MARX BROTHER TV COLLECTION Review
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 1:48 pm
To quote one of Groucho Marx’s frequent generic punchlines to any sort of set-up, “well, it’s about time”. I received this set yesterday and it is everything one would hope for and more.
An awful lot of folk out there these days probably only know the Marx Brothers from the bakers dozen movies they made together in their lifetime, with perhaps a smattering of Groucho solo from whatever episodes of YOU BET YOUR LIFE are still circulating on Youtube and elsewhere, but as true Marx Brother fans know, there was a large, untapped resource of other Marx Brother appearances, in various combinations trio, duo, and solo, that, though harder to see, definitely existed. The Marxes were definitely a multi-media family, having conquered the stage, movies. radio, the written word, and finally, television, where all three, Harpo, Chico, and most successfully, Groucho, had mined many more laughs in their dotage (the Marxes, not the jokes) from the fifties, sixties, till all their various headings to the grave.
We presented a nice variety of these appearances at last years Slapsticon, that went over quite well with those who attended. Now, a very nice and extensive MARX BROTHER TV COLLECTION is out from Shout Factory, three DVD’s (with an extra fourth if you order the set from Shout Factory direct) that gives you a very good idea of what it was like to have the Marx Brothers send you greetings across the Orthicon tube. Like Buster Keaton, they were really indeed a major presence on the Box, and audiences seemed rather happy to see them.
Collected here are a number of goodies, some that have circulated before, but are nice to have here in good-quality editions, but also a lot of new and interesting surprises. THE INCREDIBLE JEWEL ROBBERY gets it’s first official release in complete form, the 1959 episode of the G.E THEATER that features the last public appearance of all three Brothers together, Harpo’s glorious turn on THE RED SKELTON SHOW from 1962, first playing an angel to Skelton’s Clem Kadiddlehopper character in a sketch that goes rather well, then a nice “Silent Spot” bit with Skelton and Harpo as WW1 border guards on the opposing sides. Two dramatic performances, Groucho in THE HOLD-OUT , another GE THEATER from 1963 in which he plays a stubborn but wise father in a little domestic drama with a young Dennis Hopper, and an even better Harpo dramatic turn in the 1960 SILENT PANIC from THE DUPONT SHOW WITH JUNE ALLYSON co-starring Ernest Truex in a Christmas Story that has Harpo out-of- character playing a mute pursued by crooks who know he witnessed a murder.
The interesting surprises sometimes come in what on paper may not look all that promising, Groucho showing up as guest on an episode of ARTHUR MURRAY’S DANCE PARTY in 1953, goofing around on the dance floor and trying to fluster hostess Katherine Murray with little success, giving us a little of the today-hard-to-believe idea of why that was one of the most popular shows on television in its day. Harpo Marx showing up on I’VE GOT A SECRET with the secret that he’s actually Chico in disguise, Groucho showing off an amazing amount of skill nearly beating the legendary Minnesota Fats at nine-ball in an episode of CELEBRITY BILLIARDS from 1968 (Jackie Gleason always said Fats really wasn’t that great a pool player and we can believe it here).
Speaking of Gleason, we have Groucho making a late-1960’s appearance on THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW, a favorite of mine and nice to see here in it’s original color-video, where Groucho puts on the old make-up one more time and does a nice new-lyric rendering of Marx Uncle Al Shean’s “ Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean” song with Reggie Van Gleason. Harpo in a nicely surreal CANDID CAMERA bit, or appearing with Carol Burnett in a 1960 special called THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF TOYS that show two great comedians making something out of what may have been the stupidest idea for a one-off special you can imagine.
All this and much, much more, especially if you order this directly from Shout Factory and get the extra disc. Apart from getting to see lots of new footage of these great comics, you also get a nice tour through early television, a much more fun and interesting place than turning on the remote today, back when the people on the tube were erudite, witty, nicely-dressed, and friendly. The shows weren’t lowest-denominator-aimed towards the denizens of your local trailer park and starring the denizens of your local trailer park, but could be a nice relaxed half-hour where a panel simply-but-intelligently tried to determine the owner of a certain quote, or played a game of bridge (and this was NETWORK Television too).
Television of the 50’s and 60’s was indeed a much more civilized and talented place, and as this set shows, there was even a good chance that one of the Marx Brothers might just saunter in to disrupt the proceedings and make things a little more madcap.
