I remember my dad, mom, and younger sister were anticipating watching this special after seeing the promos for it, which I remember CBS aired practically non-stop. I, on the other hand, remember at the same time that evening I watched a syndicated rerun of a National Geographic special from 1967, "Holland Against the Sea" on the black-and-white TV set in my bedroom, which aired on another local station (I was watching that National Geographic as extra credit for a school assignment; I was 13 years old at that time).
Now, fast-forward to the present day, when I was able to see a few snippets of "Mary's Incredible Dream" on You Tube after reading some comments about the special here at IMDb and also at Shock Cinema Magazine.com.
I can *confidently* say I *agree* with the other reviewers' comments - especially 4-Eyes' and 15231's - and *didn't* miss much.
"Mary's Incredible Dream" *definitely was* nothing more than a vanity vehicle for Ms. Moore. A good portion of the numbers were overdone, particularly that "Come On, Get Happy" one a few minutes into the special (yes, I knew Ms. Moore herself was a dancer; anybody who remembers those production numbers she did with Dick Van Dyke on his sitcom should know that) and the whole concept itself seemed rather excessive for a one-hour special.
But I had to see that "****-kicking portable washboard number" Shock Cinema Magazine.com described in their critique of this special (that song was "Mama's Got the Know-How," which Ms. Moore sang with country singer Doug Kershaw and the chorus) - *that* was rather funny (Ms. Moore was dressed up like a late-60's - early 70's hippie, wearing a headband), and it seemed the only somewhat restrained but good number in the whole show. (The still photo Shock Cinema Magazine.com used of Ben Vereen as Lucifer in the green outfit whispering something to Ms. Moore as she holds her hand to her mouth in dismay was also funny; she somehow reminded me of that British cartoon character Crystal Tipps in that pose, especially her hairstyle.)
The whole program itself was somewhat reminiscent of those Dora Hall musical specials in its production values - particularly in the "Come On, Get Happy" number - except unlike Ms. Hall, who often used that dated John Seely stock music for cues in her specials *in between* other songs that were performed, Ms. Moore went *all out* in the music for her special, especially in using Arthur Fiedler, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the California Boys Choir. Ms. Moore spared no expense in the visual effects department, either, something Ms. Hall and her cohorts could probably never afford for her low-budget specials.
And also, what was the deal with the sound waves scrawling across the screen introducing each act? I felt as if I was about to read some technical info from the liner notes of one of those vinyl stereo percussion albums from the early 60's my folks had!
It was rather surprising to see "Mary's Incredible Dream" was nominated for three Emmys, mostly in the technical categories. Happily, this special *didn't* win any of them (but, just about *anything* MTM Enterprises churned out back then seemed to enamor the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences).
All told, I *didn't* regret seeing that rerun of the National Geographic special that night while my folks and my younger sister saw "Mary's Incredible Dream" on the big color console TV in the living room. My folks soon shared everyone else's opinion - "Mary's Incredible Dream" *wasn't* all that hot.
20th Century Fox Television now owns "Mary's Incredible Dream," in addition to most of the other MTM Enterprises properties. I'm *very* certain Fox *doesn't* have any plans at this time to resurrect this special on DVD; music royalties for some of those songs could also pose a problem in the special seeing a DVD release. And, since this special was made before January 1, 1978, when the current copyright laws took effect, it's uncertain whether or not Fox renewed the copyrights on "Mary's Incredible Dream."
One funny thought, though: If "Mary's Incredible Dream" was in the public domain, wouldn't it be great if, say, it were spoofed on "Mystery Science Theater 3000?" I can only imagine the funny comments the two robots and that one human with them would be slinging at the screen while watching this show.
Now, fast-forward to the present day, when I was able to see a few snippets of "Mary's Incredible Dream" on You Tube after reading some comments about the special here at IMDb and also at Shock Cinema Magazine.com.
I can *confidently* say I *agree* with the other reviewers' comments - especially 4-Eyes' and 15231's - and *didn't* miss much.
"Mary's Incredible Dream" *definitely was* nothing more than a vanity vehicle for Ms. Moore. A good portion of the numbers were overdone, particularly that "Come On, Get Happy" one a few minutes into the special (yes, I knew Ms. Moore herself was a dancer; anybody who remembers those production numbers she did with Dick Van Dyke on his sitcom should know that) and the whole concept itself seemed rather excessive for a one-hour special.
But I had to see that "****-kicking portable washboard number" Shock Cinema Magazine.com described in their critique of this special (that song was "Mama's Got the Know-How," which Ms. Moore sang with country singer Doug Kershaw and the chorus) - *that* was rather funny (Ms. Moore was dressed up like a late-60's - early 70's hippie, wearing a headband), and it seemed the only somewhat restrained but good number in the whole show. (The still photo Shock Cinema Magazine.com used of Ben Vereen as Lucifer in the green outfit whispering something to Ms. Moore as she holds her hand to her mouth in dismay was also funny; she somehow reminded me of that British cartoon character Crystal Tipps in that pose, especially her hairstyle.)
The whole program itself was somewhat reminiscent of those Dora Hall musical specials in its production values - particularly in the "Come On, Get Happy" number - except unlike Ms. Hall, who often used that dated John Seely stock music for cues in her specials *in between* other songs that were performed, Ms. Moore went *all out* in the music for her special, especially in using Arthur Fiedler, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the California Boys Choir. Ms. Moore spared no expense in the visual effects department, either, something Ms. Hall and her cohorts could probably never afford for her low-budget specials.
And also, what was the deal with the sound waves scrawling across the screen introducing each act? I felt as if I was about to read some technical info from the liner notes of one of those vinyl stereo percussion albums from the early 60's my folks had!
It was rather surprising to see "Mary's Incredible Dream" was nominated for three Emmys, mostly in the technical categories. Happily, this special *didn't* win any of them (but, just about *anything* MTM Enterprises churned out back then seemed to enamor the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences).
All told, I *didn't* regret seeing that rerun of the National Geographic special that night while my folks and my younger sister saw "Mary's Incredible Dream" on the big color console TV in the living room. My folks soon shared everyone else's opinion - "Mary's Incredible Dream" *wasn't* all that hot.
20th Century Fox Television now owns "Mary's Incredible Dream," in addition to most of the other MTM Enterprises properties. I'm *very* certain Fox *doesn't* have any plans at this time to resurrect this special on DVD; music royalties for some of those songs could also pose a problem in the special seeing a DVD release. And, since this special was made before January 1, 1978, when the current copyright laws took effect, it's uncertain whether or not Fox renewed the copyrights on "Mary's Incredible Dream."
One funny thought, though: If "Mary's Incredible Dream" was in the public domain, wouldn't it be great if, say, it were spoofed on "Mystery Science Theater 3000?" I can only imagine the funny comments the two robots and that one human with them would be slinging at the screen while watching this show.