Star Vista and Time Life get our vote for some of the coolest gift sets for the holiday season. It’s no surprise that they’ve delivered some quality television. What is a such a great surprise this year is that they’ve dug deep into the television archives and brought three particular shows that are long over-due for complete series treatments. These sets have provided us here at Upcomingdiscs with some of our favorite television watching in 2013, not to mention a lot of hours. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it. Now it’s time for you to pass these television memories on to that TV addict on your Christmas list.
China Beach: The Complete Series
“‘I’ve been given me the toughest job I’ve ever had in my life, but also the most rewarding. What can be more important to the war effort than preserving the fighting strength of our troops? We must maximize the odds of every soldier that passes through our portal… His country is counting on him. His country is counting on us.”
That television fan on your list will be counting on you, as well. The show was set in the real-life location of China Beach. It was the American 510 Evac Hospital on the coast of Vietnam near DaNang. McMurphy (named for the Jack Nicholson character in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest) is a nurse at the end of her first tour who decides to sign up for more because she believes she can make a difference in the lives and deaths of these young wounded warriors. Star Trek: Voyager’s Robert Picardo was the hospital’s main surgeon, Dr. Dick Richards. Yes, the name was intentional. He certainly shared things in common with the M*A*S*H doctors in that he was drafted and sick of all the killing. He also shared their irreverent humor. He had an added dose of arrogance that made him far less lovable and cuddly than Pierce and his buddies. He was married with a successful practice back home. He lost it all to come here, and it has made him a bitter man at times. There was a suggestion of romance between him and McMurphy that was never completely realized even though they came close to getting married once. Picardo actually studied medicine in the hopes of becoming a real doctor. He’s gone on to play a few iconic ones on television.
The base was run by Major Lila Garreau, played by Concetta Tomei. Lila was a career officer who often pined for the last era’s ways of war. She tried to run a tight ship and often found rules and compassion a bit of a balance. In later seasons she would have a romance with motor pool head Bob Pepper, played by Troy Evans. They were about as unlikely a couple as you could find. Both characters would soften over time. Pepper actually started as a bigot and a gruff officer who didn’t appear to like other people very much. He would eventually become the base teddy bear. Michael Boatman would play Sam Beckett (named for the playwright). He was the graves registration officer and spent most of his time preparing the bodies to be flown home. He felt more at home with his dead clients whom he would talk to and even play poker with from time to time. Obviously, it made him a bit socially awkward. Brian Wimmer played Boonie, the company’s Klinger. He was the guy you went to when you needed some horse trading to be done. He was once a patrol soldier but originally came to China Beach to rest and now helps others to recover from what they experienced. His old partner was Dodger, played by Jeff Kober. He was the crazy-eyed Rambo warrior in the unit and seldom spoke.
The military people were not the only characters to dominate the scene. The hospital was also a designated R&R facility and featured Red Cross workers who were often called Donut Dollies. The most prominent of these was Cherry White, played by Nan Woods. She came to Vietnam to try to locate her missing brother and would be killed in the second season during the infamous Tet Offensive of 1968. What she couldn’t provide was usually handled by K.C., played by CSI’s Marg Helgenberger. K.C. was a businesswoman who dabbled in prostitution and black-market goods and even ran a beauty salon on base. She wasn’t the most friendly of gals, not the traditional hooker with a heart of gold. Various USO acts would pass through, and there would be snippets of performances by the likes of Bob Hope and Nancy Sinatra.
This impressive set brings all four seasons together in an attractive box that contains the season releases and a bonus set of two discs filled with extras. That’s 21 discs in all. The extras include hours of interviews and roundtables with cast and crew. There was a reunion of cast and crew on 12/12/12, and there are several features taken from that event. And yes, one of those actually runs 12:12. Go figure. Fans will take delight in just how rich this collection of extras is. Everyone involved gets to talk in detail about the experience, and there are tons of behind-the-scenes stories shared here. It’s one of the more intimate collections of extras a show has released. You really couldn’t ask for more on that front.
In the end fans have waited over 20 years for this to be released. Honestly, it was a long shot that it would ever see the light of day. The series made great use of the iconic music of the day. Vietnam is often described as the first war to have a soundtrack. It had a tremendous effect on the music of the day, as I said earlier. The series includes an amazing amount of this music. Therein lies the rub. When shows of that time were licensing the music, they did not even think about the future home video market. Getting the rights to all of that music basically from scratch has been impossible for many shows. WKRP fans will remember the great scandal over the release of that show’s first season. The music had to be changed or it could not be released. They opted to change it, and in spite of the show’s popularity, the fan reaction was so negative no future seasons are planned. This set includes all of the original music, and it’s no small miracle. Now it’s your turn to show the studios these efforts and expenses are profitable. Vote with your dollars. You won’t be sorry. “Welcome and have a great year.”
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Mama’s Family: The Complete Series:
“There’s nothing like good wine and friends. Or cheap wine and relatives.”
No one is going to get you closer to Mama for the holidays than Time-Life and Star Vista. It’s the moment that fans have waited for over 20 years to arrive. The complete series of Mama’s Family is finally out on DVD. Mama’s Family had the advantage of bringing back most of the crew from The Carol Burnett Show. After all of those years, they were a well-oiled machine. The show was picked up without a pilot. Carol would recur as Eunice, and Betty White would bring her Family character of daughter Ellen to the show. Still, it needed a family around Mama, and Carol Burnett Show alum and legendry song-and-dance man Ken Berry was added as son Vint. Vint worked at the Quick-Key, always hoping to be the store’s big shot one day. He was divorced with two kids, Vint Jr. “Buzz” (Brown) and typical teenage daughter Sonja (Argoud). Also living in the house was Mama’s sister Aunt Fran, played by Rue McClanahan. Vint ends up marrying the next door neighbor Naomi (Lyman). Naomi had been married several times before and had a reputation of getting around. But she loved Vint and stayed true even if Mama was never quite willing to accept it. Their overactive libidos were often the curse of Mama’s life.
What the show might necessarily lack in picture quality it more than makes up for in bonus materials. Each season is collected in its own case. You get a small booklet that covers season highlights and liner notes. The last disc in each set includes bonus features (see below). There are also two separate bonus discs that also include a ton of bonus features. Finally, you get a nice larger full-color booklet as a memento of the entire series. It’s all collected in a decorative box that holds the season sets and bonus discs quite snugly. Bonus material includes a reunion of the cast members and interview clips with just about everyone who was ever associated with the series. There are original Family sketches from The Carol Burnett Show.
Mama’s Family might not be the best television has had to offer. But it’s a lot like potato chips. They may not be exactly nutritious, but they taste good. Many times you feel a little guilty and eat them when no one is watching. More importantly… you can’t have just one. Mama might have been ahead of her time. There’s no question that Tyler Perry is a fan. Same type of glasses, dress, pearls and wig. They both love their families to death but will not suffer fools. In my interview with Vicki Lawrence, she says she’d love to see Mama and Madea get together. I’d pay good money to see that get-together. Vicki still keeps Mama alive with stage shows, and I suspect there’s still a little Mama out there to be found. It took quite a lot of work to get through so much material. “It is not only a pleasure; I see it as my duty!”
Bang it here to order Mama’s Family
Dean Martin Celebrity Roast-Collectors Edition
If you think you’ve seen a celebrity roast and you’re referring to those four-letter word snipe-fests from Comedy Central, let me break it to you gently. Look here you M#$^&&&*%^; you’ve never seen a real roast. Thankfully, the folks at Time Life and Star Vista have a solution. It’s a must-have for anyone on your Christmas list over 40 who delights at such names like Dean Martin, Red Foxx, Red Buttons, Johnny Carson, George Burns, Orson Wells, Jimmie JJ Walker, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Norm Crosby, Bob Hope, Uncle Milton, and more names than I have room to print here. If you know who these folks are, you know they have one thing in common. They were the top stars of their time, and they were all on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts.
