Have any of you actually SEEN these yet?
Most of these reviews here are in anticipation of something the reviewer has never seen. I purchased this at Costco this weekend in California where they're already on the shelves (for half the price, $29.99). I'm glad, because this is a lousy set.
It's branded the BEST of the Dean Martin Variety Show. That's fair, except when you crack open the case and browse through the booklet, they lead you to believe that you're watching hand selected COMPLETE episodes. These are not. They are heavily edited :20 minute versions of the original shows which were 50 minutes or so in length.
Most of these episodes (spanning 1965-73) are available in their entirety on YouTube, which makes this collection even more frustrating. Gone are most of Dean's musical numbers, most of his musical parodies with Ken Lane, his bottom of the hour "couch" songs. Instead, we're "treated" to full length performances by acts like Juliet Prowse and Joel Grey??? The picture quality is...
Someone's idea of the 'Best'
Like the other reviewers have said, these are not the complete episodes, nor would I call them the best, a big disapointment since I got this for my father. My father, who watched these shows while growing up, remembered some of the episodes and pointed out the heavy editting this edition has. There are funny moments yes, but there is definitely something missing when the scenes jump around or cut out just before it gets really good. Added to this is that there does not seem to be any specific order these 'episodes' are placed in, a single DVD would jump from a show in the early sixties, go to the seventies, then back to the sixties. There is some entertainment to be had, but poor editing, selections, and ordering counter the good skits and songs. Also mentioned in other reviews, many of the scenes in these DVDs, even the entire episode these scenes are from, can often be found on youtube. Its a good try, but someone's definition of the 'Best' of Dean Martin definitely has me...
New Dean Martin Show Collection Contains Many 1st Time-on-DVD Musical Numbers
UPDATE (posted July 31, 2011): Now that The Golddiggers Super Site has confirmed that Time-Life is going forward with a SECOND edition of DVDs culled from The Dean Martin Show, we thought that this would be an auspicious time for a detailed and objective examination of the first collection, assembled with the aim of improving future installments.
Toward that end, we've reviewed the T-L sets' pluses and minuses, taken into consideration many of the criticisms expressed here on Amazon, and offered some informative background on both Dean's series and the complexities of clearing music for vintage television programs.
Beyond just surveying what's come before, we've additionally cast an eye toward what's next, by advancing a series of practical, viable solutions for avoiding some of the pitfalls of this initial release in future reissues.
And to make it easier for connoisseurs of this material to know exactly what they're getting (and what they're not),...
Click to Editorial Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment