Customer Reviews

Fame: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Before the retooling of Fame in the theater this fall. There was Fame on TV


This DVD set of the first 38 episodes (16 from season one, 22 from season two) of Fame is one of those shows that sparkles and ages well.this 1982 spinoff from the movie (1980) is well tooled for a TV audience.

What makes this show different from other movie adapted TV shows(MASH, Peyton Place, Beastmaster, Highlander) is this TV show is so akin to the 1980 film. It does not change this from the original styling of the film to fit a tv format

The cast was first rate actors. Debbie Allen, Gene Anthony Ray and Lee Cureri reprise their film roles. Carlo Imperato is Danny the comic. Valerie Landsburg is Doris. Lori Singer as Julie. Carol Mayo Jenkins asd Sherwood. They as a cast blend together so well that you believe this show

There is a small feature of Fame now and then..showing a few scenes from the new movie as well as the old show, Debbie Allen plays the principal in the new movie

So this DVD set will not be available forever, so get this now

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

Two years after Alan Parker's original 1980 film, writer Christopher Gore successfully adapted the "Fame" format into a TV Series. The Series is toned down a bit from the film-- the students don't use profanity and Season 1 student Montgomery (P.R. Paul) is now heterosexual instead of homosexual. Minor changes aside, an episodic TV series is actually the better medium to follow the students at New York's School For The Performing Arts and their coming of age stories. When I was 16, I loved music, musical theatre, and performing arts; so Thursday nights at 8:00 pm, from 1982-1983, NBC was the place to be for "Fame." I watched Seasons 1 and 2 religiously.
Most "Fame" episodes are actually mini-musicals; which, I suppose, brings comparisons to the more recent "High School Musical" franchaise and "Glee." While I strongly doubt "High School Musical" or "Glee" will be fondly remembered in future, "Fame" holds up remarkably well. Most of the musical numbers are well integrated into the episodes and staged in an appropriate "performance" context at the school itself. A few take place in other locations, like a music store or New York deli. I vividly recall Debbie Allen (as spirited dance teacher Lydia Grant) and her students dancing exuberantly around the streets of New York City in a number titled "Body Language." I also recall the "Othello"- inspired number "Desdemona" from the Season 1 episode "The Strike." Not surprisingly, the series generated several successful TV Soundtrack Albums.
Albert Hague, Lee Currerri, and the late Gene Anthony Ray reprise their film roles as music teacher Mr, Shrovsky and students Bruno Martelli and Leroy Johnson, respectively. Other principal cast members include Erica Gimpel as Coco, Lori Singer as Julie, Valerie Landsburg as Doris, and Carlo Imperato as Danny. Dancers Stephanie E. Williams and Michael De Lorenzo are also prominently featured in several episodes. Michael De Lorenzo is also recognizable as one of the featured dancers in Michael Jackson's classic 1984 video "Beat It." Morgan Stevens joins the cast in Season 2 as drama teacher David Reardon, replacing Michael Thoma as Mr. Crandall. The death of Mr. Crandall, and the effect on his favorite student Danny, is acknowledged in the touching episode "A Touch Act To Follow." Many episodes deal with a mixture of conflict and compassion between students and teachers. Mr. Shrovsky has many battles with his headstrong student Bruno Martelli, and Lydia and English teacher Elizabeth Sherwood (excellently portrayed by Carol Mayo Jenkins) are often at odds over Leroy. Hot-headed, stubborn Leroy is a dynamic dancer and Lydia's most talented student. But he is also almost functionally illiterate; a matter of great concern to Sherwood. Indeed, "Fame" is not all happy songs and dances. Episodes address such topics as teen-age runaways, censorship, racism and other forms of prejudice, students and teachers with developmental and physical disabilities, death, and suicide. But my favorite "Fame" episode is Season 2: "Not In Kansas Anymore", a fun and inspired tribute to "The Wizard Of Oz," with Doris as Dorothy, Leroy, Bruno, and Danny as the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, Mr. Shrovsky as the Wizard, Lydia as Glinda, The Good Witch, and Miss Sherwood as the Wicked Witch. This episode includes a beautiful version of "Over The Rainbow," performed by Valerie Landsburg and Debbie Allen.
NBC cancelled "Fame" after Season 2, but the Series was quickly picked up in syndication and ran for three more years. I never saw the rest of the series and would love to! I hope the rest of the Series (Seasons 3-6) is soon made available on DVD; as "Fame" is extremely worthwhile and highly recommended!

