Rating: Summary: Excellent DVD Review: This is a real must for all Beatle fans. The chance to see them perform live anytime is what I really like. Of the four shows I like the 1965 program the best. It is amazing to see how much different they seemed from 1964 to 1965. Watching the Beatles perform dispels any myth that they were not a great live band.
Rating: Summary: Good, but Not Great Review: This is an aweseom DVD collection if you are the type of person that wants to submerge yourself into not only the magic of the Beatles, but also the magic of the time period. If you are only interested in the Beatles performances on these discs, than it's not really worth the money.
Rating: Summary: 's alright. Review: Those dissing the acrobats and novelty acts on these dvds are pretty much just showing their lack of imagination and understanding of entertainment circa 1964. It's all part of the package- people sat around the TV and dug all of it, including the Beatles. It's a shame the the public idea of what entertainment is has become so narrow and barren over the last 40 years. Youth culture has apparently killed more than my dog. Yeah, the Beatles were great, and they had higher peaks to reach before they led the way into the self-absorption and lack of perpective that pretty much screwed up pop music forever. So kudos to the producers of these discs who had enough cultural savvy to include the complete shows including commercials. The Beatles are the drawing card but the real value of these discs is as an accurate little slice of 1960s culture. And as far as Senor Wences goes, the man was a genius.
Rating: Summary: Sorry Girls-He's Married! Review: Those who've seen these broadcasts will "get" this title. Excellent piece of history that has a nice beat that you can dance to. Also an excellent example of television entertainmnet as it was and as it became. Many of the other acts are indeed hideous by modern standards (Myron Cohen and Dave Barry drew few laughs then and even fewer today-Soupy Sales' "Mouse" routine is so silly it's embarrassing). But some good moments shine through with a few of them. Cab Calloway in particular almost steals the show from the Liverpool lads in episode 3 with his uptempo, head-swinging version of "Old Man River." The "Oliver" cast with the young Davy Jones is quite charming too. The commercials from the time ("Pillsbury-It's In the Dairy Case") add period charm to the proceedings. For my money, the first episode and #3 hold up well and the fourth episode when Ringo and co. all but take over the proceedings is the best of this bunch. An education for the younguns and a nostalgic treat for the oldsters.
Rating: Summary: A Piece Of History Review: Watching these old shows in their entirety demonstrates why the Beatles were so popular. The stagnant, Vegas-like entertainers that surround the Beatles performances are at best laughable and at worst annoying. Did anyone find Frank Gorsham funny or Cilla Black talented? With their Beatlesuits and moptops, the Fab Four were a breath of fresh air. The included commercials are surrealistically funny. I guess Pillsbury sold alot of muffins! The only gripes I have are that there is no bonus material (interviews, behind the scenes photos, booklet, etc.) and that, because they are in black & white, all four shows could have fit on one DVD. A must have for any Beatle fan! [DW]
Rating: Summary: More nostalgia than just the Beatles..... Review: We all remember the sound of The Ed Sullivan Show opening. Variations of "Live from New York..." etc. The 4th show in September 1965 has Ralph Paul doing the opening with Ed thanking him. Sure made my heart sing to hear it again..... To see more about Ralph, you can see his website at www.amityvillage.com/ralphpaul.htm Other greats are on the DVDs too. A real piece of TV history. just some thoughts from Mrs. Ralph Paul.....
Rating: Summary: ALMOST A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY Review: with the exception of the Beatles' performance's this dvd set was a almost a total waste of money for me. ididn't know i was getting FOUR HOURS of complete ed sullivan shows. i don't know what was worse, the insufferable acts on his show or the commercials they play throughout. i ended up fast forwarding through everything except the beatles acts. i think they could have done this dvd a lot better and in my opinion, just buy a picture of the beatles back then and a good cd you like of them instead of this dvd set cuz it's a waste of money.
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