Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1 - Page 2

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

Someone posted it on youtube. Good sound quality, although if the guy intro-ing it had been a radio DJ I would've tuned to Imus after 20 seconds of his 2:45 monologue. The song starts about 2:45 into the film.

Cowsills, Love American Style on Youtube

Hey, I like it!! The Cowsills did an excellent job. I can't wait to pick up that DVD.

I feel the creators of The Partridge Family were just "inspired" rather than ripping off.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

People who were kids back in the late 60s/early 70s are the perfect target market for TV shows on DVDs cause we're old enough to remember the shows, but young enough to shop on the internet so we know when they have come out on DVD. Old people don't want to get out of their chair, squat down and swap out DVDs. they want to just click away and find their shows on the Retro TV Network.

Comfort Food is the best way to look at TV on DVD. People want to buy shows that they enjoyed. They want the mac and cheese from their youth. I want the shows that ran on WLVI. But at the same time I'll pick up recent shows that get my attention. But odds are the underplayed shows of my youth get bought on the day of release (Ultraman & Hogan's Heroes). I'll get MTM & Bob Newhart, but only when Fox runs a 2 for 1 sale.

Love American Style is like a great grab bag of a show since you never what stars will pop up and in what roles.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

No need to apologize; I don't think of "dated" the way you do. When one watches a show filmed in 1969 or 1970 (for example) then of course the attitudes, clothes, music, furniture, colors, etc., are going to seem to be from another time and seem "passe". (shrug) .

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

well after talking about getting Newhart and MTM at 2 for 1 sales, deepdiscount has the deal.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

Was LAS always 1 hour on network? I was surprised by the 1 hour format and the differently styled theme song.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

It ran for 4 and a half seasons, only one of which was in a half hour format.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

Two words why I am looking forward to the DVD release of Season 1 Part 2: KAREN VALENTINE.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

I'm looking forward to it for two other words: Julie Newmar

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

my two words:
VIVIAN VANCE!

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

Karen Valentine was a honey. I had a crush on her from The North Avenue Irregulars. Wasn't she the lead in Room 222? I always wanted to see that show, but never have.

I was on the fence back and forth with this set. I ordered it from the DD sale, but then had second thoughts and decided to Netflix it instead. I got to the first commercial break on the first episode and that was all I needed to see to know this was something I wanted to own and be able to peruse at leisure.
What I saw in that first 7 minutes or so- that I hope was indicitive of the overall style of the rest of the series- was a refreshing depature from the set up/punchline/ set up/punchline style that I've seen for the last 20 years on sitcoms. There was a bit of that, but it wasn't aggressive (nor was the laugh track thank God) and the writing just had more of a theatrical style feel to it. There seemed to be room left for nuance and subtlety.
Maybe I will find I made a mistake- but I'm looking forward to going thru this in the weeks ahead much more than I expected to.

The other thing that sold me was seeing Yvonne Craig in the 1st eps credits. I had seen some of the other guest stars listed on various sites, but never saw her mentioned. That tells me there are probably a TON of faces I grew up with that will show up unexpectedly in this and future sets. That will be worth something.

And put me down as one who prefers the Charles Fox singers rendition to the Cowsills. It would be nice if we got that version (or God forbid, the ability to select which intro we wanted) in a future set.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

Boston's WLVI - 56?

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

[quote=Hank Dearborn] 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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

[quote=Gregory V]
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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

[quote=Hank Dearborn] 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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

[quote=Gregory V] Wasn't the theme song "Seattle"? Ignorant me, I thought Perry Como sang it.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

[quote=Elena S]

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

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

[quote=Gregory V]

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.

Re: Watched Love, American Style - Volume 1

[quote=Hank Dearborn]

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.