Product Details

• Actors: Richard Joy, Mickey Rooney, Kim Hunter, Edmond O'Brien, Mel Tormé
• Directors: John Frankenheimer
• Writers: Ernest Lehman, Rod Serling
• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Rhino / Wea
• VHS Release Date: September 22, 1993
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302902118
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,140 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Playhouse 90 The Comedian, July 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Rod Serling's The Comedian (Playhouse 90) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was glad to see that you have this video in your catalogue and wish you had more from Playhouse 90. I was there in Television City when it was made, and it certainly caused a stir there, as well as critically acclaimed by fans of Playhouse 90. With an excellent script by Rod Serling and powerful direction by John Frankenheimer, the wunderkind team of Playhouse 90, this program brilliantly satirizes their perception of the on, and, particularly, offstage life of a famous comedian who also taped shows at the same studio. The Comedian is an excellent example of what a great medium television was and could have been forever until I Love Lucy other such trivia replaced the ever exciting live TV dramas of The Golden Age of Television and reduced the medium to a "cultural wasteland."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first time I saw Mel Torme, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rod Serling's The Comedian (Playhouse 90) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I saw a filmed version of this live '57 TV drama on PBS in the early 80's it was like nothing I had ever seen before. Mel Torme was so moving as the beaten down brother/writer for the TV comic Rooney. It is one of the heaviest dramas you will ever see, and it was done in the middle of "the everything is OK" late 50s . One of a kind, and deeply affecting, Mel Torme was the real thing.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Playhouse 90 The Comedian, July 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Rod Serling's The Comedian (Playhouse 90) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was glad to see that you have this video in your catalogue. I was there in Television City when it was made, and it certainly caused a stir there, and it was critically acclaimed by fans of Playhouse 90. With an excellent script by Rod Serling and powerful direction by John Frankenheimer, the wunderkind team of Playhouse 90, this program brilliantly satirizes the on, and particularly offstage, life of a famous comedian who also taped shows at the same studio. It obviously made its point, because the comedian never allowed anyone from the Playhouse 90 staff into his rehearsals or shows. The Comedian is an excellent example of what a great medium television could have been until I Love Lucy other such trivia replaced the ever exciting live TV dramas.