Saturday, April 06, 2013
Digital Digest: Arrested Development Returning in a Big Way; Shout! Factory Updates; Petticoat Junction - Return to Hooterville DVD Review
DIGITAL NEWS
Heading back over to the DVD side of things, some pre-order listings for some Shout! Factory releases popped up online lately, with one of the biggest ones being for The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - The Complete Series. It was announced a few months ago that this would be coming, but now a preliminary release date of July 2 has been set for this megaset. No details have been given yet on what (if any) special features will be included, but so far it is known that it will be a 20 disc set that will come at a $139.99 MSRP.
Meanwhile, Shout! is moving ahead with Quincy, M.E. with a July 9 release of Quincy, M.E. - Season 6. The five-disc set will come at a $39.97 MSRP. And, to follow up both of these releases, Shout! has the long-awaited release of The Jack Benny Program - The Lost Episodes coming up on July 23. It sounds like it'll be a busy summer for Shout!, and we can't wait to see what may be in store for August!
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Before we even begin, we should give an important disclaimer: much of the material seen on this DVD is a repeat of the special features from MPI's release of Petticoat Junction - The Ultimate Collection (review). The main feature on this DVD is "The History of Hooterville" (46:37). In this interview, we hear from Linda Kaye Henning, Gunilla Hutton, Mike Minor, Frank Cady, Shirley Mitchell, and Charles Lane as they all relive the history of the series through all seven seasons and recount their own personal memories of the series. Like many features, this is a "repeat" feature from 2005, which explains why Frank Cady and Charles Lane both appear in it. However, there is a slight update at the end for the "in memory of" screen, as Lane and Cady's names have been added to that list.
Cast commercials (10:18) is a series of cast commercials used from the first season of the series. These are basically plugs that cast members did (in character) at the end of the episode for the sponsor of the series, which happened to be Procter & Gamble. This is almost like what was included on the previous release from MPI, but they actually included nine this time (as opposed to just eight). However, Linda Kaye Henning's introduction is gone.
Outtakes and Production Footage (22:04) is something new for fans. For one of the first times (ever), we actually get to see some full color footage from the series on DVD! This features a lot of clips of recording stock footage for the series, photos from production, and a few outtakes from some of the color episodes of the series. Unfortunately, all of this is silent in the sense that none of the audio is included with the clips... but there IS some audio, as Linda Kaye Henning and Jim Pierson talk about what is going on in the form of commentary. Despite how technical it is, I really enjoyed it.
"The Girls From Petticoat Junction" (2:10) seems to be mostly a promotional plug for an album called Sixties Sounds - The Girls From Petticoat Junction, which features Linda Kaye Henning, Meredith MacRae, and Lori Saunders.
"Shady Rest Memories" (14:14) is one of the "new" special features for this set, and it is almost like an extension to the main feature. Here, Jack Bannon (son of Bea Benaderet, series dialog coach, and guest actor on the series) talks a lot about his own memories of the series. He spends a lot of time talking about his memories of his mother as well, of course, which fans of the series are sure to appreciate.
"Original Promotional Spots" (3:44) is a series of original promos for the series from CBS. All of these are presented in color.
"Before Benji: The Story of Higgins" (16:38) is a short documentary about the life of Higgins, the four-legged actor who played the unnamed dog on the series. Of course, it mostly focuses on his more famous role as Benji. This is a very old documentary that was very obviously made in 1976, and has all of the production qualities of a bad '70s film strip... but to be honest, that actually makes it much more interesting and gives it a very nostalgic feeling.
"A Cannonball Christmas" (30:28) is actually a full-length episode of the series, which is "padded" a bit with an introduction from Linda Kaye Henning, and even a special Christmas message from Linda Kaye Henning and Frank Cady at the end of the episode.
Finally, there are some Special Petticoat Appearances, which gives us appearances of cast members on other series (or in some cases, radio... you didn't think MPI would let a release slide without a Let's Talk to Lucy feature, did you?). These include appearances of Bea Benaderet on Talent Scouts (3:02), The Danny Kaye Show (29:55), and Let's Talk to Lucy (17:45). For Linda Kaye Henning, we get to see appearances from Keene at Noon (10:38), The Song Is You (5:02), and The Perfect Match (21:44). The most interesting of all of these is The Perfect Match, which is apparently a long lost '60s game show where a high tech computer matches up couples... and prizes are involved too. The winner of the episode seen here won an attache case.
