By Robert Greenwood
It isn’t often that we get a really great collection of a series that has lasted as long as The Carol Burnett show did. Even less, all the hours of extra content that is provided.
Before I jump into this collection, let me explain who Carol Burnett is (just in case you may not know). Born on April 26, 1933 in San Antonio, Texas, Carol Burnett became popular through television guest appearances and specials before receiving her own comedy-variety program, The Carol Burnett Show, in 1967. The show ran for 11 seasons. Burnett has also appeared in a number of feature films and on Broadway. She published her autobiography, One More Time, in 1986. In 2013, she became the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, one of the most respected awards given to the creative minds who influence American culture with their art.
Growing up in the 80s, I was privileged to watched a series called Carol Burnett and Friends. This syndicated series was edited from the original broadcast of The Carol Burnett Show.
To this very day, it is still one of the funniest sketch comedy serials to have ever aired on American television.
It made household names out of great performers like Tim Conway and Harvey Corman. It was also where we first were introduced to Vickie Lawrence’s iconic character Mama.
This massive collection has 50 hours of The Carol Burnett Show as well as 20 hours of bonus features. What makes this collection a must own is the hours of bonus material.
Seeing Carol on set with icons like Sid Caesar and Lucille Ball is ground breaking and funny as the day it aired. Sketch comedy shows to this very day need to thank Carol Burnett for what her show paved the way for.
This is a perfect collection for anyone who was a fan or grew up on the show. It is a great Christmas present and is something every house hold should have in their DVD library
If a negative can be said about this collection its the lack of outtakes that we have all seen online. Other than that, this collection is pretty much perfect.
I give The Carol Burnett Show box set a 5 out of 5 and it is sure to make everyone screaming in a Tarzan voice!
WINNER
“Best Vintage TV Series on Disc”
Home Media Magazine Awards (2013)
“One of the crown jewels of the musical-variety shows”
— The Los Angeles Times
“A top-notch effort and a real treat for fans of the show… will keep you entertained for hours and hours. Highly Recommended”
— DVD Talk
THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW, one of television’s landmark variety shows, debuted on CBS in 1967 and ran for 11 years, receiving 25 Emmy® Awards and five Golden Globes, making it one of the most honored shows in television history. And, TIME Magazine named THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW one of the “100 Best Television Shows of all Time”. Now, thanks to StarVista Entertainment, THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION delivers to comedy lovers and TV DVD aficionados an unprecedented collection – simply the most definitive, extras laden version of the program ever released.
Housed in a collectible box, THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION ($249.95) contains 50 classic episodes hand-picked by Carol herself and more than twenty hours of new bonus features. Along with a 18-page memory book, bonuses include three episodes fromThe Garry Moore Show where Carol got her start, including the “Supergirl” episode, where Carol did her Tarzan yell for the first time; rare sketches from the first five seasons of show, not seen anywhere in over 40 years with guest appearances by Lucille Ball, Jerry Lewis, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Betty White, Carl Reiner, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Joan Rivers, Bernadette Peters, Sammy Davis Jr., Dick Van Dyke, Shirley MacLaine, Rock Hudson, Vincent Price, Phil Silvers, Joel Grey, The Smothers Brothers, Stiller & Meara, Tony Randall and many others; and a raucous 3-part Cast Reunion with Carol, Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway and Lyle Waggoner. Exclusive featurettes also include “I Want to Push That Button…”-The History of THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW”; “Leading Lady–Carol as a Television Pioneer”; and, “Breaking Up Is Hard…Not to Do — The Ensemble Chemistry and Famous “break-ups” on THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW”, a 90-minute, rarely-seen emotional and revealing interview with Harvey Korman and Conway at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles, and over 20 interviews with guests (including Betty White, Carl Reiner, Jerry Lewis), writers and current performers influenced by Carol (Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Lynch and Amy Poehler).
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