THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW IN COLOR: DELUXE EDITION -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 5/3/18

 

One of my favorite variety shows as a kid was "The Jackie Gleason Show."  It was bright, colorful, funny, and fun, one of the best of a TV genre that is pretty much obsolete now but kept whole families entertained back in the 60s. 

I'm happy to say that a fresh look at twelve episodes from the show, thanks to Time-Life's 3-disc DVD set THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW IN COLOR: DELUXE EDITION, finds Gleason's brand of comedy just as funny and appealing today as it was then, and perhaps even moreso since it now comes with a bracing blast of pure, blissful nostalgia. 

The sets and costumes are a blast of color all by themselves (after all, more and more people at the time were buying color TVs) but it's Gleason's deliciously down-to-earth wit and breezy interplay with his guests, made up of the top names in comedy at the time, that make these shows such a delight to watch.

Each show kicks off with Gleason's crowd-pleasing catchphrase "How sweet it is!" and his jokes about bandleader Sammy Spear's outrageous attire (a bit Johnny Carson would repeat nightly with Doc Severenson), after which he entertains the live audience by bringing out each guest one at a time, trading uproarious comedy barbs with them for awhile, and then leaving them alone to perform their acts.

These guests include such names as Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, George Burns, Milton Berle, Phil Silvers, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Nipsey Russell, Sid Caesar, Jackie Vernon, Alan King, Jack E. Leonard, and Jan Murray. 

Also appearing with their stand-up routines are comics such as a very young George Carlin, Slappy White, Victor Borge, and some I've never even heard of.

Musical guests aren't as frequent on the show as the comics, but the ones we do see include the likes of Tony Bennett, Florence Henderson (pre-"Brady Bunch"), Frankie Avalon, Edie Adams, Robert Goulet, and Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Best of all, Gleason's late-60s variety show was the home of the classic color episodes of "The Honeymooners", with Jackie as blue-collar bus driver Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as his sewer-worker friend Ed Norton, Jane Kean as Norton's wife Trixie, and Sheila MacRae ably taking over the role of Ralph Kramden's loyal, long-suffering wife Alice. 

This DVD set offers seven "Honeymooners" sketches which haven't been seen since first aired--"Six Months To Live", "Alice's Birthday", "Lawsuit", "Hot Tip", "The New Bowling Ball", "Norton Moves In", and "The New Manager."  Each one is a prime example of the show's great writing and acting, resulting in some truly groundbreaking comedy, tinged with heartfelt pathos, that's still amazingly good.

The picture quality is fine considering the age of the shows.  Completists may chafe at the fact that all of the numbers by the June Taylor Dancers which normally opened each show have been snipped as well as anything else that might impede the comedy and songs.  The first disc was previously released as a single-disc DVD which we reviewed HERE.

Whether you're looking back in fond nostalgia or just discovering these shows for the first time, THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW IN COLOR: DELUXE EDITION is a laugh-packed jaunt down Memory Lane that you're sure to get a kick out of. 


THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW IN COLOR: DELUXE EDITION
Type: DVD/3 Discs
Running Time: 496 mins.
Rating: N/A
Genre: TV DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (4:3)
Audio: Stereo
Captions: English

THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW IN COLOR: DELUXE EDITION -- DVD Review by Porfle

THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 9/22/18

 

If you grew up watching "The Carol Burnett Show", you know why so many people regard it with such warm nostalgia.  It was funny in a smart, yet comfortingly lowbrow sort of way, with a cast of likable and often brilliant performers we enjoyed spending time with. 

It has now been half a century since the show premiered, an occasion marked last year by a CBS-TV retrospective now available on DVD as THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (Time-Life). 

The most likable castmember of all, of course, is Carol herself, one of the brightest, funniest comediennes of all time and a genuine television icon.  Her famous rapport with her studio audiences is hinted at with some amusing exchanges that demonstrate how unassuming and down-to-earth the comic superstar has always been.

The show whisks us through a series of montages that give a hint of her versatility with brief snippets of skits in which Carol plays such characters as Scarlett O'Hara, Norma Desmond, and the ever-popular Eunice.

Likewise, the rest of the cast each gets the spotlight briefly with their own highlight clips.  Vicki Lawrence, who got her start on the show, appears in person to reminisce with Carol as we see some of her best moments as "Mama."  A white-haired Lyle Waggoner also drops by to bask in the shared nostalgia for these wonderful old times.

Some serious laughs come when the show focuses on the contributions of Harvey Korman and Tim Conway.  In addition to cracking each other up, these two had studio audiences in convulsions on a regular basis with such classic bits as "The Dentist", the "Family" (the infamous elephant outtake is shown), and the recurring sketch in which Conway played the befuddled Mr. Tudball to Carol's screamingly funny inept secretary Mrs. Wiggins.

Coming as a welcome sight are visits from some of Carol's old friends, including Steve Martin, Steve Lawrence, Martin Short, and Bernadette Peters, along with longtime costumer Bob Mackie.  (Tom Selleck and Pat Boone are in the audience.) Clips from past shows offer more familiar faces such as Jim Nabors, Eydie Gorme, Dick Van Dyke, and Jimmy Stewart.

Unfortunately, the roster of more current personalities assembled to help Carol celebrate her anniversary is hardly as stellar.  Getting things off to an icky start is Stephen Colbert, who introduces the show and later returns to, of all things, duet with Steve Lawrence. 

Jim Carrey shows up to creep everyone out.  Jay Leno and Harry Connick, Jr. are merely bland.  Various ex-SNL regulars and other mostly uninteresting personalities also parade past to amp up the show's "yawn" factor. 

Bonus features for the disc includes some red carpet footage, backstage interviews, and anniversary wishes from some of Carol's celebrity friends.  There's also an illustrated booklet as well. 

Carol Burnett's many fans can't help but derive some degree of pleasure from THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL.  But I would like to have seen more of the classic performances in their entirety and less yakkity-yak from a bunch of  talking heads.


Type: DVD Single
Running Time: 95 mins.
Genre: TV DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (16 x 9)
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/Stereo 2.0
Captions

THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL -- DVD Review by Porfle

I GOT YOU BABE: THE BEST OF SONNY & CHER -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 1/24/20

 

I'm old enough to remember watching TV on August 1, 1971 when "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" premiered on CBS. It would go on for four seasons, and I would be right there in front of the TV watching just about every episode. 

That's why seeing Time-Life's 5-disc, 10-episode DVD set I GOT YOU BABE: THE BEST OF SONNY & CHER (1971-73) is like playing back actual memories that are still floating around inside my head.

It also rekindles the feelings I had while watching these shows, which consists mainly of a warm fondness for the two leads and a giddy appreciation of the silly, often zonked-out comedy displayed by their onstage comedy bits and frenetic ensemble skits.

Each show begins with the titular couple themselves coming out to perform for the live studio audience, usually singing some clumsy, showbiz version of a popular pop song of the time, before lapsing into their comedy act.

This consists of Sonny reveling in his own inflated ego while the dry, utterly deadpan Cher cuts him down to size (almost literally) with a non-stop arsenal of short jokes, Italian jokes, withering remarks about his sexual prowess, and general putdowns.

This aspect of their act, in fact, is what gave them renewed popularity after their huge chart success during the 60s (with such hits as "I Got You, Babe" and "The Beat Goes On", both of which are used as themes for the show) had wound down and found them struggling in small venues.

Even after their career as a vocal duo had run its course, they were now delighting audiences with this mixture of songs and caustic putdown humor, Sonny brilliantly portraying the insecure schlub and Cher as the dead-shot insult machine (although Sonny could always fire back with jokes about Cher's big nose and American Indian heritage).

With their customary live-audience intro out of the way, each episode then proceeds to avail us with some of the corniest, cringiest comedy skits imaginable, which at the time somehow seemed more "hip" than the usual variety show content but in retrospect are just as old-fashioned as the oldest vaudeville routines.

What livens these moments up are the sheer exuberance shown by Sonny & Cher, who are surprisingly adept at comedy, as well as their celebrity guests who all seem to be having a fun time doing the show.

This is especially true of Tony Curtis when he portrays the corpulent "Detective Fat" (a take-off on the current series "Cannon") and Jerry Lewis, who gets a chance to go nuts with a succession of goofy characters and the silliest comedy routines the writers could devise.  A casual atmosphere that encourages botched lines and improvisation adds to the show's appeal.

Just about all of the guests seem to share this chance to let their hair down, including such names as Jimmy Durante, Carroll O'Connor, Art Carney, Jim Brown, Bobby Vinton, Jim Nabors, and Joe Namath. Even musical guests Dinah Shore, Bobby Vinton, The Supremes, and the Righteous Brothers get into the act.

Among the regular bits that long-time viewers will recall are the memorable "V-A-M-P" skits in which Cher portrays famous historical femme fatales, and spoofs of opera and other highbrow entertainment hosted by an irreverent Freeman King.

Then, after all the silliness had run its course, Sonny & Cher would return for a straight singing segment featuring more of their strident, soulless recycling of past and current pop hits before their traditional goodbye to the audience which consisted of a reprise of their theme song "I Got You, Babe" and often included an appearance by cute-as-a-button daughter Chastity (who is now their son, Chaz).

The final two shows in the set, "The Sonny & Cher Years Special (Parts 1 and 2)", are of interest as retrospectives of their 60s success as well as featuring a cast of musical superstars such as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Paul Anka, Peter Noone, Neil Sedaka, and the Coasters. Period celebrities Dick Clark, Edd Byrnes, and Wolfman Jack are also on hand to join in the fun.

Oddly, all of these performers are relegated to brief segments of their best songs during a medley that begins each of the two episodes, and then for the rest of the show they participate in the silly comedy skits. It's fun to see them having fun, but I'd think their musical talents would've been given more air time than their comedy chops.

Be that as it may, the series as a whole is a lot of dumb, often wince-inducing fun (thanks in part to great regulars such as Ted Ziegler, Teri Garr, Freeman King, Murray "The Unknown Comic" Langston, and a young, bearded Steve Martin, who was also a writer along with Bob "Super Dave" Einstein).

And as I GOT YOU BABE: THE BEST OF SONNY & CHER demonstrates, Sonny and Cher in their glitzy, showbiz prime, before their eventual divorce and ensuing gossip-mag scandals, were two of the most appealing variety-show entertainers who ever graced our TV screens.



Bonus Features:
  Interviews:
        Cher
        Frankie Avalon
        Producers Allan Blye and Chris Bearde
  The Barbara McNair Show (“Sonny & Cher Pilot,” Original Air Date: February 15, 1970)
  Jerry’s Place (1970)
  Illustrated booklet

I GOT YOU BABE: THE BEST OF SONNY & CHER -- DVD Review by Porfle

Shout! Factory TV Releases all 11 Seasons of "The Carol Burnett Show"!

ALL 11 SEASONS OF ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SHOWS OF ALL TIME, “THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW,” TO BE MADE  AVAILABLE ON STREAMING PLATFORMS FOR THE FIRST TIME ON JUNE 1, 2020

STREAMING LAUNCH TO BE SUPPORTED BY 48-HOUR MARATHON ON SHOUT! FACTORY TV
 

Los Angeles, CA – Shout! Factory TV has announced that on June 1, 2020, all 11 seasons of one of the most acclaimed and influential TV series of all-time, and the winner of 25 Emmy® Awards, “The Carol Burnett Show,” will be available for viewing on streaming platforms. On May 30 and 31, Shout! Factory TV will kick things off by celebrating the release with a weekend-long marathon.

“The Carol Burnett Show” will be available for streaming on demand across Shout! Factory TV platforms, on ShoutFactoryTV.com; Shout! Factory TV’s Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android apps; and on various Shout! Factory TV branded channels including Tubi, Amazon Prime Channels, and the Roku Channel.

Many of the episodes included in the streaming release will be available to watch for the first time since the original broadcast, more than 40 years ago. The comedy legend, who celebrated her 87th birthday on April 26, worked with Shout! Factory to find the long-lost masters of these episodes. Now, for the ultimate binge experience, fans will be able to watch all of the show’s episodes and see the evolution of key characters and sketches. 

Shout! Factory TV will celebrate the streaming launch by hosting “The Carol Burnett Show” marathon, which will be streaming curated episodes of the classic show all weekend long on May 30 and 31. The marathon can be viewed on ShoutFactoryTV.com; Shout! Factory TV’s Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android apps; and the following digital streaming platforms: Twitch, Samsung TV Plus, Comcast Xfinity, Xumo, YouTube, Redbox, Vizio, Pluto TV, IMDb, and STIRR. Viewers will also be able to chat live on Shout! Factory TV’s Twitch channel and the Shout! Factory YouTube channel, and answer trivia questions on Twitter @ShoutFactoryTV.

Carol Burnett and her star cast of Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, and Lyle Waggoner were among the originators of the sketch comedy format. Cited as one of the best TV shows of all time by TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, TIME, Rolling Stone, and others, “The Carol Burnett Show” was coming to the end of its 11-year run just as “Saturday Night Live” was starting in 1975.

Over 11 inventive seasons, “The Carol Burnett Show” featured a who’s-who of stars from film, TV and music, including Betty White, Steve Martin, Carl Reiner, Lucille Ball, George Carlin, Cher, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Roddy McDowall, The Smothers Brothers, Bernadette Peters, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lily Tomlin, Bing Crosby, Ken Berry, Madeline Kahn, Steve Lawrence and Jim Nabors, among others.

From Season 1’s first ‘Carol & Sis’ sketches, with a teenage Vicki Lawrence playing a character based on Carol Burnett’s real-life sister, and ‘As The Stomach Turns,’ a soap opera parody which ran for all 11 seasons, to the evolution of Tim Conway’s “Oldest Man” character, which he introduced in Season 2 and performed nearly 20 times over the course of the series, “The Carol Burnett Show” made a lasting impression on its audience.

Some of the most beloved sketches from the series include the iconic “Gone With The Wind” parody ‘Went with the Wind,’ the ongoing Conway/Burnett sketch ‘Tudball & Wiggins,’ Harvey Korman’s ‘Mother Marcus,’ where he played a Yiddish grandmother based on his own real-life grandmother, ‘The Charwoman,’ Carol Burnett’s signature character, and the classic   Conway/Korman sketch ‘The Dentist,’ where Conway’s ad-libs made Korman crack up uncontrollably. 

Last but not least, the 1973-74 season introduced ‘The Family,’ in which Vickie Lawrence played “Mama,” Burnett played her daughter “Eunice,” and Korman played Eunice’s husband “Ed.” The sketch portraying this dysfunctional but lovable family provided myriad opportunities for guest stars to play various family members, including Roddy McDowall, Tom Smothers, Alan Alda, Betty White, Joanne Woodward, Maggie Smith and William Conrad, and would later be parlayed into the long-running classic  sitcom “Mama’s Family.”

Carol Burnett continues to inspire her fans, and her brilliant comedic work resonates as much as ever. She is a past recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The Golden Globes created The Carol Burnett Award in 2018, which was presented to Carol in 2019, and to Ellen DeGeneres in 2020. She continues to tour regularly, taking audience questions in a nod to “The Carol Burnett Show.”

ABOUT SHOUT! FACTORY TV
Shout! Factory TV is a digital entertainment streaming service that brings timeless and contemporary cult favorites to pop culture fans. Shout! Factory TV offers an unrivaled blend of original programming and TV shows and movies curated from major studios, independent producers and its own distinctive entertainment library. The Shout! Factory TV family of channels also includes Mystery Science Theater 3000 and TokuSHOUTsu™, with more to come soon. Shout! Factory TV provides an immersive, high-quality viewing experience across a wide variety of platforms: online at ShoutFactoryTV.com, on smartphone devices, tablets and connected TV, and via apps on the Roku player, Android, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. Shout! Factory TV is also available as a branded channel on Amazon Prime Channels, Comcast Xfinity, Pluto TV, Redbox, Roku Premium Subscriptions, Samsung TV Plus, STIRR, Tubi, Twitch, Vizio and XUMO among others. For more information, please visit ShoutFactoryTV.com.

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Shout! Factory TV Releases all 11 Seasons of "The Carol Burnett Show"!