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Now One of My Dreams Has Come True: The Mothers-in-Law on DVD! (1 Viewer)

FrankPitt

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My recollection of this show is hazy. I vaguely recall seeing it in early morning syndication when I was a little kid. So after getting the heads-up here, I watched the episode posted on YouTube. I thought it was really funny -- certainly not by today's standards, and definitely of its time -- but I had two literal laugh-out-loud moments, and the rest of it was very entertaining, almost certainly due to the personalities of and performances by the two leading ladies.

And if that represents one of the weaker episodes in the series run, I'll definitely be buying the DVD set when it comes out.
 

ajabrams

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Count me in as another instant purchaser for this one. I loved this show when I was a kid and have fond memories of watching it with my mother and father. Arden and Ballard are unbeatable and even when the material isn't quite up to par they still are fun to watch. Just thinking about it makes me smile.
 

David Lambert

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I know that many of you have been waiting for THIS report!

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mothers-In-Law-The-Complete-Series/13589
 

Claude North

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Apr 21, 2003
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I am very intrigued by the news that this will include the pilot for The Carol Channing Show, starring Carol Channing and Richard Deacon. Sounds like one of those "what were they thinking?!!" moments...or perhaps it will turn out to be a lost treasure. In either case, the pairing of Channing and Deacon should make for interesting viewing. I'm guessing she'll play an irrepressible madcap type and he'll spend his time trying to repress her.

Regardless, I am very happy that MPI is releasing both seasons in one set at a reasonable price and including a tasty spread of extras.
 

Larry.P

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Originally Posted by Claude North

I am very intrigued by the news that this will include the pilot for The Carol Channing Show, starring Carol Channing and Richard Deacon.
Yeah, it's cool. Produced and directed by Desi, written by Bob and Madelyn, and watch for Jimmy Garrett from "The Lucy Show"!
 

ChrisALM

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I watched this show only sporadically during its initial run. I remember enjoying the show at times, but at other times not so much. I think one could get varying opinions of the show based on which particular episode that was viewed.

I plan to pick this up at some point, just not immediately.
 

Rob_Ray

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I received a copy of “The Mothers-in-Law: The Complete Series” this week and fans will be pleased to know that it was well worth the delays. All 56 episodes from the two-season run are here, along with hours of extra material culled from the Desilu Too vaults and various other archives. The transfers are bright and colorful, but not on a par with “Here’s Lucy.” I’m told that given how the original source materials had been spread to the winds, it’s a miracle they look as good as they do here, and they look fine. I’ve only caught two episodes so far, as I dove immediately into the exhaustive supplemental disc, but I could see that the premiere episode includes the original NBC peacock along with the “brought to you by” commercial tag. The one other episode I watched from season two contains just the episode itself without the network garnishments. Desi Arnaz, Jr. introduces the first episode, explaining its place in the career of Desi Arnaz and providing a general background for the show’s setting and production. The remaining episodes are spread over seven single-sided discs. The last disc in the eight-disc set is completely devoted to extra material and there’s a phenomenal amount for a show that had such limited success. First up is an approximately twenty minute featurette “Remembering The Mothers-in-Law” with Kaye Ballard. She has nothing but complete respect for the talents of Arnaz and Eve Arden and recalls meeting Eve Arden back in the mid-forties and being star-struck at the time. She briefly touches on why Roger C. Carmel was replaced by Richard Deacon and laments the change. She also laments the typecasting that this show and her stint on the “Doris Day Show” engendered but says elsewhere on the disc says that the two years spent on this show were among the happiest in her long career. Also included is the original unaired pilot featuring a different actress, Kay Cole, in the role of the daughter, Suzie. She’s fine and Kaye Ballard does not know why she was replaced but I suspect that Deborah Walley, after her middling success in a few film roles, was more of a name. Regardless, when Ms. Walley became available, Ms Cole was dropped and her scenes in the pilot were reshot and inserted into episode one. We are also given several minutes worth of cast commercials for various Proctor and Gamble products such as Scope, Crest and Camay. The Scope commercial features Roger C. Carmel and is obviously from season one. Also included are non-cast commercials for Bold Detergent (with a hilarious Joanne Worley touting the virtues of the color red) and a public service announcement by Carol Burnett. The network promotional spots include a finished promotional done for KNBC Channel Four along with raw footage of other promotionals where the voice of Desi Arnaz can be heard getting the two leads into the appropriate mood. The Behind the Scenes footage is a real find. Desi Arnaz filmed one entire week’s worth of work on 16mm silent film, showing the formulation of one episode from the initial table reading through the filming before an audience. Kaye offers a commentary with help from writer Madelyn Davis and legendary Desilu editor Dann Cahn as we watch the cast read through the script at a table on the set, the initial rehearsal, the camera blocking (the most tedious day, recalls Kaye), the dress rehearsal, the audience warmup, the cast introduction and finally the filming. It’s fascinating to watch as a glimpse of not only the genesis of an episode of The Mothers-in-Law, but of many Desilu series from this era. Kaye especially points out at how few people are at the table reading, as opposed to now, when countless people are gathered, each focused on protecting his or her own job. Rare Kaye Ballard footage includes a clip from an appearance on the Hollywood Palace with Don Adams and a heartwarming bit when she co-hosted Mike Douglas’s show and her grandmother was in the studio audience. There’s a rare Eve Arden clip that I can report on later after I’ve watched it (it’s on color videotape and appears to be from about 1960), and a two-part entry in the “Let’s Talk to Lucy” radio series (other entries of which can be found on the “Here’s Lucy” DVDs) in which Lucille Ball interviews Eve while some of Eve’s home movies are shown onscreen. Take a look at that home movie footage. At one point, Eve is shown performing on stage sometime in the forties. Isn’t that a young Vivian Vance with her on stage? There’s an unproduced script offered as a still-step feature, along with a photo gallery and the supplemental disc is rounded out by the complete versions of two Desilu pilots which were never sold: The Carol Channing Show and a drama called “Land’s End.” I haven’t viewed these two yet but hope to get to them in the next few days. In conclusion, I’d say this set is a fine example of really going the extra mile to produce a product that does a series proud. Say what you want about the series itself – and most of the time it’s a case of hugely talented professionals putting over admittedly silly material – this is well worth owning as a historical artifact of a bygone era when old-fashioned innocence ruled the airwaves. And for fans of Eve Arden, Kaye Ballard and the production talents of Desi Arnaz, this is a must-have.
 

rcbrad

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As if the show and the wonderful extras are not enough, Amazon now has it on sale! It is only $18.99!! Usually pre-orders are not placed on sale before the release date, rather just their discounted price is offered. Even at 28.49, (Amazon discounted price before the sale) it was a very good price considering that you are getting two seasons, plus extensive extras. I placed my order at once!
 

Joe Lugoff

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Thanks, rcbrad. I was on the fence for this one, but I can't resist it at that price. Nineteen bucks is still a little high for this series, but that price is certainly worth it for the extras.
 

Rob_Ray

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Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
Thanks, rcbrad. I was on the fence for this one, but I can't resist it at that price. Nineteen bucks is still a little high for this series, but that price is certainly worth it for the extras.

Nineteen bucks is an absolute steal for any eight disc set, no matter what you think of the show itself.


I sampled the Eve Arden rare footage. It's from a 1959 special starring Cyd Charisse in that early NBC low-band color. James Mitchell introduces Cyd and Eve in a version of "Baubles, Bangles and Beads". Also featured is the trailer for the 1956 movie version of "Our Miss Brooks" which is available from the Warner Archive.
 

Ethan Riley

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Thanks Rob for the great review! And thanks Rick for the heads-up---$18.99?? That's cheapola! I'm ordering it as we speak!
 

Rob_Ray

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Continuing to explore the bonus extras on “The Mothers-in-Law: The Complete Series,” I watched the unsold pilot, “The Carol Channing Show.” Needless to say, how much you like it depends on how much you like Carol Channing. It’s the same broad, slapstick comedy that’s found in “The Mothers-in-Law” so fans who buy this set may be inclined to look more favorably on this show than a general audience would. It’s terribly silly, with the old gag of two people sharing a living space without realizing the other person is there. (Carol has been given the key to Jane Dulo’s apartment when old friend Jane finds the aspiring actress living on a park bench in Central Park. Carol is told not to wake Jane’s policeman husband played by Richard Deacon, hence the situation of two people in an apartment not knowing that the other is moving about.) The networks were smart to pass on this one, of course, as Carol Channing is a bit much to take on a weekly basis and this sort of slapstick was considered old hat by 1967, when this appears to have been shot. “The Mothers-in-Law” got picked up only because of the network’s fondness for Eve Arden from her years as “Our Miss Brooks.” By the way, “The Lucy Show’s” Jimmy Garrett appears in the first park bench scene. Doing some research in the L.A. Times’ online archive, I found an interview with Richard Deacon from 1968, at the time that he took over the role of Roger Buell. He claims that he was the original choice for Roger but was committed to this Desilu companion pilot “The Carol Channing Show” and was thus out of the original running for the role. When Roger C. Carmel left the show in a salary dispute the following season, Deacon was finally given the role. According to Deacon, he was asked to wear a handlebar mustache resembling Carmel’s and get rid of the glasses, to which he adamantly refused. He made the role his own, turning it into more of a Fred Mertz. Kaye preferred Carmel’s interpretation, as it was more in tune with hers and less stereotypically Fred Mertz-ish. Also of interest was the fact that Carmel was only 35 years old. Kaye was about 41 and Jerry Fogel, playing her son, was 31. Richard Deacon was about 47 when he took over.
 

Jo_C

Second Unit
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Oct 20, 2001
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347
If anyone has an early copy of this DVD, can anyone tell me who the copyright holder on the show is, and the companies involved?
 

Jo_C

Second Unit
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Oct 20, 2001
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Well, since no one, especially reviewer Rob, will tell me, I had to use logic and research and updated the Wikipedia entry on this show and hopefully the issue of rights will be settled for all of you. If I'm wrong, let me know.
 

The Obsolete Man

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Originally Posted by Ethan Riley

Thanks Rob for the great review! And thanks Rick for the heads-up---$18.99?? That's cheapola! I'm ordering it as we speak!

Oh, yeah.


I usually don't pre-order so early, but I figure I should lock in that price now.


Plus, even if it goes down even further for some reason before release day, Amazon usually refunds the difference.
 

Rob_Ray

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Originally Posted by Jo_C

Well, since no one, especially reviewer Rob, will tell me, I had to use logic and research and updated the Wikipedia entry on this show and hopefully the issue of rights will be settled for all of you. If I'm wrong, let me know.

I just saw your request today. When I get home, I'll take a look at the box, but, generally speaking, it was a Desi Arnaz Production Company product, so I would think that the bulk of the rights are owned by Desilu, Too, although I'm told that Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden's estate own pieces of the pie. I'll get back to you after checking the box.
 

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