This Double Feature Includes Both the Original Hit and the Hilarious Sequel. SALT AND PEPPER (1968) Legendary Rat-Packers Sammy Davis Jr. (A Man Called Adam) and Peter Lawford (Ocean’s 11) are London’s coolest cats taking on England’s craziest criminals! When a sexy spy turns up dead in their ultra-cool nightclub, owners Salt (Davis) and Pepper (Lawford) are recruited by the British Secret Service to help solve the crime. But when they discover a plot to overthrow the government—and no one will believe them—they’re forced to go it alone, battling clueless cops and rioting revolutionaries in a hilarious bid to crack the case! Directed by the great Richard Donner (Superman, Lethal Weapon).
ONE MORE TIME (1970) Sammy Davis Jr. (Anna Lucasta) and Peter Lawford (Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell) reprise their roles as nightclub-owners-turned-detectives—this time under the direction of comic genius Jerry Lewis (The Nutty Professor)! When his rich twin brother turns up dead, Pepper (Lawford) secretly assumes his identity—only to discover that his twin brother didn’t just die…he was murdered! Now Pepper and Salt (Davis) are plunged into a wild caper filled with devilish double-crosses and a diabolical crew of diamond smugglers with an evil plot to put them both on ice! Featuring hilarious cameos by horror greats Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein.
For thoughts on Salt and Pepper | One More Time Double Feature, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Salt and Pepper and One More Time get a combined Blu-Ray release courtesy of Kino Classics which looks pretty strong throughout the runtime despite some obstacles. While Salt and Pepper appears to be derived from a solid older master, One More Time is said to have received a new 2K master. The latter is quite fetching, but the original film is far from a disaster. Both films avoid digitally manipulating the pleasing natural film grain which is present without being overly clumpy in the grain field. One More Time has some nuanced, vibrant colors from their adventures that make the film pop in a visually exciting way, especially in the castle production design.
The skin tones look mostly natural, and the presentation features pretty deep black levels. The shadow detail only occasionally falters with pure black presenting with a bit of a milky appearance. Salt and Pepper somewhat lacks fine detail compared to its counterpart which has been blessed with the new scan. There are the occasional moments with nicks and scratches, but for the most part the damage does not distract too terribly. Having both in the same quality would have been preferred, but this release is great for fans of these two.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a capable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio lossless soundtrack that sonically represents the films in a pleasant manner. Dialogue sounds quite clear, and it comes through without being stepped on by competing elements. The tracks also do not showcase much in the way of age related wear or hiss. The activity is primarily contained to the center channel with some environmental sounds adding some excitement and dimension to the locations. The groovy music sounds very strong and adds a nice sense of adventure to certain moments. These tracks are as strong as the source material will allow, and the folks at Kino Classics have done a nice job of presenting both of them in this release.
Special Features
- Salt and Pepper – Trailers From Hell with Larry Karaszewski: A three-minute piece in which Karaszewski discusses the background of the film, the humor of the story, the direction, its sequel and more.
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for Salt and Pepper (2:54) and One More Time (2:39). There are also trailers provided for Anna Lucasta, Rosebud and Texas Across The River.
Final Thoughts
Salt and Pepper and One More Time are two decently entertaining films from a couple of icons from the Rat Pack. The writing is nothing groundbreaking, but the innate chemistry between the lead performers is strong enough to keep you invested in whatever oddity transpires. Some of the cameos in the sequel will appeal to classic horror fans, but otherwise it is something of a step down from the original version. Kino Classics has delivered these to Blu-Ray as a standalone set that sports a good A/V presentation and not too much in the way of special features. Those who appreciate a good slipcover will also be interested to know the initial batch ships with one so be sure to get your order in early if that is important to you. If you love these two performers, it is at least worth checking out. Recommended
Salt and Pepper | One More Time Double Feature is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.