The Bob Newhart Show – The Complete Third Season
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B
The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Third Season is
another strong season of the best comedy MTM Productions ever made outside of
their cycle of Mary Tyler Moore Show episodes and spin-offs. This time in a compact set once again
offered on three double-sided DVDs in another set of nice slender cases in
another nicely illustrated box, we get extras again and Pleshette’s Emily become
a working wife.
This is spoofed in the opening montage, where gender
reversal is thrown into the mix as a great joke. To recap, the classic cast headed by Suzanne Pleshette, Peter
Bonerz, Bob Daily, Marcia Wallace, Patricia Smith, John Fiedler and others in
this David Davis/Lorenzo Music created show which became an instant
classic. With everything set up, the
comedy about a psychologist (something that had never been done on TV before)
continued to find new places to go. The
comedy never humiliated the persons suffering mental illness, while actually
exposing such problems for the first time in a way TV had never seen before.
In this 1974-75 season, guest stars included Howard
Hesseman, Daniel J. Travanti (later of Hill Street Blues), Carl
Gottlieb, John Ritter, Barnard Hughes, John Randolph, Ann Rutherford, Martha
Scott, Gail Strictland, Howard Platt, Fred Willard, Cliff Norton, Mike Henry
and Bill Quinn. This was often before
these actors became recognized and found success of their own. MTM had a knack for casting the best talent
in the business and it paid off as this show continued to build and build in
the ratings after a rough start. Here
are the episodes, with commentary by Newhart and Peter Bonerz marked *, Newhart
and Fred Willard**, Newhart and Jim Burrows*** and Newhart solo****:
- Big
Brother Is Watching
- The Battle
of the Groups*
- The Great
Rimpau Medical Arts Co-Op Experiment
- The
Separation Story
- Sorry,
Wrong Mother*
- The Gray
Flannel Shrink
- Dr. Ryan's
Express
- Brutally
Yours, Bob Hartley
- Ship of
Shrinks
- Life Is a Hamburger
- An American Family
- We Love You... Good-Bye
- Jerry Robinson Crusoe
- Serve for Daylight
- Home Is Where the Hurt Is
- Tobin's Back in Town**
- Think Smartly--Vote Hartley
- The Way We Weren't***
- A Pound of Flesh
- My Business Is Shrinking
- The New Look
- Bob Hits the Ceiling
- Emily Hits the Ceiling
- The Ceiling Hits Bob****
I have much more to say about the entire show in my review
of the first season, but am glad the theme song is back in tact. The 1.33 X 1 image are better than the
second season set, more on par with the first, including a little grain but
better color. The Dolby Digital 2.0
Mono is also adequate, though it still sounds a tad small. The music was by Pat Williams, with the
original title song by Lorenzo and Henriette Music. Extras include five very funny commentary tracks above and
another new featurette about this season on the final side of DVD 3.
- Nicholas Sheffo
