That Girl - Season One
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Movie Reviews of That Girl - Season One
Movie Review: A NYC & Late 60's Icon
Summary: 5 Stars
What can I say? I grew up with this show!
I lean toward movies filmed in NYC, but, even though this is television, this was a "must have" as an addition to my collection.
Even though all the interiors were shot in Hollywood, the exteriors are still fun, and overall the show seems to capture a true NYC feeling.
Growing up in a big family during this era provides me a connection with the characters.
Ann Marie reminds me of some of my older sisters that were going through similar women's rights issues, with parents and peers.
Marlo Thomas is just so CUTE in this show. She strikes a wonderful balance between convincing girlfriend, and an independent woman searching for her identity. The clothes are very hip, cool and stylish for the era. I don't think I've seen her in the same outfit twice, in all the episodes I've watched so far.
Video Quality
The video transfer to this DVD format is very, very good. I've purchased other more modern sitcoms on DVD (Will & Grace & King of Queens specifically) and the video on those DVD's, seem like a low quality Digital video recording. Specifically, those are very "grainy", and not good on freeze frame, etc. On "That Girl", that is not an issue. The picture quality and sound are very, very clear.
The Extras & the Era
When I was sharing some memories of the show with one of my sisters, she remembered one episode where Ann Marie ran out of food, for a party, so she used frosted flakes and peanut butter as an hors d'oeuvre. We of course had to try that, back in the day. (that episode is not on this series). That is the kind of good family fun and memories that this show evokes.
I've only recently started watching any of the extras on DVD's in general, but this one provides some good insight and history about the show.
To hear Marlo Thomas talk about how the show came about, and how it was pitched to TV executives, is really fun. I think it would be inspiring for any young person today.
With all the changes in the media industry today, it's interesting and thought provoking to think about what will be "the next big thing", or what people find interesting, and to look back at this show as ground breaking for its time.
Maybe I'm preaching to the choir for someone who might read this far, or who are already very familiar with this show, but this is NOT your 50's or early 60's sitcom. (Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, etc.)
I guess we all have our own era, but I do not relate to those shows, as well as the core of shows like this. The Brady Bunch, of course, has it's own solid following, and deservedly so. However, it's been played to DEATH, in syndication. Lost gems from this era, include "The Courtship of Eddie's father", "The Mod Squad", and this show.
Take it in small bites, to savor this show, and it's memories.
Movie Review: Great Show, Worst Ever Cast Commentaries
Summary: 5 Stars
The show itself is great, and has been commented on in other reviews. Uncut it has lots of mood-setting location footage that largely got edited in Nick's marathon last year.
One thing that hasn't been commented on, however, is the cast commentaries, featuring Marlo Thomas and series co-creator Bill Persky. They are, without a doubt, the weakest commentaries I've ever seen on any DVD set, featuring LONG periods of silence, often followed by a trivial observation ("Get a load of that outfit she's wearing, et cetera"). There are a few bits here and there where they expound on the philosophy of the show itself, but virtually nothing in the form of anecdotes from the set, or about the supporting cast, or what it was like making the show.
In many cases, they seem as unsure as to what's going to happen next as the viewer is. Granted, 40 years is a long time, and memories may fade, but it might have been a good idea if they'd watched the show first, to refresh their memories, and then watched again, to actually record the commentary. While the Red Dwarf Commentaries are chock full of stories, anecdotes, and cutting up, and the Get Smart commentaries are chock full of information, the That Girl commentaries have little of anything. Almost no stories about the shows, no stories about the cast, no anecdotes about Ted Bessell or Bonnie Scott, nothing. I actually learned more about the making of That Girl from a few offhand references Bernie Kopell made in a Get Smart Cast Commentary than I did from watching all the commentaries on this set.
One particularly egregious example. In a season 2 commentary, Persky and Thomas wonder about an Italian film director, and wonder if the actor is really Italian. When the credits roll, they notice his name, Francis Lederer, and figure nope, he wasn't Italian. But 5 minutes of research I did on Lederer myself, show him to have been quite an interesting fellow, who was in the Austro-Hungarian aramy in World War I, lived to be 100, was still teaching acting students at age 99, and who founded the American National Academy of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. If Thomas and Persky had had just one guy doing one day, or even one hour of research into these episodes, and handing them a page of notes to use during the commentary, the quality could have been improved tenfold.
Here's hoping that Bernie Kopell and series co-creator Sam Denoff may make an appearance or two in future commentaries.
Movie Review: WOW!!!!! THAT GIRL SEASON 1 ON DVD YEAAAAA!!!!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
BY DEX GOOR
Being a hug male fan of "That Girl" since I was a kid, it has never waned for me. I loved the series growing up and still do today. I first saw them in reruns in the 1970's on Channel 5 in New York, when I had off from school. It was a pleasure and a delight. I was born in 1966 while the show's first season was being filmed. So I can say that 1966 was a great year for both me and "That Girl." I loved Ann Marie and Donald Hollinger; I loved the stories, all the friends, next door neighbors, and character actors that would grace the show. The writing was so funny on one hand and warm and embracing on the other.
As the show still endures for me till this day, and as the show and I turn 40 what makes me happiest is the theme music. Of all five seasons of being on the air and having great theme music, my favorite year was in the closing credits of season one. It was the same as the opening credits, but a little less bouncy and you felt the music as it gently played itself out until the end where Ann Marie crosses the street to continue her journey. The closing credits music had such sincere emotion to it, that when it ended it made me sad. Just to listen to it could bring me to tears and genuine happiness. The music only played for a minute but has lasted a lifetime for me.
"Earle Hagen who I believed wrote the first season's music, if you read this I thank you very much with my heart and soul.
Now to finally have the complete season one on DVD with nothing cut out, with complete dialogue and the tag scenes fully restored and not destroyed as they love to do for the commercials is heaven. Watching a complete episode and enjoying all that it was originally produced to do is time well spent.
The commentaries were excellent, including the original unaired pilot. What topped the bonus footage were scenes from the opening and closing credits which we never see since we only see the finished product.
Marlo Thomas and the Powers that be, if we are blessed with Season two on DVD, please if they exist show us bonus footage of seasons two's opening and closing credits, and add more commentary to individual episodes. Ted Bessell thank you too and rest peacefully.
Movie Review: Colorful, Bright, a Great Box Set
Summary: 5 Stars
This set is a big box of eye candy and I'm so pleased to have it.
That Girl is a television series that aired from 1966-1971. Shout Factory recently released That Girl season one on DVD. The colorful five disc set includes all thirty episodes from the shows first season. The picture and sound quality is great on the episodes.
If That Girl was before your time let me refresh your memory. The set includes the pilot episode. In this episode Ann Marie is seen in the big city pursuing her acting career. She is working at a counter when she is spotted by film makers looking for a last minute actress. On her lunch break she decides to look at a desk that is for sale and she crosses paths with a man named Don who is also interested in the desk. They cross paths later in the evening while she is filming a kidnapping scene and he thinks she is being kidnapped for real and he tries to rescue her. Everything works out fine and Ann Marie and Donald become boyfriend and girlfriend.
Although That Girl aired in the 1960's, it really opened the door for women sitcom stars. This show was before Mary Tyler Moore and decades before shows like Murphy Brown, Blossom, Ally McBeal, Ellen,Grace Under Fire and Suddenly Susan. The situations that Ann Marie finds herself in our themes that became common in the Hollywood sitcom. Babysitting woes, minor court cases, problems with parents, and much more.
This is a really great set and one of the best TV on DVD sets Shout has ever released. It's so bright and colorful and full of bonus features. Bonus material includes:
-Original That Girl Pilot Episode
-That Show...That Woman...The Creation Of That Girl with Marlo Thomas
-That Girl promos
-That Girl in New York with Marlo Thomas and Bill Persky
-Audio commentaries with Marlo Thomas and Bill Persky
Movie Review: EXCELLENT QUALITY FOR A CLASSIC SHOW
Summary: 5 Stars
Absolutely adore Disc 1 (all I've watched so far), because I wanted to see all the bonus features. The first season with the "Starring Marlo Thomas" street signs and the perky version of the That Girl theme (opening and closing credits) have been my favorite. Marlo mentions in the commentary with Bill Persky during the New York shooting feature that the second season is when they changed to the railroad tracks into NYC, the kite and a different version of the theme (credits then remained the same, even when Marlo's look changed in the last season & lyrics were added to the theme). I thought the perky theme remained for two seasons, where in the second year, Marlo was helping a child get a drink at a water fountain in the park vs. walking in the blue suit to the office building. I could be wrong.
We didn't get into That Girl in our house until probably summer reruns the first year. My parents didn't like Marlo's character, but my sister did, as did I. We all loved Bewitched, but we finally added That Girl to that hour of comedy on ABC we would all watch. I never saw the end of the series, so looking forward to when Shout Factory finally gets to Season 5. Looking forward to all the in-between as well, as picture quality and sound quality are superb. Even the Pilot Episode looks incredible compared to when it aired on TV Land the first time.
Great treat are some scenes of Marlo's make-up tests when she reflects on the show's creation, the cast and memories. The look finally came to be to the Ann Marie we've loved all these years. The That Girl In New York bonus feature is also a great pictoral history of NYC from the 60s era. So much has changed.