The
Mary Tyler Moore Show – The Complete Fifth Season (1974 – 1975/Fox DVD)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: B
It has been a while, but after Fox licensed Rhoda to Shout! Factory (reviewed
elsewhere on this site), they have finally resumed releasing individual volumes
of The Mary Tyler Moore Show with The Complete Fifth Season. For our previous coverage of earlier seasons,
try these links:
Season
Two
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2417/The+Mary+Tyler+Moore+Show+-+The
Season
Four
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3933/The+Mary+Tyler+Moore+Show+-+The
The show was so good that it seemed the show could go on
for another decade, but only two seasons were left after this. Add the spin-offs that were happening (this
is the season that Rhoda became a
hit in its own right) and everything here was still top notch as it would be
for the rest of the run of the show. It
was still quietly breaking new ground on TV while remaining exceptionally
funny, smart, witty and with one of the greatest casts in TV history. Cloris Leachman’s Phyllis became more prominent as Valerie Harper left and would soon
have her own show.
Highlights include stories about Mary becoming a producer,
Mary getting arrested for not revealing a secret news source, Ted letting his
ego get even bigger, Murray (Gavin MacLeod) showing up more often with his wife
(Joyce Bulifant, still best-known for her many appearances on the hit 1970s
version of Match Game, reviewed
elsewhere on this site) and more great cameos.
This time, we have future MacLeod Love
Boat co-stars Fred Grandy and Bernie Kopell show up in separate shows,
Doris Roberts in a hilarious turn when Phyllis needs a job and a few other
surprises over the 24 half-hours that were produced this time around.
Yes, the show holds up extremely well and is one of those
increasingly rare shows that are always great to go back to because they are
just that good. The Mary Tyler Moore
Show is an all-time peak of television at its best.
The full frame 1.33 X 1 image was shot on film and is
still colorful, but that color is closer to the last season than the Second we looked at, plus the image is
clean and on the clear side. There are
some detail issues here and there, plus the episodes are a little uneven
throughout, but this is color rich enough to offset the flaws. Director of Photography William T. Cline,
A.S.C, picked up where Paul Uhl left off and continued to make the show look
great. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is
fuller and richer than expected, music, dialogue and all like before, but the
lack of extras once again makes no sense.
Can we get some next time?
- Nicholas Sheffo
