SHOUT! Factory DVD Request: "America's Funniest Home Videos: Season One""

[stevearino]

Dear Brian Ward,

I have a proposal for SHOUT! Factory: in Belated Memory of Bob Saget (who as I'm sure you know was found Dead in an Orlando, Florida hotel room at the local Ritz-Carlton last year on January 9, 2022 at age 65, his Cause of Death being a Massive Heart Attack caused by Accidental Head Trauma after an unwitnessed Fall where he fell and hit his head, subsequently falling asleep and having a Massive Heart Attack as he slept), it's my humble suggestion that SHOUT! Factory make a deal with Disney Media Distribution (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) for SHOUT! Factory to issue and release, for the first time ever on DVD, "America's Funniest Home Videos: The Complete First Season," a loving showcase of all 16 episodes (including the Hour-Long 1989 Pilot and the first-season Hour-Long $100,000 Grand Finale) of the debut season of Network TV's Longest-Running Prime-Time Game Show, "America's Funniest Home Videos," 100% Complete, 100% Uncut, AND 100% Unedited, just the way that each episode originally aired on the ABC Television Network (owned by Disney since 1995).

For those of you unfamiliar with the show (which I HOPE & PRAY is renewed for the Fall 2023 season; as of this writing it's unclear either way), here's the Inside Information from a life-long avid series' fan.

The year is 1988. George "Daddy" Bush, age 64, is U.S. President-Elect; the War of the Gulf is in full affect; and rookie TV producer Vin Di Bona (a former staff writer/producer for "MacGyver" whose Saturday-morning Game Show "Animal Crack-Ups" is on its way off the air) is on vacation in Japan with his then-wife, Gina, during which time he caught a glimpse of a Japanese variety show called "Fun with Kato and Ken," a segment of which featured ordinary Japanese citizens competing against each other for the Japanese equivalent of the American Dollar.

Upon his return to his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, California (via Cranston, Rhode Island, where he was born on April 10, 1944), Vin Di Bona decided to turn what he saw in Japan into his next TV Game Show, eventually naming the series "America's Funniest Home Videos."

Vin soon afterwards hired Bob Saget (born on May 17, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) to host the series' Pilot, which was Videotaped in Summer 1989 at Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles and immediately picked up as a mid-season Replacement by execs at the ABC Television Network after buying the series' concept.

The aforementioned Hour-Long Pilot was telecast on November 26, 1989 at 8 P.M. ET on ABC; 7 weeks later, on January 14, 1990, ABC began airing "America's Funniest Home Videos" weekly every Sunday night at 8 P.M. ET in a TV Game Show format remaining little changed throughout its long run, with 3 Contestants per show competing against each other for a weekly Grand Prize of $10,000 by submitting their funniest moments ever caught on film; in addition, the weekly $10,000 winners came back to compete against each other for an additional $100,000 Grand Prize in November, February, and May.

Among other notable Contestants included future Pro Wrestler Don Chernoble, Jr., who Videotaped himself washing his Small Dog; Ben Filipchek of Chevy Chase, Maryland, who filmed his (I believe) uncle, Matt Lipitsky, flubbing the National Anthem; and Gene & Christine Anderson of Fair Oaks, California, who videotaped their dog Snoopy saying the word "Mama."

One of my favorite personal moments was when Harry Falk of Mount Olliff, North Carolina videotaped his pet cockatoo Chipper whistling the "Andy Griffith Show" theme in a tape called "Andy Griffith Bird."

By March 1990, "America's Funniest Home Videos" became the first Surprise Hit of the '90s; soon afterwards, Vin Di Bona (after realizing that many of the potential Contestants submitted set-up clips as opposed to spontaneous and unrehearsed moments on film) decided to create a spin-off Game Show called "America's Funniest People," hiring Dave Coulier to host the Series' Pilot, which aired on May 13, 1990 at 8 P.M. ET after an episode of "America's Funniest Home Videos" on ABC.

As with its parent show the year before, "America's Funniest People" was picked up by ABC for the Fall 1990 TV season, airing Sunday nights at 8 P.M. ET on ABC as part of "America's Funniest Hour" every Sunday night, with "Videos" at 8 P.M. ET followed by "People" at 8:30 P.M. ET

For the series, Dave Coulier was paired with actress Arleen Sorkin (known as Caliope Jones on TV's "Days of Our Lives") and later former MTV Video Vixen Tawny Kitaen (then appearing on a reboot of the hit '70s sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" called "The New WKRP in Cincinnati," which aired in first-run Syndication from 1991-1993) after Arleen was fired by Vin Di Bona in 1992, soon after production moved out of ABC Television Center in Los Angeles and moved in to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida for Season 3 of "America's Funniest People."

