Mr.Belvedere S1 & 2

Shout! has done another excellent job with their release of Mr Belvedere seasons one & two. The episodes are all the original network episodes, not syndicated cuts. The original opening credits have been restored, inculding the original pilot opening. No music is replaced. The video is for the most part fine. Occasionally there is a blurry spot but the show is over 20 years old. The audio sounds fine also, but occasionally the sound is slightly lower in some spots.

Now for the show itself. I watched this show when it originally aired and haven't seen it much in syndication since. My memory of the show is mostly from it's original network run. I loved the show then but wasn't mature enough to fully appreciate it's humor. After watching this set I enjoyed the show even more than I remembered. As an adult I can catch the adult jokes that I missed when I was a kid. This show is as entertaining to adults as it is to a younger audience. It holds up well. I watched episode after episode not wanting to come to the end and enjoying every second of it.

The set does have special features. There are interviews with the surviving cast members (minus Tracy Wells). They talk about how much fun they had on the show, including the pranks they played on each other. They talk of their fond memories and how they are still rmeembered to this day for their Mr Belvedere roles. Hopefully future sets will have an interview with Tracy Wells. The other special feature is the SNL Mr Belvedere fan club skit. That has nothing to do with the show, but it is hysterically funny. Tom Hanks is in it. The set also features two clips Family Guy in which Stewie sings the Mr Belvedere theme song. This is also mentioned in the interviews.

If anyone is on the fence about buying this set and worrying that they won't enjoy it as much as they remember, worry no more. The show is better than remembered. A few plots may be dated but as a whole the show stands up very well. You won't be disappointed.

If you're sick and tired of today's un-funny and truly mean comedies that are billed as "family sitcoms," then this DVD release of Mr. Belvedere from the mid-1980s is for you.

Mr. Belvedere had heart. A Classic TV Family Sitcom that remains vastly underrated, it was based on the Gwen Davenport novel, "Belvedere," which also had spawned two much earlier movie adaptations. The TV series brought a high-brow Englishman to work as a live-in nanny for a middle-class American family. It ran Friday night's on ABC from 1985 to 1990.

It starred Christopher Hewitt, who portrayed Lynn Aloysis Belvedere, a very proper Englishman who had worked for the British gentry, including Winston Churchill and English royalty. The series begins when Belvedere shows up at doorstep of the American residence of George Owens on a very cold and snowy December night. Ownes, played surprisingly well by George Uecker, portrayed exactly what he was in real-life: a former Major League Baseball player and sportscaster.

George's wife on the series, Marsha Cameron Owens, played by Ilene Graff, as well as their three children, immediately fall under the charm of Mr. Belvedere. The same cannot be said of George, who has the exact opposite response to Belvedere, and the feeling is decidedly mutual. Nonetheless, Mr. Belvedere is hired and the rest is Classic TV history.

Much of the series involves the conflict between George and Mr. Belvedere, but also the interaction of the "stuffy" British servant with Marsha, who is also a law student, and the children: Wesley T. Owens, played by Brice Beckham; Kevin Owens, played by Rob Stone; and Heather Owens, played by Tracy Wells. Especially compelling is the relationship that evolves between Belvedere and the spirited and wise-cracking Wesley.

At the end of most episodes, Belvedere is seen relaxing in his room in the evenings after the children are in bed, recording their "everyday" experiences in his diary for future use for a novel he is writing!

A mid-season replacement series that premiered in the middle of March 1985, the first season had only seven episodes. This boxed set includes those episodes and the Complete Second Season, which had 22 episodes.

Season One episodes are: Stranger in the Night, the pilot that introduces the characters; The Outcasts; Gotta Dance; Gorgeous George; What I Did for Love; The Lost Weekend; and Sweet Charity.

Season Two episodes are: The Lion Sleeps Tonight; Tornado; Cheerleader; Requiem; Delivery; The Contract; Vows; Strike; The Letter; Pinball; The Prize; Speechless; The Teacher; The Dropout; Rivals; Wesley's Friend; The Will; Valentine's Day; Heather's Tutor; Amish; Dinner for Two; and The Play.

I personally had never seen Mr. Belvedere before. Someone had mentioned it to me so I gave it a try. I was intrigued. It's truly a classy show with heart. Something the whole family could watch. I loved it!