Saturday, September 23, 2006

Mini-DVD Reviews: The Munsters: Two-Movie Fright Fest and The Benny Hill Show Set 5 (Sept. 26)

Welcome to another edition of Saturday mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at Universal Home Video's The Munsters: Two-Movie Fright Fest and The Benny Hill Show Set 5. Both have loads of laughs. See for yourself by reading our reviews. See Shawn Eaton's mini-DVD review of The Munsters: Two-Movie Fright Fest and My review of The Benny Hill Show Set 5.

The Munsters: Two-Movie Fright Fest (Universal, $19.98) brings the classic TV series as feature movies. America's first family of fright make their way to DVD in this very special release. Following their highly popular TV series (which is still going strong in reruns on cable -- TV Land), original cast members Fred Gwynne (Herman), Yvonne DeCarlo (Lily) and Al Lewis (Grandpa) reunited in two movies -- giving us the Munsters as they were never before seen -- in color! In 1966's "Munster, Go Home!" (1 hr. 37 mins), Herman moves the family to an English estate he inherited. Starring in this are Gwynne, DeCarlo, Lewis and original cast member Butch Patrick (Eddie). Red-headed Debbie Watson portrays Marilyn. Guest stars include Bernard Fox ("Bewitched") and Richard Dawson ("Hogan's Heroes"). In 1981's "The Munsters Revenge" (1 hr. 37 mins), Sid Caesar stars as Dr. Diablo, who concots a plan to create robot "Munsters" to pull off a series of art heists. Starring in this are Gwynne, DeCarlo and Lewis. KC Martell portrays Eddie while Marilyn is recast again, this time with blonde Jo McDonnell. The cover art is neat in that the case is like a regular movie release case (a snap-case), but the cover you can slide off. The cover is a spider web that covers the main box. On the main cover is the original cast (Gwynne, DeCarlo, Lewis and Patrick) along with Debbie Watson (Marilyn in "Munster, Go Home!"), who's now blonde! The menu is simple. It features a spider-web and the two movies are listed that you can pick from. Both selections take you to a sub-menu that allows you to choose English or Spanish subtitles. Closed captioning is available.
The video is presented in both Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) or Full Frame (1.33:1) -- and in color (although personally, I turned the color all the way to black and white -- it really brings back the feel of the show doing so). To get the movies in wide-screen, you're TV should already either be wide-screen or you might have a menu selection that allows you to pick wide-screen. I did and it does make the movie wide-screen. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono. And on a side-note, the movies are clearly remastered. The color is vibrant and dust and debris free. There are chapter skips available during the movies so you can jump around to different parts.
So in closing, I was very happy to get both of these on DVD; they are a must have for any Munsters fan! It's nice both movies are on the same disc. No special features are included but regardless of that, these movies haven't been in print for a while (although I did find both in a cheap bin at Best Buy a few years prior) so you should definitely shell out the 20 bucks to get these -- two movies for the price of one. You can't beat that!

-- Reviewed by Shawn Eaton
(5/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Munsters TV.com Page


The Benny Hill Show, Complete And Unadulterated: The Hill's Angels Years - Set 5 (A&E, $49.95) brings the next 9 episodes from the classic British series to DVD. This set is available on a three-disc set that contains 9 classic hours from 1982-1985. Hill's Angels join the cast and my they are so good. Benny got even naughtier when they arrived! Each episode runs about 50-52 minutes. Packaging is very similar to the first four sets. The set even has special features. "Hill's Angels Off the Record" runs 11:56 and is produced by A&E and has interviews with some of the Hill's Angels--they share a lot and it is very interesting to watch. Then there is the little trivia game you can play titled "The Benny Hill Cheeky Challenge Trivia Quiz #5." The menu screen has video clips to start off then the main menu comes, and the art is like the cover art. Episode numbers are on each main menu then when selected, you get to a skit selection screen, or you can just play the episode straight through. Chapter skips are also there, if you need them. Now, if my calculations are correct, we should have one more final set with about 8 episodes. Let's hope we get those episodes very soon on DVD. I liked Benny Hill even better in the 1980s years, so I'm sure many others do, too, and this DVD is great to watch because you'll die of laughing. Don't show this to little kids, because Benny is very naughty!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Benny Hill Show TV.com Page

Stay tuned tomorrow for our first week ratings blog for the 2006-07 season and on Monday a review for the new sitcom Help Me Help You, premiering this Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, March 29

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 25)

Friday, March 29

  • Michael Keaton (Report to Murphy/Working Stiffs/All's Fair) - Watch Michael on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Ramy Youssef (Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Sarah Paulson (Leap of Faith) - Sarah is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Bowen Yang (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) - Bowen appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Lauren Lapkus (Crashing/Clipped/Are You There, Chelsea?) - Lauren is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim talks about Mother Play on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Frank Grillo (Battery Park) - Frank talks about his new film Lights Out on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local lisitngs.
  • Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek/Greg the Bunny/Hiller and Diller) - Eugene is telling Drew about working with his two children on Schitt's Creek, joining season four of Only Murders in the Building and traveling around the world for his new show on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)

Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Father Knows Best - The Complete Series The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


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