Soap : Season 1 – DVD (Used)

Description

Author: Billy Crystal

Format: Box set

Release Date: 16-09-2003

Details: Amazon.ca Even before it premiered on September 13, 1977 (Tuesdays at 9:30 pm on ABC), Soap was mired in controversy (including 32,000 letters of protest) and primed to make television history. Conceived as a primetime satire of daytime melodramas, this groundbreaking series toppled many of the TV taboos that remained after All in the Family and M*A*S*H, openly addressing a variety of risky topics (homosexuality, infidelity, impotence, familial murder) with a deft combination of irreverent wit, wacky slapstick, supreme stupidity, and–key to its success–engaging drama from characters you could really care about, regardless of their rampant quirks and foibles. As a friendly announcer informs us, « this is the story of two sisters » in suburban Connecticut–wealthy dimwit Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) and blue-collar housewife Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon)–whose class-divided families are bound by enough scandalous secrets to make each of these 25 episodes (all written by creator-producer Susan Harris and directed by sitcom veteran Jay Sandrich) a polished gem of half-hour comedy. The integration of plot and character is flawless, and dirty laundry was rarely this absurd: Jessica’s cheating on her cheating husband (Robert Mandan, the show’s underrated lynchpin); stepson Jodie (Billy Crystal) is (gasp!) openly gay, and brother Danny (Ted Wass) has Mafia connections; daughter Corrine (Diana Canova) is in love with a priest; Mary’s husband Burt (manic genius Richard Mulligan) is a would-be killer who thinks he’s invisible; and all of them are suspects in a murder case that fuels the season’s cliffhanger finale. This is ensemble comedy at its finest, and is it any wonder Robert Guillaume–as the Tates’ insolent servant Benson–got his own spin-off sitcom in 1979? His line readings (such as « You want me to get that? » when the doorbell rings) are instant classics, and while Helmond tops the cast with her inimitable brand of idiocy, there’s not a weak link in the entire cast. All those protesting prudes fought a futile battle: Soap was never naughty without purpose (indeed, the show possesses subtle integrity) and a large and loyal audience propelled it to even crazier heights in subsequent seasons. (Technical note: Given the shortcomings of 25-year-old videotape, with minor glitches and color variations, these episodes look and sound remarkably good.) –Jeff Shannon Product description SOAP, A PARODY OF SOAP OPERAS, IS A SHOW ABOUT TWO SISTERS &THEIR FAMILIES. THE ENTIRE 1ST SEASON, ALL 26 EPISODES

UPC: 043396012219

EAN: 0043396012219

Languages: English

Binding: DVD

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood