Shout! Factory is one of many labels doing a mitzvah for libraries with the many series they provide. But they’re also approaching it in an interesting manner, case in point with their Love Is On the Air DVD, comprised of seven love-themed episodes, one each from The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (season 1’s “The Valentine Show”), Father Knows Best (season 4’s “Young Love”), Leave It To Beaver (season 4’s “Wally’s Dream Girl”), Dennis the Menace (season 4’s “Dennis, the Confused Cupid”), Hazel (season 2’s “So Long, Brown Eyes”), The Patty Duke Show (season 1’s “Going Steady”), and That Girl (season 5’s “Counter Proposal”).
At your library, suppose you see season sets of Leave It To Beaver, Father Knows Best, and That Girl. You’ve vaguely heard about them, but you don’t want to use up a slot on your library card for one of these sets in case you don’t like it. But you’re curious about them, and here is this DVD, a sampler, a way to watch each series you’re curious about and to ascertain if you want to watch more. I would have loved to have witnessed the meeting that led to the creation of Love Is On the Air because it’s a novel idea, what with Shout! owning all these shows. And since all seasons of That Girl, Dennis the Menace, Leave It to Beaver, and Father Knows Best have long been released on DVD, here they are again on this one DVD, keeping up awareness.
As to the episodes themselves, they run from utter boredom (Hazel) to wondering how that was managed every week (The Patty Duke Show, with Patty Duke always playing dual roles). And there are some surprises, such as with The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, which involves a series of comical misunderstandings about David spending the money he has saved on a girl going to the Valentine’s Day dance with him. Comical misunderstandings have long been hoary sitcom clichés decades after Ozzie & Harriet, but they’re actually fresh in this setting, actually fairly funny. It’s a testament to the longevity of the series, and the history it has long made.
The Dennis the Menace episode, “Dennis, the Confused Cupid,” is my favorite of these seven, with Dennis confused at first about how his father could easily cancel his bowling night for what his mother wants to do, and in return, his mother says she’ll make liver and onions for him, even though she hates liver and onions, even making them. His father says that that’s what you do when you love someone, and that brings Dennis naturally over to Mr. Wilson’s house, to witness much the same thing, leading to accidentally thrown-out love letters that start a tiff between Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Wilson. What is going on here? Dennis’s quest to learn more about the intricacies of love before it becomes his turn became ever more complex, and it’s fun to watch his reactions. The writers of this episode impart a gentle touch that adds to the fun.
I have a feeling that Shout! may be planning more DVDs like this. This can’t be the one and only. At first, I think how lucky the employees are who get to watch all these series to figure out what DVDs to create next, but surely there already must be a massive Microsoft Excel file or something similar that details what each episode contains in order to make reference easier. Nevertheless, they’re doing something quite nice. Love Is On the Air is a totally unassuming DVD, there if you want it, and if you spot it at your local library, give it a try. You really should watch that Dennis the Menace episode.
