Amazon.com

The Waltons' nearly 10-year run on network television grew out of the popular, 1971 made-for-TV movie The Homecoming, which was derived from a Depression-era, rustic setting ("Walton's Mountain"), and characters based on Earl Hamner Jr.'s autobiographical novel Spencer's Mountain--itself the source for a very nice 1963 feature film starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara.That's a lot of entertainment sprouting from Hamner's prose. But something about his seminal story of family values, rugged independence, and big dreams amidst a hardscrabble existence captured the hearts of American audiences, many of whom personally recalled severe economic adversity in the 1930s.

The Waltons: The Complete First Season collects those initial episodes from the series building on the strengths of the Homecoming pilot, which introduced the extended Walton clan led by a strong-willed mill owner, John (Andrew Duggan), and his equally resolute wife, Olivia (Patricia Neal). The Waltons recast those key roles (as well as a few others) with Ralph Waite and Michael Learned (yup, a female), but Richard Thomas carried over as oldest child John-Boy Walton, an aspiring writer whose cusp-of-manhood view informs the series. Will Geer (Seconds) replaced Edgar Bergen as Grandpa Walton, Ellen Corby remained as Grandma, and John and Olivia's large brood (seven kids in all) were filled out by largely unknown, young actors. The episodes, still delightful and touching, strong on production values and unusually tight and polished for primetime drama, tended to focus on creator Hamner's pet themes of self-sacrifice and heroic effort when the going got tough.

Year 1 highlights include "The Carnival," in which the impoverished Waltons, who can't pay for tickets to see a circus performance, end up sheltering stranded carney folk. "The Typewriter" is a classic about John-Boy "borrowing" a museum's antique typewriter, only to have his sister Mary Ellen (Judy Norton) sell it as junk. "The Sinner" concerns the arrival of a fundamentalist minister on Walton's Mountain, finding comfort in the words of religious iconoclast John Walton after the clergyman makes a fool of himself with moonshine. That's Hamner himself providing touches of narration. During the long run of the multiple-award-winning The Waltons, there were many changes in casting and storylines. But this boxed set reveals a fine series in its pristine state.

Year 2 still finds the original cast complete and the show humming along nicely on nostalgia for an earlier America, specifically the Depression-era 1930s, a time of sacrifice and family unity as The Waltons portrays it. The characters we came to know so well in season 1 continue to live in a spirit of cooperation and generosity, and with hope that a younger generation of Waltons will prosper and dream new dreams for everyone. The 24 episodes included in this boxed set feature a number of very strong stories, including a handful of classics, all immersed in the series' typically old-Hollywood production values. (Several season 2 shows were directed by Waltons star Ralph Waite.) Among the best is the premiere, "The Journey," in which the ever-noble, college-bound John-Boy (Richard Thomas) passes on a school dance and an important date to take an aging neighbor, Maggie Mackenzie (Linda Watkins), on a special, final journey. "The Separation" finds Grandpa (Will Geer) and Grandma (Ellen Corby) Walton feuding--even living apart--after the former crafts a secret plan to raise money to pay the family's electricity bill. (Their reconciliation is one of the series' most enjoyable and tender moments.) The memorable "The Thanksgiving Story" is a nail-biter in which John-Boy, facing a hopeful future as he awaits college and a visit from his girlfriend, endures a head injury in the family mill and must undergo surgery. Finally, "The Honeymoon" sees John (Waite) and Olivia (Michael Learned) finally taking their honeymoon after 19 years of marriage and seven kids. Throughout all the major storylines is a constant buzz of subplots concerning John-Boy's younger siblings--their joys and disappointments, first loves, accomplishments and relationships with one another. The Waltons never slows down, but it is capable of revealing the most delicate of feelings within shared or private moments. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

go buy it have it now!!!
i own both seasons 1 and 2 of kung fu and it was my favorite show when it came and it still is!now only do you get action with this show but it teaches you about life!have any younger folks out there? i highly recommended this show for all ages it is pure entertainment both physically and spiritually!go buy it now you will not be disappointed!!

It NEVER ceases to amaze me
This series, and something as innocent as the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series are American popular cultural TREASURES!It never ceases to amaze me how some people "go out of their way" to look for racism.These people keep agitating & will never let things die down, and put things behind us.

In this case, and the Little Rascals series, somereviewers are looking for a platform & an audience to preach to.

