Actors: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Carl Reiner
Directors: Jerry Paris, John Rich
Number of discs: 3
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Run Time: 811 minutes
Season: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars
I do not think that there could be such a thing as watching too much “The Dick Van Dyke Show”. As these seasons are being released on Blu-ray, I find myself re-watching past seasons just to fill the gap in between. Even my wife now has become a fan finding the show like myself post airing. Image Entertainment is behind these and they have done such a wonderful job. This season is first without Carl Reiner taking point in the writing department. It still is exceptional funny, especially with the episode “That’s My Boy??”. With only two more seasons to go after this, I am going to be upset when the series is completed. Can I suggest “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” next for them to release as a series? Hint Hint!
Official Premise: Pratfall-prone Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) and his plucky wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), along with wisecracking co-workers Sally (Rose Marie) and Buddy (Morey Amsterdam), captured America’s hearts in this TV favorite that irresistibly combined wit and slapstick. The third season, which earned the series’ highest ratings, opened with the landmark That’s My Boy?? about Rob’s fear that he’s brought the wrong baby home from hospital, getting the longest studio audience laughs in the show’s history. Also among the season’s 32 original full length episodes (airing 1963-1964) included in this set are the hilarious October Eve with Laura is mortified when a nude portrait of her surfaces in a New York gallery and Big Max Calvada in which a gangster muscles Rob, Buddy and Sally into writing a comedy routine for his nephew.
Like the past three seasons, Image Entertainment has consistently delivers wonderful presentations for this show (and many others as well). These episodes are brought to us on Blu-ray with all-new scans from the camera negatives. The 1080p transfer just look stunning. The original source elements have held up very well and really don’t show their age at all. The DTS-HD MA 1.0 audio track is a simple soundtrack for a simple show. There not much needed here this show and it works perfectly. The episodes were mostly taped with a studio audience and the laughing is balanced well with the snappy jokes and dialogue.
There are some new Blu-ray exclusive special features. Including “Mary on The Danny Kaye Show”, which if you a nice switch since on Season 2, we had Dick on that show. Decent but Dick’s appearance takes the cake for being slightly more entertaining. “TV Academy Tribute to Carl with Steve Martin and George Clooney” it is a nice ode to the man behind this great show. Martin gives tribute and Clooney does the awarding. 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 episode 64 (That’s My Boy??) and episode 90 (October Eve). There are “Episode Photos” throughout all three discs for episodes 18 out of the 32 episodes. There are also commercials/promos on episode 64, 66, 80 and others for Nick at Nite.
Other extras include featurettes on disc 1: “Remembering the Sheldon Leonard”, “Remembering Rob and Laura”, “Remembering Buddy and Sally”, “Remembering That’s My Boy??” (episode 64), “Remembering the Betty Lou” (episode 72), which look back at these episodes and the characters. Also there is “Sheldon on the Role of Executive Producer”. Disc 2 contains featurettes on “Remembering Joe Coogan” (episode 80). There is a also a featurette “The Cast Plays Stump the Stars” and Rehearsal footage from “A Day in the Life of Sheldon Leonard”. Lastly disc three has one more featurette: for “Remembering Alan Brady” (episode 86) and “Remembering October Eve” (episode 90). Also there is a look into the show’s Emmy Awards® (1963-1964) and “Dick and Mary on Van Dyke & Company” included.