VCI's latest classic television DVD is a pleasant surprise, not just because Waterfront may be one of the most obscure programs to get a video release in 2015, but because the show is so entertaining. Airing in syndication from 1954 to 1956, this black-and-white half-hour adventure/drama may not be the most sophisticated example of early TV, but it stands out with its blend of action and lighter family-oriented elements.

Waterfront Volume 1 contains 10 of the first 14 episodes, including the debut, 'The Skipper's Day.' As on its recent 'My Little Margie' and 'I Married Joan' collections (which I review here), VCI apparently uses 16mm film prints as source material, and it's presumably unable to obtain source material to make a complete sequential run. Perhaps VCI can track down more episodes from Roland Reed Productions (the same company that made 'Margie') for future volumes.

I expected a gritty drama, something like Harbor Command, especially when I saw Hollywood names like John Brahm and Phil Karlson listed as directors. However, Waterfront is as much a show about a tugboat captain's family life as it is about his exploits on the seas and at his base of operations in San Pedro, California. The first clue this isn't anywhere near the realm of noir is the DVD box cover, on which star Preston Foster appears as 'Cap'n John,' his grinning mug framed by a classic wooden ship's wheel.

Let's face it, 'Cap'n' isn't a moniker that suggests a hard-boiled personality. Just think of other nautical legends who achieved that rank: Captain Queeg, Captain Bligh...Cap'n Crunch. You don't expect to see this guy as the lead-in an adventure show, but rather introducing Popeye and Three Stooges cartoons while shilling candy bars. Don't underestimate Cap'n John, though. He may be a devoted husband and father, but he gets into plenty of situations requiring a two-fisted approach to problem-solving!

Cap'n John Herrick is skipper of the tugboat 'Cheryl Ann' (to my continuing amusement, it's referred to as both the CHAIR-L Ann and the SHARE-L Ann, sometimes by the same character in the same episode), and he comes home to his loving wife May (Lois Moran), often addressing her as 'Mom.' His two sons Carl (Douglas Dick) and Jim (Harry Lauter), a fellow captain and police detective, respectively, round out the family along with Jim's wife and kid. In a given Waterfront story, you're liable to see Cap'n John in a fistfight on the docks or in a boat chase, then sitting down to eat a piece of lemon pie in his kitchen as a jaunty tune plays on the soundtrack. The tone changes aren't too jarring, because the domestic focus remains strong and keeps things grounded without crowding out the adventure...with a few interesting exceptions.

Preston Foster had a distinguished Hollywood career in films like Doctor Xand Guadalcanal Diary before coming to television. He brings a solid, rugged presence in his mid-fifties, playing a character that turns 48 in one of the episodes. He doesn't have the charisma of, say, Broderick Crawford on Highway Patrol, another syndicated show of the mid fifties, but who does? Foster is fine as Cap'n John, believable enough in his frequent scrapes but suitably tender at home. Each episode opens and closes with a tag with the amiable Foster greeting viewers, then later hoping they join him again next week. It's a simple but effective bit of goodwill that further endears him to us.

The rest of the family is somewhat bland, but more intriguing are character actors George Chandler as the proprietor of The Lobster Claw restaurant, and Pinky Tomlin as ship's mate Tip Hubbard. In another recurring role, Willie Best plays a cook/deck hand. In the first episode, he looks like an equal crew member, but later he becomes comic relief. Poor Best is the one who ends up falling into the water when an inexperienced grad student causes some hijinks on the boat. He's also the one who stooges for a chimpanzee who runs around the Herrick household.

Oh, yes, there is an episode with a chimp, and it's so bizarre it deserves special mention. In 'A New Whistle for the Cheryl Ann,' John's shipping company boss, Zack Morgan, re-gifts the chimp someone just gave him by dumping it on the Herricks when he and his wife come over for dinner. Despite the utter absurdity of taking on a pet chimp out of nowhere, John is reluctant to protest because he wants Zack to buy him that whistle. So we get the most farcical story in this collection, one that doesn't really mesh with the rest of the set but is somehow all the more enjoyable because of it. Even better than the chimp's antics is Ralph Dumke's hilarious weaselly performance as the scheming Morgan.

One of the best things about discovering a classic television series is spotting familiar guest stars. Waterfront wins me over halfway through 'The Skipper's Day' when Lee Van Cleef and Jack Elam turn up as hoodlums and make an unofficial Kansas City Confidential reunion with Foster. Speaking of movie creeps, Jack Lambert scores in 'Cap'n John's Dilemma' as an obnoxious sailor who provokes Cap'n John so much he actually boards the other vessel to pummel him! I almost wondered if I was seeing a McHale's Navy crossover when I saw Ernest Borgnine as a possibly devious first mate in 'Cap'n Long John.' The ubiquitous John Dehner gets a juicy role as a fugitive in 'Lighthouse.'

Perhaps the best episode in Volume 1, 'Sea Bells,' features Frances Bavier as a lovelorn family friend who falls for the mysterious Oscar (Edgar Buchanan). All you television lovers who dream of Aunt Bee marrying Uncle Joe, this is for you! The fight scenes are a must-see, and all I'll say is Foster may be the star of this show, but it takes two men to bring down Buchanan. My favorite moment of the entire DVD comes when another skipper finds Bavier and Buchanan's characters planning a wedding and tells her, 'I'll take you to sea tomorrow and marry you myself,' to which she replies, 'Oh, well, I want to marry Oscar, not you.' Can you believe a woman with that kind of brainpower is still single?

Watching all ten episodes presents some odd continuity issues. The relationships established in the premiere change somewhat. Most notably, future Donna Reed Show co-star Carl Betz plays Dave Herrick, who becomes Jim when Lauter joins the cast. 'First Mate' practically recycles a scene from 'Lighthouse,' shooting from a different angle and using a different actor as the lighthouse operator. To me these quirks are part of the charm of classic television, and they only add to my enjoyment of the DVD.

As one would expect from a series sourced from old film elements, picture quality varies, but considering the circumstances and the age of the material, these shows look and sound fine. Most episodes are just over 26 minutes, but one lacks end credits, and another has a disruptive but very brief video glitch near the end. I say bravo to VCI for including them on the disc. 60-some years after Waterfront's first run I'd rather the company include as many episodes as possible rather than eliminate some because of such minor issues.

While I'm pleased with the presentation of the material, as a collector of classic television on DVD, it's the material itself that matters and I appreciate the introduction to an intriguing and unique program. It's 'suspenseful entertainment for the entire family,' as a blurb on the back of the DVD case says, with a healthy dose of action and plenty of appealing location shooting. The occasional odd comic moments that I highlight with affection enhance the experience. I recommend Waterfront Volume 1 and hope that VCI is already working on Volume 2.

Rick Brooks is the proprietor of Cultureshark, a blog in which he uses an often irreverent approach to express his reverence for the classics and the un-classics.