Mr. Belvedere gets lumped in with Full House, Growing Pains and Step By Step as dumb family entertainment in the tradition of The Brady Bunch. On the surface it was a family comedy with a goofy dad (Bob Uecker), flighty mom (Ilene Graff) and three pesky kids getting their lives set straight by Mr. Belvedere (Christopher Hewett), an English butler. At the end of each episode he writes a cute journal entry about his time with the Owens family. It’s kinda like Mork’s report to home in Mork and Mindy. Except the stories just aren’t that family friendly. There is a darkside of suburbia seeping up in the Owens’ house. Mr. Belvedere: Season 3 oozes with drugs, thievery, hooking, snitching and Robert Goulet.
“The Thief” looks clean with Heather (Tracy Wells) landing a job at the record store and dating the captain of the football team. She’s looking good until her new man keeps shoplifting albums from the shop. Will she cover for love or make the school hate her for sending Mr. Touchdown to jail? “Grandma” has the kids being nice to old people in hopes of working their way into a couple wills. “Debut” has dad survive a near-death electrocution in a strange bathtub accident. After he recovers, he declares he’s giving up his sportswriter gig to live his dream as a loung singer. Do you know how many people wish they were sportswriters? It’s the cushiest gig in the newspaper world. You get to see the games for free. You get free food during the game. How can you drop that for a chance to sing “Feelings” at the Ramada Inn’s bar? Luckily Mr. Belvedere brings in an expert for an intervention: Robert Goulet. Mr. Camelot knows the score. “Halloween” exposes the dark side of The Happy Guys of Pittsburgh club. Even Mr. Belvedere goes wild on the trick or treat night when he contributes to toilet papering a house.
“Deportation” is a two-parter that reminds us that deep down, Mr. Belvedere is an illegal alien taking work away from Americans! As if any American really wants to clean up after Bob Uecker. Who finks him out to the immigration authorities? It’s an inside tip. He doesn’t seem too shaken up when led off to jail. His time in the holding pen isn’t quite as scary as an episode of Oz. There’s a scheme to get him married to a hooker in order to get his green paper. “Pills” turns mom into a speed freak. It’s almost an intervention episode as she gets pepped up for her law school examines. Mrs. Brady never popped amphetamines to keep up with Alice. “College Bound’ has Kevin (Rob Stone) using Playboy as his guide to the best in higher education. That’s an honest teen reaction that you wouldn’t get from Kirk Cameron’s clean cut universe.
“Inky” is a pure evil episode. Wesley (Brice Beckham) is so sad when his hamster bites the cedar chips. To cheer him up, the folks buy him a dog. Turns out the kid has faked his pet’s death in hopes they’d get him a puppy. How utterly devious. Even Stewie on Family Guy doesn’t go that dark. “Jobless” proves dad was kinda smart wanting to make a career change. He gets dumped by his sports gig. Proving that he’s not merely hired help, Mr. Belvedere gets work to put food on the table. Oddly enough the next episode, “The Ticket” has Mr. Belvedere wanting a raise. “The Crush” makes a big deal about going to see Huey Lewis and the News. “The Competition” dares to question a football player’s sexuality when he takes ballet classes. “Kevin’s Older Woman” predicts the arrival of Cougar-mania! “Separation” puts a divorce fear in the family when the folks have a trial split. Who gets custody of Mr. Belvedere? “The Auction” goes completely into David Lynch turf when Mr. Belvedere awakes up bound and gagged in a strange woman’s house. This never happened to Alan Thicke.
While some might scoff at Mr. Belvedere as mindless fluff, the series touched upon plenty of topics that were pertinent in the ‘80s. They weren’t merely rewriting Father Knows Best or Hazel. There was a creepy factor to these stories except it was hard to recognize them since it had a sweet family feeling. Mr. Belvedere: Season 3 touches upon the gritty life in the suburbs beneath the veneer of wholesome family fun.
The Episodes
“The Thief,” “Grandma,” “Debut,” “Kevin’s Date,” “Halloween,” “Deportation” (two-parter), “Reunion,” “The Spelling Bee,” “Pills,” “College Bound,” “Inky,” “Jobless,” “The Ticket,” “The Crush,” “The Competition,” “The Cadet,” “Kevin’s Older Woman,” “Baby,” “Separation,” “The Mogul” and “The Auction.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The show was shot on video so it’s a tape transfer on the DVD. The image is good without any major tape glitches. The audio is mono. The levels are fine for a three camera sitcom.
Audio Commentaries featuring cast members Brice Beckham, Ilene Graff, Rob Stone and Tracy Wells Tofte on “Debut,” “Kevin’s Date,” “Pills,” “The Crush,” and “Kevin’s Older Woman.” They sound like a family watching home movies. They have plenty of stories about the late Christopher Hewett.
Mr. Belvedere: Season 3 was subversive entertainment in the guise of wholesome family fluff. Watching these episodes, you aren’t getting the sweet and charming. This family has major issues and problems. While some might snicker at references to Mr. Belvedere on Family Guy, the Owens family and their English butler were more outlandish than the Griffins.
Shout! Factory presents Mr. Belvedere: Season 3. Starring: Christopher Hewett, Bob Uecker. Brice Beckham, Ilene Graff, Rob Stone and Tracy Wells. Boxset contents: 22 episodes on 3 DVDs. Released on DVD: September 8, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