The packaging for the DVD is rather standard, using a basic Amaray case. On the cover, there is a photo of the girls from Petticoat Junction, and there are a few more photos on the back. There is a list of some (but not all) of the features on the back as well. The disc itself has the same photo seen on the front cover of the DVD case.
The DVD is packaged in a standard DVD case, with a cast photo on the cover (you'll notice that only three of the eight people pictured were original cast members). There are a few more photos on the back, along with a brief description of the movie and a list of special features. Inside, you'll find the disc, which has the same artwork as seen on the cover.
The menus on the DVD are fine, but nothing very special. The main menu simply has a list of all of the options on the DVD, along with a "Next" option (since they don't all fit on one menu). There is an option to turn on subtitles, but unfortunately, those are only available for the main feature on the DVD. Chapters are placed in all places where they should be in each feature.
For a DVD like this, it isn't really productive to comment on the video and audio quality. Most of the material on here is archival footage with questionable sources, so aside from the interviews, expect it to things to look OK at best. However, nothing is really terrible. The audio on the DVD is in mono, of course, and while the set proclaims to have subtitles, you'll only find it on the main feature (The History of Hooterville).
I wouldn't call this a bad DVD, but it only offers special features for the series, and nothing more. In addition, some of these are special features that we've seen before (but not quite as many as I initially believed). If you're a huge fan of the series, you'll want to own this DVD. But if you are anything but a huge fan, you may or may not be interested in this. It gives a lot of special features, but doesn't get us any further in getting more episodes on DVD (which in all fairness, MPI isn't responsible for that holdup). In short, this is a great collection of features for fans of the series, but if you're looking for episodes, you'll just have to wait for CBS to release more.
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That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Thursday, May 19
Young Sheldon - "A Clogged Pore, a Little Spanish and the Future" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sheldon struggles to cope with the first signs of puberty. Also, Mary and George Sr. hunt for new jobs, and Georgie and Meemaw take a business trip across the border.
United States of Al - "Chaos / Aashob" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Riley comes clean to Freddy about his relationship with Vanessa, and Cindy grows increasingly possessive of Al.
How We Roll - "The PTQ" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
As Tom and Archie prepare for the pre-tournament qualifier, they lay out strict rules for Tom’s family to follow to ensure Tom keeps his head in the game and qualifies for the World Series of Bowling.
How We Roll - "The Houseguest" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Tom’s mentor and coach, Archie, suffers a heart attack just days before the World Series of Bowling, Tom struggles with whether to stay with him in the hospital or leave to compete in the biggest tournament of his career.
Welcome to Flatch - "No Credit/Bad Credit" / "Ghosted" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
While Shrub thrives at his new job and Kelly gets a role in the car lot's commercial, Father Joe begins to miss having them around; Kelly and Shrub get lost in the woods on her birthday; Cheryl, Mandy, Nadine and Father Joe decide to host a séance.
Atlanta - "Tarrare" (FX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Yo Tarrare was a real person. Wild. They gotta stop biting these better shows tho. Written by Stefani Robinson; directed by Donald Glover.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 16)
Thursday, May 19
- Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Catch Alonso on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Mike Myers (The Pentaverate) - Mike appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Ricky Gervais (After Life/The Office) - Ricky is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about SuperNature on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ali Wentworth (Nightcap) - Ali is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 9pm on Bravo.
- Selma Blair (Anger Management/Kath & Kim/Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane) - Selma chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Renee Elise Goldsberry (Girls5eva) - Renee appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Brian Austin Green (Anger Management/Wedding Band/Freddie) - Brian will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (February-May)
02/08 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Ninth Season
02/22 - Everybody Hates Chris - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
02/22 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Eight
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/15 - Head of the Class - The Complete Fourth Season
03/15 - The Proud Family - The Complete Original Series - Anniversary Collection
03/22 - The Honeymooners Specials - The Complete Collection
03/29 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-5 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/29 - Young Rock - Season One
04/05 - Up All Night - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/26 - The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room for Daddy) - The Complete Fourth Season
04/26 - Jackie Gleason TV Treasures - 70th Anniversary Collection (including Honeymooners Rarities)
05/03 - No Activity - Season Three
05/31 - Becker - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
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