Customer Reviews

The Best of Primetime Glick

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Primetime Glick" has got to be one of the stranger spin-off ideas in television history: a character rescued from the short-lived "Martin Short Show" gets a late-night-style interview show on Comedy Central and makes it big. In it, Martin Short plays the title character, an overweight, hyperactive, half-fawning, half-obtuse interviewer that sits down with one or two of Hollywood's biggest comedic talents every week for interviews that are played as real - as long as the interviewees can keep from laughing.

In this collection, we get five episodes from the first season (2001) of "Primetime Glick" which actually amounts to half the season. Why they couldn't just give us the first five episodes of the season instead is beyond me - maybe they're using the release to gauge consumer interest. Anyway, along with four really funny episodes featuring Bill Maher, Steve Martin, Dennis Miller, Jerry Seinfeld, Janeane Garofalo, basketball star John Salley, Conan O'Brien, Eugene Levy - and a surprisingly bad episode featuring Kathy Lee Gifford and Darrell Hammond doing his "SNL" Dick Cheney - the disc also includes added material from the Seinfeld, Martin, Gifford, O'Brien and Garofalo interviews (in some cases longer and funnier than the stuff that was put in the episode) and a few other goodies from Comedy Central - a "Glick" segment featuring Julia-Louis Dreyfus, a "South Park" segment and a "Crank Yankers" segment.

In all, this show has been a pleasant surprise treat for me, and I was pleased at how good the DVD was given the rather low price. I hope that Comedy Central will get around to releasing full seasons at some point, but until they do, this is a surprisingly good "Best of" collection.

I had always found Martin Short's over-expressive antics and routine comedies rather annoying and far from humorous. When Primetime Glick first came on Comedy Central, I had no desire to watch it. But then I kept seeing commercials where Glick (Short in a hideous fat suit) ripped into real celebrities during interviews. The clips were hilarious and I found myself tuning in.
How glad I was when I did.
Primetime Glick makes constant fun of Hollywood and the simple-minded morons who worship everything Hollywood does. The entire Entertainment industry is shredded by this mock talk show, and Short, as Glick, is the wonderfully obnoxious center of it all.
The interviews are the best part of this underrated show, where huge stars get insulted, interupted and even assulted by Glick who half the time doesn't know who the guest is nor does he care about them.
It's as if Glick speaks for the cynical at-home-viewer who always rolls their eyes in disgust when someone like Julia Roberst comes on TV and starts babbling about her latest movie. Glick simultaniously makes fun of Hollywood phonies (himself being one) and points out other Hollywood phonies for the insipid blowhards they are. And when he has a good guest on he still rips into them, all in good fun.

This DVD comes out right alongside the joyously surpirsing release of a third Season on Comedy Central. Just when everyone thought this show was dead and buried, it comes back with guests like Steven Spielberg, Ice Cube, Mel Brooks and Brandon Frasier.

Guests of this show have to have a good sense of humor and be a little masochistic, because Glick is ... relentless ...; fans of this show have to be a little hostile towards celebrity worship to truly get the humor of this.

For a great look at what makes the show so original and so excellent, pick up this reasonably priced collection. I'll get it as soon as possible, but I'll also be hoping for season sets.

Martin Short's Jiminy Glick character is what television needs in our age of celebrity worship. A sweaty, gluttonous, oblivious, clumsy, clueless interviewer who backhands his guests so deftly that I think they even miss out on the diss.

My favorite interview is with Jerry Seinfeld, another brilliant comedian who can think fast on his feet and keeps up with Short. That segment is gold.
(Although it's not on this DVD, one of my favorite Jiminy questions was put to Mel Brooks on another show, "So what's your beef with the Nazis?").

I also find Mrs. Gathercole (Short made up as Jiminy's ancient, crotchety fan) hilarious, whether she's soiling herself and throwing her bloomers at her abused nurse or shouting out "FORNICATE!"

Like all sketch comedy, some of it can be hit and miss depending on your tastes. But when Jiminy hits, it's a homerun.

Those SCTV fanatics finally got something to cheer about when Martin Short was given this incredible show. He brought back the tradition of that crazy show. Moreover, he brought back the members of it. Levy, Thomas and Flaherty all appeared on season one of Glick. This show is just so intelligent, so many little subplots with Adrian VanVoorhees, Dixie, Mason, Morgan, Matthew and Modine. I have never laughed harder at a show. I cannot get enough of Jiminy and his pathetic nature. Sadly, this DVD is rather brief. It is a best of and not a collection of the whole season. However, the deleted scene with Julia Louise Dryfuss is INCREDIBLE! Here is hoping that Comedy Central will bring this show back and release an entire first season DVD. Great great stuff.

I've been waiting for Primetime Glick to be released on DVD ever since I first saw it on Comedy Central. I pre-ordered this DVD when I heard it was coming out. After receiving it and viewing it, I must say it was worth the wait. The quality of this disc is top-rate.....awesome clarity with superb sound. The episodes selected as "best of" are great.......Miss Gathercole is hilarious as the vulgar, ever-present audience member as are all the other characters portrayed by the most talented Martin Short. Jiminy Click is a classic character, if ever there was one; Mr. Short's best creation. I highly recommend this disc for anyone who needs a good rolling on the floor laugh. Like the other reviewers here, I want to see the entire series to date released on DVD.....just can't get enough of Glick!

This is a great release but we really deserve to have the whole series on DVD! I would have chosen a few different interviews but I'm not complaining very loudly.

This is fine as an introduction but I want all the other shows as well. I've never been a real Martin Short "fan" but with Glick I got religion.

If you don't "Get" it, try it when you're in a different mood. I didn't think it was so much funny as much as I found it silly. But you need to give it your full attention and be in a fine mood and you realize the genius behind Glick.

Two small complaints: 1. More Jan Hooks as Dixie 2. We need scene selection on the DVD. Each show is an entire track.

i ran out & picked it up the day it came out. if you are a fan of mr. short [or even if you've never even heard of him], you must own this dvd. unfortunately i don't get comedy central, so this has been my first opportunity seeing mr. glick in action. my only dissapointment was that this is not an entire season boxed in a set. it left me wanting more...much more!!

ps_just found out he's in development for a movie based on his character jiminy glick! this could become a trilogy that exceeds the funniest fat .... moments in austin powers! good luck martin & don't compromise with the script...keep it funny!

Martin Short's character Jiminy Glick of Primetime Glick can become rather addicting. Martin Short's spoof of talk show hosts is genuinely unique. This DVD will give any one needing a "Glick fix" the full treatment. I look forward to an all new seaon of Primetime Glick on Comedy Central.

Martin Short's Jiminy Glick is a great character that parodies bad late night talk show hosts and self-centered interviewers/news folks who often make the story more about themselves than what/who they're actually talking about. This is a great character and I could (and have) watch the interviews over and over again and always pick up something new. There's so many funny little things and quirks to this character, I find myself continuing to enjoy this DVD. It seems Short's goal is to crack up his guests with unexpected questions and comments during the interviews. And that is really saying something when you're talking about Jerry Seinfeld, Ben Stiller, Steve Martin, etc. These guys are top notch comedians and Short's ability to make them laugh proves just how great he is.

So my only complaint is:

Why aren't the rest of the seasons out on DVD?

Hopefully someday...but in the meantime, enjoy this sampling of a great show.