Customer Reviews

Martin & Lewis Collection (Colgate Comedy Hour / At War With the Army)

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"The Colgate Comedy Hour" was an enormously popular early TV variety series. With a roster of regular hosts that included Abbott & Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante and Eddie Cantor, the show also had one or two-spot guest hosts, like Ray Bolger and Phil Silvers. The most popular Colgate headliners (and apparently the best-suited for live television) were the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

It's been said that their appearances on the Comedy Hour were the closest thing to seeing a Martin & Lewis nightclub show. Jerry was especially capable of throwing the script away and ad-libbing, and Dean always kept right up with him. The 17 kinescopes in this DVD set of Dean and Jerry's Colgate shows are still an absolute joy to behold. Also included is one of Martin & Lewis's early PARAMOUNT feature films.

PROGRAM CONTENTS--
DISC ONE -
(5.6) At War With the Army (1950) - Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis/Dick Stabile/Polly Bergen
The Colgate Comedy Hour--
(9/21/52) Rosemary Clooney
(2/4/51) - Polly Bergen/Bob Fosse


DISC TWO - The Colgate Comedy Hour
(10/4/53) - Burt Lancaster
(5/8/55) Tony Curtis/Janet Leigh/Jimmy Durante/George Raft
(9/17/50) Marilyn Maxwell/Barr & Estes


DISC THREE - The Colgate Comedy Hour
(5/2/54) - Gretchen Houser/The Treniers
(11/4/51) - Dorothy Dandridge
(4/29/51) - Helen O'Connell
(12/19/54) - Jack Benny/Vera Miles


DISC FOUR - The Colgate Comedy Hour
(?) Margaret Dumont
(?) Margaret Dumont
(?) Connie Russell
(?) Connie Russell


DISC FIVE - The Colgate Comedy Hour
(2/10/52) - Ray Malone/Sheldon Leonard
(6/5/55) - Buddy Rich/Peggy Castle/Sonny King
(11/30/52) - Kitty Kallen/Robert Strauss
(5/3/55) Mary McCarty/Benny Rubin/Sheldon Leonard


BONUS FEATURES:
DISC ONE, TWO, FIVE--
Film Info
Bios
Facts & Trivia
Photo Gallery

DISC THREE--
About the Show
Dean Martin Bio
Jerry Lewis Bio
Facts & Trivia
Gallery

DISC FOUR--
Martin & Lewis: A Retrospective
Ten Years Together
Radio

Film trailers:
The Caddy
Hollywood or Bust
Jumping Jacks
Living it Up
Pardners
Sailor Beware
Scared Stiff
3 Ring Circus
You're Never Too Young
Some Came Running

Photo Gallery
Daily Life in 1946

Having just received this collection I thought I should pass on some pertinent information.

First of all, this set has 15 episodes of the Colgate Comedy Hour, and not the 17 that is stated in the title. The fourth disc has two episodes (not four), but also has a program called MARTIN & LEWIS: A RETROSPECTIVE which runs 61 minutes. It is an overview of their careers together. This disc also has several short excerpts from their radio show running 2 minutes to 6 minutes. I think it would have been better to include a couple complete episodes instead - after all, this set is intended for fans.

The only drawback - and it is a minor one - to the set is the use of incredibly inappropriate music for the menu screens. There's contemporary smooth jazz melodies used on each disc which has nothing to do with Martin & Lewis. The company could've easily sampled some music from various episodes since each episode is loaded with music.

Otherwise the episodes seem to be complete, including commercials and Dean's songs (which get cut out of other collections - be careful!). I haven't seen a company logo superimposed in the bottom corner. The quality of the episodes are pretty good; the sound is a little muffled on some, and "At War with the Army" is in decent enough shape. I suggest trying to watch the episodes in their actual order instead of the order in the collection. Martin & Lewis make references to things that make more sense if you know what year they're taking place in, and five years went by from their first appearance to their last.

Martin & Lewis made over thirty appearances on the Colgate Comedy Hour, and this set represents about half. Hopefully a volume two will come out containing the remaining shows!