Product Details

• Actors: Tony Urbano, Barbara Mandrell, Louise Mandrell, Irlene Mandrell, Ken Grant
• Directors: Bob Henry
• Writers: Al Gordon, Cort Casady, Ernest Chambers, George Tricker, Lisa Medway
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Time Life Records
• DVD Release Date: May 1, 2007
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000KP6EEG
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,444 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Best of the Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters Show" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Best of Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters Show is a two-disc set emphasizing performance highlights from six episodes of the NBC "country music-variety" show that hit the air in 1980. That’s the same year Barbara Mandrell won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award, and it’s a pleasure to look back on how well she took to being such a charismatic, warm, and fun host as well as a dynamic vocalist. Appearing with her are sisters Louise and Irlene, the former a good singer in her own right while Irlene is essentially a personality. Each of the truncated shows here begins with the trio bantering at the top of an episode, generally targeting poor Barbara for being the shortest, the oldest, or not much good at dancing. The first show here, from November of 1980, finds Dolly Parton singing "9 to 5" while also participating in a gospel medley with John Schneider and the Mandrells. (Each show in the series seems to have ended with a gospel medley as a signature piece, involving all the musical talent available on any given night.) This episode is also the only place that one really gets a sense of what the comedy was like on this series, in a passable bit in which one sees how only child Barbara’s happiness was destroyed by the announcement that her mother was pregnant with Louise. Another show from that same time period ushers in Kenny Rogers as a special guest, though his fine solo contributions and collaborations with the sisters isn’t nearly as interesting as Barbara and Louise’s Patsy Cline medley and tribute.

Things really pick up with a 1982 episode starring Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, who share a lot of enjoyable, old memories with Barbara and embark on a short tour of their musical legacy. Johnny sings a spare "I Walk the Line," and he joins his wife and the Mandrells on a final medley that includes "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." A 1981 appearance by Bob Hope is a treat, especially a duet with Barbara on "Buttons and Bows." (There’s also a reminiscence by Barbara about appearing in a skimpy outfit for one of Hope’s TV specials years before.) Another ’81 installment featuring Alabama and Glen Campbell proves okay, but the final show here stars Ray Charles in excellent form on "You Don’t Know Me" and a bluesy, understated "Old Time Religion." --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Beginning in 1980, over 40 million viewers tuned in each week as Barbara, Louise, and Irlene sang, danced and joked their way to TV stardom on this Top 10-rated series. It's packed with over 40 guest musical perfomances including Country superstars Johnny Cash, Alabama, Marty Robbins, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, The Statler Brothers, Ray Charles, John Schneider, Glen Campbell, and many more as well as comedy legends Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller and Andy Kaufman.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointment-But I still love you Barbara, June 13, 2007

By	M. Topham "Barbara Fan" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was 5 when this show was on and my family watched it every Saturday night. I have been waiting years for a DVD release. However, it was a huge disappointment. My favorite parts were the opening song and dance numbers in the middle of the show. These are all cut from the DVD set. So if you, like me, were hoping the DVDs would be filled with these numbers, you might want to reconsider spending the money. I hope someone sees these reviews and will release the actual "Best Of" the Mandrell Sisters. I'm still waiting!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A terrible hack job with many scenes cut, January 19, 2007

By	Tim (Boston) - See all my reviews

I was really looking forward to this DVD, being a huge fan of the television show. Unfortunately, when I started watching the set, I found out that this DVD set focuses on the guest stars throughout the show's run. The popular opening numbers and song and dance routines which were a highlight of the show are all cut. It's really disappointing to see Time-Life release something like this, without so much of the good material gone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Impressed, May 26, 2007

By	KenB. "KWB" (Milton, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

The Best of should refer to the shows as a whole not the content of the show. Quite disappointing to see the shows butchered like that.