I am enjoying watching these episodes again. It brings back the early 80s in a big way. My friends and I would set aside Thurs. night as our Fame night. And I tell you, it's as good as it was back then. The episodes still deal with teen issues in a way that can be related to. Yes, it looks 80s. But if you weren't around, it's a way to see what it was like. Leg warmers, dancing, singing, feathered hair, and neon are some of the details you might have missed or never experienced. Welcome back to the early 80s, and enjoy a Fame fix. It's a great way to relax in the evening.

I was waffling about whether or not I wanted to purchase this DVD set. Well, I knew I wanted to buy the set, I just wasn't sure it was a priority for right now. Then I heard that Season 2 would soon be released on its own for the first time. It's the exact same set as is included in this two-season package--at exactly the same price as the double set. That helped me decide in a hurry. This specially priced two-season set probably won't be available much longer.

So, matters of price aside, what a blast from the past it's been to watch this beloved series that I haven't seen in decades. I was a teenybopper when the series originally aired in the early 80s, and I loved the show back then. Watching again with older, more sophisticated eyes is fascinating. I have to admit that the writing is a bit dreadful. A lot of the episodes have that feel of "Tonight: A very special episode of Blossom..." Serious issues are reduced to after school specials. But what hasn't changed is how phenomenally talented the kids on the show are. (The older actors aren't bad either.) The late Gene Anthony Ray as Leroy and Lee Curreri as Bruno especially stand out. Reading the credits, I see that Curreri actually composed many of the songs his character performed. Astonishing! Reading the credits is fun for another reason. A lot of the actors who had small roles on the show are still working today. Many have changed so much in the nearly 30 years since that they're all but unrecognizable.

The music and fashions, while dated, aren't as dated as I actually expected them to be. So, if an occasional Pat Benatar- or Jennifer Beals-wannabe shows up on the screen, I smile. What isn't dated at all is the sheer exuberance of the musical numbers in this series. The performances run the gamut from classical to jazz to rock--playing, singing, and dancing. Many of these triple- and quadruple-threat performers do it all, and do it exceptionally well.

This is a fairly bare-bones package, but as has been reported by others, the discs are NOT double-sided. The packaging is nice and compact, actually, taking up only about as much space as two DVD cases, but those two cases hold all nine discs safely and securely. The only extra included with the set is a 26-minute featurette, Fame Then and Now.

I'd highly recommend this set to anyone feeling just a bit nostalgic for the 80's, or to anyone (like me) who just can't get enough of the new show Glee. Fame is a lot more earnest and a lot less snarky, but it just goes to show you: talent never goes out of style.

I'm greatful that the second season is finally released after all these years, but will the remaining 4 seasons follow soon? I understand music-driven shows require more time and expense to acquire the rights to the music, and there has to be enough market demand for the producers to make the investment. There have been many excellent series (American Dreams for one) where only a few seasons are released, and not the complete series. I do hope they release seasons 3 thru 6 promptly...it has been too long a wait. If you want the rest, please make this a top seller! Did you know Janet Jackson is in Season 4?

While this was a good show, and I have no issues with anything to do with the show, this set displays a basic greed on the part of the company that has the rights; Note that the FIRST season was released some time ago, so for anyone who is a fan of the show, they likely already have season 1. Now, with this set, you HAVE to buy season 1 AGAIN in order to get season 2. That's a Rip Off.

Wow!!! What an excellent program. Too bad the later seasons are not available too. Parents: this is the version to buy because there are no bad words and the whole family can watch together and learn some life lessons from it. Excellent writing, acting, dancing and music, even though the series is nearly 30 years old. Every episode is different with a very interesting story that my middle school student was never bored. For the price, this is an excellent value. Only wished there was a Blu-ray version, but the quality of the picture and sound were excellent when played on my Blu-ray machine.

I'm so glad this show was finally released on dvd. i grew up watching this show in the 80's. I noticed Jasmine Guy (A different World), Michael DeLorenzo (NY Undercover), Eartha Robinson (School Daze) and Stephanie E. Williams (Guilding Light & Young and the Restless) as back up dancers in the first 2 seasons.

it was worth waiting for the second season, but it took sooo long. Hope the others come sooner!!!!!

I just wished they had remastered these--this is a classic series that is so motivating and entertaining to teens and enjoyable to watch by adults. The actors do a first rate job. Presented in a family appropriate presentation, unlike the movie. These two seasons need to be A PART OF THE COMPLETE SERIES AND AVAILABLE TO US.