Buy this series (and the Little Rascals for your elementary schoold kids)YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

I'm inspired to do a kung fu website
As the title of this says, I am inspired to create a Kung Fu website dedicated to the show (I've already started the design). There are some available, but none cover it from the perspective I have. There are many episodes where Caine shows his displeasure of eating meat, and in the first season he even converted two different characters to being vegetarian. And in the third season, Caine finally rides a horse in the very final episode, but only after he apologises to it. Thirty years later, the show still holds up and does not look dated.

Still A Great Show, Even After 30 Years
I remember watching this show religiously when I was a kid and thinking it was the best thing on TV. The philosophy of life exemplified by the character Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine) had a real and lasting impact on me. Watching the same episodes all over again 30 years down the road, I find that they have not lost their original power. I would recommend watching this show with your children. If everyone learned to behave more like Kwai Chang Caine, the world would be a better place indeed.

bruce lee myths
It is a common myth that Bruce Lee was involved in the creation of the kung fu TV series. The myth that it was stolen from him is just a fabrication popularized by the seldom factual movie "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story". He did however audition for the role and was turned down and rightfully so. Bruce was too big for the role of a humble monk. Why would anyone complain about him NOT getting this role, if he did he wouldn't have made any movies and would not have become a cult hero. He would just be another used and abused series character actor of the 70's.... With that said, this series as worth anyones time and money and amazons prices can't be beat! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Low-budget movie
I love this movie! I have waited a long time for it to come to DVD. Here it is 2004 - watching a movie made in the 1970's, that takes place in 1873. I just love the philosophy of this film - avoid conflict when possible. This is in stark contrast to every action movie in the last 30 years, where the hero is just looking for an excuse to beat up / kill someone. With the above praise out of the way, the reason I didn't give it a 5 is that the production values are terrible. This was a tv show pilot, not a Hollywood blockbuster. While there is an explosion, that is the only "special effect". Bottom line, Get this movie, just be prepared for a very "low tech" experience. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A series of rare depth, power & humanity
It's astonishing to watch these stories, created during the early 1960s, and realize just how much TV was capable of providing when talented writers, actors & directors were allowed to tell real stories. Even with the restrictions of the culture in general & the networks themselves, TV could produce true quality that both entertained & left the viewer with food for thought.

It's a treat to see so many gifted actors at the beginnings of their careers, especially with such literate material. Let me especially single out "Hold For Gloria Christmas," the story of a dying poet struggling to send a precious gift to the future; and "The One Marked Hot Gives Cold," a poignant & heartbreaking tale of the inevitable betrayals & disappointments that come with growing up. Robert Duvall is remarkable as an angry, wounded, yearning man searching desperately for the father who abandoned him, while acting in turn as a surrogate father & friend for a sensitive 12 year old girl, knowing that she's going to be hurt, knowing that he's prolonging her fairy tale, but hesitant to destroy it even as he tries to prepare her for the end of childhood innocence.

But every episode is equally worthy, each one more like a small film than a weekly TV episode. I hope that the entire series is eventually released on DVD. If only TV could be this good today!

Highly recommended!

my favorite TV series all-time
Not only was this a groundbreaking series for such hits as "Hill Street Blues", but it had a profound effect on me as an adolescent, with its humanistic view of cops and criminals alike, its bittersweet and emotional musical theme, all the NYC locations, and especially the great scriptwriting. There is no doubt in my mind when I say that "Naked City" is my favorite series of all.

It featured so many actors who would go on to become superstars like Redford, Hackman, Duvall, Hoffman, Coburn, Hopper, and so many great character actors, but it was the regular cast of eminently likeable characters that held the show together week after week.

Now there are 4 dvds with 4 episodes each available, and should be in the collection of anyone who values fine drama, period. PLEASE BUY THESE DVD'S SO THEY WILL RELEASE MORE!!! There were 99 episodes in all (before it was mysteriously cancelled while still high in the ratings) so there is still a treasure trove of classic television drama for Image Entertainment to choose from...

Don't miss this DVD if you love New York
This is a must-buy for anyone who loves New York, and particularly the vastly different city of the late 50's and early 60's. If you like NYPD Blue, you'll go crazy over this gritty but heartwarming TV series. For fans of Diahann Carroll who stars in one of the episodes, it is a memorable experience as she protrays a teacher of blind children, one of whom is lost during a field trip. He must rely on his instincts and fortitude to make it back to his home in Brooklyn from mid-town Manhattan.

