Two’s Company – Complete Series (Season) One
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: C+
It is always a battle in vein when you get a British vs.
American comedy, but Two’s Company (1976) has Elaine Stritch and that is
enough to make the obvious enjoyable.
She is Dorothy, a novelist who has moved to England for her work. Unfortunately, she clashes over and over
with Donald Sinden as her fussy butler Robert.
Though never as edgy as it could be due to the teleplays by Bill
MacIlwraith being limited, it has its moments.
I kept waiting for something more to happen, but the actors sometimes
top the writing in ways the script page could not offer. The episodes are as follows, sometimes even
self-explanatory:
1)
The Bait introduces the adversaries.
2)
The Housekeeping
3)
Dorothy’s Electrician is
cheaper than Robert’s, but will that cause trouble?
4)
The Patient is Robert after tripping on one
of Dorothy’s shoes.
5)
The Romance has Dorothy pretending Robert
is her husband!
6)
Robert’s Mother visits and he is not
comfortable about it.
Each show is under a half-hour, fit on one DVD and when
you get used to the set-up, it can be amusing on its own terms, but it has not
aged as well as similar shows from the time, with Sinden doing the stuffy
British traditionalist who has issues with women and Stritch as the ornery
American Feminist intellectual with a big mouth. The first season has a bit more bite as the characters are just
getting to know each other, so you will want to start here.
The 1.33 X 1 full frame image is from the original PAL
sources, not looking like they are more than a generation down. The overly simple hand drawn animation of
the credits is very amusing. The shows
tapes have survived well and are in good condition, so that goes well with the
Dolby Digital 2.0 sound, which has been boosted to a simple stereo form the
original TV monophonic sound. The only
extra is biography text on the two actors in this case. Two’s Company is worth a look, and is
available in two volumes.
- Nicholas Sheffo
