'Angie' Complete Series DVD: Long Awaited Release of Garry Marshall '70s Blue Collar Weds Blue Blood Sitcom

The September 1, 2017 CBS Home Entertainment (through a license with Toronto-based Visual Entertainment) DVD release of the complete series of the Garry Marshall '70s sitcom "Angie" meets every requirement for such releases. It provides a chance to see a rarely syndicated loved show from the past.

The "Angie" release roughly coinciding with the DVD release of the complete series set of the '70s quirky procedural "The Magician," which stars Bill Bixby of "My Favorite Martian" and "The Incredible Hulk" as the the titular illusionist/amateur sleuth, provides another reason to be grateful to CBS and Visual. A review of that one will appear soon.

The unlikely romance/"Love Story" (sans tragic death) concept of the 1979-80 two-season "Angie" is that "disgustingly" rich blue-blood pediatrician Brad Benson and blue-collar waitress Angie Falco fall in love and wed within three episodes. The pedigree of this film also includes the '70s Meredith Baxter Birney/David Birney sitcom "Bridget Loves Bernie," which centers around the daughter in a devout Irish Catholic family marrying a Jewish man.

This merging of two "different worlds" drives much of the inaugural "Angie" season. Sharing a Philadelphia setting with the film "The Sixth Sense" adds a fun "I see rich people" aspect to the series.

The trifecta regarding the cute appeal of "Angie" is the likable leads Donna Pescow of "Saturday Night Fever" and Robert Hays of "Airplane," the breakout "Fonzie" character in the form of stereotypical lower middle-class Italian mother Theresa Falco (Doris Roberts of "Remington Steele" and "Everybody Loves Raymond,") and a catchy theme song (courtesy of Maureen McGovern) that explains the premise of the series.

The following YouTube video of the S1 opening credits highlights the three elements described above. Briefly drifting into Blogland, the Nelson household often recreates the "take the money already" scene from the credits.

"Angie" gets a blessed start in a few senses. It premieres in the ABC Thursday night 8:30 slot after (Unreal TV reviewed) fellow Marshall/executive producer Dale McRaven series "Mork and Mindy" and has a strong opening story arc regarding the rapid courtship, engagement, wedding, and adjustment period of the central couple. The remaining S1 "clash of worlds" episodes remain strong.

One of the best S1 outings has Theresa and younger daughter Marie (Debralee Scott of "Mary Hartman. Mary Hartman") move themselves and their distressed furniture into the large and elegant town house of Brad and Angie. This creating an opportunity to thoroughly embarrass Joyce (Sharon Spelman), the ubersnobby socialite sister of Brad greatly contributes to the hilarity.

Some S1 (and S2) episodes support the theory of Roseanne Barr that there are 10 basic sitcom plots. Early outings have Marie falling in love with Brad and being comically inept (of course including a wacky alternate filing system) in her attempt to work as his receptionist.

Playing time slot roulette with "Angie" in S2 prompts otherwise not strongly needed (repeated) retooling of the series. Moving the series to Monday night against "Little House on the Prairie" on NBC and an always strong CBS comedy lineup presents a tough challenge for any show.

"Angie" further has a particularly tough "Rhoda" challenge in that conflict in a marriage generally is more amusing than a happy relationship. In the case of "Angie," the concept of a mixed marriage does not work as well if that union is history. Additionally, the in-laws cannot have too much ill will without it badly affecting their relationship with their blood relative. Joyce even loosens up to the extent of wearing casual clothes and discussing sex with the Falco women.

The initial changes include replacing best friend/fellow waitress Didi with the trio of high school friends "the Marys." Of course, the first outing with that group centers around these girls from the 'hood getting upset with Angie for what they consider snobbish behavior. Further, tween niece Hillary (Tammy Lauren) follows Chuck Cunningham of Marshall classic "Happy Days" into unexplained sitcom oblivion.

S2 also sees the arrival of Benson family butler Phipps and previously oft-mentioned by never seen coffee shop cook Hector.

Other changes include the Bensons moving into a more modest home that is "theirs" and Angie going from the coffee shop to a beauty parlor.