Another of the four memorable episodes in this single DVD stars a young Robert Duvall who finds that his naive kindness toward a young girl lands him in trouble with the police.
When I was growing up, I watched Naked City on a snowy black and white TV. The clarity of this DVD is outstanding. The poignancy of the stories, the beauty of New York, and the excitement of city life caught by the cameras resulted in my moving to the city as fast as I could get there.

A great anthology!
This is the latest of four DVDs that have been released for one of the most outstanding TV series of all time.
This particular DVD has one of the best of the Naked City series--"Hold for Gloria Christmas"--and in and of itself warrants a purchase of this DVD. It stars Burgess Meredith as a Greenwich Village poet, with the famous theatrical personality Sanford Meisner in a very rare supporting role. The episode was written by the blacklisted writer Arnold Manoff, under the pseudonym Joel Carpenter. It is not only a literate, mesmerizing and powerful drama but also a time capsule of New York City in the early 1960s.
Other episodes on this DVD feature Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall, with the other--a real gem--about a blind child's journey home from Midtown Manhattan.
Priceless stuff. ... Read more

Description

In "Portrait of a Painter" a struggling artist (Star Trek's William Shatner) awakens to find his wife has been murdered. He swears that he didn't do it, but Detective Flint is not convinced. In "Alive and Still a Second Lieutenant" a frustrated junior executive erupts with anger when a man named Mr. Binks (Deliverance's Jon Voight) taunts him. In "Don't Knock it Till You've Tried It" a stressed psychologist (The Odd Couple's Walter Matthau) seeks solace in a Las Vegas dancer who kidnaps him and threatens to kill him if he doesn't marry her. In "The Tragic Success of Alfred Tiloff" Lifelong failure Alfy Tiloff (Quincy's Jack Klugman) tries for a big payoff when he kidnaps a little girl, but his scheme's success may have a price he can't afford. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dramatic and Nostalgic
This and the other DVDs of the early 1960s TV show "Naked City" are all excellent.

The New York locales give the episodes a distinct look. It was very nostalgic for me to see what the city that I grew up in and still work in looked like in 1961.

The stories are interesting and unique in that the guest star/criminal is on camera more than the policemen investigating the case.

I especially liked the Walter Matthau episode in which he's kidnapped by a Las Vegas showgirl who threatens to kill him unless he makes good on his promise to marry her. The humor of this situation makes this episode a nice light-hearted change of pace from the other more dramatic and poignant ones that are on this disk, such as the Jack Klugman episode revolving around the kidnapping of a little girl.

I can't wait for the next batch of "Naked City" DVDs to be released. ... Read more

Amazon.com

There are eight million stories in the Naked City, and this disc compiles four of them from the ABC police drama that should please vintage TV fans with its gritty stories, noirish photography, and New York locations. The quartet included here is culled from the series' second season (1960-61), which was distinctly different from its 1958-59 debut. Stars John McIntire and James Franciscus were replaced by Paul Burke and Horace McMahon as the lead detectives; the half-hour program had also been expanded to 60 minutes. Untouched, however, were the complex, character-driven scripts, powered by stellar actors and directors. Among those featured on this disc are actors Eli Wallach and Walter Matthau, writers W. R. Burnett (High Sierra) and Stirling Silliphant (also the series' story consultant), and directors Arthur Hiller and John Brahm. Viewers under 40 may find the hard-boiled dialogue old fashioned, but cop show aficionados will appreciate the serious tone and action. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Absolutely terrific! I want more!
Fortunately there are now four DVDs available for this magnificent old series, and hopefuly the manufacturer will produce more as demand requires.

What can I say? They simply don't get better than this. A great cast, fascinating guest stars (Eli Wallach, Robert Duvall, Robert Redford), and above all, superb writing. With great location footage of New York in the early Sixties.

So if you like this DVD as much as I do, be sure to buy the rest as they come available--to ensure that all the Naked City episodes are eventually recorded on DVD.

Magnificent! Bring on the rest!
One of the great TV dramas of all time, finally available on DVD. Superbly acted and beautifully written. My only beef is that there are only two DVDs available. Where are the rest?

Meanwhile, be sure to get these DVDs. Only one of the eight episodes on these two DVDS seemed a bit below par. That was an episode with Steve Cochran playing the world's least credible Sicilian gangster, and Lois Nettleton as the least believable Sicilian woman on earth. But don't let that dissuade you--these are terrific DVDs!

