Apparently designed to tempt interested parties into buying Time-Life's bigger and more expensive boxed set, The Jackie Gleason Show in Color: Unreleased Episodes may have the opposite effect. Three of the four episodes featured are fairly mediocre, though Gleason is fun to watch. More significantly, the shows are all incomplete, each 50-minute episode hacked to around 42 minutes. Dishonestly, Time-Life makes no mention of this at all on the packaging.

Why are they cut? Their 42-minute length suggests one reason, that they were edited for syndication purposes, or maybe Time-Life didn't want to pony-up to clear various music rights issues. What seems to be missing consists mainly or perhaps entirely segments featuring the June Taylor Dancers, presumably dance numbers set to popular songs of the day. However, other segments on the disc include performances by artists like Frankie Avalon and Flo...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
An oddly unspecific tribute to the distinguished clown

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Sketch comedy, Harvey Korman
Likes: Variety shows, Carol Burnett
Dislikes: Random TV collections
Hates: The lack of old TV on TV

The Story So Far...
The Carol Burnett Show was a TV institution, running for 11 seasons in CBS in the late ‘60s and through most of the ‘70s. Featuring a small ensemble, led by Burnett, the comedy show featured sketches, musical numbers and what were essentially one-act plays, featuring a cast of regular characters and parodies of popular movies and TV shows. There have been a number of collections released on DVD over the years, and DVDTalk has Read the entire review

How things have changed for the Carol Burnett Show on DVD- as the format gained traction, many longed for at least some of it to be released on DVD but all that came early on was a short reunion special with a paltry number of clips and a similar disc after that. A few years after that though, mail-order outfit Guthy Renker started putting out DVDs (and VHS tapes) of complete shows, then Time-Life acquired the rights and put out a staggering number of releases from single discs to mega box sets. As that company tends to do, a number of the individual discs have been included in multiple sets, ...Read the entire review

Time-Life brings us another collection of Bob Hope specials where he and a number of guests visit the military overseas to brighten their time there during the days surrounding Christmas. A number of these have been released on DVD before from R2 Entertainment and Time-Life has been packaging their discs in a number of different configurations- judging from the menus on the three discs in this set they appear to have been originally made for larger sets. Hopefully I'll be able to outline the contents here for those seeking out these shows but not wanting to pick up redundant material.

The six shows here range from 1962 to 1990, all done during the week of Christmas and shown on NBC that January as belated "Christmas Specials" but still managing to be amongst the year's h...Read the entire review

Like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: The Vault Series (6 DVD Set Collector's Edition), previously reviewed here, Time-Life's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Johnny and Friends is a terrific set of complete Tonight Show episodes from the 1970s-‘90s, rather than a clip show of highlights, so complete in fact that these 28 full shows include all the original (network) commercials, which are sometimes fascinating all by themselves. It's another great, well chosen set, and though I've barely cracked its immense content, I'm having a grand old time watching these shows.

Unlike The Vault Series, Johnny and Friends has one big problem (read on) but fortunately that doesn't effect the content at all.

After Carson left the program in 1992, excerpts have turned up on places like YouTube, and there have been DVD clip show releases. And while Tonight S...Read the entire review

We have no idea why Time-Life chose to send us a screener of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: The Vault Series (6 DVD Set Collector's Edition). It appears to be a very slight repackaging of a set they released three years ago, but this reviewer is nonetheless more than happy to sing its praises.

After Carson left the program in 1992, excerpts have turned up on places like YouTube, and there have been DVD clip show releases. This, however, is altogether different, a boxed set of 12 complete shows (along with some bonus clips) running more than 17 hours.

