Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1 (1 Viewer)

[Michael Rogers]

I've been Netflixing them myself.

I was underwhelmed by the first few episodes but the later ones have really terrific.

It's great to see all the familiar faces as well. Although I wonder why Morey Amsterdam was uncredited in the show he was in.

The thing I can most do without are the short in between skits. They seem to be a response to Laugh-In but most of the skits are pretty tired.

They must've dropped the "Love American Style Players" as time went on because I never remembered any short skits in the episodes I saw.

All in all though a very fun show.

 

[Bert Greene]

This set wasn't really a big priority with me, but when I saw it at a store for $19.99, it was hard to pass up. Overall, it's been enjoyable seeing the series again after all these years. Some of the playlets are real charmers (amidst a few clunkers), but the most fun is perhaps in the great veteran casts. My gosh, what can beat seeing Broderick Crawford as a mismatched victim of a computer date?

One of the main aspects I appreciate about the series is how it manages to handle all the semi-risque topics in a relatively classy, respectful manner. If this series, with these same plotlines, was remade with today's cultural mindset, I'm sure it would be such a bottomless pit of sleaze and tackiness that it would leave me retching.

 

[Gary OS]

As usual, Bert does an amazing job at summing up a release like this one. My thoughts mirror his 100%. This series was not high on my list, but I've enjoyed it a lot. The blackouts are hit and miss, with some being really silly but some being quite clever and genuinely funny. Certainly one can't help but laugh at "Fern" and "Lamar" and the rest of the players. But the gold is watching short stories like the one with Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. Add into all this the great theme, especially the jazzy ending theme music, and you've got a nice little set.

And Bert's comments about how today's tv would handle the subjects is spot on too. It would be nothing short of a cesspool. But LAS did a pretty good job at staying clean. In fact that's one of the funny things about this release. I've read a few reviewers lamenting the fact that the show promised or teased naughtiness but didn't follow through. Oy Vey. Just goes to show how desensitized we've become over the last 40 years.

Gary "all the familiar faces make this set worthwhile" O.

 

[DeWilson]

Boston's WLVI - 56?

 

[Corey3rd]

Yup. We'd visit in the summer and it was amazing what they showed on 56 & 38 compared to the stuff back home. I found a TV Guide ad for when they showed That Girl and Love American Style in the same hour.

 

[Gregory V]

Even worse, the vocal theme from Here Come The Brides was removed in syndication and wasn't even put back on the first season DVD set. QUOTE]

Actually the vocal version was only used in the second season. The first season was instrumental in the original network run.

 

[Hank Dearborn]

Source? I would bet you my collection that season 1 ran the vocal theme by The New Establishment. I watched the show every week when it aired and I was of an old enough age then to know what I'm talking about.

 

[Hank Dearborn]

I've watched the first half dozen episodes and it's actually funnier and better than I thought it would be. And I don't think there was a show of that era that had as many good guest stars. It was the Love Boat of it's era but much better of a show and much funnier. Like I said in a previous post, I can't see this selling well enough to go all the way through the run but I'm happy to get whatever I can. Plus some of the segments run about 30 minutes so they must have been pretty cut up for the syndication package. This is the first chance to see them complete in almost 40 years.

 

[Radioman970]

I was in love with her too. Also, did Barbi Benton ever appear on an episode? God, I hope so. Benton might be more late 70s. Love Boat, etc.

 

[Gregory V]

Well I looked it up and it seems we were BOTH right.....Wikipedia says it was changed in the latter half of the first season from instrumental to vocal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Come_the_Brides


Look in the music section.

 

[Elena S]

Wasn't the theme song "Seattle"? Ignorant me, I thought Perry Como sang it.

 

[Gregory V]

He did sing it...just not on the show...he released his own version on the radio.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Well, now I've watched a few of these shows and all I can ask is... do they get any better with future seasons? I'm kind of disappointed, so far.

 

[Corey3rd]

the show is best watched during cocktail hour.

some episodes are better than others depending on cast and story. All episodes are better after a little Scotch and soda.

 

[Hank Dearborn]

Sorry to disagree (Wikipedia is subject to many errors) but I was 11 when the show aired and they didn't change the open until the second season. Season one had the vocal theme the whole year.

 

[Gregory V]

I thought you said they had vocal through the whole show? I was 10 myself and where I lived they had instrumental for at least most of the first season and vocal in the entire second season.