Cheap The Dick Van Dyke Show - Season Two (5 Disc Box Set) (DVD) (Dick Van Dyke) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Dick Van Dyke Show - Season Two (5 Disc Box Set)

We're given the same type of very nice packaging for Season 2 that exists for the first-season set.  Individual "slim" style DVD cases are used to hold each of the set's five platters, with very attractive disc and cover art.  Each disc is single-sided and contains six or seven Van Dyke Show episodes. There are 33 total episodes included here (although the box indicates, incorrectly, that there are only 32).

The image on the "TV" on the front of the slipcase is a nifty "3-D" insert card which can reveal a neat little "motion picture" (when turned just so) of Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore) sliding out of the Petrie hall closet, down a mountain of walnuts (taken from the classic Van Dyke Show episode).

Each disc's cover also shows episode numbers, film dates, original air dates, and a short synopsis of each program. There are Chapter Selections for each episode as well.

A 4-page printed insert also comes in this package.  This mini-booklet provides some informative general information and "Did You Know?" fun facts.

An obvious amount of care and effort went into creating not only the first-rate DVD-Video transfers on this set, but in the packaging of the discs as well.

Each of these episodes has a running time of just over 25 minutes, including the ending credits.  So we know they're the full episodes (as originally aired in 1962-1963), without any scenes cut out.  Very nice indeed!

There is also a "Play All Episodes" feature incorporated into this boxed set, for "marathon"-style viewing.  A great feature that many DVD purchasers will no doubt appreciate.

Video Quality .... Darn near perfect as far as I can see!  Considering the age of these programs, I think it's safe to say, due to the intense and lengthy digital restoration and re-mastering process that was undertaken here, that these episodes have never looked any better. Resolution looks A-OK to my eyes.  Laura Petrie's beauty shines through brighter than ever on these crisp digital presentations. 

Sound .... There's a very adequate Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack employed for each episode. All dialogue is easily heard and understood.  The "Live Studio Audience" laughter seems quite robust also on these mono tracks.

Extras .... Some outstanding extra bonus features are contained on these discs.  Several episodes feature commentary tracks. There's also a hefty dose of interviews and featurettes, Emmy Awards clips (which are a real treat to watch so many years later), Photo Galleries, and some original commercial spots.  One of the featurettes, which has a brand-new batch of interviews, is "The Making Of 'It May Look Like A Walnut' ", in which Dick, Carl Reiner, and Rose Marie reflect back on the hilarious "Walnut" episode. They all, needless to say, remember that one with great fondness.

And probably my favorite bonus feature is on Disc 5 of the set, when we're treated to four members of the Van Dyke Show cast appearing on a CBS game show called "Stump The Stars" (which, I've now discovered, is an alternate USA title for "Mike Stokey's Pantomime Quiz"). Dick, Mary Tyler Moore, Morey Amsterdam, and Rose Marie compete in this charades-style game against the show's "regulars", which include the likes of Sebastian Cabot, Ross Martin, and others. It's very fun to watch the cast in a setting where they are not in character. 

This "Stump The Stars" bonus is not just a clip or two from the show either....it's the entire episode (run time: 27 minutes)!  Even included is a very humorous commercial for Wheat Chex cereal.  This game-show bonus exhibits very good picture quality too.  Just great, great stuff.  (Let me say, also, that all the players involved in that game show are excellent at playing the game too.  You can tell the Van Dyke Show cast had been practicing in anticipation of their appearance on this Pat Harrington-hosted program.)

Also keep an eye open for the "Ottoman Tripper" bonus feature (on selected discs). "Tripper" is a trivia game, where a correct answer takes you to a shot of Rob Petrie deftly "sidestepping" his famous ottoman.  Give a wrong answer, and watch Rob fall on his face. It's yet another nice little extra feature.

Menus .... The menu structure is simple and easy to navigate. Each episode has its own separate sub-menu, where you get the chapter selections for that episode.  After the initial disc load-up, you'll hear the familiar Van Dyke Show theme, followed by--thankfully--silence, for the remainder of that disc "session".  There are no annoying (and lengthy) musical menu transitions.  Excellent!

Easter Eggs .... There are several "Eggs" buried amongst these discs. All are commercial spots (many for "Kent" cigarettes, featuring the show's cast members). The "Eggs" can be accessed via several of the disc's "Episode" sub-menus. With any of the chapters highlighted (it varies by episode, so you'll have to check every chapter), hit your remote's "Left Arrow" key. If there's an Easter Egg, you'll then see a "glow" around the head of the artist rendering of Dick Van Dyke. Pressing "Enter/Play" at this point will take you to the hidden commercial treats.

Rounding out the large batch of supplements, there's a "Meet The Cast" feature (text screens only), with some brief info on the show's cast. (One text screen per cast member.)

If I had my druthers, Congress would immediately pass a law that demands all good citizens go out and purchase a copy of this worthwhile DVD boxed set.  Everyone could then enjoy, in digital splendor, the excellence that was (and still is) The Dick Van Dyke Show.  :)

Best Season of the Show HANDS DOWN!!!
This is my all time favorite TV show. I am only 24, so I grew up on this show in it's rerun state on Nick At Nite. And this is in my opinion the best season of this incredible show. From Dick Van Dyke's classic performance in "My husband is not a drunk" to two of the greatest episodes of the series in my opinion: "It May look like a Walnut" and "Don't Trip Over that Mountain." I have every episode on tape from the reruns on Nick at Nite, but nothing can top the quality this DVD will no doubt present along with being all original uncut episodes (even Nick at Nite typically cuts about 2 minutes from each episode). If you only order 1 season of this show from this DVD collection, make this the one you order.

Warning: Portions of some episodes are distorted.
Although it looks like digital distortion, Image Entertainment blames the periodic distortion on "warped film" and claims that there's nothing they can do about it.