The best S2 outings continue the "Angie" tradition of combining the underlying economic backgrounds of the leads with '70slicious sitcom plots. One episode has the Falcos and the Bensons competing on "Family Feud." The "Angie" writers additionally recycle the unwanted house guest plot by having crude Uncle Cheech (special guest star Danny DeVito) show up unannounced and overstay his welcome at Chez Benson. Further, Theresa quickly develops a gambling addiction and just as rapidly kicks it. Brad telling his mother-in-law that she has an "infection" is pure sitcom schmaltz gold.

The one bonus in the set is the "lost" unaired series finale titled "Angie and the Doctor."

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Angie" is encouraged to email me; you alternatively can connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.

'Yellowjackets' S1' DVD and BD: The Facts of the Blair Witch Project Life

The CBS Home Entertainment separate July 19, 2022 DVD and Blu-ray releases of Showtime series "Yellowstone" S1 follows the tradition of wonderfully off-beat summer cult series that include "Under the Dome," (2013-15) that airs on Showtime sibling streaming service Paramount Plus. The (hopefully lucky) 7 Emmy nominations for "Yellowjackets" show that this is "must-see TV." 

This tale of the titular New Jersey high-school women's soccer team struggling to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash also follows another couple of television trends. The "too-much too-soon" aspect of the first couple of episodes may prompt an ill-advised desire to abandon this soon compelling series. The rapid improvement relates to a similar saving grace of a long-running classic show that otherwise might have been a one-season wonder. 

The following official promo. for "Yellowjackets" provides an excellent sense of the trauma and the drama of this series that adds a strong girl-power element to a tale that evokes strong thoughts of "found footage" film classic "The Blair Witch Project" (1999) and the ABC drama "Lost" (2004-2010).

Our story commences with the frequent time-shifts that support the comparisons with "Lost." As indicated above, these initially are a bit overwhelming and confusing. 

The constant quantum leaps bring us between a horrifying ritual in the forest in the wake of the 1996 crash, the present-day 25th anniversary of that event, and the period leading up to the fateful flight. An early episode adds in a storyline that occurs several years before 1996.

Showrunners Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson soon literally get their act together by only dividing the focus between the post-crash period and the present. They also aptly learn a "life" lesson from the long-running NBS sitcom "The Facts of Life" by reducing the confusing number of primary characters to a core group of four and having "and the rest" pop in and out of the spotlight. 

The present-day versions of these women is interesting in that we get to see the adults that they become in a manner that shows how the Eastland/Langley girls of "Facts" become slightly younger versions of the golden girls.

An unrecognizable Christina Ricci shines as annoyingly naive Tootie/Rose Misty with a heavy dose of Annie Wilkies of "Misery." The latter aspect includes an extended keeping of a strapped-down captive. A scene with a variation of "Hey, Mister. I got your dog down here" is a wonderful homage to "The Silence of the Lambs."

Misty also adds great entertainment by quickly amputating the leg of her coach soon after the crash. She doubles down by attempting to be the school-girl fantasy of this guy who plays for the other team and does not want her standing so close to him. 

Coach shines in a scene in which he shows that he has ample protective gear for his personal championship tournament. This makes the prophylactic measure of the amputation especially amusing.

Natalie is the Jo/mentally competent Sophia tough girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Her teenage self is a promiscuous moderate drug user; her adult self is an ass-kicking brutal addict. The HILARIOUS partners-in-crime storyline between Natalie and Misty SCREAMS for them to get a spin-off.

Shauna is the somewhat Blair/ stronger Dorothy of the group complete with unwanted teenage pregnancy and philandering yutz of a high-school sweetheart/ex-husband. Her current life is that of a desperate housewife complete with a mysterious younger boyfriend and a moderately wild child teen daughter. Shauna telling the latter of the facts of life of an adolescent child of divorce is an S1 highlight. 

Current married state senate candidate/black lesbian Taissa is only marginally the socially conscious highly involved Natalie of the group; she is not at all a Blanche. Her most compelling attribute is her "dark passenger," who hopefully will more fully emerge in S2.

Ala "Lost," the 1996 focus soon shifts from survival to getting the warring factions to somehow form a family. We also get very comparable underlying factions that include a corpse, a means of escape that goes up in flames, odd animal encounters, and evidence of a cult-like group of "others."
 

