Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman - Volume 1 DVD Review - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TJ · 03-21-2007, 08:35 PM

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!

Read our review here:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/maryhar...dvdreview.html

Post any questions or comments about this set.

Dizzy Arnizzy · 03-26-2007, 02:02 PM

Great review!! I received an early release copy of this set a few weeks ago, and I have really enjoyed it. The picture quality is excellent, much better than I had expected for a '70s taped show. The menus are a disappointment -- very plain and cheap looking. And bonus features would be nice to have on upcoming volumes (if Sony ever gets around to releasing other volumes!!).

Also, a lot of episodes on the set have extended "preview" footage after the end credits ("Here's a preview of the next episode of 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'"), just like when they were originally aired.

However, I do have a feeling that some episodes have been edited down a bit -- even for a '70s syndicated series, some episodes do run a bit short, and I have just recently heard from several other people who also think some episodes on this set are edited...I hope to get a response from Sony about this matter soon.

Already Gone · 04-03-2007, 11:36 AM

I got vol. 1 last week and I really enjoyed it. I finished watching it last night and i'm ready for vol. 2. It was great being able to watch these episodes again.

RWCTV · 04-17-2007, 03:50 AM

I bought this set also. Although it ran before I was born, I read about it in several television history books, and since I liked most of Norman Lear's shows (The Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times, One Day at a Time, Sanford and Son, etc.), my curiosity increased. I did tape trades over the years and ended up buying the two VHS volumes on E-bay in 2000. I then got more from the TVLAND airing.

I bought it and was very impressed by the picture quality. Having them on DVD allows for more space since the entire boxed set (which carries 25 episodes) takes less room than one VHS tape (which carries 5 episodes).

Hope for a Volume 2:
By calling it Volume 1 suggests that there very well may be a volume 2. Keep em' coming Sony. It was great, and it was reasonably priced.

catlover79 · 12-17-2009, 01:57 AM

I haven't seen this yet, but it sounds great. I'll have to check it out one of these days.

03-21-2007, 08:35 PM	#1
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,648	Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman - Volume 1 DVD Review 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! Read our review here: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/maryhar...dvdreview.html Post any questions or comments about this set.

03-26-2007, 02:02 PM	#2
Dizzy Arnizzy Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 19, 2004 Posts: 110	Great review!! I received an early release copy of this set a few weeks ago, and I have really enjoyed it. The picture quality is excellent, much better than I had expected for a '70s taped show. The menus are a disappointment -- very plain and cheap looking. And bonus features would be nice to have on upcoming volumes (if Sony ever gets around to releasing other volumes!!). Also, a lot of episodes on the set have extended "preview" footage after the end credits ("Here's a preview of the next episode of 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'"), just like when they were originally aired. However, I do have a feeling that some episodes have been edited down a bit -- even for a '70s syndicated series, some episodes do run a bit short, and I have just recently heard from several other people who also think some episodes on this set are edited...I hope to get a response from Sony about this matter soon.
	Last edited by Dizzy Arnizzy; 03-26-2007 at 02:46 PM.

04-17-2007, 03:50 AM	#4
RWCTV Making Sense Senior Member Join Date: Sep 21, 2001 Location: Lockport, IL USA Posts: 1,138	Great Quality I bought this set also. Although it ran before I was born, I read about it in several television history books, and since I liked most of Norman Lear's shows (The Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times, One Day at a Time, Sanford and Son, etc.), my curiosity increased. I did tape trades over the years and ended up buying the two VHS volumes on E-bay in 2000. I then got more from the TVLAND airing. I bought it and was very impressed by the picture quality. Having them on DVD allows for more space since the entire boxed set (which carries 25 episodes) takes less room than one VHS tape (which carries 5 episodes). Hope for a Volume 2: By calling it Volume 1 suggests that there very well may be a volume 2. Keep em' coming Sony. It was great, and it was reasonably priced.
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12-17-2009, 01:57 AM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	I haven't seen this yet, but it sounds great. I'll have to check it out one of these days.
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04-03-2007, 11:36 AM	#3
Already Gone Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 31, 2004 Posts: 2,587	I got vol. 1 last week and I really enjoyed it. I finished watching it last night and i'm ready for vol. 2. It was great being able to watch these episodes again.