From Deseret News archives:

Young Cosby's humor shines in sitcom DVD

Other discs include 'Veronica Mars' and 'House, M.D.'

Published: Sunday, Aug. 20, 2006 6:17 p.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
This collection of new-to-DVD TV programs (in stores on Tuesday) is led by Bill Cosby's first sitcom, which followed his "I Spy" success in the 1960s.

• "The Bill Cosby Show: The Complete First Season" (Shout! 1969-70, not rated, $39.98, four discs). This half-hour sitcom shot on film without a laugh track has Cosby playing an unmarried high school coach, and the show is a very nice showcase for the comic's gentle humor.

Social issues of the day are also addressed, right from the first episode, with Cosby jogging and getting picked up by police as a crime suspect (which doesn't end in the expected way), to one about a basketball player whose foul mouth Cosby finds offensive.

Even the theme song is unique, with Cosby grunting zany "scat" sounds. Guests include Cicely Tyson, Wally Cox, Moms Mabley and Louis Gossett Jr. And look for a very funny episode with Cosby stuck in an elevator with a stuffy English teacher — played by Henry Fonda! — and a cleaning woman who doesn't understand English (Elsa Lanchester). Fonda's hilarious as they play "20 Questions."

Extras: Full frame, 26 episodes, new interview with Cosby, chapters.

Story continues below
• "Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season" (Warner, 2005-06, not rated, $59.98, six discs). This is a terrific comedy/mystery series, and a wonderful showcase for the charming and talented Kristen Bell, who plays the title character. She's a high school outcast/detective who gets involved in several ongoing story arcs — primarily a bus crash that kills several students and may have targeted her — and she also solves single-episode mysteries.

Extras: Widescreen, 22 episodes, featurettes, bloopers, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.

• "House, M.D.: Season Two" (Universal, 2005-06, not rated, $59.98, six discs). One of the better medical series, this comedy/drama focuses on the title character, played superbly by Hugh Laurie as the quirky, grumpy, unorthodox and amazingly resourceful title character. His tentative romance with Sela Ward continues, and guests include LL Cool J, Samantha Mathis, Michelle Trachtenberg, Charles S. Dutton and Cynthia Nixon.

Extras: Widescreen, 24 episodes, alternate takes, audio commentaries, featurettes, bloopers, subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.

• "Invasion: The Complete Series" (Warner, 2005-06, not rated, $59.98, six discs). This series is a chiller, a variation on "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," as humans are assimilated but retain memories, and mysterious deaths occur. Unfortunately, the entire series is a cliffhanger, since it was neither renewed nor wrapped up when the first season concluded.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image
Deseret Morning News Archives

Bill Cosby, circa 1969, is a high school coach in his first sitcom.

previousnext

Latest comments

Let's be real. If you are a heterosexual, your not fighting for marriage....

Boy shot following traffic stop

Typical reporting. I wonder what the outcome of the investigation will be?

Max Hall issues apology

So let it be said; so let it be written. He ranted and spewed all he had...

Editorial: East, West and religion

Nothing shuts off the brain and hardens the heart as quickly and effectively...

Meh, the officer had his right to protect himself, the 17 year old should...

Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal

between Morgan Scalley & Steve Tates comments and Max Hall's is that they...

Kathleen and Roy, I am in awe of your spirituality and strength, and know...

It is true that some people can work and retire before the age of 65 or 67....

Yes, historically, politicians know little about war and they certainly don't...

Utes won't respond to Hall

The U of U administration should comment on this. They should take firm...

Advertisements