Written by Hombre Divertido
More than thirty years after the final episode of the iconic series aired, 20th Century Fox delivers the last season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on DVD. Season seven hit the shelves on October 5th, and though the presentation leaves quite a bit to be desired, there is still enough energy left in the cast to make many of these episodes worth owning.
Though aired often over the years, the final episode of the series may be worth the purchase of the final season. Well written and executed, like the entire series, the final episode is simple but brilliant. No extended-length episode, just a simple farewell to those who worked in the WJM newsroom and those who loved them.
Another gem to be found in season seven is Episode 23 (The second to the last) titled “Lou Dates Mary” where our two stars do indeed date, and even kiss, in one of the more memorable moments of the entire series.
Yes, season seven includes classic moments and some notable guest-star performances by Eric Braeden, David Ogden Stiers, Helen Hunt, Vincent Gardenia and others, but it is clear nonetheless that the series was ready to retire. With Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman long since gone off to their own shows, the private life of Mary Richards has faded into the background with the series revolving around her life at WJM. This did allow the characters of Sue Ann Niven (Betty White) and Georgette Baxter (Georgia Engel) to step in to the forefront, but the added energy was not substantial enough to fill the void left by the afore mentioned talented ladies.
Episodes such as “What’s Wrong with Swimming,” in which Mary hires a former Olympic swimmer (Caren Kaye) to do sports on the news broadcast, are tired and trite and not worthy of the show as a whole. The episodes revolving around Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) and his family also seem desperate, and only serve to give us less of Mary, Lou (Ed Asner) and Murray (Gavin MacLeod).
Ultimately this is an amazing series, and one that certainly deserved better treatment than provided by 20th Century Fox in this release. The packaging looks cheap, there is no bonus material, and though the rarely seen curtain call after the final episode is touted on the packaging as being included, it is not. Research shows that if you call the 800 number on the back of the DVD case, you can have a replacement disk sent to you that does include the curtain call.
Recommendation: Tough call. The series is great and the final episode is a must have for the true fan, but the presentation is bad. Yes, the show does look and sound good here, but one can only hope that a better release of the entire series will be forthcoming.
Article first published as DVD Review: The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete Seventh Season on Blogcritics.
Showing posts with label Ted Knight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ted Knight. Show all posts
Friday, October 22, 2010
Monday, June 07, 2010
CADDYSHACK: 30th Anniversary Edition
Written by Hombre Divertido
Caddyshack: 30th Anniversary Edition Fails to Make the Cut, at least on DVD.
The new release on DVD, due out on Tuesday June 8th, from Warner Home Video contains nothing new. The packaging does not even indicate an anniversary is at hand. The Blu-ray, also due out on the eighth, includes a comprehensive feature-length 30th-anniversary documentary with the movie's cast and creators, but the DVD is left with only the retrospective featurette “The 19th Hole” which was included in the previous three releases (2000, 2006, 2007).
Yes, it has been thirty years since the classic comedy in which a group of outrageous characters converge on Bushwood Country Club hit theatres. Caddyshack garners the status of “classic” solely for its performances. Combining the talents of Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, and Ted Knight, with the writing and performance of Brian Doyle Murray, and the direction and writing of a young Harold Ramis, ultimately resulted in golden performance and lines of dialog still widely recognized and often referenced today.
What started as a coming-of-age story revolving around young caddy Danny Noonan (Michael O’Keefe) turned into an outrageous collection of comedy scenes when the above-mentioned talent signed onto the project. Unfortunately that did happen at the expense of storytelling, but this was quite common in the late seventies and early eighties, and it certain cases such as Caddyshack, the comedic segments are strong enough to carry a ninety-eight minute outing.
“The 19th Hole” presents wonderful insight into the making of the film. The featurette delves into the details of the scene between Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, touts the talents of the late Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight, discusses the contributions of Murray through improvisation during the six days he worked on the film, and provides great detail from Harold Ramis who is not afraid to convey the youthful energy that guided him through many mistakes often made by young directors. Questions are answered, myths are corrected, and footage not included in the film is shown. There is even a mention made to a scene which appears in cut of the film shown on television that did not appear in the theatrical version, and is thus, not on the new DVD release.
Recommendation: Caddyshack looks and sounds great here, “The 19th Hole” is a solid documentary, and the memorable performances of the stars are complimented by a great supporting cast including: Cindy Morgan, Scott Colomby, Sarah Holcomb, and many more.
There is no denying that viewing Caddyshack will make most laugh weather you are watching it for the hundredth time, or experience it for the first time. Yes, the humor can be cheap at times, but the performances are strong. If a candy bar being mistaken for fecal matter does not make you smile, you are still likely to chuckle at the pompous portrayal of Judge Smails by the legendary Ted Knight. Though the nudity in the theatrical version may rule out the young, generally there is something here for everyone, everyone except those who have purchased the DVD in the last ten years. In that case there is nothing here for you.
Article first published as DVD Review: Caddyshack - The 30th Anniversary Edition Fails to Make the Cut on DVD on Blogcritics.
Caddyshack: 30th Anniversary Edition Fails to Make the Cut, at least on DVD.
The new release on DVD, due out on Tuesday June 8th, from Warner Home Video contains nothing new. The packaging does not even indicate an anniversary is at hand. The Blu-ray, also due out on the eighth, includes a comprehensive feature-length 30th-anniversary documentary with the movie's cast and creators, but the DVD is left with only the retrospective featurette “The 19th Hole” which was included in the previous three releases (2000, 2006, 2007).
Yes, it has been thirty years since the classic comedy in which a group of outrageous characters converge on Bushwood Country Club hit theatres. Caddyshack garners the status of “classic” solely for its performances. Combining the talents of Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, and Ted Knight, with the writing and performance of Brian Doyle Murray, and the direction and writing of a young Harold Ramis, ultimately resulted in golden performance and lines of dialog still widely recognized and often referenced today.
What started as a coming-of-age story revolving around young caddy Danny Noonan (Michael O’Keefe) turned into an outrageous collection of comedy scenes when the above-mentioned talent signed onto the project. Unfortunately that did happen at the expense of storytelling, but this was quite common in the late seventies and early eighties, and it certain cases such as Caddyshack, the comedic segments are strong enough to carry a ninety-eight minute outing.
“The 19th Hole” presents wonderful insight into the making of the film. The featurette delves into the details of the scene between Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, touts the talents of the late Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight, discusses the contributions of Murray through improvisation during the six days he worked on the film, and provides great detail from Harold Ramis who is not afraid to convey the youthful energy that guided him through many mistakes often made by young directors. Questions are answered, myths are corrected, and footage not included in the film is shown. There is even a mention made to a scene which appears in cut of the film shown on television that did not appear in the theatrical version, and is thus, not on the new DVD release.
Recommendation: Caddyshack looks and sounds great here, “The 19th Hole” is a solid documentary, and the memorable performances of the stars are complimented by a great supporting cast including: Cindy Morgan, Scott Colomby, Sarah Holcomb, and many more.
There is no denying that viewing Caddyshack will make most laugh weather you are watching it for the hundredth time, or experience it for the first time. Yes, the humor can be cheap at times, but the performances are strong. If a candy bar being mistaken for fecal matter does not make you smile, you are still likely to chuckle at the pompous portrayal of Judge Smails by the legendary Ted Knight. Though the nudity in the theatrical version may rule out the young, generally there is something here for everyone, everyone except those who have purchased the DVD in the last ten years. In that case there is nothing here for you.
Article first published as DVD Review: Caddyshack - The 30th Anniversary Edition Fails to Make the Cut on DVD on Blogcritics.
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