Product Details

• Actors: Dean Martin, Ann-Margret, Jack Benny, Ella Fitzgerald, Victor Borge
• Directors: Greg Garrison
• Format: Color
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Guthy-Renker Entertainment
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000SJ61GA
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,878 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Best of the Dean Martin Shows, assembled by producer-director Greg Garrison, contains exclusive footage from the popular variety shows series. Included on this video is a special one hour long compilation with an irresistible blend of classic entertainment are many of Dean's celebrity guests over the years including: Ann-Margret, Jack Benny, Ella Fitzgerald, Victor Borge, Orson Welles, Goldie Hawn, Bob Newhart, Jimmy Stewart, Dom Deluise, Frank Sinatra

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Way to expensive, January 19, 2008

By	S. Mcleod "Maxo-Texas" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

$44 per season might be a good price (tho a lot of first run TV now goes for $29.99.

These are fine little excerpts but they do not show the entire context.
What I would like to see is the season -- as seasons-- in order-- and even with some applicable contemporary commercials and context.

I'll have to put my money into other things until this comes down in price.

25 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Garrison DVD Dated, January 18, 2008

By	Red Wood "film producer" (Omaha, NE.) - See all my reviews

Okay, first of all, I just would like to offer a bit of encouragement to all of those from the so-called 'greatest generation'. Please STOP STOP STOP gushing about the 'good old days' & a 'simpler time' & 'how comedy was so clean', WILL YOU? Do you have any freaking idea how all the later generations read all of this? Well, in case you don't, I'll tell you. We just shake our heads, roll our eyes, and ask the obvious question: where is the review? The whole idea here is to REVIEW, people! That means BE SPECIFIC, already! GEEZ! Get with the picture, will you? Okay, I'm done! Now, with that out of the way, here's my review.
First of all, I'm posting this review as a complete overview of these 'Best of Dean Martin...' videos. I'm not critiquing any specific one. Why, you may ask? Well, it's quite simple, really, 'The Dean Martin Show'(1965-74) was a favorite of mine as a child &, from what I've seen here from revisiting, it still holds up pretty well(outside of some of the vaudevillian slapstick). Overall, for the most part, it's pretty good(hence my 3 star rating). The real problem here, though, is with the packaging. Greg Garrison, longtime assistant to Martin, has just slapped this whole thing together without any rhyme or reason to content or style, whatsoever. We're offered simple, quick excerpts from various shows over Martin's nine years on the air. At times, the periods that the seasons jump to are quite jarring! For example, one of the videos I've seen had an okay sketch with Dom Deluise and Peter Sellers in a barbershop, apparently from the mid-late 60s, considering their dress and Martin's appearance. Then, suddenly, we jump to one of the final seasons & a silver-haired, slightly bedraggled Martin in a sketch with Jonathan Winters-??!?!! Not to mention, Martin seems a little wearier & less involved(perhaps, he was ready to get out of the weekly grind?) Also, there are these '1980s-video styled' reminiscences from a few different stars that appeared on the shows. These are clunkily dropped in, & @ odd moments, with no consideration for content, again. Jimmy Stewart appeared on the one I saw-and, yet, he's NOWHERE to be found on that particular video. Not to mention that all he really says is that it was a 'fun show'. Also, Garrison pops up every now and then saying things like, 'We never knew what might happen when it came to Dean!' WOOAAHHH! We'd better look out for that crazy Dino! No telling what he might do on one of these disorganized excerpts!!! Hold me back!
Okay, my point is, obviously, that this'll probably be fine for those EXTREMELY dedicated Martin enthusiasts who loved and adored this period and everything and anything that's released with either Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and the rest. However, for the rest of us who simply like Martin/the show, I would suggest to wait until Garrison has someone else do it right-ie. season-by-season sets(I mean HELLO! It's the most acceptable &, basically, common form of contemporary packaging in the new millenium! Get out of the 90s, Greg!) A friend of mine, who also likes this classic period of TV was just horrified when he saw this mishmash...and rightly so! Guthy-Renker, the company who has the rights here, is an extremely dated company and has done this very same thing to 'The Carol Burnett Show' & 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In', as well. I believe that TIME Life has also disemboweled 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'. Too bad! These are all great shows & should be seen correctly, as is only common now! I have a message for Guthy-Renker and the cheesy Mr.Garrison: It's 2008, folks, let's start acting like it! Get your silly heads out of the clouds!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dean Martin Variety Show DVD, January 19, 2009

By	Kevin Bayliss (Davison, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The transaction went smooth enough but I was disapointed that the DVD was only one hour in length. I feel that $55- for this product was very over priced. My sister purchased the same DVD on a television offer for $9.99, so needless to say I feel I was ripped off. I know if the item I purchased would have stated that the length was only one hour I would not have purchased it.

Respectfully,
Kevin D. Bayliss