The Merv Griffin Show 40 of the Most Interesting People of Our Time (Alpha Home Entertainment-2006) The problem with Merv calling this 40 of the Most Interesting People of Our Time is that it’s strictly based on Merv’s opinion. Not that we disrespect Merv for a minute – he’s given us more than our share of TV memories … Continue reading
The Naked Cowboy On Broadway by Ronald Sklar Robert Burck, aka The Naked Cowboy, stands at the crossroads of the world, a prism strumming a guitar. Through the millions of people who curiously walk by him, marvel at him, laugh at him, laugh with him, narrow their eyebrows at him, pose with him (he claims to hold … Continue reading
Bewitched The Complete First Season – In Color (1964-1965) (Sony-2006) When Bewitched premiered in the fall of 1964, it was so high-concept that during its first few episodes, it needed a narrator to tell us that Samantha was a witch. This introduction was written ironically, being that she was supernatural and yet just like us, using favorite … Continue reading
That Girl Season One (1966-1967) (Shout! Factory-2006) Like one of Marlo Thomas’ minidresses, That Girl perkily sashayed into TV history as a feminist-era earthshaker. It gladly took credit for bravely paving the way for the likes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and even – according to this DVD’s liner notes – Murphy Brown and Ally McBeal. We could argue and … Continue reading
THE 5 BROWNS BREAKING BOUNDARIES BY RONALD SKLAR Fifty fingers on five keyboards. Three girls, two boys, all from the same womb, digging classical music and – through sheer talent and charm — making us dig it too. What is this? Even the most pony-tailed of marketing directors could not dream this up. It is … Continue reading
MTV Video Music Awards Rock (Paramount-2003) and Hip-Pop (Paramount-2003) As always, Chris Rock says it best. While hosting the MTV Awards in 1997, he observes that a good video can lead you to like a bad song. And that’s pretty much what this MTV Awards collection – saluting this hip, attitudinal underdog of awards shows – should be all … Continue reading
The Electric Company The Best of the Electric Company (Shout! Factory-2006) HEY, YOU GUYS! Just when you thought you couldn’t recapture any more of your TV-watching childhood, The Electric Company has surprisingly and blessedly come to DVD. Nowhere near as good as you remember it – with crude graphics, cheesy synthesizers and overlong segments (it’s stuffed to the … Continue reading
I Love Lucy The Complete Fourth Season (1954-1955) (Paramount-2005) Do we really love Lucy, or have we been brainwashed to think we do, like in The Manchurian Candidate? When the laughter subsides, is Lucy truly deserving of our love? Is she as overwhelmingly funny as we are led to believe? Does the Empress have no clown … Continue reading
Music Scene The Best of 1969-1970 (Volumes 1 & 2) (MPI Home Video-2000) The train wreck that is Music Scene – an uncomfortable, pre-Saturday Night Live mix of youthful comedy and popular music – is worth watching if only for its noble attempt to do what it did before what it did was done right. This ABC variety … Continue reading
Miami Vice Season One (1984-1985) (Universal-2005) There is nothing funnier than the party people of the 80s, so get ready for this freakazoid on the dance floor. Taking a second look at Miami Vice all these years later will make you wonder what all the popping and locking was about. We’re told that this series — almost like a … Continue reading