This collection is more than the people and acts on each episode. It’s a wonderful time capsule to the time period itself. You get a very good idea of the people that were hot. The political scene of the day was explored with frequent guest then Gov. Ronald Reagan. The kind of humor gave us an almost documentary look into the society of the day. You’ll hear a lot of jokes that today would not be allowed on network television. They would kid each other on race, ethnicity and religion all the time. There was never any malice involved, and the targets weren’t offended. Today we take such quick offense that the studio would have protests ands folks would be losing their jobs. But the material was clean. Today you can’t often a person’s ethnic background, but you can ridicule them with sexual innuendo to your heart’s content. Not sure I’d call that a more enlightened society. These roast told it like it was, and fun was had by all. It’s as much a history lesson as it is entertainment.
The set is, once again, very impressive. You get 54 roasts on 25 discs. That’s not all. Every single disc has bonus material that includes features on the show, tons of interviews, bonus clips from Dean’s variety show and a history of the roasts. It’s taking us forever to get a full review out to you, because there’s just so much stuff. You get a booklet with each sub-set that includes episode information and notes. There’s also a wonderful scrapbook that delivers full-color photographs and some of the best quotes and zingers from the show. It’s all gathered in a sturdy and attractive box for your media shelf.
You can check it out online. Just bang it here to roast these chestnuts on your Christmas fire: Dean Roasts
Here’s a list of the roasts included on the set:
Ronald Reagan, 9/14/1973
Hugh Hefner, 9/21/1973
Ed McMahon, 9/28/1973
William Conrad, 10/5/1973
Kirk Douglas, 10/12/1973
Bette Davis, 10/19/1973
Barry Goldwater, 10/26/1973
Johnny Carson, 11/2/1973
Wilt Chamberlain, 11/9/1973
Hubert Humphrey, 11/23/1973
Carroll O’Connor, 12/7/1973
Monty Hall, 12/14/1973
Jack Klugman & Tony Randall, 12/21/1973
Zsa Zsa Gabor, 1/11/1974
Leo Durocher, 1/18/1974
Truman Capote, 1/25/1974
Don Rickles, 2/8/1974
Ralph Nader, 2/15/1974
Jack Benny, 2/22/1974
Redd Foxx, 3/1/1974
Bobby Riggs, 3/6/1974
George Washington (portrayed by Jan Leighton, 3/15/1974
Dan Rowan & Dick Martin, 3/22/1974
Hank Aaron, 3/29/1974
Joe Namath, 4/5/1974
Bob Hope, 10/31/1974
Telly Savalas, 11/15/1974
Lucille Ball, 2/8/1975
Jackie Gleason, 2/27/1975
Sammy Davis, Jr., 4/25/1975
Michael Landon, 5/16/1975
Evel Knievel, 11/10/1975
Valerie Harper, 11/20/1975
Muhammad Ali, 2/19/1976
Dean Martin, 2/27/1976
Dennis Weaver, 4/27/1976
Joe Garagiola, 5/25/1976
Redd Foxx, 11/26/1976
Danny Thomas, 12/15/1976
Angie Dickinson, 2/8/1977
Gabe Kaplan, 2/21/1977
Ted Knight, 3/2/1977
Peter Marshall, 5/2/1977
Dan Haggerty, 11/2/1977
Frank Sinatra, 2/7/1978
Jack Klugman, 3/17/1978
Jimmy Stewart, 5/10/1978
George Burns, 5/17/1978
Betty White, 5/6/1978
Suzanne Somers, 11/21/1978
Joe Namath, 1/19/1979
Joan Collins, 2/23/1984
Mr. T, 3/14/1984
Michael Landon, 12/7/1984
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