CBS/FOX Video Cover, showing Peter Allen as the Pirate King

Most of the Walker videos, included at least one television star who would be better known to American audiences. But, like Peter Marshall in Pinafore and William Conrad in The Mikado, Peter Allen was utterly miscast. He plays the part with more effeminate swish than buckling swash, and he misses much of the humor. Keith Michell may not find many nuances in the Major-General, but he is at least adequate. Alexander Oliver and Janis Kelly sing sweetly, but Oliver — made up to look like an 1880 Frederic — looks utterly unconvincing. Gillian Knight's consummate vocalism and superb comic timing are bright spots. Except in a few odd spots, the production is mostly in a traditional spirit and gives a decent impression of what the opera is all about.