That Girl Season One (1966-1967) (Shout! Factory-2006) Like one of Marlo Thomas’ minidresses, That Girl perkily sashayed into TV history as a feminist-era earthshaker. It gladly took credit for bravely paving the way for the likes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and even – according to this DVD’s liner notes – Murphy Brown and Ally McBeal. We could argue and … Continue reading
THE 5 BROWNS BREAKING BOUNDARIES BY RONALD SKLAR Fifty fingers on five keyboards. Three girls, two boys, all from the same womb, digging classical music and – through sheer talent and charm — making us dig it too. What is this? Even the most pony-tailed of marketing directors could not dream this up. It is … Continue reading
MTV Video Music Awards Rock (Paramount-2003) and Hip-Pop (Paramount-2003) As always, Chris Rock says it best. While hosting the MTV Awards in 1997, he observes that a good video can lead you to like a bad song. And that’s pretty much what this MTV Awards collection – saluting this hip, attitudinal underdog of awards shows – should be all … Continue reading
The Electric Company The Best of the Electric Company (Shout! Factory-2006) HEY, YOU GUYS! Just when you thought you couldn’t recapture any more of your TV-watching childhood, The Electric Company has surprisingly and blessedly come to DVD. Nowhere near as good as you remember it – with crude graphics, cheesy synthesizers and overlong segments (it’s stuffed to the … Continue reading
I Love Lucy The Complete Fourth Season (1954-1955) (Paramount-2005) Do we really love Lucy, or have we been brainwashed to think we do, like in The Manchurian Candidate? When the laughter subsides, is Lucy truly deserving of our love? Is she as overwhelmingly funny as we are led to believe? Does the Empress have no clown … Continue reading
Music Scene The Best of 1969-1970 (Volumes 1 & 2) (MPI Home Video-2000) The train wreck that is Music Scene – an uncomfortable, pre-Saturday Night Live mix of youthful comedy and popular music – is worth watching if only for its noble attempt to do what it did before what it did was done right. This ABC variety … Continue reading
Miami Vice Season One (1984-1985) (Universal-2005) There is nothing funnier than the party people of the 80s, so get ready for this freakazoid on the dance floor. Taking a second look at Miami Vice all these years later will make you wonder what all the popping and locking was about. We’re told that this series — almost like a … Continue reading
MTV 20 Collection Pop/Rap/Jams/Beats (Image Entertainment-2001) Although music videos are no longer important, they still hold the power to mesmerize. MTV – the art director’s dream – hardly anticipated the influence that this frenetic form would hold over the popular culture when it debuted in 1981. Call it art or call it crass commercialism, music … Continue reading
The Bob Newhart Show The Complete First Season (1971-1972) (MTM-2005) Just what the doctor ordered for the touchy-feely seventies, The Bob Newhart Show was a powerful cog in the MTM Productions machine that cranked out hit after hit (Mary Tyler Moore, for whom it was named, lead the way for Bob). Part of the golden-goose Saturday night … Continue reading
Barbra Streisand The Television Specials (Rhino-2005) Your patience with this DVD depends on your Babs tolerance level. However, truth be told, this collection is, well, fabulous. Even if you are not a fan, the music and the voice is so dazzling that, even if you don’t convert, you’ll at the very least question your sexuality. Here … Continue reading
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