In September 1993, both "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "America's Funniest People" moved permanently to Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles, with both shows moving permanently to an Hour earlier back-to-back at 7 P.M. ET that Fall; in May 1994, however, after 4 seasons and 89 episodes, ABC cancelled "America's Funniest People" due to poor ratings, while "America's Funniest Home Videos" soldiered on--for a while anyway: in May 1997, after 8 seasons, Bob Saget decided to step down as host of "America's Funniest Home Videos," replaced in January 1998 by former MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes (paired with stand-up comic John Fugelsang) in that particular role.

However, in May 1999, after 10 seasons and different time changes on Monday, Thursday and Saturday nights, respectively, during Daisy's run as host, ABC officially cancelled "America's Funniest Home Videos," with its unannounced Series Finale (Videotaped entirely on location at House of Blues in Los Angeles) telecast on August 28, 1999 at 8 P.M. ET

But wait, there's more: 2 years later, on July 20, 2001, ABC successfully brought back "America's Funniest Home Videos," reviving the show as a weekly series, initially airing on Friday nights at 8 P.M. ET before moving permanently in September 2003 to 7 P.M. ET on ABC, with TV Personality Tom Bergeron (then doing double Game Show duty as "Hollywood Squares" host and later host of the Reality Competition series "Dancing With the Stars" until his 2020 Firing) as sole host.

In March 2014, after 15 seasons, Tom Bergeron announced he was stepping down as "America's Funniest Home Videos" host, with his final regular episode telecast on May 17, 2015; 48 hours later, on May 19, 2015, LIVE on "Dancing with the Stars," Tom Bergeron announced that his successor as "America's Funniest Home Videos" host would be Alfonso Ribeiro, who made his debut as host on October 11, 2015.

Now wrapping up on his 8th season as host of "America's Funniest Home Videos," like his predecessor Tom before him, Alfonso is set to become permanent host of "Dancing with the Stars," to be joined by former "Dancing with the Stars" dancer Julianne Hough in that role.

As of this writing, it's unclear whether "America's Funniest Home Videos" will enter combined Season 34 this Fall, but I sincerely hope & pray to God that Season 34 of "America's Funniest Home Videos" happens; in the meantime, Brian, I'm suggesting that regardless, SHOUT! Factory shall issue, for the first time EVER on DVD, "America's Funniest Home Videos: The Complete First Season" on DVD on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at a cost of $29.99 wherever DVDs are sold.

I'd also like for SHOUT! Factory to include a plethora's worth of Bonus Features--among them "Vin Di Bona's Funniest Home Videos," a direct-to-DVD featurette where Vin Di Bona hosts and presents his favorite moments from 33 combined seasons of "America's Funniest Home Videos," along with the 1990 special "America's Funniest Home Videos: An Inside Look," a making-of Documentary on the making of "America's Funniest Home Videos" telecast on ABC on September 12, 1990 at 8 P.M. ET after a rerun of the hit show "The Wonder Years."

Another Bonus Feature I'd love to see is "The Summit with Saget," a special episode of "America's Funniest Home Videos" telecast on November 29, 2009 at 7 P.M. ET on ABC, a celebration of 20 years since the original series' debut in which Bob Saget returned, for one night only, to co-host with then-current host Tom Bergeron the retrospective.

Similarly, I'd love to see a direct-to-DVD tribute to Bob Saget titled "America's Filthiest Comedian," a direct-to-DVD Documentary celebrating the Life and Legacy of Bob Saget with tons of stand-up footage (many using language such as ****, Shit, Ass and Penis) as well as interviews (a mixture of new and archive) telling America what Bob Saget was really like when cameras stopped rolling, among them Dave Coulier, Tim Allen, Rodney Dangerfield, and yes, Bob Saget himself.

Portions of "America's Filthiest Comedian" shall also feature archival interviews with Bob discussing his real-life role in research for Scleroderma, a rare disease that cut short the life of his older sister, Gay, who was only 47 when she died after losing her brave battle.

Feel free to respond ASAP Brian, and thanks in advance.

Sincerely,
Steve Arino