Executive Producer:
Mark Goodson & Bill Todman
Cast:
Richard Dawson….Host
Gene Wood….Announcer
BCI Home Video presents All Star Family Feud. Twelve hours on 4 DVDs. DVD released Dec. 18, 2007.
The Show
Why would you want to own a game show on DVD? What’s the point of watching it a second time when you know the answers and the winners? There’s always a chance you can hustle an elderly uncle who thinks you’re watching live TV, but then what? There are exceptions. Match Game and You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx are great on DVD because the questions are secondary to the hosts and celebrity panelists cutting it up. Vintage Family Feud episodes are funny with the cutting edge fashions of 1977 as worn by families from South Dakota. Is that enough? Luckily this boxset does not contain ordinary episodes. These are showbiz “families” clashing. Instead of merely smooching housewives from Burbank, Richard Dawson is laying the lip smack on actresses and Lumpy Rutherford’s dad.
While there’s been plenty of celebrity game show specials, what makes Family Feud unique is the interaction of famous casts without them remaining in character. Does Gavin MacLeod command his Love Boat crew when he isn’t wearing his captain’s hat? Does Fred Barry act like Rerun off the set? Family Feud was the perfect place for casts of famous shows to tangle. Battle of the Network Stars injured the actors on the dangerous obstacle course. Celebrity Jeopardy makes stars look like a turnips as they hold a buzzer and remain silent. Celebrity Boxing is just pathetic. Family Feud was safe and not too tough for even the dumbest of sitcom actors. They might sound foolish, but they don’t look stupid. Everybody gets a turn trying to figure out how 100 people would answer a simple question. Who wouldn’t have a guess about what guests do at a wedding?
There’s two types of All-Star Specials within this box set. The daytime version is the regular thirty minute show (that runs about 22 minutes). The various stars played each other all week. These shows were cast with a nostalgia factor. Why else would they have the cast of Your Hit Parade battling with Leave It to Beaver? Although any excuse to bring Richard Deacon to masses is a reason to rejoice. The second version is prime time All Star Specials. These hour long episodes featured network stars of hit shows from ’78 to ‘83. There’s a great grudge match feel as Eight is Enough battles Family. Which show about families will reign supreme in the polyester era? Even with weird ‘70s hair, the ladies of Eight is Enough are hot.
Richard Dawson is at his prime in these specials. He busts out his W.C. Fields impersonation. He mentions his previous screen work with various actors. Dawson can’t get enough of kissing the ladies, but he pays proper respect to Richard Deacon by giving Lumpy’s dad a kiss on the cheek instead of a manly handshake. They wickedly expose their history while sharing a beret.
All-Star Family Feud is a feast for TV fanatics. There are so many familiar faces volunteering answers. It’s bliss to see Peter Lupus and Greg Morris reunited after their Mission: Impossible days. There’s a major head scratcher with the first Dukes of Hazzard episode. Do you remember Jeff Altman (Pink Lady and Jeff) being a cast member? Talk about a $2,000 question for Jeopardy. It’s nice that the supporting actors were given the spotlight, but imagine the disappointment in a child’s eyes when instead of Bo and Luke, it’s Jeb Stuart Duke. Luckily the real stars appear later on the disc for their fierce contest with The Waltons. Contrary to rumor, the supporting players didn’t announce their charity as Coy and Vance. If you’re a pop culture junky you’ll be fiending all over All-Star Family Feud.
The Contents
Disc 1
“Adventure Heroines vs. Adventure Heroes I.” Adventure Heroines include Beverly Garland, Lindsay Bloom (Mike Hammer), Patricia McPherson (Knight Rider), Phyllis Davis (Vegas) and Yvonne Craig (Batgirl on Batman). Adventure Heroes include Peter Lupus (Mission: Impossible), Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible), Lyle Waggoner (Wonder Woman), Don Galloway (Ironside) and Adam West (the real Batman).
“Adventure Heroines vs. Adventure Heroes II”
“Petticoat Junction vs. Brady Bunch 1.” Petticoat Junction is Frank Cady (Sam Drucker from Green Acres), Linda K. Henning, Lori Saunders, Gunilla Hutton & Meredith MacRea. Brady Bunch is Florence Henderson, Robert Reed, Susan Olsen, Christopher Knight & Maureen McCormick.