Go buy it, what the hell are you waiting for?
http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/mar ... -bonus-dvd
RICHARD M ROBERTS
An awful lot of folk out there these days probably only know the Marx Brothers from the bakers dozen movies they made together in their lifetime, with perhaps a smattering of Groucho solo from whatever episodes of YOU BET YOUR LIFE are still circulating on Youtube and elsewhere, but as true Marx Brother fans know, there was a large, untapped resource of other Marx Brother appearances, in various combinations trio, duo, and solo, that, though harder to see, definitely existed. The Marxes were definitely a multi-media family, having conquered the stage, movies. radio, the written word, and finally, television, where all three, Harpo, Chico, and most successfully, Groucho, had mined many more laughs in their dotage (the Marxes, not the jokes) from the fifties, sixties, till all their various headings to the grave.
We presented a nice variety of these appearances at last years Slapsticon, that went over quite well with those who attended. Now, a very nice and extensive MARX BROTHER TV COLLECTION is out from Shout Factory, three DVD’s (with an extra fourth if you order the set from Shout Factory direct) that gives you a very good idea of what it was like to have the Marx Brothers send you greetings across the Orthicon tube. Like Buster Keaton, they were really indeed a major presence on the Box, and audiences seemed rather happy to see them.
Collected here are a number of goodies, some that have circulated before, but are nice to have here in good-quality editions, but also a lot of new and interesting surprises. THE INCREDIBLE JEWEL ROBBERY gets it’s first official release in complete form, the 1959 episode of the G.E THEATER that features the last public appearance of all three Brothers together, Harpo’s glorious turn on THE RED SKELTON SHOW from 1962, first playing an angel to Skelton’s Clem Kadiddlehopper character in a sketch that goes rather well, then a nice “Silent Spot” bit with Skelton and Harpo as WW1 border guards on the opposing sides. Two dramatic performances, Groucho in THE HOLD-OUT , another GE THEATER from 1963 in which he plays a stubborn but wise father in a little domestic drama with a young Dennis Hopper, and an even better Harpo dramatic turn in the 1960 SILENT PANIC from THE DUPONT SHOW WITH JUNE ALLYSON co-starring Ernest Truex in a Christmas Story that has Harpo out-of- character playing a mute pursued by crooks who know he witnessed a murder.
The interesting surprises sometimes come in what on paper may not look all that promising, Groucho showing up as guest on an episode of ARTHUR MURRAY’S DANCE PARTY in 1953, goofing around on the dance floor and trying to fluster hostess Katherine Murray with little success, giving us a little of the today-hard-to-believe idea of why that was one of the most popular shows on television in its day. Harpo Marx showing up on I’VE GOT A SECRET with the secret that he’s actually Chico in disguise, Groucho showing off an amazing amount of skill nearly beating the legendary Minnesota Fats at nine-ball in an episode of CELEBRITY BILLIARDS from 1968 (Jackie Gleason always said Fats really wasn’t that great a pool player and we can believe it here).
Speaking of Gleason, we have Groucho making a late-1960’s appearance on THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW, a favorite of mine and nice to see here in it’s original color-video, where Groucho puts on the old make-up one more time and does a nice new-lyric rendering of Marx Uncle Al Shean’s “ Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean” song with Reggie Van Gleason. Harpo in a nicely surreal CANDID CAMERA bit, or appearing with Carol Burnett in a 1960 special called THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF TOYS that show two great comedians making something out of what may have been the stupidest idea for a one-off special you can imagine.
All this and much, much more, especially if you order this directly from Shout Factory and get the extra disc. Apart from getting to see lots of new footage of these great comics, you also get a nice tour through early television, a much more fun and interesting place than turning on the remote today, back when the people on the tube were erudite, witty, nicely-dressed, and friendly. The shows weren’t lowest-denominator-aimed towards the denizens of your local trailer park and starring the denizens of your local trailer park, but could be a nice relaxed half-hour where a panel simply-but-intelligently tried to determine the owner of a certain quote, or played a game of bridge (and this was NETWORK Television too).
Television of the 50’s and 60’s was indeed a much more civilized and talented place, and as this set shows, there was even a good chance that one of the Marx Brothers might just saunter in to disrupt the proceedings and make things a little more madcap.
Go buy it, what the hell are you waiting for?
http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/mar ... -bonus-dvd
RICHARD M ROBERTS