THE PLOT THUS FAR
Not since the show’s original network run has anyone been able to experience this iconic cult classic in its entirety. In the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio, the heroine, housewife Mary Hartman, lives a life that is a quest for perfection as portrayed by the Reader’s Digest and TV commercials. She is ravaged by a never-ending onslaught of mass murders, venereal disease, low-flying airplanes and a waxy yellow buildup on her kitchen floor. Louise Lasser stars in the title role of Norman Lear’s innovative and bent serial, which combines the drama and pathos of a traditional soap opera with a wry, satirical sense of humor.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, was not truly a sitcom at all. It could be more accurately described as a prime-time soap-opera. More specifically, a spoof of the soap-opera genre. Like the film Airplane poked-fun at those airport disaster movies, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was a satire of the classic soap-opera. This show set the template for other bizarre comedy series that followed in its wake, such as Married With Children, and Strangers With Candy. Like both of those shows, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was funny precisely because of it’s warped premise, not in spite of it. It was the first TV comedy of it’s kind, and the most avant-guard comedy on TV in the 70s.
What’s hard to explain to people who weren’t there, is how weird the 70’s were. The whole country was in this very odd mood, partly giddy, partly freaked out, partly numb. I don’t know if I can explain how Mary Hartman fit in to that, but it did and maybe not enough time has passed where it won’t seem dated. The other thing is that the show had a whole parallel life running at the same time in the live soap opera of Louise Lasser’s sudden fame. Her personal trajectory towards a nervous breakdown tracked Mary Hartman’s journey.
As a new viewer to this series, it took me several weeks to process it. I grew up watching “Fernwood 2 Night” on Nick at Nite. Eventually, they started showing random episodes of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and we learned that Fernwood was a spinoff. Hell, I didn’t even know that Martin Mull could play mean. So much of the show is done in quick clips, but the series seems to have ran forever in an 18 month period. But, proper context is always going to be the bitch of this series.
If you weren’t alive at the time, it’s hard to understand how bizarre this must have been. I’ve talked to Hartman fans about how the show was dropped late night after the news in most markets and left to die on the vine. It was pretty deceptive, but played to the norms of the genre. The room for parody is there, as The Carol Burnett Show loved to take potshots at it. That being said, nothing can top the oddity of the death of the kiddie preacher.
So much of this series is built on moments like this. Characters aren’t real, as they are controlled by the satire worthy setups. At times, it’s like walking into a Doonesbury comic strip. The kind of vain satire that comes from a New Yorker cartoon trying too hard to make a point. But, it’s dated. Dated as hell. That being said, I wouldn’t change a thing regarding this weird time capsule permanently lodged in the throat of 70s television.
The DVD comes with featurettes and 10 bonus episodes of Fernwood 2 Night. The A/V Quality is decent for a show of its age. The Dolby track almost sounds like mono, so it gave my receiver fits trying to read it. But, I just want these classic releases to look good enough. DNR is for the birds. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans.
RELEASE DATE: 12/03/2013