Search - Meet Corliss Archer on DVD

Rare 1950s comedy on DVD

Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 02/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here's an entertaining family sitcom from the 1954-55 television season starring Ann Baker as Corliss Archer. It's the story of the Archer family and Corliss' boyfriend Dexter and their many amusing misadventures. It reminds me of other family centered comedies like "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" or "The Donna Reed Show." The show was syndicated by ZIV Television and had a total of 39 episodes. Ann Baker's television and screen credits were fairly minimal and this series was the peak of her relatively short career.

The prints utilized by Alpha Video for this release are very good and relatively defect free for this 50 year old show; to the best of my knowledge, this is the show's only DVD release. "Meet Corliss Archer" is certainly not the classic that "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" is, but it is entertaining enough on its own terms and is recommended primarily to those who enjoy television comedies from the 1950s.
"

I Would Have Asked Her Out

Randall R. Rector | Fort Scott, KS United States | 10/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been watching reruns of this show on SAFE TV, Channel 9711 on the Sky Angel satellite system, Wednesdays at 11:00 AM. The show was originally broadcast on TV before I was born. When I first watched it I thought it was corny, but it grows on you. It really is quite charming and entertaining. And if I had been a teenager then, I certainly would have asked Corliss out! (Sorry, Dexter). She seems like a lot of fun.

It's great that they are putting this show on DVD. Now I can see it unedited without commercials, which sometimes lop off parts of the show. Let's hope they make all of the episodes available.

One other thing: you know how in Hillary Duff's "Lizzy McGuire" they often switch from live action to cartoon commentary? Well, "Meet Corliss Archer" did something very similar fifty years before!"

Cute

Only-A-Child | 03/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The 39 half-hour episodes of the situation comedy "Meet Corliss Archer" were local broadcast syndication programming in 1954-55. Each DVD set contains four of the episodes.

This was the second television adaptation of a 1943-1955 radio series of the same title that was based on F. Hugh Herbert's play "Kiss and Tell". The first adaptation ran as a live broadcast in 1951.

The title character (played by Ann Baker) was an early Gidget who is experiencing her teenage years in the days before sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Bobby Ellis plays boyfriend Dexter Franklin and is the only cast member retained from the earlier production. In many of the episodes the focus is more on Dexter than on the title character. The writing is better than you would expect, Ann Baker has a lot of effortless charm, and Ellis brings some nice comic moments to the series.

The series is narrated by Hy Averback who would go on to produce "F-Troop". What is notable is that the narration is often in the form of a voiceover commentary for a cartoon version of a character, and the situation they are experiencing in the story; 50 years later this technique would become a staple of Disney's "Lizzie McGuire" (2001) series.


Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child."