Writer: Sam Denoff
Director: Gary Nelson
Cast: Billy De Wolfe, Goldie Hawn, Joby Baker, Julie Parrish, Ronnie Schell, Burt Taylor
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: S’more Entertainment
Release Date: January 9, 2007

Good Morning World is one of those shows that I ordered for review, but prior to that point I had no idea that it even existed. My primary reason for even ordering it was that it had an incredibly young looking Goldie Hawn on the cover. When I considered the fact that she was part of the cast I couldn’t really turn it down. I mean really. What’s not to like about the lovely Goldie Hawn? Good Morning World offers up Hawn and many other talented individuals in a comedy that revolves around two radio DJs. The show is reminiscent of many others in that time period. One show that comes to mind is Dick Van Dyke. There is plenty of comedy, jokes, and chemistry between the cast members that make it seem shocking that the show did not last longer than it did.

Being a fan of older sitcoms, this really was a treat to watch. All of the talent seems to be perfectly cast, which allows them to shine in their respective roles. The show is funny without being too over the top and has enjoyable, amusing characters that you can’t help but want to see more of after each show is over. It’s a great show that is surprisingly much better than I had anticipated. It leaves me wondering why I can’t be this lucky with all the material that is on my desk awaiting my thoughts.

Release Information:
While Goldie Hawn is featured prominently on the cover for all of her fans to see, she is actually only in a few of the episodes. The show has her playing a neighbor of one of the main characters. The show, which revolves around radio DJs, occasionally delves into the romance area and the fact that one of those DJs, Larry Clarke (Ronnie Schell) is single and has the hots for Sandy Kramer (Goldie Hawn). Another interesting selling point is the fact that even though Hawn has a small role, it is her television debut.

Fans of Gomer Pyle, USMC may recognize Ronnie Schell as he was originally part of the cast. He must not have been too excited playing a private, so he left the show to pursue other options with Good Morning World. However, when the show was soon canceled he would end up returning to USMC with a promotion to corporal.

Good Morning World was released on January 9, 2007 by S’more Entertainment. The set contains four discs and all of the episodes for the entire series. There is also a small selection of bonus features to round out the set. Due to the nature of this box set you will probably need to find it online if you decide to go looking for it. You can pick this up at Amazon for close to $40 or you can stop by DVD Empire where it retails for around $30.

The Good Morning World Plot
The easiest way to determine whether or not you will like Good Morning World is to consider your feelings on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Due to the fact that the shows layouts and comedic plots are similar, if you like one, you should like the other just as much. This set includes all 26 episodes of the show, so you will have the complete series to enjoy, no matter how short lived it was.

This is seriously one of the easiest premises to understand in the history of television. The show revolves around two radio station DJs. The guys, Dave Lewis (Joby Baker) and Larry Clark (Ronnie Schell) run the show “Good Morning World”. I think the main downfall of the show is that rather than focusing on office comedy/drama the show looks more at the men’s personal lives. The best workplace moments, which are quite funny, include the boss of the station (Billy DeWolfe). These moments are always amusing because the boss is disgusted with anything Larry touches, but thinks that his partner Dave is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

When it comes to those moments out of work, the guys live somewhat different lives. Dave is married to Linda (Julie Parrish) and Larry is dating Sandy (Goldie Hawn) for part of the episodes and is a bachelor for others. So naturally, there are plenty of comedic moments that revolve around Dave’s need to keep Linda happy and Larry’s misadventures as a single man in the dating scene.

One of the best episodes is “No News like Nude News”. I am sure you can guess where this one is going. The guys are supposed to do a show at a dude ranch. The only problem is that it’s not a dude ranch…it’s a nude ranch! Some other great episodes include “Love at First Flight”, “Don’t Call Us, and We Won’t Call You”, “Pot Luckless”, “The Lady and the Pussycat”, “Here Comes the Bribe”, “The Man who Came to Din Din”, and “Feet of Clay and Head to Match”. That being said, there were plenty of other funny episodes in this set, these were just a few of the ones that come to mind.

I am not positive if this set is shown in order, though I don’t think that it is. Due to the age of the show, there is not much information on the proper episode order. I am going to assume that things are out of order. However, it really isn’t hard to figure out how the show works so that really is of little concern, thanks to the sitcom format.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Considering the age of this sitcom, I was shocked at how good the video quality really was. The quality is fairly standard for sitcoms, with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. There are some small issues with grain, but even with the grain the quality is still pretty remarkable. Things transferred over beautifully and while it’s not perfect by today’s standards, it certainly is by the standards of older shows like this one.

The audio was not as good as the video, unfortunately. Presented in Dolby Digital Mono this set requires quite a bit of volume toggling, moments where the audio drops significantly and there are no subtitles on the set. The audio works and doesn’t cause so many problems that the viewing experience becomes impaired, but it certainly could be better.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
There are more special features here then you might find in other shows of this age. Many of them aren’t the most entertaining, but if you’re a fan of the show it’s possible that you will like them quite a bit. Ronnie Schell fans will love the Interview with him in the bonus features area. Oddly enough, there isn’t much said about Good Morning World, but if you’re a fan of Schell’s you should enjoy the interview nonetheless. The set also includes a bio of Goldie Hawn though as a fan of Hawn I didn’t find too much here that was new information. It seems funny that she is the show’s main selling point these days and yet she is a secondary character, at best.

Other features in this set include the Good Morning World Trivia Quiz, which will be hard to beat unless you are really paying attention, a Family Tree, which gives you more information about the show’s talent, and a Photo Gallery.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
If you like classic television, comedies, sitcoms, and brief glimpses of the bubbly Goldie Hawn then Good Morning World will be perfect for you. This show is filled with laughs and while it’s not perfect, it does have plenty of positives that make it worth watching. If you are buying this solely for Goldie Hawn, don’t bother because she’s not here enough to warrant a purchase. You might want to rent it first to check it out if she is the buying point. Either way, it’s recommended you check this out. It’s a great comedy with plenty of laughs.

Overall Rating:

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