Also ala "Lost," the post-crash period finds the survivors contending with their fame and efforts to find out what occurred "on the island." Also, like the losties, the surviving Yellowjackets do their best with their personal forms of PTSD. An unknown blackmailer does not help matters. 

All of this leads to two apt climaxes. The 1996 action closes "the morning after" a wild night full of debauchery and associated trauma-and-drama. Our present-day gang is back from an oft traumatic 25th high school reunion only to essentially find that the threat from the island has tracked them down.

"Yellowjackets: The Female Lens" has cast and crew discuss the series in general and the feminist elements of this modern gothic tale. 

"Yellowjackets: Favorite Moments" is a cast-and-crew hosted highlight reel.

The bottom line this time is that "Yellowjackets" is one of the most fresh and creative recent series. It chooses wisely both in front of and behind the camera to expertly blend elements of shows that seemingly are incompatible. GO TEAM!

'Star Trek: Lower Decks' BD & DVD: Mortyfication of the Federation

 

If you buy only one physical media set of an animated sitcom action-adventure sci-fi streaming-service series that parodies a franchise that is stronger than ever nearly 70 years after the OS premiere (and that has the enthusiastic support of the keepers of the flame) make it either the July 12, 2022 CBSHE Blu-ray or DVD release of the Paramount Plus series "Star Trek: Lower Decks" S2. This one exceeds the "one more" test by prompting outrage regarding this season not having more than 10 episodes. Today is a good day to become a sofa spud. 

The better news is that Paramount Plus is premiering S3 on August 12, 2022. 

Much of this not-so-youthful enthusiasm for this release is due to the talent of "Lower Decks" creator Mike McMahan. This guy who out Kevin Smiths Silent Bob astonishingly amps up the irreverent sci-fi humor of his must-see animated series "Rick and Morty." That cult classic does to for the "Back to the Future" franchise what "Lower Decks" does for "Trek." 

Although your not-so-humble reviewer is very happy with his review DVD copy that he watched on a Sony 4K player on a Sony Bravia set, the motion-picture quality video and audio support buying the Blu-ray set. This also makes one wonder why CBSHE did not release a 4K version. 

On the subject of sound, the home-video special feature "A Sound Foundation" evokes memories of a similar version that UPN ran during the original broadcast era of "Star Trek: Voyager." A scene that compared a "Voyager" door silently sliding open and then doing the same accompanied by the sound that is very familiar to Trekkies and Trekkers alike illustrates the importance of that enhanced production value.

Other outlets consistently praising S2 for being even better than S1 validate that belief by your not-so-humble reviewer. Each episode so expertly blends "Trek" references, "Dilbert in Space" elements regarding the woes of those on the bottom of the corporate food chain, and clever variations of tried-and-true sitcom tropes that doing the season justice within the confines of this site is virtually impossible. Not even trying to fully address the perfection of S2 is apt regarding the half-assed attitude of our lovable lower decks losers. 

The following S2 trailer nicely conveys the above. The infectious elan of the second-tier peons who keep their second-tier support ship operating will make you laugh and cheer.

An aptly obscure reference to "Lower Decks" is to the 2014 Fox failedcom "Enlisted." That one focused on a group of misfits doing the grunge work at a Florida army base that supported high-profile overseas combat heroes. Our main doofus with a heart-of-latinum is Brad Boimier, who is voiced by Jack Quaid. The art-imitates-life aspect of this is that Jack is the son of one-time matinee idol Dennis Quaid.

S2 starts out strong with "Trek" god Jonathan Frakes voicing Star Fleet god Riker in an episode that has Boimier serving on the ship of that space stud. Very true to the hilarious fanboy hero-worship personality of Boimier, he takes a WWWRD approach to extricating himself from a perilous situation. This leads to realizing that where there is a Will there is a way. In true "Lower Decks" style, this direct homage to "Star Trek: The Next Generation" leads to a wonderfully cynical outcome. 

The TNG homage continues with S2E2. This one finds the universal translator that allows natives of scores of planets to communicate not being so universal. New crew member Kayshon has a hilariously frustrating time conversing with his new crew. Team McMahan doubles down by having this newbie discover that he is no more than a Star Fleet puppet. 

