Product Details

• Actors: Bob Warren
• Directors: Axel Gruenberg, Richard Gottlieb
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC, Original recording remastered
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: R2 Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: May 3, 2005
• Run Time: 480 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00093GVWY
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,506 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "This Is Your Life - The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In this era of television warts-and-all biographies, true Hollywood stories, and Punk'd, one fears that This Is Your Life is about due for an unfortunate extreme makeover. But as this wonderful three-disc set demonstrates, it would be sacrilege to tamper with the testimonial tone of this venerable series. This 18-show compilation spans the years 1953 (Roy Rogers) to 1987 (Betty White). Here are represented a diverse gallery of 20th-century icons--some that you recognize, some that you've hardly even heard of. The stellar roster includes show business legends (Milton Berle, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Dick Clark), World War II heroes (Rear Admiral Samuel G. Fuqua), Olympic champions (Jesse Owens), and music greats (Johnny Cash, Bobby Darin, Richard and Karen Carpenter). The most fun part of each episode is the "reveal," in which the series creator and host Ralph Edwards ("Mr. This Is Your Life Himself") surprises the unsuspecting honoree. The basic Kubler-Ross stages of TIYL are Confusion (when Edwards enters the scene), Denial, Shock (when Edwards utters those immortal words, "This Is Your Life"), and Acceptance. Add to these Relief (as when Bob Hope realizes it's Jayne Mansfield, and not he, who is to be honored), and Annoyance (watch Robert Wagner roll his eyes as Edwards barges into a movie pre-production meeting to nab Bette Davis).

Two episodes are particular standouts. The first, broadcast in 1954, features Laurel and Hardy; the first and only time that the comedy team appeared live on television in the United States. The second, broadcast live in 1953, pays tribute to Hanna Bloch Kohner, a Holocaust survivor. This is a laudable episode, but the unfathomable enormity of the Holocaust makes for awkward moments that play like darkest satire. "You lived a lifetime of fear, terror and tragedy," Edwards observes to his shocked guest. "You look... not at all like a survivor of Hitler's cruel purge of German Jews. These, as well as happier events, we will relive here in just a moment...." For members of the Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers, this collection will be a priceless time capsule. Just as Candid Camera captured ordinary people in the act of being themselves, so did this television institution, at its best, peek behind the public persona of extraordinary people. Milton Berle is rendered humbled and speechless during his tribute. In another priceless and poignant moment, Bud Abbott notes how he almost lost his former estranged partner's friendship "through foolish pride." Bette Davis, on the other hand, comes as advertised: demanding, difficult, and indomitable. --Donald Liebenson

Product Description

THIS IS YOUR LIFE showcased extraordinary lives - and television brought them into America’s living rooms. Creator and host Ralph Edwards honored uncommon people, sometimes famous, sometimes known only to a few. The stories were always filled with laughter, tears and tender memories as the guest was surprised by people from their past. Now, available for the first time ever on any home video format, 18 of the best loved original episodes are available in this digitally remastered 3-DVD "Ultimate Collection." THIS IS YOUR LIFE is one of television's most enduring classics and a must for every DVD collection.

• Over 8 hours of classic TV at its finest
• Closed Captioning (CC)
• 30-page Collectors Booklet
• Rare behind-the-scenes photos
• Never-before-seen memorabilia
• Show introductions by creator and host Ralph Edwards

FEATURED HONOREES:

Disc 1:

COMEDY LEGENDS
Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy - World-famous comedy team
Lou Costello - Consummate clown with a poignant past

SIRENS OF THE SILVER SCREEN
Bette Davis - "The First Lady of the American Screen"
Jayne Mansfield - Voluptuous film star of the ‘50s

COUNTRY MUSIC GREATS
Roy Rogers - Singing "King of the Cowboys"
Johnny Cash - Country music’s "Man in Black"

Disc 2:

TV COMEDY SUPERSTARS
Milton Berle - "Mr. Television"
Betty White - Loveable Golden Girl

WORLD WAR II SURVIVORS
Rear Admiral Samuel G. Fuqua - Pearl Harbor hero
Hanna Bloch Kohner - Holocaust survivor

MUSIC MOVERS & SHAKERS
Bobby Darin - Rock and roll idol
Dick Clark - Star-maker and producer

Disc 3:

1970's MUSIC ICONS
Carpenters - Richard & Karen, the decade’s top duo
Shirley Jones - Academy Award-winning actress and The Partridge Family’s singing mom

OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS
Jesse Owens - Inspirational track star
Duke Kahanamoku - Swimmer, "Father of Surfing"

MASTERS OF HORROR
Boris Karloff - Immortalized Frankenstein’s monster
Vincent Price - Hollywood’s "Master of the Macabre"

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great A Keeper Brings Back Childhood Memories Plus from a Boomer!, August 13, 2005

By	HershonJones (Michigan) - See all my reviews

To be honest, I expected to watch this set & quickly sell it back on Ebay or Amazon.com but its so wonderful and greatly packaged, that its a keeper that I'll cherish. I'm a 51 year old baby boomer and it seems like all the greats were still alive when I was a kid and my knowledge and curiosity were limited back then and I didn't really know anything about these greats or appreciate them like I do now. Most of the people on this DVD made it on their own with their talent, charm & charisma not like the phoney no talented have no business to be considered celebrity types like Paris Hilton & the endless ilk.
Anyway, it was wonderful to see these wonderful people like Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, Jayne Mansfield, etc., come alive with real people in a non rehearsed spontaneous setting not put on by some pr person being themselves with their loved ones, long lost friends, etc. Lou Costello was especially touching & he cracks one of the funniest improvised spontaneous cracks I've ever heard. Jayne Mansfield comes across like a really wonderful person as well and I can see why her daughter Marissa Haggerty comes off like a class act.
This would make a wonderful gift for your parents & any baby boomer who misses the wonder years of yesterday.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, But Be Careful..., May 20, 2005

By	Fussy "ran14813" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

I waited with great anticipation for this set. It finally came, and when I popped it into my 1.5 year old DVD player, none of the disks in this set would play on a Toshiba player. I had to take them to another player I have, a newer one, a Panasonic.

THAT is scary. Still, I like the set.

You don't even have to like some of the stars on these disks; just seeing their reactions, their horror at being on "This Is Your Life", and their sometimes disingenuous reactions to people is great fun.

It is also sad to see some of these people who are no longer with us, such as Karen Carpenter and Jayne Mansfield. Karen appeared to be just an innocent, wide-eyed, all-American girl who rocketed to fame, only to die too soon. What a cutie. And Jayne really "played" her assets on TV, but you can tell that under the glitzy surface was a woman who cared about her family...and who was anything but dumb.

And there is Jack Cassidy, the "hammy" husband of Shirley Jones, and somebody who also died too soon.

Still, these are fascinating glimpses into the private lives of famous people. They sometimes look uncomfortable, there are lots and lots of pregnant pauses as people stumble for words.

Recommended, but...with caution.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RALPH EDWARDS, THIS WAS YOUR SHOW! THANKS!, January 31, 2006

By	Alan W. Petrucelli (THE ENTERTAINMENT REPORT (ALAN W. PETRUCELLI)) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ralph Edwards' breakthrough series that showcased the extraordinary lives of famous folk has finally been brought to the small screen again. And we couldn't be happier. This three-disc collection features 18 tributes, and spans a variety of genres, decades and honorees. Our favorites, of course, come from the haze of Hollywood, and include Bette Davis (the reunion between she and Now, Voyager star Paul Henried, who recreates the film's legendary "two cigarette" finale, is stirring; Boris Karloff (the renowned actor is reunited with his Frankenstein make-up guru Jack Piece); Lou Costello (who refuses to shy away from the overwhelming grief over his young son drowning in the family pool) and Jayne Mansfield (whose honest emotionality belies her dumb blonde status). Yet the tales of the lesser-known World War survivors, Pearl Harbor hero Rear Admiral Samuel Fuqua and Holocaust survivor Hanna Bloch Kohner, are equally riveting. This remains an incredible piece of TV history that demands to be in everyone's home library, and we fervently hope that Ralph Edwards productions and R2 will release the rest of the shows. Soon.