Although Tonight Show episodes have turned up on "cable television" in recent years, those programs are, so I hear, heavily edited, mainly due to music licensing issues. However, the 12 shows collected here not only include all the musical guests and their complete performances, but also everything else, including film clips f...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
Funny chaos that's as relevant as ever

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Laugh-In, Henry Gibson, Jo Anne Worley
Likes: Goldie Hawn, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Dislikes: Formulaic comedy
Hates: Casual racism, how awful things don't just go away

The Show
A controversial president drowning in scandal, Republican leadership ignoring the poor, social unrest, civil-rights battles, racism, clashes over reproductive rights, gender inequality, international strife...boy, the late ‘60s were a mess, huh? Thank goodness we've come a long way over the past 50 years. I mean, if we hadn't, then revisiting Dan Rowan and Dick Martin's Laugh-In would feel incredibly relevant and frustrating, watching th...Read the entire review

The TonightShow StarringJohnny Carson was a long-running NBCtelevision talk show and variety program which airedfor 30 seasons from 1962-1992. The series was beloved, in part, becauseof itslegendary host. Carson is highly regarded as one of the best televisionhostsin history.

Johnny Carson hasoften been hailed as the father of modern late night television withhis use ofstand-up comedy and a format of television variety programming whichhas beenused in large part since. Though late night television has certainlyhad someupdates or tweaks over time, Carson's method of a comedy openingmonologue andintervie...Read the entire review

Hee Hawbeganas a variety entertainment series on the CBS network in 1969.  Though the series received impressivetelevision ratings, CBS decided to cancel many programs at thetime-period thatreflected country programming and Hee Hawgot the axe. However, the series continued in syndication and went onto becomeone of the longest running syndicated series in history with 21additionalseasons.

There's no plot: theseries revolves solely around entertaining the audience. Hosts BuckOwens andRoy Clark lead an ensemble group of performers each week in a series ofsketchesand musical pe...Read the entire review

With the sixth and final season of "The Wonder Years" receiving its individual release officially marks the end of an era for many DVD collectors. Long anticipated but thought to be an impossibility, it's still stunning to realize Time Life was able to release the seminal series given the multitude of music rights issue surrounding it; save for a few unobtainable songs, the sixth and final season of the series arrives with little fanfare (truth be told, most fans likely snagged this as a complete series release a few years back). In the 22-episodes that make up the release, the saga of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) winds to an end, marking a journey from middle school through high school for a character who represented the average American teen of the 1960s.

A large theme running through the final season of the series is bidding farewell to old memories and embracing the unknown; the series beg...Read the entire review

Collectors of old TV shows really want their product, and the rights owners know it; I was more than eager to get my hands on the old Dobie Gillis show, and was also happy with multi-disc sets for Wanted: Dead or Alive and The Dick Van Dyke Show because they weren't time compressed. If it weren't for cable TV time compression to cram in an extra commercial, I'd be an addict of old TV just like Tobey Maguire in Pleasantville... old half-hours of Leave it to Beaver are mesmerizing pieces of Americana. Way back in the 1970s and before video time compression, I started editing by helping Robert S. Birchard find ways to trim ninety seconds out of 16mm prints of the old Ozzie & Harriet s...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
A random sampling of early Johnny Carson's late-night reign

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Nostalgia, Old TV
Likes: Late-night TV, Johnny Carson
Dislikes: random TV collections
Hates: Disc filler

The Show
As an infant, I would take my evening bottle while watching Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, the late-night talk show featuring celebrity interviews and performances that became the template for most that followed. (This is based on what my parents have told me, not some crazy early memories.) I don't have any particular loyalty to his version of the show, and have very little knowledge of th...Read the entire review

The Series:

The sixth and final season of The Wonder Years brings to a close the story of Kevin Arnold and his family, friends and other assorted characters from his to this point. Those new to the series are best to start with the first season, as obviously a lot of the storylines here have played out to a certain degree in the five seasons prior. The twenty-two episodes that make up this series are spread across four DVDs and are presented unedited (not that there was all that much to censor but certain TV channels have shown these in syndication with the odd mild cuss bleeped).

