Info:
DVD Release Date: March 27, 2007 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
B&W / 1976
MSRP: $29.95
Number of Discs: 3
Number of Episodes: 25
Running Time: 564
Languages, Subtitles, Closed Captioning: English;
Closed Captioned
Special Features: None
Introduction:
From 1976 to 1977, Norman Lear's hit soap parody, MARY
HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN entertained audiences with wacky
plotlines, ranging from a waxy yellow build up to such
serious subjects as impotence, sexual perversion and
more. The first-run syndicated series starred Louise
Lasser as the naive Mary Hartman, a housewife who's
daily struggles include her husband Tom's (Greg
Mullavey) impotence, her daughter's involvement as a
witness in a mass murder and a strange waxy yellow
build up on her floor. Also starring in the series
were Mary Kay Place as Loretta, the country-crooning
best friend and neighbor of Mary, her much older
husband Charlie (Graham Jarvis), Mary's mother Mrs.
Shumway (Dody Goodman) and Mary's sister (Debralee
Scott).
And now we can own the first 25 episodes of this
comedy soap opera on DVD from Sony Pictures Home
Entertainment!
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
Let me preface this by saying that each and every
episode is totally memorable, but I chose the episodes
that are just REALLY that good. I know I jump around a
bit but I hope it makes sense!
Some of the more memorable episodes include Episode 1,
in which the Fernwood flasher, mass murders, goats,
chickens and a waxy yellow buildup are just a normal
part of the day for housewife Mary Hartman. Episode 6
in which Mary checks out some books on impotence and a
social worker takes on Grandpa's case. Episode 9 in
which Loretta cuts her long awaited record. Episode 13
in which Mary must face the mass murderer. Episode 18
is the one in which Mary is rescued from the mass
murderer. Episode 19 is the one in which Mary tells
Tom she knows about Mae. Episode 22 is the one in
which Charlie and Loretta take to the road. Episode 23
is the one in which Grandpa has his day in court.
Episode 24 is the one in which tragedy strikes Charlie
and Loretta in the form of a bus full of nuns.
Finally, Episode 25 is the one in which Charlie and
Loretta are in for some catastrophic news while Tom
visits Mae with something important to tell her.
Memorable guest stars this season include Ed Begley,
Jr., Archie Hahn, Ron Feinberg and more!
Packaging:
The set is your typical DVD release...a thin cardboard
box with two slim snap cases inside. The main cover
art is yellow and features a drawing of Louise Lasser
as Mary Hartman, with her famous question "do my
floors have a waxy yellow buildup?" The snap cases
are feature the exact same design as the main art but
case one is blue and case two is pink.
Case 1 holds Discs 1 and 2 while Case 2 holds Disc 3.
The discs themselves are various colors, such as pink,
blue and yellow. Disc 1 contains episodes 1-9. Disc 2
contains episodes 10-18 and Disc 3 contains episodes
19-25.
Menu Design and Navigation:
The menu is typical Sony. Very basic and generic, this
is a shame. The same picture of Louise Lasser as Mary
is used and a generic background is used. There is a
"Play All Episodes" option available as well as an
"Episode Selections" option. "Episode Selections"
takes you to a sub-menu where it lists the episodes.
Video and Audio Quality:
I have to admit, Sony did a great job restoring these
episodes. They are picture perfect. The color is
fantastic and vibrant and the sound is really good. I
was very impressed. Keep in mind now, the show is 31
years old! There are chapter skips on each episode,
which is always handy. As for the episodes, keep in
mind, in 1976 and 1977 this show was in syndication,
which means it LIKELY did not run the full 25 minutes
shows in the 1970s ran. Each episode clocks in around
22:30 in length, which is typical for first-run
syndication. I hope that someone out there who is
familiar with the original episodes can shed some
light on this so we can say for sure if it is edited
or not. This show was not on network television, and
shows on network TV in 1976-77 were around 25
minutes...so 22:30 might be right.
DISC 1
1- Episode 1 (22:39)
2- Episode 2 (22:43)
3- Episode 3 (22:57)
4- Episode 4 (22:42)
5- Episode 5 (22:09)
6- Episode 6 (22:31)
7- Episode 7 (22:38)
8- Episode 8 (22:37)
9- Episode 9 (22:26)
DISC 2
10- Episode 10 (22:35)
11- Episode 11 (22:42)
12- Episode 12 (22:25)
13- Episode 13 (22:33)
14- Episode 14 (22:33)
15- Episode 15 (22:35)
16- Episode 16 (22:35)
17- Episode 17 (22:37)
18- Episode 18 (22:36)
DISC 3
19- Episode 19 (22:35)
20- Episode 20 (22:40)
21- Episode 21 (22:36)
22- Episode 22 (22:36)
23- Episode 23 (22:24)
24- Episode 24 (22:41)
25- Episode 25 (22:40)
Special Features:
There weren't any on this set, which is a true
disgrace! A typical Sony set, really.
Final Comments:
I do have some complaints. First, it is an indignity
there are not any special features! Second, I think
Sony can try to do a better job with their menus. They
come across as cheap and generic. They are easy to use
but just are not very pleasing to the eyes. With that
said, I for one am THRILLED that "Mary Hartman, Mary
Hartman" is on DVD! I really hope we get all of the
episodes on DVD (only 300 more to go, apparently,
ha!), as I have only seen a handful until now. The
show just gets better and better as it goes along and
the cast is right on the money. It is a shame Lasser
left in 1977 (although it continued as "Forever
Fernwood") because I think it probably could of run a
long time.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars - How our point system works)
Video Quality: 5/5
Audio Quality: 4.5/5
Special Features: 0/5
Menu Navigation/Design: 3/5
Overall: 4/5
-- Reviewed by TVJunkie101 (Shawn Eaton) on 03/21/07
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