions of career advancement and Jenny battles self-worth and depression issues. Marley is the constant in their lives, a lovable but pesky dog who chews everything in sight, continually gets into trouble, yet becomes a valuable and beloved family member.

The duo of Wilson and Aniston proved a credible couple on-screen, but the film's surprise was its crossover appeal. Not only was it a smash with families and couples, some of the most cynical, cold-hearted people in the world (film critics) embraced it, and were seen openly weeping during press screenings. It set a record for one-day box office grosses on Christmas Day (earning almost $15 million) and has topped the $140 million mark domestically (over $200 million worldwide).

There are several available options for those interested in purchasing Marley & Me. There's a single disc version that has just the film available, plus a higher-priced Blu-ray edition. There's also a special “Bad Dog” two-disc edition with extras that include interviews and bonus footage. But whatever package you select, Marley and Me is a top DVD.

TV on DVD

Two of the biggest names in television history combined forces in 1963 to make The Fugitive, arguably the ‘60s finest drama series. Roy Huggins created the show, and it was produced by Quinn Martin.

David Janssen starred as Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent man wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to die. He escaped in a train accident and spent the next four years searching for the person who actually committed the crime. Meanwhile, he was pursued back and forth across the country by Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), a dogged adversary determined to recapture the prisoner he’d lost.

Over the years, the two forged an interesting love/hate relationship, with Gerard sometimes voicing doubt about Kimble’s guilt, yet remaining determined to bring him in. When the show ended in 1967, the finale reached 72 percent of the available viewing audience. That set a record that remained until the “Who Shot J.R” episode of Dallas.

This week The Fugitive Season 2, Vol. 2 (Paramount), a four-disc boxed set, continues the return of these episodes to the marketplace. At one time The Fugitive was a popular attraction in syndication, but the fact three of its four seasons were filmed in black and white eliminates it from consideration on virtually every channel today.

The television series spawned a 1993 hit film starring Harrison Ford as Kimble and Oscar-winner Tommie Lee Jones as Gerard. A 2000 television remake of The Fugitive with Tim Daly proved far less successful.

Fans who’ve purchased previous editions of The Fugitive boxed sets and railed about the absence of the original music in various episodes can now get replacement sets with most (though not all) of the original music restored. Go to fugitiveDVDreplacement.com for details.