All Rise...

Judge P.S. Colbert invented a "Hazel, that was delicious!" drinking game. Bad idea.

Editor's Note

Our reviews of Hazel: The Complete Second Season (published February 22nd, 2012) and Hazel: The Complete Fourth Season (published December 16th, 2012) are also available.

The Charge

"Hazel is our maid. Actually, she's more like one of the family."—George Baxter

The Case

Ace housekeeper. Chief cook and bottle washer. Champion bowler, Pee-Wee Football coach, matchmaker, raconteur, and so much more. Hazel Burke (Shirley Booth, Come Back, Little Sheba), that masterful maid of all trades is back on the job for Hazel: The Complete Third Season, in thirty two episodes:

• "Pot Luck À La Mode"
• "An Example For Hazel"
• "Dorothy Takes A Trip"
• "You Ain't Fully Dressed Without A Smile"
• "Cheerin' Up Mr. B."
• "Piccolo Mondo"
• "Hazel Scores A Touchdown"
• "George's 32nd Cousin"
• "The Baby Came C.O.D."
• "All Hazel Is Divided Into Three Parts"
• "The Vanishing Hero"
• "Call Me Harve"
• "The Retiring Milkman"
• "Hazel's Nest Egg"
• "Hazel And The Halfback"
• "Hazel And The Model T"
• "Hot Potato À La Hazel"
• "Scheherazade And Her Frying Pan, Part 1"
• "Scheherazade And Her Frying Pan, Part 2"
• "The Fashion Show"
• "George's Ordeal"
• "The Reluctant Witness"
• "Democracy At Work"
• "The Countess"
• "Hazel's Midas Touch"
• "Everybody's A Comedian"
• "All Mixed Up"
• "Arrivederci, Mr. B."
• "Such A Nice Little Man"
• "Campaign Manager"
• "Let's Get Away From It All"
• "Maid For A Day"

Season Three finds Hazel taking on Frank Gifford of the New York Giants, political campaigning, the pros and cons of media celebrity (as commercial spokeswoman for an instant cake mix), and even the mob!

This rendezvous with organized crime spans two episodes, and the conclusion of part one is sheer genius. Otherwise, what happens from episode to episode is almost inconsequential. It's not like the old gal has lost any of her charm or spunk, but there's a same old sameness to the ins and outs of this series that has begun wear after nearly one hundred installments.

I suspect most of my discomfort is a result of the technical problems with this set. The box comes with an "Episodes were mastered from the best available video sources," a warning that's repeated at the beginning of all four discs, and with good reason. For the previous season set, I reported the color transfers were "strictly pot luck, with reds especially vivid and flesh tones vacillating between Grey and powdered white." Many episodes look fine for their age, containing no more than a reasonable amount of grit and dirt. But unless a moss-green shade of hair tint was the style de rigueur for 1963-64 fashionistas, the worst of the color transfers this time around are quite a bit worse. The Dolby 1.0 Mono mix prospers by comparison, but the lack of English SDH subtitles for the hard of hearing remains inexcusable.

Tales of the Baxter household travails have officially reached the halfway mark. How will Hazel and company deal with the 1960s, British Invasion and all? I'm staying tuned!

The Verdict

If I didn't trust that Shout! Factory hadn't done their very best, I'd have to find this set Guilty on technicality. Not guilty, but you have been warned.

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