I’ve always been impressed with the content provided in DVD sets produced by MPI Home Video. The Dark Shadows sets, collecting all but one of the 1200+ episodes, were full of interviews with classic cast members and DVD extras; and when I was offered the opportunity to review another MPI release – a collection of all three seasons of the classic TV sitcom My Favorite Martian – I jumped at the chance, as I knew it would probably be quality.
Here’s a confession: As much as I love classic TV, I’ve never seen My Favorite Martian. It premiered at a time when shows like Bewitched and I Dream Of Jeannie were big, and I’d certainly heard of it — it was the show that put future Incredible Hulk Bill Bixby on the map, and I enjoyed Ray Walston later in his career on Picket Fences. I’m not quite sure why I was never exposed to the series — maybe it was not syndicated as much as some of its contemporaries, or maybe it wasn’t part of the Nick at Nite rotation when I was watching. In any event, I hadn’t seen it before so this was a new experience.
And what did I find?
This show is a lot of fun. 50 years ago, audiences didn’t have to analyze a concept quite as much; they could just accept that a guy would take a martian in as his “Uncle Martin.” I was also surprised by how many stories were so different from one another; putting the characters in interesting situations, with the added sci-fi element of Uncle Martin being an alien.
Very minor, but I was also impressed with the look of the show’s sets, which were different from any I’ve seen on a show before, even from that era. I know that production design is a minor thing in the scheme of things, but I liked it.
The 15-disc My Favorite Martian: The Complete Series set released in recent weeks contains “107 complete, unedited, digitally remastered episodes from the show’s three seasons, along with hours of special features.” These special features include original sponsor videos, effects tests, some really cool behind the scenes footage as they were testing the show for color before their color third season, vintage interviews with the cast, and more. The set was also interesting to me in that it includes some very rare pilots from Jack Chertok Productions (producers of My Favorite Martian). One of the two pilots is called “The Reluctant Eye” and is a little on the cheesy side; the one I really liked was called “The Man in the Square Suit” – a show about a TV writer decades before such behind-the-scenes shows as 30 Rock. That latter one also features a quick appearance by a familiar voice – Alan Reed, who of course we know best as Fred Flintstone.
The season set also boasts “the original series pilot” among the extras — I’m assuming that’s the Episode 1 on the first disc of Season One, as I haven’t been able to find anything different. If there is indeed an original unaired pilot of any sort, I wasn’t able to locate which disc it happens to be on.
So, in addition to 107 episodes and hours of extras, it’s a trip through TV history and a great presentation, especially considering the show aired so long ago. A lot of time and care went into this, and especially if you have a classic TV fan in your family, they are sure to like it… even if, like me, they hadn’t had a lot of familiarity with the series before. Also, although there are some flirty innuendos that are very tame by today’s standards, this is a set that can be recommended for ALL ages – a rare feat in this day and age. It’s a lot of fun. And, again, I must stress how great and important DVD sets like this are, to preserve classic television for generations to come. If people buy sets like this, that improves the chances of more classic TV to become available in the future.
