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I was like most
reviewers when I wrote about the last year’s
1st season DVD release of “Three’s
Company”, and was compelled to write
a bit about the passing of John Ritter.
Even before his untimely passing in 2003,
I would have to be considered a really big
fan. Not a fan in the respect that I joined
clubs, or wrote to him, or even collected
memorabilia. I simply enjoyed the man’s
work. I was constantly impressed by his
natural acting abilities, sense of humor
and surprising range. It never mattered
if it was a comedy or drama, the man could
act. And even more important, he was a really
nice guy. Whether or not the stories of
his pleasant nature were true, I cannot
imagine him as having been any other way.
I was introduced to John Ritter like most
people were. I saw him for the first time
as Jack Tripper on a little mid-season replacement
show called “Three’s Company.”
It was 1977 (Geez, was it really that long
ago?) and from that first pilot episode
I was hooked.
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Sure, I was a teenager and a part of what drew
my attention was the ‘jiggle factor’
that was Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), but I was even
more taken in by Ritter’s likeability and
unbelievable comedic timing.
Even though the show suffered in later seasons
due to some of the now famous conflicts amongst
the cast, Ritter never failed to keep the laughs
fresh. I made sure to watch everything I knew
he was going to be in. To this day I still love
the movie, “Hero at Large”, though
I’ll bet I’m the only one. Later,
as his career had a resurrection with roles in
Stephen King’s “It”, “Slingblade”
and a memorably chilling guest shot on “Buffy
the Vampire Slayer”, I was there to watch.
It seems so unfair that he would pass away just
as his career was hitting a new high with the
TV series “Eight Rules For Dating My Teenage
Daughter”.
When the 1st season DVD set of “Three’s
Company” was released a while back, there
were some people who commented that they felt
that Anchor Bay was trying to cash in on Ritter’s
death. However, it was obvious that this was not
the case. The release had been planned for quite
a while. Ironic as it may have been, the timing
was just right.
I enjoyed the heck out of that first set as I
hadn’t seen many of the episodes in years.
The only thing that was a bit disappointing was
the lack of extra features. I was really hoping
for some commentaries or even a little look back
at the behind the scenes shenanigans of the series.
The 2nd season DVD set made up for that disappointment
by including a ton of extra features, and the
new 3rd season release does even better.
As you might expect, most of them are focused
on John Ritter, but that’s just fine. The
previous set had an unaired pilot episode that
was filmed before the casting of Joyce DeWitt
and Suzanne Somers. In their place were Valerie
Curtin as ‘Jenny’ and Suzanne Zenor
as ‘Samantha’. It was fairly funny,
but the dynamics were totally different from the
actual series. It was kind of like watching some
‘Bizarro-World’ version of the show.
This 3rd season set has yet another unaired pilot
this time with Joyce DeWitt, but instead of Somers,
it had Susan Lanier as Chrissy. I hate to say
Lanier was a bad actress, but her character felt
a lot more forced than Somers.
Then they continue the series of “Remembering
John Ritter”, with a 4 minute featurette
with interviews from Anne Wedgeworth, Don Knotts,
Jenilee Harrison, producer George Sunga, writer
Kim Weiskopf, producer George Burditt, and Richard
Kline. There is also a pair of lengthy interviews
from Richard Kline and Dave Powers, each coming
in close to 20 minutes.
You’ll also find four different clip collections,
the longest one saved for Ritter as Jack Tripper.
All include some of the funniest moments for the
characters. Normally I don’t really get
into ‘clips’, but I certainly make
an exception here. I was especially glad to see
a blooper reel, but even more so when I saw it
ran 12 minutes, far longer than most. If you thought
the show was funny, you have to watch this. There
is an audio commentary by Chris Mann (who authored
a book about the series) on the episode “The
Bake-Off”, which I enjoyed.
I watched the 3rd season episodes and extra features
of “Three’s Company” with a
mixture of laughter and tears as I reflected on
all of the great performances Ritter had given
us, and sadly… those we will never see.
Goodbye John, you are still missed.
Starring: John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers,
Normal Fell, Audra Lindley, Richard Kline
Extras: Never Before Seen Pilot Episode #2 - Made
Before Suzanne Somers Was Cast, “Remembering
John Ritter”, Brand New Interviews with
Actor Richard Kline and Director Dave Powers -
Conducted by Joyce DeWitt, Original Promotional
Pieces, Blooper Reel, Best of Jack - Season 3,
Best of Janet - Season 3, Best of Chrissy - Season
3, Best of the Ropers - Season 3
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Mono
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date: 11/2/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website
We'll give Three's Company: Season 3 an A.
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