Product Details

• Region: All Regions
• DVD Release Date: October 12, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000JJSDGU
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,967 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Richard and Karen Carpenter - Brother and sister pop duo. They were the best-selling American vocalists of the 1970s with hits like We've Only Just Begun and Close To You.

Shirley Jones - The Partridge Family's singing mom is also a Broadway star and an Oscar(R) winner. Guests include both her real and TV families.

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is Your Life 70's Music Icons-Richard & Karen Carpenter and Shirley Jones, March 30, 2008

By	Barb Knight (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I remember watching this episode on TV when it first aired. Then when it was broadcast as a rerun, I pulled out my portable cassette recorder, set it up in front of the TV speaker and told my family to be very quiet while I taped the audio portion of the show. (VCRs and DVRs were not even a spark in the eyes of anyone at this point in time.) I listened to my recording of the show countless times as a teenager. When I saw that this episode was available to purchase, I had to buy it. It was so nice to put the visual images back with the audio that I remember so well. About 2/3 of the way into the show, Karen and Richard's parents come on stage. It was rather poignant looking at the four of them and realizing that Richard is the only one still alive. A joyful aspect of viewing this episode is being able to share in Karen and Richard's honest surprise at being honored with this production/reunion at such a young stage in their career. Possibly only a die-hard lifelong "Carpenters" fan will fully appreciate this piece of Carpenters nostalgia. But if that is you, I would highly recommend it.
I rate the Carpenters portion of this DVD as 5+, but I am disappointed in the packaging. While I am very familiar, appreciate and respect what Shirley Jones has brought to stage and screen both musically and dramatically, I wanted to purchase only the Carpenters episode of the series. It would be nice if the episodes were available for individual purchase.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old school reality TV, June 25, 2008

By	ledge (minneapolis, mn) - See all my reviews

I've seen many interviews with Karen and Richard and I used to watch the made for t.v. movie over and over when I was younger. After watching Carpenters on This is Your Life, I finally feel like I have a sense of what Karen was really like. A must have if you're a true Carpenters fan.

5.0 out of 5 stars A FAITHFUL REPRODUCTION OF TWO CLASSIC EPISODES, May 27, 2009

By	Cheryl H. Long - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I remember watching "This Is Your Life" first run while I was in junior high and high school (I would stay up late to see them!). Two of my favorite episodes were the ones featuring the Carpenters and Shirley Jones -- and what a thrill it was to find BOTH episodes in the same package!

(For those of you who are uninformed, "This is Your Life" surprised celebrities and other famous people by retelling their life stories and introducing family and friends who had played a part in their lives -- and in many cases, whom they hadn't seen in many years! At the end of each tribute, they would give a bracelet to the female honorees with charms depicting highlights of their life, and a leather-bound book to each honoree with their life story in it.)

Admittedly, I ordered this set with some reservations -- especially since I have received DVDs of other classic TV shows where they were cut up to where they were barely recognizable, or used a totally different opening and closing (many times due to copyright issues). What a thrill it was to receive both episodes -- uncut and unedited -- with the ORIGINAL opening and closing (including the tumbling "This Is Your Life" book)! And, despite the B&W pictures depicted on the cover, both episodes are shown in full color!

The episode honoring Richard and Karen Carpenter was rather poignant -- especially considering that Karen passed away only 12 years after this episode initially aired. It showed a healthy, pre-anorexic Karen, vibrant and full of life. You can tell that she, especially, was thrilled to be honored!

The second episode honored Shirley Jones, who was best known as the matriarch of "The Partridge Family" at the time (in fact, she was wearing her Partridge Family garb during the tribute as she was surprised at what she thought was a Partridge Family taping). It was intriguing seeing both her biological and TV family as the way they looked at the time, and realizing she was still married to Jack Cassidy then (they have long since divorced -- Shirley has since married Marty Ingalls; Jack Cassidy perished in a house fire).

After each episode, Ralph Edwards gives a brief update on what has happened to each honoree since their TIYL tributes initially aired, and further updates on their lives are overlaid over the closing photo at the end of each episode.

If you are a nostalgia buff -- and are interested in learning about other people's lives -- then I would definitely recommend this DVD (or better yet, get "This Is Your Life -- the Ultimate Collection, Vol 1")!