Ease On Down: Pat Boone and Family Celebrate Springtime and Easter on New DVD

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Last November, MPI Home Video celebrated the holiday season with pop, film, and television star Pat Boone and his family with the release of a double feature DVD: Pat Boone & Famlly - Christmas and Thanksgiving Specials. Now, MPI is continuing the series with the Boones' Springtime and Easter Specials.

When Pat began his series of specials for ABC-TV under the aegis of executive producer Jerry Weintraub in 1978, his daughter Debby had recently ascended to superstar status with the era-defining smash hit "You Light Up My Life." Debby was given solo spots on the variety specials, and joined in the splashy production numbers with her sisters Cherry, Lindy, and Laurie, and her parents Pat and Shirley, who sadly passed away in January.

DEBBY BOONE & PARKER STEVENSON

In the tradition of the day, stars were plucked from the ABC constellation to appear with the Boones. The springtime special features appearances by Parker Stevenson (The Hardy Boys Mysteries), Dick Van Patten (Eight Is Enough), as well as The Unknown Comic (The Gong Show) and the legendary George Burns, then basking in the success of the Weintraub-produced 1977 comedy Oh, God! on the big screen. Musical highlights include Pat's tender rendition of Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher's "You and Me Against the World" as sung to his grandson, Debby and Parker's duet on Randy Newman's wry "Love Story," and a family sing-along of the classic "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher."

THE BOONE FAMILY

For their Easter special, the Boone family welcomed Ted Knight of Too Close for Comfort and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as well as Katherine Helmond (Soap, Who's the Boss), who sadly passed away last month, and comedian John Byner. The family roller skated on location in Los Angeles while singing "Ease on Down the Road" from The Wiz, Debby was featured in the joyful solo "Thank Heaven For You" and the Boone girls performed the ebullient Sweet Charity showstopper "If My Friends Could See Me Now." They joined their parents for the emotional finale of "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

MPI's DVD, due in stores today (March 12), boasts bonus features including The Boone Girls in Performance ("Bless the Beasts and Children," "The Lord's Prayer" (1970s pop version); Pat's Irish medleys with Maureen O'Hara, Carmel Quinn, and The Kingston Trio; and Patriotic Songs from Pat Boone's Chevy Showroom! This festive DVD from Pat Boone and Family is available now at Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD!

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others. Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.