Yippee, Finally, Hooray!
There are eight million stories in the Naked City and here is your opportunity to view some of the best. Don't miss watching this series of hard hitting dramas, all filmed in New York City in the late 50's and early 60's! Many poignant stories that will break your heart or warm it. Realistic story lines and fantastic acting by many stars who went on to "make it big." A New York City that still exists in our memories is the real star of this series. One can only hope that more episodes will be released as they are uniformly incredible.

GREAT OLD TV SHOW
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SHOW ON DVD,I WAS 13 YRS OLD WHEN THIS SHOW WAS ON TV.ITS GREAT TO SEE HOW THESE GREAT ACTORS OF TODAY GOT STARTED.WHAT EVER HAPPEND TO PAUL BURKE.THE PICTURE QUALITY IS FANTASTIC,ITS GREAT TO SEE A TV SHOW 51MINS LONG NOT 39 MINS TODAY.TV SETS ARE FANTASTIC TODAY BUT THE COMMERICALS ARE REDICULOUS,TODAYS TV STARS WORK MUCH LESS THEN THOSE OF YEARS AGO AN MAKE SO MUCH MORE MONEY.I HOPE IMAGE VIDEO COMES OUT WITH MORE OF THESE OLD TV SHOWS,MABEY M SQUAD MR LUCKY,THE DEFENDERS,GREAT JOB IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT.

A steal!
I'm delighted that Image has begun releasing NAKED CITY episodes. This disc (and "Button in a Haystack") includes 4 episodes from the show's first hour-long season. With 4 episodes on one side of the disc, I worried about compression -- but picture and sound quality are actually quite fine. It's a treat to see & hear these episodes in a 51-minute, uncut format. Here's hoping that Image releases more episodes soon! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A memorable show
In its earlier half-hour series starring James Franciscus "Naked City" was a pretty conventional cop show, but when it was expanded to an hour's length and recast with Paul Burke it became more like an anthology series, with its famous "eight million stories" taking in the ordinary people and eccentric characters of New York City. Gradually it developed a unique tone and style, mixing action with sentiment, humour, and occasional moments of the surreal - how many other cop shows, then or now, would begin an episode with a voice-over meditating on the meaning of the Talmud? These DVDs feature episodes from the hour series, chosen in seemingly random order, a wise move as many of the best episodes came later. Picture quality is excellent, showing the atmospheric New York locations to great advantage. I've bought all the discs released to date and am keenly looking forward to future volumes.

Incredible vintage TV
I cannot praise this late 50's, early 60's series too much. This DVD contains four episodes. By far the best is "A Case Study of Two Savages" starring a young Rip Torn and Tuesday Weld as two hillbillies with virtually no ethics. The acting is superb and heart wrenching. Another episode, "The Night the Saints Lost Their Halos," stars Martin Sheen and a pimply Peter Fonda as two young boys who have tried to rob a store and must pay the messy consequences. Two additional powerful episodes make this a must buy for fans of film noir and gritty reality. The real star, of course, in this tough and totally realistic series filmed on location is a black and white New York City with finned cars, stores, snowy streets and a smoggy skyline vastly different from today's. It is an entrancing step back in history for lovers of New York City and reality TV.

One of the best dramatic series ever made
Like "The Twilight Zone" without the fantasy element, "Naked City" is a superby crafted television series from the golden age. "The Hot Minerva" is a bit too comical for the overall series concept, however "New York to L.A." and "The Nights the Saints Lost Their Halos" are heady stuff, far more thought provoking than the current crop of tv fluff. Observe Frank Sutton and Robert Blake in "NY to LA", this is what dramatic method acting is all about. Like the other fine episodes in the remaining volumes, characters are multi-dimensional, beset with inner conflicts, flaws and ambiguities that make for a top notch series. "Dragnet" had its straight forward good guy vs. bad guy approach but "Naked City" was far more complex and nebulous in its portrayal of the human condition. Let's hope Image Entertainment releases all 99 episodes of this superlative show. ... Read more

