March 7, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II & III • Page 21 New DVD series pays tribute to television favorites by Dennis Seuling For those who don’t necessarily want complete season sets of their favorite television shows, Paramount Home Video has issued a series of “Fan Favorites Best Of” DVDs, each of which contains eight memorable episodes of popular TV sitcoms. The oldest show represented in the group is “The Honeymooners,” starring Jackie Gleason as Ralph Cramden, Audrey Meadows as his Alice Cramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton, and Joyce Randolph as Trixie Norton. This show was a spinoff of a regular sketch on Gleason’s variety show. Only 39 episodes were made. In the “TV or Not TV” episode, Trixie tells Alice that she and Ed are getting a new TV set to replace their old one. Alice is envious and Trixie advises her to treat Ralph like a king to butter him up so he will buy a set, too. Meanwhile, Ralph and Ed concoct a plan to pool their money, buy one set, and share it. “The Sleepwalker” finds Ed regularly sleepwalking through Ralph’s apartment until Ralph decides to get to the root of Norton’s trouble. “The $99,000 Answer” is a spoof of the big-time game shows of the 1950s. Ralph is a contestant on the verge of winning a fortune when stage fright kicks in. “Funny Money” shows Ralph on a spending spree with counterfeit money. In “The Golfer,” Ralph must learn to play golf in order to join his boss for a game and vie for a promotion. “Better Living through Television” features Ralph and Norton joining forces in a get-rich-quick scheme that involves the sale of an all-purpose kitchen gadget. In “The Man from Space,” Ralph makes a homemade costume in hopes of winning a cash prize at the Raccoon Lodge, and in “Young at Heart,” Alice urges Ralph to take her out for some youthful activities. The other sitcoms in the Fan Favorites series are “Happy Days,” “The Odd Couple,” “Frasier,” “Hogan’s Heroes,” and “Cheers.” “The Town: Ultimate Collector’s Edition” (Warner Home Video) is a three-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo pack. Ben Affleck stars as Doug MacRay, the son of an incarcerated bank robber (Chris Cooper), who has been pulled into the business alongside the man whose family adopted him when his father was sent to prison. James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) is a hardened ex-con who has become increasingly unstable. During a robbery, bank teller Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) is taken hostage. Even though she has not seen them, Doug and James think she might know enough to lead the cops to them. Doug decides to follow her. “The Town” is a gripping caper film Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows, and Joyce Randolph in ‘The Honeymooners.’ that focuses on the robbery and its complex aftermath. Director Affleck creates a palpable sense of paranoia as Doug becomes attracted to Claire while James thinks only of his personal survival. For that, he will stop at nothing. Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) stars as an FBI agent hot on the trail of the bank robbers. Extras include a 30-minute documentary featuring actor/director Affleck; a 48- page filmmaking photo book; a poster-size map of Charlestown with details on crime scenes from the film; film prop reproductions; a rub-on tattoo; mug shot cards; director commentary on the theatrical, extended cut, and extended cut with alternate ending versions; and the featurettes “The Town,” “The Real People of The Town,” and “Pulling off the Perfect Heist.” (continued on Crossword page)