When this last season starts, Kevin is starting eleventh grade. With Paul (Josh Saviano) now class president and things getting kind of hum-drum for Kevin, he starts hanging out with Jeff Billings (Giovanni Ribisi) more often. He and Winnie (Danica McKellar) are still an item but when Kevin takes a j...Read the entire review

The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes Ultimate Collection:

Clearly these episodes weren't entirely lost, but whether they would in some way end up in syndication is another matter, so we must say thanks and give a big Tarzan yell to Time Life for packing them together in this box set. And packed together they are, 22 discs worth of previously released material, and therefore really not all that lost after all. Whether you are willing to pony up two hundred-fifty dollars for this collection is down to the depth of your pockets and your love of Burnett. (Or someone you love's love of Burnett, as this would obviously make a stunning gift and is quite likely meant as just that.) All things being equal and despite the steep price tag it's hard to call this collection anything less than highly recommended. This is historical TV at its absolute zenith, manna for comedy fans, and what amounts to ...Read the entire review

"1968. I was 12 years old. A lot happened that year. Denny McLain won 31 games, "The Mod Squad" hit the air, and I graduated from Hillcrest Elementary and entered junior high school. But we'll get to that." So begins the present-day narration from Daniel Stern as Kevin Arnold in present-day 1988, looking back on his life 20 years before as played by Fred Savage. "The Wonder Years" was one of the best shows of its time, providing a nostalgic look at the past as well as a funny and sentimental portrayal of growing up which kids of the present time could still relate to. The show's format mainly transported viewers to 20 years ago, but present-day Kevin would always chime in with voiceovers either explaining a few things in context or sometimes trying to give better advice to his...Read the entire review

The Show:

Any fan of not just old school R&B, but of music in general, has to acknowledge the immense influence that Motown Records had on pop music history. Without Motown, it's hard to imagine every type of band and music that changed the world, from The Beatles, all the way to Beyonce. In 1983, the legendary Motown label reached its 25^th anniversary, and a two-hour televised show was put together in order to celebrate this milestone while also giving a portion of the proceeds to charity.

Impeccably hosted by the god of comedy Richard Pryor (Any objections to that?), the show contained who's who of great Motown musicians; Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes, Four Tops, etc, performing at the height of their talent. The performances were intercut with brief informational segments about the history of the label. I admire how th...Read the entire review

The Movie:

From the fifties through the seventies, TV viewers in certain parts of the country would be lucky enough to enjoy broadcasts showcasing what was, at the time, the brightest and best in country music. Time Life has collected a second boxed set comprised of material shot live onstage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee… better known as the home of the Grand Ole Opry. Additional material included in this eight disc collection was also shot at the Grand Ole Opry House and at WSM-TV in Nashville.

How does this material hold up? Remarkably well. It goes to show you almost immediately just how much modern country music, or at least modern country music of the mainstream variety, has changed over the years. This doesn't sound like the adult contemporary or pop music influenced ‘country' that plagues the radio, but rather, it's got that old fashioned, rootsy, instan...Read the entire review

Time-Life continues their release of discs from their big Carol Burnett "Lost Episodes" set in smaller doses with what was disc #19 in that set, titled "Carol + 2: The Original Queens of Comedy," although the only other "queen" present is Lucille Ball; the other in the "+2" title of Carol's CBS special (which actually appears second on this disc) is Zero Mostel. This special aired in March 1966, a bit over a year before "The Carol Burnett Show" became a regular series and gives us a taste of what that show would bring on a weekly basis. The story behind this special was that CBS would let Carol do a prime-time special every once in a while as long as she could bring another "big name" guest onto it- Lucille Ball had once told her that she just had to call her if she ever needed a favor, and while Carol was still a bit shy to ask her to appear on this show she did and Lucy said yes.

Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71046 Thu, 09 Jun 2016 20:38:36 UTC Highly Recommended

The Series:

Co-created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens, The Wonder Years debuted on NBC on January 31, 1988 and the first season lasted only six episodes. The show was, however, a commercial and critical success and it was soon renewed for a full second season that ran seventeen episodes. Following their massive ‘complete series' release from last year, Star Vista is now making individual seasons available on DVD. The complete fifth series of the show, comprised of twenty-four episodes, ran from October 1991 through May 1992.

