Product Description

Set in New York City, TAXI follows a group of cab drivers of the Sunshine Cab Company through the daily but far from ordinary routine as cabbies. The sitcom features a multitude of extroverted persons such as a frustrated actor, strained boxer, ex-hippie and cynical dispatcher.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5523 in DVD
• Brand: HIRSCH,JUDD
• Released on: 2004-10-12
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .65 pounds
• Running time: 540 minutes

Amazon.com
Hail, Taxi. It's great to finally have one of the defining sitcoms of the 1970s available on DVD to take out for a spin. This character-driven humane comedy from the creators of The Mary Tyler Moore Show rolled out of the garage with a full tank of gas: a lightning-in-a-bottle ensemble, smart, witty, and compassionate writing, and extraordinary characters. The Sunshine Cab Company was a much grittier workplace than the sunny WJM newsroom. Its down, but never out employees--single mother Elaine (Marilu Henner), aspiring actor Bobby (Jeff Conaway), hapless boxer Tony (Tony Danza), reptilian dispatcher Louis (Danny DeVito), naive rube John (Randall Carver), and indeterminately foreign mechanic Latka (comic iconoclast Andy Kaufman)--struggled to keep rolling along. Judd Hirsch's salt-of-the-earth cabbie Alex Rieger solved everyone's problems but his own. Half hours don't get more moving than the Humanitas Prize-winning episode, "Blind Date," in which Alex tries to befriend an embittered overweight woman, or funnier than "High School Reunion," in which Bobby impersonates Louie at Louie's reunion to impress his mean former classmates.

Along for the ride in this Emmy-winning first season are a pre-MagnumTom Selleck and Mandy Patinkin ("Memories of Cab 804") and life force Ruth Gordon, who was honored with an Emmy for her performance as one of Alex's most memorable fares ("Sugar Mama"). The poignant episode "Paper Marriage" features Christopher Lloyd as burn-out Reverend Jim, who would join the ensemble in season 2. Regrettably, this three-disc set is a stripped down model, with no commentary or interviews. But there is nothing hack about Taxi itself. This is "must-own" television fare. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Prepare to laugh!
One of the funniest series ever on TV. Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufmann, Judd Hirsch, Tony Danza, Marilu Henner, some of the funniest people ever. It is my pleasure to write a review for this TV series. I visited the web site of Paramount Home Video for more information, since the set has not yet been released. The web site stated that the set consists of 22 episodes in Dolby Digital English mono. There is no description of any extras. Here is a brief summary of the episodes.

