Taxi: The Fourth Season – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

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Fans have been waiting four years for this cab to arrive. Many people had feared Taxi had been completely abandoned after the first three seasons came out so fast on DVD around 2005. Petitions were written and fans protested the show being put into limbo. Strangely enough this also happened during the fourth season of Taxi when it originally aired on ABC. The show went into a ratings free fall after it was moved from the Tuesdays powerhouse line up of Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley and Three’s Company. For the fourth season, it was stuck behind a flailing Bosom Buddies. There was a time when Tom Hanks wasn’t popular. But just because the ratings dropped, the producers didn’t dumb up the show. Taxi: The Fourth Season got a little smarter with the dumping of aspiring actor Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway). Would that be enough to land the desired fifth season?

“Jim the Psychic” introduces us to another aspect of Rev. Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd). Turns out he has dreams that predict the future. In this case he dreams of the death of Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch). He lays out a series of strange events that shall happen before the homicidal menace knocks on his apartment door. A few of the things from the dream happen. Most everyone thinks this is just a coincidence. But the man in the cage, Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito) fears for Alex’s life. He does his best to stop the fatal ending. For such a prick, Louie does like to be a loyal friend. Or he just doesn’t want to retrain someone to drive Alex’s cab. “Vienna Waits” goes international when Alex is invited on a European vacation with fello cabbie Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner). He suspects romance will come from this journey. However it’s Elaine hooking up with the locals while Alex grouses across the major cities shown in stock footage. Nobody broke the budget to make it look too real. Fans will also want to know that songs have been removed. The acoustic guitar guy’s song has been sliced from the airplane scene. There’s no “Vienna” from Billy Joel. Perhaps the music was taken away by customs when Alex and Elaine returned to New York City?

“Mr. Personalities” allows Andy Kaufman to stretch his foreign man character that became mechanic Latka Gravas. He exhibits multiple personalities including a cowboy and the sleazy Vic Ferrari. What gets the gang excited is his take on Alex. He becomes an uber-Alex with better advice to all. This causes turmoil in Alex. “Louie Goes to Far” has the sleazy manager getting nailed for peeping on Elaine in the bathroom. She gets him fired. He has to beg her to get his job back. He’s a great groveler. “Bobby Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” is the last appearance of Jeff Conaway. He’s back in Manhattan after landing a role in the upcoming prime time soap opera called Boise. It’s a fun celebration until he gets news from his agent that might derail his dream. After Taxi, Conaway’s next major role would be on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab. His departure wasn’t that traumatic since Tony Danza pretty much played the same role as an aspiring dork.

“Nina Loves Alex” has the new girl land a major crush on Alex. However the old guy isn’t up for spending time with the aspiring musical theater actress. He’s too much of a burn out case. But she won’t take no to her advances. “Simka Returns” bring Carol Kane’s foreign gal back to the garage. She wants to rekindle her romance with Latka. However Vic Ferrari gets to her first. And he knows what to do to please a lady. Latka gets jealous that his other personality is such a stud. It’s an internal battle for the lady. 
“Take My Ex-Wife, Please” features Louie doing his best to score with Alex’s ex-wife (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman‘s Louise Lasser). Be warned that Danny Devito strips off his top. “Tony’s Comeback” has Bubba Smith (Police Academy) train Tony to be a serious fighter. “The Wedding of Latka and Simka” is an usual marriage ceremony conducted by Vincent Schiavelli (Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai). Why hasn’t anyone replicated this wedding on Bridezillas.

Taxi: The Fourth Season is worth the wait. The subtraction of Conaway is an addition to the material since they already have seven strong cast members. He quickly becomes the Chip Cunningham of the cabbie world. What’s remarkable about Taxi is that it featured two eccentric characters while the normal sitcom merely has one kookie neighbor. This season had them balance out Rev. Jim and Latka. Jim gets to exhibit talents he forget about after years of drug abuse. Allowing Latka to have multiple personalities let us feel the real wonder of Kaufman. He’s dead perfect when doing Alex. This final season on ABC might have been down in the ratings, but was beyond the average sit-com of its time. This is why NBC saved it for a season. Run down to the street for Taxi: The Fourth Season has arrived.

The Episodes
“Jim the Psychic,” “Vienna Waits,” “Mr. Personalities,” “Jim Joins the Network,” “Louie’s Fling,” “Like Father, Like Son,” “Louie’s Mom Remarries,” “Fledgling,” “Of Mice and Tony,” “Louie Goes Too Far,” “I Wanna Be Around,” “Bobby Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Nina Loves Alex,” “Tony’s Lady,” “Simka Returns,” “Jim and the Kid,” “Take My Ex-Wife, Please,” “The Unkindest Cut,” “Tony’s Comeback,” “Elegant Iggy,” “The Wedding of Latka and Simka,” “Cooking for Two” and “The Road Not Taken (two-parter).”

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers allow the details of the garage to dazzle. Did you know it was only a quarter for a soda? The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The levels are good. You won’t have to turn it up when Louie goes on a rampage.

Episodic Promos (0:30) are attached to each episode. These were created when the show went into syndication.

Taxi: The Fourth Season has a series doing its best to prove it deserved a slot on ABC’s schedule for a fifth season. They weren’t merely counting down to oblivion and turning in half-hearted episodes. The producers allowed the various stars to expand their roles especially Kaufman getting to become Vic. The downside of this boxset is a few episodes have had musical moments clipped. Maybe Billy Joel wanted too much since he does have to pay for a divorce lawyer, again. While the songs might be missed, they don’t destroy the episodes.


CBS DVD presents Taxi: The Fourth Season. Starring: Judd Hirsch, Carol Kane, Christopher Lloyd, Andy Kaufman, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza and Danny DeVito. Boxset Contents: 24 Episodes on 3 DVDs. Released on DVD: September 22, 2009. Available at Amazon.com

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.