Customer Reviews

Two's Company - Complete Series 1

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

 

 

Fawlty Towers remains the best British comedy series of all time, but TWO'S COMPANY comes right in at second for me.

My local PBS station ran this for a very short time many years ago and then they stopped. I had never taped any of them and thought I would never get to see this great classic again for the rest of my life. Over the years I begged the PBS stations to carry it again, but with no luck. THEN I RECENTLY SAW IT ON DVD!! I COULD NOT BELEIVE IT!

It has been so long since I have seen this, that it was like watching the show all over again as I hardly remembered what happened in the episodes, only that they were great and made me laugh. Oh the joy and pleasure as the first edpisode ran on my television set from this DVD!

The first episode is where these two characters meet for the first time and the brilliant and hillarious chemistry of these two characters start imediately, as if the TV series had been running for a year already, not a boring set up like with most American comedies, it was brilliant from the very first episode, and from the very first minute!

I had to watch all the episodes in one sitting, and the most dissapointing thing about watching this DVD, was that there is no second season set available for me to buy yet.

Even for those that don't particulary like or find British comedies hard to get, you will like this one, because the Woman character is American, with an American accent, and they go at each other making fun of Britians and Americans from the very start. Since most Butlers, even in American films have an English accent, you can't tell this was a British comedy instead of an American one, other than it is much funnier and without a ridiculous laugh track to interrupt the flow of the comedy!

And unlike some British Comedies where you have to put up the subtitles to understand what they are saying, this comedy is easy to understand and brilliantly funny.

Only when you get two actors that can work together this well, can any program like it be as succesfull.

This program was truely a masterpeice, and I am very pleased that it was finally released on DVD in the USA.

I can't wait for the other seasons to be released.

American thriller author, Dorothy McNab (ably played by Elaine Stritch) has come to England to enjoy a slower place of life. Overall, it doesn't live up to her expectations, but at least (unlike Europe) people speak "American." But, she does need a butler to run her house for her. Who should walk through her door, but Robert (Donald Sinden), an extremely capable butler with a profound sense of superiority towards upstart colonials? The fur flies, and hilarity ensues as this unlike pair set up house together.

This is a great British comedy - one of my favorites, and my wife's all-time favorite! As a matter of fact, not long after we were first married, PBS began airing this great show, and I used it to introduce my bride to the joys of British humor (that is to say, "humour"). Overall, we found this to be a lot of fun, and enjoy watching it over and over again. So, if you want to see a fun and entertaining Britcom, then I highly recommend that you get this DVD. It's great!

By the way, this DVD includes all six of the episodes from the first (1975) series. The six episodes are:

The Bait - Dorothy needs a butler, and Robert appears to be the perfect butler. A match made in heaven, right? With their conflicting and strongly-held views they could not be more different. Can Dorothy win Robert over? It'll take some work.

The Housekeeping - Robert wants more money to run the house, but Dorothy expects him to live within her budget. But when an important American senator arrives, expecting a gourmet meal, Robert sees his chance to teach Ms. McNab a lesson.

Dorothy's Electrician - Dorothy wants some new wall lights installed in the hall - Robert knows a good electrician, but Dorothy hires a cheap one instead. Robert bets Dorothy that the man will be a disaster, and he is. Now how can Dorothy get out of this gracefully - most likely she can't!

The Patient - When Robert falls and injures his ankle, Dorothy begins her infuriating sojourn into the National Health Service. Along the way, Dorothy succeeds in alienating everyone she meets, with hilarious results. (By the way, check out the hospital receptionist - Penelope Keith!)

The Romance - Dorothy has an overly-amorous man coming over, and needs Robert to stay handy and keep the man off her neck (and the rest of her body). But, it's Robert's day off, and there is a very important cricket match on television...

Robert's Mother - Robert's mother is coming over, but Robert is surprisingly against the idea of having her anywhere nearby. What is going on? When Dorothy meets her, she quickly finds out why.

I agree with the previous reviewer saying that this is one of the all time great British Sitcoms. Classic British actor Donald Sinden is superb as the sardonic butler Robert and is a perfect foil for Elain Stritch. A & E aired this series in the late 80s and I taped a handful of episodes. After the run finished it was not broadcast since. I was thrilled when I saw it listed as being out on DVD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Set in London, Two's Company is a thoroughly enjoyable mid-70's britcom about a loud, abrasive, bossy, opinionated but very shrewd and quick-witted American mystery writer named Dorothy McNab who hires a snooty, pompous and equally opinionated, shrewd, and quick-witted butler named Robert. Robert's air of superiority and his disdain of Americans are almost more than Dorothy can bear at times--indeed such insubordination would result in most servants getting the sack. Robert, however, is an extremely capable butler; what's more, he is very possibly the best cook in London--and he knows it.

With two such strong--not to mention intelligent--personalities sharing one house, the stage is set for some terrific battles as each tries to outfox the other. This isn't a show that relies heavily on visual humour--so one ought not to expect to find many pratfalls. Rather, this is a show which is satisfyingly witty with lots of delicious verbal sparring.

This disc consists of six 25-minute episodes which comprise the complete first series. At the time of writing, there are three series available, with series two and three each consisting of eight 25-minute episodes. All three series are equally superb, and I suggest giving series one a try; if you enjoy it, then go ahead and get the rest of the series, as you'll enjoy them just as much.

In short, there's nothing off-colour or offensive here, and personally, this is a series that has quickly become one of our family's favourites--one which we're already in the process of rewatching! It is one of the more intelligent britcoms, and it is one which I would certainly recommend to anyone who enjoys the better-known classic britcoms and is looking for something "new".

I had never seen (or even heard of!) this series before happening upon it on Amazon. I was a bit leery to try it because of the reviews I've seen by most Anglophiles (lovers of English culture) here on Amazon. They all seem to think that Black Adder and Fawlty Towers are the best of British comedy and I cannot STAND those two series. Personally I am an Allo Allo/Keeping Up Appearances/Mr. Bean/To The Manor Born/The Piglet Files/The Good Life (called Good Neighbors in America) kind of person and those two particular comedies get on my nerves in the worst way.

That being said, I weighed the risks carefully in trying this but the price suddenly became right and I took a chance. I wouldn't have lost too much if I did. The verdict: this series is surprisingly good. There are some dry non-funny bits and I compared it a bit to Kate and Allie in a way - interesting to watch but only a laugh here and there. The really funny bits are totally hilarious though. My favourite episodes are a toss up between The Patient (guest starring Penelope Keith who I adore) and Robert's Mother; and The Patient just slightly wins this one because of this amazingly funny scene when Robert is being examined by an Indian doctor and Dorothy keeps asking Robert, "What did he say? What did he say?" Very reminiscent of Harry McCool (Cool McCool's dad). So I was completely cracking up partly because of that memory. Kurt A Johnson's review is pretty accurate on the episode descriptions.

This is just a basic DVD with no extras. The menu is short and sweet. You have the option to Play All or Play by Episode and you also get the Cast Filmography. I suppose you can call that an "extra" if you're really desperate :) You just get episodes 1 to 6. The video is pretty clear for something that's been filmed in the 70's, and the soundtrack is generally clear although there are some times when the sound dips down so you can hardly hear what the characters are saying and then raises again back to normal level. Odd, but I guess it's built into the DVD...i.e. nothing to do with the player. Also this set is NOT LABELLED as closed captioned, neither does it have subtitles. It seems to be fullscreen to me and NOT widescreen as the product description states. The theme song's pretty atrocious but I guess you can chalk it up to "charm" if you so desire. Other than that, no complaints. I'm happy I took the chance on this and am just going to pick up the second series to see if it's as hilarious as the first.

Now leesten carefully, I shall say this only once....It still can't touch Allo Allo though. THAT is my favourite Britcom of ALL time!

Commissioned by London Weekend Television (LWT) in 1975, TWO'S COMPANY starred the divine Elaine Stritch as Dorothy McNab, an American mystery novelist living and working in London, who takes on the stuffy, oh-so-teddibly British Robert (Donald Sinden) as her butler. Sparks fly when Dorothy, who is under the false belief that everyone is meant to have equal footing in this life, is "instructed" by Robert in the correct way (ie: HIS way) of running a household. Madly bashing away at the typewriter, Dorothy needs an organised and relaxed home life...but she never counted on tightly-wound Robert. Just WHO is the help and who is the boss?!

Wickedly scripted by Bill MacIllwraith, TWO'S COMPANY offered viewers of British comedy something a little more sophisticated and biting than the usual fare, with the humour extending from the dry wordplay between Dorothy and Robert. The show came during one of Elaine Stritch's most prolific periods of her professional career. She had chiefly relocated to London for the successful West End transfer of "Company", but decided to stay in the country on a full-time basis when she married English actor John Bay. Setting up housekeeping at the Savoy Hotel no less, Stritch was the darling of the London talk show circuit, starred as Aunt Polly in a miniseries of "Pollyanna" for the BBC, and of course remained as the acerbic Dorothy for three more series of TWO'S COMPANY.

Series 1 of TWO'S COMPANY includes the following episodes:

"The Bait" - Dorothy McNab's in the market for a butler...but with Robert, has she won the lottery or landed the booby-prize?

"The Housekeeping" - Robert needs more cash to run the various household expenses (not to mention a healthy interest in the racetrack), but Dorothy decides to hold firm to her original plan...

"Dorothy's Electrician" - Some fancy new wall lights are all ready to be installed. It's the beginning of another ordeal for Dorothy and Robert...

"The Patient" - The joys of the public health system. Robert falls down the stairs and an anxious Dorothy accompanies him to the hospital emergency room... Guest starring Penelope Keith!

"The Romance" - Dorothy's new would-be boyfriend is on the prowl, and it's Robert's day off...

"Robert's Mother" - Like mother like son? Dorothy is intrigued when Robert's mother drops by for a visit...

I titled the review Broadway as I felt I was in the theatre and observing a play in action on the stage. One of the actors in this television series is primary a stage actor which one can tell. Their pronunication of the word is exact and the voice very strong. Their presents on the set was that on the stage. Television flows differently and that flow did not exist. The story lines were good in the beginning, but as the series continued, they bogged down in content.