Punky Brewster: Season One [4 Discs]

Soleil Moon Frye

Overview

An abandoned waif and her dog are taken in by a cranky apartment manager who becomes her guardian in this family-friendly sitcom. This was a pet project of sorts for NBC programming head Brandon Tartikoff, who had a crush on a girl named Punky when he was young. (The dog on the show was named Brandon.)

Product Details

Release Date:	06/01/2004
UPC:	0826663752991
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	NR
Source:	Shout Factory
Language:	English
Time:	11:00:00

Special Features

Interviews with cast & crew; Two hours of the popular Saturday morning cartoon, "It's Punky Brewster" featuring many of the voices from Punky Brewster

Editorial Reviews

Punky rocks! It's a hard-knocks life for abandoned eight-year-old moppet Punky Brewster, but you can bet your bottom dollar that all her tomorrows will be sunny after curmudgeonly photographer Henry Warnimont takes her in. Yes, this fondly remembered 1984 series owes much to Annie, from its spunky heroine right down to her cute canine sidekick. As Punky, Soleil Moon Frye is so indomitably upbeat, precocious, and adorable that she makes Mary-Kate and Ashley look like Courtney Love. "One day my mother will come back and we'll live happily ever after," she sighs in the first episode. The gruff, bark-is-worse-than-his-bite Henry (George Gaynes) doesn't stand a chance. By Episode 3, he is appealing to a judge to give him custody of Punky. Season 1 gets its laughs and considerable schmaltz from Punky's well-intentioned efforts not to disrupt Henry's routine, and Henry's struggle to overcome his inner Grinch and let Punky into his heart. Welcome comic relief is provided by Eddie Deezen, the poor man's Jerry Lewis, who plays the hapless maintenance man in the building Henry manages. An odd programming note: Some of the episodes are a mere 15 minutes long, an accommodation to the Sunday football games that would invariably run over into Punky's time slot. This era-defining addition to the '80s time capsule will no doubt delight those who grew up with the series, while winning the hearts of a new generation who can't help but succumb to Punky's charms.