TV on DVD: 'Futurama' and other gift sets
DEAN MARTIN CELEBRITY ROASTS: COMPLETE COLLECTION: $250 DVD for 25 discs, StarVista (at TimeLife.com)
They certainly weren't as explicit as today's Comedy Central cable roasts. But they laid the network TV groundwork, 40 years ago, and they endure as a name-dropping time capsule of the 1970s. Rat Pack crooner Martin morphed his 1960s NBC variety hour into a comedy showcase that gathered dozens of showbiz legends in Friars Club-inspired mockery. The 54 roasts in this deluxe box skewer comics (Bob Hope. Jack Benny, Phyllis Diller), TV icons (Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson, Betty White), movie stars (John Wayne, James Stewart, Kirk Douglas), sports names (Joe Namath, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron), politicians (Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater), publishing celebrities (Hugh Hefner, Truman Capote), pop culture oddities (Mr. T, Evel Knievel), and dozens more. Much like last year's Carol Burnett set, the wide hard-box case opens to reveal three thick cases of 6-8 discs each, plus three additional standard cases holding the Frank Sinatra roast, highlights from Martin's variety show, and bonus features (6 hours) including interviews, featurettes and two additional Martin TV specials. A colorful booklet crammed with photos and zingers tops it off. Early orders from TimeLife.com even score an exclusive Dean Martin figurine. Credit: Handout
And this holiday season's new TV gift sets just keep on comin' out. Here are some more options we can recommend. (Prices are list; many discounts can be found.)
FUTURAMA: THE COMPLETE SERIES It's no Bender head -- the life-size plastic shelf collectible that enclosed 2009's Complete Collection -- but this plainer-packaged Complete Series box of Matt Groening's animated spacefest offers its own colorful thrills. In addition to the earlier set's original four Fox seasons (and four feature-length adventures), the new embossed double-width slipcase box adds the four "volumes" of Comedy Central's widescreen revival -- all with the usual commentaries, deleted scenes and backgrounders, all in bright comics-inspired cardboard cases (some embossed, one lenticular). Unfortunately, discs sit loosely in and fall easily out of their cardboard slots. But Bender's supercool robot head wasn't exactly scratch-free, either. The only new collectible is a one-sheet reversible 2014/3014 calendar; $200 list price for 124 episodes and 4 films on 27 DVDs (sorry, no Blu-ray), out Tuesday from Fox.
HAWAII FIVE-0: THE COMPLETE SERIES As much as CBS' current hot-bod revival is focused on flash, this 1968-80 original concentrates on character. Guest stars get plenty of time to flesh out their victims, perps and bystanders, while Jack Lord's Steve McGarrett defines The Man who must not be messed with. And what stars: Andy Griffith, Ricardo Montalban, Buddy Ebsen, Helen Hayes, Hume Cronyn, Sal Mineo, Nancy Wilson, Ross Martin, Nancy Kwan, Yaphet Kotto, Patty Duke, John Ritter, Geraldine Page, Kurt Russell, Christopher Walken, dozens more. Scant bonus disc has poor-quality half-hour '70s docufilm, other brief vintage remnants (sales short, talk shows, etc.). The attraction here is the packaging -- plastic "wave" slipcase over solid treasure chest box, holding two photo-filled double-width books where discs are easily removed from page-front slots; $350 for 283 episodes on 72 DVDs (discounts to $250), CBS.
30 FOR 30: SEASON 2, VOL. 1 Former Islanders' owner John Spano gets a documentary here ("Big Shot"). So do athletes' money woes ("Broke"). Many familiar faces ("The Book of Manning") give way to fascinating little-knowns ("Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau" profiles the surfer/cultural icon). And so ESPN's "30 for 30" project continues to grow and deepen. Hard red box holds individually cased discs, with bonus outtakes, extended interviews, director's statements; $75 for 15 films on 6 DVDs, Team Marketing.
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: ABSOLUTELY ALL OF IT Which is, yes, more than 2008's silver-quilted DVD "book" "Absolutely Everything," which preceded last year's 20th anniversary specials with comic fashionistas Edina and Patsy. In addition to adding those three badly behaved reunions, "Absolutely All's" pink clutch-case delivers remastered video for Seasons 1-3, and new bonus features, too: producer's half-hour show history, visit with June Whitfield (Mother), "Comic Relief" sketch, "French and Saunders" bits. The clutch box uses an inner plastic case holding discs on hubs ("Everything" set had cardboard book-page slots); $160 for 10 DVDs, BBC.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE COMPLETE SERIES Rod Serling's black-and-white classic of irony and twist endings drops all extras here to lower the price for bare-bones standard-def episodes. (Extras-lovers should grab the loaded "Complete Definitive Collection" DVD box while they can, or the gorgeous high-def "Complete Series" Blu-ray, both of which can be found at discount for little more money); $170 for 156 episodes on 25 DVDs, Image/RLJ.
Most Popular
Top Stories
