SHOUT! Factory DVD Request: "Fernwood 2-Night: The Complete Series"

[stevearino]

Dear Brian Ward,

I have a proposal for SHOUT! Factory: to make a deal with Sony Pictures Television Studios for SHOUT! Factory to issue and release, for the first time EVER on DVD, "Fernwood 2-Night: The Complete Series," a loving showcase of all 130 half-hour episodes airing in 2 seasons in a year of the hit '70s sitcom "Fernwood 2-Night" 100% Complete, 100% Uncut, AND 100% Unedited, just the way that each episode originally aired on the Syndicated Television Network.

Created by Norman Lear, "Fernwood 2-Night" originally aired in First-Run Syndication from July 4, 1977 - July 7, 1978 as a spin-off of the hit '70s sitcom "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." On "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," Martin Mull appeared in the show's first season as Garth Gimble, a wife-beater who killed himself mid-season on an aluminum Christmas tree in the Closet; on "Fernwood 2-Night," Barth Gimble was presented as his Identical Twin Brother who served as host of the fictional local talk show "Fernwood 2-Night" based in the fictional small town of Fernwood, Ohio (where "MH2" had been set).

Joining Barth every night was his sidekick/announcer Jerry Hubbard (Fred Willard), a blithering Idiot, and bandleader Happy Kyne (Frank DeVol).

Ironically, Frank DeVol was a Film Composer who wrote a number of Classic TV Theme Songs for shows such as "My Three Sons" & "The Brady Bunch."

Similarly, all 3 Principal Actors had real-life Ohio Connections; though born in Chicago on August 18, 1943, Martin Mull grew up in Cleveland via the neighborhood of North Ridgeville, where he lived until he was a young teenager, after which he and his parents and kid brother and sister relocated to New Canaan, Connecticut, where he graduated from High School in 1961.

As a younger man, Martin Mull had been a successful Comedy Musician who wrote such Musical Comedy tunes as "A Girl Named Johnny Cash." He also is an Adept Amateur Painter--a talent occasionally displayed on his albums.

John Frederick "Fred" Willard was born in Cleveland on September 18, 1933 and raised in nearby Shaker Heights, the son of Frederick Charles Willard; after High School, he voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army during the War in Korea, although lucky for Fred he NEVER was stationed outside America.

Frank DeVol was born in rural Mountainsville, West Virginia in 1911 and raised soon afterwards in Canton, Ohio, where he grew up; he eventually became a Prolific Film/TV Composer as duly noted before also becoming an actor.

In October 1977, after Louise Lasser left "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," the show was re-named "Forever Fernwood" for ITS 2nd season, with Fred Willard joining the show as his Jerry Hubbard character, appearing as Loretta Haggers' (Mary Kay Place) manager; in April 1978, after "Forever Fernwood" was "Forever Finished," Norman Lear decided to do a 2nd season of "Fernwood 2-Night," rechristening the show "America 2-Night" and changing the series' setting from the fictional small town of Fernwood, Ohio to the fictional small town of Alta Coma, California, the "Unfurnished Capital of the World."

During its 2nd season, a number of Guest Celebrities appeared as fictional versions of themselves on "Fernwood 2-Night," among them Rita Moreno, Sherman Hemsley, Charlton Heston, Norman Fell, and Vincent Price.

Speaking of Norman Fell: as a younger kid and teenager, I always thought of him and Norman Lear as the same man until Norman Fell sadly died at age 74 of Bone Cancer in 1998; by comparison, Norman Lear is still very much alive, kicking, and healthy at the young age of 100 as of July 27, 2022.

In the Series Finale of "Fernwood 2-Night" telecast on July 7, 1978, Martin Mull and Fred Willard both appeared as themselves as well as their regular "Fernwood" characters Barth Gimble and Jerry Hubbard; sadly, Fred Willard died on May 15, 2020 at age 86 of Natural Causes, and before then Frank DeVol died of Heart Failure at age 88 in October 1999, making Martin Mull, who'll be turning 80 on August 18, the last surviving "Fernwood" star.

Tentatively, Brian, SHOUT! Factory shall issue and release "Fernwood 2-Night: The Complete Series" on DVD on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at a cost of ONLY $59.99 wherever DVDs are sold.

Sincerely,
Steve Arino

[batty1]

Would love to see "Fernwood 2-Night: The Complete Series" become available now more than ever.

[dhagen]

Strongly second (third?) this motion!!!!!