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The Movie: The fourth season of the classic 70's sitcom, starring Bob Newhart as a married Chicago psychologist who often finds himself dealing with the problems of friends and co-workers. Newhart's quietly dry delivery and the exceptional writing make this a real gem from the era. Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily, Peter Bonerz and Marcia Wallace are highlights in the excellent supporting cast. This set includes the complete fourth season of the series, across three DVDs. Season 4 73. 4- 1 13 Sep 75 The Longest Good-Bye - Bob is distraught when an old classmate's "overnight" stay turns into a nervewracking, weeklong stay. 74. 4- 2 20 Sep 75 Here's Looking at You, Kid - It's Bob and Emily's anniversary and Howard enlists their aid in proposing to Ellen. 75. 4- 3 27 Sep 75 Death of a Fruitman - Bob's banishment of a member of the therapy group is met with approval...until the man is killed in a bizarre zucchini accident. 76. 4- 4 4 Oct 75 Change is Gonna Do Me Good - Emily's attempt to get Bob out of his middle-aged rut shakes things up and inspires Carol to take up bartending. 77. 4- 5 11 Oct 75 The Heavyweights - After speaking to Bob's overweight workshop, Carol is challenged to go on a date with a member to prove she's not predjudiced against overweight people. 78. 4- 6 18 Oct 75 Carol's Wedding - Carol surprises the office by announcing that she's getting married to Larry Bondurant after having met him only 12 hours earlier. 79. 4- 7 25 Oct 75 Shrinks Across the Sea - The Hartleys play host to an arrogant French shrink and are surprised when they find that the man's escort is a married woman. 80. 4- 8 1 Nov 75 What's It All About, Albert? - Bob's confidence is shaken when an old professor informs him that psychology is nonsense. 81. 4- 9 8 Nov 75 Who is Mr. X? - Bob's appearance on a talk show sparks controversy when he mentions his treatment of an unnamed public official. 82. 4-10 15 Nov 75 Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time - Hoping to reduce his workload, Bob joins practices with another shrink, but it doesn't quite turn out the way that he planned. 83. 4-11 22 Nov 75 Over the River and Through the Woods - When Emily flies off to see her family, Bob hosts a hilarious, booze-soaked stag Thanksgiving for the guys. 84. 4-12 29 Nov 75 Fathers and Sons and Mothers - Bob must take his own advice when his mother comes for a visit and his home is thrust into turmoil. 85. 4-13 6 Dec 75 The Article - Ellen has been assigned to write a news story on what makes doctors tick, and Bob and his cohorts agree to tell it like it is...which may be a big mistake. 86. 4-14 13 Dec 75 A Matter of Vice-Prinicipal - Between difficult teachers, pet hamsters and an escaped snake, Emily gets more than she bargained for when she's suddenly promoted to vice principal. 87. 4-15 20 Dec 75 Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital - Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital. 88. 4-16 3 Jan 76 No Sale - Against his better judgement, Bob joins a patient's partner in a get-rich-quick real estate scheme. 89. 4-17 10 Jan 76 Carol at 6:01 - Carol is feeling smothered by affection from her new husband, and Bob has a patient who's convinced that her priest is fixing the local bingo game. 90. 4-18 17 Jan 76 Warden Gordon Borden - Howard's game warden brother comes to town to witness the mating of two whooping cranes, but instead causes trouble when he wants to get more than friendly with Howard's girlfriend. 91. 4-19 24 Jan 76 My Boy Guillermo - Jerry is thrilled to see ex-girlfriend Courtnet and he's surprised when she proposes marriage...and instant fatherhood. 92. 4-20 31 Jan 76 Duke of Dunk - Bob his hired to help a pro basketball team win by changing its star into more of a "team" player. 93. 4-21 7 Feb 76 Guaranteed Not to Shrink - Carol's armchair analysis is driving Bob and the other's crazy when she goes back to night school to persue a psychology degree. 94. 4-22 14 Feb 76 Birth of a Salesman - Legal hassles abound as Emily becomes determined to fight a parking ticket, and Bob's advice to a shy patient goes wrong when she turns around and sues him. 95. 4-23 21 Feb 76 The Boy Next Door - Howard seems to have more than daycare on his mind when he enlists the help of a beautiful woman to watch his son. 96. 4-24 28 Feb 76 Peeper Two - Bob's friend Peeper arrives with the news that his wife has left him, so Jerry's solution is to spend a wild night at a singles bar. The DVD VIDEO: "Bob Newhart Show" is presented by Fox in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. Despite being over thirty years of age, these episodes generally look good. Sharpness and detail appeared to be okay, given the material, as the image looked consistently rather crisp, but never sharp. Otherwise, there weren't too many issues present with the transfers of these episodes. Minor-to-mild grain is present and some wear appears in the form of slight specks and marks. Aside from that, the picture appeared clean, with no noticable edge enhancement or pixelation. The show's natural color palette also stood out nicely. SOUND: The show is presented here in English or Spanish mono. Audio quality isn't really noteworthy in any way, but for a sitcom from the 70's, it sounds perfectly fine. EXTRAS: Commentaries are offered on: "The Longest Goodbye" (Bob Newhart, director James Burrows, Suzanne Pleshette and guest star Tom Poston), "Who Is Mr. X?" (Bob Newhart and Marcia Wallace), "Over the River and Through the Woods" (Bob Newhart, James Burrows and Jack Riley), "My Boy Guillermo" (Bob Newart, writer Sy Rosen and Marcia Wallace) and finally, "Guaranteed Not to Shrink" (Bob Newhart, director James Burrows, Suzanne Pleshette and Marcia Wallace.) The commentaries are a lot of fun, although they have some infrequent moments of silence where the participants get caught up in watching the episodes they haven't seen in a while. Still, the groups seem to be having fun and, for shows that have been on the air in thirty years, the participants usually do have a lot to offer. The commentaries are all certainly well worth a listen and they're a real treat for fans of the series. Also included on the final disc are a very funny gag reel (about 5 minutes) and "A Second Family" featurette (11:31), which has Newhart providing an overview of the season. Final Thoughts: A fantastic sitcom from the 70's, "The Bob Newhart Show" offers marvelous performances and intelligent writing. It's a great series that is still very funny today. Audio/video quality is fine and the set offers a lot of nice supplements. Recommended. |