Laverne and Shirley: Season 3

Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley were in many ways a sitcom "team effort". If you liked one, you probably liked the other too. I've always felt that Laverne and Shirley started out GREAT, right from the very first episode, while Happy Days had a rather lack-luster first season. It's true that the characters in Happy Days may have been more realistic and varied, but what truly drives Laverne and Shirley is the chemistry between the two actresses (Williams and Marshall) and their nitwit friends, Lenny and Squiggy (Landers and McKean)

Thankfully, we don't have to choose between the two series and can enjoy them both. But if I absolutely HAD to choose, something tells me that I wouldn't be able to resist the wacky charms of Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall. The girls really managed to create an atmosphere of TOTAL FUN, even when the plots or writing could have been a little stronger.

Here's a brief break-down of episodes, for those who might be looking for a favorite.

[1] - Airport '59 (9/20/1977)
The girls go on their first plane trip and end up flying the plane!
[2] - Tag Team Wrestling (9/27/1977)
The girls find themsleves in the ring facing two professional wrestlers.
[3] - The Pact (10/4/1977)
Laverne and Shirley fight over the same guy!
[4] - The Robot Lawsuit (10/25/1977)
A giant toy robot attacks Laverne.
[5] - Laverne's Arranged Marriage
Lavernes father arranges a marriage for her.
[6] - Cruise (part 1, 11/8/1977)
The girls work at a shoe store to earn extra money for a cruise.
[7] - Cruise (Part 2, 11/15/1977)
The girls get their dream vacation.
[8] - Laverne and Shirley Meet Fabian (11/22/1977)
The title says it all :)
[9] - The Stakeout (11/29/1977)
Carmine the.... counterfeiter?
[10] - Shirley's Operation (12/6/1977)
Shirley needs to have her appendix out!
[11] - Take My Plants, Please (12/13/1977)
The girls lose their jobs, and decide to sell plants door to door.
[12] - New Years Eve 1960 (12/27/1977)
The events that happen to the cast during the arrival of the New Year.
[13] - The Mortician (1/10/1978)
Laverne falls in love with a mortician.
[14] - The Horse Show (1/17/1978)
Shirley rescues a horse and brings it home!
[15] - The Slow Child (1/24/1978)
Mrs. Babish's daughter get's involved with Lenny.
[16] - The Second Almost Annual Shotz Talent Show (1/31/1978)
The girls try to help Mr. Shots idiot nephew in a talent show.
[17] - The Dentist (2/7/1978)
Laverne goes to Shirley's cousin for emergency dental work.
[18] - Bus Stop (2/14/1978)
The girls take a long bus ride... but get stranded.
[19] - The Driving Test (2/21/1978)
Squiggy must retake his driving test to keep his job.
[20] - The Obstacle Course (2/28/1978)
Shirley needs to pass an obstacle course to become a Police officer.
[21] - The Debutante Ball (5/9/1978)
The girls attend a debutante ball.
[22] - 2001: A Comedy Odyssey (5/16/1978)
A look at Laverne and Shirley when they're 80!
[23] - The Dance Studio (5/23/1978)
Carmine needs help from the girls so he can open a dance studio.
[24] - Breakin' Up and Makin' Up (5/30/1978)
Frank and Edna break up. The girls play match-maker.

Another great DVD release of a classic TV sitcom! But it's still a shame that episodes have been edited because of music rights.

-JM

Those infamous Shotz Brewery girls Laverne and Shirley are back in a third hilarious season, featuring more antics of their 1950s Milwaukee friends.

Season 3 furthers the relationship between Laverne's father Frank and the girls' landlord Edna Babish. There are also their neighbors and co-workers, Lenny and Squiggy, infuriating the girls with their usual hijinks; big-hearted dance instructor Carmine; and bragging Big Rosie.

Key episodes include "Airport '59," which finds Laverne and Shirley on a plane they're forced to fly; and the two-part "An Affair to Forget," where the girls scheme to raise money for a cruise vacation, only to find Lenny and Squiggy are stowaways on the ship.

My one gripe about this otherwise enjoyable DVD set is that there are no extras! I would love to see some outtakes, or even interviews with some of the actors, but there are none to be had.

Great DVD set. Great image quality. Only complaint is the same complaint you see on more than half of the DVD 70's TV show reissues out there. Episodes have been cut down to size to make room for more commercials in syndication - and these edited episodes became the masters for the DVD sets. Bottom line: You're not getting the entire L&S shows you remember.

Remember the Shotz Brewery talent show where L&S had to find a role for the boss's kid? One whole act (the lady who threw coins in the air and sang "Pennies From Heaven") has been cut out. The edit is so badly done that you wonder if the DVD glitched. The edit causes the whole scene to make no sense.

It kills me not to give this set five stars. Great show, great memories. But the reviews are ideally about the DVD reissue and not the show. In that aspect, purists will be disappointed.

Other than that, again, great set. It would get five stars if it weren't for the edits.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 20 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars