Love American Style: Season One, Volume One – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

Available at Amazon.com

Executive Producers:
Jim Parker & Arnold Margolin

Guest Stars:
Bob Crane
Flip Wilson
Ted Bessell
Bill Bixby
Larry Storch
Rich Little
Peter Marshall
Yvonne Craig
Tina Louise
Carolyn Jones

Paramount Home Entertainment presents Love American Style, Season One, Volume One. Twelve episodes on 3 DVDs. Episodes originally broadcasted from Sept. 29. 1969 to Dec. 22, 1969. DVD released Nov. 13, 2007.

The Show

If you suffer from flashbacks of 70s TV, chances are one of the shows that’s exploding in your visions is Love American Style. For five seasons this series snuck a comic peek of what’s going down in your neighbors’ bedrooms. It presented the fireworks above the sheets in the sexual revolution. They couldn’t get too graphic since this was a time before HBO. The average episode featured three tales of modern romance with a cast consisting of former sitcom stars, legendary character actors and aging movie stars. It was Love Boat without all that nautical nonsense or lame conceits on how the characters boarded the ship. Love American Style took us straight to the action without the distraction of the Boom Boom Room.

“Love and the Hustler” lets Flip Wilson run wild as a pool shark doing his best to impress his latest piece of arm candy. Eddie Anderson (Rochester from The Jack Benny Show) and the immortal Mantan Morland riff off each other as they await a player that will put Flip behind the 8 Ball. This comic trio are pure gold even when they’re just exchanging stares. Scatman Crothers slides into “Love and the Dummies” with Shari Lewis without Lambchop. He’s a one-man band that’s ready to destroy your ears. Pay attention to the photos on the wall of the talent office. You’ll recognize the family members.

“Love and the Living Doll” probes the territory now being claimed by Lars and the Real Girl. In this early view, Arte Johnson attempts to make his hot female neighbor jealous by using an inflatable doll as his hot date. “Love and the Pill” puts the subject of birth control front and center. A girl’s parents are shocked at her plans for a trip around Europe. Her parents were iconic sitcom parents Bob Cummings (Love That Bob) and Jane Wyatt (Father Knows Best).This show wasn’t going to put a blind eye to birth control. You never saw Andy asking Barney if he used a rubber with Thelma Lou. “Love and the Dating Computer” has a guy getting matched up with Broderick Crawford. It’s funny to see the gruff Broderick mumbling about how he’s a swinger.

The patron Saint of swingers makes a guest appearance as “Love and the Modern Wife” features Bob Crane. When you think of guys in the 70s who were getting wild action, how can you not think of Col. Hogan? Have you not seen Auto Focus? The man knows how to work a singles bar. And if there was a man who had a clear understanding of what the “Modern Wife” should do for her man, it was Crane. However Bob’s reality would be too much for a network show. So instead Bob must rely on acting. His wife is taking a course on “making your marriage work.” He’s so upset that he decides to cruise for an affair at a trendy red walled nightclub. The acting kicks in when we’re supposed to believe that he wouldn’t be a stud at a single’s bar. The bartender of the meat market is played by Allan Melvin, best known as Sam the Butcher on The Brady Bunch. “Love and the Shower” has a McHale’s Navy reunion as Joe Flynn and Carl Ballentine throw a divorce party for Henry Gibson (of Laugh-In fame).

“Love and the Phonies” is a stellar sketch. Richard Deacon (Mr. Rutherford from Leave It to Beaver) and Phyllis Diller undress from a fancy night out with their friends. The script by Arnold and Lois Peyser is a gem. Deacon and Diller match their judgmental words with ironic actions. This proves that Diller was capable of doing more than mugging it up on Bob Hope specials. This should be honored at the TV Hall of Fame.

“Love and the Roommate” also us to see how That Girl‘s Donald would operate without Ann Marie screwing up his chance to get laid. Ted Bessell (with his impeccable hair) plays a guy who lands a Southern stewardess. While he should be satisfied, Bessell falls for her blonde roommate. Unfortunately, Bessell didn’t live long enough take his action to HBO’s Big Love. There’s no threesomes allowed on network TV. He plots to dump the Southern Belle and get with the blonde with the help of his pal, John Beck (Moonpie from Rollerball).

Besides the constantly thrilling guest stars, the show did have a cast of regulars that appeared in short skits between the segments. Amongst the Black Out Players was Stuart Margolin, beloved as Angel on The Rockford Files. The series did have one continuing character: a large curvy brass bed. Who is sleeping on that bed now? It should be in the Smithsonian Institute.

When it entered syndication, they cut the show in half to get twice as many thirty minute episodes repeating on your local station. Love American Style: Season One, Volume One puts the show back in its original hour long format. While there’s a warning that “some episodes may be edited from their original network versions,” the shows running times are between 51 to 52 minutes long. There’s no noticeable butchery. The boxset contains the first 12 episodes in broadcast order. Don’t get confused since they list the shows by their production numbers so it seems like they’re jumping around. They also have the Cowsills’ original version of the theme song which had the sibling act rocking out as they defend your right to love. If you’re a fanatic of 70s TV, you’ll be thrilled by this boxset. The stars. The stories. The swinging. The fireworks.The shag carpet. What more can you want? They even have Regis Philbin and Peter Marshall acting. Love American Style allows you to be passionate and patriotic about your TV heritage.

The Episodes
“Love and the Pill,” “Love and the Hustler,” “Love and a Couple of Couples,” “Love and the Joker,” “Love and the Letter,” “Love and the Living Doll,” “Love and the Unlikely Couple,” “Love and the Phone Booth,” “Love and the Doorknob,” “Love and the Militant,” “Love and the Legal Agreement,” “Love and Who?,” “Love and the Single Couple,” “Love and the Phonies,” “Love and the Modern Wife,” “Love and the Busy Husband,” “Love and the Watchdog,” “Love and the Dating Computer,” “Love and Take Me Along,” “Love and the Geisha,” “Love and the Advice Givers,” “Love and the Roommate,” “Love and the Burglar,” “Love and the Wild Party,” “Love and the Big Leap,” “Love and the Former Marriage,” “Love and the Good Deal,” “Love and the Shower,” “Love and Mother,” “Love and the Athlete,” “Love and the Dummies,” “Love and the Comedy Team,” “Love and the Mountain Cabin,” “Love and the Divorce Sale,” “Love and the Bachelor,” “Love and the Positive Man” and “Love and the Other Love.”

The DVD

VIDEO:
The picture is 1.33:1. The color is much better than the prints currently running on Retro TV Network. You’ll get the full effect of Tina Louise’s red hair on this DVD.

AUDIO:
The soundtrack is in Mono. There are no subtitles, but it’s closed captioned.

EXTRAS:
None.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for
Love American Style: Season One, Volume One
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE SHOW

9
THE VIDEO

8
THE AUDIO

8
THE EXTRAS

0
REPLAY VALUE

10
OVERALL
9
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

The Inside Pulse
This is guilty pleasure television at its greatest moment. The first half of Love American Style makes me want to salute with my heart.

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.