Displaying items by tag: CBS

“The Dick Van Dyke Show is simply superior television with an appeal that remains timeless.” – TV historian Herbie J Pilato

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 60th anniversary of the television broadcast premiere of The Dick Van Dyke Show, the popular situation comedy starring Dick Van Dyke (Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and Mary Tyler Moore (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Ordinary People) as Rob and Laura Petrie.

The award-winning series, which originally aired on CBS from 1961 through 1966, revolved around Rob and his co-workers as the writing staff of a television show and Rob’s home life with wife Laura and son Ritchie.

The series—created by Carl Reiner (2000 Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks, The Jerk, All of Me) and memorably featuring Rose Marie as Sally Rogers, Morey Amsterdam as Buddy Sorrell, Larry Mathews as Ritchie, Richard Deacon as Mel Cooley, and Carl Reiner as Alan Brady—premiered 60 years ago this autumn, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with television historian Herbie J Pilato who reflects on the series appeal, impact and legacy six decades after its debut. [Read on here...]

Today’s update is going to be a quick one, but we do have a couple of interesting things to report.

First, CBS and Paramount’s Star Trek: Discovery – Season Three is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com (click here for the link). We don’t have a street date yet, but you can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

Speaking of Paramount, they’ve added a couple more catalog Blu-ray titles to their June slate, including Flight of the Intruder and The General’s Daughter on 6/29. In & Out, The Stepford Wives (2004), and a Ladies Night In 3-Movie Collection (of What Men Want, Nobody’s Fool, and Like a Boss) are also coming on 6/1. And if we’re not mistaken, Flight of the Intruder and The General’s Daughter are new to Blu-ray (as is The Saint, which streets on 5/25).

The BBC series The Watch: Season One is due on Blu-ray and DVD on 6/29. [Read on here...]

We’ve got several interesting things to report today here at The Bits, but first some more new disc reviews...

As promised, I posted my review of Hayao Miyazaki’s Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro on 4K Ultra HD from Discotek on Friday night.

Tim has also posted his thoughts on Sam Peckinpah’s Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), Rudy De Luca’s Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), and Rene Cardona Jr’s Tintorera (1977) all on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics (and, in the last case, with Scorpion Releasing).

And Dennis has checked in with his comments on Sidney J. Furie’s Lady Sings the Blues (1972) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics as well. [Read on here...]

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show opened the floodgates for the kind of grown-up TV comedies that would thrive in the 1970s, and beyond. Although Mary’s show had little in common with M*A*S*H, All in the Family, or Barney Miller, it’s hard to imagine any of those breakthrough sitcoms getting a green light had The Mary Tyler Moore not proven to the TV networks that it was possible to attract a sizable audience to intelligent, risk-taking television shows — that good TV was, in fact, a viable business model.” — Vince Waldron, author of The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the broadcast premiere of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Emmy-winning and multi-spinoff-inspiring television series starring Mary Tyler Moore (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ordinary People) as Mary Richards that ran on CBS from 1970 to 1977.

The series — created by James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News) and Allan Burns (A Little Romance, Just Between Friends) and featuring the memorable supporting cast of Edward Asner as Lou Grant, Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern, Gavin MacLeod as Murray Slaughter, Ted Knight as Ted Baxter, Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, Georgia Engel as Georgette Franklin Baxter, and Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens — premiered 50 years ago, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with a pair of classic television historians who reflect on the series’ appeal, impact and legacy five decades after its debut. [Read on here...]

Afternoon, Bits readers! Hope you’re all well. We’ve spent the weekend doing necessary updates to our website software and server here and things seem to be running smoothly. So let’s have a release news update...

First, Dennis has posted his thoughts on Ed Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn, coming soon to Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Also today, we’ve updated our Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.rom pre-order links, so be sure to give it a look.

Now then... here’s some great news: Netflix has revealed on social media that their Netflix Original films The Irishman, Marriage Story, American Factory, and Atlantics are all coming to Blu-ray later in 2020 from The Criterion Collection. As you know, The Irishman and Marriage Story are currently nominated for Best Picture in this year’s Academy Awards. Release dates and other details are still TBA. [Read on here...]

We’ve got three more new reviews for you today from Tim, each well worth your time, including his thoughts on Shout! and Scream Factory’s A Quiet Place in the Country and Umbrella Entertainment’s region-free Silver Bullet on Blu-ray, as well as Shout!’s Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume VIII box set on DVD. Do check them out.

FYI, I’ve been busy with server work these last couple weeks, but I’m diving back into disc reviews myself as well – on both Blu-ray and 4K – so watch for more of those starting tomorrow. [Read on here…]

We’ve got a pair of new Blu-ray reviews for you to start the new week off today…

Our own Tim Salmons has checked in with his thoughts on Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, now available as a new Collector’s Edition from our friends at Scream Factory. Tim has also checked out Lionsgate’s new Vestron Video Collector’s Series release of Mark Lester’s Class of 1999. Do give them a look.

Meanwhile, Michael Coate has just posted a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column, featuring an interview with filmmaker Vincent Pereira on the subject of Dario Argento’s classic giallo film Suspiria, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year.

The film was recently restored in 4K by Synapse Films and released in terrific new Blu-ray editions (one of which is reviewed here). It’s a great interview, so be sure to check that out as well. [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: This article was originally scheduled to appear a year ago for the film’s 50th anniversary. The article was delayed so that it could be published to coincide with the delayed but now available Blu-ray Disc release.]

“My Fair Lady is probably the greatest popular smart musical ever made. The melodies soar, the characters endear and engage, and the wit of so much pointed commentary on social class, gender, money, and surface appearances never lapses into self-conscious cleverness.” — film historian and author Matthew Kennedy  [Read on here...]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for great Blu-ray, DVD and film discussion with other readers and for live updates on your mobile device when new content is posted here!]

We’ve got just a few quick-but-good pieces of announcement news for you today, before we send you off to your weekend activities of choice.

First, our own Dr. Adam Jahnke has just posed another installment of A Honor to Be Nominated in his Jahnke’s Electric Theatre column, this one looking back at Melvin Frank’s 1973 film A Touch of Class, starring George Segal and Glenda Jackson. Hey, it was good enough for Best Picture consideration, so do check it out.  [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for great Blu-ray, DVD and film discussion with other readers and for live updates on your mobile device when new content is posted here!]

We’ve got another great Blu-ray review for you today, and we suspect it’s one many of you are eager to read: Tim’s thoughts on Sony’s new Ghostbusters 1 & 2 Digipack BD set. Tim talks A/V quality and runs down all the extras, including taking the time to detail which are new, which are legacy items carried over from the previous BD and DVD releases, and what’s been omitted. Don’t miss it.  [Read on here…]