Make Room For Daddy - The Complete Fifth Season

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Summary: I like this show too!
Review: I, like another reviewer, have not purchased this set. I feel that it's pointless to do so if the versions are syndicated. I think this is a deplorable (wreched) practice. This was a fantastic show and deserves far better than that!!! I certainly hope that this doesn't become a trend, although I fear that it will if they see people will buy them. I'll have to keep watching my already hacked for commercial's sake versions that I taped from Nick at Nite back in '88 and '89. (Yes Jimmy B., Nick at Nite DID run them)

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Summary: Ode to The Danny Thomas Show
Review: As a baby boomer, I remember racing home to watch the reruns of the television classic "Make Room for Daddy" (1957-1962). I enjoyed watching the antics of Rusty and little Linda. In fact, I recall the "Mr. Jumbo", as well as "Tomboy Linda" episodes with fondness. Hopefully, the entire run from the Danny Thomas series (1957-1964) shall become available on DVD. Indeed, the show is a tribute to classic television.

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Summary: Criminal intent
Review: First, let me say that I have not seen this DVD, so my remarks are basically about WHY from the available information.

I was a BIG fan of this show many years ago, and I agree with the other reviewers that it desperately deserves DVD treatment. But GET REAL, people. If the episodes are not complete -- INCLUDING the commercials that at that time were as much part of the plot as the rest of the action -- then to buy the collection would send TOTALLY the wrong message to the disk's producers. RESPECT THE INTELLIGENCE AND THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. Don't dangle a carrot for us and then hit us with this kind of brick. That's almost as bad as redubbing the music on WKRP in Cincinnati. Oh. Sorry. They did that too

I anxiously await a time when I can get the full episodes.

Rating:
Summary: Questar gets an "F"
Review: I anxiously awaited the release of this set. How disappointing to find that, like Questar's release of "The Joey Bishop Show", this set truncates the opening credits from each episode. Sorry, Questar....the shows should be in their entirety.

Fortunately, I read of this atrocity before purchasing this set. Until I find out that Questar has changed its ways, they will be added to my list of companies from which to NEVER buy.

Rating:
Summary: Unexpected Gem
Review: I love classic TV Shows and I knew a little about Danny Thomas and how funny he was. I don't recall that I had ever seen anything other than clips of Make Room for Daddy but I decided to take a chance when I saw the DVD release for Season 5. I loved it. Danny Thomas is so funny and likeable. The actors who played the children were all excellent - especially Rusty! The kids were funny without being annoying as so many kids are on todays shows. The show was very well written. There were famous guest stars, but Danny Thomas was the star and if you haven't seen much of Danny Thomas, please check out this DVD. If you like classic comedy you won't be sorry for buying Make Room for Daddy.

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Summary: This DVD Fails the Audience
Review: I love the Make room for Daddy show and I am glad that at least one DVD is available for the series. However, Questar did a horrible job of creating the DVD. There are NO chapters on the disc and therefore, if you have a multi-disc player, you cannot mark the spot on the disc to return to later. There is not even a "Top" menu.

Like other reviewers, I noted that parts of the shows were cut (it is very obvious). When all is said and done though, it was Great seeing this old show again. To bad the producers of the video did such a poor job!

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Summary: NOT Complete Episodes!
Review: I was anxiously awaiting the release of this DVD set, and was very disappointed when I finally bought and watched it. This set gives us syndicated versions of "Make Room For Daddy" episodes which are VERY heavily edited! Many times the edits are abrupt fade out/fade ins, and the missing portions of the episodes make some of the stories difficult or confusing to follow. Putting edited syndicated versions of these "Make Room For Daddy" episodes on DVD is unforgivable and certainly not worth the money for this DVD set!

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Summary: It's about time.
Review: Oh, how i have waited for this day! I am a long time fan of this of almost forgotten classic. i still to this day do not know why this show has never aired on nick at night. it is (in my opionion) funnier than the Dick Van Dyke show. (i,m not knocking the dyke, i like him alot)
I don't know if some younger people realize how much danny thomas had to do with the production of so many other great tv shows. he truly was a mogul of his era. Anyway, danny thomas / make room for daddy ran for a wopping 11 seasons. and there were lots of eppisodes in those seasons. something between 33 and 35.
I own 14 eppisodes of "make room for daddy" on 16mm film (along with other stuff) that i show to friends on a 20' wide screen in the back yard. it's alot of fun.
It's not just the laughs that make this show so great. danny was such a great roll model. and though he always pretended to have this stern, take no guff attitude on some shows, by the end of each episode, he was always the loving father who brought everything and everyone back together. and the music...so many great songs. danny was the best. god bless him.
please let them release more of these wonderful classics and make room for danny in your heart and home.

Rating:
Summary: A forgotten classic
Review: This show ran for 11 years and has not been seen on television in many years. I was delighted to hear they were releasing some of the episodes of "Make Room for Daddy" and the 57-58 season is a representive sample of the series. The DVD is packaged very well and for the full season plus the episode introducing Andy Griffith,the set is priced very reasonably.Danny Thomas has always been one of my favorites and the cast of the show worked very well with him. Compared to other family sitcoms of the era "Leave it to Beaver:."Donna Reed" and "Father Knows Best". the Danny Williams character was real and much more in tune with the way families act. The relationship with Danny and his son Rusty was great..sentimental and gruff at the same time. Of course for all the "realism" in the show,itwas always a kick when Danny would start to sing while playing the piano and miraculously, a full orchestra would emerge!After watching a few of these episodes I remembered how warm and funny they were and its good to have them on DVD"Make room for Danny" in your DVD collection.It's a nice addition.

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Summary: Are you out of your Mesopotamian minds?
Review: Well - as other reviewers here have pointed out, there are serious problems with this release.

"Make Room for Daddy" was an important and popular television series. It was THE Desilu product that inherited the coveted Monday night at 9 p.m. slot vacated by "I Love Lucy" when it switched to an hour-long/once a month format starting in the fall of 1957.

Danny Thomas starring as Danny Williams moved from ABC with his two children Terry (Sherry Jackson) and Rusty (Rusty Hamer). He had been raising them since the death of his wife (played in earlier seasons by Jean Hagen). Along with the kids, Danny brought a new wife Kathryn Daley O'Hara Williams (Marjorie Lord) and her daughter Linda (Angela Cartwright).

This is the complete 5th season. There is also the final episode of the 4th season - where Danny proposes to Kathy. And as an extra, the 1960 episode that served as a sort of pilot for what became "The Andy Griffith Show."

All of the humor and love among the characters that you might fondly remember is here. Danny sings some terrific songs, and there are some great guest stars. Jackson, Hamer, and Cartwright each have moments to shine and take advantage of them. Lord is one of the most lovely TV "moms" of the 1950's. Her clothes by Emeson's of Studio City are au courant for the time. Also featured in many episodes is Amanda Randolph as Louise, the maid.

Danny does some great spit takes - he was the master. And there is the familiar gesture he made: a quickly upturned palm with a grunt that Hamer can imitate to perfection.

There is no list of the episodes except on the disks themselves, but they seem to be in chronological order. The transfer is very soft and there doesn't seem to have been a lot of digital enhancement on them. Certainly for the SRP for the 34 + 2 episodes, they might have spent some time on them.

The original opening credits are shown at the beginning of each disk but NOT at the beginning of each episode. When you choose an episode, it begins with the first scene. The ending credits are complete. And each episode runs about 23 minutes. This means we are getting the syndicated versions of the episodes. Chunks of dialog are missing. And it's not even cleverly done as it was with "I Love Lucy." Many times there is a fade out and fade in the MIDDLE of a scene. You can tell a fade to commercial because these are usually accompanied by a musical tag.

Disgraceful that this pioneering series - sort of a bridge between "I Love Lucy" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" - has been given such a short shrift.

It is wonderful to have it. I am glad it has been released. But if the subsequent seasons are going to be released - let's let Questar know that we won't accept such a cheat!

If you are a fan of the show - buy this set. It will be fun to watch. But it will leave you unsatisfied, and might even make those seeing it for the first time wonder why we thought it was so great!