TV on DVD: Jerry Lewis jazzes it up

JERRY LEWIS AS THE JAZZ SINGER

Program TV's 1959 production of Al Jolson's "talkie" tale, about a comic whose rabbi father wishes he were a cantor, is an early dramatic turn for Lewis and also richly reflects his Jewish heritage. (Co-stars include Yiddish theater legend Molly Picon.) This new DVD contains both the color videotape that was broadcast and a black-and-white kinescope film shot for preservation purposes. That provides a fascinating comparison -- how vibrant those early TV broadcasts could look, compared to the faded film prints often left as their vestiges today.

Extras Enlightening featurette about the show's history: Son Chris Lewis explores restoring one of TV's earliest color videotapes.

List price $15, Inception.

Also out

DAVID SUSSKIND SHOW: JERRY LEWIS From 1965: Actor-writer-director-comedian very seriously discusses his life and artistry (and smokes up a storm) in intimate "Open End" talkfest, two hours in black-and-white; $20, s'more.

DAVID SUSSKIND SHOW: HOW TO BE A JEWISH SON Legendary 1970 panel features Mel Brooks' lunacy, David Steinberg's wit, "How to Be a Jewish Mother" author Dan Greenburg, George Segal, other guests; $20, s'more.