Friday, August 5, 2011

Hazel's Amazing Mother (Picture Puffins)

  • ISBN13: 9780140549119
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
HAZEL:THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON - DVD MovieHooray for Hazel! Shirley Booth stars as the irrepressible housekeeper Hazel in the endearing family TV series that ran from 1961 to 1966. A brilliant character actress, Booth wisecracks her way through Hazel's life, solving the problems of her employers, the often-befuddled Baxter family, as well as of the community (busting a shoplifting ring, finding homes for stray dogs, exposing a group of financial swindlers). All this Hazel does with her cheerful working-class enthusiasm, without getting so much as a stray wrinkle in her crisply pressed maid uniform (complete with little head thingy). When she gets into her own scrapes, she shrugs them off with B! rooklynese cracks like, "Looks like I'm in the soup again!" The show is a perfect snapshot of early 1960s America, complete with frozen-in-time décor (did everyone have that same print of the little-girl ballet dancer framed in their living room?) and a lovely leisurely pace. Hazel can make an entire episode out of one single premise, as when Mr. Baxter decides that an unlisted phone number might cut down on the number of crank phone calls. And who wouldn't be nostalgic for a time when middle-class households had a working dad, a mostly-stay-at-home mom, perfectly behaved kids--and live-in housekeepers? Part of the appeal of Hazel, though, is that it's clear her life is much broader than her occupation. She knows everyone in town, from the balloon guy at the local park to the most powerful judge on the bench--all of which eventually comes in handy. And did we mention she's a cham-peen league bowler? Booth won two well-deserved Emmys for her portrayal of Hazel! . The boxed set includes all 35 25-minute episodes, and you wo! n't want to miss a one. I'm talking to youse! --A.T. HurleyThe Complete First Season 1959 1960, All 32 Original Episodes


The comic misadventures of television’s most well-meaning but misguided boy are back! The lovable Dennis Mitchell (Jay North) left a trail of chaos throughout his suburban neighborhood. Yet along with his friends and classmates Tommy (Billy Booth) and Margaret (Jeannie Russell), Dennis managed to pry his way into the hearts of millions from week to week. Based on the long-running comic strip by Hank Ketcham, this beloved CBS television series (1959 1963) stayed true to form, as Dennis’s youthful curiosity always managed to get him into heaps of trouble . . . especially with his crotchety old neighbor Mr. Wilson (Joseph Kearns). Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry starred as Dennis’s parents who were always on hand with love and guidance but not necessarily the required supervision.

Here for the first time on DVD are all 32 un! cut episodes from the first season of Dennis The Menace!The first season of Dennis the Menace, a black-and-white sitcom based on the comic strip by Hank Ketcham that ran on CBS from 1959 to 1960, featured an energetic, curious young boy who was simply a magnet for mischief. Dennis (Jay North) is essentially a good boy who always wants to be right in the middle of whatever's going on in his suburban neighborhood and has an insatiable desire to "help" his friends and neighbors. His loving, but exasperated parents (Gloria Henry and Herbert Anderson) never seem quite able to anticipate what kind of trouble Dennis might get into next, but one can bet that it will probably have something to do with their grouchy neighbor Mr. Wilson (Joseph Kearns). Whether it's planting flowers, pouring a concrete walk, camping out in the backyard, finding a buyer for a neighbor's house, or talking on the neighborhood (telephone) party line, Dennis always seems to inadvertently make a mess! of things. In some ways, this sitcom is surprisingly timeless! in its portrayal of a young boy and his abundant energy and overwhelming sense of curiosity, but details like the prevalence of cap guns and shooting games in Dennis's play, firecrackers tossed casually into the garbage and incinerator, and the stereotypical portrayal of a "woman's role" are startling reminders of how much has changed since the late 1950s and early 1960s. Bonus features include a 2010 interview with Henry and Jeannie Russell (Margaret) about everything from casting to the weekly shooting schedule and various troubles on the set; a 2007 audio-only radio interview with Henry and Russell; the 1960 Donna Reed Show episode "Donna Decorates," which guest-starred Dennis the Menace; and the original show promo, credits, and commercials. --Tami HoriuchiMY THREE SONS:SEASON ONE VOL 1 - DVD MovieWhen one thinks of cutting edge television, My Three Sons does not immediately leap to mind, but this beloved Boomer-era staple (it ran for 12 seasons, which, for! a family sitcom, is second in longevity only to The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet) broke the nuclear family mold. Fred MacMurray's Steve Douglas was a widower, raising his titular brood--college-bound Mike (Tim Considine), middle son Robbie (Don Grady), and youngest son Chip (Stanley Livingston)--with the help of his gruff, but soft-hearted father-in-law, Bub (William Frawley). In the first episode, when a door-to-door cosmetics salesman asks to see the woman of the house, Bub laughs, "Boy, do you have the wrong house." Also not par for the sitcom course is the avant-garde use of sound effects. In one episode, sibling rivalry over a girl results in a "cold war" between Mike and Robbie. Their dinner table sniping as Steve tries to broker peace is punctuated by the sounds of guns firing and bombs exploding. Which is to say that My Three Sons has aged nicely, and has much to offer beyond nostalgia. No offense to the great William Demarest, who replaced an ailing! Frawley in 1965, but the series' "Bub" years were the best. S! ave for the episode in which comedian George Gobel is a guest at the house, the situations are grounded in reality, and the writing often surprises with twists that subvert sitcom convention and stereotypes. "Countdown" cleverly unfolds in real time as the family's Monday morning routine plays out against a televised satellite launch. In another episode, a fraternity rejects Mike, not because they are snobs (the usual sitcom portrayal), but because they believe Mike isn't serious enough about his education. Some episodes simply bring home the laughs, as in "The Little Ragpicker," in which a realistic looking dummy causes a new neighbor to think the worst about the Douglases. But there is genuine pathos in "Bub in the Ointment," in which Bub's "Irish temper" and lack of tact embarrass the kids, until Steve reminds Mike of the sacrifices Bub made to move in with the family after his daughter died. The boys talk, act, and fight like brothers, and Steve, while a pipe-puffing fount of sa! ge fatherly advice, is sometimes at a loss, and is allowed to be testy and impatient with his "wild bunch." The split season is unfortunate, but these inaugural 18 episodes are a healthy serving for those who want a taste of this iconic series. --Donald LiebensonWhen Hazel and her beloved doll Eleanor are set upon by bullies, Hazel's mother comes to the rescue in a surprising way.

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