I first became a huge fan of Ullman when her first stateside comedy series The Tracey Ullman Show helped launch the Fox network, which was then considered pretty much of a joke, at least by the "big three" of the day (my, how times have changed). That series allowed Ullman to create a wide variety of characters, and also had the distinction of introducing (via animated interstitials) a little family that has gone on to somewhat wider acclaim, The Simpsons. Perhaps you've heard of them even if Ullman's name doesn't immediately ring a bell.

The fact is Ullman is simply one of the most outlandishly gifted character actresses currently working, as evidenced by the hugely disparate people she gives life to throughout Tracey Takes On. We have Ruby Romaine, the septuagenarian Hollywood makeup artist who has chain smoked (and chain drank) herself through a career touching up the noses of such notables as Joan Crawford and Ronald Reagan. Or there's Shaneesha Turner, an African American TSA agent with attitude to spare. Or my personal favorite (at least on Ullman's distaff side of the aisle), former television star and "recovering addict" Linda Granger, a portrait of a never-quite-was who thinks she's a superstar, and wants to share her bounteous life experience with anyone who has the misfortune to look like they're paying attention to her.

Ullman's male characters are just as diverse, and include such wonders as Chic, the vaguely Middle Eastern cab driver who, in one of the funnier episodes, ends up with a script mistakenly left in his vehicle by Penny Marshall and then decides it's his personal ticket to the Hollywood high life. But these few descriptions can't really start to completely detail the hilarity that Ullman brings to each of these outlandish creations. While there's certainly credence to be paid to the incredible makeup that helps craft these characters, the fact is it's Ullman's performance chops that are the real calling card here. She has so many voices, so many mannerisms, so many incredibly fine details, in each of these portrayals that it's truly head spinning at times.

The set up of Tracey Takes On is simple--via brief introductory comments, the "real" Tracey Ullman (at least we have to assume it's the real one, though I wouldn't be surprised to find out that one is yet another creation of an as yet undiscovered core being) gives some brief anecdote about various subjects (for example, "Loss" is defined by a very funny story of Ullman's small dog eating Ullman's daughter's umbilical cord out of a baby memory book). That then leads into a panoply of both brief and longer sketches built around the key concept. Some of these are almost Laugh-In brief, with one or two lines leading to punch lines, while others can last several minutes up to most of the episode, as in dowdy Kay Clark (the one character Ullman brought over from The Tracey Ullman Show) becoming a pothead (via dealer Cheech Marin) while attempting to secure a little "medical marijuana" for her invalid mother. (It should be noted that this three disc set does not offer the episodes in broadcast order, and in fact various segments on the same subject pop up in various places, so it's hard to determine if complete original episodes are here).

The show does a sport an alarmingly funny gaggle of guest star turns, Marin just being one of them. One of the funnier ones was Austin Pendleton doing a riff on Stephen Hawking, something he strangely also did (albeit in a more dramatic environment) in a Law and Order: Criminal Intent episode. Ullman's Fox series co-star (and once and future Marge Simpson) Julie Kavner shows up in several, and everyone from Broadway's Joanna Gleason to Cassavetes posse member Seymour Cassel appear in various episodes (Cassel in fact has a recurring role as agent Candy Casino). But it's Ullman's genius that anchors this series and provides the most consistent laughs, not to mention amazement, as she wafts in and out of too many characters to keep track of at times.

Tracey Takes On is a potpourri of outrageous situations and personas, but there's not a mean bone in its sometimes jaded body (despite some thankfully brief controversy about Ullman's Asian donut maker, Mrs. Noh Nang Ning). Even pointed commentary like several characters' addictions to smoking (something Ullman evidently shares in real life) doesn't devolve into the television equivalent of a screed. In fact in one episode, when Ruby falls asleep and drops her cigarette, a fire quickly starts in the carpet. You're apt to be thinking, "Can Ullman really mine comedy out of a character dying in a horrible accident like this?" At which point Ruby, still asleep, knocks her glass of bourbon off the chair dousing the flames. Not only is that amazingly real, it's incredibly funny, and it's just one of countless similar moments throughout this wonderful series.

The DVD

Video:
Tracey's full frame color television image is quite good by t.v. standards, with crisp detail and extremely good, well saturated color. The show was filmed, not videotaped, which gives it a much "creamier" look than other shows of this era. No compression artifacts were noticed.

Sound:
The DD 2.0 mix is similarly excellent by television standards, with all dialogue crisp and clear, despite Ullman's many (and I mean many) different accents. Music creeps into a few of the episodes (as longtime fans know, Ullman is a fantastically gifted singer with a Top 40 hit to her name), and that is also reproduced with excellent fidelity. No subtitles are available.

Extras:
Three wonderful bonus episodes of 24 minutes are included, each devoted to a single character, makeup artist Ruby, Australian stuntwoman Rayleen, and Virginia, wife of a prominent British politician.

Final Thoughts:
Tracey Takes On was one of the most consistently hilarious comedy efforts on any premium cable channel, certainly one of the crown jewels in HBO's storied history. These last two seasons prove once again why Ullman is such a vastly gifted artist. There are times when you will literally be asking yourself, "Is that character Tracey?" That's the sign of an impeccably disciplined actress, one who thankfully can simultaneously cut loose to create some of the funniest characters ever to grace the small screen. Highly recommended.

____________________________________________
"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet