DVD NEWS: Time to ‘Laugh-In’ with Time Life collections
Image: Courtesy of Time Life / Provided by Foundry Communications with permission.
Time Life is one of the leaders when it comes to putting out oldies but goodies on DVD, and they have had a busy couple of months. Here are some of the highlights that are on store shelves:
Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete First Season (14 episodes on four DVDs) and The Complete Second Season (26 episodes on seven DVDS) — Dan Rowan and Dick Martin’s comedy specials from the 1960s are still quite influential and stand as a standard bearer on how to put together a successful variety show. The show is interesting through a 2018 lens because Laugh-In aired at the height of the social movements in the United States, so politics, society, gender and sex were all being debated and discussed while Rowan, Martin and their cast of colleagues were offering humorous (and bizarre) commentary. Audience members should be on the lookout for such guest stars as Jack Benny, Mel Brooks, Johnny Carson, Tony Curtis, Sammy Davis Jr., Phyllis Diller, Kirk Douglas, Peter Falk, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hugh Hefner, Rock Hudson, Bob Newhart and even Richard Nixon.
Also available are Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Third Season and The Complete Fourth Season. The antics continue with both collections. Some highlights include Lily Tomlin, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Joey Bishop and even Truman Capote. Also making appearances are Rod Serling, Orson Welles, Debbie Reynolds, Carl Reiner and Vincent Price.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: The Vault Series (six-DVD set) — I’m not a big fan of “Best of” or “Vault” editions because today’s viewing public tends to be completist in nature. Still, is there really a reason to own each episode of The Tonight Show? Perhaps late-night talk shows should always be presented as a “Best of” series. This Time Life release includes 12 shows from Carson’s time at the top of late-night comedy. Audience members will catch the antics of his guests like Lucille Ball, James Brown, Rodney Dangerfield, David Letterman and others.
Richard Simmons: Sweatin’ to the Oldies — Richard Simmons was in the news last year because of a popular podcast that look into his current whereabouts. There were so many questions swirling that fans may have forgotten what made Simmons so successful in the first place. The aerobics trailblazer is probably best remembered for these exercise tapes that have Simmons and his fans dancing to classic tunes. The new collection includes 100 minutes of bonus material, a 20-page album and testimonials from his students. If you’re looking for 440 minutes of exercise help, Simmons has the solution.
The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes: Carol’s Lost Christmas — This collection features three Christmas-themed episodes from The Carol Burnett Show, starring Burnett, Harvey Norman, Tim Conway and others. The skits are humorous and not dated, and this Time Life release provides even more evidence that Burnett should be considered in the same sentence as Lucille Ball and Gilda Radner for funniest female comedians of all time. I’ll throw in Madeline Kahn as well.
The Best of The Carol Burnett Show: 50th Anniversary Edition — For more on the genius of Burnett, see the information above. But one more time: Burnett offers some of the best variety comedy of all time.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Click here for more information on these Time Life releases.