For those unfamiliar with the show, it revolved around the exploits of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), a kid growing up in the late sixties. Kevin lived at home with his kindly mother Norma (Alley Mills), his surly father Jack (Dan Lauria), his hippie sister Karen (Olivia D'Abo) and his obnoxious older brother Wayne (Jason Hervey). Together they lived in a ...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/70879 Wed, 04 May 2016 13:24:24 UTC Recommended

Just in time for Mothers' Day, Time-Life brings us a DVD of three Bob Hope USO Christmas tours- two during the Vietnam War in 1969 and 1970 (but broadcast the following January rather than waiting until next Christmas), and one in 1951 during the Korean War. The single disc is labeled "Disc 1" and is from a larger set with the same name- Time Life seems to like putting out the first discs of many sets separately like this for those who want to test the waters, though that means ending up with an extra if you decide to buy the whole set later.

The first show on the disc is "The Bob Hope Christmas Special: Around the World With the USO" which aired on NBC in January 1970 after taking place the previous month. Hope narrates most of it with a voiceover as he shows us the pla...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/70693 Sun, 20 Mar 2016 18:31:56 UTC Recommended

Time-Life brings us another disc of "Hee Haw" goodness with two episodes dating from 1971, during its initial run on CBS before moving to syndication after the network's famous "rural purge". Starting in 1969 and lasting through the early 1990s, "Hee Haw" reveled in country music stereotypes with top artists performing in between comedy bits all set in the town of Kornfield, a set with farmland, old shacks and of course a cornfield. My main exposure to the show was during the early 1980s on weekend afternoons, as I was often stuck with whatever broadcast TV had to offer being that we didn't have cable or even an Atari game system, and though I wasn't a fan of country music at all "Hee Haw" was still preferable to whatever was on the other stations. The show didn't exactly stre...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/70542 Sat, 20 Feb 2016 13:18:20 UTC Recommended

After the six-disc "Lost Episodes" set a few months ago, Time-Life brings us another six discs of The Carol Burnett Show this time with 15 hand-picked episodes from the first four seasons, ranging from 1967 to 1971. Once again we're treated to Carol showing off her versatility on her weekly shows featuring comedy sketches, song-and-dance numbers and a few musical interludes, featuring supporting cast Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman and Lyle Waggoner with a wide range of guest stars including Jonathan Winters, Paul Lynde, Nanette Fabray and Mickey Rooney. The first thing you'll notice upon opening up this set is that it's actually a continuation of the previous, with discs numbered 7 through ...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/70438 Sat, 23 Jan 2016 19:33:53 UTC Highly Recommended

The Series:

Co-created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens, The Wonder Years debuted on NBC on January 31, 1988 and the first season lasted only six episodes. The show was, however, a commercial and critical success and it was soon renewed for a full second season that ran seventeen episodes. Following their massive ‘complete series' release from last year, Star Vista is now making individual seasons available on DVD. The complete four series of the show ran from September 1990 through May 1991.

For those unfamiliar with the show, it revolved around the exploits of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), a kid growing up in the late sixties. Kevin lived at home with his kindly mother Norma (Alley Mills), his surly father Jack (Dan Lauria), his hippie sister Karen (Olivia D'Abo) and his obnoxious older brother Wayne (Jason Hervey). Together they lived in a perfectly normal suburb where Kevin...Read the entire review

]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/69989 Tue, 03 Nov 2015 12:27:54 UTC Highly Recommended

Mr. Warmth! Don Rickles: The Ultimate Collection:
It's tricky to call something 'ultimate'. There's always something more to dig up, right? Nevertheless, this conglomeration of Rickles material available in its separate components is pretty close. Spread across eight DVDs, we're presented with four Don Rickles TV specials, hour-long variety shows that aired in the '70s. Two specials with a few extras come each to a disk, in their own DVD keepcases. The remaining six disks (in two DVD keepcases with flippers) collect the entire run of Rickles' weird sit-com CPO Sharkey, which premiered in 1976. Cram these four keepcases into a slipcover, and start laughing, you hockey puck!

Volume I: The Many Sides Of Don Rickles
This 1970 Television Special finds Rickles at the height of his powers and popularity. Featuring an intriguing deconstructionist motif, the special combines traditi...Read the entire review

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