The next episode revolves around Boimier finding that he don't get no respect on his return to support ship U.S.S. Cerritos. This time, he is geeking out over an impending visit by defiant (of course, pun intended) "Voyager" stud Tom Paris. Paris portrayor Robert Duncan McNeill joins Frakes in fully embracing the "Lower Decks" spirit. Borrowing from another legendary sci-fi franchise, this episode illustrates that the McNeil with one "l" is the one with no sense of humor. 

S2 E5 turns its humor phaser on the OS by expertly parodying a classic episode, which receives similar love in a "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode, of that series. Instead of having trouble with tribbles, the Cerrritos crew is overrun with a rapidly growing population of duplicates of an uber-whiny alien. McMahan chooses wisely by having Richard Kind voice this animated version of the well-known Kind persona. 

S2 E6 indisputably includes the most humorous S2 scene. The element of Boimier ditching his "crew" to hang with the "cool kids" already provides strong laughs. This leads to the predictable sitcom lesson that Boimier is more compatible with the "junior varsity." Sublime hilarity ensues when our ensigns use future tech to hilariously verbally pulverize one of the most odd villains of all "Trek" lore. This TNG big bad is at the center of indisputably one of the top 10 episodes of that seven-season (and four movies) series that literally launched Troi and figuratively 1,000 ships. The rest of this story is that this episode is the first that shows that any star of any series is a red shirt. 

The "and the rest" S2 "Trek" moments include  having a crew member transform into a god, giving us a look at the lower decks of Klingon and Vulcan ships, and having Boimier fully channel his inner toddler by organizing his version of "Captain Picard Day" from TNG. Team McMahan also includes a car chase that is straight out of the 1996 Arthur Hiller film "Carpool."

The bottom line this time is that resistance to the timeless humor of "Lower Decks" is futile. Folks already assimilated into the "Trek" 'verse will be giddy, and "virgins" will gleefully join our collective. 

'Shirley, I Jest!' Cindy Williams Shows How She Made All Her Dreams Come True

The strongest endorsement of the Cindy "Shirley" Williams (with co-author Dave Smitherman) auto-biography "Shirley, I Jest! A Storied Life" is that it proves that sometimes you can meet your idols. Although one can assume that child of the '60s Williams joined her peers in experiencing voo de o doo and many other pleasures that The Summer of Love involved, we see that she is good-girl Shirley Feeney at heart. 

Our story aptly begins with the troubled childhood of Williams that involved poverty, a father with challenging issues, and multiple moves. Like many of her professional peers, Williams discovers her love of show business during her teens and starts trying to make her dreams come true on graduating from high school. In this case, we see that karma prevails by giving Williams the breaks that she deserves.

Williams shares how she comes to enroll in a college of the performing arts. In true sitcom fashion, helping a fellow student with his audition for The Actors' Studio lands our heroine a spot in that prestigious program. Another unsolicited lucky break leads to Williams becoming a client of rookie talent agent Garry Marshall years before he casts her in "Laverne and Shirley." This, of course, leads to the sometimes beautiful friendship and always gorgeous collaboration with "Laverne" co-star/Garry sibling Penny Marshall.

The post-adolescent period of Williams includes tales of following the pattern of waitressing and doing odd jobs while pursuing an acting career. One of the most memorable stories in "Shirley" revolves around Jim Morrison of "The Doors" participating in the hazing of Williams during her first shift as a waitress at The Whiskey A Go Go. 

The tale of Williams working at a bank is a missed opportunity for a perfect "Laverne" episode. She tells of taking pity on customers and worrying about the backlash. The TV version would have that kindness come back to bite her and have Laverne tell her to not be such a sucker only to be rebuffed.

While doing these day jobs, Williams lands roles that include playing opposite future "Happy Days" star Ron Howard in the George Lucas film "American Graffiti." This gig later puts Williams in the running for the role of Leia in "Star Wars." 

We also get the tale of how pre-"Laverne" conflict with Penny comes very close to Williams not being cast in the series. A frustrating aspect of this is we never learn why Penny leaves her then-writing partner in the lurch. 

The "behind-the-scenes" tales of "Laverne" include how our two favorite bottle cappers show perfect instincts by subversively changing their living room set. The background here includes stating that that set was the living room set of the Garry '60scom "The Odd Couple," in which Penny had a supporting role. 

An omitted topic is the story behind the two adorable small dogs who often appear in the establishing shot in Milwaukee-based episodes of "Laverne." 

We also learn how Williams is behind fan favorite stuffed cat Boo Boo Kitty joining the "Laverne" cast. The manner in which these co-stars reunite years later is another example of karma rewarding those who earn good things in life. 

Another rare disappointing aspect of "Shirley" is not addressing the reason for having the girls pack up up the beer truck and move to beautiful downtown Burbank in the sixth of eight seasons. Williams does note that that change facilitates adding two stereotypical characters to the series. Hunky stuntman Sonny and bimbo starlet Rhonda do expand the scope of the show. 

The saddest part of "Shirley" is the tale of how Williams comes to leave that series that successfully turns Lucy and Ethel into an odd couple. Fans knew at the time that Williams was pregnant and that her relationship with Marshall had ebbed and flowed while starring in the series. 

Learning of how Williams tried to help the show go on only to be treated worse than Joan Crawford on Mother's Day will diminish Garry in the eyes of his fans. There does not seem to be any reason that Shirley could not have regularly called Laverne after moving away only to return to temporarily room together for the final several episodes of the season.

The better news is that the book ends with karma once again rewarding Williams. Trying to calm her excitable boy leads to Williams watching TCM. This inspires her to pitch an awesome remake of a classic. This update introduces us to one of the best modern film characters. Like "Laverne," the original classic and the Williams joint prove that PG can be very funny.

The bottom line is that Williams is living a life about which it is well-worth reading. It is awesome to know that keeping high hopes paid off for that '70s American Sweetheart.

'Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection' BD and DVD: Watching the Detectives Has Never Been More Fun

 

The recent Film Detective separate Blu-ray and DVD releases of "The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection" awesomely resurrect several of the rarest film adventures of the first consulting detective. This franchise still going strong more than 100 years after the first mystery proves that the game still fully is afoot.

The even better news is that Detective paired the "Holmes" releases with a reviewed equally expertly restored version of the 1947 biopic "The Fabulous Dorseys." This educational and entertaining depiction of big band legends Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, who star in the roles that they were born to play. is music to the ears of both audiophiles and anyone who does not experience brotherly love.

Detective shows what becomes a legend most as to the following promo. One unsolved mystery regarding this amusing "but wait there's more" presentation is whether every set includes the advertised tote-bag and 13-month calendar. The set sent to your not-so-humble reviewer lacks those items. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

"A Study in Scarlet" (1933) is the centerpiece of this quartet. It stars well-known Holmes portrayor Reginald Owen in the titular role. This one somewhat typically finds our hero trying to protect an "innocent." The damsel in distress this time is a young woman facing having to pay for the sins of her father in a tale that is reminiscent of the truly classic star-studded non-Holmes thriller "The List of Adrian Messenger" (1963). 

"Scarlet" also is noteworthy for being the film that includes the always spectacular Ballyhoo Motion Picture documentary that adds great value to Detective  releases. Ballyhoo outdoes itself this time by providing an in-depth look at the source material and the early live-stage and film productions of the adventures of the resident of 221-B Baker Street.

"Sherlock Holmes Fatal Hour," "The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes," and "Silver Blaze" all star Arthur Wontner as the man who will psych you out in the end. Wontner plays his role well, but the other Ian Fleming particularly shines in his portrayal of pal and confidante Dr. John Watson.

All three films are well-worth watching. "Blaze" stands out for being a sequel to the classic Holmes tale "The Hound of the Baskervilles." This one also entertainingly oddly embroils Holmes in the sometimes-dirty world of horse racing.

Detective additionally outdoes itself as to the plethora of vintage shorts that each film includes. Highlights include a "Felix the Cat" cartoon and the hilarious "Sherlock Holmes Baffled" (1900) that puts the then-new technology to good use by showing that the god must be crazy."

The "but wait there's more" element of this must-own set extends to the written essays that one could picture the late-great film host Robert Osborne reading before each screening. The final element is the high-quality postcard replica of the movie poster for each film. One truly could not ask for anything more.

The bottom line is that it is elementary that anyone who loves Holmes, enjoys a good mystery, or is even a moderate cinephile should buy this set.