"I couldn't get a job. I had $8,000 worth of equipment and no personality." - The Captain on why he originally hired Tennille
Captain & Tennille: The Ultimate Collection DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
In the 1970s, everyone seemed to have their own network variety show: Sonny & Cher, The Brady Bunch, Pink Lady, Tony Orlando and Dawn. Network officials didn't even care if their stars were fictional (the Bradys) or couldn't speak a lick of English (Pink Lady). In 1976, ABC gave a show to Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille. Otherwise known as Captain and Tennille, this happily married couple had a huge hit with "Love Will Keep Us Together," which became their show's theme song.
Captain & Tennille have become somewhat of a kitsch classic over the years, mostly because of the Captain's nautical getup and gimmicky songs like "Muskrat Love." Watching these episodes, however, it soon becomes clear that their music has held up well over the years. In addition to singing their own hits ("Lonely Nights/Angel Face," "Shop Around," "I Write the Songs," "Come in from the Rain," "Circle," "Can't Stop Dancing"), they ably cover other hits of the day ("Honky Cat," "Daydream," "You Don't Mess Around with Jim," "Boogie Fever," "Jive Talkin'," "Let Your Love Flow," "Welcome Back," "Heaven Must be Missing an Angel").
Whether she's singing one of her own songs or one made famous by someone else, Tennille has a great voice, singing with an almost religious fervor. The Captain can seemingly play any instrument, although he lacks Tennille's sunny personality. He is charmingly doe-eyed but vacant, often staring into space.
The worst parts of most variety shows are the lame jokes and skits. Captain & Tennille, too, has its share of losers. The Captain's hat jokes, for example ("What goes on your head and goes slam slam slam slam? A four door hat"). Masterjoke Theatre is interesting only in that it allows us to see celebs like Joe Namath and Tony Randall whack themselves in the faces with pies.
Many of the jokes and skits do work. The Bionic Watermelon is so dumb that one can't help but laugh. The pantomimes in which Captain and Tennille head out of the studio and cavort to various pieces of music are also fun. To compare funny variety show sketches and unfunny variety show sketches, be sure to check out Tony Orlando & Dawn.
Guest stars include Penny Marshall (Laverne & Shirley), cast members from Welcome Back Kotter (Gabe Kaplan, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, Ron Palillo), Bob Hope, Redd Fox, cast members of Happy Days (Ron Howard, Roz Kelly, Erin Moran, Donny Most), Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Andy Griffith (The Andy Griffith Show), the cast of What's Happenning!! (Ernest Thomas, Fred Berry, Haywood Nelson), Jackie Gleason (The Honeymooners), Rita Moreno (The Electric Company), Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H), the original cast of Charlie's Angels (Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson), Raymond Burr (Perry Mason), Dick Clark, Jim Stafford, Tony Randall (The Odd Couple), Ed McMahon, Pat Morita (Mr. T & Tina), John Byner, Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, Don Knotts (The Andy Griffith Show), Vincent Price, George Burns, Roy Clark (Hee Haw), Rich Little, and Henny Youngman. Some of these are no better than glorified cameos. Blink during the opening credits, for example, and you're liable to miss Andy Griffith completely.
About halfway through the season, the show begins to feature more musical guests, performing their own hits and other songs with the show's hosts: The Sylvers ("Hotline"), Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis ("You Don't Have to be a Star," "You're All I Need to Get By" with Toni Tennille), Rufus and Chaka Kahn ("Sweet Thing"), England Dan & John Ford Coley ("Nights Are Forever Without You"), Heart ("Dreamboat Annie"), Dionne Warwick ("What the World Needs Now," "She's Gone" with Toni Tennille), Natalie Cole ("I've Got Love on my Mind," "Alexander's Ragtime Band" with Toni Tennille), Bread ("Lost without Your Love"), Leo Sayer ("You Make Me Feel Like Dancing," "When I Need You"), Englebert Humperdink ("I Believe in Miracles"), and Paul Williams ("Evergreen").
The eleven episodes that make up The Ultimate Collection are divided onto three discs. The discs are housed in a nifty foldout case decorated with publicity photos and a written history of the show. The case slides into a cardboard sleeve.
A brief full motion introduction involving musical staffs and piano keyboards leads to static DVD menus. Viewers can play all episodes or choose them individually. There are also scene selection menus (or, as the menus mysteriously say, the "scene selects" menu).
Overall, this is a well-designed package that should please fans.
It should be noted that the episodes might be edited. The running time of each episode varies ever so slightly.
