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(More customer reviews)Once again, MPI Home Video drops the ball with how they have handled release of the old "Jackie Gleason Show" material. For the Gleason aficionados out there, this DVD is another example of how this company seems to do everything wrong.
I had been awaiting the release of this DVD for a while, and was excited to see some of the material that was billed as "never before released." Needless to say, I was highly disappointed when I watched the video and realized that this is essentially a re-edit of "The Great Gleason," a documentary that MPI released back in 1987! Most of the highlights are the same, and edited in almost the exact same way. Not only this, but Jeff Garlin's commentary is sometimes a word-for-word repeat of the narration from the older documentary!
It's my understanding that MPI owns the rights to well over 100 hours of footage from the original "Jackie Gleason Show" (1952-1955, & 1956-1957 seasons). WHY in the world, after nearly 20 years, do we see the exact same clips??? Can't they put out some material that is truly "never before released?"
Another issue I have is the quality of a number of these clips. Granted, all of this material comes from old kinescopes, and the image quality will vary widely in some cases. But there are some clips on this DVD that looked BETTER when we saw them back in the late 1980s. An example: the Fenwick Babbitt sketch where he's working in the cake factory. On this DVD, the clip is extremely blurred, and very poor quality. However, I have this same sketch on VHS when it aired as part of the "Best of Gleason" TV special hosted by Harry Anderson back in 1988. The video looks better on that VHS than on this DVD! Either MPI has no idea how to properly restore these images, or they've let the kinescopes further deteriorate since they took possession of them back in the mid 80s. Either way, it reflects badly on them.
The main redeeming factor about this DVD is the bonus feature - excerpts of Gleason performing on his variety show in May of 1954. But again, MPI drops the ball - rather than include the full episode, they only include a 15-minute edited version. Why could they not include the whole thing?!
Are they too cheap to spend the money on dual-layer DVD media?
It is frustrating that MPI essentially rehashes a program that is over 20 years old, when there is material they've been sitting on that would be well-worth releasing. Some of you may recall news coverage back in 2004 when the Peabody Award Archives located a rare 1954 kinescope of the Honeymooners "Love Letter" episode. Every article at the time mentioned that MPI planned to release this episode. Nearly four years have passed. Has this release happened?Of course not.
It would be wonderful to see the original Jackie Gleason Show from the 1950s see a full DVD release. Perhaps there is some hesitation, since they already chopped out all the Honeymooners episodes from these shows and released them on their own. But I know there are legions of Gleason fans who would gladly pay for full-season releases of the shows from the 1950s.
It's a real shame that MPI owns the rights to these shows, as they really do not seem to appreciate Gleason's legacy. Why can they not do Gleason's material justice and release it properly? And why does Jackie Gleason Enterprises let them get away with this?
Click Here to see more reviews about: Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work
Jackie Gleason knew that to produce his top-rated weekly CBS variety show he needed more than just witty monologues, innovative June Taylor choreography and big name guests. He personally had to garner the respect of his national audience, which he did superlatively with a cavalcade of compelling and lovable characters. As television’s pioneer weekend evening entertainer he created iconic personas and deservingly earned the title "Mr. Saturday Night."
Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work is a thorough retrospect of Jackie’s most popular characters. Most of the sketches have never before been available or even viewed since their original live broadcasts in the 1950s. This DVD presents some of Gleason’s funniest sketches in their near entirety, thereby preserving the magical cadence of his legendary performances.
The show features Jackie Gleason’s widow Marilyn Taylor Gleason providing candid insight into her husband’s profound understanding of his characters. Mrs. Gleason performed often with her future husband and witnessed firsthand the genius at work. As well, she was June Taylor’s younger sister and a featured June Taylor Dancer.
This special look back at Gleason’s work includes commentary by host Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO®).
Click here for more information about Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work
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