“Your Hit Parade vs. Leave It to Beaver.” Your Hit Parade is Bea Wayne, Gisele MacKenzie, Snooky Lanson, Andy Russell & Russell Arms. Leave It to Beaver is Jerry Mathers, Barbara Billingsley, Ken Osmond, Frank Banks and the Immortal Richard Deacon!
“Your Hit Parade vs. The Brady Bunch“
“Petticoat Junction vs. Leave It To Beaver“
“Petticoat Junction vs. The Brady Bunch II”
“Love Boat vs WKRP.” Love Boat is Gavin MacLeod, Fred Grandy, Lauren Tewes, Ted Lange & Bernie Kopell. WKRP is Gordon Jump, Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid & Frank Bonner.
“Soap vs. Real People.” Soap is Robert Mandan, Jennifer Salt, Jimmy Baio, Donnelly Rhodes & Arthur Peterson. Real People is Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, Bill Rafferty, Skip Stevenson & Mark Russell.
“Real People vs. WKRP.”
Disc 2
“Hollywood Walk of Fame Special 1” has Betty White, Arlene Dahl, Gloria DeHaven, Audrey Meadows, Dorothy Lamour, Mark Goodson, Rod McKuen, Cesar Romero, Rory Calhoun & Kennan Wynn.
“Hollywood Walk of Fame Special 2”
“Love Boat vs Eight is Enough.” Love Boat is Gavin MacLeod, Fred Grandy, Lauren Tewes, Ted Lange & Bernie Kopell. Eight is Enough is Dick Van Patten, Lani O’Grady, Laurie Walters, Susan Richardson & Willie Aames.
“Family vs What’s Happening.” Family is James Broderick, Meredith Baxter Birney, Gary Frank, John Rubinstein & Quinn Cummings. What’s Happening is Haywood Nelson, Ernest Thomas, Fred Berry, Shirley Hemphill & Danielle Spencer.
“Family vs. Eight is Enough“
“Heroes vs. Villains 1.” Heroes are Bernie Koppel, Kurt Thomas, Marion Ross, Lynn Redgrave & Lou Ferrigno. The Villains are Norman Fell, Joan Collins, Leonard Frey, Beatrice Straight & Susan Lucci
“Heroes vs. Villains 2.” Heroes are Marla Gibbs, Bowser from Sha-Na-Na, Col Gordon Cooper, Mackenzie Phillips & Tom Wopat. The Villains are Katherine MacGregor, James Best, Paul L Smith, Inga Swenson & Henry Silva.
“Heroes vs. Villains 3.”
“One Day at a Time vs. Benson.” One Day at a Time is Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips, Pat Harrington. Shelley Fabre & Valerie Bertinelli, Benson Robert Guillaume, Carolyn MacWilliams, Lewis J. Stadlen, James Noble & Inga Swenson.
“Dallas vs Eight is Enough.” Dallas is Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Victoria Pricipal, Charlene Tilton & Steve Kanaly. Eight is Enough is Dick Van Patten, Willie Aames Grant Goodeve, Dianne Kay & Connie Needham,
“Dallas Vs. One Day at a Time.”
Disc 3
“Soap vs All My Children.” Soap is Jay Johnson, Robert Mandan, Donnelly Rhodes, Jimmy Baio, Arthur Peterson. All My Children is Ruth Boyd, Susan Lucci, Taylor Miller, Peter Bergman & Louie Edmunds
“Eight is Enough vs General Hospital.” Eight is Enough is Grant Goodeve, Laurie Walters, Connie Needham, Adam Rich, Willie Aames. General Hospital is Tony Geary John Balindo, Jackie Zeman, Genie Francis & Rick Anderson.
“Eight is Enough vs Soap.”
“Dallas vs It’s a Living” Dallas is Ken Kercheval, Meg Gallagher, Susan Howard, Jeff Cooper & Steve Kanaly. It’s a Living is Susan Sullivan, Paul Kreppel. Barrie Youngfellow, Wendy Schaal & Gail Edwards
“Jeffersons vs. Dukes of Hazzard.” Jeffersons is Isabel Sanford, Mike Evans, Franklin Cover, Roxie Roker and Marla Gibbs. Dukes of Hazzard is Rick Hurst, Lindsay Bloom, Christopher Hensel, Peggy Ray and Jeff Altman.
“Jefferson vs Dallas“
“The Ropers vs Angie.” The Ropers is Audra Lindley, Norman Fell, Patrica McCormack, Jeffrey Tambor & Louise Vallance. Angie is Donna Pescow, Debralee Scott, Robert Hays, Sharon Spelman & Doris Roberts.
“Dukes of Hazzard vs The Waltons.” The Dukes of Hazzard is Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Denver Pyle, Catherine Bach, & Sorrell Booke. The Waltons include Judy Norton Taylor, Jon Walmsley, Mary McDonough, Kami Cotler & Eric Scott.
“Dukes of Hazzard vs Angie.”
“Love Boat vs Eight is Enough.”Love Boat is Gavin MacLeod, Fred Grandy, Lauren Tewes, Ted Lange & Bernie Kopell. Eight is Enough is Dick Van Patten, Lani O’Grady, Susan Richardson, Grant Goodeve & Laurie Walters.
“Soap vs Three’s Company.” Soap is Sal Viscuso, Dinah Manoff, Diana Canova, Jay Johnson & Jennifer Salt. Three’s Company is Norman Fell, Joyce DeWitt, John Ritter, Audra Lindley & Richard Kline.
“Three’s Company vs Love Boat.”
Disc 4
“Barney Miller vs. Eight is Enough.” Barney Miller is Hal Linden, Ron Carey, Ron Glass, Steve Landesburg & Jack Soo. Eight is Enough is Lani O’Grady, Susan Richardson, Dianne Kay, Laurie Walters and Grant Goodeve.
“Welcome Back Kotter vs. Soap.” Welcome Back Kotter is Ron Pallilo, Charles Fleischer, Marcia Strassman, Stephen Shortridge & John Sylvester White. Soap is Jay Johnson, Robert Mandan, Diana Canova, Jimmy Baio & Dinah Manoff.
“Welcome Back Kotter vs. Barney Miller.”
“Eight is Enough vs Family.” Eight is Enough is Dick Van Patten, Willie Aames, Susan Richardson, Dianne Kay and Laurie Walters. Family is John Rubinstein, Meredith Baxter Birney David Birney, Quinn Cummings & Louise Foley.
“Welcome Back Kotter vs Love Boat.”
“Family vs Welcome Back Kotter.”
“Gilligan’s Island vs Hawaiian Eye. “Gilligan’s Island is Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schaffer, Russell Johnson & Dawn Wells Hawaiian Eye is Connie Stevens, Troy Donahue, Anthony Eisley, Poncie Ponce & Grant Williams.
“Wilt’s Wows vs Debbie’s Dudes.” Wilt’s Wows include Wilt Chamberlin, Shannon Tweed, Marilyn MaCoo, Barbara Rush & Charo, Debbie’s Dudes feature Debra Sue Maffett (Miss America), Vince Ferragamo (L.A. Rams quarterback), Bruce Penhall (CHiPs), Ricky Schroder & Lorenzo Lamas
“Richard’s Rosebuds vs Phyllis’ Fighters.” Richard’s Rosebuds feature Richard Simmons, Mary Ann Mobley, Heather Locklear, Sheri Belafonte-Harper & Heather Thomas. Phyllis’ Fighters includes Phyllis Diller, Gary Collins, Steve Yeager (catcher for L.A. Dodgers), Robert Guillaume & Steven Ford.
“Richard’s Rosebuds vs Debbie’s Dudes.”
The DVD
VIDEO:
The picture is 1.33:1. The video transfers have sporadic glitches and tracking problems. This is the price you’ll have to pay to see Fred “Rerun” Barry in action. Why weren’t these shows shot in 70mm?
AUDIO:
The English soundtrack is Dolby Digital Mono.
EXTRAS:
Photo Gallery has 32 advertisements and production photos dealing with the specials.
The Inside Pulse
Mr. Burns will be more than pleased with this All-Star Family Feud since it features Rory Calhoun. This is a boxset that will be beloved by TV junkies.