Description

Episodes: "A Hole in the City" (Ep. 52, February 1, 1961) - After holding up an armored car, gang leader Lewis Nunda (Robert Duvall) and his cronies hide out at the home of their leader's aunt (Sylvia Sidney), where Nunda painfully confronts his past. "Button in the Haystack" (Ep. 55, February 22, 1961) - When a service station owner (Albert Salmi) fears he'll be arrested for the murder of a man found nearby, he panics and gets rid of his gun, the only evidence that can save him. "Shoes for Vinnie Winford" (Ep. 56, March 1, 1961) - When a dance hostess is reported missing, a police investigation links the club's sadistic owner (Dennis Hopper) to her disappearance. "Vengeance Is a Wheel" (Ep. 58, March 15, 1961) - Mario Licosa (Paul Stevens) seeks vengeance when the family patriarch is killed, despite his brother's (Ben Piazza) pleas to stay out of it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I want more!
After watching both available Naked City (TV) DVDs, I have only one question--where are the rest? Why aren't the other episodes available on DVD? Because, believe me, I and thousands of other Naked City devotees would snap them up.

This particular DVD has my personal favorite, an episode starring a young Robert Duvall as a homicidal maniac holed up in the Bronx. The other has Eli Wallach as a Shakespeare-quoting homicidal cop.

These wee magnificent shows, well-acted and, above all, beautifully written. These DVDs, while free of any frills or features (which would have been nice) are excellent quality. Bring on more!

Outstanding DVD
I received this DVD yesterday and watched all 4 episodes. The picture quality is outstanding. I didn't notice any distortions in video or audio quality. It was as if I were watching a first-run episode of a new tv show; not one that was over 40 years old!! I ordered the other DVD of this series and I hope that more episodes are released on DVD. This is one of my top 10 favorite shows of all time and I would purchase all 99 episodes if they came out on DVD with the same quality as the one that I just received. A must buy for true Naked City fans. ... Read more

Description

In "Spectre of the Roses Street Gang" Carroll O'Connor (All in the Family) is one of three successful businessmen who killed a boy long ago. An old friend who learns about the crime hopes to use the information for his own interests. In "Goodbye Mama, Hello Auntie Maud" a murdered woman's daughter unwittingly has a romance with the killer, the family chauffeur (The Magnificent Seven's James Coburn). In "Torment Him Much and Hold Him Long" Barney Sonners (The Godfather's Robert Duvall) is a down-on-his-luck bartender who borrows money from a crime gang to help his family, only to find himself relentlessly hounded by thugs. In "Five Cranks for Winter# Ten Cranks for Spring" Manager Gus Slate (Peter Gunn's Herschel Bernardi) turns on his boxer and helps his opponent, all for a rose. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Gunsmoke on DVD is long overdue.........
Quite simply, I'd like to see the original Gunsmoke television series released on DVD, beginning with the 1955-56 season, and continuing at least thru the sixth (1960-61) season. This initial collection would take in all of the half-hour episodes, before the format went to one hour in the fall of 1961. These half-hour espisodes are seldon seen today, and are usually severly edited when they are seen at all on contemporary television.

The "half-hour years" truly were the foundational seasons for the series in terms of character development, etc., and they also contained some of the very best stories in the history of the series.

A complete, restored, unedited collection of these early episodes, perhaps with TV trailers, and perhaps with expert commentary, especially by James Arness, who is over eighty years of age now, would be most welcome, and would be extremely popular, I believe, with fans of classic TV westerns. If there's any justice, this series needs to find it's way to DVD. The marketplace is there, and waiting........... ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A vintage classic that needs to be on DVD!!
Of all those great prime-time soaps from the 1980s, the one that I watched religiously was "Falcon Crest," a gripping tale of love and ambition, greed and power amidst the vineyards of California's (fictional) Tuscany Valley.Featuring a phenomenal cast including Jane Wyman, Robert Foxworth, David Selby and Susan Sullivan, not to mention smart, complex scripts and possibly TV's greatest theme music (by Bill Conti), "Falcon Crest" is a must and I hope it gets a DVD release soon!!!

I will keep "WHINING" Until falcon crest is released on DVD
Okay, Dallas and Dynasty have now been released on DVD, now it is time to release the BEST of The Prime Time Soaps on DVD, FALCON CREST! Falcon Crest really set themselves apart from the rest of the pack! The Characters were Rich in Style and Complexities and the scenery was Breathtaking! Casting Jane Wyman as Angela Channing was a major coup. Falcon Crest has such a Gothic Feel to it, I dont even think the Words Soap Opera does it justice. More Like a Machivallian Play! Please Release this on DVD!

Like fine wine.....it is time to uncork Falcon Crest!!!!!!
With many of the shows of the eighties finally being released on DVD....it is finally coming time to uncork one of the best prime time soaps....Falcon Crest! Headed by veteran actress Jane Wyman, Falcon Crest separated itself from Dallas and Dynasty by using choice scenery and more complex characters. The locale and intriguing storylines kept fans glued to the set for nine seasons. I can only hope that a future DVD set would include some interviews with the cast and include TV ads and promotion. Let's uncork this vintage drama!!!It is time. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

2005 DVD REQUEST
I was born in 1970 and watched 'Eight Is Enough' on TV and in syndication (PAX TV) for most of my life. When I grew up I always wanted to live in a neighborhood like the Bradfords and have friends like Tommy with three or more hot, available, sisters...unfortunately, when I did grow up it was during the 80's and I lived in Texas. Needless to say, life was nothing like the television show and still to this day, I have yet to find a community or a group of people that are as cool as the ones portrayed in this show. The last of the 'Star Wars' saga is coming out this month in the theaters and back then the original 'Star Wars' movie had just come out and 'Eight Is Enough', a show which epitomizes the values of an era that has long come and gone has not been given a DVD release like 'The Brady Bunch' or 'The Partridge Family'. I liked 'The Brady Bunch' and 'TPF' but it always seemed fake to me like 'The Monkees' and I never really got into it like 'EIE'. If whomever is in charge of the rights to this show would put it out on DVD with a really cool 1970's-ish cover (NO DOUBLE SIDED DVD'S!!!) and some cool special features I'd buy it in a heartbeat, and be eternally grateful. It's a shame that in the time that we're living in we don't have more positive family role models on television, and instead have channel after channel of reality shows and military/cop dramas that aren't nearly as cool as 'Chips', 'Magnum P.I.', or 'Simon & Simon', in my opinion. Oh, also, release 'Simon & Simon' on DVD and I'll buy that as well. I love that show!!!

First Season (1977)
I can't believe that with the popularity of -- and push for -- family programming, this marvelous show isn't on the shelves available for purchase.I sure loved it as a young kid, and I would love to have this one in my home for the rest of my family to enjoy.

Even though Betty Buckley wasn't on the show until the second year as Abby, the first short season was a decent offering.Dick Van Patten as Tom Bradford was maybe one of the best TV dads on television ever.

The first year was so brief, so it would be great if whoever owns the rights would release seasons one & two TOGETHER (like the "Dallas" set).Betty Buckly, after all, was one of the best things to ever happen to this series.

01 - Never Try Eating Nectarines Since Juice May Dispense (3-15-77)
Elizabeth is arrested for drug possession, and David (played by Mark 'LUKE SKYWALKER' Hammil in this episode only - Grant Goodeve took over in episode 2) moves out on his own.
**The title of this episode is really just a clever way that Tom and Joan remember the names of all their 8 kids - Nicholas, Tommy, Elizabeth, Nancy, Susan, Joanie, Mary & David (from youngest to oldes)**

02 - Schussboomer (3-22-77)
Mary's single friend (who's also pregnant--GASP!) stays with the Bradford family and clashes with Tom.Apparently Diana Hyland who played Tom's wife Joan, passed away around the time this episode first aired, forcing them to eventually have the mother character die--and allow Betty Buckly to join the cast as the woman Tom would soon marry!

03 - Pieces Of Eight (3-29-77)
Tom and Joan argue when she insists on continuing her photography career while his newspaper is shut down by a strike.

04 - Women, Ducks & The Domino Theory (4-5-77)
Tommy gets stood up by his date, and Tom and David pretend to be interested in their annual hunting trip (Charlene Tilton gust stars).

05 - Turnabout (4-12-77)
David dates an older woman, played by Adrienne Barbeau (she played Bea Arthur's daughter on "Maude" and Oswald's mother on "The Drew Carey Show")

06 - Quarantine (4-19-77)
The entire family gets quarantined at the house, forcing David to run errands for them "on the outside."

07 - 'V' Is For Vivian (4-26-77)
Tom's sister (Janis Paige) comes to visit and annoys Tom by encouraging the kids too much.

08 - Hit And Run (5-3-77)
Tommy accidentally breaks a window at a church, Joanie meets a land developer who is in conflict with Tom, and Elizabeth lands three dates for the same high school prom.

09 - The Gipper Caper (8-10-77)
Tom's friend 'The Gipper' challenges the Bradfords to a game of touch football. ... Read more