Customer Reviews

My Little Margie - DVD Collection #1

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I first discovered that a two volume DVD set of My Little Margie was to be marketed, I couldn't believe it! I didn't think I'd ever see even one show from this great old series again, let alone the 24 that are included in these two sets. Besides, I figured, even if this early/mid-fifties gem ever surfaced again it would be on TV Land or Nickelodeon and would be ruined by nightmarish commercial breaks (we have DSS), squeezed end-credits, and inane voiceovers.

VCI to the rescue! I've just reviewed the two DVDs in this first set and watched the first two shows on disk #1 and am extremely pleased! Knowing how things unfortunately are sometimes done these days, I had feared a poor quality transfer and a certain amount of butchering to have been done, but that's not the case at all, thank goodness!

I recall these shows from my early childhood, and they look and sound exactly as I remember them. Even the elaborate musical score that accompanies the end credits is there, complete and impressive as when brand new. The opening gimmick, where the facing images in the father/daughter photographs talk about each other, are there too--still clever, still cute, still funny! In fact, these shows are exactly as first viewed almost 50 years ago, but thanks to the clever writing (those early TV writers cut their teeth in the demanding medium of radio comedy) and the outstanding talents of Charles Farrell and Gale Storm (sigh!), these shows are still funny and engaging. I couldn't be more pleased!

One last note about the quality. We tend to forget how relatively murky television was in the Fifties. Broadcasting equipment was primitive but improving rapidly. However, because microwave and satellite transmission had not yet arrived, network affiliates in the major cities actually got their prime time shows from the networks in the mail!!! Yes, the studios sent out 16mm film copies of the shows, and that's how the local stations showed them in the appointed time slots. Over the years ensuing, hobbyists have collected these old affiliate films, and that's in part why they are now available and in such good condition. Since these My Little Margie DVDs are made from those fine 16mm broadcast originals, instead of kinescope copies, the image quality is actually better than when they were originally broadcast! And the sound, while not stereo or anything like it, is at least up to mono TV broadcast standards of 15 or 20 years ago.

My verdict -- these are terrific DVDs, and if you like lovely, perky, endearing, sparkly-eyed feminine firecrackers, you will love Gale Storm, just as I did as an 8-year-old boy!

Bless Gale Storm and Charles Ferrell for being in the right place at the right time. By doing so they made television history with "My Little Margie." The viewer can see a real love between "father" and "daughter" in this show. There's none of that "give me my fat paycheck so I can get out of here" attitude that is so easily seen in today's sitcoms. Vern Albright's "Boston" accent is a real treasure and Gale Storm is an angel. When I was a kid watching this show first-run, I had a big crush on Gale Storm. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I'm sure at 81 that Ms. Storm is still beautiful and still getting into mischief.
Unfortunately, Vern Albright, Mr. Honeywell, Mrs. O'Detts, and Freddy Wilson have all gone on to TV heaven, but we can still enjoy them over and over again in this wonderful 12 episode set.
For the most part the sound and picture quality are GREAT! If you love classic TV sitcoms from the Fifties, you will love this set.

Finally! The show I absolutely loved as a kid is available on DVD, and not just a few episodes either... 12 big episodes on 2 discs, plus a bonus color "Lucy Show" episode (a tease by VCI to get you to buy that set) and all at an extremely reasonable price too! Why this show vanished from syndication sometime in the late '60s is beyond me, and I've missed it dearly ever since. Several generations have been missing out on a true TV classic that fell through the cracks. The episodes hold up remarkably well after all these years too... in fact, they have held up better than "I Love Lucy", which is a unarguable classic, but let's face it, they're extremely dated overall.

A few of the classic episodes included are:
-The one where Margie babysits the chimp that likes to attack Vernon!

-Mrs Odetts trying to get the money from her trust fund to buy that fast sports car with the chrome manifold!

-Margie's mental breakdown/The horse that is or isn't there.

-Vern & Margie pose as hillbillies to regain some old stock certificates that have some worth after all.

So don't be a lunkhead like Freddy... be as cool as Mrs. Odetts and pick this one up! If you're a fan of classic TV, you will not be disappointed! If you've never seen this show before, you're in for a real treat.

Keep 'em coming VCI! I'll buy all the Margie on DVD that you can put out there!

I proudly own both DVD collections, & am eager for more! I've spent an entire Sunday watching a good portion of the episodes contained on these DVD's. Gale Storm & Charles Farrell are excellent in this series & have a fine chemistry that is apparent in this sitcom.

Gertrude Hoffman is also a treat as Mrs. Odetts, always dragging Margie into another of her screwball schemes. That Mrs. Odetts is one agile & feisty old Lady. LOL.

As all 195o's sitcoms, it's a bit dated, but still manages to hold up quite well, even today. I'd gladly take this show over all of the garbage on the tube today. To me, it's a timeless time capsule to the infancy of tv comedy when comedy was truly funny & didn't need to resort to tactics of vulgarity to get a laugh. My Little Margie was & still is funny & highly entertaining. Hopefully season sets will be put out at some point, this series deserves to be put back into mainstream syndication on Television as well, rather than to sit on a shelf collecting dust somehwere.

All who feel the same about wanting to see upcoming DVD releases of this series, please register & cast your vote at the following link...
http://tvshowsondvd.com

Chloe

I like to watch the old fifties shows becaused it brought back my memories as an eight year boy with my parents and younger brother when we watched "My Little Margie" together.

Gale Storm was very funny and different from the competation in those days when "I Love Lucy" was popular. She played off all her jokes from her TV Father and brought something to the show that families could relate to. Gale Strom had another series called "Oh Suezania" about a Cruize Director on a Cruize ship. Her co-star was ( if you ever heard of her ) Zazu Pitts, a very funny comedian. I loved both of Gale Storm's television series, they were both very funny. I would like to get the DVD of "Oh Suezania" too. ( My spelling might be bad, sorry)

I remember watching these shows when I was younger. (I'm 53 now.) Haven't seen them in so long it's like they're new all over again. As soon as I started watching, all the characters came back to me! Nice to watch comedy shows that aren't are good clean fun and suitable for anybody's viewing!

How wonderful for VCI to bring this classic TV series to DVD.This extremely popular show from the 50's even rivaled "I Love Lucy" while at it's height. DVD quality is surprisingly good considering that no restoration has been done - images are clear with only a slight visible grain - sound is acceptable. However bios. are sketchy ad incomplete - Gale had an immensely sucessful recording career(check out her CD - Dark Moon - The Best Of Gail Storm on Varese Sarabande), which she gave up at it's height to work on another prosperous TV series "The Gail Storm Show", a precursor to the Love Boat" TV series. Margie is real classic TV - contrary to public opinion, the 50"s are classic television - not the 60's or 70's. Hey, ... - pick it up!! PS - Gail Storm - alive and well in LA - Hey Gail - how about a recorded interview for vol. 2!!

Really enjoyed these DVD's, they reminded me of when I was a youngster. Thanks for the memories.

For those of you that grew up in the late 1950's or early 1960's, My Little Margie was one of a staple of light-hearted comedies on TV including Life with Reilly, Father Knows Best, and others. This DVD is a high-quality reproduction of those shows starring Gail Storm and Charles Farrell. The supporting cast is outstanding with many wonderful cast members that played supporting roles in films of the 40's including Willie Best as Charlie the elevator operator ("Ghostbreakers" with Bob Hope), Hillary Brooke at Vern's girlfriend Roberta ("The Woman in Green" with Basil Rathbone, Abbott and Costello TV show) and a host of others. Some of my favorites are on this collection including "Vern's New Girlfriend", "What's Cooking", and "Buried Treasure". If you enjoyed the original TV series and you want an enjoyable trip down nostalgia lane, this fills the ticket.

The picture quality DVD release of this DVD is stunning. These episodes are public domain, anyone can sell them. VCI is one of many budget companies taking advantage of this, and their release features some of the best picture quality I've ever seen of a 1950's sitcom, almost as clear as "I Love Lucy". The sound is stunning for a 1950's sitcom too.

The show itself is funny, cute and fast-paced, but it's the picture quality which makes this release special.