Customer Reviews

The Best of The Dean Martin Variety Show (Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

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 marginal as well (comparable to the first generation DVD Sinatra specials from the 1960's)

Producers! If you're going to give us only 20 episodes, fine. But give us the COMPLETE episodes. Give us all the monologues, all the songs and throw in the DMS bumpers and the NBC peacock at the beginning. This is a SAD effort. Now granted, the DMS was like most variety shows of its era. 60% was filled with crap (bad comedians, singers that never made the charts, animal acts, acrobats), but let me the viewer decide when to hit the fast forward button please.

I would save your money & wait for NBC to release this show in season sets. COMPLETE season sets that is!

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), we've provided a painstakingly-researched appendix that takes the 20 episodes in Time-Life's 6-DVD set and compares the original musical content of those shows when they were first broadcast on NBC with not only the musical selections contained in Time-Life's reissue of those episodes, but also, with the musical portions of those episodes that can be found on the earlier 29-volume Guthy-Renker collection.

For the most sweeping and unbiased look at this subject available anywhere, simply type into any search engine the phrase: Updates/The Golddiggers Super Site

And we cordially invite anyone who has written a review of the Time-Life sets on these pages to add it to our site and/or comment on our article, where such postings are guaranteed to be read by those who will shape future releases of material from The Dean Martin Show.

ORIGINAL PREVIEW (posted April 4, 2011, prior to release):

This 6-DVD Collector's Edition is the largest of three forthcoming releases representing the first new group of DVDs culled from episodes of The Dean Martin Show in 8 years, with the selections being produced this time around by Time-Life Video from footage supplied directly from NBC, the network that broadcast all 9 seasons of Dean's wildly popular variety series.

These new products - unlike the older ones from Guthy-Renker composed of segments drawn from different episodes and seasons of the program all mixed together - are arranged by individual episodes, with the 6-DVD set containing 20 episodes in all, featuring more than 50 guest stars and a total of 80 musical performances -- many of the latter making their official debut on DVD. An advance, in-depth rundown of the guest star lineups and original air dates of the shows included in The Best of The Dean Martin Variety Show 6-disc set can be found by using a search engine to locate: Updates/The Golddiggers Super Site (a site named after the female singer-dancers who became famous for their appearances on both Dean's TV series and their own).

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 scratching my head.

I will agree with the other reviewers here on Amazon. I purchased this at the warehouse and viewed the first 3 episodes with my wife tonight. The episodes are between 23 and 28 minutes long. These are edited down to about half the original broadcast. Do not get me wrong. Some of the skits are very funny. The barbarshop scene w/ orsen wells and Jimmy Stewart made me laugh for its 5 minutes of wit. But the episodes all have end credits that show snapshots of scenes from the show broadcast, and you can guess easily what you misses on the DvD realease.
In addition, the audio mixing is terrible. Watching this DvD with a 5.1 system, you loose vocal in the center channal at the end of the first episode/ disk 1. If these broadcasts were recorded in Mono, realease them in Mono. Fans will not criticize Dvd producers for that, but I will criticize the mixing here.
Dean Martin had a great show on NBC. Keep it simple. Realease the episodes in Mono and unedited.

Each show on the DVD had real possibilities. During the credits that run at the
end of each show, you get an idea of what you missed. So many of the musical numbers that Dean did with guests were left out, while comedy sketches that didn't quite work were left in. It's great to see the stars, and perhaps leaving so much
material out helps sell other products. But based on the choices of what is left out, I'd be leery of buying anything else from these folks.

Smuthdude is overly negative in his review.

I am delighted to have these (I bought the 6 DVD set). They add quite a bit of material to what was presented on the Guthy Renker videos, but there is some overlap. The video quality is, in part, due to the era. The sound quality is a bit uneven in places. As mentioned, these are not complete episodes. Some are about 20 minutes in length up to a bit over 30 minutes. They are, however, excerpts from individual episodes. So you see much of what was on one particular episode, but not the entire episode. Disappointingly, quite a few of the episodes do not have either Dean's solo opening number or the "serious" song mid-show with Ken Lane featured on piano. On the other hand, there are far more duets and group numbers with Dean and guests than in the Guthy Renker set.

Yes, if I had had the master tapes, I would have put together a much different package. But, if you love Dean, then you will love this set. Hopefully more will follow and someday we will still get complete episodes.

What a mess! Instead of complete broadcasts, we get badly condensed episodes from Dean Martin's 1965-74 variety show. Avoid these travesties and wait for NBCUniversal to release full-season DVD sets - hopefully in this lifetime.

As one reviewer has said the best part of The Dean Martin Variety Show was DEAN. Having just watched all 6 discs I am very disappointed. Where have all the songs gone - the entry song, the song on the couch. The editing was shocking and because of it the whole feeling that was The Dean Martin Show has gone. I wish they would just release the complete shows and then all Dean's fans would be happy. What a waste of money! Certainly not my idea of The Best Of The Dean Martin Variety Show.

This is for the 1 DVD "Best of the Dean Martin Variety Show" that was released on May 24, 2011. The box and Amazon show this DVD as being 159 minutes in length; IT IS NOT. The DVD is 1 hour and 59 minutes long, 40 minutes shorter than the described length on the box. Even at that, it is an excellent compilation with great guest stars such as John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Orson Wells, and includes full musical performances by such greats at Joel Grey and Juliett Prowse. Picture quality and special features are also quite excellent.

While I absolutely love Dean Martin, this collection is a little bit annoying. The episodes are cut so that you don't see an entire show. The order of the episodes is also put together poorly. I wold like to see the Variety Show from its inception to its end in order. However, there is nothing better than watching Dean do his thing.