Actors: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Carl Reiner
Directors: Jerry Paris
Number of discs: 3
Rated: Unrated
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Run Time: 800 minutes
Season: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars
Season four of “The Dick Van Dyke” show continues to deliver with the laughter and great jokes. It is one of my favorite seasons, as it introduced a new twist to the show having Alan Brady finally stepping out from being an off-screen character and getting a face. He was played by none other than the show’s own creator Carl Reiner. Reiner really makes this character one of my favorites from the show and adds a whole new dynamic for the series. If you are fan of this show Image delivers again with another successfully season release. I am sad to think that this series will be completed when season five is released in August 2013. Hopefully they have the rights to the “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” next. 😉
Official Premise: Join one of TV’s funniest couples as they tackle life in the suburbs and work in the big city. Dick Van Dyke is hilarious as Rob Petrie, the wacky comedy writer, and Mary Tyler Moore is the sexiest, nuttiest wife in New Rochelle. Add to that magic combination the talents of Carl Reiner, Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie and Richard Deacon, and you’ve got one of the most popular sitcoms ever – the winner of 15 Emmy Awards! Now you can enjoy the complete fourth season (airing 1964-1965), all 32 episodes in their entirety! Be there as Laura gets her toe caught in a bath spout in the unforgettable Never Bathe on a Saturday, a sleep-deprived Rob tries to stay awake during his job interview with Alan Brady in 100 Terrible Hours and Don Rickles is a klutzy thief who tries to rob the Petries in a stalled elevator in 4 1/2, then enlists them to entertain in The Alan Brady Show Goes to Jail.
With each passing season, I never cease to be impressed with that love that Image has given this show. These episodes have been released on Blu-ray with all-new scans from the camera negatives. The 1080p transfer looks, honestly not short of stunning for a show of it’s age. Each episode come with an original DTS-HD MA 1.0 audio track, which works for the show and its comedy. The episodes were mostly taped with a studio audience and the laughing is balanced well with the snappy jokes and sharp dialogue. You will not be let down with this amazing audio and video presentations.
There are some new Blu-ray exclusive special features. There is “Mary on The Danny Thomas Show” in which she tells the story of how she came to be cast as Laura Petrie. There are three separate “TV Academy Tribute to Carl Reiner” included as well. The first is from Dick Van Dyke, who tells him stories about their collaboration. The next one is from Ray Romano and Brad Garrett and the last one is from Rose Marie, Larry Matthews and Bill Persky, which is my personal favorite of the three. Rose Marie just cracks me up!
The rest of the season features are roll-overs from past DVD releases but are still fantastic. There are commentary tracks from Carl Reiner and Dick Van Dyke on episodes 121 (Never Bathe on Saturday) and episode 124 (Baby Fat). Also on episode 124, there is a track from Garry Marshall. All great commentary tracks for sure, a lot of fun! These guys really loved what they did and it sure does show! There are “Episode Photos” throughout all three discs for episodes 30 out of the 32 episodes, amazing!
Other extras include featurettes on disc 1: “Remembering Don Rickles” (episode 102) and “Remembering the Pink Pills” (episode 106), which look back at those episodes and their characters. Also there is a clip from the Animated Program “The Alan Brady Show” (episode 103). Disc 2 contains more featurettes on including “DVD Exclusive Awards: The Dick Van Dyke Show: Season One (Best Overall DVD, TV Program)”, “Diagnosis Murder: Dr. Mark Sloan Meets Rob Petrie” and “Dick Sings the Theme Song at the Hollywood Bowl (2001)”.
The third disc actually has the most extras listed for the season. First we get three featurettes “Remembering Never Bathe on Saturday” (episode 121), “Remembering Baby Fat” (episode 124) and “Remembering the Motorcyle” (episode 125) look back at these amazing episodes. There is a look back at the show in “The Dick Van Dyke Show Remembered”. Lastly there is a piece from “Emmy Awards® (1964-1965) Outstanding Program Achievement in Entertainment” and some extras “Nick at Nite Promos” included.