That Girl – Season Three (Shout! Factory)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: B-     Episodes: B+

 

 

That Girl continues to roll out on DVD from Shout! Factory and Season Three arrives the show was even better at this point, which says something because it was so good in its debut season.  To recap the premise, a young lady wanting to become an actress leaves home and goes to New York.  This is much to the dismay of her parents, but she is never too far from their reach or thoughts.  As she becomes used to her independence, she meets all kinds of people, is lucky to have interesting neighbors, a decent agent and a new love interest in on Donald Hollinger (the great Ted Bessell) who is very supportive.  At first she has to play dancing household objects, but she sees it as a way to get human being roles and it might work out if she could just get that lucky break.

 

 

Shows marked * feature an audio commentary by Thomas and co-creator Bill Persky below, including some key shows, especially #18 where Thomas’ family all show up as characters for this 1968 – 1969 Season:

 

1)     Sock It To Me

2)     The Hi-Jack & The Mighty

3)     Eleven Angry Men & That Girl

4)     7 ¼ (in two parts)

5)     Secret Ballot

6)     The Face In The Shower Room Door*

7)     A Muggy Day In Central Park

8)     Just Donald & Me & Jerry Makes Three

9)     The Seventh Time Around

10)  Ann vs. Secretary

11)  Decision Before Dawn

12)  Should Al Our Old Acquaintances Be Forgot

13)  The Homewrecker & The Window Washer

14)  The Eye Of The Beholder

15)  Dark On Top Of Everything Else

16)  The Earrings

17)  Many Happy Returns

18)  My Sister’s Keeper*

19)  There Was A Time Ann Met A Pie Man

20)  The Subject Was Rabies

21)  The Defiant One

22)  Fly Me To The Moon

23)  It’s So Nice To Have A Mouse Around The House*

24)  Bad Day At Marvin Garden*

25)  Sue Me, Sue Me, What Can You Do To Me

 

 

Guest stars this time out included comic Cliff Norton, Vic Tayback, Larry Storch, McLean Stevenson and Penny Marshall.  My Sister’s Keeper may well be one of the all-time masterpieces of this or any other sitcom.

 

The show begins with Anne Marie trying to find yet another job and lands a job promoting soda pop.  It is even called “Pop” and is just barely picked by the hiring executive (Stevenson) which leads to a series of commercials where she so badly needs a stunt double every single time.  One of the funniest shows ever, she then becomes curious about the singer she is lip-syncing and the results bare more of her (and Thomas’) heart and soul than any other show in the series.  And this was the middle season, it seems appropriate that this gem would surface here.

 

 

The 1.33 X 1 color image was shot in EastmanColor and was usually shot by Jacques Marquette, A.S.C., Lester Shorr, A.S.C. or Leonard J. South.  The footage looks amazing when you see it in the supplements, but these prints vary in quality and are not as clear, sharp, clear and detailed as they could be.  The color still comes through nicely, but sometimes, the color is not as strong and fresh as it could be and detail limits drive me nuts.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is a little more compressed than expected, most annoying in the opening and closing credits, since the song is clean and stereophonic in the menus and extras, but strident and limited in the actual episodes.  Fortunately, dialogue fares better.  Earle H. Hagen did the classic theme song, but other composers did the incidental music, all good and welcome.  The vocal theme was still not introduced yet, by the way.

 

Extras besides the great commentary tracks on most of the discs include outstanding (if silent) footage of Thomas’ make-up tests and That Woman…. That Show… The Creation Of “That Girl”: The Woman On Both Sides Of The Camera on DVD 1, but that is all.

 

For more on the series, see our coverage of Season One at this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3707/That+Girl+-+Season+One

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo