I remember watching this show on my local CBS station late night in the late 1970’s in Tampa, Florida. The show was great! It was one of the first Canadian sitcoms and one of the most popular and loved series in Canada. The series starred Al Waxmen as Larry King, a mom & pop grocery store owner that has a huge heart and helped people out. Larry also had a group of friends that he would hang out with. Many now well-known stars had their break on this show. A 12-year old Mike Myers (Austin Powers) was in an episode of this series. Up until Al Waxmen’s death in 2001, Myers kept in touch with Waxmen. Myers also name the heroine of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery by the last name of Kensington, in honor of the show. Other guests include Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas from the TV series: Second City Television”. This 2-disc set consists of the first 16 episodes and also has 2 Audio Commentaries from the creator of the series as well as a vintage “60 Minutes” type news program that interviewed Waxmen in 1978.
VIDEO
The video quality is great! Outdoor scenes for the opening theme music is grainy, but that was the practice with programs in the 70’s. Each episode runs approx 22 mins long.
Audio
Was originally recorded in Mono. Is also in Mono but very clear!
Disc 1- 1. “Variety Store”
2. “Hot Line Host”
3. “Mr. Help & The Tax Audit”
4. “Save Old George”
5. “Where’s Cathy?”
6. “Half Way Home”-with Eugene Levy
7. “Lady Who Came To Dinner”
8. “The Gambler”
Disc 2- 1. “Joy Of Kensington”-with Andrea Martin
2. “The Real Mrs. King”
3. “Scouts Honor”-with Mike Myers
4. “The Christmas Show”
5. “The Detroit Story”-with Dave Thomas
6. “Cathy’s Hobby”
7. “Duke’s Dilemma”
8. “Delma’s Decision”
Extras
Disc 1: Audio Commentary by the show’s creator for “Half Way Home”
Disc 2: Audio Commentary by the show’s creator for “Scouts Honor”
Interview with Al Waxmen- (1978) (18:15)
Verdict
By all means, get this show on DVD! It’s worth the buy! Bring on Season 2!
Rating: *****!
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