1. Like Father, Like Daughter: A new employee at the Sunshine Cab Company meets the crew, all of whom have other jobs in addition to being a cabbie except for Alex. When they discover that the pay phone allows them to call world-wide for free, Alex calls his daughter in Brazil.
2. One-Punch Banta: Tony, a professional boxer when not driving a cab, knocks out a welterweight champion and gets a big break.
3. Blind Date: Alex talks to a woman on Bobby's answering service. He asks her out, and she turns out to be both unattractive and hostile.
4. Bobby's Acting Career: Bobby gave himself 3 years to land a major acting job and midnight tonight is the deadline.
5. Come as You Aren't: Elaine throws a party to impress the art gallery friends. When she invites the cabbies, she asks them not to tell that they drive a cab.
6. The Great Line: Bobby and Tony tell John that a great pick-up line is to ask a woman to get married. John tries it out and it works.
7. High School Reunion: Louie is dreading his high school reunion because of a cruel trick played on him. Bobby offers to take his place at the reunion under the scheme that Louie grew after high school.
8. Paper Marriage: guest star (gs): Christopher Lloyd (not a regular until season 2). Latka gets married to a hooker in order to avoid deportation.
9. Money Troubles: John and his wife are having money troubles. Alex offers a loan.
10. Men are Such Beasts: Tony tries to break up with a new girlfriend who is a fellow cabbie. She refuses to let him go.
11. Memories of Cab 804 (1) After John has an accident in Cab 804, the cabbies reminisce about their experiences in the cab.
12. Memories of Cab 804 (2) gs: Tom Selleck, Mandy Patinkin. The cabbies continue telling stories of their experiences in Cab 804.
13. A Full House for Christmas: Louie's brother, a professional gambler, comes home after a six year absence. However, he plays poker with the cabbies and won't spend time with their mother.
14. Sugar Mama: Alex drives around an older widow who just wants to talk and see the city. This becomes a regular job. She takes him to a senior's dance.
15. Friends: Bobby forgets to feed Tony's goldfish while he is out of town and they all die.
16. Louie Sees the Light: When Louie needs surgery, he makes a promise to God.
17. Elaine and the Lame Duck: When a congressman tells Alex that he has no luck with women, Alex fixes him up with Elaine.
18. Bobby's Big Break: Bobby quits his job as a cabbie and tells off Louie after he is cast in a soap opera. However, his character is soon killed.
19. Mama Gravas: Alex takes Latka's mother around town during a visit when Latka has to work.
20. Alex Tastes Death and Finds a Nice Restaurant: After being robbed and and shot while at work, Alex quits and finds a safer job.
21. Hollywood Calling gs: Martin Mull. The gang gets star-struck when a motion picture production company wants to study them for their next movie about cabbies.
22. Substitute Father: The cabbies take turns taking care of Elaine's son, Jason, while she is out of town. Jason is studying for a spelling bee.

Finally!
Paramount has finally decided to release the first season of TAXI on DVD. I won't waste space here describing to you the show or it's premise but I will fill you in on what the DVD's are like.

This is definitely what you would call a "bare bones" box set... no extras, no bonus material, no language or audio selection. The three discs come in individual slip-cases covered with cool photo collages made up of both promotional photos and stills from the show itself.

But you wouldn't be buying this set for bonus materials... TAXI is the most heartfelt, hilarious, engaging, memorable, and sometimes strange sitcom ever to have aired. Every episode from the first season is here, looking as good as you've ever seen it. (Paramount has wisely added a "Play All" feature on the menu) The twenty-two episodes in this set are some of the best of the series' run, including the heartbreaking "Blind Date," the hilarious two-part "Memories of Cab 804," and the Emmy-winning "Sugar Mama." James L. Brooks (who would later go on to co-create The Simpsons) is at his best with this show, moving you from stomach-straining laughter to genuine tears with only one line. And of course the show serves as "Cheers'" older brother since James Burrows and Glen and Les Charles would eventually go on to create the other greatest show of all time.

Maybe the biggest bonus here is that the DVD restores all the scenes that were cut from the syndicated episodes, which makes all the difference. If you've only seen TAXI in reruns- as I had- you missed out on a lot.

Maybe there's nothing wrong with a bare-bones set... it makes you appreciate just what you're buying it for in the first place. There are two kinds of people in the world... those who love Taxi and those who have never seen it. This box set is worth every penny, and Paramount has even confirmed Season Two's release for sometime in the first half of 2005. Enjoy...

My Favorite TV Series
I am so glad that Paramount decided to release Taxi on DVD. I'm sure there will be many complaints about the bare bones nature of the set - there are no extras whatsoever (unless someone discovers hidden easter eggs somewhere) and no options for audio or subtitle choices. It is just the 22 episodes of the first season presented in the order they were originally aired on tv. However, just to have this all in one place with a nice clean print sure beats all my old VHS tapes with washed out color and sound that are also full of commercials. Taxi is my favorite show of all time because of the excellent writing and the way the relationships were developed between the characters. These are people you can care about and relate to even if you'd never imagine yourself being a cabbie. Plus it's funny! While Danny DeVito as Louie De Palma could be very acerbic at times, there i none of the mean-spirited cruel humor that marks so many of the present-day sitcoms. I just hope that enough copies sell to induce Paramount to release the other seasons.