You probably thought our headline for this story would be "Boss! Da DVDeeeee! Da DVDeeeee!" Nah; that's what everyone else is going to be using as a headline, so we thought we'd give you something different. All part of the service!
It's been just a couple of weeks since Sony gave us
the heads-up that the original '70s version of
Fantasy Island, starring Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize, is coming to DVD in the late part of this year. This morning - yep, even on Labor Day! - Sony has announced that the 4-DVD package will arrive on
November 15th. Expect 16 episodes on this set: the 1977 pilot telefilm, the 1978 "second pilot" telefilm,
Return to Fantasy Island, and the 14 regular weekly first season episodes that started airing right after "Return." The running time is 776 minutes.
But wait, that's not all! Expect extras on this set. You'll get the promotional ads that told you each week what to expect on that episode's various plots, plus at least one featurette looking at the show. We're also told to expect interviews, but a list of participants was not available. All of this will go for $49.95 SRP.
Okay, we can't resist: Da cover art! Da cover aaaaart!
Nice-looking, isn't it? One of the charms of the show was the long list of guest stars you would see each week, and this first season (out of the seven that aired) was chalk-full of them. They include Peter Lawford, Bill Bixby, Victoria Principal, Dick Sargent, Nancy McKeon, Adrienne Barbeau, John Saxon, Bert Convey, Jane Powell, Ed Begley Jr., Lisa Hartman, Juliet Mills, Lauren Tewes (yes, of
Love Boat, which aired in the hour prior to
Fantasy Island), Gary Collins, Ernie Hudson, Alan Hale Jr., Jerry Van Dyke, Maureen McCormick, Gene Barry, Dennis Cole, Vera Miles, Leslie Nielsen, Walker Edmiston, Steve Garvey, Tommy Lasorda, Don Knotts, Nancy Walker, Bernie Kopell (another
Love Boat cast member), Lynda Day George, Ray Bolger, Harriet Nelson, Barbi Benton, Robert Alda, Lucie Arnaz, Jim Backus, Ronny Cox, David Doyle, Jane Wyatt, Adam Rich, Lana Wood, Rich Little, Rich Dawson, and Dick Butkus. Whew! And we know we missed some. But you'll enjoy the dreams, hopes, and fantasies of each of the characters these people play, as they get to live them out thanks to the wonderful magic that is
Fantasy Island
