24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some hilarious Soupy moments, November 26, 2001
This review is from: Absolutely Best of Soupy Sales Show [VHS] (VHS Tape)
If you grew up watching Soupy Sales on his various t.v. shows in the 50s, 60s and 70s you'll love some of the moments on this tape. If you have read his wonderful new biography Soupy Sez and want to learn more about him and his attitude-filled style of kids-show-but-not-only-for-kids comedy, you'll see some priceless moments and will be turned on.
But be warned: the BEST Soupy Sales video has yet to be compiled. Sales was sort of a kids' version of 50s t.v. star Ernie Kovaks, who later influenced the 1960s rapid-fire-gag show Laugh In. And it's not surprising that Laugh In also seemed very much influenced by Sales. Sales' never talked DOWN to kids but TO kids -- and to adults. Frank Sinatra and others were HUGE fans; Sinatra asked to appear on his show and get a pie in his face...and he DID.
Script? He had a basic guide. And he made it seem like it was all ad libs -- and all easy...which it wasn't. His show consisted of him often listening to radio news reports peppered with vaudeville-burlesque style jokes, his own outrageous puns, and "camp" hand puppet routines that were enjoyed by adults on another level. And LOTS of hilarious slapstick.
He'd answer the door and you'd only see the hands of a visitor -- and it usually ended with Sales getting a pie (shaving cream filled) in his face. Or you'd see him talking to his huge dogs White Fang and Black Tooth...and you'd only see his paws. If he told a joke while talking to them...a pie in his face.
This tape DOES have some priceless moments -- for die-hard Sales fans and students of comedy. The first is a black and white program from his ABC network series of the 1960s. Although some of this does NOT reflect Sales at his nutty best, there are some great moments of schtick...such as when he holds a glass of water and is asked the time (you guessed it). This is the slower of the two episodes.
The second program, from his syndicated 1970s show, is better. It shows a slightly older Sales but his humor hasn't changed one iota. And there is a CLASSIC slapstick bit that is EVERY BIT AS GOOD as ANYTHING the Three Stooges or Laurel and Hardy ever did...about a man (you only see the hands) at his door who wants him to test some products. This should be shown to any aspiring comedians (for the timing, Sales' reactions)..and it shows Sales at his zaniest best.
According to Sales' wonderful bio, tapes of most of his shows were destroyed. Perhaps some day someone will find enough of them to put out an authentic "BEST" of Soupy tape -- but for now if you get this tape and look for these priceless, timeless moments you'll get his humor, get some laughs -- and if you DON'T you deserve a pie in your face.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Corrections To The Other Reviews, September 15, 2005
This review is from: Absolutely Best of Soupy Sales Show [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Just a couple corrections of errors in the other reviews. The shots of the naked woman were NEVER broadcast anywhere. As a practical joke on Soupy, the crew hooked an isolated camera up to a closed-circuit monitor BEHIND the set. Only Soupy could see it when he opened the door at the rear of the set and looked left. The crew then had a naked girl stand entirely out of view of the broadcast cameras behind the set. At the scripted moment she reached out and knocked on the door. When Soupy opened it, he got the shock of his life --as he'd been expecting a fully-dressed male actor. Horrified, Soupy could only assume that what he saw over the backstage monitor was going out over the air -- but it wasn't and never did. The series NEVER included any backstage shots. The crew got a good laugh at Sales' expense, though. And as for the urban legends of Soupy shooting the finger or telling dirty gags on his show, those things simply never did happen. Soupy was far too smart to destroy his career that way! The "green pieces of paper" story, though, IS true. Sales had to think of something to fill a leftover minute on one episode and just improvised a gag routine so outlandish he figured no one could ever take seriously. (The idea was to invite kids to send in green papers with pictures of presidents on them that they might find aound the house -- and if they did, Soupy would send them a postcard from Puerto Rico.) Incredibly, a few kids did send in cash-- although most of it was play money. (Soupy gave the real cash to charity.) Anyway, the "scandal" did cause Metromedia to suspend Soupy from his own show for a few days. The fans were outraged -- and when Soupy did return, his ratings went higher than ever. The real Soupy vs. Metromedia tragedy came later. Sales and the firm each owned a 50% stake in the series videotapes, which were syndicated for a while and then stored in the Metromedia vaults. Several years later, after all rights reverted back to Sales, Soupy came by to pick up his tapes. To his horror he discovered that Metromedia, ever eager to recycle tape, had erased every single one of them. All that's left of Soupy's beloved New York based '60s series are a few odd kines Metromedia did not get their paws on. But, as Soupy told me himself, all the original Metromedia videotapes ARE gone. The existing color episodes were all shot a decade later (in the '70s) at Gold West Broadcasters in L.A. The real classics, though, were the B&W Metromedia programs -- which live on only in memory (except for that handful of kine copies of a few isolated bits).
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19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not really a kid's show / was hoping for more b&w episodes, October 29, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Absolutely Best of Soupy Sales Show [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I'm a big fan of Soupy. Ever since I first saw the show at age 7. I used to run home after attending classes at my depressing Catholic grade school in Connecticut so I could catch Soupy on t.v. This show was on WNEW in NYC, and was broadcast live. I am still looking for the episode where he tells the kids to go to their parents' purse or pants pockets, get a dollar out and send it to him. The reward? A postcard from Puerto Rico. Soupy got the plug pulled on his show (literally - they took it off the air right then and there because it was live) after telling dirty jokes on the air - this was a KID's show, but really didn't operate like one. I thought it was the most radical thing I ever saw (at age 7 anyway) and still have fond memories. However, this video has 50/50 b&w (old show) and color (new show). I was hoping for 100% vintage Soupy. Especially the banned episodes.
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