Customer Reviews

Merry Sitcom! Christmas Classics from TV's Golden Age

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Merry Sitcom is for those of us born in the 50's and who like to revisit the "simpler" times of Christmas in our youth, perfect to watch an episode or two instead of a long Christmas movie. Some of the ep's create the warm/fuzzy feel of Christmas (FATHER, DONNA, WINDOW), some are throw-away (NUN, GIRL, which don't stand up well to time (and both are the only color ep's in the set)).
Shout!Factory has once again delivered (for the most part) sharp pictures with quite good sound, considering their age (all ep's are closed captioned). FATHER is definitely missing minutes (22:35; possible syndication copy), but the rest (I think) are full ep's (DONNA 25:50, McHALE'S 25:32, BEWITCHED 25:30, GIRL 25:18, NUN 25:51, WINDOW 25:23).
It's fun to see old faces in some of the ep's: Buster Keaton as Santa (DONNA); Billy Mumy (Will Robinson in Lost In Space), Bill Daily (Howard on Bob Newhart), and Cecil Kellaway as Santa (BEWITCHED); John Fielder (Mr. Peterson on Bob Newhart)(GIRL).
The inclusion of WINDOW ON MAIN STREET, a show I'd never heard of, is a nice treat. CBS aired this show (1961-62) between PETE & GLADYS and the DANNY THOMAS SHOW, but it was up against the PRICE IS RIGHT and the RIFLEMAN, which is probably why it only lasted one season. The show starred Robert Young (with 13 yr. old Tim Matheson, but not in this ep.). I do not believe the original airdate given for this ep., Nov. 6, because in 1961 the Christmas season did not get pushed so early into the fall like it is now, and this ep. takes place on Christmas eve, and it is the "warm and fuzziest" and most serious of the 7 ep's on this disc, so I think it must have aired much nearer to Christmas.

This is what Christmas is all about, watching vintage Christmas Shows. This collection is like the one CBS DVD put out last year. It is also jammed packed with Christmas mirth. Who can top Sister Bertrille as she try's to make a Christmas wish come true by sprinkling the clouds with dry ice. Or Samantha Stevens convincing a young boy that there really is a Santa Claus. Or Ann Marie forfeiting her own Christmas to share it with a young boy who's parents are working out of town. There is also a 7th Show included on this DVD "Windows On Main Street" starring Robert Young from Father Knows Best, I have never heard of this short lived show but I just loved it. Buy this if you want to see a Christmas show from a simpler time.

If you don't mind black and white shows, you'll enjoy this set of classic television Christmas shows. I really enjoyed the simple, yet heartwarming stories each episode presented. It's a far cry from the comic, slapstick antics of today's sitcoms. The sound and image quilaty was good which I was extremely happy about!

With this fun, moderately-priced DVD, you can programme your very own "Nick at Nite" or "TV Land" Christmas sitcom mini marathon! Perfect for Christmas Eve viewing especially, MERRY SITCOM! presents holiday themed episodes from "Father Knows Best", "The Donna Reed Show", "McHale's Navy", "Bewitched", "The Flying Nun" and "That Girl"; plus a rare episode from a one-season wonder called "Window on Main Street".

Episodes:

"The Christmas Story" (FATHER KNOWS BEST) - Wanting to show his family the true meaning of Christmas cheer, Jim (Robert Young) drags them all on an expedition into the forest to find the ideal Christmas tree. When they become stranded, a lonely squatter named Nick (Wallace Ford) comes to their aid.

"A Very Merry Christmas" (THE DONNA REED SHOW) - Disillusioned by her family's calculated view of gift-giving, Donna Stone (Donna Reed) decides to concentrate her efforts by instead helping hospital janitor Charlie (Buster Keaton) in organising Santa's annual visit to the children's ward.

"The Day They Captured Santa Claus" (MCHALE'S NAVY) - Whilst delivering some Christmas cheer to the orphans under the care of missionary Mrs. Parfrey (Anna Lee), McHale (Ernest Borgnine) and his men come under the attack of a Japanese patrol unit.

"Visions of Sugar Plums" (BEWITCHED) - When an orphan (Billy Mumy), who doesn't believe in Santa Claus, visits the Stephens' for Christmas, Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) takes him to the North Pole to visit the man in red himself. One of the gems from BEWITCHED's first year, this episode was repeated again in the following season.

"Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid" (THAT GIRL) - Taking a break from her job as a department store elf, Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas) reminisces about a Christmas gone by, when she was a teacher in a boarding school.

"Wailing in a Winter Wonderland" (THE FLYING NUN) - Sister Bertrille (Sally Field) intends to create a mild snowstorm by peppering the clouds over Convent San Tanco with dry ice, as a surprise for homesick Sister Olaf (Celia Lovsky). Instead, she ruins San Juan's booming Christmas tourist trade!

I have a "thing" for watching Christmas Classics of the 50's and 60's during the holiday season. Probably comes with being a baby boomer. I have purchased several through Amazon (read my reviews) and must say that the stuff Amazon puts out are very good, can't be found in stores, and the prices are among the lowest around anywhere. This one disc set has about eleven Christmas episodes of different 60's shows, which give a nice diversity and enjoyment to put one in the Christmas mood and spirit. If you are a sentimentalist, as I am, and enjoy watching the old sitcoms, you will love this item.
Merry Christmas and peace!

What a great collection of classic television Christmas episodes. My kids (7 and 12) enjoyed watching these shows and wanted to watch them over again in the car. It is nice to go back to watch 'good, clean, wholesome' tv, but it is also sad that we can't find anything like that on todays television. My son liked the McHales Navy episode the best and my daughter was torn between Father Knows Best and Donna Reed. If your family doesn't have the automatic black and white tv rejection chip installed in their heads, they will enjoy these programs.

If you grew up in the 50's and watched Father Knows Best & That Girl, along with other sitcoms listed on Merry Sitcom, you should definitely purchase this dvd to watch during the Christmas Holiday Season. My favorite episodes where Father Knows Best & That Girl, they show the simple meaning of Christmas in such a warm way. I love Merry Sitcom! Why don't they make Christmas Sitcom Shows like this anymore?

Great DVD! It brought back a lot of fun memories of old christmas sitcom shows.

I enjoy watching this dvd. It is a great dvd. The shows on this dvd has brought back so many memories of a good time in life. Father Knows Best, Donna Reed Show, Bewitched, McHale's Navy, That Girl, The Flying Nun and Windows on Main Street are all great shows to watch. They are all about what our Christmas back then used to be. They don't make shows like this to watch anymore. If I didn't already own this dvd I would buy it. If you are a Baby Boomer raised in an era of life that was great and full of good things this is the dvd for you. This is one of my favorite dvd's. It is a true classic. Sandy

went to the mountains for the holidays with the entire family and we all loved these familiar family shows with timeless lessons and stories to behold